THE BLESSINGS OF CREATIVITY...

I thank the LORD JESUS for each day that is given me to create wonderful projects...As always, I give Him all the glory.


Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Scripture Series: The Way of the Spirit Card---Join our Last Challenge for 2021 with Blog Hop Prizes at Word Art Wednesday! Don't Miss It!

 Hi there, Crafty peeps!  First of all,  A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a BLESSED NEW YEAR to everyone.   It's time for another Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) which will go on for two weeks.  Today's Scripture Word Art comes from Ecclesiastes 11:5 which says, "As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all."  I highlighted this verse in my card below to inspire you. Download this free Scripture Word Art at WAW, use it for your projects (not mandatory) and don't forget to link  them to our Challenge.  Then follow the Blog hop order for a chance to win the awesome prizes our DT's are giving away in their post. You can find the complete details below.

I am very grateful to God that this year had been full of blessings for me and my family.  I am not saying this because the world has gotten better, not at all!  If anything, it became worst as Satan and his demonic minions wreak havoc in trying to divide people not only by race but have caused war between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated by using the Rona scare tactics disguising as health/safety concern.   It is sad and concerning to see what's happening predominantly in Europe nowadays and how the rights of the people to decide what's right for their own bodies are being trampled on.  They are imprisoned inside their homes and are prevented from earning a living or to go shop and dine elsewhere.  Not only that, they are charged with hefty fines each month for non-conformity to their government's draconian mandates as if they are living under Communist rule.  This is done so that each one would be forced to take an experimental/emergency drug with deadly side effects that are kept from public questioning/scrutiny.  You either conform to the government mandate as lab rats or lose your freedom! But wait, where is the iron clad study that the "unjabbed" are without a doubt responsible for the Rona spread? How about the Cruise Ship (Royal Caribbean) that sailed more than a week ago with every passenger and crew vaccinated yet ended up with an outbreak  of 48 positive cases.  A couple of weeks before that, it happened with Norwegian Cruise Line as well as several other ships.  This news are kept in low profile by the fake media daily while intentionally failing  to report the truth on the deaths due to the deadly side effects and blood clots; defending every false claim of safety promised by their jab.  My point is, "If their Rona cure is really proven effective, many would essentially and happily subject to it.  There's no need for coercion because people (by nature) don't prefer to die prematurely.  But to threaten people's  livelihood for something they couldn't trust nor prove to keep people healthy and protected is despicable. I respect those who made their free choice to get the jab but many of these pro-jabbers have chosen to condemn those that didn't make the same choice.  There's no government and healthcare transparency when every opposing argument is silenced and banned.  So people of God, this calls for wisdom!  How much are you willing to give to live freely?  How much is your freedom worth?  The world puppeteers can come up with variants upon variants, believe me!  They will not stop till you have no freedom left.

I guess the bottom line is who do you trust with your life---God or government?  God's Word or what they call science (of safety)?  I am definitely for government and science if they align with God and His Word.  This may raise some eyebrows but I'm going to say it anyway. Any influential person can create chaos and use fear to bring people to submission and only the deceived would label everything as conspiracy.  The Bible tells us in Revelation 12:9, "And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."  A man who hasn't fully given himself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) is driven by the Sin Nature that he/she inherited from Satan himself.  As a result, he/she follows after the heart of his prideful master--- highly selfish, corrupt, rebellious, deceptive!  Jeremiah 17:9 clearly states, “The heart is deceitful above all things And it is extremely sick; Who can understand it fully and know its secret motives?" Nothing is sacred to the enemy of our souls.  Until we allow Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God to come and change our hearts, we are nothing but blind and foolish beings.  And so, why do I consider myself blessed in the midst of this chaotic world?  Because in these days of deception, God allowed me to see right from wrong and to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ without fear.  He made me realize the value of eternity with Him and not so much on this temporary existence.  And He taught me to be grateful for the freedom He provided me so I could live freely (without apologies)---totally relying on His promises.  Live or die, I'm with my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! 

Truthfully, none of us know every detail of what's going to happen today and tomorrow.  God is so gracious to let us in on the victory that awaits everyone who placed their trust in Christ through His Word.  Everyone who trusted in the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection) of Jesus Christ knows that no matter what happens in this world, we are on the winning side! As we see the "Period of Grace (Church Age)" coming to a close, the believer's destiny is written---to meet up with our Lord and Savior with other believers in His appointed time so we can  rule and reign with Him forevermore. TELL ME WHY THEN SHOULD I FEAR? 
 
Lastly, I would like to impart what My Life Application Bible shared on the first five verses of Ecclesiastes 11 where our Scripture Word Art is taken from.  It says, "In these verses Solomon summarizes that life involves both risk and opportunity.  Because life has no guarantees, we must be prepared.  Solomon does not support a despairing attitude.  Just because life is uncertain does not mean we should do nothing.  We need a spirit of trust and adventure, facing life's risks and opportunities with God directed enthusiasm and faith.  Waiting for perfect conditions will mean inactivity.  This practical insight is especially  applicable to our spiritual lives.  If we wait for the perfect time and place for personal Bible reading, we will never begin.  If we wait for a perfect Church, we will never join.  If we wait for the perfect ministry, we will never serve.  Take steps now to grow spiritually.  Don't wait for conditions that may never exist."
 
For this Card, I used an image from Stamping Bella called "Mochi Fall Girl" that I colored using my ProMarker and Prismacolor markers.  The base is an A7 card from Paper Studio and the DP's are also from Paper Studio.  I added some glitters from Stickles (Crystal) to the paper-pieced portion of the clothing as well as white nail head gems from Imaginisce.  Lastly, I did some fancy and regular stitching on this project.  I am pretty happy with it.
 

THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT CARD 



THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT CARD LAYERS
 

THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT CARD INSIDE


THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX


Okay everyone, here's the ORDER OF THE BLOG HOP:
 
Welcome to my Blog, your second stop in the WAW Blog Hop! You can win lots of prizes by visiting the Blog Hop in its order to avoid missing a stop.  Each of the DT's will pick a winner of a beautiful prize package (picture shown below) they offer in their personal Blogs. And all you need to do is to leave each DT a comment. Now for my Blog, I would love for you to be a follower and to let me know how Word Art Wednesday or this Blog help you grow in your relationship with God  (just honest, straight forward answers). At the end of the Challenge I will ask the help of my 16 year old son in picking my winner.  Sadly, we can only accept and ship to United States participants at this time.  Be sure to finish the Blog Hop for more chances to win.   This is the prize I'm giving away:
 
 

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Little Red Wagon---Stripes or Dots
Ellibelle's Corner---Baby It's Cold Outside
Paper Funday---ATG/Holidays
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Creatalicious---ATG/Non-traditional Christmas Colors
DL. Art---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Vintage Feel
MIUCB---ATG/Black and White + One
QKR---ATG
Rabisco---ATG
Sognando---ATG

Time to go, everyone!  Please make sure to visit us at WAW and link up the projects you make out of our free Word Art although not mandatory.  You can link up any inspiring, uplifting, family-friendly projects, up to 5 each week.  Our wonderful sponsors this week is Sunny Studio Stamps ($20 GC).  So, head over to WAW and show us your wonderful projects.  Enjoy the holidays with your family.  Always remember that God is in control and we can trust in His protection always. Our part is to pray without ceasing and act upon His Word.

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Encouragement Series: Faith is Taking the First Step Card---Join Our Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday...

Hello everyone! We started another Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge a couple of days ago at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) featuring a new Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site). It comes from Isaiah 7:14 which says, "Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  
 
Since the downfall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, humanity had been waiting for a Savior that would free us from the bondage of Sin and Death which brought curse to all creation.  The created betrayed the Creator! Humanity didn't have anyone untainted by the Sin nature (Adam inherited from Satan) to redeem us back to God's holy presence. We were found guilty---cursed for all eternity and our destination was no other than the Lake of Fire with Satan and every demonic beings.  James 1:17-18 tells us, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."  Therefore, to be separated from God is to live without any good thing.  He is the Source of life and without Him, all that's left is darkness and torment. If you allow this truth to sink in to the deepest part of your being, you will realize the abundant grace and hope that can only come from the birth of the God/Man Savior---Jesus Christ!

This Christmas season, we remember what took place that blessed night, when Jesus was born.  When the mighty hand of God reached out to mankind by sending His One and Only Son, holy and blameless who took on flesh to be born as a man so He could redeem mankind from the ultimate wrath of being vanished from God's presence forever. Why my Lord?  Why would you show us mercy when all we've ever done was  to rebel against you?  We made ourselves our own god by following the evil ways of Satan.  We chose to walk blindly to satisfy our fleshly desires and we proudly display our lustful lifestyles, doing everything to encourage others to do the same.  I share David's sentiment when he addressed God in Psalm 8:3-4 saying, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  I believe Jesus revealed the very heart of the Father towards us in John 3:16-21 when He said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
 
God's obvious reason for saving mankind is LOVE!  I don't know with you but the moment I stopped pursuing myself and inclined my ears to God's voice, I found answers to all of my questions.  God's Word contains the truth to the ways, plan and purpose of God which was embodied, demonstrated  and fulfilled by Jesus Christ.  The inner working of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life testify of God's love towards us. Realizing how valuable we are to God through the sacrifice of Christ, we could freely love Him back!  And that's what happened to many of us!  We loved God because He first loved us. Romans 5:6-8 says, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God is calling us to Himself today, all broken and torn up.  Humble yourself before Him and receive the gift of salvation that Jesus fully paid on your behalf.  It is free for everyone but only those that accept it by faith (trust, depend, rely, believe, cling to) will benefit from it.  Just like the sentiment written in my featured card today quoted by Martin Luther King, Jr. that says, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase," your first step towards faith is to repent of your sins, entrust your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at the Cross followed by studying His Word.  The Holy Spirit will take you one level staircase to the next as you remain faithful to Him. Before long, you'll be instrumental in helping others thrive and grow. So, be firm and continue to fight the good fight of faith.
 
For this Card, I used an image from DRS Stamps called "Cattail Milk Pail" that I watercolored using my Stabilo 68 markers.  The base is a white CS, cut and scored to make an A2 size card.  The wonderful DP came from My Mind's Eye and the beautiful sentiment is a rubber stamp from Inkadinkado while the sentiment inside and on the envelope is from Studio G.  Finally, I added some glitters from Stickles (Crystal) and incorporated some regular and fancy stitching.  Not intentionally but I loved that the background paper looked like stairs which complemented the main sentiment.  I really love the rustic, shabby and vintage look of this card.
 

FAITH IS TAKING THE FIRST STEP CARD 


FAITH IS TAKING THE FIRST STEP CARD CLOSE-UP


FAITH IS TAKING THE FIRST STEP CARD INSIDE


FAITH IS TAKING THE FIRST STEP CARD WITH ENVELOPE


 This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

HLS---Watercolor
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Vintage Feel
Sognando---ATG
YSP---ATG

Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge.  You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a requirement.  As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and inspirational, you can enter several times in two weeks.  A great prize awaits our winner from our wonderful sponsors---Crafty Individuals (UK 25 GC) and DRS Stamps (25 GC).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Remember that faith is the currency of heaven and without it, we cannot please God.  When we know the promises of God in His Word, we are not easily deceived.   

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Fun/Humor Series: Winter Christmas Reindeer Games Card---Join our Anything Goes Challenge at 613 Avenue Create!

Hi there, everyone!  We have a brand new Challenge happening this entire month at 613 Avenue Create!  As always, it's Anything Goes with optional theme of  "Any Holiday." As you can see, I chose a fun and light Christmas theme for my card sample simply because we all need a good laugh nowadays.  For nearly two years now, the world along with it's globalists politicians and mainstream social media never fail to spread death and fear in the airwaves and sadly, many are still terrified and isolating themselves with every report of Rona variants.  But as for me and my house, our faith is solely focused in the Lord and to His promises which covers not only our temporary life but more importantly, our life eternal.  I can literally go out and enjoy each day with friends and family during winter time without a thought of Rona slowing me down.  Talking about quality life and quality time.  Snow is very rare in Texas but will come up with ways to have fun like that energetic woman in my card...LOL
 
Happiness is always a choice! But there is no meaningful happiness without God in one's life.  Before I came to know Christ, like everyone else, I was living by the standards of the world.  It's like an emotional roller coaster when my happiness is dependent upon my situation and emotional status.  If you happen to have friends or family that listens, you try to share how you feel but have you noticed that most can only afford to offer you an emotional band-aid? It's a temporary relief, not the ultimate cure.  If you are the kind of person that takes time to reflect on your life's journey, you'd realize that we all have this "God-shaped hole" in our hearts that nobody and nothing in this world can ever fill. We try to do everything we can to satisfy it by fulfilling our ambitions in attempt to gain wealth, fame and power to fill our longings.  Some look for temporary fix like drugs, alcohol and toxic relationships.  Many have reached the pinnacle of earthly success but much to our dismay, they have cut their lives short just like that!  All their accomplishments didn't provide them with true happiness.

I would like to share what Gotquestions.org had to say about this issue of spiritual void in the life of every human being. It says, "The “God-shaped hole” concept states that every person has a void in his soul/spirit/life that can only be filled by God. The “God-shaped hole” is the innate longing of the human heart for something outside itself, something transcendent, something “other.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 refers to God’s placing of "eternity in man’s heart." God made humanity for His eternal purpose, and only God can fulfill our desire for eternity. All religion is based on the innate desire to “connect” with God. This desire can only be fulfilled by God, and therefore can be likened to a “God-shaped hole.” The problem, though, is that humanity ignores this hole or attempts to fill it with things other than God. Jeremiah 17:9 describes the condition of our hearts: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Solomon reiterates the same concept: “The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live…” (Ecclesiastes 9:3). The New Testament concurs: “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:7). Romans 1:18-22 describes humanity ignoring what can be known about God, including presumably the “God-shaped hole,” and instead worshiping anything and everything other than God. Sadly, too many spend their lives looking for something other than God to fill their longing for meaning—business, family, sports, etc. But in pursuing these things that are not eternal, they remain unfulfilled and wonder why their lives never seem satisfactory. There is no doubt that many people pursuing things other than God achieve a measure of “happiness” for a time. But when we consider Solomon, who had all the riches, success, esteem, and power in the world—in short, all that men seek after in this life—we see that none of it fulfilled the longing for eternity. He declared it all “vanity,” meaning that he sought after these things in vain because they did not satisfy. In the end he said, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Just as a square peg cannot fill a round hole, neither can the “God-shaped hole” inside each of us be filled by anyone or anything other than God. Only through a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ can the “God-shaped hole” be filled and the desire for eternity fulfilled."
 
Thirty-one years ago, that God-shaped hole in my life was totally satisfied when I decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ and received His sacrifice at the Cross for the redemption of my sins and surrendered my life to His plan and purpose.  Many trials have come and gone and I remained victorious in my journey because the Lord have always been there for me.  In every situation, I live in the truth stated in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." With Christ living inside of me, I have joy and contentment. But in addition to that, I have the righteousness (right standing with God) and peace (incomprehensible) of God in my life now and forever. Some things may deviate from my future plans but the presence of God inside me gives me the perfect reason to stay happy and hopeful about the future.  If you desire to be filled by God, don't delay. I'm not offering you a band-aid.  I'm giving you the Cure!  Receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (Born-again, John 3:3) right this very moment,  join a Christ-centered/Biblical Church community at your earliest, study and obey God's Word daily and share what God has done in your life every opportunity God gives you. For that is the will of God for His children.
 
For this Card, I used an image from Art Impressions called "Reindeer Games" that I watercolored using my Stabilo 68 markers. The base is a pre-cut, A7 card from Paper Studio, the  snowflakes I layered  are stamps from Recollections and secured by a brad from the same company.  The pine trees in the background came to life through layered stamping using Memento inks and enhanced by using Frantage embossing enamels and glitters from Stampendous.  I only used it a couple of times several years ago and I'm so glad I was able to use it again for this great winter scene.  Lastly, I added the sentiment that comes with the image and stitched all over this card.  I can say that this is my fave Christmas themed card I have ever made...I just love it!

 
WINTER CHRISTMAS REINDEER GAMES CARD


WINTER CHRISTMAS REINDEER GAMES CARD LAYERS
 

WINTER CHRISTMAS REINDEER GAMES CARD INSIDE
 

WINTER CHRISTMAS REINDEER GAMES CARD WITH ENVELOPE BOX
 
This Card is entered into the following Challenges:
 
Bastel Traum---Christmas 
Art Impressions---Happy Holidays
Ching Chou Kuik---Christmas/Winter
Country View---Christmas
Creatalicious---ATG/Christmas
Do-Al(1) Kreatives---It Smells a Lot Like Christmas
HLS---Watercolor
HLS Christmas---ATG/Toys
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/Vintage Feel
Love to Scrap---Christmas BINGO (Column G---Gold, Red, Emboss, Green)
Merry Little Christmas---ATG Christmas
MIUCB---ATG/Red, White and another color 
River of Creativity---Celebrate 
Scribbles Designs---Warm Winter Clothing
Sognando---ATG
12 Months of Christmas---ATG Christmas
Crafting Challenge---Christmas Sentiment
Four Seasons---ATG Winter
YSP---ATG
 
This is it for now, guys.  Make sure to join us at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create---for an Anything Goes Challenge with optional theme, "Any Holiday."  If you want to be challenged more, take on our Optional Twist.  But there's really no reason for you to miss it. Can't wait to see what you create. The Word of God is not just an ordinary book.  Read it and you will find wisdom that even the geniuses of the world will never understand that your joy may be full.
 
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Friday, December 3, 2021

Scripture Series: I Am Called By Thy Name Card---Join Us for an Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

Hello there, Crafty Peeps!  This is my Thanksgiving Card but got delayed in posting.  Life happens but so grateful to God for always being there through all my circumstances.  In Him, there's always hope.  Anyway, we started another bi-weekly Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) a week ago and as always, we feature a Scripture Word Art that is free for you to download from the WAW site.  It comes from Jeremiah 15:16 which says, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts." 
 
Like all the other prophets called by God in the past, Jeremiah was  to intercede between God and His chosen people.  When Adam fell into Sin, we became separated from God and could no longer freely interact with our Creator the way Adam and Eve used to in the Garden of Eden.  The first time God spoke about death (origin) to warn Adam was in Genesis 2:17 saying, “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”  Many may think that God was not serious with what He said because human kind continued to live for hundreds of years and their descendants filled the earth.  But God spoke the truth for death became a reality in the lives of every human born in this world right after Adam sinned. The first death we experienced from Adam's disobedience was spiritual death which meant losing the most valuable part of our existence---our spiritual connection with God.  The holy connection between God and Man was severed by the presence of the Sin Nature (from Lucifer).  No longer  could Adam walk with God in the cool of the day for they were vanished from the holy presence of God. Two other deaths would soon follow---physical death and eternal death.  That was our fate as sinners.  But way before time, God's redemptive plan was already in place which would be revealed in His perfect time---the birth of our Savior!   For the meantime, God in His great mercy called and sent prophets who would represent Him and communicate His message.  God also gave them spiritual insights to future events so as to prepare or warn God's people.
 
Oh yes, the position/title may sound prestigious but being a prophet of God is hard.  Warning people who are bent on rebelling against God meant danger for they are totally hostile to His message.  So the prophets of old end up fleeing for their lives like Elijah (I Kings 19:2-5), experienced being tortured like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:6) or were murdered like Isaiah (he was believed to be among the prophets sawed in half according to some extra biblical sources). The Bible talked about what others had to suffer in Hebrews 11:36-38 which says, "Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chain and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground."  So, if God's prophets were hated so much in their time, how can we be sure that we are not going to face similar persecutions in our time?  We thank God for His protection daily in spite of the chaos and growing religious persecution here in America  but we know that many of our brethren from other countries are literally dying for their faith in Christ. While the world thinks that the message of the Gospel (death, burial and resurrections) of Jesus Christ is so outdated and no longer apply to our days, we proclaim God's truth in Numbers 23:19 which says, "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." With the rise of demonic agenda and sexual immorality in the world, every child of God who boldly declares His Word would have already experienced some form of persecution.  If you identify as a Christian but is embraced by the world and loves the things of this world, you have to seriously assess the validity of your claim. 

Nowadays, though not all of us can operate under the Office of the Prophets (Ephesians 4:11-13, Five Fold Ministry) or manifest the spiritual gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Gifts of the Holy Spirit), everyone who wholeheartedly placed their faith in Jesus Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) are part of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).  We are to share to anyone willing to listen what was graciously imparted to us---It is Jesus Christ, the heart of the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 clearly tells us, "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."  We carry with us the message of hope that was spoken in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament.  Like Jeremiah was delighted to inwardly digest God's Word and was willing to risk his life to convey God's message, we are to boldly share the message of truth found in God's Word. We cannot add or water it down just to please people.  Remember that no matter how pure your motives are, the rebellious spirit will always find it offensive.  Be firm, hold your ground and continue on with the mission no matter what.  I like to share with you what I read from the site called knowing-jesus.com regarding our highlighted verse in Jeremiah 15:6 for it truly blessed me.  It says, "The word of the Lord is pure and righteous altogether. The Word of the Lord stands fast for ever and ever and we are exhorted to hear and preach the Word - to obey and meditate on the Word of God and to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest its many truths...if we are to show ourselves approved unto God. We are called to be doers of the word and not hearers only - and we are to trust in its precepts and promises and not to despise or hold lightly the living word of truth."

For this Card, I used an image from Sassy Cheryl called "What's Up Turkey" that I colored using Primacolor markers and paper-pieced with pattered papers from my stash.  The base is white card as well as all the DP's used in the panels are from Paper Studio.  I die-cut the lacey circles using Nestabilities, added some glitters from Stickles (Crystal). I also used my Crop-a-dile to round two of the corners. 

 I AM CALLED BY THY NAME CARD


I AM CALLED BY THY NAME CARD LAYERS
 

I AM CALLED BY THY NAME CARD INSIDE
 

I AM CALLED BY THY NAME CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX
 

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:
 
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper 
Creatalicious---ATG/Christmas
Scribbles Designs---Warm Winter Clothing
Sognando---ATG 
YSP---ATG
 
Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge.  You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a requirement.  As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and inspirational, you can submit up to 5 entries per week. There's still a few more days to join.  Our wonderful sponsor for this week is  The Project Bin giving away a $15 GC. So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the Spirit of the Lord inspire and lead you today to places that needed to hear His message. Be bold, be strong and do not fear. God is with us!

Ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Find out how on the sidebar...

Friday, November 19, 2021

Scripture Series: And Not Be Silent Card---There's Still Plenty of Time to Join our Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

 Hi there, everyone!  More than a week ago, we started another Anything Goes/Inspirational Challenge at Word Art Wednesday (WAW) as we feature another great Scripture Word Art (free for you to download at the WAW site). It comes from Psalm 30:12 which says, "To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." 

God did not promise us a world without trials and persecutions.  From the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden through disobedience and betrayal of God by Adam's alignment with Satan, the world and everyone who dwells in it had been under curse.  No human being could ever escape the consequences of that  sad event in mankind's history which leads to everlasting torment---a life without the presence of God, the Source of all things good.  Mankind was doomed!  Justice calls for the harshest punishment for those that bit the hand of the One that created them. For God is True, Holy and Righteous! If we can only fathom the depth of His attributes, you will realize why none of us deserve pardon---not on our own abilities, strength and merits.  We have continued in the ways of this world, in bondage with Satan---with no way out! Gotquestions.org shared this, "Humanity is corrupted by sin, and that sin is always directly against God. As a result, all sin requires an eternal punishment. God’s holy, perfect, and infinite character has been offended by our sin. Although to our finite minds our sin is limited in time, to God—who is outside of time—the sin He hates goes on and on. Our sin is eternally before Him and must be eternally punished in order to satisfy His holy justice."
 
But God is also a God of Love and Mercy.  God knew what man would do before He created them yet He still chose to bring them to life.  Psalm 30:5 says, "For his anger lasts only a moment but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."  For God had the greatest plan to save mankind from their bondage way before He established time.  But God didn't magically repair the damage mankind did.  It would require Him to sacrifice His One and Only Son to die a horrific death to pay the fine of such a horrific Sin. Here, we can see how God view Sin. The universal principle of sowing and reaping is in effect and a Just (fair and righteous) God had to show His creation the grave penalty of Sin---death on the Cross by a sinless Man.  Only God is without Sin and He had to come in the flesh as a Man to redeem mankind.  Psalm 8:4-5 says, "What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor." Imagine what the Father had to endure to see His guiltless Son taking unto Himself the sins of the world---Sin that His holiness cannot tolerate.  It was harsh, it was painful!  Even in our very limited understanding as parents to our children, such burden would be hard to bear.  But it happened because John 3:16 said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." And because Jesus conquered the Cross, everyone who puts their faith in His gift of salvation received everlasting life (freedom from eternal damnation).  Solely our faith in Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) and His finished work at the Cross could brings us back to the eternal presence of our Creator as if the breach never happened.  Because Jesus lives inside every believer, the Father honors the sacrifice of His Son on our behalf and considers us His children.  Hence we can call  Him, "Abba, Father!"

So when people ask "how can a sovereign God allow suffering to take place and how can He send people to hell?", we have an answer.  Every choices we make here on earth have consequences---good or bad.  The disobedience of the first man (Adam) invited the curse of Sin and Death to wreak havoc in this world that affects the life of every human being that caused us to rebel against God, living a life of Sin. The biggest choice we have to make in our lifetime is the one that would affect not only this earthly life but our life beyond. God gave us the free-will to choose to remain in our fallen state (we had since birth) or to turn over our lives to Jesus Christ.  Before we release our final breath, a choice should have already been made.  My prayer is that you choose wisely;  for blessed are those who willingly put their faith in Jesus Christ.  In Him  is a life without death, pain nor suffering.  One day, we will live the life God promised us without the presence of Sin.  But until then, this is not the time to be silent and fearful.  Let us proclaim to the world in all boldness Acts 4:11-12, "Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” God's love extends His mercy in this Period (Ark) of Grace (Church Age).  Step right in---don't delay!  For when the door shuts (Rapture of the Church), God's wrath and justice will pour out mercilessly on those left behind.

For this Card, I used an image that I got from Amazon and watercolored it using my Stabilo 68 markers.  The base is Kraft, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches center step design.  The DP is from Paper Studio, the layered flowers are from Prima, the brad from Recollections and the nail head gems are from Imaginisce.  I also used a couple of shape dies from Nestabilities to frame the image and a border flower die from Sizzix.  The leaves are punched with Fiskars punch, the glitters from Stickles (Crystal) and finally, I ran several panels for some wonderful stitching to enhance this project.  Love it!


AND NOT BE SILENT CARD


AND NOT BE SILENT CARD LAYERS


AND NOT BE SILENT CARD INSIDE


AND NOT BE SILENT CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX


This Card is entered into the following Challenges:
 
2 Sisters---ATG
A Bit More Time---ATG  
Ching-Chou Kuik---Thankful/Thankgiving/Thanks 
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Creatalicious---ATG/Ribbon or Twine 
Creations in Pink---Mainly Pink
Creative Craft Cottage---Add some Sparkle
Daisy Chain---Add Sparkle
Dream Factory---Limitless 
Happy Little Stampers---ATG with Dies
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie---Picture Inspiration (love the colors and leaves)
LeAnns World---ATG 
MIUCB---ATG/3D Projects 
Scor-pal---More Than One Score 
Sognando---ATG
Crafting Challenge---Stitching 
YSP---ATG


Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge.  You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a requirement.  As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and inspirational, you can enter up to 5 times each week.  A wonderful prize awaits our winner from our lovely sponsor for this Challenge---Really Reasonable Ribbon (Ribbon Club Assortments).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, be very vigilant, pray always and practice your God given rights.  As long as God is seated on the throne, we are never without hope.  We are part of His plan in this world. While there is still time, let's share the Gospel to those who are willing to listen.

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Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Fall Series: Thankful for Everything Card---Join Our Monthly Anything Goes Challenge Happening at 613 Avenue Create!

Hello everyone...It's a bit late but I'm here to feature my card for our 613 Avenue Create Anything Goes, November Challenge.  I tackled the optional twist which is "Thanks/Thankfulness."  I bought a couple of Thanksgiving inspired stamps a month ago and I used one of them on this project. I love it!  I hope you join us and have some fun crafting and creating.

So many things are happening around us today.  The evil that is hovering in our country and in the world in general are very alarming that brings many to hopelessness, fear and desperation.  The endless attack on our liberty and pursuit of happiness which has been endowed to us by God, our Creator, is threatened by demonic agenda to force many to choose between what they believe is right or to lose their means of livelihood. Each day, we are compelled to make a choice---to stand firm on God's Word with consequences or to compromise for advancement so as to avoid losing everything.  I am not discounting the fact that some choices are easy and that some are life threatening.  No matter what, a true believer of Jesus Christ (Born-again, John 3:3) should not think as the world does---selfish, self-serving and living just for the "now."  Jesus gave His life to free us from the bondage of Sin Nature (slavery to Satan) so that we can be with Him---in His presence now and for all eternity!  Jesus told us in John 16:20-22, "Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."  Likewise in John 16:32-33, Jesus gave us both warning and encouragement saying, “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  

The truth of the matter is this:  The degree of obedience and perseverance we give to the Word of God determines the depth and quality of our relationship with the Lord.  God revealed Himself in His Word (Written Revelation) and through Christ (Personal Revelation).  Jesus, Who is the Word of God, came alive to redeem us and had been with us since then through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The deeper our relationship with Christ, the less likely we'd fall for the threat of the enemy and the worldly system he is using.  Early this year, I experienced some form of spiritual crisis.  Nothing noticeable in the surface but it was a battle within; a case of spiritual anxiety that attempted to steal my peace of mind.  Discerning what the enemy was trying to do, I pleaded to God for a double portion of His peace---the kind that surpasses all understanding. I want a  heart so peaceful that sees the hand of God even in difficult and trying situations in my own life and as a child of God in this fallen world---resilient and firmly grounded in God's Truth!  I fell asleep and when I woke up, I never felt the same.  Praise God for He instantly answered my prayer and gave me great peace and a new pair of eyes to see what's beneath the daily headlines.  I found a deeper understanding of God's Word in Philippians 4:6-7 which says, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."  Contrary to what others may think as complacency, I still do everything that God asked me to do for His kingdom but without the weight of the world on my shoulders.  For this is the will of God toward me in Matthew 11:28-30 which says, " Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  Are you struggling with something today?  Call upon the Lord Jesus.  What He did for me, He will also do for you.

For this Card, I used an image from Stamping Bella called "Teeny Tiny Townie with a Pumpkin Pie" that I colored with the Paper Studio Brush markers.  The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card.  The DP's are all from Paper Studio, the layered flowers are from Prima and the brad is from Recollections.  The leaves were punched from a couple of punches from Fiskars and EK Success. I added some glitters from Stickles (Crystal) and stitched all over this project for added dimension.  


THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING CARD


THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING CARD LAYERS


THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING CARD INSIDE


THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX

This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

2 Sisters---ATG
Ching-Chou Kuik---Thankful/Thankgiving/Thanks 
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Creatalicious---ATG/Ribbon or Twine 
Creative Craft Cottage---Add some Sparkle
Daisy Chain---Add Sparkle 
Dream Factory---Limitless 
Girlz Rebel---Autumn Colors 
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie---Picture Inspiration (love the colors and leaves)
LeAnns World---ATG 
MIUCB---ATG/3D Projects 
Sognando---ATG
Crafting Challenge---Stitching  
Four Seasons---Fall 
YSP---ATG


This is it for now, guys.  Make sure to join us at our neighborhood---613 Avenue Create---for an Anything Goes Challenge.  If you want to be challenged, take on the Optional Twist.  But there's really no reason for you to miss it. Can't wait to see what you create. Remember to put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ always and in His Word to stay in the right course.

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