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.


Saturday, April 3, 2021

Scripture Series: The Waters Cover the Sea---Join Us for Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday!

 Hi there, Crafty Peeps!  We are having another Inspirational/Anything Goes Challenge happening at Word Art Wednesday (WAW)Our Scripture Word Art (you can download for free at the WAW site) comes from Habakkuk 2:14 which says, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."  

First of all, HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY, EVERYONE!  This Holy Week, I spent several hours watching videos of Christians all over the world and I came across a couple of old videos about China that details the history of Christianity in that country and the horrible persecutions many of the faithful have endured and died for the sake of their love for Christ.  Thousands of missionaries and their converts gave their lives to deliver the precious message of the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ) to a country stricken with darkness; where people are chained to the ungodly leadership/policies of their government even to this day.  They met up in caves, in farms, in house basements so as not to be arrested and sentenced to prison and labor camps.  They packed these small/limited places---standing for hours with no room for chairs to sit on while under extreme heat---with no air/fans to cool them down.  With hands lifted high and both smile and tears on their faces, they sing wonderful hymns and praises to the Lord and are eager to study/hear God's Word as  many days the preacher was willing to teach.  The sad thing for me is that THEY DON'T EVEN OWN A BIBLE!  We all know that Bibles are banned in China to this day.  One Pastor in the video said that he was gifted a Bible by his sister from Hongkong.  When he preached, that Bible was passed along for everyone to see and feel for themselves. Because they were so deprived from acquiring one,  many hugged and kissed it that at the end of the day, the red cover of that Bible faded away because of people's tears.  Often, the preachers/teachers would only have a Bible that was torn and with  several missing pages.  One elderly man said that they found a Bible from an abandoned home but it was damaged that it only contained Romans 8 to Revelation 16.  Nevertheless, they used it to teach in one of the house churches.  In order to share it to other churches, three or more of them would go back three times a week to make a handwritten copy of that Bible. How amazing is that?  Another person tried to trade a very expensive, state of the art motorcycle for  a worn-out Bible that his neighbor had but the owner  refused stating that God's Word is a treasure that no amount of money could buy.  This reminded me of Matthew 13:44-46 which says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

Folks, as I continued watching, I began to cry miserably.  I felt so ashamed for all the little things we complain about daily.  The never ending excuses for not going to Church, for not studying and prioritizing God's Word and for not going out of our way to share what God has done in our lives.  We complain about our Church building, music, lights, sounds, facilities, amenities, ambiance, preachers and preaching, and the list goes on.  Each of us have several Bibles at home and we have access to the Bible (borrowed or online) but we simply take it for granted.  We profess to be Christians but many of us support and elect people that go against the Word of God and have championed Satanic agenda to lead and govern us.  Do we have to wait till everything is taken away from us before we wake up to the Truth that knowing Christ as our Savior and Lord and having a personal relationship with Him is the only "treasure" that matters both now and forever?  God forbid.  If there's anything I learned and took from the videos of the persecuted Church in China, it is to always be grateful, to count every blessing, to value God's Word and my relationship with God and to never tire in sharing the Gospel no matter what it takes.  God has been so gracious to America and none of us today have truly experienced what many Christians are going through especially in the Communists and Islamic countries.  According to the Word of God, judgment will fall on the wicked in the hands of the anti-Christ (Tribulation Period) for a period of seven years and will culminate at the Second Coming of Christ when the whole world will see Him.  But prior to that, those who surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have already been taken out of this world by God (Rapture of the Church) where they will live forever in His presence---where Sin, Death, Time and Distance no longer have power over them.  I know in my heart that these heavily persecuted believers, the martyrs for Christ in the past, present and future will have a great position of responsibility when we rule with Christ on earth for a thousand years (Millennial Reign of Christ)  happening after Christ's Second Coming and  before The Great White Throne Judgment meant for the wicked and the unbelieving.  This is when Satan and his followers (everyone that rejected Jesus Christ) are cast down into the Lake of Fire where they will be tormented day and night for all eternity. 

Friends, no matter what happens in this world, nobody can stop the move of God!  The Body of Christ (Ekklasia, called-out, assembly) is commissioned by God to go into all the world to preach the Finished Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins and to set the captives free.  Jesus our Messiah (Savior), the Son of the Living God is that solid ROCK---the very foundation the true Church is built upon that the gates of hell (power of the enemy) shall not prevail against (Matthew 16:15-18). History shows us that no matter how Satan tried to prevent Christ from accomplishing His purpose from the time of His birth, His death and resurrection, the persecution of the early Church in the Book of Acts, the Nazis killing the Jews. the persecution of believers all over the world today and the future plans to eliminate followers of Jesus Christ in the face of this earth, IT WILL NEVER SUCCEED!  Why?  Because IT IS WRITTEN.  What Jesus Christ accomplished at the Cross shall be proclaimed through all the earth as the waters cover the sea and everyone will know that He alone is God and apart from Him, there is no other Savior!

For this Card, I used an old Magnolia Tilda Stamps called "Tilda in the Sea" and "Bridge Deck" that I colored using my Prismacolor markers.  I added a grass stamp from "Seaside Chair" of Stampendous. The base is white CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card. The DP is from Pebbles and  I used an MS Punch for the top border, layered some Prima flowers and secured with a brad from Recollections.  I die-cut some leaves using EK Success Punch. added some white nail head gems from Imaginisce and stitch all all over this project.  I truly love the result.

 

THE WATERS COVER THE SEA CARD
 

THE WATERS COVER THE SEA CARD LAYERS
 

THE WATERS COVER THE SEA CARD INSIDE
 

THE WATERS COVER THE SEA CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX


 This Card is entered into the following Challenges:

Crafty Friends---Ladies and/or Girls
Creatalicious---ATG/Flowers
Die-Cut Divas---Windows/Aperture Cards
Love to Scrap---Spring Forward
QKR---ATG
Rabisco---ATG
Sognando---ATG
Crafting Challenge---ATG/Easter
YSBP---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.  You can win wonderful goodies from our awesome sponsor this week---Newton's Nook ($20 GC).  So excited to see what you come up with.  Anyway, cheer up and let the joy of the Lord overtake you as you continue to serve the Lord, bearing good fruits. 


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30 comments:

  1. Such a sweet card Happy Easter

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  2. Yes, the church in China has suffered so much - have you ever read the book "The Heavenly Man" - that is a real eye-opener. Not only to the persecution the undergo, but of the miracles of God happening amongst them too!
    What a sweet card Jo Ann - love it, and so beautifully coloured too
    Stay safe
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  3. Thank you so much for joining us over at the Clever Dexter Challenge Dexter loves your cleverly concocted creation and so do I! Such a cute and adorable project! Good luck to the challenge and I hope to see you again in the next month. Rossella dt Clever Dexter

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  4. What a fun card. So glad you joined us at Die Cut Divas for our aperture/window card challenge.

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  5. So cute!
    Thank you for joining us for our April Clever Dexter Challenge . Good luck and we hope you'll join us again this month or the next! - DT Irene from Clever Dexter Challenge

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  6. Jo--your card is beautiful the water scene you created plus the Scripture verse! Lots of layers and details to discover all over the card, too! Very creative talents to combine your punches, machine stitching, nail-head gems, stamps, papers, patterns and more!!! Very lovely card! Thanks for linking to CHD's March challenge month! --Becca S/DT

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  7. Hey! Thank you so much for joining us over at the Clever Dexter Challenge Dexter loves your cleverly concocted creation and so do I! I love your project..so cute! Goodluck and I hope to see you again in the next month. 🥰 Dt Roberta

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  8. Hey! Thank you so much for joining us over at the Clever Dexter Challenge Dexter loves your cleverly concocted creation and so do I! Hope to see you again in the next month. :)
    --- DT-Lizzy---

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  9. A thoughtful post with a very beautiful card to end it. Thank you so much for joining us in our challenge at QKR Stampede Good Luck and looking forward to seeing you again in our next challenge.
    Faith A DT

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  10. Love this card. Beautifully colored Thanks for sharing with us over here at World Wide Open Design Team Challenge and best of luck with your entry. Barbara DT member for { World Wide Open Design Team Challenge}

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  11. This is just so beautiful. Nice work. Thank you for sharing with us over here at World Wide Open Design Team Challenge and best of luck with your entry.

    Annette DT / Admin / Registered Owner for https://worldwideopendesignteamchallenge.blogspot.com/

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  12. Love this. This is so beautiful. Nice work.
    Thank you for sharing with us over at Morgan's ArtWorld. We hope to see you again.
    ~ Annette CT -

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  13. Lovely card!!! Thanks for sharing at the Rabisco Challenge!!!

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  14. Beautiful work. Good luck in the Rabisco Challenge. Liliane DT

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  15. Hey! Thank you so much for joining us over at the Clever Dexter Challenge Dexter loves your cleverly concocted creation and so do I! It was such a lovely project! Good luck and I hope to see you again in the next month. 🙂 DT Marj

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  16. Hey! Thank you so much for joining us in the Clever Dexter Challenge Dexter loves your cleverly invented creation and so do I. I love your project .. so cute! Good luck and hope to see you again in the next month. Dt Roberta

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  17. Hey! Thank you so much for joining us over at the Clever Dexter Challenge Dexter loves your cleverly concocted creation and so do I! Hope to see you again in the next month. :)
    --- DT-Lizzy---

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  18. Gorgeous card! I love your coloring! Thank you for sharing with us over at Morgan's ArtWorld. Love to see you join in each month.
    ~ Joy CT
    JoyWilsonInk

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  19. Loved it your card such a sweet image you have used. Thank you for sharing it with us over at Rabisco Challenge. Hugs Claudia DT/Coordinator. <3

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  20. Hey! Thank you so much for joining us over at the Clever Dexter Challenge Dexter loves your cleverly concocted creation and so do I! I love your project..so cute! Goodluck and I hope to see you again in the next month. 🥰 Dt Roberta

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  21. Love the colour sheme you have chosen for your card!
    Thank you for sharing with the Clever Dexter Challenge!
    Susan
    DT for Clever Dexter Challenge
    Calling All Crafters! – My personal Blog!

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  22. Beautiful bright card.
    Thank-you for joining us at the Crafts Galore
    Encore
    Challenge.

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  23. Adorable card Jo Ann. Love the colours.
    Thanks so much for joining us for our Love to Craft Challenge for April 2021.
    We hope to see you again soon,
    Lou DT xo
    JemLou Productions

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  24. This is such a cute card Jo Ann! Thank you for sharing with us over at Morgan's Artworld. We hope to see you again.
    ~ Gale DT

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  25. Loving the background scene behind your pretty little girl. The stitching is great to add interest to your card. Thanks for joining us at Die Cut Divas.

    sue n.

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  26. Thank you for sharing in our challenge at https://classicdesignchallenge.blogspot.com/">Classic Design Challenge we really appreciate you joining in
    Monique DT its fab

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  27. Beautiful creation! Thank you for sharing with us over at Morgan's ArtWorld. We hope to see you again.
    ~ Sherry CT/Admin/Coordinator xx

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  28. Beautiful project - thanks for sharing it with us at the Love to Scrap Challenge.

    Helen x

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