Integrity and Success

{jane bosi}

Our pastor preached on Nehemiah last Sunday--about how given his success, much was expected of him.  Same for us.  It's easy to forget as we go through our day to day the ways in which God blesses and ordains our work.  I know this to be true.  I work in a tough enviroment.  It's hard for me sometimes not to be overly focused on the behaviors--some days, it's physical, other's it's attitudes.  Nevertheless, I've been blessed with opportunities to show the love of Christ for the Glory of God.  Just like Nehemiah.

To complete my page, I used a whole mess of goodies from Sweet N Sassy stamps--you will find them all in the store :)  They are:  Words of Life-Action, Note This, Worship the Lord, He is Worthy, What's Up, Skinny Caps Alphabet, Mini Grunge Alphabet, Words of Life-Common Words.

May your day be blessed,

Jane

King of Glory

For today's Bible Journaling, I revisited Sweet N Sassy Stamp Set - Creative Worship: Child of the King. This set is so wonderful. It is simple yet powerful; just like my page today.. I am in Psalms - the 24th. It talks about the awesomeness of God - He is the King of Glory! - The statement itself is powerful - right?

I stamped the image directly onto the page and used color pencils it color it. To keep it simple, I didn't use any background inks... The "King" stamp actually says "Child of the King" so I masked off all but "King" for my page.



I hope your day is a blessed one! Thanks for stopping by!

Lyn

Donut Worry

Hey friends!! So I'm sharing a page today that I used the 'Skinny lowercase alpha' on. I'm not sure about you , but I love a good font stamp! This one is so great because it's small enough to fit in the margins!

This page I used the napkin technique-if you are not familiar-just google it! You add gesso to your page, cut the napkin and separate the layers and place it on the gesso. Then use a paint brush-I like the sponge kind, and add some more gesso over the top. Smooth it out and let it dry. I'm not perfect at this technique but it still turns out good and super fun! I then stamped the Donut Worry and added a tab at the top and some donut washi that my friend had. I also added the little bit of washi that says Let it go and let God. It's such an important part of our walk with Jesus! I journaled in Matthew 5-Therefore I tell you , do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Later in the passage it says....Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day as enough trouble of it's own. Friends, let it go and donut worry!!! God's got this!!!!!!

Serve God

Proverbs has a lot of wisdom, last week I was reading in Proverbs 23 and I wanted to journal about this message. 

‘Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.
Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.’ (Proverbs 23:4-5)

We’re worrying about a lot of things that are happening in our lives. And money is often one our worries. When I read this I had to think of the stamp set ‘His Wings’. Because while we’re worrying, God will spread His wings around us and take care of us (of course this idea was inspired by the saying about the eagle ;)). So we have to remember who we’re serving. God or the money? We have to serve God and not worry (too much) about all the other things. 

I prepared my page with clear gesso (the Dutch bible has very thin pages) and stamped the images with black ink. I masked the images before I made the background with Distress inks but I didn’t like the hard white edge, so I added a little bit of yellow around the feathers to make the contrast a little les hard. The word ‘serve’ was a little bit too long to fit next to the feathers so I stamped it on vellum and colored it with a watercolor marker. I adhered it with a piece of washi tape and stamped the word Him underneath it. 

I used the stamp sets 'His Wings' and 'All your Heart'.

- Lucinde

Lessons in Job

Job 14 & 15

Hi Friends!

I don't know about you, but sometimes Job can be hard for me to read. Reading about Job's losses, seeing his anguish through the verses, his friends being so harsh when they were trying to be supportive...

But Job is so rich with things we can learn: information about God, His throne room and His sovereignty, how to deal with suffering, how to be (or not to be) a friend to someone suffering...

In chapters 3-31 of Job, we see a back and forth discussion between Job and three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. In chapter 14, Job was responding to Zophar. He spoke of how life is fleeting and how God is in control. Job wanted death. He was at a very low point. But even in his pain, he knew God was in complete control. And in that sadness and pain, Job said:

"You will call, and I will answer You..." Job 14:15

No matter what, Job would answer God. He knew God was with him in his despair. And he was ready to respond to God when He called. Lesson: God is with us in our sufferings and we should trust in and respond to Him through the hard times.

In chapter 15, Eliphaz responded to Job. He is pretty harsh. And this certainly isn't a lesson in how to help and support friends who are suffering. But there are nuggets of truth in what he says. I read the First5 devotions from Proverbs 31 Ministries. Their devotion spoke of lessons we can learn from chapter 15, and I based some of my journaling on that.

1. Fear God & Maintain Devotion: "Indeed, you do away with reverence and hinder meditation before God." Job 18:4
2. Be wise: "Do you hear the secret counsel of God, and limit wisdom to yourself?" Job 15:8
3. Listen to your Elders: "Both the gray-haired and aged are among us, older than your father." Job 15:10

Suffering is hard. And being a good friend to someone who is suffering is hard. But God is with us through it all. We need to lean on Him, ask for His wisdom, and trust in Him.

Now for the page... I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps: Awesome Thoughts, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, Sing Loud, Send Me, Classy Script Alpha.

 

I used the Sing Loud set to make the word "You" on the first page. I inked the "Y" from "glory" and the "OU" from "loud". You can do this to make different words and that makes the set more versatile. To mask the letters you don't want to ink, just place a sticky note over those letters, ink the stamp, then pull off the sticky note. I used Prismacolor pencils to color in the images, and a Micron pen to draw the phone and some lettering.

I hope you have a blessed week! Andrea

Glory, Grace & Goodness

Hi friends,

I recently had the privilege of attending Hillsong Conference London and whilst there heard a sermon on the glory of God. We saw in Exodus 33:18-19 that when Moses asks the Lord to show him His glory, God causes His GOODNESS to pass in front of him and declares that He is both gracious and merciful.

Often we think of the glory of God as a difficult to grasp concept, beyond our comprehension. And yes, while God is way beyond our comprehension, this link between God's glory and His goodness and grace was one I found incredibly helpful and encouraging.

God wants to manifest His glory in our lives through displays of His goodness and grace. Are we looking for and giving thanks for His glorious work in our lives?

To create this page I applied layers of acrylic paint using a babywipe for the background, then added paint platters and washi tape over the top. The text was created with a combination of stamps
(Child of the King, Skinny Caps Alpha, Mini Grunge Type Alpha and God is Good):

Here are my paint and pen supplies I used on this page...

I hope you've been encouraged today to see God's grace and goodness and displays of His glory in your life!

x Amy x

Why I Sing for Joy!

"...my mouth will praise you with joyful lips

when I remember you upon my bed, 

and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 

for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.  

My soul clings to you; 

your right hand upholds me."

Psalm 63:5-8

Think back to something God has done...something that would not have happened had it not been for his intervention, guidance, presence or power.  We can name many instances, can we not?  Psalm 63 is one of my favorite, and there are actually several portions of it that could be highlighted.  It is so rich! But I've chosen these verses for the joy they bring as I meditate upon them remembering God's goodness and many, many mercies toward me.  

What a wonderful place to abide...in the shadow of God's wings...under his protective and watchful eye, close to his heart.  That alone is great reason to be joyful.  As believers we are blessed with this close position to God through his grace alone.  He has invited us to be in relationship and the benefits of that relationship are like no other.  No doubt we can recount story after story of when he was our help.  Once we trust in God's son, Jesus, we desire a close, abiding relationship...we literally CLING to Jesus.  

During many nights I could feel his right hand holding me close, holding me tightly, reassuring...steady...strong.  Who wouldn't cling to that, right?  God often wakes me in the "watches of the night" to pray for someone, to commune with him, to search his Word for wisdom and help.  I feel especially close to him at night.  I know he watches over me, protects me, and prepares the day in front of me so I will see him working on my behalf. 

One of the many reasons I sing for joy, is that I know my God defends me, fights for me.  I know there have been numerous times the enemy would creep into my night seeking to frighten, discourage, and bring despair.  But God fought for me.  There have been times in my life when people...people whose hearts were bent toward evil and destruction came against me.  I LOVE the passage in Psalm 64 on the facing page.  Here David describes enemies coming against him, setting traps of ambush, shooting arrows with bitter lies and destructive words.  I've known people like this.  Being in full-time ministry places you in enemy territory many times.  People will gnash their teeth against those proclaiming the gospel and reaching the lost for Christ.  My husband, a pastor, and I have experienced warfare many times.  But God has come to our defense in every single instance.  We see him dealing with those who come against us.  We don't have to do a thing but trust in him.  What a cause for joy!  

I pray that you find shelter under the wing of the Most High God, that you find many reasons to remember and celebrate with joy the times he has come to your aid, upheld you with his right hand.  Knowing he has been there for us, faithfully providing and protecting, gives us full assurance he will ALWAYS be there for us.  And that indeed is a reason to sing for joy!

Sets Used: 

His Wings

       

                                          His Name                                     Note This

You are Salt & Light

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

Matthew 5:13-16

 

Isn't Jesus good to us. He is so many things... almighty, forgiving, strong, courageous, creator, salt & light. As I was reading this the MAIN thing that stuck out is "Let your light shine before others..." Don't only show them the darkness of your life but show them the light of how much the Lord loves us... so they may come to love him.

<3 Brittany

IG: britcarleton

www.journalingthroughmotherhood.wordpress.com

 

For this bright page I used ALL Sweet N' Sassy Stamps.

All About You

Skinny Caps Alpha

Send Me

I've made it easy for you too. Just click those names ^ and you can go right to them!



Amazing Grace

Hi! I had fun playing with the stamp set Hymn Blocks! I made a cute little shaker and it's so easy!!! I used Project Life -white cards. They are 3x4. I stamped a few different hymn block stamps because I couldn't decide which one I wanted for the shaker. I finally chose Amazing Grace and grabbed a self-sealing clear packaging envelope , that I found at my local craft store in the jewelry section. I then added some of the sequin and bead mix that I use for our groups and workshops. Voila! Done! Super fun little project! You can share these with friends or use some Washi tape and add it into your travelers note books or journaling bible. Hope you enjoyed my post today, short and sweet;) Have an amazing day!! ❤️ Bridgett

Blessed Be His Name

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked I shall return there.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. Job 1:20-22

Hello Friends!

Suffering happens. We live in a fallen world. We all endure some sort of suffering. Job gives us a good example of how to handle the suffering. He doesn't endure it perfectly, but he certainly does it well. And by the verses above, the Bible tells us the first thing he did after losing so much was to fall on the ground and worship. WOW!

He acknowledged the fact that everything he had came from God. Because what we have comes from God, He has the right to take it away. He doesn't do it to just be mean of course. There is purpose in the suffering. We may not be able to see the purpose in the midst of it, but we can trust God for who He is. That's what Job did. Blessed be the name of the Lord NO. MATTER. WHAT. Easy to say, not so easy to do. But if we continue to go to Him and be in His Word through the suffering, that will help us to trust and praise Him.

I love the praise song "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. Some of the lyrics were perfect for this page.

I used the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets: Sing Loud, Mini Grunge Type Alpha, As the Deer, and Living Water. 

I also used watercolor crayons and a Micron pen.

Blessed be His name! Andrea

Sweet Wall Words

Hiya!

For today's post I wanted to make something a little different using the Sweet as Honey stamp set, as I loved the three verses included in the set, but had already journaled those pages in my Bible. I decided to make some wall art to use as a gift or as a reminder to myself...

There is so much in God's Word about words - both His words and ours. It is so important that we meditate on the truths and richness of His Word daily so that what comes out of our mouths will be sweet and edifying to those who are hearing.

I rummaged through my craft stash and found a Kaisercraft kit with these wooden plaques and thought they would be perfect for this project. I covered each with some patterned paper using matte gel medium, trimmed and sanded around the edges.

I stamped the bee from Sweet as Honey on white card and vellum, then coloured the body of the white stamped image, cut out just the body and layered over the top of the vellum bees then added some Wink of Stella glimmer on the wings.

The scriptures were stamped with black ink either onto the patterned paper (like above) or onto white card and die-cut. I also stamped the honeycomb stamp from this fabulous stamp set with Versafine ink. Some paper and resin flowers were the perfect finishing touches!

I want to encourage you today to see God's Word as sweet, true and life-giving. Allow His words to become your words as you edify those around you and leave a sweet taste everywhere you go!

Here is the stamp set that I used to create this project:

x Amy x

Take Heart: Jesus Has Overcome!

“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.”

(Jesus) John 16:33

The chapters leading up to this verse and Chapter 17 which follows it are some of the most tender and poignant passages of Jesus's words and actions.  In this verse, John 16:33, Jesus is speaking to his disciples--those he walked with on the earth and all who will follow him later.  The whole verse is powerful enough, but the last portion is like dynamite.  "Take heart! I have overcome the world." There is so much comfort and hope here but it's also power-packed with doctrine.  

I will be publishing a video devotional about this verse/page on our Creative Worship Facebook page later today or tomorrow.  So I will go through more of a study of the meaning of the verse in that presentation.  Here I just want to glory in the beauty of the verse and the amazing hope we can take from it.  Just as Christ walked with his disciples then and tried to calm their fears of the future, Christ walks beside us to give us his courage, his peace, his strength.  Christ's work on the cross makes believers certain victors.  We can cast all our cares on him, because he has overcome...he is the captain who has won the battle.  In the video I'll discuss more about what it means to "take heart" and some of the greater implications of Christ as overcomer in our lives.  I hope you'll join me for that. 

Because Christ overcame sin and death, we can be overcomers too.  Our victory now is as certain as his was then, because his victory lies within us.  

I took the idea for this whimsical heart from several inspirations in one of my favorite Bible Journaling guides.  Some of the Sweet 'n Sassy / Creative Worship design team members and stamp designers are featured in the book.  It has some amazing resources for you.  I gave a walk-through tour of the book in Bible Journaling for Beginners--Video #4: Supplies (Part 1).  It offers so much practical help, I consider it a necessary supply!  I highly recommend it.

Finally, here are the sets used for my page.  I can't tell you how much I use the alpha sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  Because I'm hand-lettering challenged, these provide the perfect work-around for me.  There are so many.  Just browse the store for the ones that will work for you.  You'll probably want them all like I did!  

 

Lynzee Script Alpha            Mini Grunge Type Alpha

 Thanks for peeking in today!  Remember to visit our Creative Worship Facebook page.