Monday, July 31, 2017

Worthy...

{jane bosi}

Happy Monday, Sweet Friends!!  I am always so creatively inspired by music!!  While wanting to play with the newly released Send Me set, I found myself in Revelation.  My process usually starts with a song and then leads....where ever He leads.  For this creative time, it was Revelation 5:11-13 to be exact!

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" 
 
How awesome is He? I can hardly wait to be there....
Enjoy!!  Jane

PS. Stamp sets used on this layout:  Send Me, Just Be, Sing Loud, and Worthy King.
 

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Gracious Words are Sweet!

“Gracious words are like a honeycomb. Sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Proverbs 16:24
When I read this, it makes me think about how someone reacts when I smile and/or give them an encouraging or kind word. They visibly brighten and stand taller. It really takes so little to offer this kindness and the outcome is so much more.
As I go through the day to day motions, I often look down at my computer, or a report, or any number of things, and while I trudge on without looking up and smiling or speaking to those around me, I realize that it is just as much a loss for me as it is for them because, while they may smile and stand taller from my kind words, I believe I have the same reaction simply by knowing I caused it in another.
This was such a fun page to do and I definitely felt God’s reminder in the message...
Supplies:
  • Ink: I brushed Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo Distress ink onto the page then added the same colors to my craft mat where I spritzed them with water so I could pick up with my brush and flick some droplets onto the page. I inked the honeycomb and verse in Versafine toffee ink and the bee in Versafine Onyx black (on watercolor paper then I embossed with clear). I used metallic white watercolor on the wings and fossilized amber on the body. After it dried, I fussy cut the bee out and glued it in place with Yes! glue – this really works well without pucker the page to much on the back side…
Thanks for stopping by – Remember to offer a kind word to someone today!
Lyn

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Set Free



So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 
John 8:31-32



Our God is unchangeable. His word and truth are set. 

It's important to hold on to that truth especially when everything around us seems to be changing. I'm in a weird season right now. A season full of unknown and unclear steps. Heres the thing, I like to know what's happening next. I like to solve a problem then and there and move on. These seasons of waiting and unknown territory are scary. I'll explain further how impatient I am and how quickly I like to get to the end of things. 

I love to read. I have loved reading even before I could read. Literally, I would sit and stare at the pages and the letters trying so hard to put it all together. In fact, I am now a reading teacher. Meeting someone who doesn't like to read boggles my mind. But even though my love of reading is strong, mid-book I'm ready to jump to the end. I love the beginning of books, I love meeting the characters and all that happy stuff at the beginning. Then the plot starts to mold and my hate for any confrontation (yes I realize it's fiction but still) and hurt the characters may feel start to bug me and I'm ready to jump to the end when everything is okay again. 

Life doesn't play out like a book or a movie. We cant skim over those grey areas in our lives and jump to the end. Not knowing is scary but we don't walk this life alone. Sometimes I feel bound in my fear of the unknown, fear of losing, and fear of trusting. Do I trust God with my life? Absolutely. So why is it so hard to let go of the known and trust for the unknown? Constantly, I have to remind myself of God's truth. I have to repeat His word over my situation and in my life. 

Abide: live, dwell, remain, stay

No matter your season God is calling us to abide in him because if we do that, and if we remain his disciples, and we continue to dig our roots down deep in His truth, we will be set free. Set free of fear, anger, sadness, worry, defeat...the list goes on of the things that bind us. I don't want those things not of God to bind me. Instead, I want to be bound in His truth because in that binding, I am free. 

With love, 
Lynzee


Love Ya Like A Sister Alpha
http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-love-ya-like-a-sister-alpha-clear-stamp-set/

Pretty Potted Flowers 
http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/pretty-potted-florals-clear-stamp-set/

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Where was I?

I’ve always been interested in the story of Job. How his life gets turned upside down and he still keeps his faith. He got lectures from all of his friends, they thought that they knew what he had to do or what he did wrong. And then God starts speaking… We think we know everything, we think we can earn a lot in our lives but in comparison to God we are so, so small. He created the earth, the heavens, every tree, all the creatures and even you. I can think that I know a lot  but… where was I when the world was made? God has the last word. He created the entire world. When I don’t see the plan, that doesn’t mean there is no plan. God definitely knows what He’s doing.
I prepared my page with clear gesso and stamped my images with black ink. After that I wrote down the sentence 'where was I when the world was made' and added a dashed border around the world. I masked the earth and blended out some blue ink around the world. I didn't wait long enough so the words smudged a little bit... I colored the images with colored pencils and added some rub ons to finish the page.

I used two stamp sets for this page, Awesome Thoughts and Send Me:
http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-awesome-thoughts-clear-stamp-set/

http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-send-me-clear-stamp-set/ 


Monday, July 24, 2017

Stand in awe of Him

Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! How many of you just love the Book of Psalms? I can easily journal pages in it everyday! Not that I have time everyday but I would if I could! I have this little book of Psalms that I really like because I can fit in a quick page and be filled with The Word even when I don't have a ton of time to commit to being super creative. I also love having stamps sets that are super versatile and I can use them on lots of pages. Like this stamp set 'Send Me' and just use an alpha like the 'Mini Grunge Type Alpha'! I have used 'Send Me' several times already this month and I can think of a ton more pages I could use it on! I love to be able to basically make my own coloring page and just use my pitt pens to color the stamped images in. Super easy! I really love a good font and the 'Mini Grunge Type Alpha' is small but not too tiny! It's the perfect size for bible journaling!
Take a look at all the amazing stamps sets in the shop and pick up a few today! I love being able to stamp and color , so that I can really focus on the verses and scripture I am reading. I pray that I always stand in awe of our glorious Father! Reminds me of that song....may you never lose your sense of wonder...it really does amaze me how our heavenly Father created the beautiful world we live in. Have an awesome week and take a moment to just enjoy this world that he created for us!

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Beautiful Feet


Hi friends,

I've been having fun creating with the new Send Me set recently and the theme of going and sharing the gospel has me thinking about my willingness and eagerness to share the good news of Jesus with others. It is so easy to come up with excuses, to think about the response we might receive, and to get so busy doing life that we neglect this vital responsibility (and privilege!). But in any other setting, would we hold back from giving good news to someone? Would we be shy, nervous or not get around to it because of busyness? Good news is something to celebrate, to shout from the rooftops, to get excited about! Maybe that's why the feet of those who bring good news are described as beautiful in Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15...


Now I have to be honest, I'm not a big fan of my feet! I don't think they are beautiful at all, which is why I found it quite amusing when I chose this verse to illustrate and I had the idea of putting my footprint in my Bible! It ended up being rather fun and I felt like I was back at school putting paint on my foot (if you're planning on doing this, I recommend having a wet towel ready to take the paint off... walking to the sink with painted feet was interesting...!!). This page is a good reminder to me that even though my feet don't look very beautiful, they are made beautiful by the simple act of bringing the good news of the gospel to others.


 Here are the stamp sets I used on this page:

http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-send-me-clear-stamp-set/http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/grunge-elements-2-clear-stamp-set/http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-skinny-caps-alpha-clear-stamp-set/

http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-mini-grunge-type-alpha-clear-stamp-set/

May we find ways of beautifying our feet through the sharing of the good news of Jesus this week!

x Amy x






Thursday, July 20, 2017

Got Good News?

Throughout the course of any given day we are likely to share a lot of good news with others.  A great deal at a store, a new way of doing something, happy news in the family might be a few bits of good news we encounter every day.  Yet there is no better news for the human race that the great news of Jesus Christ.  That a high and holy God of heaven would stoop to earth desiring to draw us into relationship with Him is amazing enough.  That His love is so big and so broad that He would sacrifice His Son for us is breath-taking news.  We who are believers have been given a precious gift, and it's certainly a gift with no end.  We can extend to others the same good news we received when we trusted Christ.


Whoever believes can have eternal life with the Father.  What better news could there be? So why don't we share THAT news more often?  If you frequent our Creative Worship Facebook page, I invite you to take a peek at another page I did with the fabulous Rebecca Rios set, Send Me.  On my post there I did a video devotional and offered some practical ways to make sharing the Gospel a little easier, a little less intimidating.  I hope you'll check it out.  The video is in two parts.  Part 1 explains the passage and the design plan.  Part 2 is the devotional part of the video.



I absolutely love this new set, Send Me.  It has amazing and abundant possibilities.  Just scroll through our posts here to see what some of the other designers have done with this.  Such a fun set.

http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-send-me-clear-stamp-set/


I also used the sweet phrase, "don't be afraid" from the set Fly High.  In my video I discuss ways to overcome your fear of sharing the Good News with others. 

http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/fly-high-clear-stamp-set/

Thanks so much for peeking in!

Monday, July 17, 2017

Abide in Christ

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. John 15:1-4

Hello Friends!
In these verses of John 15, Jesus uses the analogy that He is the vine and believers are the branches and that we are to abide in Him. That's what I want to focus on today: abiding in Him.The definition of abide includes to follow, to conform to, to remain or dwell in. I read a lesson by Pastor Brian G. Hedges that broke this analogy into 3 things we can do to abide.

  • Connect to Jesus: Just as the branches must be connected to the vine to bear fruit, so must we be connected to Jesus. This union is mutual, we abide in Him and He in us (vs 4).
  • Depend on Jesus: We are dependent on Jesus just as the branches are dependent on the vine. We cannot grow without Him. In fact, we can do nothing apart from Him (vs 5).
  • Continue in Jesus: We must stay or remain in Him. That means we must continue to trust Him, keep on depending, never stop believing, to persevere in Jesus and His teaching.
And in John 15:11, after all the talk of abiding in Him and His love, Jesus said that He told the disciples these things so that His joy would be in them and that it would be full. Abide in Him and be filled with His joy! I want that, don't you?
For the page, I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy stamps: Shake It Off Caps Alpha & Mini Grunge Type Alpha. I drew the grapes by copying an image I found online. Then I colored everything with chalk pastels. I highlighted "Jesus" with a white Sharpie pen.
 
Have a blessed day! Andrea

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Take Heart

John 16:33
“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.”


Happy Weekend Friends!! So I had so much fun pulling out these Creative Worship stamps designed by Rebecca Rios! The possibilities are endless!!!
So when I was creating this page I made sure to take step by steps so y'all could see just how I made this page. I first started out by prepping my page with Dina Wakely Clear gesso, and actually did 2 layers because I had another page on the back I didn't want the stamping to bleed through to. I then figured out which stamps I wanted to use on the page and laid out where I wanted to stamp. I first stamped "take heart I have overcome" using Ranger jet black Archival Ink and "Rebecca Script Alpha" also designed by Rebecca Rios. I stamped the world from the new "Send Me" set as my "o", then added the rest of the word "world" using "Lynzee Script" which is another favorite ♥ I last but not least marked the verse with the arrow from the Send Me set.


I then began to watercolor using Jane Davenport watercolors in the brights palette. I did this just using alot of layers until i finally reached the look I was going for. Although this didn't turn out exactly how I pictured, it's OK. I even just read an article yesterday someone had posted about how there is not room for perfection in Bible Journaling =)


Since the main part was done I started working on my little finishing touches. I highlighted the verse and painted in the arrow and I thought since this was kind of a "galaxy" page I needed to add some splatters. So I used the darkest blue color in the palette. 


I then added white splatters using dylusions ink spray


I added different color splatters to the verse page, and added the dotted line stamp from the send me stamp set.


I took my white uniball signo pen and added "stars" to the galaxy page and used my mega date stamp to the bottom of the scripture page. Last but not least i added two heart stamps from the send me set next to the date ♥ because they were so cute and I wanted to use them SO bad! LOL


So I Really hope this was helpful getting to see a page from start to finish. I can't wait to see how many other ways I can use this amazing new creative worship set. Be sure to check out the sweet n sassy stamp Instagram feed @sweetnsassystamps for a ton of inspiration ideas. Seriously these ladies blow me away with their talent and creativity! Below I have pictured all my supplies I used. 


 So that's it for today! Hope y'all enjoyed my page, be sure to follow me on Instagram @my.creative.worship and Sweet N Sassy @sweetnsassystamps for more inspiration.

Make sure to hashtag us #sweetnsassystamps on FB and IG so we can see how you 've been inspired & inspire us! 
Be sure to check out the Creative Worship facebook group as well! 
Until next time!
xo
Maria

Monday, July 10, 2017

Send Me

Hi friends! I have been wanting to share this for a while now! As soon as I got this set I knew that I wanted to use it with my middle school bible journaling group! It's pretty awesome how it all worked out, God is so good! I have a girl in my group that just got back from working with her family in Jordan for two years. I asked it they would share with us and the daughter, Natalie shared her experiences with us all by herself. She's only 12 and she got up in front of the whole group and talked to the girls about her time there. We learned about customs of the Jordanians and their culture and how they differ from her Christian culture. It was really very interesting. She shared with us that she was able to travel and see where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. They lived on top of a church while working there. It was really an eye opener for some of my girls to see that we are lucky to be able to worship God the way we do and they we are lucky to live in American to have religious freedom! We journaled in Matthew -The Great Commission -Therefore go out and make disciples of all the nations. We talked about how we all can't get on a plane and fly somewhere but that we can serve our community here the way Jesus would want us to. We are working on a service project to help the needy by collecting paper towels, toiletries, razors, etc. We will have a service day too, to help pass them out. Be the hands and feet, right!
Above is a picture of some of the girls pages using the new Sweet-n-Sassy stamp set called Send me. They loved this set! I made a few examples to show the girls , because really there are so many options using this set!
I really enjoyed using this set myself!
My process for my page was pretty simple. I stamped everything first. Then I used my pitt pens (markers) to color everything in. I added some washi tape at the bottom and top. I felt like it was missing something so I used some polka dot washi to fill in the gaps. I also stamped a cloud on patterned scrapbook paper and cut it out to make a tab and washi taped that in. Easy Peasy! I love being able to share these stamps with my group! I know this wont be the only time we use them! I challenge you today to think about who you could share your bible journaling with! Grab a few sets today and go out into the world and make disciples using bible journaling!!! Have an amazing week! Love-Bridgett

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Thought Pollination...

Hi friends,

I've been going through a tough season recently that has included a lot of negative thoughts and emotions swirling around in my head and heart. During this season I felt God prompt me (frequently!) to meditate on Philippians 4:8 so I decided to journal this slowly and deliberately, building up a checklist of the things I need to be thinking about. Using alphabet stamps really helps memorisation as each word builds up slowly and gives you time to ponder!


I was using the fab new Sweet as Honey stamps on this page and I began to think how bees fly from flower to flower, pollinating as they go, then creating honey as a result. The type of flower they pollinate affects the taste of the honey they produce. This got me thinking about how our thoughts fly around from one thing to the other, and the resulting sweetness of our life is dependant on what we meditate on.


As I have begun to apply this encouragement in Scripture, I have found anxiety lifting and peace settling in my heart. I certainly haven't mastered these thought processes - I have a feeling it's going to take a lot of practice over time! But I am very grateful for the Holy Spirit, who gently reminds me of what my thought-life should be occupied with.


I stamped the bees from Sweet as Honey on vellum and coloured the bodies with a Faber Castell gold marker. The background was created with acrylic paint and a baby wipe to apply and blend. I then stamped the honeycomb stamp over the top using Versafine Toffee ink. A few alphabet stickers finished off the verse once I had finished the alphabet stamping.

Here are the stamps I used:
http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/fantastic-flowers-clear-stamp-set/http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/sweet-as-honey-clear-stamp-set/http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-mini-grunge-type-alpha-clear-stamp-set/

I hope you have been encouraged to think about what you think about today!

Be blessed!

x Amy x



Friday, July 7, 2017

Send Me Lord!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8
 
 
Today I'm showcasing a new stamp set called "Send Me" by Rebecca Rios! I am IN LOVE with this set! It is so versatile and it is a HUGE set. So many words, so many ways to use them!
 
Here lately I've been asking the Lord to just send me! Let me go into the wilderness for you! I want to share your word with the community and shine your Glory! I recently started my own Blog, Journaling through Motherhood since the season I'm in right now is raising my #twoundertwo! It's a rewarding and crazy life and bible journaling has been the calm in my storm! I felt the Lord telling me to help other moms find that calm as well! So far I have a few friends now that are beginning journaling and LOVING IT! So he sent me into this and I am here to work for him! Every page I do is to shine for him and share his word! Everyone has a different work, this is mine (besides being chosen to raise these boys)!
 
I hope you guys get this stamp set and love it like I do and I hope if you find yourself in a different season you ask the Lord to "Send Me" and you listen!!
<3 Brittany
IG: britcarleton
 
http://www.sweetnsassystamps.com/creative-worship-send-me-clear-stamp-set/
 

Thursday, July 6, 2017

How Do Your Words Taste?

Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
 sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24 

The Bible is replete with instruction to us about the words we utter.  We know that words can be cruel and destructive or they can be kind, sweet and healing.  It is a great discipline to periodically read the scriptures that deal with our words.  The endeavor can be convicting!  But if our desire is to be an encouragement to others we will want to commit to memory some of the verses that deal with the fruit of our mouths.  


Ensuring that our words are sweet, encouraging and uplifting requires much discipline and most of us fall short.  We often resort to using our tongue as a weapon rather than as an instrument of peace.  


We might be tempted to use harsh, controlling or intimidating words to get our way or to convince others that our way is right.  But notice the verse just above our focus verse.  

The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increased persuasiveness.  
Proverbs 16:23

We can be more persuasive with sweet words...with words that win friends and followers rather than make enemies.  Our words are powerful and scripture says we will be accountable for everything we say.  It just takes a little awareness and discipline...a control over our thoughts and our words to please God and bring healing to others. 


It's a great challenge to make every word that comes from our mouth SWEET!