Every Spiritual Blessing...OURS!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who has blessed us in Christ with

every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, 

that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In love he predestined us for adoption 

to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, 

according to the purpose of his will,

to the praise of his glorious grace, 

with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6

Doesn't this passage just knock your socks of with pure astonishment and make you want to jump up in praise!?  It does me, every time I read it.  To contemplate what it really means for us is astounding. I love the way it begins...PRAISE.  It could end there with only two lines and it would still be worthy of our praise.  But it goes on to showcase God's extravagant love for us. 

There is so much to glean from these verses, so much depth, so much doctrine.  I could sit forever and soak in the majesty and beauty of this passage.  Praising Him for who He is...that will take at least 10,000 years. Really, I can just picture myself around the throne room in heaven and never being able to take my eyes off my Creator to even glimpse the wonders of heaven itself!  My earth bound praise has a more myopic view I'm afraid.  I do sit in awe of my God, His power and presence.  But I can't help but look at all my blessings as well...and I'm so grateful for every one of them. 

To think that I was in His heart and in His plan before He even created the universe staggers me.  I was like a long-awaited child to Him. That fact alone makes me feel so connected to all my spiritual siblings, my brothers and sisters of faith going back to those first patriarchs who called upon the name of our God.  I sit in a cosmos that envelopes a family of faith...and I'm such an important part that God bestows upon me all the spiritual blessings of heaven.  He knew me before I was conceived. He knew what my life, days, moments would be. He knew my heart before it started beating.  He knew the love and passion I would have for who He is, for His Word. He knew I would choose Him; He knew I would fall to my knees the moment the scales of darkness and lies would drop to the floor and I would bask in His Light and absorb His Truth.   He knew I would run to Him and ask to be cradled in His arms.  He knew that look I would have in my eyes as I searched the heavens to hear Him say, "You are Mine!"

And the really amazing thing?  He has done the same for every believing heart on this planet.  He draws us into an eternal circle of connection and under His starry sanctuary He hold us close.  We are not perfect children and He has to discipline us from time to time. He has to grow us, mature us and let us sit in the refiner's fire.  But what loving parent doesn't spend time polishing their child?  He was Jesus to shine forth through us, so every facet of our diamond-in-the-rough faith and character much be chiseled to perfection.  He is adorning me as part of the Bride, preparing me to live forever with the Beloved.  Meanwhile every spiritual blessing is mine...salvation, transformation, sanctification, strength, power, wisdom, grace....the list is endless because the gifts come from heaven's treasure trove!  

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Design Detail:  The background is a thin acrylic scraping.  I created the stars and moon on this page by painting a heavy body white acrylic paint through a stencil that I have.  I outlined those with a fine Prismacolor pen.  The girl, banner, tab and concentric star pieces are from the printable, Starry Sanctuary, perhaps my most favorite printable so far.  It holds deep meaning for me.  Don't forget that the printable comes with both color and outline digital images so you can entirely change the color scheme.   I put white acrylic paint on a grid stamp for the additional white accents (clean your stamp immediately if you do that!!!)

Starry Sanctuary by Diane Noble

$7.99

4 PDF Pages include

• 3 pages of ready-to-print, colored images and sentiments
• Scripture verses for Bible journaling inspiration (coordinate with images)
• 1 page devotion based on theme
• Personal Bible study questions and prompts

Note about the devotional: For those who want to go deeper into study you will love the study guide with questions. They make great prompts for doing art-journaling in your Bible. Additional Bible verses are included for further personal study. All of these verses go with the printables, so you won’t have to think about where they can be used in your Bible.
Digital Image Package includes

• 58 precolored images in both JPEG and PNG formats
• 17 outline images in both JPEG and PNG formats

Share the Gospel

"And the other seeds fell into good soil and produced...a hundredfold. 

...those that were sown on the good soil are 

the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit..." 

Mark 4: 8,20.

God has given each of us unique talents and select spiritual gifts. But the one thing He gives universally to believers is the command to share the Gospel. He calls us to different fields of service and gives us variety in the venue for sharing the Good News, but wherever he plants us we are to sow the Gospel message. I've heard some believers before say, "Evangelism is not my gift." He may not have called you into full time vocational evangelism, but we are still to share the message of Jesus with our family, our friends, our neighbors...anyone God puts on our path. His Spirit will tell us what to say and with whom to share. He creates opportunities every day if we but have eyes to see and obedient hearts.
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Art Talk: I created the background by tapping a piece of bubble wrap to my ink pad then pouncing the bw directly onto the page. If you do a dry pounce, it producing relatively distinct shapes. For something more splashy, you can spritz water on the inked bw before pouncing. The tab, paper strip and flower pot are from my Garden of Grace Printable Bundle available at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. The words are stamped with one of their sets, Send Me. Appropriate set, right?

 Garden of Grace Printable Bundle

Send Me

I Am the Good Shepherd

I was able to spend and a little time art journaling in my Bible yesterday. 

I wanted to capture John 10:14-15-- “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."

Being wife to a pastor has provided first hand lessons about sheep. My husband has a gift for shepherding and all that calling entails. He is compassionate and merciful, and a very good leader. He is loyal to a flock. He loves his sheep. Some sheep follow, some stray. Still he will shepherd as long as someone wants a good shepherd. I've seen him sacrifice a great deal just to lead a flock of sheep.

This verse talks about the Good Shepherd--Jesus, and how much He loves His sheep. He knows His sheep--thoroughly, deeply, perfectly. He knows their hearts and what they are thinking before they think it. And He guides with His rod and staff prodding His sheep to green pastures. I know sheep can be difficult, stubborn. Jesus never gives up on His sheep...never abandons them, and always protects the flock. Those who are truly His sheep will listen to His voice and they will follow Him.

I love the analogy of the Good Shepherd. It reminds me that I am constantly watched and that I'm being guided by someone who really knows me. I want to be a good listener. I want to know and be able to hear His voice above the din of all other voices. I know in my heart and my head that He sacrificed His life so that I may always abide in His flock and find safety in His good and green pastures. I might need a little prodding with His staff now and then, but I trust He will continue to guide me. Nothing nor no one can snatch me out of that flock. I'm His and He is mine.

One of the most powerful verses in the larger passage here also says, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." (John 10:17-18)  Jesus was never a victim.  He willingly submitted to a torturous death on our behalf...because He loved us.  He had ultimate authority OVER all that happened to Him.  Satan had no victory...ever.  Not even for one second.  Jesus was in complete control as He submitted to His father's will and to the hands of evil people. 

I've used acrylic paints, water-based ink, and several Sweet n Sassy stamps for my stamped words. Other lettering and the sheep are hand-drawn.  The sheep were actually images from my store, Daydream Designs, when it was open. So I'm glad I can find ways to keep using them.

I love the Creative Worship sets from SNSS because you can mix and match words for so many scriptures. I used: Perfect Faith, God is Good, and Words of Life 2. I have several sets and David said he would sit with me and brainstorm as many verses as we can with all the sets from SNSS I have....and more are coming!!!

I'll be posting on the Creative Worship blog next week. Hope you come and visit while I'm there. 

My Anchor Holds!

For any Christian, faith is a journey.  We gain ground and then we lose some.  As God proves Himself faithful, again and again, we learn to trust Him even when we don't understand.  Many of you here know the story of my dad's passing and the story of his faith.  You can read it on my FB page if you want.  As I was meditating on Scripture the other day, I stopped for awhile in James.  It reminded me of my dad's response when I shared with him the doctor's prognosis of terminal cancer.  With a steady assurance he set his face toward his new destination and replied, "So be it. My anchor holds."  His faith helped to increase our faith in the last days of his life. His faith inspired this art-journaling entry.

James 1:6 warns us against doubt.  I've read so many posts where people elevate doubt...as the norm for the Christian life.  Faith is a growing process but our growth should be a general incline from the first days of our salvation.  The believer is not to have doubts.  Doubting God is mistrust, and mistrust is sin.  That may be a bitter pill to swallow, but we must recognize our doubts and times of mistrust for what they are, confess them to God and ask Him to build our faith. 

I'm reminded of the story in Mark 9 where a father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus for healing.  He wants Jesus to help him if he could.  That launches Jesus into a teachable moment to share that anything is possible with God.  The father is confronted with his doubt and confesses it to Christ, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"  Don't we have moments like that?  We simply have to come the Father will a full confession that we have doubted.  God is the author and finisher of our faith.  He gives it to us.  We don't manufacture faith.  He will willingly supply all the faith we need.  It was evident He well supplied my father as he faced his last days on this earth. 

Our faith is what anchors the soul.  Faith will see us through the storms of life.  It keeps us from being tossed about and becoming shipwrecked. 

When we learn to trust and not doubt our faith becomes bigger than we are.  It becomes a supernatural faith supplied only by the God of the universe.  Christ's faith through His Spirit comes to abide with us.  I believe THAT is faith enough!!

My father's faith was anchored in the Savior whom he loved more than life.  In his final days he trusted in his Lord and while dreading some of the physical experiences of dying, his faith in God did not falter.  

I want my faith to grow everyday.  I don't want to ever doubt the goodness and wisdom of my God. I know my Savior is with me and will complete my faith to the end. 

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I used a Sweet n Sassy Stamp, Choose Faith, for the left page.  I used SU ink pads for the sponging and Prismacolor pencils to color my hand-drawn images and to color in the open letters of the stamped word, FAITH. 

Grace That is Greater Than All Our Sin

Some of the old hymns have the theology right! Regardless of your stance on contemporary vs. traditional music in church, you just have to admit the wording of some of the hymns will stand the test of time because they are rooted in the Gospel message.

I've joined several social media groups that showcase Bible Art Journaling.  I think I'm going to make a linked list on one of my tabs (pages).  There is a plethora of inspiration out there...oh, and don't forget Pinterest.  Sometimes if I browse too long, I get discouraged.  There are amazing artists out there...amazing.  But I have to keep reminding myself it's not about the art on the page; it's about the devotion in the heart. It's about the worship experience you have WHILE you do the artwork.  It's God's Word that is at the heart of it...and the art is the icing on the cake (and I'm no cake decorator!).

My pages center on the theme of God's grace.  Of course, there are a ton of old hymns that reflect that theme.  But this one kept going through my head, so I used a part of the page of a hymnbook (sorry if I made you gasp) and made it into a tip-in.  That's a note, tag...any extra piece of paper ephemera that you insert into your Bible affixing it so it will hinge, or flip up or over.  It gives you more journaling space and allows you to have something opaque and relatively large in your art form without covering the words of Scripture.

Click on the photo to enlarge for a clearer view of the coloring/highlighting on the text.

For the left side of the page I mixed stamped and hand-lettering.  It will be a YEAR before I get this hand-lettering thing mastered.  It's just harder than it looks.  I have a very long way to go, but I will persevere.  I sponged and underlined the verses I wanted to highlight using SU inks and markers.  The stamped words are from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and I'll showcase those at the end of the post. 

Good Friday (when I created this) is such a powerful picture of God's grace.  That God would love us while we were yet sinners enough to go to the cross is too vast, too deep, too loving to even fathom.  Jesus was the sinless, perfect lamb of God, given to the world as a sacrifice to pay the debt of sin.  This seems like foolishness to the lost (God's Word tells us that).  But to those who have been redeemed they knew this unimaginable truth is...TRUE.  His grace is infinite...so He never tires of drawing us back to Him.  His grace is matchless.  Do you know anyone who would do what He has done.  NO.  Because not even giving a life for a life will effect salvation.  It may give life, but not eternal life. God's grace is like none other...matchless. And all of that is what makes His grace so marvelous.  I still marvel today that He would extend His grace to someone like me. 

Here's a better look at the tip-in.  I've attached it with washi tape on the right side so it opens to expose the Scripture underneath.  It was grace that taught my heart to sing...and sing these old hymns I did.  I'm glad I grew up on them.  I can embrace most of the contemporary music, but I'm grateful I have the words of these hymns hidden in my heart.  

How deep my debt...how great His grace.  That thought came to me as I worked on these pages.  When I think back at how many times in addition to my salvation that God has offered grace to me it is staggering.  I'm so not perfect!  I have wrong thoughts, motives.  I neglect God sometimes.  I fail to do what I know He would want me to do, think, be.  I still fall short of the glory of God.  Though I am redeemed, sealed and secure for all eternity, I still lack perfection.  So He offers grace upon grace (His mercies are new every day!), so that I become renewed, refueled, and redirected to go where He wants me to go, be what He wants me to be and do what He wants me to do.  I become more and more like Jesus each time He administers grace and I draw closer to Him.

I'm grateful for what Christ did on the cross.  It's good Friday to us now...but oh, my the agony for him!  GRACE...that's what drove Him to the cross and kept Him there until it was finished.  Grace, grace God's grace...thank God His grace is greater than ALL my sin!

Stamps Used:

 Decorative Banners

 Amazing God

Words of Life Collection 2

  Message of Hope

Thank you for stopping in!

 

God of Hope

Good morning! I'm back today with another post on behalf of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps showcasing my project for the Creative Worship Design Team. 

The last few weeks in my family's life have been filled with hope...the certain kind of hope that comes from trusting God no matter what.  We had a near-devastating experience with the birth of my grandson.  I believe with all my heart the enemy had another plan but the prayers of so many family and friends inclined God's ear toward us.  We definitely saw His mighty hand of intervention.  Where the enemy planned death...God prevailed in bringing life to our family.  My grandson and precious daughter-in-law are doing well and little Lukas is even flourishing!  Thank you to all who prayed on our behalf!

Of course I had to share...I'm a grandmother!!!

The very first verse I wanted to journal upon returning home was Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We felt first-hand how God is in command of the hope that fills our hearts as we trust in Him.  The more we surrendered to His will in all things, the more HOPE we gained.  Hope overcame anxiety, joy overcame tears, and God overcame death.  What a sweet personal picture of our hope in the cross of Christ and His redeeming work as we approach Easter!

I chose three Sweet 'n Sassy stamps from the Creative Worship Bible Journaling section of the store to visually depict this verse. 

 Amazing God                             His Wings

Choose Faith

I love all three of these sets because they offer so much versatility.  I can't art-journal fast enough!  This page in my Bible will always have a great deal of meaning to me.  The God of hope reached down and rescued our family from despair. 

All the text content in the margin is either stamped or hand lettered.  Colors on the page are sponged with SU ink or Tim Holtz Distress ink.  You can't see it real well here, but I also highlighted some of the lettering with my Spica Glitter Pens...I LOVE those things.  They add glitter to a page without the mess of glue/regular glitter which might brush off over time.  They come in a full array of colors.

If you have a moment, I'd love for you to visit my post on the Sweet 'n Sassy's Creative Worship blog.  It's a great place to visit because the other team members post some marvelous samples of journaling and card-making.  Hope you can come by!

May the God of hope fill your heart with joy and peace this week as you trust Him in every circumstance of life.  I pray He will take my humble efforts at art in my Bible to bless others with the majesty, power and grace He offers through His Word.  

His Banner Over Me!

Before I share my Bible art-journaling sample for today I have some big news to share.  In a previous post I mentioned that I was "all in" with this new passion.  I've been reorganizing supplies and space, and I'm sharing my work in several online venues.  But one of the most exciting outcomes of starting this venture is that I was invited to join the design team on Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  The Creative Worship team will be showcasing the Creative Worship stamp sets and their inspirational samples using the sets.  I'm so thrilled to represent Korin Sutherland and her amazing stamp line. 

Since my husband and I will celebrate another anniversary next month, April 2, I decided to design something in Song of Solomon.  David and I wrote our own vows using verses from this book, so it made a great canvas for art-journaling. Korin had the perfect stamp set in the Creative Worship section of her store...

 Worship the Lord

 

 
Here is the two page spread I designed.  I wanted an old, splashy antique watercolor look to it. (I'm still very much in the experimenting stages, determining how art mediums interact with the thin pages of my Bible.  I'd read about practicing on some of the back pages in your Bible which I thought was a great idea.)  I depicted SS 2:4, 16 in the margin of the left page..."my page" and the verse David referenced (SS 4:9) in his vows on the right page.  I feel very sheltered in our marriage.  Thinking of David's love being over me like a protective banner so aptly describes the safety I feel.  Husbands are to nurture their wives, bringing them to a banquet table of all that delights a woman's heart and soul.

I brushed over the entire surface of both pages with brown watercolor and added more distressing by sponging with brown ink and creating some darker splatters.  I taped off the two verses I wanted to highlight later with red.

David's vows were amazing.  But when he got to his paraphrased version of SS 4:9, I melted.  All he did was to insert my name in the verse! I was already David's sister in Christ. That is a deep bond that makes the marriage relationship, being his bride, even deeper, stronger, more resilient through the storms of life and love.

To design "his page" I used the heart from the set and colored with watercolor paints again. I hand-lettered on both pages---ugh, still lots of practicing to do on that!  Since the theme is about banners, I thought it would be fun to add the washi tape banner.  I've spent years designing greeting cards and could just never get the hang of washi tape.  Bible journaling is MADE for it!  I've used it more in the time I've been journaling (weeks) than in all my years making cards!  It made a perfect little banner and that added some color to my page.

I'm so looking forward to this journey with Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, with Korin, and all the precious ladies on the Creative Worship Team.  My debut post is HERE today, so I invite you to hope over and say hello to me there too.  

Blessings on your day, and thank you so much for stopping in.