Keep It Clean!

This is a quick and fun page to represent the book of Leviticus. It might seem that Leviticus is full of detailed, tedious rules and regulations that we can't imagine following today, but we need to remember where God's people were in the process of His purpose. God was creating a people set apart, a people who would be holy because they followed a holy God. As His people, they needed to be pure and sanctified so God established the way for that to occur. Their obedience to rules for clean living would contribute to having clean and pure hearts before the Lord. 

If you were to summarize the book of Leviticus and its application for us today, it would be "keep it clean." The page is intended to be perky and fun, but it actually serves as a sobering reminder to me to live a clean life. Our bodies are houses for God's Spirit. We need to try to keep them free of contamination...a challenge in our culture I know. We need to keep our minds free of contamination. Our thoughts, words and actions all need to reflect that a pure, high and holy God lives within us. The little things do matter and Leviticus certainly reveals this truth. The details of God's commands show us that He cares very deeply about the details of our lives and how we are living them. We cannot look at Leviticus and think it is entirely irrelevant to our culture. We know Christ brought a new covenant and with it God freed us from the law, from some of the former obligations to attain righteousness. Believers were given a new freedom from some of the dietary laws, for example, but they were not excused from keeping themselves clean, pure and uncontaminated. We would probably all do well to continue to follow the health regulations of scripture, not in a legalistic way, but to enjoy the gifts of grace God gives us. We are well served by examining our lives, what we take in mentally, physically and emotionally and making sure we are keeping it clean!

I used some delightful stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to design the page: How Tweet, Silhouettes: Tall Grasses, Shake It Off Lowercase Alph, Seek Him. I just hand drew the bird bath, stamped the rest, drew the clothesline and punched out the hanging hearts. I used Copic markers for coloring, and Stampin' Up! inks for all the stamping.

Go Out in Joy!

These things I have spoken to you, 

that my joy may be in you, 

and that your joy may be full.

John 15:11 

Welcome to our Mustard Seed Faith Challenge for the next 2 weeks!  Our challenge this week is to share a little joy with your crafting projects.  For my projects I'm submitting both this card and a Bible Journaling page.

I love the verse in John 15:11.  The reason God reveals Himself to man and invites us into relationship is two-fold.  He receives glory from our redemption and we receive complete joy when we are His.  I love the simplicity of this little design for the card (cut out from Illustrated Faith).  It reflects the simplicity of the verse I chose as well...God's joy in us completes our joy.  Feelings like happiness depend on our circumstances or our perspective.  Joy comes from God.  No one can have complete joy apart from a relationship to God.  Simple, profound theology! 

In Christ we are commanded to go out into the world, and we can do so with joy because of the treasure God has put within us.  

My Bible journaling, also on joy, captures Isaiah 55:12,  

“For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

When God puts His joy into us we can go out in joy and peace, praising God along the way.  Even nature magnifies the praise of the Lord.  

What brings you happiness?

What brings you His joy?  

We hope you'll join us sometime during this challenge and share your own inspirational projects.  We'd love to see them.  Just head over to Mustard Seed Faith Challenges!

Our Inheritance

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

According to his great mercy, 

he has caused us to be born again 

to a living hope 

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, 

kept in heaven for you.

 1 Peter 1:3-4

We can face all of our todays when we know what our tomorrows hold.  We can strive with our momentary problems when we know a prize worth the struggle awaits us.  We can live this life with a certain, unyielding hope because we know God has prepared an inheritance for us that makes this life worth the effort, worth the reach, worth the living.  Through the mercy of God, exhibited in the in sacrifice of His Son Jesus, we have been given something that is beyond measure, is of indescribable worth, and is very real...certain, in fact.  We are given a new birth into a living hope, a birth that makes us a child of God, of the eternal King.  And as God's child we are promised an inheritance.  His final will has not been unopened, so we don't know all that He has waiting for us, but we know it is good.  We know it can never perish, spoil or fade.

This Bible-journaling page is personally meaningful to me in so many ways.  What amazing promises lie within these two verses of scripture.  It's everything...it's gives glory to God as our Father, to Christ as our Savior and to the Spirit as the one who fills us with the undeniable and certain hope of heaven.  We are promised by God, who will not change and cannot lie, that we will receive the inheritance He has designed personally for each and every believer. 

God's Word is true and we can absolutely trust and depend on what it says to us.  God has a treasure chest full of unspeakable joy and glory waiting with our names engraved upon the lock.  He holds the key and will give it to us when we meet Him face to face.  I just get teary-eyed and thrill-shivery just thinking about what my treasure might hold!

Of course there will be a crown.  

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 

which the Lord, the righteous judge, 

will award to me on that day, 

and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8

But I think I'll be casting my crown at the foot of the throne along with the twenty-four elders, for He is worthy of all our crowns!  There will be a never ending bounty lavished upon me as my inheritance.  

And I will enjoy the waves of His blessings forever...no end.  Each gift will be sparkly and new and will never lose its luster. My joy will be complete and will rise in songs of glory for the God who is and will be forevermore.  Even singing His praises will be a gift...one of the many jewels in my treasure chest.  

Whatever this life holds I know I can rejoice in it because each trial, each heartbreak, every step along my journey, both sorrows and joys, takes me closer and closer to my Joy, my Jesus, my heavenly Father and my inheritance.  The older I get, the more real it is.  I can almost taste it, smell it, the glory of the thought along makes me squint from the sheer brightness. It will be....divine!

 

 Sweet 'n Sassy stamp sets I used:

 Scribble Flowers

 Child of the King

 Fantastic Flowers

 Mini Grunge Alpha

Choose Optimism!

Worry. What good does it do? Matthew 6:25-27 clearly says worry will not accomplish a thing. In fact, it inhibits our faith. If you read the passage (pictured below), I hope you'll notice that Jesus is instructing us not to worry about anything...neither the big things (your life and sustenance) nor the little things (what you will wear). Worry of any kind is a disruption to our reliance on God and His provision for us. Jesus goes on to describe how the birds of the air and flowers of the field flourish under His care, and states we are by far more important than they are. Our times are in His hand (Ps. 31:15), so we can't add any time to our days or life by worrying. We might even impair our health and shorten our days by worry. 

I have to confess. By nature, I'm a worrier. My imagination goes wild some days when I contemplate all the ways life could go awry. Most of the time it doesn't, and when it does, it's usually temporary. The small percentage that does come about isn't half as bad as I thought it would be. How much more enjoyable is the life of the eternal optimist? We can certainly choose that. In fact, when we consider God, the certain hope we have in Him and all that He has already done for us, isn't optimism the only course?

Believers, let's choose joy and hope today...and choose not to worry about anything today!
The background of this Bible page is done with Pan Pastel chalks. The stamped images (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps) are colored in with Copic markers. (Yes, they bleed through and no, I don't worry about it!).

 Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is still celebrating 9 years of operation all month long. Check out their FB page for details on Korin's great deals. https://www.facebook.com/sweetnsassystamps/

 

How Tweet

 

Furry Friends

GET FREE STAMPS with purchase. Hurry offer ends soon.

 

 Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

 

Are You Growing?

Dangerous question, right?  But I'm talking about a good kind of growth...spiritual growth.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I have joined BSF for the first time this year to study the Book of John.  I've studied it many times in many ways, but never for as long as the course BFS designs.  The Gospel of John is amazing...but so is every book, every word of Scripture.  It is all profitable for us. I'm excited to see the opportunities for my own growth that lie ahead. 

I've acquired several new stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to use in my design work for them.  I LOVE the fact that the company is clearly Christian and promotes the Word of God and study through all their stamps, but especially through their Bible Journaling line, Creative Worship.  My design work is submitted for samples in Creative Worship.

The flower and verse from 2 Peter 3:18 will be a part of the Sweet 'n Sassy specials/give aways for their 9th birthday celebration. I love the whimsical look of it.  I used the newly released Chunky Alpha for the acrostic I developed to help remind me of the ways God wants me to continually grow.

I know the journaling part of my Bible art-journaling needs improvement...but it's just another way I'll be growing as I practice and learn.  The important thing is what my journaling says...and what it means to me in my relationship to God as I worship Him through it. 

Here is just one of the MANY deals, Korin will be offering at Sweet 'n Sassy stamps.  But most of the special deals are for a limited time, so head over there to check out the fun celebrations happening right now.  I'm honored and humbled at the same time to be designing for Korin.  I am in the amazing company of seasoned artists.  And I learn from them every day.

As For Me and My Household

When I journal and create in my Bible, I do it as an expression of time spent with God. The designs emanate from worship. I think often about the legacy of faith I want to leave my children and grandchildren. My Dad left such a powerful one for us, and I want people to say of me too that my faith endured to the end and that praise for Jesus rested on my dying lips.

 When I think of a legacy of faith, I definitely think of Joshua's farewell address to the Israelite leaders in Joshua 23 and 24. I relate so well to his intense desire to make sure those who would come after him really got it...that they not only understood the imperative for remaining faithful to God, but that they desired God as much as he did. I love the story of Joshua's life. One of the most well known verses is Joshua 24:15, "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” It's a choice we all make whether consciously or not. Because God has presented the choice in His Word, we are accountable for the choice whether or not we are people of faith.

As for me and my family...we will serve the Lord. My family is blessed with a legacy of faith. My immediate and extended family claim Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. I'm the wife, daughter, sister, mother and daughter-in-law to men who have committed their lives and service to the Gospel. What a powerful legacy that is. I'm thrilled that my grandsons have that behind them to shape what lies before them. I pray that my sons will always faithfully love and serve God. It is their calling...I pray it will be their highest joy always.

My pages were done entirely with Prismacolor pencils. I LOVE those things. They are creamy and rich, vibrant in color and add a soft luster to the page. The stamped "serve your God" comes from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set, Worship the Lord. I doodled the frame around it. The house and tree are from Market Street Stamps, now closed. The rest is hand-lettered and hand drawn.

Rise and Shine!

I've missed Bible art-journaling for several days in a row and really needed the therapy and time in God's Word.  I wanted to use a new set I received from Sweet 'n Sassy stamps as a Creative Worship design team member.  So I've posted two of my projects today. 

The light of the righteous shines brightly,
    but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

Proverbs 13:9

Have you met people who exuded the joy of Jesus in their heart that there countenance glowed?  I have and I really want to be that kind of person.  I want to wake up each morning with a fresh look on my life, my purpose and all my blessings.  I want to be so in love with Jesus that it is contagious.  

The new set in Sweet 'n Sassy stamps is perfect for bringing on a "rise and shine" attitude in life.  I'm a coffee lover anyway, so I knew this set would be mine the minute I put eyes on it.  And I love it.  It has the most fun sayings and two adorable cups with accessories.  I decided to paper piece my cup and the band.   

I doodled a sun and used both sponging and Distress crayons to color the son and the rays.  If we walk in the righteousness of Christ, we cannot hide that light under the cover of indifference.  We have to let the light out and share Christ with everyone we know.  

Here's a close up of the paper pieced cup.  Fun, fun.  I love paper piecing.  See that fun chunky glitter?  That came in the mail from a lady who is in a "happy mail" facebook group with me.  I was working on this project when hubby brought the mail to me.  She also sent the washi tape at the bottom of the page.  Perfect colors for the project.  The two images from above are from the set, Fill Me Up.  The rest is hand-lettered and hand-doodling. 

I wanted to make my page as bright and happy as I feel in my heart. I love my Jesus and I love talking about Him.  He has done so much to prove His love again and again.  How could I not share that? Him?  Hope this brought a smile to your heart too and that you will think of someone's life who needs a little light.  Go share Jesus with them!

 Fill Me Up by talented Rebecca Rios

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.