Word Art Wednesday: Can You Hear Him? (FREE DIGI STAMPS)

Welcome to Word Art Wednesday and another opportunity to join us for an encouraging and uplifting art challenge.  Each week we provide you with FREE scripture word art to incorporate into your designs if you wish.  But you are welcome to use your own art or stamps and save this scripture art for another occasion.  We just want to openly share it with you.  We hope you'll come to our challenge blog and participate by linking your creation to our site to share with others.  Here's our wordart for this week:

God is obviously speaking to His people and speaking to the nations of the world.  Some sadly will not have the "ears to hear."  Believers all over the world are certainly in a time of testing.  They are sacrificing homes, families, even their lives to hold steadfastly to what they believe.  While they experience agony in this dark and evil world, something amazing waits for them when they live in the presence of God's glory.  We will all eat from the tree of life, but those who have given their lives for the cause of Christ will be abundantly rewarded. 

My pastor-husband has lead a number of churches during his ministry years and currently consults with churches who are experiencing conflict.  Sometimes conflict is necessary when church leaders have to ferret out false teachers or those who are causing damage to the church and name of Christ through their lifestyle practices.  No one wants to receive even loving discipline.  Church members are easily offended, and often downright disobedient to God's Word.  The church, though it will prevail in the end, is experiencing turmoil to say the least.  And church members are often caught up in the fray and are totally bewildered by the chaos and confusion the enemy incites. 

Like a deer caught in the headlights so to speak, church members have no idea how to handle the conflict biblically.  And when they don't, the cause of Christ suffers.  God will raise up His beautiful and spotless bride, even if she comes out of the ashes.  While all the forces of evil will come against God's people, the Church, we will overcome.  His promises are true, and His Word is accurate.

The Spirit of God enables the believer to know, discern, "hear" God's will.  If we are in tune with the Spirit we will know the signs of the end of days, we will anticipate every prophecy of scripture to unfold within our lifetime or after it.  We KNOW these things will come to pass because our loving Savior told us.  While we don't know the exact time, we were shown what signs there would be that the time is drawing near.  The signs are there...and the time is drawing near.  The Spirit is speaking and God is showing us through events that His Word is unfolding.  Soon the clouds will be rolled back!  Meanwhile, meanwhile...

 Listen, be watchful, be in tune with God's Word and His Spirit.  We have something amazing in the gift of our salvation; something to share with anyone who will listen.  We cannot give up, and we cannot be silent.

The tree of life will shelter us in paradise...for eternity.  We will bask in the glory of God.  We will see our Savior's face.  We will see Him fully and we will fall to our knees in gratitude for thousands of years.

Again, please join us for our challenge this week on Word Art Wednesday.  I know you'll be blessed as you visit our challenge blog.

Word Art Wednesday: God's Truth Our Foundation

 

I remember hearing as a young child the cliche, "You can take that to the bank."  As a child of the fifties, putting money or valuables in the bank meant they were secure and you could count on your assets being safe.  They would be there when you needed them.  In our fluid economy, not much is secure these days.  Easy Street simply no longer exists!  Millionaires have become homeless, job security is a thing of the past, relationships are virtual and fleeting rather than lasting.  No wonder we long for security, a solid foundation upon which to base our lives.

Our Word Art Wednesday challenge offers this graphic art depiction of Psalm 119:160.  It's available to you in two versions, NIV or KJV.  You are welcome to either or both.  And we hope you'll join our challenge by linking your own creation to our challenge blog.  I created this week's Word Art and wrote the devotion, so I won't repeat it here.  I just invite you to our blog to see all that awaits you there. 

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My Sample:

Seeing this photo again reminds me now of the message in Philippines 2:15-16, "Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life."  So much depends upon our willingness to hold firmly to the word of life.  God's Word is being disparaged at every turn in our culture, making it imperative that believers stand on the solid rock of God's truth as we live out our lives, shining as Christ's examples to a dark world.  

God's Word is very precious to me.  I've spent many hours pouring over the depths of God's design for mankind.  I never tire of His precepts for they truly are LIFE.  Nothing else on this earth offers peace and security,  hope and assurance like God's Word. 

All God's words, every single one of them are true and they will stand forever.  No culture will destroy the Word of God.  Though every Bible on the face of the earth were destroyed God's Word would thunder through the heavens for all eternity.  We will behold the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  Can you even begin to imagine what it will be like when you are in heaven and hear Him speak for the first time.  It's enough to take me to my knees right now!

Thanks for stopping in today.  I hope these verses will lead you to search God's Word for the message He has for you today.  Maybe this page or our challenge blog devotion will speak to your heart, or maybe you'll have to go directly to His Word to find what you need for today.  You will not come away empty handed.  I'm praying you will be blessed today by the Word of Life!

Word Art Wednesday: Singing Stars (FREE DIGI IMAGE)

Word Art Wednesday is such a fun, inspiring place to hang out.  We are averaging nearly 200 participants each week in our challenges.  Our flexible "anything goes" has only one real parameter.  Make your projects encouraging, positive and uplifting.  We'd love to see you use our Scripture image on your project, but it's not necessary.  It's yours to use later if you wish.  We do hope you will visit our challenge page to check out our sponsors and link to your creation.  Our wordart this week comes from my store, Daydream Designs.  One other sentiment is available free on our
WAW blog.  The rest of the set is featured at the end of this post.

I also had the joy and privilege of writing this week's devotion to accompany our challenge verse.  You can read that devotion on our blog, so I won't repeat it here.

My Sample(s):

Figure 1

Just to have a little fun with the image for this week, I decided to create several samples that shows the range with which you can enjoy digi images.  The above was created digitally in Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, the version I use to create and manipulate most of my digital sentiments. I use something different to create my hand drawn images.  I used the PSE10 to change the color of the verse so it would perfectly match the colors in the papers and embellishments I used.  

 
 
I started card making as a traditional paper crafter...all hands on, nothing digitally produced except maybe an occasional sentiment or inside card greeting. Once I started dabbling in digi images, I had a difficult time breaking from my more traditional leanings.  So I started doing a variety of hybrid projects, that is how I use digital images almost exclusively.  The card above was created by using the composite image (Figure 1).  I just printed out the composite image and put it on a card. It gives the illusion of dimension.  But it's real dimension that I love most.

So here's a version with all the digital elements printed out separately then reassembled to make a more traditional looking card.  

All three versions start with the same digital images, but have very different looks in the final stage.  The only time I used completely digital images is to create projects like printed calendars or books.  My goal this year is to produce digital scrapbooks as bound books.  I use My Digital Studio (Stampin' Up!) for that.

I hope these samples will spur your own creativity and you will join us at Word Art Wednesday by linking us to your project.  We'd love to see it! 

Daydream Designs Used:

Shine Like Stars Color Set

13 images with and without sentiments

JPEG and PNG

$3.00

Shine Like Stars Digi Papers

16 sheets / 12 x 12 / 300 ppi / resizable

JPEG only

$3.50

Starry Elements

21 elements (3 buttons without thread not shown)

JPEG and PNG

$3.00

Shine Like Stars Sentiments

11 sentiments / JPEG and PNG/ resizable

black sentiments can be recolored in most photo editing programs

$3.00

Thank you for blessing my day!

Diane

WAW Challenge: Seasoned Speech (FREE DIGI STAMPS)

It's Wednesday and time for another Word Art Wednesday challenge.  If you haven't played with this challenge, you should really try.  It's one of the most flexible and you get tons of inspiration from the many participants.  Just check out our main page...details, sponsor and your project linking information is all there.

Our scripture inspiration is free for you to use on your project, but not a requirement.  Still, isn't this biblical challenge a big one...let your speech be ALWAYS with grace?  There have been more times than I can count where I have spoken to someone, then later wished that I had said something different, said more, said less....or not said anything at all!  Knowing how to fill your speech with grace might not be difficult if you are preparing to deliver a speech.  You have the time to carefully craft your words.  But to fill even casual conversations with grace always...every time....now that is a challenge.  It takes practice.  Here a smaller challenge.  Practice concentrating on what you say to everyone you encounter for just one day.  And season that day's conversation with grace...with encouragement, with hope, with love, with forgiveness, with kindness.  Just one day.  Can you do it?

Recently a woman in our church shared the tragic story of a young couple who were expecting their second child.  The baby had life threatening heart conditions so severe that doctors offered scant hope of the baby's survival to full-term birth, much less life outside the womb.  Yet this young mother, a woman of deep faith, responded to everyone's inquiries with such grace and faith.  And the woman in our church who spoke frequently with the mother offered her encouragement and extended opportunities to so many people to pray for this family.  So many graceful conversations in the midst of a very trying, heart-wrenching time. 

Another woman in my Sunday morning Bible study class shared about a young 7 year old child who was terminally ill with cancer and was nearing the end of her days.  Not even knowing her friends or their daughter, I was sick at heart and full of grief for them.  It seems lately I've heard of so many parents who are suffering unbearably through their children's devastating physical challenges.

I thought it was appropriate to design a card that symbolized both the realities I've shared.  First, we are challenged to fill our conversations with grace. Even those chatting-over-coffee conversations.  Ones where you are being yourself...which is to be an ambassador of Christ.  The cup on this card represents our most unguarded conversations with those closest to us.  The yellow mug and digi paper is from our Hope Endures cancer awareness line--the yellow set, which represents awareness of cancer in children among other challenges.  You'll notice the words in the background...hope, courage, cure, believe, faith, healing.

Are our conversations filled with words that encourage hope and faith, and offer healing to broken and despairing hearts?  I admire these women in our church who offered the precious gift of gracious words to hurting people.  I love both of them and have been blessed by them myself.  I trust that their gentle spirits and gracious words were a healing balm to their grief-stricken friends.  My friends have had to practice such graciousness...it would have to come naturally to them to be able to deliver in trying times. And I know they did.

   
Card Ingredients:

• Cardstock--Whisper White (to print images and digi paper), Old Olive / SU
• Digi paper--Hope Endures (Yellow Papers)
• Designer Paper (SU-retired)
• Images--Hope Endures: Yellow Awareness Set; Pumpkins and Sunflowers Color Set

Sets Used:

 Hope Endures: Yellow Awareness Set

(Outline version available, sold separately)

8 color images / JPEG and PNG / 300 dpi

$3.00

Hope Endures Yellow Paper Pack

8 sheets / 6 x 6 / 300 dpi / resizable

$3.00

Pumpkins and Sunflowers Color Set

(Outline version available, sold separately)

11 color images / JPEG and PNG / 300 dpi

$4.00

Thanks for stopping in!

Diane

Let's Have a BBQ!

McMahon 5 Designs has released my BBQ sets, and the timing couldn't be better.  Hopefully, with sunnier weather ahead we're heading straight into BBQ season.  We cook out most of the summer.  Whatever we're having, it's almost always better from the grill!  Be sure to grab the FREE digi image at the end of the post.  

My card samples:

 All card samples are from the outline sets and are colored with Copic markers.  I used miscellaneous patterned papers from my stash!  I actually redrew some of the images since making the last card sample, so you'll see some differences in the grill and smoke!  Someone was sure to catch it, so I thought I'd explain. 

Here are the complete sets:

***ALL NEW***

Let's BBQ Color Set

by Daydream Designs

17 color images (JPEG and PNG)

Now at M5D

Let's BBQ Outline Set

by Daydream Designs

16 images (JPEG, PNG and white filled PNG for layering)

Now at M5D

Let's BBQ Sentiments

16 sentiments (JPEG and PNG)

Available at M5D

And here's a little thank you for stopping by!  

Available through July 4th