Longing For the Lord - Word Art Wednesday #284 & #285

Hello Delightful friends and family!

Enjoying some nice weather and watching all four of the grand munchkins playing baseball and softball.  Thankfully I only have to divide myself between 3 teams since the two youngest are on the same softball team.  But sometimes two teams are playing at the same time at the same park (isn't that fun). I've got to learn to clone myself! 😎

 So inbetween games, work, church etc. I was able to make this card for Word Art Wednesday.  This weeks sponsor is Simon Says Stamps so I was pleased to be able to use these pretty stamps called Roses For You a stamp set from the Simon Says Stamp line. Remember you can link up 5 new projects to share with us at WAW.  It is an Anything Goes - Family Friendly Challenge!

Thanks to everyone playing last challenge there were over 360 entries! That's just incredible!

I've stamped the images with Versamark and then heat embossed with Gold embossing powder and colored the roses, leaves and background with Peerless watercolors on 140lb cold press watercolor paper.

Our Scripture art this week is from Psalm 42:1.  I love the book of Psalms (in reality I love ALL the Bible!) it teaches us redemption, it teaches us to seek the Lord with all of our hearts plus there is great encouragement from the Lord through the writers of Psalms. But what speaks to my heart loudly and teaches me so vividly is how to seek the Lord and be a woman after God's heart.  This verse today uses the natural desire of a thirsty deer, a deer seeking water perhaps due to a drought or perhaps it has been pursued by a hunter and needs water to continue it's flight. It gives us the picture of how we should be longing after our Lord Jesus. 

 The Word of God refreshes us just as a deep drink of cold water when thirsty and I'm talking about being really parched and then being satisfied. Seeking/longing to know God can truly satisfy, meditating on His Word brings about contentment, a sense of satisfaction that the world cannot give. Can I encourage you to take a deep drink of God's Word so that you too can be satisfied?  Here is another verse in Psalms that David wrote:

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.  Psalm 63:1

Seek and trust God wholeheartedly and be satisfied!

Well, that's it for me today! I think I might be able to prep for my card class which is next week since there won't be anymore games until after Memorial Day weekend.  Maybe I can get ahead! (ha!)

Enjoy the rest of the week and thanks so much for visiting!  Don't forget to visit the Word Art Wednesday Blog and play along with us.  It's a two week challenge!

Happy Thoughts! Mustard Seed Faith Challenge

Hello Delightful friends and family!

Just a quick post to share a card. I will be entering this at the Mustard Seed Faith Blog - God as Creator is the challenge as well as a sketch (which I didn't follow this time). The ladies shared the lyrics to the song by Big Daddy Weave called Overwhelmed. It talks about how overwhelming God is in His power, His mercy and of course His creation.  You don't have to go far to see His creation (just look in the mirror!).  I think of the saying about stopping and smelling the roses, well this card doesn't have roses but it has flowers and when you stop and look at each flower and realize they had to have a designer and that designer is God, it is overwhelming!  Flowers most definitely shout out about the glory of God!

The flower stamps I've used are a set by Sweet 'n Sassy called Pretty Potted Florals (which were designed by NinaB Designs who incidentally years ago designed my blog signature and I don't want to ever replace it! I love it!)

The sentiment is from the set called Happy by Hampton Arts.

I've colored with Tombow Markers and stamped with Archival Jet Black ink.  The watercolor paper is Strathmore 140lb cold press. The card stock is Neenah bright white 80lb and I've cut it to be a 4.25" square card.  The die is from Spellbinders.

I double stamped two of the flowers and one leaf that hangs over the framed die. The butterfly is from a stamp set called Floral Silhouettes One (JustRite Papercrafts) which I used my Tombow markers to ink up on the watercolor paper. I've popped up the main image with dimensional adhesive as well as the two extra flowers.

Well that's it for me today!  Have a great weekend. Thanks for visiting.

PS Just found out I won a prize at MSF blog for the last challenge!  Thank you!!

Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.  Psalm 104:1

He Keeps His Promises - Word Art Wednesday (282 & 283)

Hello Delightful friends and family!
I have a fun digital image to share today for the Word Art Wednesday Challenge. It is one of our sponsor's Bugaboo Stamps cute creation called Fun Flowers.  I teamed it up with an older stamp from Gina K Designs that I love and haven't used nearly enough called Holiday Baskets.  I pulled out my Prismacolor Pencils for this one!  Hope you will link up and play along with our Anything Goes - Family Friendly Challenge, you can link  up to 5 different projects!

Additional supplies on card:

Neenah white card stock

Ribbon - American Crafts

Uniball Signa white gel pen

Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die

Odorless Mineral Spirits and blender

The Scripture art on the card is from Genesis 28:15 "And, behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoke to thee of."

God is making a promise to Jacob and tells him that He will bring him back to the land. The land which God had made a covenant promise with Abraham and Isaac.  When you think about the state that Jacob is in when God renews the covenant promise you realize the faithfulness of God.  Jacob has just lied to his father Isaac, agrees to a deceitful plan with his mother (Jacob was her favorite) and is running from his family in fear of his brothers revenge for stealing away his inheritance.  It was a real mess. This was one very dysfunctional family!  But isn't that the time the Lord shows up? Right in the midst of our messes? Indeed! It shows the lengths that God goes to keep us in the palm of His hand.  Jacob had to go through a lot of trials before returning to his homeland but it was a time of dealing with some very difficult strongholds in his life and he ends up years later wrestling with the Lord and finally is marked both spiritually and physically after that encounter.  He even gets a name change and faces his fears and the Lord truly shows His faithfulness to him.
Perhaps you feel your life is in a real mess right now.  You can know that the Lord will minister to your need and get you through it.  But you must trust Him and His sovereignty.  He wants you to have hope!  There must be a deliberate effort on your (and mine) part to trust the Lord to direct your path.  As a matter of fact He want us to be diligent in setting our minds on things above rather than on our circumstances and the distractions they cause.  The deeper you immerse yourself in God's Word and His promises the more you will grow in faith and in the knowledge of God. This knowledge isn't necessarily head knowledge but heart knowledge - know the Author of the Word! That's what Jacob experienced when he wrestled with the Lord. What a difference in our outlook when we begin to apply God's Word and see His faithfulness exhibited in our lives.
It all starts by humbling ourselves before Him and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you haven't done that perhaps that is why you are reading this right now.  The Lord is tugging on your heart to receive Him as Lord and Savior, please don't wait another minute! Once you invite Him into your heart it's important to tell someone. The Lord has made is simple for us, we must first admit we are sinners, then believe that God has raise Jesus from the dead, confess that He is Lord and then begin a journey with Him you will never regret. I know I have never regreted that decision, not once!

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed week!