NO FAITH CHALLENGE THIS MONTH

This month I am not hosting a Faith Challenge as I have done during the last two months. I may be back next month with one.

But I would like to encourage anyone to join me in the Bible Study I am taking part in over at One Step Away International : you can register HERE

I have chosen Psalm 1 for my study this month and I will share my initial page ready for adding my study notes to :

The digital paper I used is by Thao Cosgrove

As I take part in this Bible Study ( a form of study I have never done before ) I plan on sharing what I do as it progresses. If there is any really personal things the Lord brings out in this study I may need to blank those out when I share my page. I am a little excited to take part in this study and look forward to where the Lord will lead me as I study this lovely Psalm. 

HYMN SCRIPTURE CHALLENGE WITH PATTER CROSS - #18 - O HOLY NIGHT

Patter has given us a lovely Christmas hymn and if you want to read a little about the person who wrote this hymn please take time to visit Patter's blog  HERE

I have been making a 6 x 6 digital page and a large double sided ATC this year but with this week being a very busy week and I packed a lot of my craft things away with having my two oldest  ( 3 and 6 year olds ) granddaughters come to stay for five nights last week, I feel I cannot get the ATC made so have just made a 12 x 12 page which I will print out at 6 x 6.

On my page I have shared the first lines from the song and chose a scripture which I feel fitted it well.
The scripture are Mary's words after she visits her cousin Elizabeth.  I found the following commentary words very challenging and they are from a commentary by Adam Clarke:

" My spirit hath rejoiced - Exulted. These words are uncommonly emphatical - they show that Mary's whole soul was filled with the Divine influence, and wrapped up in God. "

Oh, how I desire to be "wrapped up in God" as Mary was. 

( For my digital art I have used a kit that just happens to be called  " O Holy Night" which is a collaborative kit by designers at Stuff to Scrap ) 

FAITH CHALLENGE - DECEMBER - JOY TO THE WORLD

This month I am again taking part in a Blog Train with my digital designing and the theme for the kits we are all giving away is " Joy to the World" so I decided to use those words for this challenge.

If you want to create something ( digital or paper crafts ) and join me just choose one or all of the words. I chose to use the word "World" and therefore use the scripture John 3:16 on my little CD case sized artwork.
The digital pieces I have used for my page are all from the kit I designed and you are most welcome to pop over to my digital blog which you will see listed on the right side of this blog and download what I designed and then hop on board the Blog Train and see what the other designers have created and are giving away.

I do not have many thoughts to share this month as I am having a busy time. Last week I had my 2 oldest granddaughters come to stay while their parents and baby sister were in another state so their Dad could have an operation on his big toe. The week before the girls came I had a night in hospital with suspected heart attack. I am fine... turned out to be severe acid reflux which can have similar symptoms to a heart attack. I needed to be checked out as my father had a bad heart and eventually had a triple by-pass. My maternal grandmother died at 55 ( the age I am next year ) with a bad heart. All the hours I spent in the hospital I can truly say that my Heavenly Father gave me peace and at home my dear husband also experienced a deep inner peace.
 My last surviving Uncle died last Wednesday ( 12-12-12 ) so I have a funeral to attend tomorrow where I will be doing one of the bible readings and I know I am going to need the Lord's strength to get me through it as the reading is Psalm 23 which was also used at my Dad's funeral 7 years ago. My Aunt needed my help in typing up the eulogy which I have done.
So this time I just share a verse of prose and a quote from a Daily Bread reading:

He did not use a silvery box

Or paper green and red;

God laid His Christmas gift to me

Within a manger bed.

-Prentice-

The goodness and love of God became incarnate at Bethlehem.

I liked that poem so much that I used it on a hybrid card I made which I will now share and then I will share the page I created using the kit I designed.  

( the digital kit I used for the card is Christmas Traditions by Danimoy Designs)

I hope those reading this blog will have a very Happy Christmas with safe travels and special times with loved ones.

Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross - #17 - Sweet Hour of Prayer

What a wonderful old hymn that Patter has chosen for us this fortnight. The tune to this hymn is one that stays in your mind after you have sung the hymn.
I have chosen the share the first few lines of the hymn on my 6 x 6 digital art piece.

From a book by Oswald Chambers:

" We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself"

My prayer is that through my prayers I may get to know Father more and more intimately each day.

For my digital art I have used a kit called "Fruit of the Spirit" by Connie Prince.  The praying hands image was found somewhere on the web.

The printer did not do such a good job with the back and from of the large ATC:

Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross - #16 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

The hymn this fortnight is one I have sung in the past and if you would like to learn something about the man who wrote this great hymn please visit Patter's blog which you can find down on the right side of my blog.

Our need to praise our Lord is so very much an important part of our worship of Him. I found the following in a small book I have called " From the Back of My Bible" by Emolyn C. Lambert :

" Worship attributes worth to God.

O come, let us worship and bow down.

Psalm 95:6  "

On my digital 6 x 6 piece I have shared the first two lines of the last verse of the hymn and is a reminder to myself that I need to remember to let all that is in me adore Him!

For my digital art I used a kit called "Maddy" by Tami Miller

( The scannings of my large ATC front and back has not come out the best... they are brighter and more like the digital page)

FAITH CHALLENGE - NOVEMBER - THANKFUL

As this month I have taken part in a Blog Train with other Christian Digital Designers and our theme for the digital kits we designed is "Thankful" I thought I would use it for this challenge.
But for anyone who would like to join me in this you can use the words:  Thanks  ...... Thank... Thanksgiving.  You are welcome to use any of these words in whatever way you want to but it would be nice to see a quote or scripture on the artwork you decide to share.  You might like to use this challenge to create a thankyou greeting card, a scrapbook page, etc.  Just enjoy creating something around one of these words.
 At the end of this posting I will have a place where you can click on and add a link to your blog or your page in a gallery somewhere so myself and others who visit this blog can admire your artwork.

For some devotional thoughts this month I found this devotion by Max Lucado:

Thank the Lord because
he is good. His love continues forever.
Psalm 106:1

Unfortunately, saying “thank you” isn’t all that common.

And yet, it’s what worship is all about.

Worship is when you’re aware that what you’ve been given is far greater than what you can give. Worship is that awareness that were it not for his touch, you’d still be hurting, bitter and broken. Worship is the half-glazed expression on the parched face of a desert pilgrim as he discovers that the oasis is not a mirage.

When we try to make a science out of worship—we can’t do it. No more than we can “sell love” or “negotiate peace.”

Worship is a voluntary act of gratitude offered by the saved to the Savior, by the healed to the Healer, and by the delivered to the Deliverer.

Worship is the “thank you” that refuses to be silenced.

Here is the small CD case size page I created using the digital kit I designed myself and if you would like to have this kit for yourself please visit my other blog  HERE

Here is where you can share your blog or where in a gallery you have shared your artwork for this challenge:

Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross - #15 - When Troubles Assail Us

This fortnight Patter has given us a hymn by John Newton which is not as well known as his "Amazing Grace" but I do remember singing this hymn in the past.

Patter was not able to give us any sheet music to use in our artwork so I found a digital piece of music sheets and one was another hymn by John Newton so I changed the title and then added the sheet music for Amazing Grace.  I have shared the second verse of the hymn as it stood out to me... I do like birds and at times my husband will quote to me  " The Lord will provide".

The scripture I chose to use on my large ATC is Psalm 9:9 which includes the word "trouble" so I felt it worked well for this hymn. When reading a commentary of this verse I discovered this:
The word oppressed - Those who are crushed, broken, the dejected, afflicted, unhappy...
This made me think that yes - even with our faith in Jesus Christ we can find ourselves being unhappy. But oh! who wonderful to find refuge in the one who loves us with an incomparable love.
Then the word refuge -  A high place where enemies can neither reach nor see you.
What a wonderful picture of the true safety we have available if only we do seek and take hold of it.

For my digital artwork I have used a kit called "Home Coming" by Designs by Helly