Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross - #14 - Take My Life and Let It Be

What a lovely hymn Patter chose for this fortnight's challenge.  The words are all good ones to apply to our lives.
I chose to share the verse of the song that I have on my digital 6 x 6 piece because I do enjoy singing. I am not a good singer but I know that God loves to hear our praises no matter how on or off key they are.

Here is a prayer I found in a devotional book  by Billy Graham:

"Thank you Heavenly Father, for the Psalms which help me see that even in the depths David talked with you. Whatever my circumstances, I will learn to praise you."

Which leads to the scripture I chose to use on my little hybrid artwork:  Psalm 51:15 -  O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.

FAITH CHALLENGE

Earlier this month I shared that I will no longer be hosting a Faith Challenge at Scrapbook Bytes. I am pleased that another Christian lady on the Challenge team there is going to take over from me.

But I still plan on hosting my own here on my blog but I will not be sharing the details each month until about the middle of the month.  I am about to start taking part in a designing Blog Train with some other Christian digital scrapbookers who dabble in designing. Each month the mini kits we will be giving away will have a "faith based theme".  My plan is to use what I design for my Faith Challenge here on my blog. The Blog trains happen on the 15th of each month.

I am not concerned about the number of people taking part in my challenge.  If no one takes part, that is okay. But I do hope that what I will share each month will be an encouragement to those who read it.

Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross - #13 - O For a Thousand Tongues

This fortnight Patter has given us a lovely old hymn written by Charles Wesley.  I think this hymn will always bring to my mind when we worshiped with Liberty Community Church as so many times when there was an open time for anyone to suggest a hymn or song to sing, this one man - John would so very often ask for this hymn as it was his favourites.  John is still a close friend to my husband even though we no longer worship at the same church.

The verse from the hymn tha  I chose to share on my digital piece stood out to me as this week I received the following daily devotion:

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2 ESV)

A word of admonition to us all: don’t be a “wannabe” theologian! Paul was straightforward with the church in Corinth. He didn’t use philosophically charged speech or yammer on endlessly, he cut straight to the source of life, Jesus. As Christians, we should be all about Him. We should wake up with a craving to be like Jesus everyday, we should long to walk as He walked. But how exactly did He walk?

Great question.

He walked through mobs of people shouting, spitting, and jeering at Him while carrying a cross. That’s how Jesus walked, that’s how Jesus lived. He allowed Himself to be humiliated, mocked, and ridiculed all for our good. Paul realized a simple yet powerful truth: when we know Jesus, our pride should evaporate. There is no room for arrogance when you’ve met Jesus. Paul didn’t need to use impressive words or flex his vocabulary, he needed to proclaim nothing but “Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

This mindset can work in us in two different ways:

• Firstly, if we’re constantly looking to impress others with our knowledge or holiness, we’ve completely missed our purpose. The point is not us, it’s Jesus.
• Secondly, we’ve also missed it if we neglect sharing Jesus with others because we’re worried that we don’t know enough. If we do this, we’ve also missed the heart of the matter. Again, the point is not us, it’s Jesus!

Get to know Jesus, get excited about Him. The point of our lives is to point to Him.

So with the words of the hymns and the thought that I myself, need to proclaim Jesus to the world the scripture that stood out to me is Psalm 35:28.

The digital kit I used is Madness is Divine by Creative Victorian Designs

FAITH CHALLENGE

For some months now I have been hosting a Faith Challenge at Scrapbook Bytes but I have resigned form being part of their team as my time on the computer is becoming more limited.  I have commenced doing voluntary work at an Aged Care Facility and also need to finish off some jobs around my home which I have been neglecting.

As I did enjoy hosting this challenge I thought I would  at the start of each month share a Faith Challenge here on my blog.
I will share one word for the challenge and then whoever wants to join me can use that word on any sort of page - paper scrapbooking, card making, digital page  etc....   You can use a quote or a scripture or even just use the word in some journaling.
Before I start doing this next month I will be looking into how everyone can link their blog or gallery where they share their piece of art so I can see what you all create.

At times over on my digital blog I will share a mini kit, some word art or a template to give away to go with the challenge.  And when I do this, I will share a link to that blog.

So keep an eye on my blog if you would like to join me in this challenge each month. 

Testing a linking program:

Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross - #12 - Trust and Obey

This fortnight Patter has given us a favourite old hymn of mine.  It is one that the tune and words would always stick in my mind after we had sung it at Church.

On my digital 6 x 6 piece I have shared the second verse of the hymn because the words really spoke to me because of the burdens in my life right now that I am handing over to the Lord.  I have an elderly Aunt on the terrible journey of dealing with cancer. She and my uncle married late in life and so have no children so recently I really have become their substitute daughter.
So it followed on for me to choose the scripture that I have for my large ATC piece.
"Trust in Him at all times, pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:8

I have been pouring out my heart to Him because He is my refuge and He truly is giving me peace and comfort.

For my digital artwork I have used a kit called "Hope Springs New" by Tracie Stroud

Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross_#11_ Great is Thy Faithfulness

This fortnight our hymn is a lovely hymn which I have sung many times in different Churches:

Great is Thy Faithfulness

I found the following thoughts on a website from doing a google search on Devotions about faithfulness and I really found these thoughts to be so true:

"1 Corinthians 1:9...   God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Not too much is taught on the faithfulness of God. Most of the sermons one hears is on our faithfulness and how we should be faithful.  Yet God is the One who is Faithful... even when we are not. He is faithful, unchanging and He never wavers.  Our salvation does not rest upon our faithfulness but rather GOD'S FAITHFULNESS.  God sees every believer in Christ. It was Jesus who finished the work of redemption for us and we are secure because of HIS FAITHFULNESS. He promised eternal life to "whosoever" will believe in Him.  Believers in Christ rest in Him today. The Lord Jesus is our righteousness; and we do not have a righteousness of our own.   "

For my  6 x 6 digital artwork I chose to share the second verse. Possibly it stood out to me as it mentions the seasons and we are the start of a new season  - Spring for me here living in Australia.

For the large ATCs the verse I have used, I felt went well with the verse from the hymn.

For my digital art I used the black paper from a kit called Purple Party by Lindsay Jane Designs and the remaining items are from Sky High by Lindsay Jane Designs.

Hymn Scripture Challenge with Patter Cross - #10 - When We All Get to Heaven

As you can see it has been many months since this challenge has taken place. The host of the challenge - Patter Cross has moved homes and had a lot to do with the moving and settling in so she has only this week been able to re-start the challenge.
I have missed it and now will start once again looking forward each fortnight to see what Hymn, Patter has chosen for us to work with.

This fortnight it is a lovely old lively hymn - When We All Get to Heaven
I decided to work with the word "heaven" for my choice of scripture to use on the double sided piece that I display on an ATC stand.
It is wonderful to realise we  can truly wait eagerly to get to heaven or to see Jesus when He returns to gather us if we are still living when He returns.

Here are some words by Billy Graham:

The Bible indicates that heaven will be a place of great understanding and knowledge of things that we never learned down here. Sir Isaac Newton, when an old man, said to one who praised his wisdom, "I am as a child on the seashore picking up a pebble here and a shell there, but the great ocean of truth still lies before me."     And Thomas Edison once said, " I do not know one millionth part of one percent about anything". Many of the mysteries of God - the heartaches, trials, disappointments, tragedies, and the silence of God in the midst of suffering - will be revealed there.

Prayer: All the questions will be answered loving Father, when I take my place in heaven to praise you.

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For my digital artwork I have used a kit called Angel Dreams by Verena Designs