52 Weeks of Gratitude Week 8

Forgive me for only posting my photos for this week's card.  I had an unexpected hospital stay this week and did not have time to do a complete post.  I am on the mend but appreciate any prayers!
Please check out the great post at Inspired Stamps!

Cricut Foldables

Week 7-52 Weeks of Gratitude Card

 

Wow!  Week 7 of 52 Weeks of Gratitude with Inspired Stamps! Are you participating in the weekly journaling or are you making cards?  Maybe you are doing mixed media?  Be sure to share with us on the Inspired Stamps blog each week so we can see your lovely creations!  Our focus scripture stamp this week is Philippians 1:3.

I used a bunch of stuff from my stash-there's no telling how long I've had that metal frame and vellum lilac paper!

New Stamps at Inspired Stamps

Inspired Stamps released 6 new $3.99 Scripture Stamps today.  If you love to use God's Word in your projects, you will want every one of them!

Love Is

I would like to dedicate today's post to my amazing husband of almost 30 years. We were high school sweethearts and our journey together has been filled with mountaintops and valleys. Even though I have been disabled for over a decade he has remained steadfast and ever loving to me.  Through it all he has shown me the love God speaks of in these scriptures. I love you Jeff!

"Love never gives up." ...even during times of darkest trial
"Love cares more for others than for self." ...even when it means changing plans to care for his sick spouse
"Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have."  ...even when that means giving up his dreams
"Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head," ...even when he could brag at his wife's expense
"Doesn’t force itself on others," ...even when that means dying to self
"Isn’t always 'me first,' " ...even when he deserves to be first
"Doesn’t fly off the handle," ...even when his wife deserves his anger
"Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others," ...even when it would be so easy to do so
"Doesn’t revel when others grovel," ...even if he was right from the start
"Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth," ...because he knows the difference between God's truth and the enemies lies
"Puts up with anything," ...because he knows God has done it for him
"Trusts God always," ...because God has always proven His faithfulness
"Always looks for the best," ...because he truly desires the best for his family
"Never looks back," ...because he has hope in the future "But keeps going to the end." ...because he loves his wife with the love that God has for His Church

"Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled." 1 Corinthians 13 The Message

52 Weeks of Gratitude Week 6

 

Thanks for joining me for the 6th week of Inspired Stamps 52 Weeks of Gratitude.  

It seemed appropriate for me to create a "very Valentiney" card  for this week's scripture!  God is love and is the creator of romantic love. This scripture is His definition of love.   I used the 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 stamp in the heart cutout.  On the inside, I used a sentiment from the Thank You stamp set.  Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Altered Frame

 I taught a class for a lady's birthday party and this is what we made.  The idea for the mini book in a frame was not my idea but the design is mine.  We had a blast and everyone's frame turned out differently depending on the personality and style of the creator.

All products were purchased at Michaels.

Devotional-Thanks in All Things

Today's scripture is one I believe we can't fully understand until we are living it out in our lives.  A companion to it would be Philippians 4:12, "...I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation..."  Neither scripture leaves wiggle room!  Any, always, all and every are emphatic words.

It's a piece of cake to be thankful when life is full of sunshine and roses but can God really expect us to give thanks for all things? Thanks for affliction?  Thanks for trials?  I believe this scripture clearly gives us the answer to that question!

When I was diagnosed with MS over a decade ago, I had to make a decision.  Was the God I had served for almost every day of my life still good and faithful regardless of my circumstance?  Had God changed?  Since God's character is unchangeable then I had to conclude that only my circumstance had changed.  My decision had to be, despite my diagnosis, God would remain good and faithful in my trial.  Since my diagnosis happened the day before Thanksgiving, I was confronted with the realization that I had to choose to thank my God for His blessings despite my circumstances.  The alternative was to allow anger to negate my thankfulness for all He had done for me; if I could not thank Him in my trial then all the years I had given Him praise would become empty rhetoric. 

When you choose thankfulness through your trials, the rewards will surprise you.  Thankfulness will bring you peace.  Thankfulness will allow your mind to be set on the things of God and less on the things of earth.  I believe Paul, the author of both scriptures, had found the secret of contentment and that secret was thankfulness. 

52 Weeks of Gratitude Week 5

We are at Week 5 in our 52 Weeks of Gratitude with Inspired Stamps!  I hope you are enjoying the journey.  I have no idea what today's card design is called but I found it on the Cricut CTMH Artiste cartridge and fell in love!  The outside is a sleeve with a cut out that fit the scripture perfectly.  I stamped the Scripture Stamp Ephesians 5:20 carefully on the inside so it would show through the window.

This scripture has become very dear to me in the last decade.  Please check out the Inspired Stamps blog for the other beautiful creations using this stamp.  Join me tomorrow for a short devotional using this scripture.