Showing posts with label jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus. Show all posts

Sunday Scripture - Joshua 1:9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Jesus and Lamb Portrait by CactusboyArt
Have a wonderful Sunday!
By Jennifer of ElegantQuirk
8:00 AM | Category: , , , , , , , | 6 comments

Friday Finds -Jesus is The Reason For the Season
Brought to you by Julie of Collar Topia and Sew Twisted in Stitches

SpreadTheWord411
ChristianJewelry4U
Buttonwilloe
ASliceofRhubarbPie
TotallyCrosses
AdaJane
AndersonsCreations
abidingwordcreations
7:00 AM | Category: , , , | 6 comments

A Time of Thoughtfulness
Wall Art by PlumPixel

In the United  States we have just completed celebrating Thanksgiving... and have been trudging through Black Friday (the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season) and Cyber Monday.  Our society puts huge focus on shopping aspect of Christmas and we all want to get the best bargain we can. In order to do that, people stand in line for hours. In recent years the stores which are competing for the most money and the first customers have started having  Black Friday on Thanksgiving evening. And there have been incidents of physical violence to get those deals.

I do try to take advantage of the sales but I found most can be gotten online with free shipping.  Much easier to handle!  Though I have to say it still took me hours to find what I wanted and check out because my ordered disappeared at least twice!
Card from Ambrosium

Another major event starts right after our Thanksgiving is Advent. Though I come from a religious background that celebrates Advent, I personally have not given it much thought. Today in pondering what to write about, my thoughtlessness of Advent weighed on me.

If I am to do, whether in word or deed, everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, I should be focusing on Him daily not just in Advent.  Do I strive for that on a regular basis? Yes.  Do I achieve it? No. 

Scripture Art by KWhiteselCreations
During these next 4+ weeks I plan to commit to be thoughtful of God's incredible gift of eternal life through Jesus. During this time I put extra work into decorating my house for Christmas. I put extra care into getting the right gifts at the best prices.  Considering all that I do for the "event" of Christmas,  I want to challenge myself to put extra time into my daily Bible reading and into prayer...to challenge myself to not fret about the holiday and its trimmings but to be thoughtful to putting extra care into the heart of our Christmas blessing in Christ.

I know our CAST Team prayer list is full of many great needs but during this season my heartfelt prayer for each of you (and myself) is that the peace of God would rule your heart and that which Paul stated in Colossians 3:17:

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


God bless,
Phyllis

pfdoriginalartworks



1:14 AM | Category: , , , , , , , , , | 7 comments

Good Friday Finds
Submitted by Julie of Collar Topia and Sew Twisted In Stitches

Isaiah 53 (CE Version)
3 He was hated and rejected;
his life was filled with sorrow
and terrible suffering.
No one wanted to look at him.
We despised him and said,
“He is a nobody!”
Kelly Bermudez Art and Visual Devotions

4 He suffered and endured
great pain for us,
but we thought his suffering
was punishment from God.
5  He was wounded and crushed
because of our sins;
by taking our punishment,
he made us completely well.



The Art Part of Me
6  All of us were like sheep
that had wandered off.
We had each gone our own way,
but the [Lord] gave him
the punishment we deserved.
SYoderCrafts
7   He was painfully abused,
but he did not complain.
He was silent like a lamb
being led to the butcher,
as quiet as a sheep
having its wool cut off.
Photo Greetings
8 He was condemned to death
without a fair trial.
Who could have imagined
what would happen to him?
His life was taken away
because of the sinful things
my people had done.
Totally Crosses
9  He wasn't dishonest or violent,
but he was buried in a tomb
among cruel, rich people.t
10 The [Lord] decided his servant
would suffer as a sacrifice
to take away the sin
and guilt of others.
Now the servant will live
to see his own descendants.t
He did everything
the [Lord] had planned.
Shirin Mackeson

11 By suffering, the servant
will learn the true meaning
of obeying the [Lord].
Although he is innocent,
he will take the punishment
for the sins of others,
so that many of them
will no longer be guilty.







The Country Sign Shop
12  The [Lord] will reward him
with honor and power
for sacrificing his life.
Others thought he was a sinner,
but he suffered for our sins
and asked God to forgive us.
Camp Faith



6:00 AM | Category: , , , , , , , | 5 comments

Grace




GRACE

Luke 23:41 "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."42 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" 43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

Grace, I’ve heard it defined “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense” but I think there is so much more to it. It is a sovereign God hanging on a cross in pain and torture and torment extending forgiveness to the criminal beside him who has nothing at all to offer in exchange, he is about to die, he can’t even tell one person about God’s grace and yet it is extended to him anyways. In reality, it is the same with us. Ephesians 2: 1 “ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, “ . We are not promised another day or even another hour and yet at any time in this life that we call out to Jesus from our state of being spiritually dead and say “Forgive me” He does so even in spite of all our future failures that He can see down through the ages. His graces picks us up when we stumble and when we repent it dusts us off and restores us to that right relationship with Him.

Shouldn’t we also extend mercy and grace to those around us, and even more important, shouldn’t we proclaim God’s grace and mercy with every fiber of our being, in word and deed and thought? I would say that in light of the fact that Christ willingly chose to endure the cross for our sake and even asked the Father to forgive those who tortured Him, that grace is born out of great love that is lavished upon those who are so undeserving, and that is each and every one of us. It has been poured out on us freely, richly, extravagantly.

Matthew 10:6a “Freely you received, freely give.” What have you done with God’s grace?

by Cherry's Creations


9:27 AM | Category: , , , , | 5 comments
Christ Our Shepherd



Everything Jesus did while He walked on the face of this earth in human flesh, He did out of great love for us and as an example of how He wants us to love others. He came as our shepherd, putting himself between us and the perils of Satan and sin. He left us the Holy Spirit and the inspired word of God as the Bible that we would know His voice and heed it.


http://www.etsy.com/listing/62503585/psalm-23-sheep-good-shepherd-baby

There was a purpose for every word Jesus spoke, every place He traveled to, every miracle He performed, every one of the 40 days and nights of temptation in the wilderness and every moment of pain He endured upon the cross. That purpose was to reconcile the lost with the Father who loves us beyond comprehension. And so also there is a purpose for every trial and every blessing in our lives, every triumph and defeat. God wants to work in each of those things so that His glory will be made manifest to those around us and that they too will be reconciled with Him. In order for that to happen we must become ever more Christ like, willing to endure those trials for His name sake, willing to share His victories in our lives with others, willing to empathize and minister to those whom God places in our lives and our paths daily.


http://www.etsy.com/listing/43579894/needlefelted-lamb-magnet

1 Peter 5:2-4 puts it this way “Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”


http://www.etsy.com/listing/30396698/god-an-archival-print

Who is the flock under your care? Your own children and their friends, your spouse, your friends, your coworkers, your brothers , sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, the clerk at the grocery store, the teller at the bank, the person who cuts your hair, your doctor, very simply put: whomever you might cross paths with today.

by Cherry's Creations

3:00 AM | Category: , , , , , , , , , | 5 comments

Sunday Scripture - 1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:57


Seven years ago this month my grandfather passed away.  He had lived a long and full life.. always at his best when surrounded by family and friends.  He had a love of life and a joy that I've not seen in many people.  I don't think I ever saw him without a smile on his face.  For that matter, I never even called my grandparents house that he didn't answer the phone and his smile could be heard in his voice.

I remember well the weekend he passed away.  We all knew the time was close.  He had been diagnosed with cancer several years prior and the last couple of months had really taken a toll on his body. 

The call came on a weekend and we quickly began making plans to make the out-of-state drive for the services.  My husband had just taken a new job and was leaving on Monday for a two week training -- also out of state.  My 2 1/2 year old son and I would make the journey ourselves.

It is about a 6 hour drive to where my grandparents lived.  About an hour out, I began to get restless.  I was about 3 months pregnant with our daughter and was beginning to grow weary.  I wanted to get out and walk around, but was determined we would just keep pressing on.  Additionally, about 5 hours of music from "The Wiggles" and various Disney videos coming from the backseat was beginning to wear a little thin on my ears (but, so thankful they were keeping my son occupied!).

In an effort to keep myself going and bring a little something more to the musical selections available in the car, I began to sing hymns.  After singing thru a couple, I began singing 'Victory in Jesus'.  As I reached the closing phrases of the last verse, the tears began to flow... "And some sweet day I'll sing up there my song of victory!"

I'm sure they came at this time for several reasons.... with all the rush to get on the road quickly I hadn't taken any time to really process that Grandpa was no longer here on earth with us, being tired my emotions were probably wearing more than a little thin, and so on.  However, I think what brought the tears the most was the picture I had in my mind of Grandpa standing before Jesus singing that song of victory!

Each day of his life, Grandpa had shared the victory he had found thru a life of living for God.  He shared it with family and friends and anyone else whose path he crossed while on this earth.

That moment in the car brought home to me what a precious gift we are given.  A gift that brings us victory... here on earth and in our eternal home in heaven.


Happy Sunday!


Melanie/Beads-N-Style

12:15 AM | Category: , , | 10 comments

A World of Sparkle
by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5


One of my delights in living in Minnesota is the beauty of the snow. Now don't get me wrong, I do not like shoveling (my husband is kind enough to handle that), I do not like skiing, I do not like building snowmen ... there is little if anything I like to do outside when the weather is cold enough for snow. But I love the snow here! It sparkles all the time, day or night! In Illinois it only occasionally sparkled if it was very fresh.

My understanding is the reason it sparkles is that it is so cold up here that each tiny miniature snowflake is crystallized and becomes a mirror to reflect the light. To be able to see the sparkle, it depends on the reflection of the light, the position of the snowflake (mirror) and the angle we are viewing it from. All has to be just right. What amazes me is how it continues to sparkles even at night!

God's creation is awesome. Not unlike sand on the shores of the oceans, the quantity of snowflakes in a snowfall is unmeasurable. God makes each one different... how amazing is that? Millions upon millions of snowflakes here for a short transient period of time and yet each is uniquely capable of reflecting the light if given the right angle and conditions.

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. Luke 11:33,34

Each of us is created uniquely and amazingly different. If God was willing to make each snowflake different, think of how much more He must have created people to be since He so valued us that He gave His Son to die for each of one of us. Once we have accepted His love, forgiveness for our sins and His gift of eternal life we become like those snowflakes. We absorb His light, it becomes a part of us as we grow in our relationship with Him.

When we choose to draw closer to Him (actually living our lives for Him) we reflect His light because the light in our eyes is His light being reflected like the tiny mirrors of the snowflakes.

So next time you see a beautiful snowfall glistening in your yard or across a field think of how beautiful us Christians must look to God from heaven's view as we sparkle from His light being reflected to others! And wouldn't it be so awesome to have a world where everyone sparkled?
(Kind of gives you goose bumps thinking about it, doesn't it?)

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matt 5:14

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Please take a few minutes to check out these great shops! Several are fairly new to our team and could use some love... give them your hearts!!



The beautiful photo of the snow branches (above) is from artbylisak





Hairpins by jenlucasdesigns
















Necklace by JKistlerStudios















Earrings by FoxyMomma
12:01 AM | Category: , , , , , | 10 comments

Sunday Bible Verse: May 23, 2010

Psalm 143:8 (NLT)

"Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you."

I read this recently on Facebook and it hit some kind of chord within my soul. I ended up using a picture that I love and adding the verse to it, and printing it out. (That picture is here on the post at the top now). I'm putting it on my vanity table to see it each morning and say it to the Lord. It sounds like a wonderful prayer to start each day with. I want to hear His voice and walk where He wants me to walk. I long to live my life in a way that He wants me to live.

Dear Lord, help us to live each day with You in mind. Remind us that you are always with us, whispering in our ears to tell us what You want us to do. I realize that what you want is fellowship with us. Not always a "gimme" prayer about what we want or need even; just to say "hello God" and thank You for the blessings in our lives. Shower us with Your love on a daily basis. We are open to Your love and Your voice in our ears. In the name of your wonderful Son, Jesus. Amen.

Thanks to Ingrid at IngridsCreations for posting the verse on Facebook!


12:01 AM | Category: , , , , , , | 6 comments

THE MAYONAISE JAR............


The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough;
remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again
if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand
and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full... The students responded
With an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions
Things that if everything else was lost
and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --
The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are
important to you..

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time
to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand
and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

NEED I SAY MORE???

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Sing and laugh today-it's good for your heart!


XOXOXO, HANK AND DAFF
8:00 AM | Category: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 comments