Showing posts with label Faith Based Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith Based Friday. Show all posts

Friday, October 24, 2014

Faith Based Friday ~ Prayer Journal

Hello friends!

Today is a very special Faith Based Friday because I'm featuring one of my very favorite classes I have ever offered.  My stamping business has always been more of a ministry than a business to me.  It's been about developing friendships and giving women a creative outlet to escape the stresses of every day life and, when ever I can, ministering to their spiritual needs.  Before I go to far in to this post, I am going to say that some of the stamps we used for this project are NOT Stampin' Up! stamps and many of my fellow demonstrators would point out that it's not good "business" to use non-Stampin' Up! stamps at one of my classes and normally I would agree.  But this class really isn't a "business" venture for me ... it's part of that "ministry" where I just want women to be blessed by the work that they are doing.  So for this class, I wanted to use a variety of Christian stamps and, unfortunately, Stampin' Up! just doesn't have as many Christian stamps as I would like ... I have ALL of their Christian stamps, but I don't think you can ever have too many and so I do own some non-Stampin' Up! Christian stamps.

So anyway ... on with my post.  This journal was inspired by my upline, Ronda Wade.  She recently did a gratitude journal class and I took the long-distance version of that class.  I always love Ronda's faith-based projects and this was no exception.  I advertised this class as a Gratitude Journal class, but as you will see, it evolved in to several different type of journal options as I was planning it out.  Part of that evolution happened when my demonstrator friend, Ruth, shared THIS BLOG POST with me and I loved the title of the journal ... Peaks, Pits, Praises and Prayers.  I also loved the concept behind blogging in that way .... each day you write about:

  • Peaks ~  What was the highlight or best part of the day.
  • Pits ~ What was a challenge or low point of the day, but instead of just complaining about it, write about how it may have been a blessing.
  • Praises ~ What do you want to Praise God for that happened today.
  • Prayers ~ What prayer needs came out of the day
It's such a SIMPLE way of journaling that I've started using it and I just LOVE it.  But I wanted to offer my customers some options on the title of their journal, so as you will see, there were a few versions that came out of the class.  The following photos show you the covers of the journals and then just a little bit of the stamping that we did inside.  (Most of our time was spent stamping the inside of the journal.)



 
 





 
 
Don't you just love this journal?  It would make a BEAUTIFUL Christmas Gift!  I'm offering private classes on select dates through November and December to make this journal.  The cost is $20 per person and it includes everything you need to make the journal as well as two Project Life journaling pens that work beautifully for journaling.  That's an excellent deal on a beautiful and very special Christmas gift.  If you are interested in hosting a private class, please email me ASAP to secure a date at madrid_kk@yahoo.com 


Until next time, friends ... here's wishing you many creative adventures and a very blessed day!

Kim


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Friday, October 17, 2014

Faith Based Friday

 
Hello friends ... and happy Friday!
 
Isn't the scripture above about blessings a beautiful one?  And it's so true ... God continues to pour out one blessing after another on us every single day.  I was thinking that Faith Based Friday is a great day to take a little time and think about our blessings and to stop and take some time to thank God for them. 
 
When I think about the PEOPLE God has placed in my life to be a blessing, there are MANY.  I wanted to make a card for a certain person (can't say who yet because I'm barely mailing the card today).  The card is a simple one, but it get's the message across beautifully, I think:
 


Take some time to consider YOUR blessings today and to give God thanks!

Until next time, my friends, here's wishing you many creative adventures and a very blessed day!

Kim

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, October 10, 2014

Faith Based Friday

Hello friends ... and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today is Faith Based Friday on my blog.  I love the stamp set I used on this card because it actually quotes scripture.  (I really, really wish Stampin' Up! carried more faith-based stamps ... I just love them!)

 
This is a fairly basic card ... although, I did use a kind of fun technique.  The cross is embossed with Tempting Turquoise embossing powder on Whisper White Card Stock.  Then I stamped the sentiment with Staz-On ink on vellum and laid it over the top.  I didn't need any adhesive (which you have to worry about hiding with vellum) because I used my tag topper punch and just tied to two pieces together with ribbon.  I love the way it looks in person with the cross kind of "glowing" through the vellum.  I added a couple rhinestones on the vellum that I colored with my Blendabilites Marker and a few more on the card base itself and voila ... a simple but beautiful card to share with a friend.
 
My supplies are listed below.  If you would like to purchase any of the items, all you need to do is click on the image of the product and it will take you to my on-line store.
 
Until next time, my friends, here's wishing you many creative adventures and a very blessed day!
 
Kim 
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, September 5, 2014

Faith Based Friday ~ Scripture Keeper

Hello friends,

When I started my Faith Based Friday posts, I pointed out that I am no where near being a theologian and that any thoughts I shared about faith are from my heart.  Keeping that in mind with today's post, I wanted to share a little about memorizing scripture. 

I grew up attending lots of different churches ... mostly Baptist and Methodist.  In my adulthood, I settled in to the Catholic faith.  Many people would debate my next point, but coming from someone who has practiced my faith in a variety of churches, the common tie between all these denominations is that we all love God and are just trying to serve Him as best we know how.  That being said, the WAY we go about serving Him and worshipping Him has differences ... some minor and some fairly major.  Without getting in to a debate over "who loves God the RIGHT WAY" (which, of course, there is no "right" way) one thing that is less emphasized in the Catholic church compared to the Baptist and Methodist churches I attended as a child is memorizing scripture.  Contrary to what many non-catholics believe, we actually DO read our Bibles (and have THREE readings from the Bible at every Mass) but we don't really focus on "memorizing" scripture. 

I enjoy memorizing scripture and I think it's good to do.  Here are some Bible verses that I think encourage me to memorize scripture:

Psalm 119:11 ~ I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

2 Timothy 3:16 ~ All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

Colossians 3:16 ~ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.


There are lots more verses that I believe support memorizing scripture, but you get my point.  Anyway, today I want to share with you a scripture keeper that my up-line, Ronda Wade designed.  I took the class when she offered it and have been using my scripture keeper for some time now and I really enjoy it and find that it helps me to memorize Christ's word and follow Him more closely.  I keep mine at work and often refer to it and add scripture to it during my lunch hour.

Here's the cover:


The cover and back are made of chipboard.  Everything is fairly flat and I like that because it doesn't get bumped and  don't have to worry about cute embellishments falling off.  I need this scripture keeper to be "user friendly" and it is.

We decorated some of the inside pages and left some without decorations.  Here's a brief peek inside mine:




I hope you have enjoyed today's post and I hope you'll stop back by next week.  Until then, here's wishing you many creative adventures and a very Blessed day!

Kim
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, August 29, 2014

Faith Based Friday



Hello, friends!

I thought this scripture from Lamentations was a great way to start today's Faith Based Friday post.  Lately I've had a lot of opportunities to see God's un-ending love for me and others.  It's comforting to meditate on this scripture ... "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases" ... He will love us no matter what.  He won't love us more because of our good deeds and He won't love us less when we fall short.  His love is steadfast ... "resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering".  Praise God!

I made today's card to send to my up-line, Ronda Wade, after her recent medical emergency with her daughter.  (I'm hoping she has received it before this post goes live.)  Ronda experienced a great deal of love from people as she supported her daughter and she absolutely enjoyed God's steadfast love as she never even had fear.  She knew He was there and that His will was best, no matter what! 

 
In keeping with this week's "Project Life" theme, the rich razzleberry polka dot background is one of my project life cards.  Other than that, this was a quick and easy card to put together. 
 
Thank you for stopping by today.  Have a safe weekend and until next time, here's wishing you many creative adventures and a very Blessed day!
 
Kim



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, August 22, 2014

Faith Based Friday

Hello friends!

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you probably know that Faith Based Friday is my favorite day on my blog!  I look forward to it all week!  And so Thursday night (as I type this), I have absolutely nothing stamped that goes along with "Faith Based Friday" and so I thought about just not doing a Faith Based Friday post this week, but then I decided I would share a little bit with you of how I saw God this week and how my faith was strengthened through a terrifying experience of a friend.

My up-line, Ronda, who has a heart for Jesus like few I've ever seen before had a very scary situation this week that involved her young daughter being hospitalized with an aggressive bacteria that was attacking her skull and brain.  When I got the prayer request, I was immediately TERRIFIED for Ronda and her sweet girl and I prayed so hard so many times during the day for them.  I was distracted most of the day by thoughts of Ronda and Erica and was anxious to hear that everything was okay ... but all along, I was so scared for her.

Long story short, GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS and Erica came through surgery well and they believe they got all the bacteria and that it did NOT penetrate her brain which is just amazing!  I KNOW without a doubt that there were literally hundreds (if not thousands) of people praying for that little girl and I know without a doubt that God was in complete control the entire time. 

I mentioned that I saw God in this situation and, of course, I saw God in answering the prayers and bringing this little girl through this ordeal with a very positive prognosis.  But the biggest way I saw God was in Ronda's reaction.  I knew Ronda was a prayerful and faith-filled woman, but honestly, in that situation, with your child being threatened by a scary bacteria, who WOULDN'T be terrified and worry and cry and beg God to help their baby!  I know I would.  But in one of Ronda's messages to me, she said "I did not feel one ounce of fear or worry...almost supernaturally. I had so much faith and trust because I knew there were thousands of prayers going out for her. God was listening and I knew whatever happened it was the best."  WOW!!  Ronda's faith is just OVER-FLOWING!  I read that message and I thought "man, I want to have THAT MUCH faith in God" ... it made me realize that my faith is still probably in its infancy in comparison.  But I grew just in that moment in my faith.  Ronda, in one of her biggest challenges in life, unknowingly handed out a little lesson in faith.  I was reminded just how BIG our God is!  Obviously, I really can't even find the right words to express the impact Ronda's faith had on me, but I am definitely changed by hearing even her very brief testimony about her sweet girl.

I saw this picture on Pinterest and I thought it applied beautifully to this story:




There's no question Ronda's faith was so much bigger than her fear!  I am praising God for the answered prayers in her family and for all the blessings in my life.  God is good ... all the time!

Until next time my friends, here's wishing you many creative adventures and a very Blessed day!

Kim
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, August 15, 2014

Faith Based Friday ~ Blendabilites Day 5

Hello again, friends .... and HAPPY FRIDAY!

For those of you who visit my blog regularly, you know that Friday's are "Faith Based Friday" on my blog.  My faith is the driving force in my life and in my Stampin' Up! business and so it feels natural to dedicate a day to some sort of Faith-Based project.

Today's project is not "obviously" a faith based project (There's no "God bless" on there.) but sometimes we practice our faith just by loving others and, in my humble opinion, sending someone a hand-stamped card is a beautiful way to show our love.  When I was looking for inspiration for today's post, I ran across this picture:

 
 
I love polar bears!  They are my absolute favorite exhibit at the zoo ... so graceful for such big animals.  Anyway ... that cute picture inspired me to create a snow themed card that could be mailed to someone just to say "I'm thinking of you" or, better yet, "I'm praying for you":
 
 


If you've been following our blog hop this week, you know my friend, Ruth and I have been featuring the Blendabilities markers.  On this card, I used my Blendabilities markers to color the designer paper.  (It is originally white with silver snow flakes on it)  I'm afraid my picture is not the best picture because even though I colored over the entire image, the snow flakes are still very metallic and shiny.  It's a beautiful card in person. 

Don't forget to visit Ruth's page today for our last day of our blog hop.  You can find Ruth's blog by CLICKING HERE.

If you haven't done so already, I would love it if you subscribed to my blog through email.  You can do that on the left-hand side of my blog just below my picture.  All you need to do is type in your email address and my blog posts will automatically go to your email for you to read at your leisure.  (Please check your spam folder the first day or two ... you may have to add me to your approved list.  I subscribed myself to test this feature and my blog went to my spam.)   :(  

Until next week, my friends, here's wishing you many creative adventures and a VERY Blessed day!

Kim
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, July 18, 2014

Faith Based Friday

Matthew 6:3-4   "but when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

I think this is probably a scripture that most of us are familiar with.  And I think that in large part, the scripture is probably referring to giving monetarily to the poor when you are able, but for today's Faith Based Friday post, I thought maybe we'd look at this scripture in another way.  God expects us to help the poor monetarily, if we can, but what if you can't afford to give money?  Or what if you are already giving money and you want to help in some other way?  Or, what if it's not MONEY that someone needs?  What if their "need" is love or support or encouragement?  I think God also expects us to share our time and our talent with others ... and really this can be a way of "giving" as well.

Before I expand on that, this here is the card that I prepared for today's Faith Based Friday post:


I love that sentiment from the "Trust God" stamp set.  So I was thinking about giving and I decided to issue a challenge.  I am challenging everyone who reads this post to do one Random Act of Kindness for someone else this week.  It doesn't have to cost anything ... it could be something as simple as calling someone to let them know you are thinking about them and praying for them.  Wouldn't our world be a better place if EVERYONE was more consistent in doing things like that?

Well ... that's it for today.  As always, I thank you for stopping in and checking out my projects and reading some of my thoughts.  I hope my Faith Based Fridays posts bless you in some way.

Until next time ... Wishing you many creative adventures and a very Blessed day!

Kim


Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, July 11, 2014

Faith-Based Friday

Hello again, friends!

I'm so excited you stopped by my blog today because this week I am beginning what I hope will be a weekly post ... Faith-Based Friday. 

My faith is a major part of my life and I try (although sometimes I know I fall short) to always put God first in my life and to seek His will when making decisions.  Stampin' Up! has also become a major part of my life and so I figured "why not combine them"!  I love sending people cards and I love glorifying God ... and I love that I can do both at the same time!

Each week for my Faith-Based Friday post, I plan to share a scripture or some sort of faith-based reading that I'm doing with you and then whatever project I have to share that week.   The week the scripture verse I would like to share is from Psalms 139: 1-4:

"You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely."

WOW!  What a beautiful verse to contemplate!  I am in no way a theologian or philosopher, so my "interpretations" and thoughts on these verses are purely my own and what's on my heart.  But, as I read that I was thinking a few things:  First of all, how comforting is it to know that God knows us and loves us so intimately as to know our thoughts before we even speak them?  I know that I believe in the power of prayer and I find great comfort in prayer, but sometimes I just can't find the words.   It's comforting to me to know that I don't have to find the words.  God already knows what's on my heart and on my mind and He will hear me without the words.  Of course, it also reminded me that I should be careful to guard my thoughts as well ... if God knows what I'm thinking even before I speak it, then he hears the ugly things I think but may not speak. 

For today's faith-based project, I am sharing a card that I think kind of illustrates that scripture:

 
I love this sentiment on this card "Heaven knows you're special.  I know it too."  Heaven (God) really DOES know you are special!  So many verses in the Bible tell us just how much He loves us! 
 
I apologize for using a sentiment that is retired.  = (     I really will try not to do that.  I have started clearing out my retired sets for a big sale I will be having soon, but I never get rid of any of my Christian stamp sets because I use them A LOT and there just aren't as many of them that are current in the catalog as I would like.  Otherwise, everything else on this card is current and can be purchased from my online store.  I have listed the supplies below:
 
Kim
 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)