Be a Blessing...

My verse to focus on for May:

Summing up:

Be agreeable,

be sympathetic,

be loving,

be compassionate,

be humble.

That goes for all of you, no exceptions.

No retaliation.

No sharp-tongued sarcasm.

Instead, bless—

that's your job, to bless.

You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

1 Peter 3:8-12 (The Message Bible)

***

What if we woke up each morning reminding ourselves

that "our job is to BLESS - to be a blessing"!

How would that play out with the co-worker that drives you nuts, the kids that are crying and throwing a tantrum, the clerk who acts like she has all day and the person in line before you who is just plain irritating?

If our first thoughts and words of the morning were, "I need to be a blessing, how can I be a blessing to those I come in contact with, that just might make a profound difference in our day, a profound difference in how we look at others".

I think that I always try to be nice to those around me but I know when I read this passage this week, I have been finding myself walking around with a different outlook, looking around me and wondering how can I be a blessing to others. Those closest to me and those who would least expect that from me.

The JOY of Easter

Today, the first day of April, I wanted to share my verse to focus on for April. (you might remember my goal for the year 2010 was to find one verse a month to dwell on)

As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins,

and that was it!

Then he sat down right beside God

and waited for his enemies to cave in.

It was a perfect sacrifice

by a perfect person

to perfect some very imperfect people.

Hebrews 10: 12-13 The Message Bible

Not only are these great words and thoughts to dwell on but they really fit with Easter right around the corner. For the Christian church, Easter is a very special day for a couple reasons. One, our Redeemer lives - Two, He paid the ultimate price so we could seek forgiveness for our sins. For me, this is the HOPE that I live for.

I fit into that thought of "some very imperfect people" and I will forever be grateful for the sacrifice He made.

***

Gotta share another photo too. This is our kitty cat, she has gotten so big. We are all playing in the backyard and she just loves to be around us.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Spring-like color challenge and March verse

I had to play along with this color challenge at Embellish Magazine not just because I love a challenge but also because the inspiration image they used is irresistable!

This challenge is sponsored by Verve Stamps. I love their stamps but I don't have very many of them. Don't you want that cute hat and that amazing looking cake?

Here is my card using those colors:
Sometimes I have to laugh at how a card ends up going together. This was started because this big bee stamp and the library card stamp have been sitting on my stamping desk for sometime and all of a sudden I just had to use them. I stamped them both, the bee on white cardstock and the library card on a piece of yellow patterned paper by My Mind's Eye. From there a card grew!
For some reason, I could see the card base in a scallop circle shape and so here it is. The patterned paper circle and the solid yellow cardstock circle were cut with my Coluzzle circle template. From there, I folded a 6" x 12" piece of peach colored cardstock in half and then cut around my cut circles with some large scallop scissors that I have had for awhile, leaving the folded edge intact.

To keep with the color scheme in the challenge, I picked up one of my brand new purchases, this patterned paper by We R Memory Keepers. The prints had the exact colors in them that I wanted to use. After I stamped the library card stamp, I cut around it and punched one side with a Stampin' Up border punch. The bee is colored with Copic markers and then parts of it are accented with Aleene's Paper Glaze for an epoxy look.
***
It is the first of another month and so I wanted to find the verse that I wanted to focus on for March. Interesting enough it is another verse about the importance of LOVE.

*****

So, chosen by God for this new life of love,

dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you:

compassion, kindness, humility,

quiet strength, discipline.

Be even-tempered, content with second place,

quick to forgive an offense.

Forgive as quickly and completely as the

Master forgave you.

And regardless of what else you put on,

wear love.

It's your basic, all-purpose garment.

Never be without it.

Colossians 12-14 (The Message Bible)

How nice is it that Someone else picked out a wardrobe for me. Sounds like a dream come true, you know, like entering a contest and I am the winner. And here it is that this is the one wardrobe that is really the most important in life. But, do I really put on these things each day? I can so see where I need to memorize these verses to remind me of what is important.

I love that last part the most, "regardless of what else you put on, WEAR LOVE. It's your basic, all-purpose garment." Do you know how easy it is for us to think that there are other things in life that are important and it all boils down to WEARING LOVE!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

IT’S YOUR DAY! CELEBRATE card
Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations

Curious Iridescent Cryogen White/CutCardStock.com

Patterned paper – We R Memory Keepers

Rubber stamps – Bee/Stamp Camp, Library card/Unknown

Sticker letters – Sticko

Circle template – Coluzzle

Large scallop scissors

Black Versafine stamp pad

Clear embossing powder

Rub-on word – Making Memories

Copic markers

Border punch – Stampin’ Up

Sandpaper

3D Foam squares – Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®

It is about LOVE

At the first of 2010, I mentioned I really didn't have any resolutions except to pick out one verse from the Bible each month to think on. You can have a verse a day or a special verse for the year, but I thought using an entire month to think on a verse would be a good thing and at the end of the year I would of course have 12 verses that were more special then before. I really like reading the Message Bible, so my verses are from that.

Here is my verse for February and fitting to that month, it has to do with LOVE. It just so happens that I am reading Corinthians right now.

But for right now...

we have three things to do...

Trust steadily in God,

hope unswervingly,

love extravagantly.

And the best of the three is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (Message Bible)

I have read the verses about what love is and what love isn't for many years but what got me in reading this this time through was that word "extravagantly". Isn't that pictureque? I LOVE a whole lot of people in my life and I try to show love to people I come in contact with because they are very special to God, but somehow doing it "extravagantly" look on a whole new meaning. That is like "chocolate covered with whipped cream" or something like that.

I also believe that these three things are possible when they are done together. I can't love on my own, I need to be steadily trusting God and I need to hope unswervingly. Then I have a strength that is not my own to love extravagantly.

***

And here is a card to share. It was published awhile back in a Paper Crafts Magazine publication.

The invoice stamp is by Art Declassified. That is like one of those stamps you could use on about everything. The Flourish, heart and wings are by Crafty Secrets.

The flourish is accented with Tulip Glitter 3-D Fashion paint. I use that for added glitter because it adds some bling while still letting the underneath design show through plus I don't have glitter that is falling off. The wings are also coated that way and the heart has a coat of Aleene's Paper Glaze for a great, epoxy look.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)