Anything Goes - Challenge Weeks #304-305

Welcome back, everyone!  It's time for our first challenge of October, and we have a sweet and talented new Guest Designer this month, Maxine Diffey.  Maxine is quite a blessing to Word Art Wednesday, and has been playing along with us for many years.  Maxine is also a blessing and encouragement to the Christian crafting community.  Whether you know Maxine already or not, I'm certain that she'd love to have you stop by her blog to say hello, and get to know her a little better.  Here's a little about her:

Hi, I am Maxine D from New Zealand - I have been crafting for most of my life.  I can remember starting with embroidering 'pictures' on my doll's blanket with wool and a darning needle whilst my mother sat and did needlework.  I think that was when I was about six years old! That was the start, and I have dabbled in many crafts since then, and still do to a lesser extent since being seduced by card-making some 15 or more years ago.

I have followed Jesus for over 47 years, and this year my faith has been really tested with the illness and death of my husband. I can say, without a doubt, that Jesus has been my strength and my portion through this time.

Blessings,

Maxine

Our word art for this challenge is from a verse found in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 which says, "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father".  That's a mouthful!  Let's look at it more closely.  The first item of note is that the "eternal trinity of virtues" appears in this verse (faith, hope and love).  Second, note that the word "patience" in this verse (as translated) refers to endurance or perseverance.  It's telling us that our hope, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ, is to be "patient" so that it endures (lasts and overpowers) any fear or doubt that might enter in.  The third item of note is that the way in which this sentence was grammatically written, when translated, makes Jesus the noun in this verse.  That means that He is the object of our faith, hope and love - the promises are not.  The person of Christ is our faith, hope and love.  Our words, our faith and our trust are all in the person of Jesus Christ.  Our love is because of Him and toward Him, and we patiently persevere in hope toward Him.  This "eternal trinity of virtues" (faith, hope and love) exist in us and bless us because of Him (the object of our hope and praise).  Our Christian relationship is with a PERSON (a "Being"); not with the Bible, not with church or its people, rituals, not with the idea of Christianity.  Our faith is in a real being.....(God who came to earth in human flesh - Jesus Christ). Our FAITH is in Him for what He IS DOING, our HOPE is in what He HAS DONE for us on the cross; and our LOVE for Him is because of what He WILL DO for us in the future (provide us with eternal life with Him in the glory of Heaven and in His immediate presence) forever.  We are SO blessed to have God's precious words to comfort us and guide us in our lives; but never forget that your relationship is with the person of God. He wants us to know Him as well as He knows us.  #makeitpersonalwithJesus 

As always, you are welcome to save the free scripture/word art file to your computer, but are never required to use it in order to play along in our challenges.   We welcome you share your all your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly, and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards).  You may link up to five (5) projects each week. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning.  It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules".  Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to our guidelines.  Please know that this doesn't mean we are judging anyone.  We're simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules.  Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation!

Here is this week's word art.  We hope
that it will be a blessing to you.

Here's our AWESOME SPONSOR for This Challenge:

Simon Says Stamp is  your one-stop place for ALL
the latest and greatest scrapbook and card-making
supplies.  They have everything you could ever want
for scrapbooking, card-making, and SO much more.
One very lucky person will win a generous $25 Gift
Certificate to spend at this WONDERFUL store.

One VERY lucky randomly-selected person will win
 a $25 Gift Certificate from our friends, and
primary sponsor this year, Simon Says Stamp.

One lucky person will get to spend $25 at

Simon Says Stamp HOWEVER they choose!

AND NOW......Our TWO VERY Lucky Winners:

Stix 2 Anything is a FABULOUS shop!
They carry adhesives, glues, papers,
and SO many cool crafting items.  They
have prepared an AWESOME gift pack
of adhesives for our lucky winner!
It's Entry #56 - Maxine Diffey

AND

Gracielle Design is a LOVELY shop carrying

the sweetest digital images.  They can be used

to create scrapbook layouts, cards and SO much

more.  Gracie's images emboss so nicely.  Take a

peek at Gracielle Design here.  The winner of

some sweet new Gracielle Design images of

choice goes to.......
Lucky Entry #77 - Lisa D.

And Our Top 3 Honors Go To:
Entry #94 - Rosette

Entry #156 - Jana K.
Entry #198 - Sanja

Please email Karen if you'd like a
Top 3 Badge for your blog.  All winners
must also email us per the Rules Page.

May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.

We appreciate them all SO very much!

AND NOW.....Here's some inspiration to get you started:

Maxine Diffey, Our October Guest Designer

Natalie Houston

JoAnn Atterbury

Ginny Maxam

Misty Delgado

Stephanie Wright

Using Sponsor Product, Fine Detail Embossing

Powder from Simon Says Stamp

Karen Letchworth

An InLinkz Link-up

Challenge Weeks #302-303 - Anything Goes

Welcome back this week!  We're all set for another fabulous challenge, and we're very grateful to have YOU join us.  We have a lucky winner to announce, two awesome sponsors for this challenge, a lovely scripture file, and lots of fun to be had.  So, let's get started!

Our word art/scripture for this challenge is 1 Timothy 4:12 and it says, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  When Timothy began his ministry, he was considered to be "young" (or at least younger than the elders of that time who commanded respect because of their age).  So what he was trying to teach us is that we should never allow our youth (or age, or anything else we might use) as an excuse that would hinder us from being used by God.  Each of us has an effect on people (our children, our spouse, our friends and relatives, and even on strangers) by the way we live and the words we speak - even HOW we speak them.  This verse teaches us that we need to be an example:  1) "in word" which refers to the words we speak - we should choose words that are encouraging and positive; not slanderous or argumentative so that others criticize us or get a bad taste about Christianity.  2) "in conversation" which refers to our conduct (verbally and in our actions) so that we live our lives in a way that draws people to Christ; and not push them away.  The manner in which we say things shouldn't be sarcastic or bossy; but should be spoken in wisdom and love.  3) "in charity" which means that we should do things in love (or in a loving way) so that we reflect God's great love towards us; and to show our love and compassion for others.  4) "in spirit" which means with a controlled temper and in a way that shows people that Christ dwells in us and that His Holy Spirit has control/guidance over our lives.  5) "in faith" which refers to sincere and constant belief of, and adherence to, the truth of Jesus Christ and His Word.  When we live our lives in faith, we show the world that we are secure in what we believe and that God has given us the strength to handle what comes our way.  And finally, 6) "in purity" which refers to sexual purity.  (touchy subject, but.....) God wants us to have control over all aspects of our lives so that we don't do anything that would disgrace His holy name.  We need to have control over our sexuality (as with every aspect of our lives) so that we don't give the world any reason to doubt our commitment to God, or give the enemy (Satan) a way to tempt us.  Besides, sexual sin results in a multitude of other problems in our lives.  Even if we've made mistakes in the past, He will forgive our sins if we confess them and ask Him to give us a new start.  We can begin anew, and move forward doing our very best to live our lives with ALL aspects under control so that we bring honor and glory to His name.  It's never too late to put aside past sin and excuses, and start living for Him and being used by God to be a positive influence on others (and for ourselves).  The Christian life truly is the best life.  Sure, we all sin...but God wants us to have true joy, and it only comes through surrendering it ALL to Him and living according to His teachings.  It's the #blessedlife

As always, you are welcome to save the free scripture/word art file to your computer, but are never required to use it in order to play along in our challenges.   We welcome you share your all your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly, and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards).  You may link up to five (5) projects each week. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning.  It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules".  Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to our guidelines.  Please know that this doesn't mean we are judging anyone.  We're simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules.  Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation!

Here is this week's word art.  We hope
that it will be a blessing to you.

Our WONDERFUL sponsors for the challenge are:

Stix 2 Anything is a FABULOUS shop!
They carry adhesives, glues, papers,
and SO many cool crafting items.  They
have prepared an AWESOME gift pack
of adhesives for our lucky winner!
Check out Stix2Anything Here!

AND

Gracielle Design is a LOVELY shop carrying

the sweetest digital images.  They can be used

to create scrapbook layouts, cards and SO much

more.  Gracie's images emboss so nicely.  Take a

peek at Gracielle Design here.

You can enjoy some of their sample below!

AND NOW.......Our VERY Lucky Winner:

Simon Says Stamp is  your one-stop place for ALL
the latest and greatest scrapbook and card-making
supplies.  They have everything you could ever want
for scrapbooking, card-making, and SO much more.
One very lucky person has won a generous $25 Gift
Certificate to spend at this WONDERFUL store.

One VERY lucky randomly-selected person has won
 a $25 Gift Certificate from our friends, and
primary sponsor this year, Simon Says Stamp.

That lucky person gets to spend $25 at

Simon Says Stamp HOWEVER they choose!

It's Entry #149 - Larissa Heskett Designs

And Our Top 3 Honors Go To:
Entry #154 - Leanne S.

Entry #175 - Berina Febin
Entry #209 - Anna

Please email Karen if you'd like a
Top 3 Badge for your blog.  All winners
must also email us per the Rules Page.

May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.

We appreciate them all SO very much!

AND NOW.....Here's some inspiration to get you started:

Desire Fourie, Our September Guest Designer

Natalie Houston

Ginny Maxam

Stephanie Wright

Karen Letchworth

Cynthia from Gracielle Design Using Poppy Wishes

Karen Seifert, DT Member at Gracielle Design Using His Word

Gracie Chavez, Owner of Gracielle Design Using This Season

An InLinkz Link-up

Challenge #300-#301 Anything Goes

Hello, and welcome back.   It's time for a new challenge and we have lots of fun things for you all.  We're glad you've stopped by to play along with us.  We'd like to welcome Desire Fourie as our September Guest Designer.  We hope that you enjoy the cards she and our other Design Team Members share with you this month.  We're sure looking forward to seeing all of your creations for our new challenge as well.  Let's get started.

Our word art is from Colossians 4:6, and it says, "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man".  Paul is speaking specifically about the way we speak to "the world", but of course it's just as important to speak properly to those we love.  Often when we are angry, we lash out with ugly or hateful words.  I don't know about you, but I have said things in anger that I later regretted.  This verse reminds us that we need to continually submit our lives to the Holy Spirit of God, and allow Him to guide and control every aspect of our lives (most especially our speech).  You see, the words that come out of our mouths reflect back on us more than any other aspect or action of our lives.  So....if we gossip, are our words truly seasoned?  Are they savory to the ears of others?  If we speak in a hurtful manner to our friends or family, are those words seasoned?  I think not.  Consider this....if we, as Christians, are truly a living sacrifice, and the altar is God's table; what kind of dinner conversation would be appropriate for a meal with God?  As we read in the Book of Revelation, we will one day dine with Christ.  So, if we choose to live our daily lives knowing that Christ is the silent visitor at all our meals, the silent listener to every conversation, we are far less likely to say things that we will regret.  Let's all do our best to remember that we need to continually submit to Christ so that our words will always be "seasoned with salt" (controlled by God's Holy Spirit), and that we will always represent Him the way we should. 

As always, you are welcome to save the free scripture/word art file to your computer, but are never required to use it in order to play along in our challenges.   We welcome you share your all your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly, and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards).  You may link up to five (5) projects each week. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning.  It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules".  Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to our guidelines.  Please know that this doesn't mean we are judging anyone.  We're simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules.  Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation!

Here is this week's word art.  We hope
that it will be a blessing to you.

Our AWESOME sponsor for the challenge is:

Simon Says Stamp is  your one-stop place for ALL
the latest and greatest scrapbook and card-making
supplies.  They have everything you could ever want
for scrapbooking, card-making, and SO much more.
One very lucky person will win a generous $25 Gift
Certificate to spend at this WONDERFUL store.

One VERY lucky randomly-selected person will win
 a $25 Gift Certificate from our friends, and
primary sponsor this year, Simon Says Stamp.

That lucky person will get to spend $25 at

Simon Says Stamp HOWEVER they choose!

AND NOW.....Our lucky winners!

Craftin Desert Divas is an AWESOME shop that
carries digital images, stamps, dies, sequins, and
SO much more.  For this challenge, they are offering
one lucky winner some of their AMAZING Sequins!
It's Entry #55 - Karen C.
AND

All Dressed Up is an ADORABLE
digi shop, and one lucky person has won
their choice of two (2) sweet new images.
Check out All Dressed Up here.
That's Entry #50 - Cards Made by Beckie

And Our Top 3 Honors Go To:
Entry #51 - Ingunn

Entry #196 - Diane H.
Entry #205 - Inka

Please email Karen if you'd like a
Top 3 Badge for your blog.  All winners
must also email us per the Rules Page.

May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.

We appreciate them all SO very much!

AND NOW.....Here's some inspiration to get you started:

Desire Fourie, Our September Guest Designer

Natalie Houston

Ginny Maxam

Misty Delgado

Stephanie Wright

Using Simon Says Stamp products including

A2 Curved Edge Die and Eyelet Arch Borders

Karen Letchworth

An InLinkz Link-up

Anything Goes - Weeks #298-#299

Welcome back to Word Art Wednesday, everyone.  Sorry for the late start today. We're so grateful that you've stopped by to play along with us.  We have another fun challenge for you, a short devotional, some awesome inspiration from our Design Team, a lucky winner, and two more prizes up for grabs.   Thank you for joining us.

Our word art for this challenge was created using Job 23:10 and it's a verse that most of us probably don't know by memory.  But when we look at it closely, we realize that it is a testimony to Job's integrity.  The Book of Job is a wonderful story of how we all should live....with utmost confidence in what God CAN and WILL do through us (if we allow Him to do so).  Job says "but He knoweth the way I take", which means that God knows our hearts, our thoughts, our movements and intentions; and nothing is hidden from Him.  It goes on to say that, "when He hath tried me, I come forth as gold"...meaning that when God looked at Job's heart and saw his inner-most thoughts, Job still came through pure.  What does God see when He looks at my heart?  What does He see when He looks at yours?  We are all sinful, we all have selfish thoughts at times, etc.  Nothing is hidden from God.  He sees our inner-most being.  I'm so grateful that God loves me anyway.  Let's all think about this verse, and try to remember that God knows the way we take, He sees our hearts, and it should always be our goal to come forth as gold and to make sure we completely comprehend that nothing is hidden from Him.  Let's each work on being the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be.  This pleases God and honors Him, and He always deserves our very best. 

As always, you are welcome to save the free scripture/word art file to your computer, but are never required to use it in order to play along in our challenges.   We welcome you share your all your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly, and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards).  You may link up to five (5) projects each week. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning.  It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules".  Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to our guidelines.  Please know that this doesn't mean we are judging anyone.  We're simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules.  Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation!

Here is this week's word art.  We hope
that it will be a blessing to you.

Our AMAZING Sponsors for This Challenge Are....

Craftin Desert Divas is an AWESOME shop that
carries digital images, stamps, dies, sequins, and
SO much more.  For this challenge, they are offering
one lucky winner some of their AMAZING Sequins!
Check out Craftin' Desert Divas!
AND

All Dressed Up is an ADORABLE
digi shop, and one lucky person will win
their choice of two (2) digital images.
Check out All Dressed Up here.
Good Luck, everyone!

AND NOW.....Our VERY Lucky Winner:

Simon Says Stamp is  your one-stop place for ALL
the latest and greatest scrapbook and card-making
supplies.  They have everything you could ever want
for scrapbooking, card-making, and SO much more.
One very lucky person has won a generous $25 Gift
Certificate to spend at this WONDERFUL store.

One VERY lucky randomly-selected person has won
 a $25 Gift Certificate from our friends, and
primary sponsor this year, Simon Says Stamp.

That lucky person gets to spend $25 at

Simon Says Stamp HOWEVER they choose!

It's Entry #198 - BeeBeebabs

And Our Top 3 Honors Go To:
Entry #10 - Janis Lewis

Entry #147 - Coffin Cards
Entry #229 - Terri E.


Please email Karen if you'd like a
Top 3 Badge for your blog.  All winners
must also email us per the Rules Page.

May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.

We appreciate them all SO very much!

AND NOW.....Here's some inspiration to get you started:

Bunny Hoyle, Our August Guest Designer

Natalie Houston

Ginny Maxam

JoAnn Atterbury

Misty Delgado

Stephanie Wright

Karen Letchworth

An InLinkz Link-up