Word Art Wednesday

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Anything Goes - Weeks #625-626

Welcome back for another FUN challenge here at Word Art Wednesday. Sorry for the late start. I'd appreciate the prayers of anyone willing to do so (thank you). It's hard to believe that we're finishing up another year of challenges, blessings, and beautiful art. We wouldn't be a challenge blog or have what we have here if it weren't for YOU and all the wonderful art you share with us. God continues to bless us (exceeding abundantly) with amazing sponsors and faithful participants, so we keep plugging along. We really appreciate you for sharing your art and creativity with us. Our sponsor schedule for the new year is ready to go, so we'll definitely be back in 2024. OH.....and don't forget about our Annual Blog Hop that starts in two weeks. LOTS of great prizes and fun await you all.

Our focus scripture for this challenge is Matthew 2:2 and it says, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and are come to worship Him". When Jesus was born, the Bible records the story of a group of Wise Men who saw the star in the East and followed the star until they found their Savior, Jesus Christ. The very same thing is happening today. Wise Men (and Wise Women) will still follow and seek Him. Jesus Christ remains the same today as He was yesterday, and as He will be for all eternity. By simply seeking after Him, we become wise. We can still "follow His star" by seeking Him every day. Life can be complicated; but Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, is the LIGHT of the world and He will show you the way if you will simply "follow the star" and seek after Him. That's what truly wise people do, and that's the ONLY thing that I (or anyone) can offer you with 100% surety. Don't be fooled. Accept the eternal gift of God, follow the star, seek after the One who will light your way today, and keep you close for all eternity.

As always, you are welcome to save the word art to your computer; but you are never required to use it in order to play along or to win in our challenges. We welcome you to share all of your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family friendly. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards). You may link up to five (5) projects each week for a total of ten (10) entries per two-week challenge. 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 an encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules found under our Page tab marked "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 not. We are simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules. Please let us know if you have any questions about anything; and thank you for your understanding and participation.

Check out our AWESOME sponsor for this challenge:

For this challenge, Karen is offering up a FUN

package FILLED with goodies from our friends

at Really Reasonable Ribbon. One lucky person

selected by random draw will WIN a lovely

assortment of ribbons, flowers and FUN.

Be sure to check out Really Reasonable Ribbon

for all your ribbons, flowers and more.

AND NOW......Here's Another Lucky WINNER:

Oh, yes please! Pretty Little Studio was our

previous challenge sponsor. This awesome

store carries darling die-cut ephemera, stickers,

paper collections, and SO much more. You can

find lots of great inspiration on the PLS Blog

and lots of great shopping at Pretty Little Studio.

One lucky person has won an amazing Grab Bag

valued at $100 from our friends at Pretty Little

Studio. Be sure to stop by and visit this

fun shop. You'll be delighted to see all the

creativity and goodies at Pretty Little Studio.

The lucky Grab Bag Winner is.......

Entry #74 - Bonnie Lynn

Our Top 3 Honors Go to Our Friends:

Entry #73 - Stephanie

Entry #81 - Dawn E.

Entry #146 - Francesca

Please email Karen if you'd like a

Top 3 or Winner's Badge for your blog.

All winners must also email Karen

to claim prize (per the Rules Page). Thanks!

May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.

We appreciate them all SO very much. We

pray for them, and for God's hand of blessing

upon their businesses. We're SO grateful.

Here's Some Inspiration to get You Started:

Our December Guest Designer, Bev Jordan

Cynthia Olheiser

On Break

Christine Miller

On Break

Natalie Houston

Ginny Maxam

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Anything Goes - Weeks #623-624

It's time for another FUN challenge here at Word Art Wednesday, and it's always the most fun when everyone comes by to play along with us. The art you create and share with us is always so beautiful, and we're grateful beyond words to have you join us. As I started to prepare this blog post, I noticed that we're in weeks 623-624 which made me realize that I've been doing this for 12 years now. WOW, that's a long time. I've always said that I'll continue to do this as long as God provides the participants, the sponsors, and the blessings that are due Him. Please know how very grateful I am for each and every one of you. OK, enough of that sappy stuff. Let's get started with our AWESOME challenge.

The scripture of focus for this beautiful piece of word art is Psalm 68:19 and it reads, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation". It's humbling to know that the great God who created everything we see truly cares about us and continually blesses us with His benefits. In fact, this verse tells us that God LOADS us daily with His benefits. If you're not experiencing that, it's a great time to start. Did you know that it's possible to be saved and on your way to Heaven, and to still miss out on all the great benefits and blessings the Lord has for you every day? It's true. This verse reminds us that we need to 1. BLESS the name of the Lord (give Him praise and thanks), and recognize that He is blessed. 2. Seek the benefits and blessings of God every day, and 3. Remember that He (Jesus Christ, God in human flesh) is the God of our salvation and our only way to get to Him in Heaven (and avoid Hell). You can be saved and on your way to Heaven and still miss out on the daily benefits and blessings of God. Don't miss out, friends. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Live your life in a manner that brings you the ultimate joy so that you'll never miss out on any of the amazing benefits God has designed especially for you.

Check out our AWESOME sponsor for this challenge:

Oh, yes please! Pretty Little Studio is our

fun sponsor for this challenge. This awesome

store carries darling die-cut ephemera, stickers,

paper collections, and SO much more. You can

find lots of great inspiration on the PLS Blog

and lots of great shopping at Pretty Little Studio.

One lucky person will win an amazing Grab Bag

valued at $100. How AWESOME is that?

our friends at Pretty Little Studio. Be sure to stop

by and visit this fun shop. You'll be delighted to

see all the sweet goodies at Pretty Little Studio.

Here's Another LUCKY WINNER:

Woo Hoo!! Our friends at Stamp Simply were

sponsors for the last challenge offering a generous

$25 gift card to spend on their vast array of

beautiful stamps, dies, papers and SO much

more. You can always find loads of great

inspiration on the Stamp Simply Blog and the

best variety of scripture stamps, gorgeous

images, and the perfect sentiment for every

occasion at Stamp Simply Clear Stamps.

The lucky winner of this AWESOME prize

is Entry #155 - Donna T.

Our Top 3 Honors Go to Our Friends:

Entry #11 - Meghan

Entry #58 - Mel C.

Entry #151 - Jennifer J.

Please email Karen if you'd like a

Top 3 or Winner's Badge for your blog.

All winners must also email Karen

to claim prize (per the Rules Page). Thanks!

May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.

We appreciate them all SO very much. We

pray for them, and for God's hand of blessing

upon their businesses. We're SO grateful.

Here's Some Inspiration to get You Started:

Our November Guest Designer, Berina Rajakumar

Cynthia Olheiser

Using a FREE Digital Snowman

Download from Pretty Little Studio

Christine Miller

Natalie Houston

Ginny Maxam

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Anything Goes - Weeks #621-622

Welcome to Word Art Wednesday, everyone. It's time for another FUN challenge and we're SO blessed to have you join us. As always, we have a beautiful (free) word art scripture you're welcome to grab, a brief devotional based on that scripture that we hope will be a blessing and encouragement to you, a Top 3, another lucky winner, and a fabulous new sponsor. Seeing your amazing cards linked up in our gallery each week is such an encouragement, and we appreciate you so very much. Your art blows away every time. Thank you for sharing your talents with us, everyone.

The scripture used on our beautiful word art for this challenge is Psalm 75:1 which says, "Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wonderous works declare". This verse was written in reference to the Jews who were in exile. They were praising God, we assume, for preserving them during their time in exile. It's also assumed that they were praising God for revealing Himself to them (the Jews) in some special way during this time. Regardless of the details, we know from this verse (as with many others), that it's good to give God thanks. God is ALWAYS showing Himself to His people as they (we) seek Him. We're assured that God is near us as evidenced in His mighty works. As Christians, we will see these mighty works in small ways, in big ways, in personal struggles and also in big life (world) troubles. God is always faithful to show us His wonderous works. It's up to each of us to draw close to Him, to always praise and thank Him, and to share His amazing goodness with others. We'd LOVE to hear how God has shown His wonderous works to you and for what you're giving Him thanks at this time of year. God is SO GOOD. Praise His precious holy name.

Check out our AWESOME sponsor for this challenge:

Woo Hoo!! Our friends at Stamp Simply are

sponsoring this challenge with a generous

$25 gift card to spend on their vast array of

beautiful stamps, dies, papers and SO much

more. You can always find loads of great

inspiration on the Stamp Simply Blog and the

best variety of scripture stamps, gorgeous

images, and the perfect sentiment for every

occasion in the Stamp Simply Shop. Thank you

to our friends at Stamp Simply Clear Stamps.

AND NOW.........Another Lucky Winner:

The wonderful Kat Scrappiness was the previous

challenge sponsor. It's a blessing to have their support.

One lucky crafter who played along in our last

challenge has now WON a generous $15 gift

certificate to spend at Kat Scrappiness.

This one-of-a-kind store is filled with FAB

stamps, dies and so many great products.

Be sure to visit the Kat Scrappiness Blog

for lots of great inspiration. Thanks to

our creative friends at Kat Scrappiness

for their support. Our lucky winner is

Entry #187 - Shirley Gentry

Our Top 3 Honors Go to Our Friends:

Entry #18 - Carrie S.

Entry #70 - Leona B.

Entry #96 - Karen C.

Please email Karen if you'd like a

Top 3 or Winner's Badge for your blog.

All winners must also email Karen

to claim prize (per the Rules Page). Thanks!

May God bless all our AWESOME sponsors.

We appreciate them all SO very much. We

pray for them, and for God's hand of blessing

upon their businesses. We're SO grateful.

Here's Some Inspiration to get You Started:

From the Stamp Simply Clear Stamps Design Team

Here's Esther Asbury sharing a sweet card that uses

the Have a Cup On Us Stamps/Dies, O Christmas Tree

and Crochet Border Die from our fabulous sponsor

And here's a card from Karen Letchworth using the new

My Church Stamps/Dies and Fishtail Banner Dies

Our November Guest Designer, Berina Rajakumar

Cynthia Olheiser

Using God Will Take Care of You

Stamps & Dies from Stamp Simply

Christine Miller

Using the Coffee or Tea Stamps & Dies

from Stamp Simply Clear Stamps

Natalie Houston

Using Fall/Winter Seasonal Wreaths Stamp Set

from our Sponsor, Stamp Simply Clear Stamps

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Anything Goes - #619-620

Welcome back for another FUN challenge, everyone. We have another great one planned for you and we are super excited to know that you're here to play along. Thank you for joining us and sharing your wonderful art with us. It means a lot to us that you're willing to share your art and we always look forward to seeing your amazing cards. Let's get right into our new challenge with this brief devotional.

1 John 5:14 is our word art scripture and it says, "And this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us". This is another verse that reminds us of how God will always hear us when we call on Him. What a blessing it is to have direct access to God. When we ask for our prayers to be accomplished according to His perfect will, He answers the prayer in a way that brings glory to His name. When we trust Him fully and open our hearts to what He wants for us, we receive even better things because He will answer the prayers according to what He knows is best for us and that will most benefit us. It's difficult sometimes to remember that we need to put aside our selfish motives/desires and seek what God knows is going to help us achieve our potential. He will pour out blessings on us that we can't even imagine when we ask Him to answer our prayers in a way that honors Him. God's Word assures us that what is best for us is always going to be the things in our lives that draw others to Him. So, when you have a need and pray; rest assured that God will always hear you and He wants to show you His great plans to bless you as you seek Him.