It's that time again....time for another AWESOME challenge here at Word Art Wednesday. We sure hope that you enjoy our challenges. It's such a blessing to see all your amazing cards and projects linked up, and we appreciate each and every one. WOW, you are all SO super talented. You ALL deserve a Top 3 and a prize. SO much talent. Thanks for playing along with us. It means far more than I adequately explain. We are blessed to have another great challenge for you today filled with inspiration, an AWESOME sponsor, and loads of FUN; so here we go.
Let's look today at Psalm 40:5 and what it says to us. It's always a blessing to take "a bite" of God's Word, think about what it actually means, and see how it can be applied to our lives to "feed" us spiritually. Sometimes we don't even realize how "hungry" our souls are for a good dose of God's word. This verse tells us that MANY are the wonderful works God has done for US; and that, in fact, it would be impossible to actually count all that He has done for us. Here's an example. Think about just one thing in your life that you might pray about. Let's say it's a friend who is having cataract surgery, and we're going to visit her in the hospital. We might ask God to watch over our friend and bring her safely through surgery and recovery. Right? But right there within that ONE thought....there are countless blessings. God does things for us that we literally can't even count, number or measure. We have a friend (the one we're praying for, right?) and that's a blessing. But let's take it a step further and try to list ALL the blessings He's given us through this one example. There's friendship, there's (possibly) insurance paying for her surgery, there are qualified doctors and nurses caring for her, our car that gets us to the hospital, the gasoline in our tank, a source of income to pay for it, our strong legs that walk us through the door, our eyes that can see our friend, our sense of touch to hug our friend, our voice that allows us to say hello, the coffee (or lunch) we grabbed on our way there, the medical equipment and medications keeping her healthy, her ability to see you, the clean sheets on her hospital bed, the fond memories you share, the sound of laughter out in the hallways, the loving (hungry) family waiting for you at home, the food you're going to cook them tonight, the house you will cook it in, all the pots and pans you'll use, the cozy couch where you'll sit after dinner, your TV, the remote control, electricity in general, the warm bed where you'll lay your head tonight, the fuzzy blanket you'll pull up over your chest, the soft pillow where you'll rest your head, the Tylenol in your medicine cabinet in case you get a headache after this long day, the phone you'll use to call in and check on your friend again that night before you go to sleep, and...do you see where I could literally sit here for the rest of the day listing things; and yet...I'd NEVER run out of things to mention. So, I guess what this verse is trying to tell us is that while we will certainly experience struggles, sadness and loss, etc. along the way; there are always FAR MORE blessings than there are woes. I truly hope that you can fully comprehend this because there are many times when we get in a slump, and we start to focus on the things weighing us down. That's the enemy (Satan) trying to steal the JOY that the Lord, Jesus Christ, wants to share with us. Let the MANY wonderful things He has done be always at the forefront of your mind. When times get rough, start counting ALL those blessings. Give Him thanks and praise, or "speak of" these things that are too many to count. God has given us SO much. The very least we can give to Him is our trust, our heart, our faith, and our respect. He wants to bless us all with all these things we cannot possibly number. Praise God!
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, 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 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 the 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!
Check out our sponsor for this challenge:
store. Not only do they carry loads of
gorgeous stamps, but they also offer
dies, card kits, embellishments, felt,
and MUCH more. One lucky person
will win a $25 voucher to spend at
The Stamps of Life. Now, that's
awesome!
See samples below featuring products
from The Stamps of Life.
AND NOW......Another Lucky WINNER:
Our FAB sponsor for the last challenge was
carries high-quality acrylic stamps, dies,
sequins, stencils and more. Be sure to
stop by and look around. One lucky person
has won a $15 voucher to spend at the
wonderful Neat & Tangled. Woo hoo!
It's Lucky Entry #188 - Kathy Asper
Our Top 3 Picks This Week:
Entry #150 - Joy Wilson
Entry #135 - Shaz in Oz
Entry #190 - Mel C.
Please email Karen if you'd like a
Top 3 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!
AND NOW....Here's Some Inspiration to get you Started:
From The Stamps of Life Design Team
Each Using Quote 2 Love Stamp Set.
And Katherine from the Stamps of Life
Design Team Using Heart Cluster Die
Cards are so lovely
ReplyDeleteReally lovely blog and finally got around to having a play with you. Love the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Kathy and the top picks. Lovely makes from the team and a lovely reminder to be thankful for so many little things we often take for granted. Hugz
ReplyDeleteThanks dear Karen for you and your team's hard work in running challenge. Rarely comment because you've embedded comment box rather than pop up window (may be selected in comment settings), you're using blogger default which is unstable on mobile devices and I rarely use computer these days.
ReplyDeleteLovely verse.. counting our blessings of our mighty God surely changes our outlook. Thank you for choosing me in top 3, great honour indeed.
I've now a Christian blog too which is in link below.
Thanks for sharing, and may God bless you.
Hugs, Shaz in Oz.x
{Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz}
{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}
Team made gorgeous projects!
ReplyDeleteThanks for including my card in your Top Picks!
ReplyDeleteBeau défi et Merveilleuses créations de la DT.
ReplyDeleteQue votre journée soit magnifique
MaryannG
Beautiful challenge and wonderful creations from DT.
May your day be wonderful.
Gorgeous inspiration and such a lovely scripture! Thank you for always inspiring us with your encouraging devotionals as well! It's always a joy to link up here! Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful inspiration from the DT! I esp love the ones that used the 1 Cor 13 scripture. Just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you for another lovely challenge!!
<3 J
jwoolbright at gmail dot com
HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com