A Double Feature

Happy Sunday my friends! I promised a Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps double feature yesterday, but I was sidelined by a headache that just wouldn't quite leave me alone for most of the day. But today is a new day, and I have lots to share!

If it's Sunday, then of course that means it's time for a new challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ! Laurie Gatton is our hostess this week, and she chose the scripture I Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." (NIV) The challenge is to make a card that expresses your thankfulness for someone or something they have done, or that encourages someone to be thankful.

This scripture really spoke to my heart. In fact, I opened my Bible and read through I Chronicles 16: 7-36, which is known as David's Psalm of Thanks. I encourage you to read it, too. Really. You will be blessed. It's all about praising the Lord, which is what we should do both in good times and bad.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately because so many people I know are going through some really tough times... some are even unimaginable. For many, it's a time when they turn away from God or rail at Him for causing these hardships or doing these terrible things to them.

My friends, there is nothing further from the truth. God doesn't cause these terrible things to happen. But He wants to be with us through the trials to help us get through them, with the promise of everlasting life by his profound and loving grace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

One of my favorite books is Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher (actually, Rosamunde Pilcher's books are among my favorites; The Shell Seekers, September, Coming Home and Winter Solstice are my absolute favorites. I've read each of them several times and will read them again. In fact, I read Winter Solstice every year in December. But I digress.

There's a passage in Winter Solstice that I want to share with you. It's a discussion between the village minister to Oscar, one of the main characters of the story who suffers a horrific loss of his only child and wife early the in the book... a lot of the story is about his healing, but it really isn't a sad book, so don't be discouraged and think you'll cry all the way through, because you won't. Anyway, here's what the minister said to Oscar when Oscar finally found the courage to visit with him one day:

"If only is like hindsight. A useless exercise, The accident seemed to me to have been one composed of several tragic circumstances. Who knows? Perhaps you would have died, too, Oscar, and then an even larger hole would have been left in the lives of those who knew and loved you all....As for God, I frankly admit that I find it easier to live with the age-old questions about suffering than with many of the easy or pious explanations offered from time to time. Some of which seem to verge on blasphemy. I hope so much that no one has sought to try and comfort you by saying that God must have needed Francesca more than you. I would find it impossible to worship a God who deliberately stole my child from me. Such a God would be a moral monster.... It is what I truly believe. Thirty years in the ministry has taught me that the one thing we should never say when a young person dies is 'It is the will of God.' We simply don't know enough to say that. I am in fact convinced that when Francesca died in that terrible accident, God's was the first heart to break."

That resonates with me. How about you?

My card follows the The Sweet Stop sketch challenge for this week. Did you know you can win $10 in digi stamps by playing in the challenge? Did you know that Korin designs some of the most awesome sketches out there? Did you know that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps carries a wonderful line of both rubber and digi stamps, nearly all of which are Christian based? Yes indeed, on all counts!

I used the adorable Thankful For You digi stamp set for my card. The DP, flowers and brad are by Bo Bunny. I just love the way this card turned out. I'm going to use this set again and again. And what else do we need to say except "Thanks be to God!"

Next, I have a little sneak peek for you of a new stamp, which is part of a series called the Sunbeams that will be available for pre-order at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps on November 1st.


Meet Caitlyn. Her favorite day of the week is Sunday because she gets to go to Sunday School. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up so she can help heal the sick like Jesus did. Isn't she adorable?

I used this sketch from The Pink Elephant Challenge #37
which, as you can see, I turned on its end. I paper pieced the tablecloth. The DP is by Doodlebug Designs. I'm loving my pendent die by Spellbinders! (Tip: be sure to put a layer of waxed paper between the die and your cardstock... the die will slip away from your cardstock like butter after cutting!)

We'll be having a blog hop on November 1st, with full reveals of all four stamps in the first Sunbeams release, plus prizes, so stay tuned for more information!

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit. It's been kind of a crazy week for me, and then my headache kept me off the computer most of the day yesterday, so I haven't been able to hop around and visit many of you in awhile, but I hope to catch up soon! Until then, I hope you have a very sweet day of thankful praise!