Know That The Lord is God!

Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! (I can't help myself... it bears repeating!)

Our hostess this week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is the lovely and talented scrapbooking guru of our Design Team, Pamela Young. Pamela chose the scripture Deuteronomy 31:8 "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (NIV) Her challenge is to create something about when God is "unseen"; i.e., a scrapbook layout that reminds you that God is always with you; a card to encourage a friend and remind them that God is with them; or something to hang on your wall.As it happens, my week of left-brain activity did zap my mojo a bit. It took me quite a while to warm up. I kept dithering on where to start, what to do. Just when I was starting to worry, I saw this post by Claire Brennan... a sneak peek of one of her wonderful new stamp sets debuting on Monday... and the lightbulb turned on! I created an aperture in my card base and in my DP just as Claire did, but instead of mounting my image on the inside bottom panel (creating a window), I ended up adhering mine directly behind the opening. It sort of defeated the purpose, but does create a framed effect that I really like.

The DP is Bella Blue by Stampin Up, and the cardstock is Not Quite Navy. The ribbon and button are from Papertrey Ink, and the rhinestones are Kaisercraft. The beautiful stamps I used are from The Lord is Our Shepherd by Our Daily Bread Designs.

Raise your hand if you've ever read the "Mitford" series of books by Jan Karon. I have. I've read them through three times, and I'm about to start in on them again. I mentioned the Rosamunde Pilcher books I love last week... and I do love them... the stories, the lyric, the setting of those books sing to my heart. But they are secular books. Jan Karon's books are not. They are delightful stories of fiction firmly focused on Christ. They literally transformed my relationship with God. They made me realize how very simple it is to have a day-to-day, one-on-one relationship with Him. What a blessing!

The scripture and challenge this week reminded me of a particular "sermon" in A New Song, one that I've read over and over again. I wish I had time to include the entire passage here, but I'll leave you with a snippet that will hopefully tantalize you enough to read the books yourself. The fictional Father Tim (an Episcopal priest) is speaking to his congregation:

"...it has been my prayer since we came here for you to have a personal, one-on-one, day-to-day relationship with Christ.

"I'm talking about something that goes beyond every Sunday service ever created or ever to be created, something you can depend on for the rest of your life, and then forever. I'm talking about the times you cry out in the storm that prevails against you, times when your heart and your flesh fail and you see no way out and no way in, when any prayer you utter to a God you may view as distant and disinterested seems to vanish into thin air.

"There are legions who believe in the existence of a cold and distant God, and on the occasions when they cry out to Him in utter despair and hear nothing in reply, must get up and stumble on, alone.

"Then there are those who know Him personally, who have found that when they cry out, there He is, as near as their breath -- one-on-one, heart-to-heart, savior, Lord, partner, friend.

"Some have been in church all their lives and have never known this mighty, marvelous, and yet simple personal relationship. Others believe that while such a relationship may be possible, it's not for them - why would God want to bother with them, except from a very great distance? In reality, it is no bother to God at all. He wants this relationship far, far more than you and I want it, and I pray that you will ponder that marvelous truth."

Okay, so it's a bit more than a snippet, but I hope it resonates with you. I hope it blesses you. I hope it opens up new possibilities for you in your relationship with God. He IS there. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. You can count on it!

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit today. I hope you have a truly blessed day!