Happy Father's Day

A blessed Sunday to you!

I am so honored to be this week's challenge hostess at Stampin Sisters in Christ. I chose the scripture: 2 Timothy 1-6 "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops." 

The challenge is to make a Father's Day card/project...or a masculine card.

When I knew my turn was coming to host the challenge, and that it would be the week before Father's Day, naturally I thought the challenge should be to make a Father's Day card, but which scripture? Of course, I thought about our Heavenly Father... the greatest father of all... and the endless number of scriptures referring to God's love for us. But I was looking for something that was more about our earthly fathers... or at least what our earthly fathers should be.

My search led to 2 Timothy. Paul wrote to Timothy from prison, exhorting him to guard the gospel, to persevere in it, to keep on preaching it, and, if necessary, to suffer for it... for the rewards are great and the mission of the utmost importance. The words, "qualified to teach others, " "endure hardship," "compete according to the rules," and "hardworking" struck me as things that good fathers... good men... are/do.

I realize that there are plenty of bad fathers out there... absent fathers, abusive fathers, uncaring fathers, the list goes on. But by contrast, they are far more good fathers...fathers who honor their commitments to their families, who work hard to provide for them, to care for them, encourage them, teach them, and who play by the rules... and they deserve to be honored and cherished.

If you are lucky enough to have (or had) such a wonderful earthly father, then you are surely blessed. But all of us are blessed with a Heavenly Father who loves each of us the same and who keeps His promises to us, even when we don't realize it. Yes, He does, my friends. Yes, He does. I praise and thank Him for that every single day. And for my earthly father, who I love and cherish more now than I ever did before.

I played with Inkspirations Sketch Challenge 27. You know me... always on the hunt for a good sketch, and I love this one! The image is golfafella by Stamping Bella, which I've had for ages but never inked up... until now! Most of you probably know that my husband is a University Golf Coach (and former Country Club professional), so golf is HUGE in my family.

The DP is from the Joy Ride collection by Cosmo Cricket. I paper pieced his shorts to coordinate. Right now, plaid golf shorts are really IN... don't I know it!

I think I'll hide this away and give it to Paul next Sunday. I might get mad at him sometimes... mostly frustrated (the usual stuff between husbands and wives after 26 years of marriage), and we do have our fair share of  (ahem) disagreements...but one thing he surely is and that is devoted to our family and to our boys. He is 150% available to us, especially the boys. He's been more than an equal partner in raising them.... and that includes feeding them, getting up in the middle of the night with them, changing diapers, and everything. For that I will love him and be grateful to him forever... and I'm quite sure so will the boys.

I hope you'll come play with us this week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. Simon Says Stamp is our sponsor again this week (thank you Simon Says Stamp!). And please be sure to stop by the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog to see the wonderful cards created by our lovely design team.

Have a blessed day, my friends!