Tuesday's {Tip} A Prayer File

Most of you have seen the prayer box I made back in 2009.  I am still not happy with it. Yes, I am always in a state of wanting to try something different. So, today I am going to share yet another little idea on how to keep track of those prayer requests that you have.  If you missed my previous post, look here. So, now let's now look at my newest idea.

I purchased two of these little beauties at Hobby Lobby. I knew I would find uses for them, and for this one I made it into a prayer file.

These are kind of hard to find within the store (Hobby Lobby). Both times I have found them in different parts of the store but they seem to always be on a display with other home decor. The item number is Item #6919096 if that helps you. They run $8.99 but you can use your 40% off coupon!

Here is my new attempt at using a prayer box/file. I know I love using prayer cards better than using a prayer journal because I can carry cards with me, move them easily to the praise section, and I have plenty of room for notes. With prayer journals, I never leave enough room or I leave too much room.  It drives me crazy to run out of room or have left too much room leftover. Yes, showing the perfectionist in me here. :) Anyway, I also decided to use library cards instead of 3x5 cards. The library cards are so much heavier, and they already have a date column. Love that! I can use the date column for the date of the prayer request, and I am also using that column for scripture addresses. On the back of the card, I am going to put the "praise" when a prayer is answered. I purchased the library cards from amazon.com. You can see them here.  And here is how my prayer file looks all made up:

Box: from Hobby Lobby
Papers: recycled chipboard, library cards from amazon.com
Our Daily Bread Designs Stamps: Never Give Up, Sweet William Small, Mini Tags 3
Stamp Ink: VersaFine onyx black
Embellishments: Tim Holtz mini paper clips, Elle's Studio lined tags, flower from Wild Orchid Crafts, washi tape from cutetape.com, sewing machine

The stamps I used are all from Our Daily Bread Designs:  Never Give Up (the large cross), Sweet William Small (praying and also has a praise stamp), and Mini Tags 3 (praise God). These are stamps I am keeping in my "Frequently Used Stamps" binder. I cut the dividers out of my recycled chipboard I posted about the other day. I sure hope this idea works out better for me. So far I am lovin' it!

I hope this helps some of you with those prayer requests too! Enjoy, and have a blessed Tuesday!

{HSCRC12} Hymn #3, How Great Thou Art

Hymn Challenge #3: How Great Thou Art

Written by: Stuart K. Hine
b. 1899 (England); d. 1989

In 1885, a Swedish preacher by the name of Carl Boberg wrote a poem called "O Store Gud" which means "Oh Great God." Carl Boberg wrote the poem and never thought of it becoming a hymn. He did not write any music to his poem; it was just a poem.

Then in the 1920's, English missionaries, Stuart K. Hine and his wife were ministering in Poland. While they were there, they learned of Boberg's poem and it had been coupled with a Swedish melody. Later with the inspiration from Boberg's poem and the Swedish melody, Stuart Hine composed his own original verses and made his own arrangement of the tune which we now know as "How Great Thou Art."

Mr. Hine wrote the first three verses after his experiences in the Carpathian Mountains. He experienced a storm with mighty thunder, saw the forest glades as he walked through the woods, and heard the birds singing sweetly in the trees (Verse 2). While going through the mountains, he also meditated on John 3 thus we see in Verse 3 how he is awe inspired that God would send His Son to die for him! The 4th verse was not written until he returned England.  When you see this hymn in a hymnal you will see both the names Carl Boberg and Stuart K. Hine. For a more in-depth study of the history of "How Great Thou Art," please click here.

Several times this week I tried to work on this post focusing on another hymn but each time, I was taken back to this hymn (How Great Thou Art). Then Tuesday night as I entered the sanctuary for our weekly study at Bible Study Fellowship, I am sure you can guess which hymn we sang first--yes, "How Great Thou Art." I almost started laughing because I felt God had a sense of humor to show me again that I was to share this hymn this week. So, listening to His prompting, I left the other study because I knew God wanted us to take time and focus on Him this week.

"How Great Thou Art" beautifully states who God is and our response to Him. As you read the verses in this hymn, I love how we can see the progression of who God is. Let's look at Verses 1 and 2, and remember where Mr. Hine was as he wrote them.

Verse 1
O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The world Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;

Verse 2
When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze;

Do you look at creation around you like that? Do you see God's hand in it all and see Him as Creator of all things? Do you see His power and majesty? If you missed my study back in 2009 on God as Creator, feel free to read it here. There is an amazing video in that post that I still love! Anyway, God's word shows us in so many places that He is all-powerful, He is creator, and that He alone is to receive all glory, honor, and praise!

Psalm 68:34 "Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies."

Jeremiah 10:12 "But God made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding."

Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Then in Verse 3, we see how He sent His Son to die for our sins, and for those of us that believe in Him, we will have eternal life!

Verse 3
And when I think,
That God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die,
I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross,
My burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died
To take away my sin.

He loves us; we are His creation. He loves us SO much that He didn't even spare His own Son! His Son died for my sins, your sins, and for every person on this earth so that we can spend eterinty with Him! But as our Creator, we must accept the gift or we will miss out on eternal life with Him.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:18 "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

1 John 4:9-10 "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

1 John 4:14-15 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God."

Then in the 4th and final verse, we see the promise of His return. As Christians we are filled with hope as we are certain of His return and certain of our salvation. Can you say that you are filled with hope at the thought of His return? Can you say that you have been saved by the blood of Christ? It is all truly hard to fathom but by faith in Him we can completely trust in His Word!

Verse 4
When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
My God, how great Thou art!

Psalm 145:3 "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

Below you will find the sheet music to "How Great Thou Art." Make sure you look at the link I have included for you below the hymn.

Click here to listen to Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill sing this hymn. Once again grab the tissues!

For my 5x7 page today, I used Psalm 47:2 which says "How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!" The stamped verse comes from the ODBD set called Scripture Collection 3. I thought it was a great reminder to focus on Him who is King and Creator of all. For the doily at the bottom of my page, I used my recycled chipboard (see this post from last Tuesday) along with a Tim Holtz die to cut the doily. I used purple on my page to designate His majesty.

Papers: Memory Box Frond, Paper Trey Ink cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 3
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink dusty concord
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Distress Stain antique linen, Tim Holtz distressed doily die, Copic V17 to color rhinestones, Kaisercraft rhinestones, Zva Creative pearls, Hug Snug hand-dyed seam binding, flower from Wild Orchid Crafts, sewing machine

Also, I have two things for you this week. First, I found a channel on YouTube called "BestLovedHymns." They have many old hymns available for you to listen to. You might want to check them out. Click here to see their channel.

And second, my dear online friend, Abby (a pianist for her church), is going to be sharing free hymn printables. You will definitely want to subscribe to her Pinterest or blog so you can get printable hymns.

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC12 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous study, please see this post here.

And lastly, I will close today with this scripture written by Paul to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 "May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it."

Blessings to each of you!

Organizational {Friday} Frequently Used Stamps

First, are you surprised to see an "Organizational Friday" post? I am so swamped here that I just have not had time plus most of my things are organized just as I want them so there isn't a lot to post about. I will continue to post "Organizational Friday's" as I have time or something new to share. You can always ask for something specific too. If I can help and have time to post, I certainly will do that for ya! For all of my organizational tips, you can always reference this post too! I hope that helps!

Now onto my topic for today. I have come to realize that there are some stamps that I use frequently. I love my stamps how they are organized but I thought I would make ONE box filled with just the frequently used stamps on my desk. This way I can grab them fast without even getting up from my chair. Let's look at what I did.

Of course I used a Univenture binder but this particular binder is the A5 3-ring binder (19mm) instead of the A5 3-ring binder (32mm) that I use for all of my other stamps. I don't have THAT many "frequently used" stamps so I didn't need the wider binder. It looks like the smaller binder is even on sale now for $0.96!! Wow! Here is my binder covered in a piece of pink Memory Box paper. :)

I stamped a reference sheet to put in the binder. The reference sheet matches the placement of stamps on the page too so it's easy to find them. Sometimes reading stamps backwards can be difficult. LOL!

The reference sheet also tells me the stamp company name, the set name, and the box where the entire set can be found. If you have never seen my numbering system for my stamp storage boxes, please see my post here.

Now, I am thinking of moving my die storage to these binders. Not sure yet but be watching just in case I make that move! :) Also, be sure to check back on Tuesday when I will show you how I am using some of these "Frequently Used Stamps." Thanks for stopping by today, and I always appreciate each of you and the sweet comments you leave. Blessings,

Tuesday's {Tip} Recycling Thin Chipboard

Happy Tuesday everyone! Lately I have been saving the thin chipboard I get from K-cup boxes, our vitamin supplements, and other nice thin chipboard that comes into our home. The chipboard I am saving has the same thickness as the chipboard found in a Kleenex or cereal box (though I am not saving those but they could certainly be used). I have decided to take this chipboard and cut them into small tags. It seems I never have a tag on hand when I want one!

For my tags, I am using several tag dies:  ODBD Tag die, Memory Box Classic Tags, and the Sizzix Bigz Tiny Tabs and Tags die by Tim Holtz. The thinner dies by Our Daily Bread Designs and Memory Box Co. cut right through this thinner chipboard. It is awesome. When I use the Tim Holtz die, I am able to cut 3 tags at once. In the photo below, I cut a tag from the K-cup box. The part of the tag cut from the outside of the box needed to be covered up, so I opened up my scrap paper box, cut a tag out of scrap paper, and adhered it to the printed side of the chipboard. I then used a small strip for the front to match too. The front side is where I can write notes, etc., to the person receiving the gift.  I tied this particular tag to the gift with matching divine twine. The recipient will then have some twine for their own stash too!

And here is a small stack of the Tim Holtz tags. I will store them in my antique unit shown in the same photo. The slots are 2 1/2" wide so they will be perfect for holding tags.

Of course, this type of chipboard can be used to die cut any shape but right now my need it always tags. I hope you will look carefully at the chipboard coming into your home. Maybe you can make a stash of tags, flowers, leaves, hearts, etc. You get the idea! Blessings, and thanks for stopping by!

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #105

As I think about a "Sharing the Gospel" class I will teach in February, it made me think that we should share in our journals:

**How comfortable are you in sharing the gospel with others?

Acts 20:24 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace."

If you want to read a great book about the gospel message, "What is the Gospel" by Greg Gilbert is an excellent read! Also, to see all of our previous {Faith Journaling} questions, please look here. Thanks for stopping by, and happy journaling! Blessings to you,

{HSCRC12} Hymn #2, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

*Note: To see the winners of the Hymn and Scripture Challenge, please click here. :)

Hymn Challenge #2: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Written by: Helen Lemmel
b. Nov. 14, 1864; d. Nov. 1, 1961

Helen Lemmel was born to a Methodist pastor's family in Wardle, England, which is a village in the Greater Manchester area. When she was 12 years old, Helen Lemmel and her family moved to the United States where she lived in Mississippi and Wisconsin. Later, she became a famous soloist, gave concerts in many churches, and then taught voice lessons at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

In 1918, Helen Lemmel received a tract from a missionary friend. The tract was written by Lilias Trotter, and it was entitled "Focused." The pamphlet contained these words: "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness."  These words deeply affected her, and she was later quoted as saying "Suddenly, as if commanded to stop and listen, I stood still, and singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody. The verses were written the same week, after the usual manner of composition, but none the less dictated by the Holy Spirit."

Helen Lemmel wrote more than 500 hymns and authored a children's book titled "Story of the Bible"! For the most in-depth study of Helen Lemmel that I was able to find, please click here.

So, first before we begin, I know many of you love to hear when God confirms our study. Last night our church service was amazing. Well, one of the very last hymns played for the evening was . . . yes, you guessed it "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." I sat in the pew so very excited as I knew this was the hymn we were to study. This was also the hymn I used to sing to my girls every night before going to bed. God is so good to always lead me and show me with such fun confirmations! Now onto the rest of our study.

Where do you turn in times of trouble? Where do you turn in times of joy? How about distress, celebration, sadness, etc.? Can you say you keep your eyes fixed on Him in all things? Do others see Him in you? Is God your priority? Are you seeking His attention or others?

Your answers to these questions will certainly depend on whether or not you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This hymn tells us "there's light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free"! Salvation is for everyone, and when God says everyone, He means every single person on this earth! He wants everyone to turn to Him and be saved including you! Isaiah 45:22 says "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." Life with Him and turning to Him in all things truly makes your life freeing and gives you a peace which no one can truly understand. Philippians 4:7 says "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Don't you want that for yourself? Is He drawing you to Himself? Oh how I pray for each of you that do not know Him! Answer Him if He is calling! It will be the greatest gift you will ever receive! Please e-mail me with questions. I am more than happy to share Christ with you!

And if you have been saved by the blood of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ, then you are to set your hearts on things above and to share Him with others. Do your actions show that you focus on Him and that you are a new creation of the King? Do people see Christ when they look at you or do they see someone that is always in a "tizzy" over everything? As I was trying to finish up writing this study, I also had another task looming over my head that had to be completed the same day and would take hours to complete. The puppy continually wanted outside, there was a lot of noise in the household, and my mind was reeling with the thoughts of all that had to be done. It was about to consume me. Panic was going to set in. God was letting me live this lesson. Did I want my family to see frustration, panic, and anger or did I want them to see Jesus? Of course, I wanted them to see Jesus but it was really, really hard. I had to focus my entire being on Christ or I would have lost it. I am sure many of you have had very similar experiences. It's not fun but by focusing on God and truly giving it all to Him, it is doable!

Mark 10:27 "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

So in the hard times, the deadlines, the celebrations set your hearts on things above, and just as the hymn tells us ". . . the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."

Colossians 3:1-3 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

What a great promise, and what a way to tackle everything in life! So, will you turn to Him in all things? Your faith must not only believe God but your faith should also be visible to others. People are watching! I love how my Life Application Bible study notes put it "To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We will stumble if we look away from Him to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us. We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep Him in sight." I knew I would stumble with all of my commitments if I didn't focus on Him. So will you remember to fix your eyes upon Jesus in all things?

Hebrews 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Below you will find the sheet music to "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." Make sure you look at the links I have included for you below the hymn.

Click here to read the words of this hymn.

Click here to listen to a beautiful version of this hymn by Selah. Close your eyes, enjoy the harmony, and listen to the words.

For my 5x7 page today, I used the Hebrews 12:2 verse listed above from the ODBD set called Cross of Christ. The hymn comes from a hymnal I have on hand. I copied it, colored the printer paper in Tim Holtz Distress Stain antique linen, and then I tore the edges and attached it to my page.

Papers: Memory Box Minuet, Paper Trey Ink cs
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Cross of Christ
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink faded jeans and walnut stain
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Distress Stain antique linen and weathered wood, Deluxe Designs scalloped square chipboard, Hug Snug hand-dyed seam binding, Prima leaves, flower from Wild Orchid Crafts, Maya Road kraft envelope, sewing machine

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC12 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous study, please see this post here. So, how have you turned to God and how has it effected you? Maybe you are not led to write a hymn as Helen Lemmel did but God has great plans for you if you will continue to focus on Him in all things! Blessings to you as you study in the week ahead!

{Hymn and Scripture Challenge} Giveaway Winners

Good morning everyone! I wanted to go ahead and post the Hymn and Scripture Challenge Giveaway Winners this morning before diving into a busy Sunday. If you missed what will be given away, please visit this post here. So without waiting any further, here are the winning numbers that random.org picked:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
12
4
19
Timestamp: 2012-01-15 11:21:39 UTC

And those winning numbers are:

#12
Jasmine said...
I have fallen in love with this challenge, Patter. Even as a child I loved singing hymns and that continues today... It has been wonderful completing the challenge with my Ma {nancyparker55} and I look forward to continuing it throughtout the year! Thanks so much!
Jasmine
January 8, 2012 9:13 PM

#4
Tonya W said...
WOW!!!! Patter you are such a blessing and I am so humbled by your obedience. You are an amazing writer -- thank you for sharing this post and giving us this challenge. What a perfect way to worship God - through hymns and scriptures!!!!!!!!
January 8, 2012 12:14 PM

#19
Lavonne said...
Thanks for starting this new study with hymns. I wish hymns were sung more than they are. I really miss hearing them!
January 9, 2012 2:39 PM

Huge congrats everyone! Please e-mail your snail mail address to me so that I can get your prizes off to you. I am not going to tell you which prize you will receive. I always think it's more fun to see when you open the package. I hope you think so too! :)

And lastly, the Hymn and Scripture Challenge will be posted later today. For any of you that see this post early, could you please pray for my time management today? I woke up to an e-mail asking me to do something very early tomorrow morning, and there is a lot of prep involved. My day is packed, so expanded time would be much appreciated! Thank you all for your prayers and your faithfulness to studying His word! Blessings,

{Faith Journaling} Challenge #104

As we start a new year, I am once again thinking about how best to keep track of prayer requests. I have created several things--journals, prayer box, etc.--but each time I find they don't always work out over time. It drives me crazy. I have a new idea that I am going to try, and I will share later but for today, please journal:

*How do you keep track of all of the prayer requests you receive?

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Feel free to share in the comment section too if you would like. Some of us might just need your ideas. :) Also, to see all of our previous {Faith Journaling} questions, please look here. I pray that you have a blessed weekend ahead!

{Hymn and Scripture Challenge} Giveaway & Questions Answered

First, I am so excited to see all of the lovely pages pouring in from the first study published last week. There are so many beautiful stories and pages. I love reading them all! And glad to see several of you needed tissues as you watched the Wintley Phipps video. I am glad I am not the only one that cries through that! If you missed the first study, you can see it here and join in at any time! We would be blessed to have you!

And remember, to see ALL of the information on this study including sharing in your churches, on your blog, etc., be sure to read this post here! Thank you!

Questions Answered
I have had a few questions since my post last week so I thought I would address them here. Many have asked about the book I am using. I am using "Then Sings My Soul" by Robert Morgan (see below). Yes, there are at least 3 or 4 different versions of this book. I may be using all versions. I will be choosing the hymn first as God leads me. Then in whatever book contains the hymn, I will read some of the history. I know some of you wanted to purchase the books but I am not using any one exclusively. They are just an aid.

Robert Morgan also has a book called "Near to the Heart of God" which contains stories about each of 366 hymns and information on the writer and lyrics of the hymn. This book may be of help to some of you also. Christianbook.com has this book (slightly imperfect) for $5.99. They also have an eBook version for $2.39. The Kindle book version is $1.79 on amazon.com if you have a Kindle. :) I have the slightly imperfect version, and it looks brand new to me. I can't find a thing wrong with it. :)

I will actually be using many resources to put together the studies but the books listed above will be my "go to" along with the Bible. You do not need to purchase a thing for this study! I will always include online resources for you to look at just as I did last week.

If you have questions, you can ask them in the comment section of each study, and I will answer there so others can see. You can also always e-mail me. I hope this is helpful. :)

Giveaways!
Now onto the fun stuff. Today I am giving away 3 RAKs. You must leave a comment in this post stating something about how the study has helped you thus far, what you are looking forward to as you study this year, how you pray God will grow you as you study, or whatever. Leave your comment in this post by next Saturday, January 14th, at 11:59 p.m. Central, and I will have random.org choose 3 winners to be announced in the next study. Here are the 3 RAKs you may win:

Wintley Phipps CD
After my father sent me Mr. Phipps YouTube video on Amazing Grace, I knew I had to have a few of his albums. They have not disappointed! I bought an extra, and I thought I would share it with one reader today. Here is the album someone will receive:

Book
This is one of the books I will be using. I have an extra to give away. There is also a CD included of the hymns.

Album
This is an album I had made by Pam of Heart of Texas Studio. She teaches at the same store where I teach Memory Box classes. Anyway, I purchased the license plate, and then she turned it into a 3-ring album. They are amazing. I had several done even out of my old license plate from South Carolina. They will truly make fun albums. Click the link listed above, and you can see more information or have your own album made. I hope someone can use this one below and enjoy it!

So, let me know if you have more questions, and be sure to leave a comment so that you are entered to win one of the gifts above. Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed week ahead!

New {ODBD} Scrapbook Challenge!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are excited about joining us for a new ODBD Let Your Light Shine Scrapbook Challenge! We would love to see many of you play this month! For the challenge, I used a photo from our Hawaii trip. I thought it would be fun! So, your scrapbook challenge for January is to: create a layout of any size and any theme using ODBD stamps and this photo as inspiration. Use any or all of the colors. Feel free to add basic colors such as brown, black, or white, and have fun with it!

I chose to create an 8x8 layout using the blues from the inspiration photo. This is a photo of my sister, my mom, and myself on Christmas day. I decided to change the photo to sepia colors for the layout. I also used several of the new ODBD releases for January: God's Love, 2-Step Butterflies, and the Butterfly 2 die. They were just perfect for this page.

Papers: Memory Box Minuet, Creative Imaginations, Paper Trey Ink cs
Our Daily Bread Designs Stamps: God's Love, 2-Step Butterflies
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink walnut stain and weathered wood
Embellishments: Our Daily Bread Designs Butterfly 2 die, Sizzix Flower Layers #8 die, Cuttlebug seeing spots embossing folder, Paper Trey Ink button and twine, Zva Creative flourishes, Stickles cinnamon, sewing machine

So, come join us and play along in the January challenge with a chance to win a $15 gift certificate! To see all of the challenge guidelines, see my ODBD post here. The challenge runs through Tuesday, January 31st, at 6 p.m. Eastern. Have fun, and we can't wait to see what you create. Blessings,

{HSCRC12} Hymn #1, Amazing Grace

Hymn Challenge #1: Amazing Grace

Written by: John Newton
b. July 24, 1725; d. December 21, 1807

John Newton was a British sailor who became involved in the slave trade and later became a clergyman. On March 9, 1748, John Newton was caught in a terrible storm on the high seas. The next day he cried out to the Lord asking Him to deliver him from the deep waters though his true conversion did not happen until some time later. He eventually became a powerful evangelical preacher and wrote over 280 hymns. For a more indepth study of John Newton, please see: (click each title)

*John Newton, a Legacy of Faithfulness
*John Newton on Wikipedia

I can't think of a better way to start our year than to look at the grace that God lavishes on those He saves through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. John Newton said it best when he said at the end of his life, "My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior"

So what is grace? Why did John Newton feel so compelled to write about God's amazing grace? Grace is God's love to the utterly undeserving. God's grace is a gift to us. It's not anything we can earn or work towards. That means we don't love people just because we are trying to get something from them or get something from God. That means we don't serve in the church because we think it will help us earn our way into heaven. Only God can save us, and the only way to receive His gracious gift of salvation is by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ paid the price for our sins through His substitutionary death on the Cross. Christ paid the price we deserve. In grace, God sees us where we are and gives us what we don't deserve.

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—-not by works, so that no one can boast."

Ephesians 1:6-7 "To the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace."

As Christians, God, through His grace, accepts us because we belong to His precious Son. We don't deserve His acceptance or His love that He lavishes on us but He graciously offers it to us.

1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him."

So, do you know God's amazing grace for yourself? If not, why not? Will you not only accept the gift of His Son but unwrap it and live fully for Him? If you do know His amazing grace, how about your family members and friends? How might God have you share the gift with them this year? And how are you extending grace to others through kind gestures, forgiveness, a pleasant surprise, a smile and loving words when least expected, etc.? How can you bless someone this week by extending God's grace to them? God meets us where we are, and He wants us to meet others where they are with compassion. Pray about ways you can do that.

Below you will find the sheet music to "Amazing Grace." I encourage you to click the link to enlarge and truly read through the words of the hymn. So many truths in this beautiful hymn!

Click here to see hymn in large print form, and click here to listen to the hymn.
Click here to listen to Wintley Phipps talk about Amazing Grace and sing--be blessed and grab the tissues!!

So just as John Newton told of God's grace through his hymns and from the pulpit, we too are called to tell others of His good news. His grace also allows us to apply the truths from His Word so that we might live lives transformed and for His glory. How are you doing that?

For my page today, I created a 5x7 page to fit on the 7Gypsies Photo Display. I do not use the page protectors that come with the display. I find them flimsy so instead I use the WRMK 5x7 Raw Goods Page Protectors. The only downside is that by hanging them vertically, they are open on the entire right-hand side. So, what I am going to do is sew down the side. Our Daily Bread Designs has many perfect stamp sets for "grace." There is even an "Amazing Grace Bundle" set which includes 3 different stamps sets perfect for our study today. I chose to use the "Amazing Grace Hymn" stamp along with "Grow in Grace" and "Scripture Collection 2" since it contained the Ephesians 2:8 verse listed above.

Papers: October Afternoon Farmhouse, Creative Imaginations, Paper Trey Ink cs
Our Daily Bread Designs Stamps: Scripture Collection 2, Amazing Grace Hymn, Grow in Grace
Stamp Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink walnut stain, VersaFine vintage sepia
Embellishments: Dew Drops cowboy, Doodlebug baker's twine, Sizzix Flower Layers #8 die, leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts, Paper Trey Ink button and twine, sewing machine

Remember to use Keyword HSCRC12 when posting your creations in any online galleries. Also, please leave a link to your creation here using Inlinkz! To see all of the information regarding this new challenge, please visit this post here. And to bookmark the study links for easy reference throughout this year, please look here. I hope you will join me and spread the word. I am excited to begin this new study and year with you! Happy New Year and may your year be blessed as you study His word!

Hymn and Scripture Challenge 2012 Study Links

This year as we study, I will update this page with a link to each challenge hymn for easy reference! You may want to bookmark this link. Studies will be posted usually by 5 p.m. Central time every other Sunday. This will be your one resource page for the entire year's study! I hope this is helpful to you! Blessings,

Hymn and Scripture Challenge 2012 Study Information (Click for complete information on the study. I would love for you to join us at any time!)

2012 Hymn and Scripture Challenge Links:
Challenge 1:  Amazing Grace
Challenge 2:  Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Challenge 3:  How Great Thou Art
Challenge 4:  Standing on the Promises
Challenge 5:  May the Mind of Christ My Savior
Challenge 6:  Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Challenge 7:  The Love of God
Challenge 8:  Christ Arose
Challenge 9:  I Surrender All

Note: No challenges posted during summer of 2012 due to family move.

Challenge 10: When we all Get to Heaven
Challenge 11: Great is Thy Faithfulness
Challenge 12: Trust and Obey
Challenge 13: O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Challenge 14: Take My Life and Let it Be
Challenge 15: Though Troubles Assail Us
Challenge 16: Praise to the Lord the Almighty
Challenge 17: Sweet Hour of Prayer
Challenge 18: O Holy Night