Let’s Keep Christ in Christmas

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”—Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is our everything: our lawyer in the courtroom, our doctor when we’re sick, our friend when we need a shoulder to cry on; everything we need rolled into one person.

His story was meant to be told, which is why Christmas is celebrated worldwide. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, the story of Jesus’ birth has the power to transform lives and bring about joy, wonder and peace for all mankind.

Long before He was born, His story was prophesied through the prophet Isaiah. It was the vision of the soon coming Messiah, the savior of the world who would be a ransom for many.

Isaiah 9:6 gave us an insight of who Jesus would be:

A wonderful Counselor: Proverbs 2:6-7 states it best: “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” (NET)

A Mighty God: He’s mighty in strength, He’s courageous and has all power in His hands. The good news is that these attributes are available to us as well. Psalm 46:1 (NIV) declares, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. We have all we need when we seek and trust in Him.

The Everlasting Father: He’s the connection to God our Father. Without Him, we don’t have access to God. He’s our mediator, our intercessor. Hebrews 1:3 states, “The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

He’s the Prince of Peace (Jehovah Shalom). Jesus was born as man to make us right with our Heavenly Father. Our sinful nature would keep us from God but for Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. He shed His blood so that we could be reconciled to God. Hence, before returning to God He stated, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”John 14:27 NET. With Him we have the assurance of peace during difficult times because we have access to Him and can be sure that He will guard, keep and grant us rest.

This is why we must remember the reason for the season. Jesus’ birth was God’s gift to us. Let’s keep Christ in Christmas.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Come Out and Support Local Artists this Saturday!

If you are in the Los Angeles area, we'd like to invite you to support Nichole Thomas-White (Forty Four Angeles, Deborah Bell and myself (Imago Dei Creative Designs) as well as other local artists/vendors who will be showcasing and selling our art, crafts, designs at Le "Holiday" Pop Up Shoppe, a unique boutique experience, hosted by Stacey Evans Morgan at Pip's On La Brea from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2018.

See the flyer below for further information. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Spiritual Income

I came across the above phrase in my daily devotions and it resonated with me. Hebrews 9:24-28 state, “For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Romans 5:1 confirms this: "Therefore since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 

What the writer of Hebrews was saying according to the devotional is that “something momentous happened when Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended." Furthermore, we, the followers of Jesus Christ, “have not been left with nothing to do.” He has left us “to live daily with trust and anticipation, set in a history replete with horror, injustice, and cruelty in which we must exercise all sources of “spiritual income,” including the daily disciplines of prayer and scripture reading.” I will add to that, praise, worship and honor to His name.

In spite of what we may be facing in our Christian walk, Jesus’ death has left us with faith and hope to receive the grace of God when we love, forgive, and trust in Him despite what’s going on in the world today. 

Cards and More Cards!

Here are some of the latest cards I made. Some were created using digital stamps (some of which I've had for years and can't remember where I purchased) and others I purchased on Etsy. Most of these have been colored using Copic Markers.

Enjoy!

Joy digi stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil

 

Angie Girl Stamp, Journeem from Unity Stamp Co.

Cuttlebug Embossing file 

Stampin' Up Beautiful You collection stamp

Finding Joy in the Pain

When we face trials, when our world caves in on us, it seems impossible that we would be able to deal with the pain and suffering that accompanies these trials. It is not easy for some. We may turn to drink, depression, overeating, over shopping, anything to alleviate the hurt. Yet and still it remains. Whoever said the time heals all wounds obviously must have suffered from a superficial cut—nothing deep that leaves a scar.

Death seems a final wound, one that will not heal because our loved one is no longer with us. I’ve suffered through the death of cousins (who died too young), aunts, uncles, my oldest sister, and recently, my nephew and my mother. Each of these has left a void in my heart, a hurt, that though is not physically manifested, rises to the surface of my consciousness when I least expect it and reopens the wound once again. Maybe not as deep as when they were inflicted, but hurtful nonetheless.

Enid M. Hall - 12/31/1922 - 8/31/2018

Yet, through it all I find myself remembering the good times, the lasting happy moments that death cannot erase and I am lifted out of my sorrow to rejoice and give thanks to God for those happy times. And it is in my rejoicing that I find peace—peace in knowing that my loved ones are safe in the loving arms of Jesus and that I will see them again. I find joy in knowing that death’s sting was not hurtful enough to drag me into despair because Jesus took the bite out of the sting when He paid the price on the cross. I have love—the love of my family and friends who are just a call, just a prayer away, waiting to lend me a shoulder to cry on when I face these sad moments; the love of God, who promised to be there for me in my time of need, the love of Christ, whose blood washes over me in my sorrow, keeping me safe and secure.

Through periods of suffering, James 5:13 reminds us to pray and if possible to sing praises. This is no easy feat for some, but for those who are in Christ, praising and worshipping Him is a salve to our wounds because it takes the focus off our problems and places us in the Holy presence of God, where our troubles can’t touch us, where we honor and pour out our love to Him to the extent of forgetting our pain. It is in that moment healing washes over us.

Yes, there is healing for our pain. It is found when we surrender to the joy of praising and worshiping God, this giving ourselves over to Him for the healing of our souls.

Read James 5:13-18

Bible Journaling

It is amazing the many exciting ways we have that can lead us to spend time in God's Word. There is prayer, praise, worship, soaking, sitting still, journaling, all amazing ways of connecting with God. I love all of these, especially praise and worship, but last year I discovered a new way to interact with God in a way that makes my soul sing: Bible Journaling.

As a cardmaker, I am always on the lookout for inspiration for my cards. Little did I know that there was a way to use the techniques and tools of cardmaking in my private time with God. It was mindblowing! As I researched and followed Bible Journalers on Social Media, I fell in love with this, for me, a new method of spending time connecting with God. It gives me a sense of freedom as I read His Word and His Spirit plants seeds of creativity in my mind and I visualize how He wants me to interpret what I've read.

I have gone so far as to step out of my comfort zone and take part in a challenge. This was amazing because it involved using watercolor to create the journal entries for World Watercolor Month 2018. For thirty (30) days, I journaled based on prompts supplied by the challenge organizer. This challenge opened me up to going outside of my comfort zone and trusting God with my creative masterpieces. I am no expert, by any means, but I keep at it because I get to spend time in His presence and because the work that comes forth from our time together brings glory to His name. 

This is the latest piece I created. I was studying Spiritual Foundations based on Romans 8:1-2 in a Bible Journaling course I participated. This scripture reads, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." What impressed me most about this scripture was the phrase "the Spirit who gives life has set you free" and what immediately came to mind was broken chains. 

Take a look at the finished product below. If you want to see some more of the journaling pages I have done, click here.

The Truth of the Matter

Love is patient and kind...love is not rude (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). These scriptures right here carry so much weight. If we love with the love of God, our words and actions will signify patience and kindness, but never rudeness. People tend to think that speaking truth and being truthful shouldn’t be hurtful because it is the truth. But when we deliver truth harshly, without consideration for those we’re “schooling”, or to make a point, we fail to realize that our words of truth can cause more harm than good. Jesus’ words, “...The truth will set you

free,” (John 8:32) are true words spoken by Jesus, but only if we deliver our “truth” in a loving way and not with the intention to hurt the receivers of that truth; only then will they gain meaning.

The truth of the matter is that truth without love is a weapon of mass destruction. As followers of Jesus, our words should build up, not tear down the body of Christ. We are God’s representatives on earth and as such we ought to represent Him the way Jesus did: with love, kindness, patience, speaking truth in a way the recipient’s eyes will be opened to see his or her mistakes; not closing their ears to shut out what we’re saying because we didn’t take the time to deliver the truth “in love.” Ephesians 4:15-16 states it well: “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

I pray that when you feel led to speak the truth to someone, you will first consider what motivates you to do so. Check your motives. If you’re doing it driven to make a point, please reconsider. Ask the Lord to show you a better way of delivering the truth, with patience, love and kindness. Then and only then will the truth set someone free.

Read 1 Corinthians 13

Back to Basics

We are the church. Did you know that? The four walls that enclose us on Sunday mornings are just that—walls. When we leave the building we should be taking the church with us. After all, we are witnesses for God, His representatives here on earth. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can take God’s word where the Spirit leads us.

Before David decided he wanted to build a temple for God, He (God) was everywhere the people went; He was not boxed in, He was in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Even after the temple was built, God could not be contained. When the Israelites went into exile in Babylon, God was with them; when we, modern day Christians became part of the Vine as Gentiles grafted in by God’s grace and mercy into Abraham’s family tree, He didn’t leave us, on the contrary, He molded us and made us part of His family, all without walls! So why do we limit ourselves to the four walls of the church? Why do we continue to do business as usual, holding on to tradition, locking our doors against those who look and speak different than we do, when the God we serve is a God of change, one who doesn’t look on us based on our gender, color or anything that hints at a difference in our make up; a God who looks to do ‘a new thing’ in the lives of His people?  Here’s why: we are afraid of change, so we remain locked in the four walls of the church afraid to wander in the wilderness not trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us, and what is worse, we keep others out, thus isolating ourselves, which keeps us from being who God created us to be: His church.

We must go back to basics, back to allowing God to lead us by day and night, through His Spirit, to reach others for His kingdom.  To do so, we must tear down the walls that separate us from God’s children and welcome them with open arms.

Read: 2 Samuel 7:1-14

World Without Walls!

We tend to think in terms of either or; either you’re black or you’re white; male or female; you’re heterosexual or homosexual; partisan or bipartisan, and the list goes on. This is how we tend to categorize people. We set boundaries and limits upon ourselves.

Day 14: Strong

God doesn’t look on us that way. He doesn’t see our color, sexual orientation, gender; He sees us as one: his children. He doesn’t categorize us, which frees us from limitations—we are all from the same tribe—God’s, and members of one body. As such, we see each other as brothers and sisters with a common bond: our Heavenly Father. Galatians 3:28 says it best, “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us, you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.”(MSG).

Free your mind from the demarcations imposed by man and live life in the knowledge that, “...since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.” Galatians 3:29 MSG.

Live Life As If It Were Your Last

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 NIV

Do you make plans for the future and the things you will do but leave God out of it? Welcome to living life thinking you have a future. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with planning for the future. The problem lies in planning as though you are in control of your future.

Our lives have a purpose. Do you know what yours is? If you do, are you living in it? Are you committed to doing what God has marked you to do or are you living life thinking only about yourself and what you want to achieve?

In Luke 12:16-21 Jesus tells the parable of a rich man who thought he had sole control of his life and made his own decisions. Read what he says to himself, “‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’”Luke 12:17-19 NIV

You know what God called this man? A fool! Read it in the text, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”” Luke 12:17-21 NIV

This man lived life with a “me, myself, and I” mentality. Everything he said was about him, him, and him alone. At no point did he stop to give God thanks for providing the soil to grow his crops or the means to even build the barn to store them! It’s important that we live our lives according to God’s will for us and be thankful to God because we wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for His provision. Living life selfishly, only thinking about ourselves is not what God has planned for us. In everything we do we must seek God’s direction and live according to the path He’s traced out for us.

There is nothing wrong with living and following your dreams, but make sure those dreams are in alignment with God’s plan for your life and will bring glory to Him through it. The Bible clearly states, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you” —Matthew 6:33.

Live your life knowing that if you meet your maker tomorrow you can give a full account for all you’ve done to glorify and honor Him. Live it so you can hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” —Matthew 25:23.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

What is happiness? It is defined as a “state of being”; a state of being happy, joyful, content, satisfied. Happiness is what we make for ourselves.

People believe that happiness is found in things such as money, food, clothing, and so forth. The reality is completely different. These things cannot make one happy, happiness can only be brought about by one’s ability to create it for oneself. Happiness is a choice! One must choose to be happy despite going through heartache, pain, sickness, and the list goes on. We have been given that power from Jesus Christ. It is, after all, a state of being! 

When we worry and fret over situations that happen in life, we give power to that situation, which robs us of the ability to be happy: it saps our energy and robs us of peace of mind, tranquility, and joy. We must learn to discern what it takes to make one happy and go about embracing that truth to such an extent that nothing will ever make us unhappy regardless of how painful it is. Proverbs 3:13 says it best, “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;”

When we give our lives over to God and learn to leave our problems at His feet and spend our time in His will and being in His presence—living and being instead of doing—only then will we find happiness. See what it says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.” Walking in God’s way and keeping His laws will help us learn to always “be happy”.

“Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. —Philippians4:11-13 MSG

World Watercolor Month 2018

July 1st marked the beginning of World Watercolor Month 2018 hosted by Doodlewash. I follow Sandy Allnock and she created prompts for those who do Bible Journaling and cardmaking to be able to interpret in many ways. I didn't set out to join this challenge, but because I Bible Journal and was seeing some of what other on her Facebook page where creating, I decided to try my hand at it. What I love best about this challenge is not so much following the prompt, but how God directs me to the scriptures to use and how I interpret them, plus the added bonus of practicing a medium that I am not familiar with.

Here are the prompts I have completed so far.

Day 1 - Star

Day 3 - Red

Day 5 - Circle

Day 6 - Young; the stamps is from Unity Stamps

Day 7: Pink

Day 8: Sweet

As you can see, I'm not following the daily prompts. I wait for God to speak to me and inspire me to interpret the prompts.

Here also are some cards I made over the past weeks. I hope to really try posting some of my work more often for you to enjoy.

Have a wonderful day!

D'Bee

This was a special request for a birthday guy. 

I love these stamps from Rubbernecker Stamps!

Here's another one!

and another!

God Is in Control

You think you have control of your life and make plans you assume will go according to those plans. You are not in control—God is.

Everything about you is known by God. He knows your weaknesses and where you will fail. You think you have the power to change, to act, to plan, but you don’t. Pride and self-sufficiency can lead you to failure. What you need to realize is that you are dependent on God. Scripture states, “For in him we live and move and have our being.’”—Acts 17:28. 

Every move you make, every step you take should be done at God’s direction. Surrender your will to His and allow Him to order your steps, He won’t lead you wrong.

Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Cast Your Cares on Jesus

Sometimes we face hardships that weigh us down physically and spiritually. We become anxious and worry to such an extent we can’t see the end from the beginning. This needs not be so! God is standing by waiting for us to call on Him, to give it all over to Him because He knows we cannot handle it on our own.

Why don’t we, then? Because we lack faith or we are fearful to muster it up and activate it. The Bible describes having faith as the, “...assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”—Hebrews 11:1. The other side of the coin of faith is fear which can be described as having the assurance or confidence that something bad is going to happen. How do we counter fear? We begin by changing our thoughts and affirming that fear, anxiety, and worry have no power over us because God’s Spirit dwells within us and we have love, power, and self-control; by, “casting all our care upon Him, for He cares for us.”—I Peter 5:7. Once we do this, “Then we will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7.

Here is a card I made using watercolors. I learned this technique from Tiare Smith, a Mixed media artist, and blogger who encouraged me to give my creativity wings. I made the original version in a sketchbook (see below) and decided to try it on a card.

Sketchbook Version

Card

I am also trying to really carve out time to do Bible Journaling more frequently. I spend time on Sunday afternoons watching Sandy Allnock's YouTube Bible Journaling lessons or following Rebekah R. Jones' techniques. Here's some of what I've been inspired to journal so far.

Exodus 15:20-21

Jeremiah 30:1-2

1 Peter 5:8

Psalm 84:11

Matthew 25:35

Women History Month - Mixed Media Art

I come from a family where women abound. My mother had nine children, seven of which are women (the guys were outnumbered - sorry brothers)! Because of this, you will see women featured in my work.

In my journey as an artist, I’ve been inspired to make women the focus of my art. Most of these have been put together on my computer and cut from cardstock, then embellished with fabric and other ítems. I put a lot of thought in creating these images to represent women, especially women of color.

Here are some of my latest creations:

I Am Not My Hair

She Is Bold

Every Woman Is A Queen

A Black Queen's Beauty Shines from Within

When Motivated Women Get Together

Even though I focus on women doesn't mean that men are left out, so here is this solo player:

Blessed Is the Man Who Trusts in the Lord

Living Life on Purpose - Part 1

What is purpose? As a noun, purpose means "the reason for which something is done, is created or for which it exists." As a verb, it signifies 'what one has as an intention or objective' (i.e., aim, plan, design, etc.)

Most Christians ask or are seeking to find out why God created them, to what aim and for what purpose. Some believe that being saved means having a place in eternity. This is not the case, however. We have been saved to be living witnesses to Jesus Christ! We are on this earth for a reason. God created us on purpose (verb) for a purpose (noun). He deliberately made us and planned for us. Jeremiah 29:11 states, "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." His intentions for us were clear from the beginning (Genesis 1:26:28).

As stated earlier, we tend to ask what is our purpose, why God made us. The reality is that we should be asking what God's purpose is for us. God has blessed each and every one of us with gifts and talents to be used to accomplish His will for our lives: to be witnesses for Him. The gifts and talents we have are to be used as platforms to give glory to His name. For example, I love to create visual graphics with inspirational, motivational, or scriptural messages. I do this during my devotional time because as a visual person, I feel I can use these images to draw others to the work of God. Other types of gifts include leadership skills, giving, hospitality, administration, and so forth. All of these are natural born gifts to be used for God's glory.

There is so much to share about living life on purpose. I will continue with this topic in my next post. In the meantime, here is my latest inspired piece. It is a mixed media art on canvas, "When motivated women get together amazing things can happen." Enjoy!

Fervent Prayer

God seeks our attention; our undivided attention. He doesn’t need our coming to Him for drive-by prayers. He wants that when we pray to Him, that we do so in a reverent and respectful way. Our prayers to God should not be for what He can give us or what He can do for us. No, our prayers should be for His Will for our lives, that we would desire what He wants for us!

Fervent prayer is constant prayer. It is a prayer that is heartfelt and comes from the depth of our soul. It is prayer such as uttered by Hannah (read 1 Samuel 1:1-9). Fervent prayer is like latching on to something you want badly and not letting go until you get it, constantly asking or nagging someone consistently until they give you an answer.

This is the type of prayer we must pray. The prayer uttered in this manner should leave us feeling weak and spent, but afterward, it will strengthen us for our journey. 

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16.