Open Rebuke is Better than Secret Love~ Bible Journaling~ Proverbs 27:5

 Open Rebuke is better than secret love.  

You've heard the scripture, and so have I.  

Do I believe it?  Absolutely!  

 When I was a baby Christian I thought it was all about correction.  

If sin was mentioned in a sermon I was the loudest Amen.     

"How can they DO such a thing?" 

"Don't they know that they are WRONG?"

How could those 'so called' Christians do that? 

Let me tell you, friends, my motives were NOT pure.  

I was rejoicing that they were being corrected.   

I was gloating in my pharasaical righteousness.

I was so concerned with the business of other saints that I couldn't pay attention to my own needs.  

I cringe.

 God has helped me to throw my pitchfork religion out the window and focus on my own shortcomings.    

And believe me, there are many.  

Thank the Good Lord for grace, growth and wisdom! 

The motive of correction should always be restoration.  

Correction should not be done simply because it can. 

Paul corrected the Galatian church, but his heart was made known to them when he said he wanted Christ to be formed in them. 

It was as if he was giving birth to them.  

Giving.  Birth.  

He wanted the best for them.  

Growth. 

A Vibrant Faith. 

He wanted the Living Christ being formed in them, abiding with them.  

What a wonderful heart of a Pastor!  

The truth spoken in love should leave the heart of the person being corrected challenged and desirous to change.  

That's not to say it doesn't hurt.  

Oh, it does!  

But the heart of a pastor who is called by the Lord always wants to see their flock growing and thriving in their Christianity.   

What a wonderful God we serve and thank the Lord His desire for us is only for our benefit! 

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Have a Lovely Day!!!

         

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself~ Bible Journaling~ Matthew 22:39

I've always had it in my heart to buy one of the kits from Illustrated Faith and do hope to get one someday but being on a budget has put that off for the time being.   

One day very soon!

The thought crossed my mind very recently to make try my hand at imitating those wonderful word stickers and kits that I have seen so many other journalers make and this was the result today.  

 I cut up some strips of some scrapbook paper,  stamped the words to my bible verse on them in different fonts and colors, cut them out, and glued them into my bible with a tape runner.  Prior to that I laid down a base of acrylic paints in the same colors as my scrapbooking 'stickers'  and added yellow as a complimentary color.  I edged the words in a black non bleeding fine point sharpie. 

Lastly,  I added a complimentary yellow tag to finish it all off. 

I'm telling you, I couldn't be MORE pleased with the results!  

I love this journaling! 

 Oh how it's so easy to love ourselves and forget about our neighbor, 

We face them every day~  the gal who pushes our buttons at the store or the server who is less then kind to us at a restaurant.  

Our actions should be motivated by the Lord who admonishes us to love those people as we would our self...even if it's difficult.  

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Have a Lovely Day!!!

         

The King of Love my Shepherd Is~Bible Journaling~ Psalm 23

This has been my go-to song lately so I had to journal it in my bible.  It's based upon Isaiah 40:11 and the Shepherd's love for His sheep. 

I put my journaling in the 23rd Psalm where God's sustenance and provision for His sheep is clearly seen.  

It's evident that God's motivation is Love and he showed that love by being the sacrifice for all of humanity.   

I love the folksy and acoustic vibe of this song.  

I hope you give it a listen and enjoy it as much as I do!

This journaling was done with a black Zig marker and watercolor pencils.  Easy Peasy.  

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Have a Lovely Day!!!

         

Stepping Back in Time to Enzo's/Karmel Korn Shop in Chicago Heights, Illinois

If some places stand still in time, Enzo's and the Carmel Corn in Chicago Heights is one of them.  While eating there a few weekends ago,  the owner told me the signs were still the same and it was basically the same as it was many years ago.  

The business has been family owned since 1931 if I remember correctly.  

It's like stepping back a few decades.  

The Chicago Style Pizza is wonderful and cooked in a brick oven.

Penny Candy and Carmel Corn homemade daily with pretty ribbons to wrap.

My friend and I had the Gyros which were great.  Her son had the pizza by the slice which looked wonderful.  (One slice is definitely a meal!)   It can be purchased by the pie as well.  

bWhile we were finishing up our meal,  they brought us samples of their Italian Beef and the meat was VERY tender and flavorful and I have to order that the next time.  They also gave us a sample of their carmel corn.  Yum! 

If you're looking for Gyro's, Italian Beef and Chicago Style Pizza with great customer service then Enzo's/Karmel Korn is it.  
It's located at 1710 Chicago Rd.   Both shops can be accessed through Enzo's.   Parking is available on the South Side of the building. You can find their facebook page here.
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Have a Lovely Day!!!

         

Till Now the Lord has Helped Us~ 1 Samuel 7:12~ Bible Journaling

It's been 3 years and 3 months since that day when my world started to spin off its axis.  I watched my husband, the man whom I had loved for 23 years, collapse into my arms and go unconscious.  It took over 24 hours for the results to come back as the doctors in Korea scrambled to find out what was wrong with my him. 

 The diagnosis was three brain aneurysms, one of which hemmoraghed.      I'm still amazed at the process of what transpired.  He spent 2 weeks in the Neurological ICU and I watched a miracle occur.  There is/was no brain damage or memory loss.  There are some people who die of one brain aneurysm which makes it even more astounding.  
Miracles are what happen to OTHER people but I watched the Lord do wonderful things for us.  It was amazing.  After two surgeries were done to coil the aneurysms in Korea, we moved back to America.   
A few weeks ago, Dave had a CT scan to see how things are going.  Dr Ashley gave us a wonderful report today!!!  There is no occlusion on any of the three coils and everything looks great.   We don't have to have another follow up for another 5 years.  
It's music to my ears!!!!
I can't tell you how much I breathed a sigh of relief this afternoon.   
The scripture that I have journaled today was one that helped me during my husband's hospitalization and afterwards. 
1 Samuel 7:12 says,   Then Samuel took a stone,  and set it betwen Mizpeh and Shen,  and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.  

When my husband survived the aneurysms,  God was helping us.   When he had complications in the hospital, God was still helping us.   When he occasionally has headaches,  God is still helping us
No matter what happens,  God is still helping us.   He is still with us.   
I'm sure you can understand why this verse is such a sweet truth to me.   It continues to keep me grounded in God's truth.  

 The Lord can keep us in times of great trial and hardship!

Up until this very moment he has helped us and been so good to us!

Have a Lovely Day~!

This drawing was inspired by the work of Heather Stillufsen.

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Have a Lovely Day!!!
These are some of the great blogs I follow/link up with:

         

The Day that True Love Died~ Matthew 27~ Bible Journaling

This post has moved.

Check it out over at my new blog: Embracing the Lovely

The Beginning of my Journaling Organization

One thing I've noticed is that my journaling area can become quite a messy craft!  Buying new materials can leave me with quite the quandary on where to put all of the 'junk' I acquire.  

I had seen this craftsman tool carrier in a few groups recently and put it on my list of things to get.  My craft space (ie table) is getting pretty disorganized so today was the day to purchase since I've been saving my nickels and dimes.  I found them at Sears for $11.21 online and the in store price is a dollar or so more expensive.  If you mention the price online they will price match.  

My nearest Sears is about a 25 minute drive (one way), so on a whim I called a local Kmart and they also had them in stock.  The money that I would have spent on gas and time was worth my quick trip for a little over a dollar more.  

The tote is a really nice pink and made from a very durable canvas.  

There's two pockets on one side.

On the flip side there are velcro attachments.  

I think some washi tape could belong here.

The large center cavity is very spacious.  

The entire tote is made of a metal frame with a nice foam handle.  Super durable.

The sewing is great quality and the grommets are heavy duty.  

I also went to the Dollar Tree today and found these chopping mats to use underneath the bible page I am working on to keep the other areas of the bible free from paint.

I think I can use these to mix paint on as well. 

And, last but not least,  these cute floral stickers were a dollar each.
They are dimensional and oh so pretty! 

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Have a Lovely Day!!!