Providence 365 - Week 52

Luke 2:10-16
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
I love hearing the story of Baby Jesus from the book of Luke. And it doesn’t matter if I hear it during worship, during a children’s Christmas program…or when Linus shares the Word during Charlie Browns Christmas – it is a story that never gets old, brings a smile to my face and warms my heart.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

As we bring Providence 365 to a close, I pray that you have been blessed through our year long journey. Barbara (Precepts and Promises) and I (Pam of by the Shore designs) have enjoyed sharing His word and pray that you have found words for reflection that have been timely and inspiration for your scrapbooking layouts using our word-art.

Please take a moment to share with us in the forum at Faith Sisters how our Providence 365 journey impacted you. Thank you for joining us in 2011. Please make sure to visit us on our blogs for more inspiration in 2012 – God Bless and give Glory to God in the Highest!.

(Click on the image above or here for your word art for week 52)

AND.....MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Providence 365 - Week 50

REJOICE!

Light one candle for Hope. One bright candle for Hope. He brings hope to every heart, He comes He comes.
Light one candle for Peace. One bright candle for Peace. He brings peace to every heart, He comes, He comes.
Light one candle for Joy. One bright candle for Joy. Every nation, shall find salvation in Bethlehem’s Baby Boy.
Light one candle for Love. One bright candle for Love, He brings love to every heart, He comes, He comes

Several years ago when my daughter was in our church Christmas Pageant, they sang this song. (And I wish I could give it proper credit, but I am unable to find the author) During the season of advent, it is a song that plays through my head and brings a smile to my face. Not only does it bring happy memories of a little girl in a velvety red dress , it reminds me that during Advent we wait and prepare.

Today is the third Sunday of Advent. It is often known as Gaudete Sunday. In Latin, Gaudete means REJOICE. On this third Sunday of Advent, we rejoice that our Good Lord is coming.

Today’s Bible verse comes from Philippians 4:4-7


Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

REJOICE!
During this season of Advent – how do you prepare? How do you rejoice?

Here is the word art for this week. (click on the image to download)

Can’t wait to see what you share with us in our Providence 365 Forum and Gallery at Faith Sisters.

And join me this week as I continue to ‘buck the trend’ and say MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone I meet.

Providence 365 - Week 48

For those in the United States, I pray that you each had a blessed Thanksgiving, surrounded by family, friends and loved ones.

It is hard to believe that it is week 48 of our 52 week journey through Providence 365. I have personally been blessed to be able to work with Barbara and share with you His words of inspiration.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

To be joyful, patient and faithful – these three words represent completely different actions – yet in this verse they are strongly intertwined. When we rejoice in hope, we are waiting confidently for an expected outcome. When we rejoice in hope, we are better able to be patient, sit quietly and wait when times of tribulation occur. And during these difficult times we need to pray without ceasing more than ever.

Where do you find hope? How has hope helped you through those rough spots? And are you faithful in your prayer life?

In addition to Romans 12:12, here are a few more verses to reflect on:
Philippians 4:!9
Hebrews 11:1

Here is wordart I have created for this week’s Providence 365.

Barbara and I love to see the layouts you create with the Providence 365 wordart. Be sure to post it in our Faith Sisters Providence 365 Gallery and share with us in the Providence 365 forum - here


As I close this week’s Providence 365, I have a special prayer request for a young boy named Peter. Prayer is so powerful. Peter is fighting a strong battle against a few known illnesses and a few yet to be identified. While he has seen a couple of upswings in the last 2 weeks – his current condition is one that has his doctors and family very concerned. Please lift Peter and his family in prayer. His Mom shared a message today on his ‘Care Page’ that brought me to tears. Despite his health conditions, she puts her faith in our Lord and knows that Peter is not alone and is in His loving arms. She had prayed early on that regardless of what his little body was fighting on the outside, that he would not be alone and would find comfort and joy on the inside. She knows that this is the case and this brings her hope. Thank you for lifting this lil guy in prayer.

Providence 365-week 44 TIME TO SERVE

TIME TO SERVE

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

Yesterday, my 10 year old daughter participated in our regional Special Olympics competition in bowling. Another amazing experience for our family. The event always begins in prayer and I cannot think of a better way to start. All of the athletes had a wonderful time and their positive spirit resonated throughout the bowling alley. What really struck me yesterday were the volunteers. They were out in full force – all to help make this experience the very best it could be for the athletes.

Where do you serve? Where would you like to volunteer? Where is the greatest need? We often serve in our church, but there are so many more opportunities in each of our greater communities. Reach out to all of our brothers and sisters, lend a helping hand. Perhaps in a soup kitchen, in a school, a homeless shelter for families, a food pantry, Special Olympics….His children need us.

This week, reflect on where you serve or where there may be a need in your community that you have not considered before.

Here is word-art to get you started on this week’s layout.

Barbara and I look forward to seeing your layouts in the Providence 365 gallery and here in the forum. Oh, and my daughter earned a Silver Medal. We move onto State Competitions in two weeks!

Providence 365-Week 42

I thank my God every time I remember you. Phil 1:3

Last weekend, Barbara of Precepts and Promises and I had the unique opportunity to meet “in real life”. We attended a conference with over 75 digital scrapbookers from around the country. What a blessing it was to spend time together with my Providence 365 friend.

During the conference, we heard a quote that really put in perspective why many of us scrapbook.

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” ― Anaïs Nin

What does it mean to “remember”? Recall, reminisce, ‘think of’, ‘bring to mind’ are just a few of the words and phrases that we use to define remember.

We “recall” events and occasions. We “reminisce” about people we have met in the past that have made an impact on our lives. We “think of” people that are in our life today that are important to us. Certain situations “bring to mind” special memories from the past. And we thank God when we remember.

When we scrapbook, we sometimes let our pictures do the talking (a picture is worth a thousand words). More often than not, we journal our thoughts – documenting details and sharing feelings and emotions. And as we journal ~ we taste life twice.

Here is your challenge this week. Why do YOU scrapbook? What do you scrapbook? Who do you scrapbook about? Who enjoys your scrapbooks? (And do you actually get those layouts printed out or posted on a blog so that your loved ones can enjoy them too)


Here is word art to use on your layout.

I look forward to seeing your layout about this week’s challenge. Please post your layout in our Providence 365 gallery and share it with us in the forum at Faith Sisters.

Have a blessed week. (and by the way, Barbara is just as sweet in real life as I thought she would be)

Providence 365-Week 30

Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)

If you have ever worked with clay – you know that it can be a slow process to create that perfect pot. It takes patience and care and cannot be rushed.


I am clay and our good Lord is the potter. Isn’t this a comforting thought? I am the work of His hand. I am always growing, always changing - He is not done with me. He has patience with me. He guides me. His hands are constantly on me. He molds me not only on the outside but on the inside too. I’m not finished. He never gives up on me – He sits at that potter’s wheel as He patiently molds me. When I am weak, he builds me up to make me stronger. If I start leaning, He holds me up. I am sometimes hard on myself when I make a mistake and cannot get past the scar that is left. What I need to remember is that I am forgiven - His tender touch smooths out that blemish and allows me to grow. He never walks away from that wheel. I am His and He is not done with me. And for that I am thankful.


Do I make mistakes? Absolutely. Does He? Never! He has a plan for me and while I do not know that plan – I have confidence that He knows exactly what this pot will be when I am complete. I make mistakes, and He forgives me and still loves me. I head down a wrong path – and He redirects my steps. He is still molding me – He is not finished with me. I can imagine him smiling as I become the person He knows I will be.


This week, I encourage you to reflect on how He has been molding you….


Here is a bit of word art to help you with your layout this week.



Please make sure to post your layout in our Providence 365 gallery at Faith Sisters – and head on over the the Providence 365 thread in the Faith Sister Forum (here) and share the link. I can’t wait to see what you create. (And can you believe we are at week 30 – already!) Have a blessed week!

Providence 365 - Week 24

This is one of my favorite times of the year! Monday begins our annual Vacation Bible School ~ a community outreach that touches between 300-400 kiddos fifth grade and younger. Our children love this week as they get to know Jesus and that God loves them so much. Our volunteers (over 150 students in 6th-12th grade and adults) are a blessing to our church, our community and to the children. And EVERYONE has fun! This year’s theme is PANDA-MANIA! (I simply love Group's VBS programs - they are the best!)

We know that for some children – the church is their second home, their ‘other’ family. They know that God loves them and they look forward to learning more about Jesus each week – in the church and at home. For other children, this is the only time of the year that they enter a church. If we reach just one child and help them see that Jesus is their best friend – then the week is a success! Maybe we just spark a little flame in their heart and soul that makes them want to learn more – another success as it’s a great start. And the more the merrier – our ultimate goal is that all of these children know Jesus, and know that he is our Savior.

As a leadership team, we start planning after the last VBS, documenting lessons learned and beginning preparations for the coming year. There are so many behind the scenes activities to make this special week happen – and with His help, it all comes together. Each leadership meeting begins and ends with prayer – and He is with us every step of the way; guiding us, preparing us and ensuring that nothing is overlooked.

As we have gathered for the past several months – and as we gather this coming week – we remember:

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

When surrounded by hundreds of children and volunteers for five straight days, three hours a day ~ how wonderful to remember that we are not alone – He is right there with us! Where are you gathering this coming week?

Please enjoy this word art and have fun with your layout this week!

have a wonderful week - wherever you gather...by the Shore

Providence 365 - Week 18 ~ Praise the Lord!

Praises to our Lord!

We have so much to be thankful for, even in times that are troubling. In the past year, we have witnessed earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, flooding. Most of us from the comfort of our homes… watching tv, reading the daily news or surfing the internet. And sadly, there are some of us that have experienced these tragedies first hand.

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Psalm 146: 1,2

Sometimes it is difficult sing our praises during adversity – but we are called to be thankful, to sing praises at all times….”all my life”.

When we praise God – even in tough times – we BELIEVE that He will keep His promises. When we praise God, we TRUST him. When we praise God, we are pushing the devil away. When we praise God, we know that He LOVES us.

This week, take some time to reflect on how and when you praise God. Remember that He keeps His promises, we can trust Him and that He loves us unconditionally.

Praise the Lord!

(and here is word-art for your layout or special project to help with that Praise)

Here is the link to our Faith Sisters Forum for Providence 365-Week 18.

Have a blessed week!