Not just a name

I Chronicles 1:10 Cush fathered Nimrod.  He was the first on the earth to be a mighty man.

I have always struggled to read through the long genealogies that we have listed in the Bible, and particularly in the books of the Chronicles.  Most of the time I just skimmed through those lists of names, but this year I decided to read the names more carefully and to note anyone that has something said about him other than his place in a family, and I am finding some interesting food for thought in the process.  I am only at chapter five as of today, but have already seen some good lessons for myself, Nimrod being the first.

1:10 ~ Nimrod was Noah’s great-grandson and according to Genesis 10:9 not only was he a mighty man but he was a “mighty hunter before the Lord.”  He built some cities, the most memorable being Ninevah.  What he did, he did “before the Lord” which leads me to believe he was honorable and strong, faithful to God in what he did.

1:19 ~ Peleg was also a great-grandson of Noah and he is mentioned in Genesis 10:25 but all we know about him is that in his lifetime “the earth was divided.”  Peleg evidently lived in a day and age very similar to today.  The world around him was a hard one in which to live and although we know nothing else about him, the fact that this is mentioned in connection to his name tells me that he must have remained faithful to God in the midst of trouble and turmoil.  What a good reminder to me!

2:3 ~ Er was Judah’s oldest son and what a sad legacy he left to us!  He was evil, and his wickedness was not “small.”  This verse says he was so evil that God put him to death.  “Nuf said …

2:7 ~ Achan is another sad legacy.  In this verse he is called “the troubler of Israel.”  He “broke faith” and had to be punished because of his selfishness (see Judges 7:10-26) that caused Israel’s defeat at Ai.

2:22 ~ Jair is a name I never noticed until this exercise, but this verse says he had 23 cities, so he was no wall flower!  He obviously had some diligence and leadership ability and God blessed him when he was willing to use his talents and personality in a way that honored God.  I pray I will spend my life that way and be remembered in those terms also.

2:30, 32 ~ Seled and Jether are totally unknown except for the fact that they were childless.  This is often a painful experience for married people, and it would definitely have been so for these ancient men, living in a society where having children was of paramount importance.  The fact that this is mentioned is my reminder that God will bless the person who is faithful to Him even when circumstances of life are difficult and/or painful.

2:33 ~ Sheshan had no sons, only daughters.  He gave one of his daughters to his Egyptian slave, Jarha, in marriage.  My first thought was really negative about Sheshan.  His daughter married his slave?  How barbaric, how cruel, how unfeeling!  But then I read how the children from that marriage were considered in the genealogy and I realized how once again God included Gentiles into Jewish lineage (remember Rahab and Ruth?).  God uses some of the most unique ways we can imagine to accomplish His purposes!  I only need to trust Him.

There are more names and more lessons to learn …

Mother Goose

I just love making these folio albums, and when looking through my stash of paper the other day I found leftovers from another album project that was just asking to be used!  After all, I was looking for something to use for making an album for a friend who wants one to put pictures of her great grandchildren in.  This Mother Goose paper from Graphic 45 is so cute, and it made up really cute.  I love those bright colors, and making the base with a bright blue card stock brought out all those lovely colors, I think.

I also tried a new project with some other left over paper from a previous folio album and made a small gift bag for the album.  It turned out pretty good, if I may say so myself!  I'll definitely try this again.

It has been a productive week!

Mine!

Psalm 18:1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.

As I was reading this psalm today, I was struck by all the descriptions of God’s character and actions on behalf of His loved ones.  It started right way from the very first verse~ (Here comes another top ten list … well, actually a top nine list this time!)

     1. My strength (v.1) … v.20 says that by Him I can run against a troop and leap over a wall and v.34 says He trains my hands for war.  Now THAT is strength!

     2. My rock (v.2) … v.22 says He set me secure on the heights, and in v.26 He gave a wide place for my steps so I don’t slip.  Mighty secure, I would say!

     3.  My fortress … and in v.43 David says that God delivered him and made him the heard of the nations and his enemies lost heart and came out of their own fortresses because of what God did for David.

     4.  My deliverer … vv.6-15 five a very picturesque description of how much God did to rescue David from his enemies when David called out for help.  God’s answer included smoke, fire, darkness, hailstones, arrows and lightning – all in response to the desperation David had.  God really DID love His child!

     5. My God … v.6 says that David’s voice reached God’s ears and solicited a quick response that showed His power.

     6. My shield … v.36 says God gave David a shield of salvation against his enemies.

     7. The horn of my salvation …. In v.40, David says his enemies turned their backs to him, i.e., they actually ran away from him!

     8. My stronghold … v.44 says that David’s enemies obeyed him and came cringing to him.  There was nothing but fear and awe once God gave David clear victory.

     9. My support (v.18)... I really love this title!  V. 24 says the Lord rewarded David for his commitment to obedience and humility (see v.17 also).

What great reminders of all God can be for me, just as He was for David.

In the shadow of God's wings

Psalm 17:3b I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

In the Bible I am currently using for my devotions, each psalm has been given a title by the publisher/editor, and the title of this psalm is “In the Shadow of Your Wings.”  As I read through the fifteen verses this morning, I noticed numerous ways “another “top ten list is coming!) in which the one who lives in the shadow of His wings displays that way of living.  My prayer is that my life will reflect these same characteristics.

            1. Living free of deceit (v. 1b)

            2. Determination to not sin (v.3b)

            3. Avoiding sinful ways (v.4b)

            4. Carefully obeying God (v.5)

            5. Praying regularly (v.6)

            6. Experiencing God’s love (v.7)

            7. Protection by God (v.8)

            8. Deliverance from the wickedness around me (v.13)

            9. Seeing God work (v.15a)

            10. Finding satisfaction in God (v.15b)

Exploding boxes

When sister Judy sent me a video of an exploding box album on Facebook, I realized that I have never recorded my attempts here on my blog, so I went looking for some photos of at least a couple of them.

The first one I did was for Chinese new year, 2017, the Year of the Rooster:

I made it with just a few photos because I was trying to emphasize the new year aspect mostly.  The box is black card stock covered with red metallic paper and with gold metallic accents.  I actually made two of them for two different Chinese friends.  They loved them!

The other one I made for my neighbor who wanted something special for her niece who was graduating from high school.  I did post about that box here.

This box had two layers of sides which gave my neighbor 12 places for pictures and other additions.  It was quite striking when completed.

Owls

I decided to  enter my latest birthday card in this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  It is a cute sketch and just perfect for the card I wanted to make with my owl paper and stamp.


Sister Judy had given me some really cute birthday paper that has lots of little birthday owls on it, so I used some of that for my card.

Songbird album

I spent most of the day yesterday creating this new folio album from a set of papers named Song Bird, from Paper Wishes.  I think this paper is beautiful and it made a really pretty album.  It is the same design as the other folio album I made last week.

Here are some pictures of the songbird album.  I'd be interested to know which one people like the best

Oops!  This picture is a bit blurrier than I want, but you get the gist of the closed album...
Here is a side view showing the 3-D effect bird on the lower right:

Now, opened up all the way...

As before, the pocket on the left side has three mats, one of which is a little booklet folded.

And, finally, the waterfall in the center section.  I love the colors in these papers!

Correctly focused

I Samuel 12:21 And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.

I think the Lord is giving me a strong message this week to remind me to be fully committed to obeying, following and serving Him!  Yesterday I saw that in an earlier passage from I Samuel 7:3 and again today in this verse.  I must be diligent to follow Him.  I must be careful about what motivates me, cautious to work towards useful and beneficial objectives, not empty things without lasting value.  I must be careful to pray over every goal, every activity.  I do not want to pursue anything that is empty.  Not only must I be whole-hearted but I must be correctly focused.  With God’s help, I will be just that.

My first folio album

When I came across pictures of a folio album on Pinterest, I immediately fell in love with the layout idea and since I had a set of papers from Paper Wishes that I was planning to use for some kind of mini album, I set to work to use this paper and I LOVE  the results! 

The paper set had a sheet that had a flower collage in the lower left corner with the blue pattern and pink stripes, so I used that as the base of the front.  It opens with the panel you see on the right.  I added the gold butterflies at the bottom and a die-cut pink and maroon flower beside the rose buds.  By the way, the base of the folio is black card stock.

When you open the right panel, this is what you see:

I covered the inside of the panel with plain pink patterned paper then added a cutout of flowers from the top left corner of the paper that had the flowers on the bottom left, as described above.  I die cut a flower and leaves and added them to the lower part of the panel just for added dimension and interest.  
Now, open the left panel all the way to see the rest of the folio:

The left side is a pocket with three tags in it, one of which (the deep red one) is actually a folded 3 1/2  x 4 1/2 in. booklet that has four panels total.  Both of the other two tags (one is 5 x 7 in. and one is 4 x 6) are two-sided.

The flower and butterfly decorating the pocket is a three dimensional decoration:

The center panel is a "waterfall" album that has seven two-sided panels.

All in all, there is space for at least 22 photos or journaling spaces.

I like this so much, I plan to make several others with paper sets I have in my stash.  I think it is quite striking~  I can hardly wait to see how others will turn out!

Whole-hearted devotion

I Samuel 7:3 If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only.

Once again I am reminded of the fact that God is looking to bless those who are willing to whole-heartedly follow Him.  He does not want partial loyalty or partial obedience.  God wants my full attention, my full determination to obey.  In return, He will protect and empower me as the last of this verse premises: “and he will deliver you…”  What more could I ask?!

There was no king

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel.  Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

I found at least 15 times just in the book of Judges when the people of God, the Israelites, did not choose to obey and worship God and in every case had to be brought back through hardship of some kind.  Several times I noticed that the scripture said the people had no king, as did this verse.  The implication for me is that without good influence at “the top” the people went their own way.  This verse even says they all did what was right in their own eyes.  With our sinful nature, we have to have someone leading us along the right way.  For me, I had my parents help me in those early years, then through the years there have been other mentors who have helped me know and understand the right way until my spiritual maturity was such that I could see what is right with my own eyes, and now I am able to be that spiritual guide to others, thus repeating the process for the next generation.  At the same time, I continue to be mentored by others such as my pastor and Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, etc.  We help mentor one another so that we can be obedient to God’s Word as we grow in our understanding of it.  We don’t have to be caught up in sin by doing what is right in our own eyes unless we choose to do so.

Thank you in gold and purple

When sister Beverly brought me some metallic gold card stock she found at an office supply store, I wanted to make her a thank you card using some of the paper because I could tell it would be beautiful on cards.  Sure enough, when I got it finished, the card (I think) is beautiful!  I had some metallic purple card stock already and it made a lovely complement to the gold.  A touch of bright green was just enough to add the pop of color.  Then I realized that Freshly Made Sketches has a challenge right now with just the right layout idea so I am going to enter my card this week.  I'm usually too slow, but I guess I have an extra spring in my step now that spring has truly sprung, and we have all the pollen to prove it!
The sketch I was following was  Freshly Made Sketches

I carried the "theme" of color into the inside of the card although my photograph seems a bit blurry!