Teacher encouragement

 This year is an exceptionally challenging year for teachers, with all the changes in school with COVID-19.  I cannot imagine how challenging it could be, even for seasoned teachers, having to change how they teach, sometimes drastically.

When Russ and I began counting up the family members and close friends we have in the field of education, either as administrators or as teachers, we were surprised to count seven in our immediate family!  We have been praying for them, and yesterday I decided we needed to send each one a card with an encouraging note in it.  Some of them have already started school, some start this coming week, and some another week later, so now is the time.

I have a new stamp set called "Home Sweet Home" from Simon Says Stamp

I have really enjoyed using it and I thought the sentiments on it were appropriate for what I wanted to say on the cards.  I made different cards for each person/family but put the same "Praying for you" sentiment on the inside with lots of space to write personal notes to each one.

 Here is a close-up of each one.  You will notice some shiny spots.  That is where I put some pale glistening ink just for a little sparkle.  It shines a lot in the photo because of the reflection, but in real life it is less noticeable in that it doesn't glare as it does in the photos.  So much for my photography skills!!  Anyway, here they are...

Covered composition book

 I wanted to start a new journal for a special project I am working on this year.  I remembered that I had one of those black and white composition books that you can buy inexpensively at the beginning of the school year, so I went hunting it down and found it in my craft room where I had stored it with the intention of covering it with pretty paper sometime as a gift.  So I decided to gift myself this time around!  I had some really pretty paper that I have wanted to find a use for but never could figure out how to make it good for a card.  I covered the front and back covers with it, then added some burgundy suede paper for the spine and I am really pleased with how it turned out.

I put a fancy title label on the cover and covered the inside of the front and the back with matching fushia paper.

I like the animal print background of the flowered paper, but like I said, I could not picture making a card with it ... I am not quite artistic enough to picture what to do with it, but I am glad I had that paper because it made a beautiful journal, I think!

Sympathy card

 I needed to make a sympathy card yesterday and turned to one of my favorite dies as the anchor for the card.  This simple spray of flowers is so easy to make into any kind of card and I have used it numerous times for everything from get well to birthday, and now for a sympathy card.

I used a green fern paper for the background because the one who passed was a man and I wanted to reflect a masculine "aura" on the card even though I was using flowers.  I cut the flower die out of dark brown suede paper and it turned out so beautifully against the cream colored card stock that I edged with some bamboo green ink and a little brown.  

Shrub or tree?

 

Jeremiah 17:6 He is like a shrub in the desert…

This morning I was reading Jeremiah 17 and was captured by the contrasts I found between the person described in verses 5-6 and the one in verses 7-8,

5-6 says, Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,  whose heart turns away from the Lord.  He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.  He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Then notice the contrast in 7-8: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Verses 7-8 have long been some of my favorites in their description of the person who trusts in the Lord, likening them to a tree beside a body of water.  I had never before noticed that this description is in contrast to verses 5-6, which describe the opposite – a person who trusts in the strength of their flesh, in themselves.  Notice the contrasts in the two scenarios:

1. One trusts in man, the other in the Lord;

2. One is like a shrub, the other like a tree;

3. One is planted in a desert, the other by water;

4. One experiences no good, the other remains green all the time;

5. One has a parched wilderness for living, the other has refreshing space;

6. One lives in an uninhabited (lonely) place, the other has no anxiety;

7. One lives in salt land, the other reaches water with its roots.

There is no doubt left as to the value of living close to God!

Be Prepared, it will come

    

I Peter 4:1-2, 12-19

Suffering for Christ can deepen our walk with Him.

The first time I read through this passage, I felt discouraged, thinking about suffering.  There is a certain kind of fear that lingers on the edge of my mind when I consider suffering.  So I read the passage again, actually several more times, trying to grapple with that sense of doom that was trying to discourage me. 

I noticed that there are several things the Christian believer is told to do in order to prepare for the time when some kind of suffering will come.  As we prepare ourselves, our walk with God deepens.  Being prepared is what will carry us through those dark times of suffering, no matter what form the suffering may take.  Recognizing that there are things I can do to handle my suffering better gives me a renewed sense of power for facing whatever may come in my future.

How does a Christian prepare herself for that inevitable suffering?  We have all had suffering of one kind or another in our lives, and will no doubt have it again, so we may as well prepare, right?  I found several things I can do to be better prepared for the next time:

     1. Arm myself mentally (v.1).  That is the first step… let God help me see/understand the circumstances I face from His point of view.   

     2. Don’t be taken by surprise (v.12).  Remember that God allows suffering for a good reason, and He will help you through it because He wants you to become stronger in your faith and walk.

     3. Change your way of thinking about suffering (v. 13).  Instead of bemoaning your situation, ask God to help you see His hand at work.  When you do that, you will remember that God will be helping you face the situation.

     4. Think ahead (v.13).  Do what a runner does and think ahead to the goal you have and the reward if you succeed in your quest.  Our goal is the presence of God in our lives now and heaven in our future.  No matter what suffering we may have, the end result will be the same … eternal joy in heaven.

     5.  Do not be ashamed to trust God in your suffering (v.16).  Verses 15-19 remind me that everyone suffers, but I have no suffering compared to someone who does not know the Lord.  How many times have you (as I have) said, “I don’t know how someone could handle this if they couldn’t trust God”?  That is the principle at work in these verses.

    6. Let yourself continue to grow stronger in your faith (v.19).  Do not allow your suffering or your insecurity about handling your suffering deter you from trusting God. That will speak volumes to those outside the faith, or who are weak in their faith, as they observe how you handle your suffering.

Happy, Happy, Happy

I really like the newest stamp and die set that I ordered online not long ago.  It is called Happy Days from CZ Design although I purchased it through my current favorite supplier, Simon Says Stamp.  I tried an idea I found on a blog using this stamp set and am very pleased with the results.  I needed to make a couple of birthday cards and this set was perfect. 

See what I mean?  I hunted down shades of card stock that I had that would work together.  I had only four shades of the right kinds of purple so there are only the four steps of "happy" on that card, but I had five shades of yellow and orange so it has one extra panel.  All I had to do was emboss the word in white and cut the panels so the words would follow the right alignment, then glue them onto another piece of card stock, which I then popped up on the card front with foam tape.  The little "birthday" is also embossed in white and attached with foam tape.  A couple of sequins and a stripe of metallic edging later and the card was done.  Simple, but I think quite effective.