Thankful Faith Blog Hop

Welcome to our monthly Faith Blog Hop!  We are delighted that you have decided to join us and are praying that the Lord would impact your life through what we have to share with you. If you came from (       ) blog you are in the right place.  This month's hop is focused on "Being Tankful, even when life gives you no reasons".  Our prayer is that you are blessed, touched, moved, and inspired to look at what we have to share and decide to make it your own.  We are opening up the challenge so that you can share your projects with us as well, and cannot wait to see what you will create.  Throughout the hop you will find many RAK's, so plese fell free to leave comments about your reactions, and thoughts.  We love to hear from you!

Now to the hop:

Here are the bold and beautiful women who will participate this month:
Nana- http://mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com
Kari- http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/
Christel- http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com
Wendy-http://wendyscrappings.blogspot.com/
Marjolaine- http://twelvestonesscrapbooking.blogspot.com/


I would like to share this song with you.  I have so many things to be thankful for this year alone.  Through all the drama and trauma, I'm still standing. God has been SO GOOD to me despite me!  So, I pray that through all the turkey, family, shopping, football, and anything else that may try to distract us, that you stopped to tell the Lord thank you!  If you didn't, it's still not too late.  He's so worthy of our praise.  One things that has been floating around on Facebook has been, What if we woke up tomorrow with only the things that we thanked God for?  

For my project today, I'd like to share some cards I made for a friend whose father retired as the Senior Pastor of their church after many years of service.  These cards were for her mother and the ladies who worked tirelessly to make sure that the Pastor knew how much the congregation appreciated him.  I really enjoyed making these cards. 

BLOG CANDY ALERT:  I would like to bless one commenter who is a follower with a fully decorated door hanger for their craft room or any other spot in their house.  All you have to do is leave a comment under this post with a way for me to get in touch with you.  You will need to be a follower of my blog.  In addition, if you have an international address, I will have to ask that you pay for the postage.  I will select one person on Monday to receive a door hanger decorate as they choose.  Here is an example of one hanger that I have completed in the past.

Thanks for being with us.  Feel free to create a project and post it over on Paper Tree House Studio.  We would love to bless you!  :) Hop on over to Wendy's blog to continue with your journey of Thankfulness... ;)  Remember, I love you and there ain't nothing you can do about it!

Be-Attitudes Faith Blog Hop

We are so glad you decided to join us for this month's hop that was scheduled for September 23-25.  Due to unforseen circumstances, we are having to POSTPONE the hop until next weekend September 30 - October 1.  Please be sure to come back to see our creations as we share God's love.  Thank for your support!

Love in Christ,

Faith Blog Hop

Happy Friday and welcome to the Father's Love Faith Blog Hop. If you are following the hop you will have arrived here from the start which is My Paper Tree House, then you’re in the right place. If you want to follow along from the start then click to go back to the start. Lots of participants have giveaways along the journey and if you want to enter those please follow their individual requirements.

At the end of every month a group of bold women gather to give Glory to God with the talents He has given us in a very loud way... :) Our prayer is that through the projects we have created you will be able to see Him in all of His Glory! May He touch you today as we look at the theme of the the Father's Love Letter.

This is how the hop works:
Below you will find the list of the beautiful and brave women that are ready to show their weaknesses in order that you may see His strength. :) Follow the line-up and please leave some love throughout the way. Winners for the Grand Prizes will be select from those who follow and comment on all of the individual blogs.
Now, please allow yourself to cry, laugh, smile, along with any other emotion the Lord may bring your way. You will find that there are many prizes throughout the hop.


Here are our sponsors:
Paper Tree House Studio: Scrapbooking Kit
Tombow: Amazing Adhesive Pack
Papperie: scrappy goodie bag
Scrappy Zeni: 8x8 DCWV Mango Frost Stack
Now let's get the hop started! :)


Here's the wonderful line-up.
My Paper Tree House - http://mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com/
Christel Bonner - http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/
Monique Mixon - http://mixonthememories.blogspot.com/
Carolyn Phillips - http://messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com/
Kari Sanchez - http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/
Lynne Kirsch - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
Wendy Swenne - http://wendyscrappings.blogspot.com/
Zeni Pradel - http://www.scrappyzeni.blogspot.com/

My Testimony:
I debated about sharing this but I feel that I should share a bit of what's been going on with me in hopes that you may be blessed.  This past month has been difficult for our family in several ways.  I had started working at through a temporary agency a while back and then was laid off for unknown reasons.  To this DAY, I have no idea why except that God wanted me in place to enjoy my family as I would not have been able to do so if I were working.  At the same time, we received an eviction notice a little before that period as our lease was up and the owners want to sell the house.

No job, no home, four children (one of whom battles autism and has been doing wonderfully this year) -- I was taken aback.  I KNOW my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.  And my God isn't broke.  I also have been battling some personal health issues that rear it's ugly head every now and then and stress doesn't make it better.

The clock was ticking and we had been looking for SEVERAL months for a home.  My wonderful in-loves offered to take the children for the month of June so we could do what we needed to do to move so that is a blessing!

While everyone was here for my son's graduation from the 8th grade, I got a call.  The company I worked for wanted me back. HUH??? I was so confused and honestly reluctantly accepted to go back. So, I'm working and we need to move. Uh oh! Who's going to try to find us a house.

My youngest and I had looked at a house a while back.  His name is Caleb.  While walking through the house he whispered to me, "This would be perfect for us." He's 6.  I told him, I'm not the one you need to tell but I didn't really say anything else and kinda shrugged it off.  He proceed to walk downstairs and straight up to the owner and tell him, "This would be the perfect house for our family." This completely shocked and embarrassed me a bit.  He is a outgoing child but very shy around strangers.  After a few exchanges, Caleb continued looking through the house. 

The next house we looked at was still in need of some repairs and the owner was fixing it up.  He said he'd be a week and we agreed to rent the house. That was over a week ago.  We had worked everything out and were ready to move in. Then the Holy Spirit promoted us to stop by. Oh boy! He hadn't really done anything. It was still in shambles and we had little time for him to get it together.  I feel apart then.  I really didn't like the house much but I knew that God would take care of me wherever I went.  So my husband gave him until the following Tuesday to call us. Of course, he moved too slow for this wife. God's working on me in that area.  When the guy called, my husband said he acted as though we hadn't talked at all, as though we weren't renting the house, and as though he didn't care. Well, my hubby was fired up.  He called the other guy for the house our little prophet spoke in and we're moving this weekend! The guy isn't making us jump through hoops.  He isn't prorating the rent and he is letting us move in early.  The house is in the school zone and that means my daughter will have the same assistant that helped her this year.  PRAISE THE LORD!!!

There is a wonderful book entitled Those Who Trust in the Lord Shall Not Be Disappointed  by Peggy Joyce Ruth. It is a must-read for building your faith.  I learned that not only will God not disappoint you if you trust in Him, he's not going to just give you something to pacify you.  He'll give you the desires of your heart and knock your socks off. There are promises for provision in His Word and we just have to tap into it and believe by faith that He's faithful to fulfill every tittle and morsel of word that He spoke.

I challenge you to live by faith.  Truly live by it.  Step out! If you have a plan B, that ain't faith.  If you see it, that ain't faith.  Stretch! I know I have and I'm all the better for it.  Thank you Jesus!

So, that's what I've been dealing with these last few months that have had me up and down and not in the creating/bloggy mood.  I had to focus and I apologize for not being able to share. 

For my project this month, I selected to feature this card that I made for my husband for Father's Day.  The theme of my card comes from the fact that my heavenly Father loves me so much that He provided a wonderful man to be the priest, prophet, and provider for our home.  No, everything is not a bed of roses but I know and trust my Heavenly Father who works in and through my hubby and so therefore I'm WELL taken care of.

Your next stop is Monique's Blog. Remember to leave a comment on this post if you want to be considered for one of the Grand Prizes. :)

**BLOG CANDY ALERT**

I have a Bloom Dots Cuttlebug folder up for grabs.  All I need you to do is be sure to leave a comment on this post along with a way to contact you.  This time I'm going to leave it open to anyone to win.  I'd love if you became a friend (follower) but it's not required. I host monthly swaps and following my blog will get you in the "know" about when, where, and how.  It will take me awhile to get the prize to you as I am starting to move this weekend so please be patient. I will select a winner hopefully by next weekend but I can't make any promises.

Love in Christ,

Proverbs 31 Faith Blog Hop

Welcome to another special Faith Blog Hop sponsored by Paper Tree House Studio! You should have arrived here from Candy's blog if you are following the hop. If you just happen to have fallen here go to the beginning of the hop over at Paper Tree House Studio.



At the end of every month a group of bold women gather to give Glory to God with the talents He has given us in a very loud way... :) Our prayer is that through the projects we have created you will be able to see Him in all of His Glory! May He touch you today as we look at the theme of the Proverbs 31 woman, and may you find that you are indeed everything He designed you to be.

This is how the hop works:


There are many beautiful and brave women that are ready to show their weaknesses in order that you may see His strength. :) Follow the hop and please leave some love throughout the way. Allow yourself to cry, laugh, smile, along with any other emotion the Lord may bring your way. You will find that there are many prizes throughout the hop. In order to qualify to receive them you must be a follower of the blog and you must leave a comment. Know that if you are announced as the winner of a prize you are responsible for contacting us in order for us to make the prize go your way.

Here are our sponsors:

Paper Tree House Studio: Scrapbooking Kit (valued at $45)
Tombow: Amazing Adhesive Pack
Scrapbook News and Review: 1 year subscription to their magazine.
Punky Sprouts: Sweetie Album
Sweet Stamper: Stampin' Up Stamp Set

My personal story and take on the "Proverbs 31 Woman" ~
She doesn't exist!  LOL! I bet you didn't expect that one. Well...as I struggled my entire life with feeling severely inadequate and trying to over compensate, I had to come to the realization that when reading this portion of the scripture, God wanted to teach me something far greater than just the literal words that I say on the page.  Would God ever want me to be so perfect that there'd be no need for Him? Of course not! So, to feel insufficient because I'm not the perfect Proverbs 31 woman is erroneous. The Word says not one person is perfect.  Perfection is something that we will obtain when we put off the corruptible.

I seriously feel that satan tries to trick us into a position of immobility.  Once we begin to think that we are not ever going to be able to measure up, there are usually two responses that occur.  We either become so consumed with trying to measure up that we neglect the people and things that are important (God, spouse, children, church) or we shrink back and do nothing.  What would it matter anyway?

The one scripture that DID  jump out at me was the 26th verse. In the New Living Translation it says, "When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness." Oh Lord, may this be my testimony.
God, in His infinite wisdom, placed Proverbs 31 in the Bible for a reason.  I think it can speak different things to different woman during different seasons in their lives but the fact still remains.  God, created the perfectly imperfect you.  We need Him to make it.  We can't do this alone.  In our weakness, He is strong. 

By the way...did you notice that there is NO mention of beauty except to say that it's fleeting?

Rise up and become the woman of God that you were designed to be! So...what are you waiting on? You can start right now.  Go ahead. God's calling you.

Now for my project.  I created this layout for my mother.  Please don't tell her. Is my Mom perfect. No! BUT...I can see the kindness and the progression that is outlined in Proverbs 31.  In fact, she taught school for several years and many of her students call her Momma. She has so many children, I sometimes feel lost in the crowd.  But I would say that they would rise up and call her blessed along with me and my siblings. 

***Blog Candy Alert***
I have been having tons of fun making embellishments soooooo....I thought that my prize for the hop would be a few goodies for you.  I will send two stick-pins and a small bag of handmade crochet flower to one person.  In order to qualify you must:
1. Leave some love. 
2. Have a U.S. address as I am not in the position now to ship overseas.
3. Leave a way for me to contact you.
4. Share about the hop using Facebook, your blog, or tweet about it and come back and leave a SECOND comment with a link to the posting for another entry.

That's it.  You don't have to be a follower friend though I really love my followers friends.  I will do my best not to disappoint you. 

I hope you've enjoyed the hop so far.  Please be sure to continue to our last stop.  I now present to you...Lisa.  Be blessed and happy scrappin'!

Fruit of the Spirt - Faith Blog Hop

If you are looking for the Royal Tea Bridal Hop, please click HERE!

Welcome to another Faith Blog Hop presented to you by Paper Tree House Studio! This is the last stop on the hop.  Have you not enjoyed this wonderful tribute to our Lord and Savior? If you have been following the hop then you should be arriving here from Monique’s blog. Wasn't her project wonderful? If you just came across this hop, then go to Paper Tree House to catch the beginning of the hop.



Every month a group of bold women gathers to make the Name of the Lord famous and to share the talents we have been given by Him. We also like to share a little bit of Truth that we have learned from the Bible and/or a bit about how He has impacted our lives. This month the theme is “The Fruit of the Spirit”.


As Christians we are expected to demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit because the Spirit of God abides in us. In Galatians 5:22-23 we find the following definition: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” There are many misconceptions about this fruit. People look at the list of attributes and they are convinced that God has not given them one of the “fruits”, and so they live with remaining sin and a sense of defeat in certain areas of their lives.


If you look at the passage again you will notice that the word FRUIT is NOT plural. It is only ONE fruit, so if the Spirit of the Lord abides in you, then the attributes that characterize the Spirit live there as well. If you are not experiencing one of the characteristic of His Spirit in your life, pray that the Lord would cleanse you and purify you. He is into the business of completing those He saves. My prayer is that you would draw near to the Lord and that He in turn will draw near to you…


The same way that the Lord blesses those He loves we want to bless you. We have found an amazing line-up of sponsors and we want to share with you what you could win by hopping around with us:


Paper Tree House Studio: Cricut Create
Scrapbook News & Review Magazine: One year subscription to their online magazine.
Zutter: Distrezz-it-All
Scrapbooks & Stuff: Seasonal Cartridge
Papperie: Yummy Goody Bag
Bonita Rose: One spot to her AMAZING class on color.
Shimmerz: Yummy Goody Bag


Now in order to win one of these Grand Prizes you will have like us on Facebook, leave a comment on this post, and become a follower on our blog. Then you have to follow the hop order as you follow and leave messages in the posts of all the amazing and talented women that are part of the lineup. All throughout the hop you will find RAK’s and special giveaways, so make sure that you complete the entire hop! 


I've created a cross for my project today.  Everything hinges on what Jesus did for us on the cross.  That's the ultimate sacrifice and display of love.  So, I  hope you enjoy it.

BLOG CANDY ALERT: I have two CDs up for grabs.  One is "Hearts of Joy" and the other is "Timeless Treasury of Faith & Inspiration".  In order to be eligible for the drawing, you will need a U.S. address (unless you are willing to pay the international postage), leave a comment on this post, and share a time when someone blessed you by sharing the fruit of the spirit with you.

Heartache No One Sees Faith Blog Hop

Welcome to the Heartache No One Sees Faith Blog Hop. If you are hopping with us you should have come from Natalie's blog. if you just happened to find this post, please go to www.mypapertreehouse.com so that you can start the hop from the very beginning. Now to the hop:



Women have a very unique way of being strong, yet gentle. through this process we find ourselves many times hiding heartaches that truly affect us, but somehow we cannot bring ourselves to talk about. Sometimes it is because of "what would people say" or because we want to keep a certain image, or even because we are trying to keep our loved ones from becoming worried: we hold on to the heartache and even come to believe that "this is as good as it will ever get". Today we are out in the internet laying our hearts bare before the world. We have come to understand that God IS who He says He is and indeed He will complete the work He has begun, and so we lay our heartache before Him in hopes that He will meet us here. As you go through this hop, take the time to think about your own hidden heartache, and if any of our blogs motivate you to speak about it, leave us a comment or even send us an email. As sisters we should remain together and encourage each other to continue the walk towards His arms: the only place we will find rest and comfort.
Here's how the hop works:
Like last time we have some GRAND Prizes to share with you, plus most of the blog owners are willing to share some RAK with you. In order to qualify for the GRAND Prizes you ought to leave a comment under this thread and become a follower of this blog (if you are not one yet). We are asking that you would also become a follower of paper Tree House Studio on Facebook so that you can stay updated with our challenges and contests. In order to qualify for the RAKS i ask that you would also become a follower of those blogs and leave them a comment with your thoughts about the project they might have created or the story they were willing to share (if any). It can be very humbling to share our hearts with the world, yet the Bible says that our troubles come so that we can console another going through the same thing. My prayer is that the Lord would use this for His Glory as He heals all of our hearts.

Now for the GRAND Prizes:
Paper Tree House Studio:
Scrapbook News and Review Magazine: One Year Subscription
Bella Blvd.: $45 retail value worth of their yummy product
Echo Park: Love Line
Scrapbooks & Stuff: Cricut Your Story
Punky Sprouts:
The Paper Blossom Shop: $25 gift certificate to their shop.






Remember that in order to be considered a winner, you should leave a comment here and become a follower (I don't require it but you should do it for the grand prizes. :) It is that simple.


As you hop through the blogs you will see some very open lives, and others that are not as much. We are all being molded everyday more into His liking. Know that I have been praying for each of the participants, and as you begin to open your heart, I will be praying for you as well. It is my desire that the Lord would begin to build a community of bold women that would be willing to show their weaknesses so that in turn He can be their strength. Maybe next month we can hop through your blog as well.. This will happen every month on the very last weekend of the month, so please plan to be here learning about Him and about His love for YOU and His commitment to make you His!


Here is the list of bold and beautiful women that were willing to lay it all out there:
My Paper Tree House: http://www.mypapertreehouse.com/
Nana Campana: http://www.youniquereflections.blogspot.com/
Rebecca: www.polkadotdoordesign.blogspot.com
Sueli Pinheiro: http://suelipinheiro.blogspot.com    
Kacee: http://www.youhadmeatscrap.blogspot.com
Jessie: http://scrapbookingmiami.blogspot.com   
Selina: http://www.mudpiereality.blogspot.com  
Arlene: http://teenyterrors.blogspot.com
Natalie: http://vegetablog.wordpress.com 
Christel: YOU ARE HERE
Bonnie: http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com/
Dolores: http://scrapperinnewyork.blogspot.com/
Monique: http://living-in-the-positive.blogspot.com/
Kari: http://purplefuntastickcreations.blogspot.com/
Tania: http://throughtrialsiambeingpurified.blogspot.com/

Here is my story:
As I was pondering the theme of this hop, I had an internal debate about what I would say.  Would I actually share my life or would I keep it hidden? How much or how little should I share?  Well, I'm going to share a bit of my life with you in hopes that it will inspire you to persevere. 

One thing, that I have to make sure you understand is that God is great.  I don't ever want to complain because the trials that I experience are to make me stronger. So...here goes.  As I have journeyed through life, each day has proven to be a learning experience which requires much prayer and faith.

As a young girl, my main struggle was with low self-esteem.  I always felt that I was inferior and definitely not as pretty as the other girls.  Thank the Lord for parents who spoke life over me.  They were constantly full of genuine reassurance that God don't make no junk.

A little later in life, my biggest struggle so far came during my senior year in college.  That was a time in life when I really thought I wouldn't make it.  I had just gone through a trying period of being sexually harassed and feared the worse. 

Then, my father came to visit me when he picked up his truck from a dealership near my college. He told me of that he had prostate cancer.  But there was a BUT!!!  He told me that if he didn't make it, he was alright.  He would be waiting for me in heaven.  I told him not to tell me that but inwardly, I knew the reality of the matter.  Well, for one solid month, my birthday month, my father bled to death in a hospital due to the negligence of a nurse.  In fact, someone told me that I was preparing for my father's death.  The gall! Despite all of that, I continued to feel the presence of God while I struggled to make sense of everything that was happening. I clearly remember praying Philippians 4:6-7 as I needed strength to make it through this rough time.  I felt the presence of God so strongly, that I was able to stand at the foot of my father's hospital bed and pray that the Father would take him on to his eternal rest.

Soon after my father's funeral and while I was pledging a sorority (not a story for now LOL!!!) I found out that the "deacon's" daughter whose dad had just died, was pregnant.  Oh no!  Not I!  There had to be some mistake.  Well, there wasn't.  And despite the encouragement of several friends and family, I kept my son who now brings us so much joy!  During this time and with the combination of grief, pledging, and pregnancy, I REALLY struggled.  My grades suffered and I was an emotional wreck.  BUT glory be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph!  I'm a walking testimony that God can use anyone and will honor his word. We have been promised that in this life we WILL have trouble BUT we are not to worry because He has overcome the world and we will have the victory through Christ Jesus!  Hallelujah!  That's some of the best news I've had all my life.

 

If you are in need of someone to talk to or someone to pray for you and your situation, please feel free to email me at askscrappinsista (at) hotmail (dot) com.  That goes directly to me and I'll be sure to include you in my talk time with God.

My project today centers not around the pain and hurt I've felt but on what I truly believe works.  FAITH! I encourage you to trust in the fact that the Word works! The card is a simple but I pray it speaks volumes to your situation even today.  The inside says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Isaiah 29:11

 

Thanks for participating with us... Now hop on over to Bonnie blog at http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com.

I don't have candy for this hop specifically but there is a little time to still enter my follower friend giveaway.  Click HERE to enter before March 28, 2011.