Just Worship Him...

I can’t believe only one week left in July! Time just seems to fly! What an incredible Summer we have been blessed with. We had a few storms last week but nothing big right where we live... some very nice rains.  It was a sunny day on Saturday, but in the late afternoon we got what I like to call a spontaneous shower... the sun was still shining and it produced this beautiful sight out our front door. All glory to You, Papa God!

I came across these verses in Acts….17:24-25…"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.” … when I read these verses my thoughts went to worship. I didn’t grow-up really knowing too much about worship… worshiping God was spoke of in the Bible times but I didn’t ever find myself grasping the “concept” of worship. I loved God and knew Jesus as my Savior at a very young age, but until the last few years I truly never knew what it meant to worship Him. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking of how I failed to worship my Lord for all those years… I know I can’t look back… when I learn to do better I do it and that is all that can be asked of me or any of us… right?

Okay, back to the verses… God is so magnificent that He created everything… He is all knowing… all powerful… self-sufficient. He doesn’t need anything from any of us. I don’t have to worship Him because He needs my worship… I have to worship Him because I NEED to worship Him. I need to come into His presence and recognize His greatness… I need to open up my heart to His mighty power… I need to surrender my will to His will… I need to show Him honor for giving me life and freedom from being a slave to sin… I need to love Him for Who He is and for what He has done for me… He is God and worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. And the great thing is, I can be sitting on my back porch looking out over a field of oats and I can worship Him… there is no special “equipment” required accept a grateFUL HEART.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

because I CARE...

I am so sorry I have not been very on the ball with my posting this summer... maybe because our summer in northern Michigan has been such a nice one... what a difference from last year!

I went last week to my sister's SU openhouse in the Thumb with my friend, Ruth... we had a great time. Since my birthday was this month I received some SU gift certificates to use so I was able to order some of the new colors... so excited to get my new stuff... it will be like my birthday all over again (only I don't have to get a year older) *Ü* Here is a card I made as one of the projects at the openhouse... luv the colors... what do you think?

I have to share a praise with you today... as my regular blog peeps know my mom has been having health problems.  She is doing much better but still has a way to recovery... still praying and believing she will be restored to better than before.  Yesterday she actually ventured out on her own... she drove herself to the hair shop to get beautified.  She hasn't driven in months... it just thrills my heart to hear this progress... God is so good all the time!

"I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High." - Psalm 7:17

Thanks for stopping... with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Hear It... Do It...

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” - James 1:22  That verse was in my devotions for yesterday… I memorized that verse years ago, and even though I saw or heard the Word over the years, many times I didn’t do it. I was thinking how it is like sitting down at a beautifully set table to have a fabulous meal… you know where all the forks, spoons and knives are in their proper place… shiny, polished crystal glassware… heirloom quality china… oh yah, and cloth napkins, of course. You are seated in your chair ready to take that first bite of a scrumptious meal… you place that bite in your mouth and chew it and chew it and chew it, but then instead of swallowing it you spit it out. Do you ever get the nutrition you need from that food?

Our physical bodies need food as fuel to keep us going… just like our spiritual bodies need nourishment from God’s Word. We might open our Bible and read the precious words on the page… we can read it and read it and read it, but if we don’t ingest It and do It we never will receive the “nutrition” we need from It.

I have been challenging myself a lot for the last few months to be a doer and not just a hearer. I know I have lived so much of my life looking “good” on the outside, but my motives have not always been what they should have been… living and doing things in a prideful way. I have to daily check my motives… is it to honor and glorify God first and foremost??? Hear It and do It... let that be my passion!

Off to get ready for Night Out For Ladies, but wanted to share a quick card with you...

I saw this layout somewhere but can't remember where... sorry.  Hope you like it... those colors scream Summer to me.

Thanks for stopping... with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Birthday Wishes...

Today is my 45th birthday! I have had an incredible day. My PFFs made my day so good.  I was picked up at 9 a.m. by Ruth and Heather (aka PFFs) and taken out for breakfast, which included a little gift. (don't ya know) Then they took me to Ruth's house to spend the day "playing" in her craft room.  Every so often either Ruth or Heather would leave the room and come back in with a little gift for me. Must have ended up with 7 or 8 special little gifts... including 3 bottles of Stickles and a gift certificate from SU!!!  It was just a fun day of laughter and only a couple happy tears!  Thanks Ruth & Heather for being my PFFs! Love you girls!

I have received so many birthday wishes from my facebook friends... makes me feel so loved. One message really struck me... she asked me, "what do you think God was feeling when you were born?"  Wow, I have never thought of that... have you thought about that for your own birth? A few months ago I would have thought not too much about that, but now I know how much God loves me and how precious I am to Him.  He was happy the day I was born... He could see all He had in store for me... He could see all the good and the bad... and He still loved me so much.  I don't know about you, but that just blows my mind and makes my heart leap with joy.  Papa God is so precious to me! 

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." - Psalm 139:14

I just had to share this with you all.  Thanks for stopping!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Something Better...

Today I read in Hebrews 11… the “faith chapter”… all these great men and women of the Old Testament that lived and died by their faith. I saw something new in this chapter that I know I have read but never really “saw”… in verse 39 and 40 – “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” They had faith that could move mountains, so to speak, but they, these heroes and heroines of the Bible, didn’t get to live to see the Promised One come. We live in the day of grace… how thankful I am for that... if I had to live under the Law (check out Leviticus)… I just don’t know if I would have made it… sacrificing animals and all the other stuff. Praise God that He made a way that was better for us through the ultimate sacrifice of His precious Son… once and for all... and I am walking in that Truth today.

I have a wedding card to share today... it was done with window sheet sent through the Cuttlebug for embossing.  It was hard to get a picture because of the glare, but this gives you the idea.  The finishing touches were the half pearls and of course an embossed butterfly from SU embosslet.

It is a hot humid day again here in northern Michigan, so we are having something simple for supper, but I better get that going.  Thanks for stopping... sorry it has been so long since I have stopped in!  *Ü*
with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Imagination...

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"  II Corinthians 10:5

Imagination… that is a word I have lived too much of my life by. I can have a very vivid imagination, which is good in creating, but when imagination turns to negative thoughts… that is where the problem lies! In Genesis 33… where Esau and Jacob were going to meet up with each other so many years after Jacob had stole Esau’s blessing… Jacob imagined Esau would still be mad and maybe want to kill him, but that was not the case.

There have been so many times when I would walk into a room of strangers or acquaintances and just know they were looking or thinking critically of me. I could have the whole scenario playing out in my mind, when none of it was true only my imagination. The devil loves to play off our imagination… it is like we are doing all the work for him… you know the thoughts… “that person thinks I am not good enough”… “they are staring at this big zit on my face”… “they think I don’t belong here”… “what if I trip and fall as I walk across the room”..."are they laughing at me?" All those condemning thoughts of inadequacy… we do it to ourselves and then let the enemy have his fun too with our help. I know that my imaginations of inadequacy have come from me not being secure in who I am in Christ… human fear over Christ-like faith. If the devil can keep us from living in our faith in Christ then he has got us where he wants us.

A couple years ago God really spoke to me about living life “out-loud” for Him. All the insecurities that I lived everyday of my life with were keeping me stifled and I was becoming stagnant for Him… I was determined that with God’s help I was not going to live one more day based on my insecurities or emotions. Not saying that I don’t have trouble with that anymore but I try to live day to day and moment to moment trying to conquer that with comfort and guidance from the Holy Spirit. It is so freeing and actually refreshing not to have those imaginary conversations going on in my mind… I saw the people around me as my enemy when they were not my enemy… my enemy was my own imagination.

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,.. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."                        I Peter 2:1, 4-5

I have a little graduation card to share with you... embossing folder with the Cuttlebug... SU corner and edge punch... mini butterflies... and little half pearls... thought it turned out pretty.

I know this is a long post today, but I felt like I needed to share this.  Asking once again for prayers for my mom... she has been through a lot over the last year and it is all catching up with her... she is dealing with major mental anguish and she is in the hospital once again... God hears our prayers and we believe for complete healing in Jesus' name.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

The Weekend...

I just noticed my "blogoversary" was yesterday... 2 years since I started "grateFUL HEART"... how time flies!

It is Saturday morning... 2 days before the first day of Summer... 1 day before Fathers' Day, but as for today... it is a BEAUTIFUL day!

No stamping for today but a funny picture... Do you remember the 1989 movie, "Weekend at Bernie's"? Well, here is a picture I took of a couple friends and my hubby...

Disclaimer... there was no one harmed in the production of this picture nor was there drugs or alcohol involved! LOL

Okay, now on the serious side... just a verse to share too... Psalm 91:1-2 Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful. Then you will say to the LORD, "You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you." (Contemporary English)

Have a great Saturday... with a grateFUL HEART, carin