Be-Attitudes Faith Blog Hop

Welcome to the Be-Attitudes Faith Blog Hop!  Every month we choose a theme with which to honor Christ and become closer to Him.  We then create a project to reflect that theme and boldly post it on our blogs so that the whole world sees that even our talents belong to Him! This month we have chosen the Beatitudes found on Mathew 5:3:12 and we invite you to hop through our blogs to see the Lord’s Glory manifested through the work of our hands and the stories He has written in our lives.  If you arrived from www.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com, you are in the right place.  If you just happened to land here, make sure that you hop on over to www.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com to begin the journey.  Know that we have been praying for you and hope that the Lord would bring you just a bit closer to Himself…

In Matthew 5:3-12 we find the well known Beatitudes.  This portion of Scripture is very peculiar because every statement begins with “Blessed are those…” and yet the attribute that is mentioned right after is NOT something desirable before the eyes of the world.

Look at the list of attributes along with the blessed reward:
Poor in spirit: Kingdom of Heaven
Mourn: comfort
Meek: inherit the earth
Hunger and thirst for righteousness: will be filled
Merciful: will be shown mercy to
Pure in heart: will see God
Peacemakers: called children of God
Persecuted because of righteousness: kingdom of heaven
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you

If we were to be honest, we would all say that none of us would like to be considered poor in spirit, or be caught in the midst of mourning.  Meekness is considered a sign of weakness and in America Hunger and Thirst for righteousness is replaced by hunger and thirst for worldly acceptance.  It is very difficult to be merciful and pure in heart for our hearts are always seeking to satisfy our own needs; and we are not willing to make peace if that peace requires that we would submit to someone else’s authority.  We do not want to be made fun of, or persecuted, or bad mouthed…  Yet all of these things the LORD calls blessed!

The reason why they are Blessed is because only when we have these attitudes can we truly see ourselves for who we are and God for who He is.  Only when we see the depravity of our being and the sin that enslaves us, can we be set free by the only ONE that is Pure and Holy!  May He grant us the privilege of being called BLESSED by Him because in us are found the Be-Attitudes.

With this in mind I can say that I have spent about three weeks experiencing all of these attitudes, not realizing that the Lord was trying to test to see whether I truly believed that experiencing difficulties on earth means I am blessed.  May I say that for a very long time it did not feel like I was blessed!  When I stopped and looked back at my life without Christ, and the thoughts and fears that overtook me then - I got to SEE how blessed I have really been since I met Jesus.  There is a renewed gratefulness in my heart and a huge appreciation for what the Lord has done.  He promises to give a sound mind, and indeed this He gave!  I ask the Lord to keep that in the forefront of my life, so that I may never forget that the Hands that made me are truly FAITHFUL!

There is no greater gift than that of finding Christ, but we would like to bless a group of you with some Grand Prizes from the following sponsors:

Paper Tree House Studio: Digital Paper Set
Shabby Vanity: Blog Button and Banner makeover.
Tombow: Adhesive Package
Scrapbooks & Stuff: Cricut Cartridge
Scrapbooks Etc.: 1 year Subscription

To qualify, like Paper Tree House Studio in Facebook, become a follower of their blog, and leave a comment.  Those that choose to participate by creating a project that follows the theme will have a greater chance of winning, so make sure that you create something or share your own story in your blog to then come back and share with us your creation and thoughts.

Hop on over to Kari’s blog to continue in this journey…  May you be filled with the “Be-Attitudes” this week.

Love in Christ,

Nana

PS: Great things will be coming to this blog very soon, so stay tuned!

God's Promises Faith Blog Hop Winner

This past hop was really special for me because knowing that God is faithful throughout the entire world really solidfies my faith~! :)  Thank you for stopping by and leaving such loving words.  I will take my time to digest what you all said and in turn respond back to you.. :)

Our next hop will take place on August 27 and I would love for you to help me promote it.  Here is the button for it:

Like I promised, I chose one random winner which I will bless with a little something.. and that blessed someone is: AMANDA JOHNSON! :)  Congrats!

Please e-mail me with your information.  :)


Thanks again for participating and I sure hope to see you hopping again soon...

Love in Christ,

Nana

God's Promises Faith Blog Hop

Welcome to the God's Promises Faith Blog Hop.  If you arrived here from Paper Tree House Studio you are in the right place.  If you just arrived at my blog, you should go to Paper Tree House Studio (www.mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com) in order to start at the beginning.

Every month a group of brave women get together to showcase the Glory of God.  This month we want to showcase His faithfulness during trying times, so kick back, relax and let the Lord touch your heart with His Truth!

Did you know that there are 1260 promises in the Bible?  I did not count them myself, but am blown away by the fact that each and every promise the Lord gives, He is faithful to fulfill.  It is pretty easy to believe this when times are easy and abundance surrounds our lives, but is that the same when trouble hits?

The Bible says that our hearts are deceitful above all things and then it adds WHO CAN TRUST IT? Have you ever considered that maybe the reason why we don't trust God is because we spend more time looking at how big the waves in our lives have become and forget that God created the entire UNIVERSE with just His breath...  Think about it, the Lord spoke the ENTIRE World into existence... the only thing created that was made with His hands was man and woman.  That is why He says that if He provides for the birds and the plants, how much more to His children?  You are precious to the Lord and He will not fail you, even when it feels He might.

In this hop you will read the stories of women like you that have faced trouble and probably even lacked the faith to believe in the miracle the Lord performed at the very end! Our prayer is that you would open your heart to the Truth found in these promises and that you would even share with us what God has done in your life.  Your victory may become our hope... :)

During the hop you will find many chances to win prizes! All you have to do to be considered for one of those prizes is leave a comment and become a follower of the blogs you will hop through.  For the Grand Prizes , make sure to leave a comment, become a follower, and "LIKE" Paper Tree House on Facebook.  This will allow you to find out about future hops we will be having.

Here are the brave women that dared to share their stories:

Paper Tree House - http://mypapertreehouse.blogspot.com/
Nana - www.youniquereflections.blogspot.com
Tammy - http://www.fromme2upapercrafting.blogspot.com/
Susan - http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
Jennifer E. - www.createoften.blogspot.com
Candy - http://www.sweetstamper.com/
Amanda - http://asjmade.blogspot.com/
Wendy - http://wendyscrappings.blogspot.com/
Nicole - http://scrapmethis.blogspot.com
Jessie - www.scrapbookingmiami.blogspot.com
Diane - http://dianemarra.typepad.com/
Vicki - http://mawmawsthoughts.blogspot.com/
Lynne Kirsch  - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
Carolyn Phillips - http://messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com/
ScrappyZeni Pradel - www.scrappyzeni.blogspot.com


Grand Prizes:

Stamping Things: The Topper Ink Pad Holder (http://www.stampinthings.com/stamp-pad-holder.html)
Paper Tree House Studio: Exclusive PDF file tutorial for Mini-Book Taught at CHA.
K Andrew Stamps: Stamp Set
Tombow: Grand Adhesive Set


God's Fulfilled Promise in my life:

There are so many Scriptures that speak about how the Lord will protect us, but I have always been intrigued by the fact that the shadow of His Wings is enough to protect Me.  If you are anything like me, it is very easy to believe that God can love others, that He wants to answer the prayers of the other faithful women, that He is able to protect and secure others...  but not ME!  It was not until I experienced a very difficult season in my life, (a season where I disliked someone so much I literally told the Lord I did not want to go to Heaven if this person would be there), that I actually sensed the shadow of His Wings over me.

Just like in the picture of my layout, I felt defenseless, surrounded by water I could not swim and completely vulnerable even before the Lord!  I knew what I was feeling was sin and that therefore I deserved to be scorched by my problems, but instead I experienced the loving hand of my Father carrying me and protecting me.  Somehow the Lord brought me to realize that His shadow was over me and because of His faithfulness (in spite of my unfaithfulness) I would not burn or drown!  Since then I believe the impossible because I experienced it!  May you encounter Him in this way this week... :)

I would love to bless you with a special goody bag, so please leave me a comment with your own experiences with the Lord.  I will be choosing one blessed winner. :)

To continue hopping go on over to Tammy's Blog http://www.fromme2upapercrafting.blogspot.com/  and make sure you leave her some love! :)

Thanks for hopping through this faith hop.  Know that we are praying for you and really hope your eyes are opened to the Truth about the Lord's Faithfulness! :)

Love in Christ,

Nana

Father's Love Faith Blog Hop

There is only one more day of this beautiful Hop so if you have not had a chance to go visit it, I ask that you would click on the picture and begin hopping...  :)  It is truly a very inspirational hop!  :)

Love in Christ,

Nana

Cricut 360 - Cricut Cartridge Giveaway....

I want to break the silence with wonderful news..  Over at the Cricut 360 Challenge Blog we are getting ready to kick things into motion, but before we do we want to invite you to come try to become our very first winner!  Here is what you need to do:

Click on the banner to be taken over to Cricut 360 and follow the directions that you will find there...  :)  Once you do you may win the Create a Critter Cartridge from Provo Craft!  :)  Hope to see you there!

Love in Christ,

Nana

______________________________________________________________________________

Quiero romper el silencio con unas muy buenas noticias... En el blog nuevo de retos, Cricut 360, nos estamos preparando para darle comienzo a la inspiracion, pero antes de que comience la diversión te queremos invitar a que seas nuestra primer ganadora!  Esto es lo que debes de hacer:

Presiona el logo de el blog y sigue las direcciones que hayaras... :)  Luego de que hagas esto, podrás ganarte el Create a Critter de Provo Craft! :)  Espero verte allí!  :)

Besitos en Cristo,

Nana

Blog Hop Winner!!

Hello after what feels like twenty years!  :)  I finally was able to draw a winner of my surprise RAK!  Without further ado the winner is....

Patricia Hurlburt said...Love your card. Thanks for sharing!
Patti

Please send me an email at mypapertreehouse@gmail.com with all of your contact information so that i can send your prize your way...  :)

Thanks for playing along!

Love in Christ,

Nana

Proverbs 31 Woman Faith Blog Hop

Welcome to another special Faith Blog Hop sponsored by Paper Tree House Studio! You should have arrived here from (blogger's name) 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:
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. 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

Now let's get the hop started! :)

The woman described in Proverbs 31 seems to be perfect! She works hard for her family, keeps up with the house, makes sure that the entire family is fed, is respected by others and her husband, and the list goes on... It can be very overwhelming to try to attain her status- which leaves many of us feeling as though we do not amount to God's standards. If you are anything like me, you too have felt as though there is always something that is just not right in your womanhood. Maybe you are not sweet enough, or neat enough, or submissive enough, or clean enough... Whatever label you do not amount to it can leave you feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.

God did not put this part of Scripture in the Bible so that we would draw away from Him filled with shame due to our incapacity to do what He expects of us. On the contrary, I have become every day more certain that He inspired these words because He wants to show us His Grace. The truth is: we all fall short of the Glory of God and there is not even one that is good amongst us. He KNEW this when He made us and when He decided to save us- and in this He loved us.

The proverbs 31 woman is meant to be a reminder of how much we need Christ! God desires that we would be women like the one portrayed there, and He knew that these areas would be our weaknesses, so He gave us this map of virtues so that we would not conform to the world but allow Him to transform us. The Bible teaches that in our weaknesses He is strong! My prayer is that you would allow the Lord to show you those areas where you indeed fail so that in turn you would learn to be mesmerized by His great strength. You will be doing things you never imagined when you fully rely on Him. In Him you already are the Proverbs 31 Woman you so desire to be. May He show you that truth today as He heals you from all insecurities.

Paper Tree House Studio: www.mypapertreehouse.com


Nana www.youniquereflections.blogspot.com


Jessie www.scrapbookingmiami.blogspot.com


Carrie http://carriewimbish.blogspot.com/


Carolyn http://messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com/


Diane http://dianemarra.typepad.com/


Karel www.kareljcreations.com


Jennifer www.createoften.blogspot.com


Kari http://purplefuntastickcreations.com/


Wendy http://wendyscrappings.blogspot.com/


Melin http://www.PaperCraftingWorld.Blogspot.com/


Nicole:  www.scrapmethis.blogspot.com


Chalese http://delectabledesigns-chalesek.blogspot.com/


Candy www.sweetstamper.com


Christel:  http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/


Lisa Peters: http://www.handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/

I have struggled so much this month with accepting the truths the Lord says about who I am as a woman.  Being a mom of two children under the age of 4, owning a business, being a teacher, and trying to be an artist can become very overwhelming.  I end up feeling worn, torn, and exhausted - not at all like the woman found in Proverbs 31.  But as I sat to create my project, the Lord gave me a beautiful image of how He sees me: He whispered tenderly in my ear "you are worth far more than ruby!".  It is truly a privilege to be able to be called the daughter of the ultimate King of kings!  The One that cares enough about the little things because He knows that we live our lives here - in the little so that in turn He can be seen as He is: HUGE!  May you too see how you are made to be worth far more than rubies! :)




Thanks for stopping by!  Leave a comment and become my follower and I will consider you for a drawing I will have in search of the winner of a surprise RAK!  Be blessed!!


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

Love in Christ,

Nana