Cards made at Card Ministry night

Hello one and all, Y'all!!!!!    Sure hope this post finds everyone ready for Christmas, because it is upon us.     Ready or not, Christmas is just about here.   When was your most memorable Christmas?     What is the most important gift or the most special gift you ever got for Christmas?      What is the most fun gift you ever got under the Christmas tree?    Who do you remember most at Christmas?      Who do you miss most at Christmas?      What one person, past or present, would you love to spend Christmas Day with if you could? 

I know you are thinking to yourself, "why all the questions?"       No reason, other than to spark your memory, imagination, and thoughtfulness.      This is just some of the questions that are always swirling around in my old noggin come Christmas.    Hopefully, they will help you think about some of your traditions and some of the things that mean a lot to you at this time of year.     For me, personally, when I think about these questions, I am always reminded of the Christ Child.    Now, granted, it hasn't always been that way.     I could answer all of the questions with the answers that I used to come up with.  

But age and maturity has a way of setting one's priorities in order.     I love family, past and present!!!!!      I love all my friends, dearly!!!!!!      I am so thankful to God for all the material blessings He has heaped upon my husband and me!!!!!!      But, now a days my focus is turned towards all the ways that God blessed me by sending a Savior into this world on my behalf.     I am convinced beyond all measure, that if I was the only person ever in need of a Savior, that Jesus Christ would have still been born over 2000 years ago in a stable, just so I could have a relationship with God thru His shed blood on the cross!

I'll stop right here for just a minute and insert some pics of the cards we made earlier in the month for Card Ministry at church.    The lady that gets these cards together does such a fantastic job and I just can't thank her enough for all of her time, energy and talent in putting these together each month.   She certainly has a calling on her life for this ministry and I'm so thankful to get to take part in it with her.

This one, as you can see, is a stained glass window card.    The card background was embossed in a brick embossing folder.   I think it is beautiful.    Then the window was cut on her big shot.    We traced the window and cut a yellow piece of cardstock just a bit smaller than the window and used diff sponges to sponge on color and then put that behind the window and added the greenery and a bow and I think it is just lovely!    It made me really happy!    Yes, it did!

 Ok, this one is more glitz and glam than the others.   I just wish you could see all the sparkle and shimmer on this card.    It totally rocks in person.    The snowflakes were pre-cut in a pkg that she got somewhere and wow are they sparkly.    Then the background was black and silver sparkly shimmery goodness.    Put the two together and they could light up the night sky with all the lovely shimmery sparkly yumminess.    Then for the icing on the cake, we put on some red crystals.    Talk about the "wow" factor, this card is loaded with it!

This one here is maybe the plainest of the three, but none the less, it is still so beautiful!     I love the layers of it.   And then on the white front layer it was stamped with versamark and red embossing powder and it just looks so beautiful. I love how the embossing feels on it.   If you look real closely, you can see in the middle of it, on some of the snowflakes, we put some flat back crystals.    In hand, the crystals really look beautiful.    It was just the touch this card needed.

I hope and pray that you enjoyed seeing these cards.     They were very elegant and I just loved them.     I hope you love them also and can get some inspiration and ideas from the cards we made.

Ok, now back to what I was saying earlier about Christmas.    That is what Christmas means to me, in a nut shell.      That's it!     So I am so thankful and filled with joy to the brim and overflowing that Jesus was born for ALL of us.     I had asked y'all to read the first 2 chapters of Luke sometime as a challenge.     I hope some of you done that.     I wrote this devotional a couple of years ago and posted it on my blog last year and I wanted to do a re-post of it.    It is such a fitting reminder of the fact that Jesus came into the world for all of us, not just some, but for ALL OF US!!!!!!!!     No person in the life of history is excluded in what Christ done.     Our part in this comes when we have to make the decision to believe it and accept it or deny it.     Our denial of Jesus, makes Him no less real.     So, as you read this, look for you in this account of the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke 2

Christ Born of Mary

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,  And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.


I love Luke's account of the Birth of Jesus Christ.     The Angel of the Lord appeared to who?     Get this, the sheep herders, the lowest of the low.     The people in society who were considered unclean.    Everyone looked down on the shepherds.     Look at verses 9 and 10.     The Angel of the Lord appeared before the shepherds!     The greatest announcement the world would ever hear, God chose to make that announcement to the shepherds!     God didn't make that announcement to the heads of states, or to the people that thought they were of great importance, or even to the "religious" crowd.     The religious crowd was more about keeping the law than they were about showing mercy and extending grace, so they were not the chosen ones by God to make this most important announcement.    God made that announcement to the common, low, uncared for people.    Why?    Because they needed Hope!

If the birth of Jesus Christ would have been announced to the heads of state, Caesar Augustus and others, the common people would never have heard that they, too, had hope.     All too often, the "good stuff" is kept away from or kept hidden from those who can benefit the most from it.    Jesus is the "GOOD STUFF" that we ALL have access to, because He chose the shepherds over the heads of state and over the "religious crowd"!!!!      Praise God!!!!!!      We ALL are included in verse 10!

What did the shepherds do in verse 15?    They went straight way to Bethlehem to see exactly what the Angel of the Lord had spoken of.     They searched out the Babe.     They did not stop till they had seen with their own eyes what the Angel had spoken of and about what the multitude of heavenly hosts was praising God for.     Are we still about the business of searching for Christ and seeking Him is this hectic world we live in?     You know, the shepherds had family that depended on them being at work and doing what they needed to do.    In this moment in time, the shepherds had to go see what the Angel had told them.     Would we get up and walk away from our job to go seek and find what an Angel had told us about?       Further more, would we tell others about it?      Are we making widely known, what Jesus Christ has done for us in our lives on a daily basis?     Do people marvel at the things that we tell them about how Christ is at work in our life?      Most of the time we are more excited about watching paint dry than we are about hearing what Christ has done for someone or about sharing what He has done for us personally.

Get a good grip of what the shepherds had just seen.     The Angel of the Lord appeared to them; the multitude of heavenly hosts had praised God right in front of them; and Christ Jesus in a manger.     We can get a glimpse into the number of the multitude of heavenly hosts.     A heavenly host is a number that is as numerous as the stars in the sky, now multiply that by whatever a multitude is!  Multiples of the numbers of the stars in the sky.     I don't know what your take away is from this scene, but I have come to the conclusion that the shepherds were pretty special for God to allow them this miracle.    Remember too, that Jesus referred to Himself as the "Good Shepherd".     Yes, you get the picture, shepherds were special in the eyes of Jesus!!!!

You know what, God loved the shepherds and He proved it, by announcing to them what His plan and intention was.     God loves us and He proved it, by including us in verse 10.     I hope and pray as you read this account of the Birth of Jesus Christ that you can see yourself in verse 10, "good tidings of great joy which will be to "all" people".     Take a real close look; You, my friend are included in the "ALL"!!(written by:pjg12-24-13, edited 12-20-14)

So, I hope you have enjoyed your visit here and I hope you have inspiration to help you enjoy the real meaning of Christmas.    I hope you realize that you was in God's plan all along.    There is a place and plan for each and every on of us.    We just have to find our place and get with God's plan for our lives.    God Bless You as celebrate Christmas this year, knowing that Christ was born for you!

Hope to see you soon Ladybug!   Sweetpea loves you!

I may or may not be back before Christmas, so if I'm not, I just wish y'all the Peace and Goodwill that the Angel spoke of in Luke.    Remember that God loves y'all and so do I.    Merry Christmas!!!!!      hugs, Patty