HE is Risen!

The Lord Jesus Christ did not stay in the tomb.
He conquered death and sin ~ He is victorious!
HE is Risen!

He ascended up into Heaven where He now sits

at the right hand of the Throne of God.

One day, He will return to take His people to be with Him.

"And the angel answered and said unto the women,

Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus,

which was crucified.

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.

Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead;

and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee;

there ye shall see him: lo, I have told you.

And they departed quickly from the sepulchre 

with fear and great joy;

and did run to bring his disciples word."

~ Matthew 28:5-8 ~

"And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them,

and said unto them, Peace be unto you.

But they were terrified and affrighted,

and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? 

and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: 

handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones,

as ye see me have.

And when he had thus spoken, 

he shewed them his hands and his feet."

~ Luke 24:36-40 ~

"And he led them out as far as to Bethany,

and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

And it came to pass, while he blessed them,

he was parted from them,

and carried up into heaven.

And they worshipped him,

and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

And were continually in the temple,

praising and blessing God.  Amen."

~ Luke 24:50-53 ~

Christ is Risen ~ He is Risen Indeed!

May we be found worshiping Him in spirit and in truth

on this Easter Sunday, and always.

Many Blessings,
Camille

By His Stripes

"He is despised and rejected of men;

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief:

and we hid as it were our faces from him;

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs,

and carried our sorrows;

yet we did esteem him stricken,

smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

he was bruised for our iniquities:

the chastisement of our peace was upon him;

and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned every one to his own way;

and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

~ Isaiah 53:3-6 ~

This prophecy was written about our Lord Jesus Christ

approximately 700 years prior to His birth.

It describes perfectly what He did for His people

when He suffered and died on the Cross.

This Good Friday may we rejoice in HIM!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Challenge 6 - Easter

Another fortnight has come and gone before I know it.  I can't believe it's only two weeks until Easter!  So our challenge this time is to make and Easter Card and our sponsor is the wonderful Bugaboo Digi Stamps.

Everything That You Ever Wanted to Know About Bugaboo Stamps: A Short Essay

As if raising five children in the frozen land of the North was not enough of a challenge,Jodie Mackrell decided to dip her cold little Canadian toes into the world of papercrafting by opening an online store full of her illustrations. That was two years ago. TodayBugaboo Stamps is one of the leading companies in digital images, and we're still growing! From seriously snarky to sugary sweet to sublimely soulful all the way over to the other side of the super sexy spectrum, you're bound to find all that you need and more to create your paper projects. Jodie works very hard to provide New Releases and Freebies every week!

If your taste runs to rubber (and you know who you are), you can find Bugaboo Stampsstamps at Totally Stampalicious. And finally, join the Bugaboo Stamps DT for weekly challenges at Catch the Bug.

So the Design Team were given images to use and here's what they came up with:

Shirley

 

ALAN

VIV

 

CAZ

Michelle

 

Patricia

Lisa

Donna

Hopefully, that has given you a taste and you're raring to go with our challenge.  Now for some rules:

1.  Your card must be for a man or a boy.
2.  Your card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
3.  Your blog post must mention cards for men and contain a link back to this post.
4.  You can combine this challenge with no more than 9 other challenges.

This challenge will run from now until midnight (GMT) on 31 March 2013.  Leave a link to your post (not just your blog) in the link list below.  If it's not there for some reason, leave a comment and  I'll add you in before the draw.

Darkest Before the Dawn

The disciples of the LORD likely were
confused and greatly discouraged.

The LORD Jesus Christ was dead.

They had witnessed it all.
HE was buried.

How dark a time that
must have been for them.
How they must have felt!
All hope seemed to be gone.

But, it was not Truth.

The LORD promised HE would rise again.
HE would be victorious over the grave.
Death could not hold HIM.

Early on the third day,
the first day of the week, which is Sunday,
the LORD Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

"And the angel answered
and said unto the women,
Fear not ye:
for I know that ye seek Jesus,
which was crucified.
He is not here:
for he is risen,
as he said."
~ Matthew 28:5-6 ~

How wonderful it is!

We serve a RISEN LORD!

Is HE your LORD?

How amazing it would be if
you would trust HIM with your
never-dying soul this Easter.

HE alone is worthy of all our praise.

~ Arise, My Soul, Arise ~

Arise my soul, arise;
Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding Sacrifice
In my behalf appears:
Before the throne my Surety stands,
Before the throne my Surety stands;
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above,
For me to intercede;
His all redeeming love,
His precious blood to plead;
His blood for sin did once atone,
His blood for sin did once atone,
And now it pleads before the Throne.

Five bleeding wounds He bears,
Received on Calvary,
They pour effectual prayers,
They strongly plead for me:
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

The Father hears Him pray,
His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away
The presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

I now am reconciled;
God's pardoning voice I hear,
He owns me as His child,
I can no longer fear;
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And, "Father, Abba, Father," cry.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)


May the LORD bless
you each one this Easter!

In HIS Love,
Camille

Challenge No.8 - Easter

Before I get to this fortnight's challenge, I'd like to say again how amazed we were with the fantastic response to our Design Team call.  It was really tough to choose but we managed it.  Please give a big friendly welcome to our newest members:

Wenche

Alex

Jen

Tusssemaja

Why not pop along to their blogs and have a look around.  I'm sure you'll be as impressed as we were.

Now onto the current challenge, this week we're looking to see your Easter cards.  So whether it's Eggs, Bunnies, Chicks or Crosses, get your thinking caps on and let's see your ideas.  Our sponsor this week is the fabulous Peachy Keen Stamps and just wait 'til you see the prize they've given us.....

Sweetie Pie Peepers

Happy Mother's Day

Peachy Keen Stamps is a family owned and operated leading clear stamp manufacturer based out of Northeast Wisconsin. Our stamps are made with the highest quality polymer on the market today, giving them their unique peach tint. The whimsical images designed by Kathy Jakopovich coupled with their durability make them a favorite amongst scrapbookers, card makers, and artists alike. These stamps are sold exclusively online at www.peachykeenstamps.com and at independent stamp and scrapbook stores worldwide. Please visit our website for a complete list of retail locations.

So, one lucky winner will win these two fab stamp sets.  Here's what we came up with on the Design Team for your inspiration:

Shirley

Sarah

Kitty 

Alison

Donna

 Patricia (Happy Birthday!)

Mandy

Aren't they great? All you need now are the rules:

1. Your card must be for a man/boy
2. It must follow the theme/sketch set
3. It must be a new card for our challenge.

The challenge will close at 12 Midnight (GMT) on 24th April 2011.  Leave your name and a direct link to your project (not just your blog) in the link tool below.  If the link tool is not there for some reason, then please leave details in the comments and I'll add you in before I do the draw.

Wonderful Bible Story Books for Kids

One of my friends recently asked about some of the story books
we have in our home and I proceeded to tell her about these.

We have MANY MANY books, but these are unique.
Bible Stories are taught in an accurate and
respectful way ~ our children have enjoyed them
and so have we.

Over the years we have used these books for devotional times
with our children, but they would be appropriate at any time of day.
One book focuses on all the events surrounding the Birth of Christ
and two books are dedicated to the Easter stories.

We have enjoyed reading through this series and would recommend them to
anyone desiring to teach the Bible to children in a God honouring way.
They would be a wonderful Sunday School tool or a
great gift idea for any children on your list.

You will find the website for ordering by clicking on this link ~
just scroll a little way down the page you arrive at and you will see
individual listings for each of the books shown above.

Please be aware that these are not your "typical" cartoon-type Bible story books ~ we felt increasingly uncomfortable with how many of those types of books handled the Bible...it is, after all,
the Word of the Living God.

**Disclaimer ~ I am in no way compensated for this opinion.

**If you live locally (BC Lower Mainland) there is a little home-run bookstore that has fabulous resources. These books are available in their store for a great price. Their phone number is 604-530-7880 ~ they have limited hours and methods of payment. Call to get their address and details.

Christ, The Lord, Is Risen Today!

Christ the Lord, is risen today;
Halelujah!
Sons of men and angels say
Halelujah!
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Halelujah!
Sing, ye heavens and earth reply:
Halelujah!

Love's redeeming work is done;
Halelujah!
Fought the fight, the battle won.
Halelujah!
Death in vain forbids Him rise;
Halelujah!
Christ hath opened Paradise.
Halelujah!

Lives again our glorious King;
Halelujah!
"Where, O death, is now thy sting?"
Halelujah!
Once He died our souls to save:
Halelujah!
Where's thy victory, O grave?
Halelujah!

Soar we now where Christ hath led,
Halelujah!
Following our exhalted Head;
Halelujah!
Made in Him, like Him we rise;
Halelujah!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.
Halelujah!

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Easter Thoughts...

Just some thoughts this Easter about the LORD Jesus Christ
and what He came to this earth to accomplish...

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

The Lord Jesus was not just a good man...He is God incarnate ~ God in the flesh.
He came that HE would free HIS people from their sins and the required punishment for them and eternal separation from God.

Are you following Him? Is He your Saviour and LORD?

As long as you are still alive on this earth it is not too late! Come to Him and be saved!
What a blessing to repent and turn to the Saviour at Easter time!

Want to know how?
Read this article and pray that God would help you to understand the Truths proclaimed in it ~
how wonderful that HE answers those types of prayers!

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows;
yet we did esteeem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Isaiah 53:3-6

"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Isaiah 55:6-7

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down;
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss 'til now was Thine;
Yet though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners' gain;
'Twas mine the dread transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Saviour,
'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Oh, look on me with favour;
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.


Be near when I am dying,
Oh, show Thy cross to me;
And for my succor flying,
Come, Lord, to set me free:
These eyes new faith receiving.
From Thee shall not remove,
For he who dies believing
Dies safely through Thy love.

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
Oh, make me Thine forever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to Thee.

Attributed to ~
Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

English Translation by ~
James W. Alexander (1804-1859)