extending the Grab Bag thru Tuesday for anyone who may have missed it! You can see the preview here:
Here is the link to the store: Plain Digital Wrapper
And if you MUST see what's in it, just go down to the post below this for the reveal!
This month's Scripture Challenge came to me suddenly at church last week, as we sang a song called "Your Name." I was struck by one of the lines in the chorus: Your name is a shelter like no other. And really - how true this is! And how fortunate we are that we can trust, rely on, and take shelter in the name of our dear Lord Jesus! Here are the words to the song:
Your Name
As morning dawns and evening fades
You inspire songs of praise
That rise from earth to touch Your heart
And glorify Your name
Chorus
Your name
Is a strong and mighty tower
Your name
Is a shelter like no other
Your name
Let the nations sing it louder
'Cause nothing has the power to save
But Your name
Jesus in Your name we pray
Come and fill our hearts today
Lord, give us strength to live for You
And glorify Your name
Chorus
Isn't that beautiful?
Here are a couple verses from the Book of Psalms that talk about the Lord being a shelter:
Psalms 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalms 61:3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
This is all especially true for my husband and I as we have been struggling with some issues with our house. When we went to repair the sagging deck in the back yard, we tore it apart to find that the sill on the foundation was rottingand we had ants eating it. Already faced with many bills, due to rising costs in gas, heating oil and food, we were both pretty distressed thinking about how to afford this large repair bill. Our home, our shelter was falling apart!
As always, the Lord provided for us in only ways he can. Two of my nephews came over and pitched in for two days to help jack up the side of the house and replace the rotten wood, (all for the price of home cooked food!) saving us thousands of dollars in hiring a contractor. Thank you Seth & Greg!
We have also had a mortgage refinance in the works since May, trying to save some money down the road, and I had been very impatient with the length of time it was taking to line everything up. Well, that turned out to be a blessing, since we were able to easily add the money on to replace the leaky old roof, drafty windows and the siding (which was ruined to replace the rotten wood below.)
If the loan had already been completed, we would have had to look around for another loan, probably with higher interest, and taking even longer to process. It's funny how things work out sometimes, and it just proves to me that the Lord always knows what's best, and that things always happen according to His plan. Now we will even have enough money to finally rebuild the backyard deck (our original sidetracked project). I am so thankful that He loves me!
So for this month's Scripture Challenge I'd like to see you scrap about your shelter. Whether it be your home, your family, or ways that the Lord has given you shelter. How has God provided for you? How has He helped you overcome anxiety or distress?
I have created a little church for you to use if you like. It comes in three styles, and you can even use it as a template to cut out of your own background.
Plus a little hint, if you like the background on the preview, make sure you are signed up for the newsletter at PDW. I'll be the featured designer for the week of August 3rd, and this will be one of the Beach Breeze backgrounds in the set you can get as my free gift! You can sign up for the newsletter on the home page HERE, halfway down on the right side of the page.
Here is the link for the Spiritual Journey gift:
Spiritual Journey July 2008
Have a blessed and wonderful week!
