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Sunday, November 6, 2011

Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 114 . . .What's Old is New Again


Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. I am the hostess this week and our wonderful sponsor is Clear Dollar Stamps, offering a $15 gift certificate to one randomly selected participant in this week's challenge. My chosen verse is from Genesis 3:6 "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it."

My challenge is for you to dig into your stash and use one of your first, or oldest stamp sets to create your project.

Here are my thoughts for this week:

Eve took the apple. That is one of many important messages in this entire story from Genesis. Why is it significant?

My daughter recently visited a friend’s after school group at a local church. Among the other activities they gave the kids a mini-message. All the kids in the room, they were told, were good apples. But sometimes in life, bad apples come along who tempt us to do bad things. It isn’t our fault, it just happens. (I found out later that same week that the pastor of that church in a talk with his congregation had thrown the bible down on the floor by the pulpit and told them they wouldn’t be using it anymore.)

No, we’re not all born as good apples. We all are born with sin. Our greatest strivings, the best behavior we can possibly conjure up on our own cannot hope to reach the perfection that exists in God. And we alone fall to temptation; it is not the responsibility of other people. This line of thought leads to salvation by works, not by grace. “If I can just remain a good, unblemished apple . . . “ But we cannot earn our way to heaven. Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Notice how quickly the blame game started, all the way back in Genesis. Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed Eve and even blamed God himself, by implication, for placing Eve there. But as it says in James 1:13 “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.’”

Eve and Adam blamed others for their choice to disobey, to sin. And my daughter’s visit to that local church illustrates that the blame game, while as old as Adam and Eve, is still alive and well today. We still blame others or our circumstances for our own sins.

Insert your own name into that first sentence. “I” took the apple. I held temptation in my hand and then bit into it. I am a sinner.

There are so many problems with the blame game, but one primary issue is that as long as a person plays the blame game, “Its not my fault!” and can shove it onto another source, there is no acknowledgment that yes, I am a sinner. A sinner needs a savior. A sinner turns to Christ. Someone who blames other people or circumstances for their own actions not only gets stuck in a rut (a bad pattern for life) but never has a reason to turn to Christ for their salvation, they turn to excuses. Where have you turned?

This week’s challenge focuses on the fact that what is old is new again. Satan often recycles the same old messages and we don’t want to get caught up in the blame game that started way back in the garden of Eden! To remind us of this, pull out one of your oldest stamp sets, one of the first ones you ever bought and use it in a card.

I used the sketch from this past week's Mojo Monday challenge, I love their sketches, for me, a sketch gets the mojo going better than almost any other type of challenge. Mojo 213 right here.

Stamps: Garden Collage (SU)
Ink: Kaleidacolor Berry Blaze, Stazon brown, Antique Linen
Paper: PTI Autumn Rose and Fine Linen, Basic Grey Indian Summer
Other: spellbinders, prima roses, pearls, copic R99, PTI scarlet jewel satin ribbon, PTI tintype impression plate

9 comments:

Chris Olsen, Glowbug said...

I loved reading your words on the verse Peggysue!! So true! It is so easy to take the blame off of ourselves. We need to acknowledge that we are sinners.

Beautiful card!! I just love your colors! I think in my packed boxes I just may just have this set myself.
Have a great Sunday!
hugs,
Chris

Joanne (jojot) said...

such a classy and elegant creation.....wonderful, my friend

Grace said...

Peggysue your devotion today was wonderful! It's a message we all need to hear, especially today! Love your card as well.... that image was always one I loved and didn't have until recently when I found it at a yard sale and was thrilled to get it cheap! Wish I had time to pull it out! Thanks for the inspiration on all levels this Sunday morning!
hugs,
Grace

Vicky said...

So gorgeous Peggysue...

hugs Vicky xx

Becky said...

Peggysue, awesome devotional, and beautiful card.

Miesje said...

Loved your devotional! Perfect. Really could relate to it. That card is fantastic!I have that stamp set too - really like how you layered it with the soft colors on the stamp. Great card! Have a wonderful week filled with gentle thoughts!

Wendy M said...

Excellent challenge Peggysue... love your project too!

Dell said...

What a gorgeous card! I love your story about the blame game. It is so true how things get started and the link back to the beginning of time.

The Mama Monkey said...

Oh my goodness, I adore the vintage look to this card! I can't pull vintage off but you sure did!