Fruit of the Spirit - SELF-CONTROL Layout

Anyone who knows me knows that "self-control" is not my best trait. :) I tend to lead with my gut - and speak waaaaayyyy before thinking. Outside of my general personality, our era is not one to perpetuate patience and careful thought either. TV, magazines, newspapers, etc. constantly tout how to do things faster, quicker, instanteously while they tell you to "buy it now!" or "Don't wait!" Our society promotes a LACK of self-control - even glamourizing it in the media with the various celebrity divorces or rehab stints.

When we did our last lesson for the Fruit of the Spirit album, we came across this verse in 1 Corinthians - I liked the way The Message phrased it:

You've all been to the sadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyon eelse all about it, and then missing out myself!

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

I totally can identify with the "Life is a Game/Race" analogy; I have found it to be true over and over again... in school, in work, in life. I'm often thinking, "What is the goal? What are the rules of this "game?" And "what is the fastest way I can get there?" I figured Milton's Bradley's "game of Life" would be a good jump-start for this layout:

Our "prize" to the Game of Life is a life on earth filled with more happy, peaceful moments than sad and a life of joy eternally in Heaven with Jesus. What a game to win!

If you'd like to view all of the layouts of this album together, you can visit my gallery at MooTwo Designs. Comments always welcome!

:) Mags

Fruit of the Spirit - GENTLENESS Layout

We have a dog - a wonderfully sweet, Cocker Spaniel named Clifton. Clifton is my FIRST dog - we got him before kids so he was our first "baby." He chose us - at the breeder's kennel, he trotted into the room... I was sitting cross-legged on the floor, and he walked right into my lap and snuggled down. From that moment, we were hooked - Clifton was to be our dog.

Now Clifton is 12 years old, and over the last 3-4 years, he has deteriorated. He is about 90% blind; he is deaf. He has had cancerous tumors removed twice. He is prone to warts all over his body and has had 20+ removed already. He goes through periods where he has seizures, and he sleeps ALL of the time. He still has some "life" left in him, though - he searches out the bunnies that live under our patio - he snuggles up with us to watch TV - and he can still rip through ANY diaper bag to snag the snacks... even if they are in a Tupperware container!

We do know, that his years (months?) are limited. I've described him as "blind, deaf, and 1/2 dead" for at least the last 3 years! But until he cannot take care of himself or is in pain, we will continue to love him and care for him. He has been a good and faithful dog - especially to my children, and his GENTLENESS is the focus for this layout:

I love the quote that says, "A person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life." I know our life would not have been as full without Clifton.

:) Mags

Fruit of the Spirit - FAITHFULNESS Layout

I'm sure that most people who get married, aren't wondering how soon they will get divorced. Everyone expects their marriage to last "forever." But in an age where quickie-divorces are easy and common, actually having a marriage last until death do you part is getting rarer and rarer. A lasting marriage requires the active committment from both people involved to stick it out through the tough times:

• the times when you look over at your spouse and wonder if you've married a buffoon (not that that has ever happened, of course!)...
• the times where you aren't even "in the same book" - let alone the "same page"...
• the sad times,
• the times of great loss,
• the angry times,
• the financially unstable times,
• the lonely times,
• the beyond-hard times...

David and I have made this committment - twice, actually. The first was at our wedding. The second was when we went to a Marriage Encounter weekend and re-affirmed our committment to each other. We are faithful to each other - in our body, mind, and spirit. We choose to stand by each other - no matter what. Faithfulnes is LOVE HANGING ON. It is love saying, "I WILL NOT QUIT." That is my focus for this layout:

The song lyrics are by Fisher - a song called, "I Will Love You." It is a gorgeous, gorgeous song!

You can bet you'll hear about it again on a Karaoke Tuesday!

♥Mags

Fruit of the Spirit - GOODNESS Layout

In October, my husband went to Austria for a 16-day Mission Trip to Haus Edelweiss. It is a school where Missionaries and Pastors can go for Master's Classes in Divinity - completing an entire semester class in 2 weeks. He was there as a short-term worker: fixing things, building things, preparing meals, cleaning up, and talking with the missionary students. In order to go on the trip, David had to take 2 weeks of his own vacation time from work - and our family had to give up two weeks with him. It was a l-o-n-g two weeks here for sure... I probably lost all of my sanity and patience with in the first week... but my kids and I knew that this was an important trip for Daddy to do - and for the students who would benefit from his service. That is why I chose his experience for my "GOODNESS" layout:

David's perspective on those who work and live in the Mission Field is forever changed now that he's had more 1st-hand knowledge of the kind of life they lead. And my kids have seen that it is important to help others - even if it means sacrificing your vacation time to do it. I'm so proud of David!

♥Mags

Fruit of the Spirit - PATIENCE Layout

When we were 5 months along in our first pregnancy, we got a post-ultrasound call from one of the gynecologists at our practice. 5:00 PM on a Friday afternoon... a message on our machine that was along the lines of, "Please call us about your ultrasound." Of course, at 5PM on a Friday, getting to actually connect with the doctor is nearly impossible so we spent a good few hours freaking out about possible problems with our baby. *sigh*

When we finally got a hold of the doctor, she mentioned that our ultrasound indicated that our child had "clubfeet." We had no idea what that meant at the time, but it was the start of our long, windy journey that would involve more ultrasounds, a meeting with a geneticist, and after the birth, plaster castings, heel-cord releases, and big surgeries. It would take a year's worth of patience before we would see beautifully straight feet walking towards us.

This is the subject of the next layout in my Fruit of the Spirit album.  A year after Jack's journey to straight feet, our 2nd son, Luke was born... with the identical condition!

Another year of serial castings, tendon-releases, and surgeries...

I guess God wanted us to practice our PATIENCE a little bit more!! :)

Initially, David and I were devastated that we had created a child with a birth defect. This was PRE-brain tumor in the timeline of our lives, so at this point, this was the biggest thing we had had to face. But, as we spend hours in the Ortho waiting rooms each week or month to get new casts, our attitude changed. Ortho-day at the Children's Hospital Outpatient Clinic was also OT/PT day. Week after week, we watched as severely handicapped, wheelchair-bound kids worked diligently with their physical or occupational therapists - just to be able to do basic movements. Jack and Luke were only hindered by their casts for one year each - a small price to pay for a lifetime of "magic feet" that would work perfectly. Instead of feeling all "woe is us," David and I began to feel grateful to God for keeping our children healthy and for aiding us in finding the right doctor to straighten their feet.

Our patience was rewarded... Today, I watch my Jack play baseball, flag football, and basketball. Luke will start T-ball this spring. They run, jump, play, ride bikes and scooters. The only evidence of their year's worth of "upgrades" are some tiny scars on their feet and some great scrapbook pages.

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

-James 1:12

Fruit of the Spirit - PEACE Layout

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

- Jeremiah 29:11

In teacher-speak, I am a "whole-to-part" person. When learning, I like to know the "big picture." Before I read a book or see a movie, I need to know the general plot. I need to know the final outcome of a puzzle before I can even start taking it apart. Expanding on that, in real life, I love to be in charge... to be in control. I like to know where I'm going and how to get there (something that is constantly thwarted because I am also navigationally stunted!). So imagine how NOT in control I felt when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. That was the focus of this week's layout on peace.  For those interested in not squinting at the screen, the story of my brain tumor was originally posted here.

Peace is when we can feel Christ's heart, even when we cannot discern his mind. Believing in Jesus does not mean that there won't be storms in our life, but it does mean that we can trust Jesus to hold on to us tightly in the midst of the fiercest storm. God is our strong, safe shelter, and that is the source of our peace.

See you next Thursday for the next layout.

:) Mags

Fruit of the Spirt - JOY Layout

You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—

with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing,

you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.

1 Peter 1:8-9 (The Message)

This week's lesson was on JOY... an emotion that should be an undercurrent in everything you do - because when you become a Christian, that question of "Where do I go after this life?" is settled for you. When you accept Jesus into your heart - when you make the conscious choice to believe - then you've just been granted your ticket to Heaven. This weight that is lifted off of your shoulders should allow for a JOY to permeate everything you say and do. Furthermore, this sure knowledge of where Christians go after death, should make the death of a loved one a bit easier.

Yeah... I just said that... easier.
And yet, whenever a loved one dies, we are overcome with grief. It's hard to be "joyful" when we are facing the loss of someone close to us. When my aunt died, I felt the pain, physically, in my gut... and I dreaded telling my then-4-year-old son the news. Great Annie had lived with my family for over 20 years - she was like a 2nd mother to me and a 2nd grandmother to my kids. But, Jack was able to find joy in her death - as evidenced by this layout:

I've blogged about this story before - that out of a child's mouth came true wisdom that day. That is the JOY the Bible is talking about. :)

Fruit of the Spirit - LOVE Layout

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

1 Corinthians 13: 1-7 (The Message)

God = Love. He loves His masterpieces... His children... His creations. He gives us 10 Commandments to follow - and then adds two rules above and beyond those: To LOVE God, and to LOVE our neighbors. That is how important LOVE is to Him.

For our Scrapbooking Bible study, we discussed "sacrificial love" - loving others so much that you put your own wants and needs aside. This is hard, for sure - and often a daily struggle for all of us. Selfishness comes easily to humans... sacrifice is not a comfortable word.

For myself, I feel that on my very "best" parenting day, I am self-sacrificing... because when you bring a child into the world, suddenly it's not all about "ME" and ALL about them! Here is the layout I created for "LOVE:"

Credits:Papers and buttons by Jenna's GardenRibbon created by MagsGraphics (that's me!)Love Wordart created by MagsGraphics (still me!)

Credits:
Papers and buttons by Jenna's Garden
Ribbon created by MagsGraphics (that's me!)
Love Wordart created by MagsGraphics (still me!)

What do you love most about your family? Who in your life has been a model for Christ-like love? And who are YOU modeling sacrificial love to?

See you next Thursday for the next layout!

♥ Mags

Scrapbooking Bible Study - Fruit of the Spirit

This fall, I started leading a Scrapbooking Bible Study at our church on the Fruit of the Spirit. I have the scrapbooking knowledge (I've been a scrapper since I was 15... over 20 years!) - but was a little short on the Bible knowledge. I found a book through Amazon that was great for the Bible part - but pitiful on the scrappin' part! I ordered one and then used it as a foundation for our class. We used the verses provided and the questions, but created our own originial layouts each week. I am the only digital scrapbooker in the group - everyone else has been creating amazing paper layouts. It really has been an amazing experience!

Here is my cover page:

Credits:

Background ©Layla Barzi,

2007Backyard Alpha from NRB

Text from the Bible

Galatians 5:16-23 is our main verse for this Bible Study. For the first lesson, we talked about God's role as a gardener and living a "fruitful life." Some people made a 2-page layout on this theme - others made a single-page layout to serve as the finale for the album. This is my final page:

Credits:

Verses from the Bible (NIV & Msg)

Dirt created by me

Flowers by BlueToille Scrap

Bows by Angel Flying Solo

We are the branches connected to Christ's vine... there are wonderful things we can accomplish through Him! Sometimes God needs to prune out the garbage from our lives - but in doing that, He enables you to grow and learn. What kind of "fruit" do you produce? And what does that say about you...?

Stop back each Thursday for the next several weeks to see the next layouts!

:) Mags