Scrap Book Your Faith

On one of our last visits with our family, everyone had gathered around Mom’s table for dinner.  It is the custom of our family for everyone to hold hands for the prayer before our meals.

Savannah, our little four year old granddaughter wanted to say the Blessing.  However, holding hands was not correct posture for praying in little Savannah’s mind.

So she stopped and waited. Then she proceeded to show us how to fold our hands. The only little one in the crowd waited for all nine adults to fold our hands into praying hands.  Then she started her prayer.

God,

I Love you.

Thank You for my new swim suit.

I Love You and

I Love You.
Amen

The innocence and sincerity of her prayer touched my heart.

Savannah talked with God about what was important to her at that moment.  She showed gratitude and love for God. You could feel the sincerity of her little heart. 

Isn’t that what God desires from us—our sincere hearts—talking with Him?  Nothing pretentious—just plain talk about what’s on our hearts and in our minds.  What also amazed me was that most of her prayer was declaring her love for God.

That must be why  Jesus told us “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

Savannah gave me a perfect little story to share in our Faithbook. 

Capture your family moments with God—whether it is something small and innocent or something monumental.

I’d like to challenge you to be alert to prayers and stories that your child/grandchild says.  You never know when one will be perfect for a layout in your Faithbook.

 Want to learn more about “Faithbooking?”  I’d like to invite you to check out www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com/howto.html.

Would you like to keep up with how much of the Bible you read?  If so get your FREE downloadable Bible Reading Record at www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com/freebible.html.

Blessings on you as you create your Spiritual message for your loved ones or those who follow you.

Donna

© 2010 Scrapbook Your Christian Faith and Donna Riner Weber
http://www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com

You may copy this blog if you keep everything as it is written in its entirety and include the closing signature intact with the website address and this right to copy sentence.

FAITHBOOKING OUR TRAVELS

Last week Brian and I had the pleasure of cruising the Caribbean to celebrate our 15^th anniversary.  As a Faithbooker, it’s natural to think about the best way to capture God’s beautiful scenes with the gorgeous aqua waters fringed with white sands and Palm Trees.

But that’s not where my mind is.  Over the past years as we have traveled, I have become more aware of how BLESSED we are.

While in Belize, Brian and I bumped along on a horse/carriage ride. Our hearts were aching for the people living in the intense poverty we were witnessing.  However, our guide pointed out a river and then a bridge.  He told us that we were not suppose to cross the bridge because the other side of the river has the really poor sections. 

At that time we could not wrap our mind around the fact that we were in the wealthier part of the country.  It was mind boggling.

As I sit here working on the computer in my air conditioned house, I feel so blessed.

So it is with an attitude of gratitude that I close today’s blog.

  “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything…”  Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)

Blessings On Your Faithbooking Journey!

Donna

Although it’s been several years since my Daddy passed on to Heaven, there’s an incident that sticks so clearly in my mind.  I can still hear him calling out for my son the day before Daddy passed away.

“Samuel, Samuel” his weak voice from the cancer strained to call out another time.

“Daddy, Samuel is still at school—but he’ll be here soon.” I told him.

Daddy had such determination to give his grandson a message. He heard the kitchen door rattle and called out for Samuel again.  I kept reassuring Daddy that Samuel would be back soon.

Samuel returned immediately when his classes were over–within a couple of hours.  He walked straight in to check in on his Granddaddy–but it was too late. At least it was too late for Daddy to talk with Samuel.

The remaining few hours of Daddy’s life he was too weak to have a conversation. 

He could no longer share his message with Samuel.  Sometimes I’ve wondered what the urgent message was.  What was so important that he strained and struggled several times to call out for his grandson?

Why did those two hours make such a difference in Daddy’s ability to divulge his message which will forever remain a mystery to us?

As Faithbookers, we have a special opportunity to pass on our Spiritual messages to loved ones and future generations.

None of us know which day will be our last one here on Planet Earth—or if we’ll be robbed of our abilities to communicate by illnesses.

Therefore I’d like to encourage you—if you have a message—whether it’s a prayer, a scripture, or a story, start working on it today.  Don’t put it off.

You may be thinking “I’d like to do that one day– but right now I’m too busy.”

The Bible says: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”  Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)

Start today—if you’re a beginner and want some guidance in starting your faithbook, check out www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com/howto.html  or you can just click on the “How To” section from the home page.  Don’t you think it’s time to get started leaving your Spiritual Legacy?.

Blessings on you as you create your Spiritual message for your loved ones or those who follow you.
Donna

© 2010 Scrapbook Your Christian Faith and Donna Riner Weber
http://www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com

You may copy this article if you keep everything as it is written in its entirety and include the closing signature intact with the website address and this right to copy sentence.

Goals for the New Year

Every year Brian and I travel hundreds of miles to be with family during the Christmas holidays. During our drive time, we spend some time chatting about our goals for the coming year.

Each year I write our goals in the same green hard-bound journal. Often we will pray about some of these goals.

When we accomplish one of the goals, I highlight it with a bright yellow marker and place a date beside it.

This little bit of history is fun to review as the years pass. It reminds us of things that were important at the time and how God answered our prayers.

Not all goals are achieved in one year, if they are still important, then we plop them over onto the next year’s goals.

Our goals include those for our home, physical health, spiritual growth and service. We also include some for our fun—travel and hobbies.

My Faithbooking Goals this year include—Making more pages about my faith, finishing my “unfinished” projects, writing more, and teaching it more often.

So do you have special faithbooking goals for this year?
I believe that God has plans for you and your Faithbook as well.

“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.” Jer. 29:11 (NIV)

May You have a Blessed New Year full of God’s Abundance of Love, Joy, Peace, and Happiness!

Donna

Recently my Mom shared a letter with me that I’ve never seen. The letter was written in February of 1937 by her Great Aunt Annie.
Mom received the seven page letter on her eighth birthday.

As Mom carefully unfolded the faded letter she removed three additional little treasures. Hidden inside of the letter were a silver dollar, a two dollar bill and two embroidered handkerchiefs.

By the way Mom meticulously handled the letter and contents I knew that these were items she cherished. Holding the 70 year old letter gave me a warm fuzzy feeling too.

The precious letter offered tiny glimpses into a life about our ancestors that otherwise we would never know. In addition it came from an era when mail was cherished— decades before cell phones, email, and texting.

Have you written a letter to your son/daughter? How about your grandchild? Maybe you’re thinking you don’t even have a grandchild yet. Well, you can still write a letter for your future grandchild and place it in your Faithbook.

Seventy years from now, you don’t know who you may influence as he/she reads your letter.

Begin now. Tell someone in the future about how God works in your life today.

Remember the Bible tells us:
“Write this down for the next generation so people not yet born will praise God…” Psalm 102:18 (The Message)

Blessings on you as you journal a letter for your loved ones or those who follow you.
Donna
© 2009 Scrapbook Your Christian Faith and Donna Riner Weber
http://www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com

You may copy this article if you keep everything as it is written in its entirety and include the closing signature intact with the website address and this right to copy sentence.

“Heeeee-Yaaaaa.” Blam…Crack…Pop!

The board was broken. Samuel, my ten year old son, had just
earned his first belt in Tae Kwon-Do.

“How did he do that?” I thought. I sat baffled and totally amazed. As I watched I noticed Samuel would get into a certain posture. Then he positioned his hands just right—even though his feet were going to do the work.

His eyes concentrated on one spot on that board. Then his face
took on that Tae Kwon-Do look—blank—yet intense focus on his target.

He did not move. No one in the audience moved. It seemed like everyone quit breathing.

Then all of a sudden quick, deliberate, forceful, and focused action was
delivered to his target.

Samuel’s foot was through the board. Now he could proudly wear his
new yellow belt!

Faithbookers Focus their Layouts on God
Just as a student of Tae Kwon-Do learns to focus his attention on the board, as Faithbookers we need to keep our focus on God. On our scrapbook layouts, we can switch themes—birthdays, anniversaries, travel, holidays, etc. However, the purpose of the Faithbook is to show God’s presence in your life to future generations. So let us keep our intentions focused on God—so that the next generation will understand God was present and active in our lives and He will be in theirs also.

“We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2 (God’s Word)

Blessings on you as you focus your scrapbook layouts on your Faith in God!
Donna

© 2009 Scrapbook Your Christian Faith and Donna Riner Weber
http://www.ScrapbookYourChristianFaith.com

You may copy this article if you keep everything as it is written in its entirety and include the closing signature intact with the website address and this right to copy sentence.

What about new things in general?  Do they overwhelm you at first?

I’ll admit they overwhelm me.  I’ve especially felt overwhelmed when trying to get this web-site on line.  I feel some of you smiling right now—or is that laughing?    I’m not a “technologically updated” person.  However, I’m learning—thanks to many of the good writers out there in cyberspace.

I guess  we can become devastated anytime we take on new tasks whether it is writing, technological stuff, or a new hobby such as “Faithbooking”.

Two years ago I wrote the following in my prayer journal:

“I feel overwhelmed.  I write but I don’t seem to be getting anything accomplished.  My office is a mess—papers piled everywhere.  Even the kitchen table is piled high with my books, folders, and papers.  God, I need some guidance in what to do.

If you are really calling me to be a writer, then help me to be one. Jesus, I feel I’m supposed to write about how to scrapbook your faith but I’m overwhelmed with learning the technological side of things.

Lord, where do I go first?  What do I do today?”

That day–God led me to the following verse:

“Don’t be frightened by the size of the task,

for the Lord my God is with you;

he will not forsake you.

He will see to it that everything is finished correctly.”

1 Chronicles 28:20 (The Living Bible)

If you’re a newbie and want to learn faithbooking, don’t feel overwhelmed.  Pray and ask God for help. He will guide you step by step.  And just as other writers and scrapbookers have helped me, I want to help you.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Blessings to You on Your Faithbooking Journey

Donna

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

I’m so excited to say those words. This has been a long time coming. You see, I was a school teacher, minding my own business, when my life changed. Illness made my life spin around—and I wound up going in a totally different direction. After I could no longer work as a teacher, I cried and struggled. I knew God made everyone for a purpose—and I knew mine wasn’t to lie around on a sofa and wait to die. But I really didn’t know what my purpose was anymore.

Day after day I begged God—“Tell me God what your plan is for me.” Many tears and many prayers later, I felt God was telling me to write stories of how He had been faithful to me.

After a while, I thought perhaps my stories should go into a devotional. But a couple of years later, I had become interested in the fun world of scrapbooking. At that time, when I wanted to include my faith in my scrapbook, I couldn’t find a book to teach me how.

I never knew until that time in my life, that the Bible instructs us to tell the next generation about what God has done in our lives. I knew we were supposed to teach our kids about the Bible and what happened in those times—but God instructed us to tell our children about what He does in our lives today.

The Bible tells us “. . . Be very careful never to forget what you have seen God doing for you. May his miracles have a deep and permanent effect upon your lives! Tell your children and your grandchildren about the glorious miracles he did.”

Deuteronomy 4:9 (The Living Bible)

God merged my passions—my faith, being creative (even though I’m not artistic), writing, and teaching—into one project, Scrapbook Your Christian Faith!

Again, I welcome you to this new site. I pray that it will be a blessing to you and that we will journey together in being missionaries for our Lord as we Scrapbook Our Christian Faith and send our messages into the future!

Blessings to You!
Donna

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (The Living Bible)