Faith Discovery Challenge #17 - {Jars of Clay}

{Jars of Clay}

In 2 Corinthians 4:7-14, talks about this precious treasure hidden in our earthen (human) vessels that many of us have not fully come to realize. What we possess as children of God, is something powerful and miraculous that if we come to understand what it is, we can be victorious in our life. In this chapter, it also goes on to say how we are pressed but, not crushed... perplexed, but not in despair... persecuted but, not abandoned... struck down but, not destroyed... Just like real clay jars that have been molded, they must go through a process where it is heated up in a kiln in order to strengthen, harden, and set their shape. God is continually molding us and shaping our lives to be a reflection of His image. So regardless of how frail and weak our physical bodies or minds may be or how much we find ourselves wanting to give up, we must keep in mind that during these trials, our spiritual bodies are being strengthened and perfected in Him that we can be a living testimony of His power and grace. What helps me whenever I'm feeling like the whole world is falling apart, is that I'm reminded that the same power that rose Jesus from the dead within us, the same power that healed the sick and made the blind see, the same power that created this universe, it is within us the moment we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. We have power to overcome every bit of oppression or adversity that comes to challenge us. When we acknowledge that power, we can find the strength to keep believing and pursuing God's grace to finish our course on earth regardless of our circumstances or challenges we face. That our "jars of clay" will never be shattered by earthly cares or worries, but will go through the fire so we can be strengthened and be used as a living testimony for others to know the power that is in Christ Jesus as we persevere and press on.

Challenge #17- Create a layout of a moment or time that you or someone you know has been tested and tried or has been through the fire. Share if you could, how your perseverance has paid off and how the Lord has used your experience to be a demonstration of God's power that was at work within you. Or if you are going through a difficult trial at the moment, you can create a layout acknowledging that you are this jar of clay being molded and transformed through the fire and to declare that power in Christ that is within you.


Faith Verses:

Romans 5:3 -"...But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."

2 Cor 4:7-10 - "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."

Eph 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

1 Peter 4:12 - "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

Hope you could join in for this challenge! One of your layouts could be featured on our blog next Tuesday so don't forget to upload it the gallery here. Also, all are welcome to visit the Faith Discovery Challenge forums for any questions, comments, or discussion! Thank you!

Here are some layouts done by me and a few of our creative team members....

By Dahlia

By Victoria

By Jackie Ann

By Erin

By Connie Jean

By Tammy

By Tanya N.

Faith Discovery Challenge #16 - {Compass of Peace}

I'm back everyone! Summer has come and gone so quickly and the fall season is just around the corner. Soon after that, just when life seems to slow down a little bit, we're back to being busy and making plans for the holidays! I'm already thinking of what to make for Christmas presents, ornaments, and cards :) Anyways, I'm getting way ahead of myself here! Better get back to the present and on to this next challenge...

{Compass of Peace}

Peace. In the dictionary, it says it is a state or condition of tranquility, serenity, or harmony or is also a state of being silent or still. Whenever I'm at peace, I find myself feeling content and secure. Peace, according to the Word of God, is one of the fruits of the Spirit. If we are led by the Holy Spirit, we will find peace, but if we are led by the desires of our flesh, we will most often find ourselves struggling to find peace and sanity in our lives. We are all often faced with a decision that sometimes are easy to make based on common sense, but what about those tough decisions like those that affect our jobs, our relationships, our home, our children, our money, and so on... These are situations that we know as Christians, are to turn to God for His guidance and direction that we may do what is best in the eyes of the Lord and not something that will ultimately bring us to regret our decisions.

Let me share a little bit of my story... A few years back when my husband and I bought our first one bedroom condo as newlyweds, we had only lived in it for a few short months when my first son was born. We realized that the space was extremely too small for our family and felt maybe we should start looking into a two bedroom. I had already made a decision to be a SAHM, so basically we were living off one income which made more sense not to even consider looking into a new home. However, we still searched for other condos or homes for sale within a certain budget that we thought we might be able to afford but, didn't feel peace about the ones we found. As disappointed as we were, we felt that God had something better and maybe it just wasn't the perfect time for it. Several months later, we came across a sign in one of our neighbors windows right across the building from us that said "For Sale By Owner". We made an appointment to look at the place and something began to tug at me. I had this unusual "knowing" feeling that this was for us. Later that night, after praying and lifting it up to God, I felt this peace about it. Although my husband was feeling pretty uneasy and reluctant to move forward, I told him, "God is going to give this to us. I feel at peace about this." And he trusted that if it was God, then He'll surely give us the favor we needed to own that home. The offer we placed on it was lower than what the seller was asking for, but it was what we were able to afford. After a few days of waiting with suspense and anticipation, we got a call that even though they have received an offer higher than ours, they felt led by God to accept ours. In fact, they were so happy that we were also Christians! They also had asked us to pray for their daughter who, a week later, had willingly asked to come to church with us. Even until this day, we still keep in touch with this family and thank God that He led us in the right direction with the power of His peace, to fulfill His purpose and for His glory! If we had chosen to have purchased a home several months before, we wouldn't have seen or experienced the goodness of God and have had our faith strengthened. Also, we would not have given this person an opportunity to come to church with us and hear the Gospel. Most of all, we would not have learned this valuable lesson about walking in faith and trusting in His peace to help us do what He has called us to do!

So my friends, if we allow His peace to guide us and lead us to do His will, then our lives will be filled with peace and we will see His purposes accomplished. There were many times in my life that I chose not to be led by His peace and suffered consequences, but I chose to share one of the few times in my life that God was my compass of peace!

Challenge #16 - Alot of times we make decisions based on our own will rather than God's. And from my own experiences, whenever I chose to do something even though there was this unsettling feeling that I felt deep down inside, there was always a reason for that because it was God's way of trying to get my attention to change course or cancel what I had originally planned to do. Had I obeyed God's leading I probably would have spared myself from undue stress or grief. It has taught me that the peace of God and His words should be our life compass in every situation when we are faced to make a decision. If we don't feel peace about something after praying and waiting upon Him and know that it is in line with His teachings, we should let that be our guide or compass in life to make the right decisions. We are to be led by peace no matter how much we want something or else we'll find ourselves sorry if we go against the leading of the Holy Spirit. There are different ways that God will help direct our paths with peace. Some receive direction and peace through His Word, some receive through hearing a worship song, some receive through prayer and meditation, but, whatever the scenario, God's peace can be felt with the heart, an unexplainable joy. So, this challenge is to create a LO about a time or moment in life when you were either led by His peace or when you learned that hard lesson of being led by your own instincts rather than God's... Hope this gives you all something to think about! I know it has been a personal experience of mine and creating a page about this will always remind me to follow His compass of peace that I may enjoy a peaceful life...

Faith Verses:

Psalm 34:14 - "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 14:30 - "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones."

Romans 8:6 - "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."

1 Cor 14:33 - "For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace."

Phil 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

2 Thess 3:16 - "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way."

Here are layouts created by me and some of our Challenge CT! Click on the images to view full credits.

By Dahlia

By Jackie Ann



By Tammy

Again, please upload your layouts to the Faith Discovery Challenges gallery. I will be choosing a layout to be featured on our blog next Tuesday. And remember that every new challenge is posted on the last Wednesday of the month! Thanks for joining me and hope you enjoy this challenge!

~Dahlia

Faith Discovery Challenges Returns!

Hello! It's Dahlia here coming back from a short break, although it seemed like a VERY long time! I took a month off to be with family and celebrate a few birthdays and now things have finally started to quiet down. Now it's August (already?) and I'm ready to get back to work! :) So, some of you know that the Inspiration Challenges are on break for this month and should return back on schedule in September. Faith Discovery Challenges have been on break for the month of July and will resume starting Wednesday, August 27th. For those who have been with us for a while know that Faith Discovery Challenges were held every other Thursday which will NOW be joined with the Inspiration Challenges on Wednesdays EXCEPT ONLY the LAST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH which is why I mentioned above that I will be back to post on August 27th. It will be a great way to rotate between the two similar, but unique challenges on the same day of the week. Hope that makes sense! If you have any questions or comments, please start up a thread in our Inspiration Challenges Forum or shoot me a PM! I look forward to continuing our journey of FAITH discovery and growing to know the Lord through these challenges! Blessings to all of you....

Faith Discovery Challenge #15 - {No Turning Back} and taking a VACATION :)

Summer is officially here and I'm feeling the heat! Heat from the pressure that is rising for me already with so much to plan and prepare for in the next month--Fourth of July, my 33rd birthday, hosting my sister's babyshower and planning for my son's 2nd birthday! So, I'm taking next month off to focus on my lovely family. I will definitely still be around to chat and keep up with the good stuff here at Faith Sisters although I'll miss leading these challenges for the month. Keep in mind though, I will be back!! So, keep your eyes open for me in August with some special news and updates...

The previous FDC challenge - {Remember This?} - was to create a layout about remembering the lessons or moments that had an impact on your faith whether it was something God had taught you or when you first realized the power of His love and grace upon your life or even times of difficulty that taught you to hold on to faith. Remember. I'd like to congratulate Theresa aka Scrapper_Smiles for her very thoughtful and inspiring layout about September 11th, a day that shook our country and to some of us, our faith. This is a day that should never be forgotten and when we reflect upon this tragic event, we can also remember the grace and compassion of God through countless humanitarians who helped restore NYC and extended their love and support to the families that suffered from their losses. So, THANK YOU Theresa for sharing this with us! Please leave her love and praise for her efforts in her gallery!

By Theresa aka * scrapper_smiles *

{ No Turning Back }

In the past, I've dealt with everything you can imagine that was ultimately going to destroy me even to the point of death. Yes, I know. Me? No way! But even I, can hardly believe that what I've experienced in the past really did happen. It seems so unreal to me now that I think of where I've been. It was a long, dark, winding road, but eventually I saw the light. I remember those dark moments of despair, the emptiness, the anger, the careless lifestyle, the search for true love only ending before they begin, just total confusion and blindness. I survived a car wreck, an overdose, an abusive boyfriend, a broken home, a shattered heart, and so much more all due to the abandonment or so I felt it was, by my deceased mother and my father who had given up his will to live and surrendered everything to drugs and alcohol. From child to young adult, were years wasted on things and people who literally brought me to a deep pit of darkness. And that is when Jesus came to save me. Sounds like a fairytale, but it's the truth and nothing can ever change it or take it away from me. Despite all the things in this world that may argue about the reality of Jesus, nothing will cause me to turn back on Him because only I know what He's done for me and how my life has been completely transformed by His love. The moment I received Him as my personal Lord and Savior, was the moment that I instantly gave up on smoking cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol, it was the moment that I began to shed all the bad habits that had me bound, it was the moment that I saw how precious life is to not waste it, it was the moment that I knew that I had so much to look forward to and soon enough, I was blessed with a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful children. Now, how can anyone tell me that Jesus is not real? How can I ever turn back to what I was before? I would not exchange my life now for anything in the world because I found the treasure of my heart. HE is so ALIVE and He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow....

Challenge # 15 - I thought if we created a LO about a specific way of life or behavior in our past that God has delivered us from, it would be a great way to share our testimony with others about how God has the power to set anyone free from anything. You just never know if this LO will be used to reach someone out there who is struggling with the same thing and is in need of some encouragement and hope. So if you'd like, create a LO that will share what personal transformation took place in your life or lifestyle that you know was done only through the power and grace of God

*This challenge will definitely be something that I'm sure will cause you to ponder into the core of your heart. And if this isn't something you're ready to do then by all means, skip this one or return to it later when you feel comfortable. For me, I felt the Lord led me in this direction and also wanted to share with others the struggles I faced in my old life which only God was able to deliver me from. *

Faith Verses:

Isaiah 43:18 - "Forget the former things; Do not dwell in the past."

John 8:36 - "So if the Son set you free, you will be free indeed."

Philippians 3:13-14 - "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."


Please upload your layout to the FDC gallery and also visit our forums to share your thoughts, comments, and questions if any. I look forward to being blessed by your inspiring layouts and THANK YOU SO MUCH, to everyone who has supported me and encouraged me to continue this ministry! And a SPECIAL THANK YOU to my awesome CT, you guys are the best!! Love you all and hope you all have a wonderful summer! :)

*Click on images for full credits*

By Dahlia Co

By Scrap Evangel

By Tammy

By Jackie Ann

By Rita S.

Faith Discovery Challenge #14 - {Remember This?}

Hello! Hope all is well and everyone is blessed today! I've had quite a roller coaster ride these past few weeks. It's funny, after posting the previous challenge about FEAR, guess what? I was faced with that very challenge just last week--more details about that down below. It's just so awesome that the Lord puts these topic ideas in my heart and literally uses them to not only present them to you as inspiration for your layouts, but also to personally challenge me in my own walk with Him. So, now I'm always anticipating for something to happen where God can draw me closer to Him each and every time. :)

Okay, for our Featured Layout for the previous Faith Discovery challenge - FEAR NOT -is from one of our faith sisters, Laura B. Her layout was selected for her journaling that I found was amazing. I also love the photo she used to covey her overall message about her greatest fear. Please take time to read the journaling and leave some love for her in her gallery! Thank you Laura B. for your inspiration!

Featured Layout by LauraB.

{Remember This?}

As mentioned above, I said I would share more details about the fear I had faced last week. I woke up with this stabbing pain in my back side and severe cramping in my lower abdomen. After talking with my doctor, she immediately told me that I need to go to the ER right away. So, my poor husband rushed me to the ER which later turned out that I needed surgery to remove a kidney stone. First of all, I have never had surgery in my whole entire life, this was my first time. So, you can imagine the trauma that this had brought me even though the surgery was considered non-invasive and minor compared to other situations. A lot of things were bringing me down with fear during that very moment I was in the hospital, but the biggest of them all were thoughts of dying and leaving my children and husband behind. However, amidst all of the frightening things that were happening to me, I gave it all to God and I said, "Lord, you have my life in Your hands and I put my trust in You." After my surgery, I realized that God had done something to prevent them from actually going further into my kidney because the stone had already passed into my bladder (sorry if this is unpleasant) and therefore, eliminating the process that would have had a potential risk to cause inflammation and damage to my kidney. Praise the Lord! I wept with joy because I knew deep in my heart that the Lord intervened and had mercy on me. What an awesome touch He had a upon my heart that day that I will never forget.

It was also a great moment of truth for me and I know that God didn't cause this to happen, but He did use this opportunity to teach me about taking better care of myself. I've been pretty stubborn and careless when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. I would tell myself over and over again, I'm going to get in shape, I'm going to eat healthy, drink a lot of water, get enough sleep, not stress over little things, etc. yet, of course I was never good at sticking to it because I didn't think it to be that important--until now. Because I've had a history of kidney stones, although not nearly as bad as what I just experienced, I know that this recent incident was a result of my lack of attention to what doctors have advised me to do in order to prevent them from reoccurring. Remembering to do even the simplest thing of drinking PLENTY of water was something I ignored and it eventually backfired and caused me tremendous pain and grief. So, I contemplated with the question, "Why is it so hard for me to take better care of myself? What am I doing wrong or not doing in order for me to do what's important for me?" Well, the answer came quickly while I lay in bed, in a still, quiet voice, "You need to learn to love yourself." It was a word from the Lord that made so much sense and I felt a burden lift.

Loving myself for who I am has been a lifetime battle for me and it's something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember. God knew it was time for me to overcome that obstacle which I've prayed about for so long. Since that day, I have made a commitment to gain back my self-confidence and appreciation for me and my life--mind, body, and soul. I'm always making decisions for my family, but now I've been making better choices and decisions for a healthier me. Yes, I'm drinking my water! :) It took a life changing moment for God to open my eyes that before I can love others and become a better person, I must remember that I need to love ME first, not just for the things I do, but for the person that God created me to be. Amen!

Challenge #14 - This topic is about remembering the important things. It could be things we may have forgotten about in our walk with the Lord such as those moments how God opened our eyes to see things we may not have seen or realized before. Sometimes we forget how God has brought us through our struggles and challenges in the past and when we face another problem, instead of praising Him for bringing us through it before, we tend to focus on our circumstances rather than His faithfulness. Overall, this challenge is to remember what the Lord has done for you or for someone you know and how it has effected your faith. I'm sure you'll have many ideas for this challenge, but hopefully as you pray about it, the Lord will give your clear direction for your pages! I look forward to seeing your inspiration!

Faith Verses:

Genesis 9:16 - "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Psalm 143:5 - "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done."

Philippians 1:3 - "I thank my God every time I remember you."

Here are our layouts for this challenge and please remember to post your layout in our FDC gallery for us all to see and for me to select the next Featured Layout for this challenge! Also be sure to visit our forums for anything you'd like to share or discuss! Thank you!

*Click on images to see credits*

By Dahlia Co

I wanted to create a LO as a reminder of
what the Lord has taught me through
my recent experience mentioned above.

~Remember to Love You~

By ScrapEvangel

By Jackie Ann

Faith Discovery Challenge #13 - {Fear Not}

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend! It was a long weekend for our family and we had such a great time together. I'm sure many of you were taking time to remember our troops and loved ones who served to protect our nation. It's amazing to know that we wouldn't be enjoying the freedom we have today if it weren't for all the lives that fought for our country. May God continue to bless America and those serving in the military!

For last week's Faith Discovery Challenge - {Little Things Do Matter}, I selected a layout created by one of our sweet faith sisters, Kristi D. aka krispysky. She did a great job with putting this page together and what I love most is her list of 'LITTLE' things that she chose to recognize as the big moments that she'd never want to take for granted. **Due to temporary technical difficulties in our gallery, I wasn't able to upload the image of her layout in this post. But you can go directly to her gallery here.

{Fear Not}

Fear. There are so many things that can cause fear to creep into our lives and rob us of our peace. We all can fall prey to the fear as we are surrounded by the many things in this world that can harm us or those we love. So many times I have been overcome with fear and I know when we fear, we lose hope, and eventually we lose faith and sight of God's plan and purposes for our lives. Fear can spiritually paralyze us from doing what God has called us to do and eventually can affect us mentally and physically if we don't have the courage or tools to overcome it. Fear is such a huge obstacle in our walk with God and no wonder God has commanded us in the Bible so many time to not fear. So how do we overcome these fears? By trusting in the Lord and believing in His promises. There are so many stories and messages in the Bible that speaks about fear but, one verse that I'd like to share in this case is in Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Also in 2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." If we know that His spirit is with us wherever we go, then we can be at peace that He is watching over us. There is nothing hidden from Him and He knows when we are afraid. But, we can come to our heavenly Father during times that we are filled with fear or anxiety and He will grant us peace so we can enjoy living a life free from fear.

Challenge #13 - This challenge is to create a LO about the thing(s) you fear most and your thoughts and prayers to the Lord to overcome this fear. If God has delivered you from certain fears, you could also create a page that will serve as a reminder of what God has done to set you free from them.

Faith Verses:

Psalm 27:1 - "The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?"

1 John 4:18 - "There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear..."

Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

2 Timothy 1:7 - "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."


Because we our currently experiencing some temporary technical difficulties with our gallery, I couldn't post all of the CT layouts on here. Once the gallery is back up, I'll be sure to include the other layouts. In the meantime, you can check this gallery link to see the other layouts created for this challenge.

*Click on images for credits*

By Dahlia Co


By Tammy

Faith Discovery Challenge #12 - {Little Things Do Matter}

Hope everyone had a blessed Mother's Day last weekend! The last Faith Discovery Challenge - Woman of Virtue - was a chance to celebrate and honor those special women in your life, whether it was your mother, friend, daughter, or mentor. Also, some of you chose to create a layout about your own experiences or thoughts about the virtuous woman you'd like to become. Proverbs 31 not only had a strong influence upon my life as a woman of God, but as a true servant to my family which is why I chose to highlight that portion of biblical scripture.

And now for the Featured Layout...

By Debra

Journaling:

"It’s taken a long time to get to the point where I feel like I am at peace in my walk with God. In the past I’ve not been the virtuous woman and feel ashamed that I wasn’t. I have so many perfect role models, how could I not be that kind of woman that God wanted me to be. Hard lessons learned and mistakes made have only drawn me closer to Him and constant prayer will keep me here."

Debra is one of our newest members of our Digital CT and she not only did a great job with designing this layout but, I also admired her honesty and truth in her words... Something I definitely found to be true in my own walk with God and because we are all imperfect human beings, I agree that with constant prayer and following hard after Him, is what will help us to be that woman of virtue. Thank you Debra!! Please leave her some love and see more of her talented creations in her gallery!

{Little Things Do Matter}

This topic was something that God has been putting in my heart for a long time and many times I have gone back to this little saying "little things do matter", especially when I'm feeling so lost in my own world of wanting more than what I have or when I feel so insignificant at times that I'm not doing enough or if I'm simply worrying too much that I hardly recognize the importance of what really matters in life and what really matters to God. Do you ever find yourself asking the Lord, "Do you really care?" I know I have many times. There are times that I can't help, but feel desperate for God to answer a prayer or a need. Or there are moments when I'm so afraid of what my future might hold for me or my family. Other times I wonder, "Does God really understand or care about all the things that happen in my daily life?"--the bills, the leaky faucet, my achy back, my husband's commute to work, the little accidents my kids have when they play, etc.--which I've felt were things that God may be too busy to care about when there are so many other catastrophes and bigger problems to handle in this world. But, not true at all. There have been so many incidents that God would prove to me that even the smallest requests are heard like needing help with finding my lost keys or to find good parking at the mall or to be able to get a good grade on my final exam. Those are just a few of the many reasons why I can trust that even the LITTLE things that matter to me, matter to God. We are His precious children and He cares!!

The Bible also gives us some examples of how even the LITTLE things are used to do great things. For instance, when Jesus fed the five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two small fish (John 6) or when God instructed the widow and single mother to give her last piece of bread to the starving prophet which God then miraculously provided enough for her and her son throughout the famine (I Kings 17), are such powerful examples of how something LITTLE becomes more than enough through His power and grace. God is so awesome!

Another LITTLE thought on this topic is also being faithful in the LITTLE things even when it may seem unimportant or useless. Many times, we forget that if we want God to trust us with more of His blessings, it's important for Him to know that He can trust us with even the little blessings. If we can appreciate the little things, we also can appreciate the bigger things. The reasoning in this can be more understood in this example: You receive a two gifts, one is inexpensive and the other one is rare and priceless. Which one would you take more care of and keep safe? My answer would be the more expensive gift of course! However, God is wanting us to be faithful in being good stewards with every gift, whether big or small, that He so graciously gives us in order for God to trust us with more of His blessings... (Luke 19:13)


Challenge #12 - So this challenge is for you to create a LO that acknowledges the LITTLE things described in the article above. Whether it's about cherishing the LITTLE moments with our loved ones, praising the Lord for answering our prayers for the LITTLE matters of life, or for turning our LITTLE blessings into something big, I hope this challenge will help you grow to trust that our Lord cares about us in every LITTLE way and that every LITTLE thing we do or go through matters to Him.

Here are the layouts from me and the CT! Hope you enjoy this challenge and look forward to seeing your take on it in our gallery! For discussion about this week's challenge, please visit us in the forums, I'd love to chat with you and get to know you as well! Find us back here in 2 weeks to also see who gets selected as the Featured Layout...

* Click on images to see credits in their gallery*

By Dahlia Co

By Tammy

By Jackie Ann

By Terrie L.

By Rita S.

By Cheryl in FL

Faith Discovery Challenge #10 – {Stay Focused}

Wow, 2 weeks flew by really fast! Now it’s time for another challenge but, before I do that, let me first start by picking the featured layout for our previous challenge, “Time Is Precious”. Even though there were only a few, it was still a challenge for me to pick just one. But, I couldn’t help but pick this layout by one of our talented Creative Team members, Tammy McClain. The photo is really dramatic and most of all I strongly understood her words of wisdom and her message really spoke the truth about how precious time is. So, be sure to give her some love and check out her layout and more of her awesome designs in the gallery! Thanks Tammy for your inspiring work!

Featured Layout by Tammy

Go to her gallery here.

{Stay Focused}

Focus. I tend to think of a camera when it comes to that term. If you’re like me, trying to hold a camera still, zooming in and out to bring the object into clear view, getting the right lighting, etc. can be such a chore just to take a picture. But, we still take it anyways and find that more or less, the picture comes out perfectly fine. We love capturing moments on photos because one day we know we will want to look back at this time in our life and remember the special people, places, and events that took place. And when we’re gone, those photos will hopefully be kept in someone’s loving care to share with the next generation and the next. Focus. What important things do we focus on? For me, I’m a SAHM which means my focus right now is to take care of my sweet little boys and hubby, to be the best mother and wife that I possibly can be. Like a camera, it takes discipline and practice but, basically I know what my priorities are and believe that the love I put into this family will eventually reap an abundance of blessings through my children. There are days that I feel overwhelmed, weary, frustrated, and tired but, I know that God is my helper and His grace is sufficient for me. The Lord helps me to focus on the things that glorify Him rather than glorifying things that are worldly and temporary and I praise the Lord for that.

Staying focused. Why can it be so hard sometimes to keep our focus on the Lord and His promises? So many times, I find myself sidetracked by all the chaos that occurs in life. Not to mention, I often forget that He is control. He knows my days from the moment I wake up to the moment I lay down to sleep. He will do what He promised to do in His time, not mine. But, when disappointments and setbacks come my way or prayers are left unanswered, people I love get hurt and mistreated, stories of innocent people dying, violence, and war on the news, couples getting divorced, children abandoned and abused…so on and so on. These things fill my mind and my heart with so much grief, I can hardly bear it sometimes. Doubt and fear is the enemy’s tactic to cause us to lose sight of this race, to lose trust, to lose hope in God. There’s a battlefield in our mind that constantly tests our faith. Yet, when we read His word, pray, and spend time with Him, He gives us the right perspective and shows us how to stay or get back on track. We are all running a race and sometimes the trials in life can make you stumble but, just keep going and don’t let the enemy stop you from reaching your goal to serve the Lord. Finish your race and in the end, God will say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt 25:21) So, stay focused!

Challenge #10 - We all have a potential to lose focus on the visions and plans that God has revealed to us. Setbacks, disappointments, confusion, stress, disbelief, sickness, strife, etc are some of the things that create obstacles in our paths. Yet God wants us to keep running this race, He wants us to reach our destinations that lead to His Kingdom, He believes we can keep going if we keep our eyes on Jesus. But, we have to have faith if we want to finish this race despite all the hurdles that causes us to stumble and fall. Share your story about this race you're running and what is it that keeps you from giving up? What are some things that have thrown you off track? What are things that you can share with others that will help them finish their race?

Faith Verses:

1 Cor 9:24 - "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

Phil 3:12-14 - "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But, one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Hebrews 12:1-3 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

John 16:33 - "...In this world, you will have trouble. But, take heart, I have overcome the world!"

By Dahlia Co

By Tammy

By Jackie Ann



By Terrie L.

Looking forward to your designs and learning from you! Upload your layouts to the FDC gallery and you could be our next featured scrap artist for this challenge! You can also check in our forums for discussions or updates. Be creative and be blessed!

Faith Discovery Challenge #9 - {Time is Precious}

It’s so wonderful to be back! I had a very wonderful time being able to take care of some important things over the break and also spending some quality time with hubby and kids. I feel renewed, refreshed, and ready to be inspired and blessed by all of you! I really missed my wonderful faith sisters and never really thought about how precious they are to me until now. The past few weeks, although I did enjoy it, I also had some moments that needed me to request prayers and support. So, of course other than turning to the Lord, I also turned to my sisters and really felt the power of their prayers over me. It’s an awesome feeling and I’m so thankful for being a part of this beautiful family of FAITH SISTERS!

I have some minor changes to make for the Faith Discovery Challenges that I hope will make things a little bit easier for everyone, including myself, to participate in. Anyways, the challenges will no longer be every week. L I have minimized it to every other Thursday, instead of weekly. I think this would give many of you the opportunity to catch up with these challenges and not really miss out on other challenges going on at our site as well. Besides, I feel that many of us would like to take more time to pray and think about these challenges. Some of you have mentioned that the challenges are just that—challenging. And having more time to do them would give you a chance to express what God has put into your heart. I too, believe that with the topics the Lord has given me, require you to have a deeper perspective of life and the lessons that we have gone through that has made Jesus such a reality in our lives. So, hopefully now with more time, I'm praying that more of you will join in! So, stick around and be prepared for another round of Faith Discovery Challenges!

I will also be selecting a winner for the challenges and showcasing their layout in our blog. This will be announced at the next challenge post, 2 weeks from today. I know that this will be a challenge to me because I have witnessed so much talent, creativity, and inspiration for these challenges so far.

Free downloads will from now on be at a minimum. I would love to keep designing freebies each time but, with so much on my plate, it can be pretty overwhelming. Even with the help of my fellow designers, the collaboration kits can also be time consuming to coordinate. So, I will try my best to give you goodies when I can and surprise you every now and then. Deal?

Now on to this week’s challenge….

{Time is Precious}

Living in such a busy world, our time is often taken for granted. We feel that our time is so limited to be able to do all the things we’d like to do so we sometimes forget the things that do matter in life, like our family and loved ones. One day, my son was asking me if we could play with his blocks together. And I was busy with homework so I told him, “Later, okay?” He politely said, “Ok.” but with a disappointed look on his face. Five minutes later, he asked if we could play with his blocks again. And again, I explained that I would be done with my homework soon and that he needs to wait. Well, time flew by and I didn’t realize that I had forgotten my son’s request. I went over to him and said I was sorry for not playing with him like he asked me to. He said, “Mommy, you forgot.” I was crushed just to hear those words. I realized that although it may not have seemed so important to me but, it was definitely important to him. He wanted to have time with me and build memories together. When I thought about it, my homework wasn’t due for another week or so, and I felt so selfish to have let that time we could’ve had slip away. A week ago, a close friend of our family had been had been instantly taken away from us without notice. I can’t imagine how lost and broken I would feel to lose a loved one and recall that I had been too busy to make time to talk or be with them. Life is short. And instead of wishing I had more hours in a day to do everything, I’m praying instead that “God may give me a heart of wisdom that I may know the number of my days.” We all have no clue that maybe tomorrow will be our last or the last moment we’d get to have a loved one with us. I sure hope that we will try our best take some time out of our busy lives, to let someone know that you care and that you remember that even the little moments matter. Most of all, ask the Lord for His grace to help us make time for Him every single day, that we may live a life worthy and pleasing to Him. After all, He is the the Lord and Creator of TIME itself...

Challenge #9– Create a layout of a moment in your life where you discovered the reality of how precious time is or can be. Share your thoughts about the challenges you faced when it came to spending time with family, loved ones, or with God. How has God helped you in the area of appreciating the time we have while we are here on earth? Or what has reminded you that time is a precious gift from God?

Faith verses:

Psalms 90:12 – “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”

Here is my layout:

Every Little Moment Matters

Credits here.

God bless you and please share your thoughts and comments in our forum here. And once you’ve completed your layout, be sure to upload it into the FDC gallery! I look forward to seeing what you’re going to come up with! Blessings!

Faith Discovery Challenge #8 - {Unconditional Love}

There was a time that I felt like nobody cared and that I had no one to trust my heart with because I always felt like the moment I’d let someone grow close to me, I would just end up being hurt. I felt that if someone really knew all my faults and weaknesses, it would just give them a reason to shut the door and leave. Deep down, I felt alone and wanted so desperately for someone to care about me regardless of the things that aren’t perfect about me or my life. When I came to know the Lord in my early years of being a Christian, I still had so many insecurities about myself and kept this guard up so that no one would be able to see how vulnerable I was. There was this distance that I kept between myself and everyone I met. I just felt like I needed to protect myself even though I knew I was being surrounded by so many well-meaning, compassionate, and godly people who only wanted to help me grow and mature in my relationship with God.

Shortly after being settled in my new church home, I began to open up and met this wonderful young man who became nothing to me but, a very good friend or should I say ‘brother in Christ’. I actually felt like I could be myself with him and share everything about the person I am, even things of my worldly past without feeling at all embarrassed. It was a wonderful feeling to be honest with myself and know that this person honestly still cared about me despite my past. He made me realize that God does love and care about me even when we I mistakes or have fallen short. His friendship was one I had never known in my entire life, one that was literally genuine and real. Eight years later, he is still my best friend and also the man I’m happily married to! We’ve been through so many changes and so many struggles in life but, as time went by we have learned that nothing can separate the love we have regardless of how imperfect we are. God would reveal to us every day that His love is faithful. We’ve grown to always turn to the Lord when we fall short and know that when we repent and ask forgiveness, God is faithful to forgive and His love is unfailing. He is our rock, our redeemer, our everlasting Father! And forever, He will keep us close to Him if we seek Him and love Him with all of our hearts…

As I think back of all the things that I did against the Lord’s will, and wonder how can God still love a person like me? Have you ever thought that? Even today, I feel so undeserving of His love and grace as He continues to bless my life. I believe we all should be reminded of the unconditional love of our Savior who died for us. I know that every challenge so far has been about the love of Christ and how it cost His life to give us salvation. I just can’t stress it enough how amazing His love is that even when we fail, He never fails. His love can never be measured nor will anything we do to fall short is ever too much for Him to not love us. No matter what we do, we can never change His love for us. His love is eternal and endless and what a privilege it is to belong to Him!

Here are some verses that have spoken to me during this challenge:

Psalm 103:12 – “So far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Romans 8:38-39 - For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Challenge #8 –Create a layout of what unconditional love is to you. What things has God revealed to you about His love for you even when you feel like you don’t deserve it. We know Christ loved us unconditionally and went to the cross for our sins... But, what are some of your experiences? With your spouse, children, family or friend? Maybe someone taught you the meaning of what it means to love someone despite their failures or mistakes. Or maybe someone loved you enough despite all of your imperfections. Whatever it may be, let God speak to your heart and have Him reveal His love to you in a deeper way...

Here is my layout:

All designs are from this week's free collab kit, "Unconditional Love". See below!

Be sure to upload your layouts to gallery for this week's challenge!

This week's giveaway is a lot bigger than what we've normally been giving so, I hope you leave us some love and post some comments! Also, it would be great to see your work using this kit so, please share in our gallery! Also, I know a lot of people enjoy our freebies we give each week for these challenges but, haven't been able to participate... So, even if you can't do some of our challenges it would be great if you could let others know about our site so, they can also be blessed to meet us and know all about Faith Sisters! Thank you very much for supporting us and please come back again each week for more challenges to deepen your faith!

This week's collaboration, Unconditional Love, will be free for one week only! If you come back and missed the free access, don't worry because you can find it in our shop under "Collaborative" as well as our past collaboration kits. Enjoy!

Unconditional Love

Download here.

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Faith Discovery Challenge #7 - {Sacrifices of Love}

Hope you all are having a wonderful week! The timing seemed kind of off for me considering the long weekend we just had for President’s Day. Having DH home an extra day for the weekend made Tuesday seem like Monday so evidently, I didn’t expect Thursday to come so soon! And on top of that, while Faith Sisters was closed for the server upgrade, it felt like time was slower than usual and waiting for it to re-open seemed like forever! However, the moment could not have been at a better time for me because I was knocked down with the flu while at the same time, both my boys had ear infections! Ha! So, even though it would’ve been the perfect opportunity to catch up on house chores, clean up my computer files, and yep, even do some long awaited scrapping, all I did was lounge and cuddle up with my DH and kids on the couch. Then, I realized what a blessing in disguise that this server upgrade was for me! J Now, I’m wondering…what did everyone else do besides anticipating and waiting for FS to come alive again?

For last week’s challenge {Lover of My Soul}, I really enjoyed the wonderful pages that everyone created about the people they love especially the ones of husbands and wives. There was one outstanding layout that one of our digital CT members, Terrie aka ScrapEvangel came up with that I just had to share with everyone. I just love the three dimensional design of her page! The depth of her layout really draws your eye in!

Check it out!

By ScrapEvangel. See her gallery.

Also, this was another LO that really catches your attention because of the powerful truth it holds when it comes to a LOVE that is beyond our comprehension, the LOVE of a risen Savior who gave His life for us in exchange for our sins that we may have hope of eternal life with Him…

By Helen Parker aka sbg3396. See her gallery.

This week’s challenge is almost similar to last week’s but, I guess it takes it a little bit further into detail. This week is about the sacrifices of love that we or someone has done for another. Sacrificial love is a selfless act that a person is willing to give of themselves even if it costs their time, their energy, and freedom. It isn’t out of obligation but, of true servant hood motivated by genuine love and honesty in order to seek the best interest of that person. It is the act to serve rather than to be served. In John 13, Peter was astonished when the Lord came to wash his feet and was resisting that He would do so, because Peter felt that he should be the one to wash the Lord’s feet. But, after Jesus finished washing all of the disciples’ feet, He told them that they needed to follow His example of being a servant. Jesus taught His disciples the importance of sacrificing their self-will if they wanted to have a true part in Him. Jesus also said in Matthew 16:24 - “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” That seems like a huge price to pay but, when we look upon what Jesus did for us, it shouldn’t be hard to understand that if we want to tell someone about Jesus, the best way is to love them the way Jesus loved us—selfless, enduring, and unconditional. Jesus didn’t have to go to Calvary, He didn’t have to take up His cross, and He certainly didn’t have to die for us but, He did. He did it out of a sacrificial heart that was willing to serve and obey our Father’s plans and to demonstrate His great love for those who believe in Him. To Jesus, we were worth the sacrifice and there's no other way to repay Him but, to love Him with all of our hearts...

Challenge #7 – This week’s challenge is to create a layout about the sacrifices of love that you or a person has made in order to honor the Lord and be obedient to His word and His command to love with a love that is selfless, long-suffering, patient, faithful and true. Ideas come to my mind that may be common to most of us is our choice to be a SAHM to our children rather than work outside of home or vice versa where you are working hard to make sure your child is blessed with everything they need. Again, it doesn’t have to be about you but, of someone you know that has had an impact upon your life or others because of their act of sacrificial love. There’s probably many situations where people serve others in various ways to seek their best interest and the sacrifice may have been big or small but, the point is how this sacrifice was done out of sheer steadfast love.

Here is my layout:

This is my DH's grandmother and great grandmother to my children. She is such an amazing woman of God and her life has made an impact upon me in such a huge way. All the sacrifices she has made as a mother, a grandmother, and now great grandmother has surpassed my understanding of what sacrificial love is about. I love her sweet and gentle spirit, yet her strong and enduring faith in the Lord and to those she loves....

The papers in this LO are from the "Sacrificial Love" freebie down below.
Credits here.

Here is this week's free download! Enjoy! Remember, it'll be gone for one week! If you use them in your layouts be sure to upload it into my design gallery! Thank you so much!

**Download expired.**

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