JOYFUL JULY

 The following words are not mine as I gathered them from two different websites. 

Lifting up your soul is an intentional posture of surrender, pointing your mind, will and emotions away from the weight of worldly anxieties and fixing them on God. Rooted in the Psalms, this daily practice acknowledges your dependence on His grace and invites His peace to fill the spaces you offer to Him.

We have an example of soul lifting being stated in the negative in the twenty-fourth psalm. As the psalmist asks who can ascend the holy hill of the Lord and stand before Him in worship, He knows only those who are cleansed in Christ can make that journey. "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully"(Psalm 24:4) . If one turns his heart toward the falsehood of idols and makes vain promises ( most likely about religious duties), he cannot then also truly raise his affections toward God. So guarding your heart from temptation so you can worship is one way to lift your soul to God.

Lift your soul to the Lord by looking to Him for guidance. In Psalm 143, the psalmist is asking the Lord to answer him quickly. He needs direction from the Lord. He prays, "Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I life up my soul." When you come seeking the Lord for guidance in life's matters, as it were lifting up your heart compass to find God's due north direction for your life, that is lifting your soul to Him.

May your soul be ever lifted up to the Lord.

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Now I hope you enjoy what I have designed for this month:

 You can download the elements HERE

and the papers HERE 

 

JUNE 2026 - Something for you

 To those who visit my blog, thankyou and welcome.  This month there will be no "Joyful June" kit as last month I had a busy time with making greeting cards to sell at a market my husband and I attended. I do not sell many cards but I wanted a good display to add colour to our stall at the market. Ken's woodwork is not very colourful.  When we do these  markets we do not keep any of the money we raise, it all goes to Barnabas Aid. This organisation helps the persecuted Christians throughout the world - both in practical ways and spiritually ( bibles etc). 

I do have something to give away this month and it is something I created for my own use. Each year I create a calendar for the following year. For 2027 my calendar is featuring photos I have taken of insects over the past years.  If you want to see more of the ones I have been making for this year you are welcome to visit my gallery at Ginger Scraps  HERE for previous years and for the 2027 ones  HERE in amongst all my other layouts I create for the challenges at Ginger Scraps. 

What I am giving away is the monthly frames I have designed which I hope some of you do download, use and enjoy using. 

 You can download the January to June templates HERE

and the July to December templates  HERE 

 

JOYFUL MAY

Recently my husband and I watched on one of the Christian TV stations, Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministry ( we try and watch one every Sunday night).  I am not sharing a link to this teaching but just want to share that the title was  "Triumphant Joy" and a quote that really stood out to me is the following:

Happiness depends on circumstances.   

Joy depends upon a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

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Now here is my kit for you all to enjoy this month. I do not remember ever designing a beach themed kit so this month I have includes a couple of shells and starfish and pile of sand. 

 You can download the elements HERE

and the papers  HERE  

 

 This month in most of the world we celebrate Mother's Day so I am including a set of word art which I hope you all enjoy.

 You can download the word art kit HERE

JOYFUL APRIL - 2026

 The scripture including the word "JOY" which I chose for this month includes the word "Salvation". I chose this verse because of Easter being celebrated this month. It was when Jesus died on the cross for our sins that our salvation happened.

Our salvation is the result of God’s love and mercy. 

I am not sharing any devotional thoughts this month I want to direct you to the great teachings of Charles Stanley. My husband and I watch one of his teaching videos every Sunday night and are finding such great encouragement from them.

You can find his teaching on "Salvation is from God"   HERE 

 

Now I hope you enjoy the kit I have designed for this month as I did enjoy putting it altogether. 

  You can download the elements HERE

and the papers  HERE 

Template - Lots of Strips

 Here is a template I have created which I hope you all enjoy using. 

 You can download the 12x 12 template  HERE

and the Letter Size template  HERE 

JOYFUL MARCH - 2026

 The year is slipping by so fast. Welcome to my Joyful kit for March.

My chosen scripture comes from Psalm 96.

King David used this psalm when he brought the ark into Jerusalem. This psalm is recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.

 The Jews kept the ark in the temple but 400 years later enemies destroyed the temple. After 70 years the Jews built it again. They changed the psalm some to how we know it. They used it in their new temple.

 

Psalm 96 is a vibrant call to universal praise, illustrating the grandeur and glory of God. This psalm encourages the reader to proclaim the wonders of God’s deeds and the majesty of His reign among all nations.

It describes the worship and adoration God deserves from both mankind and nature alike.

 

So let us all join the trees of the forest and sing for joy. Our God is Great and greatly to be praised. 

 You can download the elements HERE

and the papers HERE

 

I hope you enjoy this month's kit as I enjoyed working with my chosen colours.  

 

Template - One Heart Four Photos

 This month I have a template to give away. I enjoy creating templates and hope to share one possibly not every month but when I get around to creating one which sometimes might be every month.

Please if you create a layout using one of my templates share it with me. You are welcome to email me. You will find my email address in the TOU_info folder in my downloads.  

 You can download the 12 x 12 template HERE

and the Letter Size template HERE