...Love Others As Yourself

"Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your might and loves other as yourself."  Now I do not know if that is exactly how it goes, but this is what was playing in my head for a couple of days...and nights.  I am usually a great sleeper but when God wants my attention he seems to do it when I am trying to sleep;-) . The other night when I was awake for several hours starting at 4:00 in the morning and I was pondering this verse and I came to a NEW level of understanding for this verse.
I used to think is was as simple as 'we should loves ourselves and think good about ourselves because if we are to love others as ourself, then we better love ourself.' right?  But then I was reminded  about when I attended Christian Conference a few years ago.  We were asked to FOCUS on God. Focus on how wonderful He is, the attributes of God, and how much we LOVE him. The trick to this is taking the time to actually do it. This is why I love going to conferences... I do not have the excuse of the distractions of everyday living. Anyway, back to my story. When I was focusing on God and how truly magnificent he is and how very much I love him the most AMAZING thing happened... I felt this overflow of LOVE come back on me. I was pouring out my love on Him and He being the God of love that he is  gave it back to ME!   It was not this small little thought the "God loves me". It was  powerful and amazing!  The closest I can come to describing it is my love for my kids are when they are toddlers.  I need to tell you that I am a baby person.  My heart melts at the sight of a baby.  I am one of those weird people who love a baby's cry and someday wish to volunteer in the hospital holding babies:-).   I just felt is was important for you to know that about me to understand what I am going to say. So once again... back to the story, When my children were toddlers they were constantly getting into things and BREAKING things, especially my son.  There is something about boys and BREAKING/DESTROYING things.  The girls made horrible messes but it could usually be fixed :-)  I was busy running around keeping them safe and cleaning up after their path of destruction but when I looked into those little faces, no matter what they broke or ruined all I could see was how much I love them. At that Conference when God was showing me how much he loves me I was reminded that I might not be perfect and I make mistakes, but he is so proud of me and loves me very much!!! I believe THAT is the love we are to have for others.  NOT just that everyday "I love you" , but an overwhelming kind of love. Even those who have left a path of destruction in your life.  No one is prefect, EVERYONE makes mistake and God loves each and everyone of us. I believe LOVING ON GOD is the key to loving ourselves and loving others.  I hope you take the time to LOVE ON HIM and let me know what YOU experience.

Scripture Wall Lettering

At Applied Expressions we make all sorts of products.  Vinyl wall decor and lettering, signs, banners, t-shirts and sweatshirts, canvas printing etc... But my FAVORITE thing to do is to work with God's Word.  I love reading scripture verses and I love playing with the fonts to make it appealing to the eye so that it is not only a powerful message to read daily, but it actually looks nice in your home or office.... Much better than a sticky not plastered to your mirror :-)  This scripture was on my mind for a couple of days, you know one of those things that you can not get off your mind.  You wake up at 4:00 in the morning and you are thinking about it.  So I decided to turn it into "Wall Art".

  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=617106&id=153118038035963 

Click on the facebook link above for more info.  If you like this or what a scripture verse that has been put on YOUR mind  put into vinyl wall lettering just send me a message at gittyjo@comcast.net  and I would LOVE to make it for you.  If you are not familiar with vinyl lettering it is very easy to install.  It sticks to any smooth surface and comes and 50+ colors.  I can make it any size color or shape you want.  It stays on very well, but when you are ready to take it off, just peel it off the wall with no damage to the wall. 

Harvest of Righteousness

I thought this would be a good design to showcase today.  I love this border with the apples and leaves.   I chose this verse to go along with this boarder because of the word "Harvest"  When I think of harvest I think of fall and apples.  Any saying or scripture verse could be used here.  If you like this one click here to purchase.  For more vinyl art designs or to customize your order click here.

In All Things Give Thanks

I try to be thankful for all things.  I know that God loves me... as he does you too.  I know he takes care of  me.  Below is a story that happened recently that gives an example of giving thanks to something that at the time does not seem like something to be thankful for.  Keep in mind I am NOT a writer!
My car was not accelerating properly at times, it was actually scary at times when I would pull out into traffic and my car did not respond right away.  So I took it into the shop to get it fixed.  They looked at it and determined it needed some standard up-grades to the transmission and the spark plugs cleaned.  So a few hundred dollars later my car was ready to get picked up.  My husband was driving my car back home, I was following him about half way home he called and asked if I saw anything dragging under the car.  I said "No, why" and he said  "there is a very loud noise like something is dragging"  We made it home and he lifted up the hood and could see nothing.  He called the mechanic and they wanted me to bring it back.  I got in the car and it sounded terrible.  Of course about 2/3 of the way there it stopped making the noise.  When I got there the mechanic wanted me to drive him around so he could hear to noise.  Of course after driving around 15 minutes we never heard it.  We were getting ready to pull into the shop and I asked if there was somewhere we could go that I could accelerate and get up to a higher speed.  He directed me to a freeway on-ramp that was up hill.  I stepped on it and it responded the same way it often did in the past.  Fortunately the "check engine" light came on and they were able to take it into the shop and hook it up to the computer.  They gave me a ride home while we waited to hear what was wrong with my car.  Here is the AMAZING part.  Apparently on our way home from the shop after our car "was fixed"  somehow a plastic bag got sucked up into the engine, hence the horrible noise and the smell that something was burning.  Because of that bag we brought our car back into the shop and they were able to find out what was really wrong.  It was something major that thankfully covered under our warranty which will be expiring in a few month. I am THANKFUL for the bag stuck in the engine.  Usually we do not see the positive results of a difficult time so quickly, but know that God takes care of us therefor we need to be thankful in the moment.  To view more positive messages for your home click here

Focus on Today... Let God Worry About Tomorrow

Here is another "MESSAGE ON THE MOVE".  How many of us drive around worrying about things we are not in control of.  Thinking about the "What IF's..."  This little car decal can serve as a reminder to us and  the people around us that ...We do not need to worry about what MIGHT happen tomorrow.  How things look today does not mean that it WILL happen tomorrow. So why worry?    I use to worry about everything!  God has defiantly lead me down a road of teaching me that HE is in control.  I have learned this valuable lesson  from events that have happened in my life, the many sermons I have listened to over the years and some key scripture verses.  Some of the scripture verses have helped me in this area of my like are - Matthew 7:11  "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"  and Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God" So, if he wants what is best for me... and Nothing is impossible for God, so Why should I worry??? Why should anyone worry???  To order the above "MESSAGE ON THE MOVE"  click here

Suround yourself in God's Word

 Wall art is a way to have scripture or encouraging words put upon your wall,  while also enhancing the decor' of your home or office.  Having scripture or positive statements applied to your wall  serves as a  reminder to you and anyone else in your house or office who reads it.  Surrounding yourself with God's word can provided comfort, encouragement, wisdom, and joy.  This is a design I made using Palms 36:9.   If you like this boarder, but would like a different verse or saying, click here and let me know.  I would be happy to make one for your home/office

Messages on the move...

Messages on the move is the name I came up with for car decals that send positive a message.  It seems that everywhere you look there are negative messages on cars.  My "ex"... , or piss on..., or even swear words for the world (including kids) to read.  I have seen very little POSITIVE and ENCOURAGING messages on cars.  The amazing thing is  IF IT IS ON A CAR IT WILL BE READ!  Don't get me wrong, there are some positive things out there for example  the little boy or girl praying at the cross, or the fish (which is a symbol of Christianity).  The stick people families and of course the decals supporting your child's sport or school..  These are all nice but the options are limited.  I have designed some car decals that are meant to encourage the people around us, and/or point them to God. I also think this is a great tool to us in witnessing to others.  You can get a message to someone you might otherwise never talk to. My plan is to continue making "messages on the move" at least one new saying a week.  I will post my NEW car decal each week so if there is not something I already have designed that you like, keep checking back or let me know your thoughts and together we can design something.  Someday I hope to see more positive things around us to focus our attention toward, instead of the negative.  My web-site is a mess at the moment.  Many of the car decals are listed under wall words or quotes.  If you look at the size that will be a good indication of what it is.  Of course I can take anything and make it smaller to make it a car decal, so if you see something you like and you want it to be a decal just let me know.
My web-site should have it's new look and be organized correctly by the middle of October so please be sure to visit. click here to go to Applied Expressions.