let’s count it all joy
welcome!
Welcome to a new calendar year and a time to celebrate our new life in Jesus.
As I worked on the collection of items for this month’s mailer, I was continually reminded of the beauty of newness and all the ways we get to experience it. Through God’s design, we get to live through the physical seasons of winter, spring, fall, and summer - seasons of death and rebirth. Each day, we wake to a fresh start with fresh mercies from our Savior. Each spring, we celebrate Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection - the source of our own new life. And - through his resurrection, our very lives are new in Him.
The art in this month’s mailer is meant to remind us all of all of this. But also to celebrate newness - to celebrate the joy that comes with a fresh start and the possibilities we have as we look to the future with hope!
I pray that the joy YOU have in Jesus is something you can know and recognize in this season of celebrating His birth.
And - something small, but good - your “Count It All Joy” mailer has arrived!
Your mailer includes ten little bits of goodness that I hope will bring your faith and your Joy in Jesus to mind whenever you see or use them. More than anything, I would love for you to USE the goods from this mailer - to weave them into your projects and your personal devotions, to add color to your spaces, and to gift them to others.
on this special “subscribers only” page, you will find:
A video on the inspiration behind this collection and on the ways I’ve used the products in this month’s mailer.
Some additional (JOY related) quotes.
Images showcasing the ways I used the products.
Journaling prompts.
A prayer.
Links to all supporting supplies that I used (sketchbooks, frames, art supplies, etc.). Please note that many, but not all of the supply links are affiliate links. And if I missed anything that you are curious about, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask.
PROJECT VIDEO
quotes on all things new
Enter the coming year with renewed hope in the power of God to do through you what you cannot. -John MacArthur
So never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself. -Florence Nightingale
One year equals 365 new beginnings. -Anonymous
New Year’s Day is a good time to fix one’s eyes on the only one who knows what the year is to hold. -Elisabeth Elliot
I like me better with Jesus. -Anonymous
So I close my eyes to old ends. And open my heart to new beginnings. -Nick Frederickson
It is okay to take time to process the weight of changing things, and it is okay to not be sure of what the coming months will bring, but may you know that even here, you are much more than those things and there is still room to come alive and thrive within the waiting. -Morgan Harper Nichols
You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. -C.S. Lewis
I trust the next chapter because I know the author. -Anonymous
Every end is a new beginning. -Anonymous
What the new year brings you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year. -Verona McLellan
I need the fresh reminder of God’s mercy right now. -Rachel Marie Kang
Today is a new day that has been handed to you for shaping. You have the tools, now get out there and create a masterpiece. -Steve Maraboli
a prayer
(from The hymn “let us all with gladsome voice”)
Christ, our Lord and Savior dear,
bless us and be near us.
Grant us now a glad new year.
Amen, Jesus hear us.
journaling prompts
I process my thoughts (and pray!) through writing. Perhaps you do too. If this is something you haven’t tried before, I would encourage you to give it a go. Sometimes, a little prompt is all it takes to get started.
Where is God calling your time and attention in the next few months?
Name ten ways you see God’s presence in your life.
Copy your favorite “new” quote from above and write a related prayer.
What do your goals / dreams for the year reveal about your heart?
Write out your favorite verses on new life.
Something beautiful you saw today.
What attribute of God are you most thankful for in this moment?
Write about where you have seen God at work in your life, recently.
A letter to Jesus expressing thanks for his new mercies.
How could you change your actions to better align with your identity as a New Creation in Christ?
SUPPLIES I USED alongside THIS MONTH’S MAILER CONTENTS
Frames/Matting:
4x6 mat for 5x7 frame (similar as I bought mine in a 50 pack)
I also have more framing and matting suggestions in my Amazon shop.
Journals:
(similar) 6x8 One Little Word Album by Ali Edwards
Bible:
If there’s something I missed, don’t hesitate to ask!
“In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inhertiance that can never perish, spoil or fade. ”