Seal of God Book Review, Autobiography of a Navy SEAL

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

If you are at all interested in:

 a. the transformation of a rebellious life to that of a transformed life in Jesus;

b. in what life is like for a Navy SEAL;

c. what it is like to train to be a Navy SEAL;

d. what it is like to make tough decisions regarding career vs. the call of God on your life; . . .

. . . then you need to read this autobiography by Chad Williams, ex-Navy SEAL.  His writing is not polished, as this was his first attempt to author a book.  However, his story is for real and well worth reading.

 Chad was a typical California kid who became a skateboarding star at a young age.  As he became older, he set his sights on becoming a Navy SEAL.  Despite his parents’ opposition, his dad supported him by hiring Scott Helvenston, ex-Navy SEAL. to physically train Chad to be ready for enlisting with the SEALs.  The name Scott Helvenston may ring a bell, since he was one of the youngest to join the Navy SEALs at age 17.  He became well known for the infamous incident in Fallujah, Iraq, when he and three other security contractors were brutally killed on March 31, 2004.  Their bodies were set on fire, dragged through the streets, and then hung from a bridge. 

 Days before Chad was to report to military duty, he turned on a television and was greeted with the horrifying images of Scott being brutally murdered in a premeditated ambush on the street of Fallujah.  Steeled in his resolve to become a SEAL, Chad followed in Scott’s footsteps and completed the US military’s most difficult and grueling training to become a Navy SEAL.  One of only 13 from a class of 173 to make it straight through to graduation, Chad served his country on SEAL Teams One and Seven for five years, completing tours of duty in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Iraq.

 After going through the brutal training, he continued his partying lifestyle.  He went with his parents to a Harvest Crusade as ruse so his friends could move a keg in the garage.  The crusade was by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a Southern Baptist Church, where Chad surrendered his life to the Lord.  His conversion with Pastor Laurie led to a radical shift in his life.  There is a chapter on him being picked on and physically assaulted by members of his platoon.  It reminds us that being a Christian light in the military sometimes is its own war zone for a Christian.  His tour in Iraq was mentioned only towards the end of the book.

 Chad shares how his experiences as a SEAL helped him better understand Christ's love and sacrifice.  He is now in full time ministry.

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Elegant Bouquet

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

When I first laid eyes on the Stampin' Up Wrapped Bouquet Bundle, I knew it was going to be added to my stamp collection.  Now, it is one of my favorites.  I can see so many possibilities.  I have to just remind myself that I can usually do only one card a week, because I have so many other obligations.  I hope you like this card as much as I do.  Very easy to make, but looks elegant.  Red, black, and white is one of my favorite color combinations and are good colors if you want elegance.

Foam tape was used to adhere the bouquet to the card.  For the black leaves, I just used glue so that the bouquet would still have dimension.

The white pearls carry out the theme of the white dots on the black paper - ties together very nicely.

I taped the center of the black twine to the back of the newspaper image which held it in place so I could tie a bow.  I put a small piece of foam tape on the back of the tiny label so it would be held in place, too - prevents flipping around or getting out of place.

I'm already thinking about which colors to use next time!

Card Stock and Measurements

White Base 5 1/2 x 8 1/2"

Black 4 1/8 x 5 38"

Designer Paper 4 x 5 1/4"

Red Panel 4 x 1 3/4"

Black with White Dots Designer Paper 4 x 1 1/4"

Extra White Card Stock for Stamping Bouquet image.

Extra Black Card Stock for Die Cutting

Supplies

Stampin' Up Wrapped Bouquet Bundle

Stampin' Blends:  Light Cherry Cobbler, Light Shaded Spruce

Black Twine - about 12"

White Pearls - 3

Foam Tape

Tape Runner

Glue

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and appreciate each one. Thanks for visiting 

Annie's Ink-Lings. 💗

Bible Illustrating and Journaling - Philippians 4:13

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ.             

Philippians 4:13 is part of Paul’s thank you note at the end of his letter to the Philippians, where he is thanking them for their care and support of him and his ministry. But he also told them that whether he had a lot or very little, good health or bad, whether he was free or whether he was in prison, he was content.  So, when Paul says, “I can do all things…,” he means, “I can handle bad circumstances and good circumstances through Christ who strengthens me.”  It's the ability to "make do" in all kinds of situations.  It is a mental and spiritual attitude.

What it is not is a guarantee that you will succeed in any physical thing you want to do.

I am assured that I can be content in all circumstances through the Lord Jesus.  What wonderful peace that is!

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Annie's Ink-Lings. 💗

This is Not Good! Get Well Card

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

A few days ago, my pastor tore his Achilles Tendon, now in great pain, with possibly six weeks for recovery.  Naturally, I wanted to make a get well card for him with maybe a little something to give him a chuckle.  What better stamp set to use than Stampin' Up's Back On Your Feet.  Every time I look at that set, it makes me laugh.  I love the postures of those darling creatures and the sentiments are perfect for their posturing.  For my pasture's injury situation, I decided to use the giraffe.  Here I am laughing again!  See what you think.

With the giraffe having a knot in it's neck, the perfect sentiment was "This is knot good."  I know he'll get a kick out of it, so I can hardly wait to give it to him.  

Measurements
Yellow Card Base: 5 ½” x 8 ½”
Designer Paper Panel: 4” x 5 ¼”
Dark Green Panels: 2 1/8” x 4 2/8”

                                1 1/8” x 1 3/8”

                                1 3/8” x 4”
White Panels: 2” x 4”
                       1” x 1 28”
Yellow Panel: ¾” x 4”

Supplies
Stampin’ Up Back on Your Feet stamp set
Stampin’ Up Corrugated Dynamic Embossing Folder
Copic Markers: Y13 Lemon Yellow, E55 Light Camel,
                          100 Black, YG45 Cobalt Green

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and appreciate each one. Thanks for visiting 

Annie's Ink-Lings. 💗

Sending Good Thoughts

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Walking around in the back yard, I was admiring all the different shades of green in the flowers, shrubs, and trees.  What joy it is to have so much color in one small space.  The designer paper I used on today's card is a beautiful design of the color I observed in my back yard.  I just love this paper.

Notice the zig-zag stitching on the round panels.  These are such fun dies.  By placing a black acrylic dot at the beginning of the sentiment, it brings your eye to focus on the sentiment.

I used a corner rounder punch on the top left and bottom right of the designer paper. Continuing with black accents, I adhered a black twine bow, which helped to set off the rounded corner. 

Still following through with the black accents and to add continuity to the card, I added three more acrylic dots to the bottom left of the card.

Products Used

Card Base 8 ½” x 5 ½”

DP Solid Color Layer 4 1/8” x 5 3/8”

DP Patterned Layer 3 ¾” x 5”
Tim Holtz Stitched Circles Dies
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad Rustic Wilderness
Black Ink Pad
Black Twine
Black Acrylic Dots
Sentiment is from Stampin’ Up Too Kind Stamp Set
1/8” Hole Punch
Corner Rounder

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Bible Illustrating and Journaling

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

I love this verse in the book of Micah - a daily reminder of what pleases my Heavenly Father.

Micah 6:8

What does the Lord require of you, 

but to do justice, love kindness, and

walk humbly before your God.

In the previous verses of Micah 6, God tells us that sacrifices are not what He wants from us.  Micah 6:8 tells that there are three things that God does require of us.

1.  To do justly.

            This means to be impartial and treat everyone equally without prejudice; to obey the rules of the land and respect authority; to live truthfully and be transparent; and to live by the moral standards of God’s word.

 2.  To love mercy.

            We must live without retaliation, forgive for the umpteenth time, and to reach out to others without expecting anything in return.

3. To walk humbly with God.

            God created all people in His image and has all authority.  Everything we have has come from God.  So, no person is worth more than another person. I walk humbly with God by valuing each life and respecting all people, even when they don’t show the same respect to me.

             Humility holds the key to both acting justly and loving mercy.

 Ultimately, it is the Lord who gives us strength, courage, and the ability to exercise the virtues of Godly living.

Supplies used:  Prismacolor Pencils, Washi Tape, Dies

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Quilted Tulips Card

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

I grew up with quilts in my life - on my bed, certain quilts set aside for outside use for picnics or going to the park, small quilts to wrap up in while watching TV on a winter evening.  That's probably giving away my age, isn't it? 😉 I still have a couple of quilts that I made in my younger days, quilts from my Mom, and quilts I inherited from my Grandmother that hold so many memories.  I'm guessing that that is the reason why I liked the designer paper so much, which I'm using for today's card.

I used the Stampin' Up Square Lattice Embossing Folder on the designer paper to give it some texture.  It made it look  almost like real quilting.  

 The designer paper was layered onto a white panel, then adhered to a pink panel that I had embossed with Stampin' Up Framed Tulips Embossing Folder.

To further carry the theme of tulips, I die cut a stem of tulips using the Memory Box Dancing Tulips die.  I first die cut it in green, then just die cut the tulip blossoms in pink and glued them onto the the green stem.

In my stash of ribbon, I found a pretty pink and green combination.  It was just the perfect embellishment and helped give balance to the card in relation to the sentiment in the lower right hand corner. 

Here's the Recipe
Card Base 5 ½” x 8 ½”Pink Panel 4 1/8” x 5 3/8”White Panel 3” x 4 ¼”
Designer Paper Panel 2 ¾” x 4 7/16”
20” Ribbon
Stampin’ Up Framed Tulips Embossing Folder
Stampin’ Up Square Lattice Embossing Folder
Stampin’ Up Fabulous Phrases Stamp Set
Memory Box Dancing Tulips
¾” Hole Punch
½” Hole Punch

If you don't have quilted designer paper, you can always make your own by choosing four to five papers with small designs and coordinating colors

. 

Cut 1 1/2 inch squares from each of them.  You will need three squares across and two high.  Then adhere them to a white cardstock panel.  To make the panel fit inside the embossed tulip border, the measurements I used was 4 7/16 inches x 2 15/16 inches. Arrange the blocks to make your own beautiful quilt design!  Hope you give it a try and have lots of fun with it.

Blessings,
Annie

Sweeter Than Honey

 

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Verse of the Week

Proverbs 16:24

The pleasant words spoken of here are those which the

heart of the wise teaches, words of seasonable advice, instruction, and comfort, words taken from God's word. Solomon learned from his father to account God’s word as sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.  They are like the honeycomb, sweet to the soul, which tastes in them that the Lord is gracious.  There is nothing more grateful and agreeable to the new man than the word of God.  They are wholesome. Many things are pleasant that are not good for us, but these pleasant words are health to the bones, to the inward man, as well as sweet to the soul. They make the bones, which sin has broken and put out of joint, to rejoice. The bones are the strength of the body; and the good word of God is a means of spiritual strength, curing the diseases (sin) that weaken our souls.

Psalms of David

Psalm 19:10  They are more desirable than gold,
    even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
    even honey dripping from the comb.

Psalm 119:103  How sweet your words taste to me;
    they are sweeter than honey.

Blessings,

Annie