Quite another week

I had hopes of blogging at least twice this week. But no.
So what did I do?
Saturday - contact centre in the morning. Church Quiz in the evening - my table won (we were shocked!)
Sunday - 2services plus a BBQ at a third church
Monday - wedding anniversary - which included a meal out and a trip to Sweeney Todd in the evening which was fab, fab, fab (Michael Ball is so good at being eeevil and misunderstood)
Tuesday - trip to Doncaster to meet up with my pastoral triad. We talk over issues and support each other. Also fab, fab, fab but with a lot less eeeevil.
Wednesday - left Doncaster and travelled up to Middlesbrough to pick up Hywel at the end of the second year of Uni
Thursday - included travelling into London for an exit interview with our moderator (sort of like a Bishop but not so eeeev - no, that won't work)
and Friday   work.
Saturday - a mixture of work rest and play including singing with the Kingsley Choral Group at Eastbury House in Barking (we ended with a bigger audience than we began which is always reassuring)

I did have time to sit and stare and do other things too but it does seem a bit of a blur now!
On Monday I made my Daring Card. It's another colour challenge and what else could it be but red, white and blue for the Jubilee weekend?

The papers are all from Junebug by Basic Grey. I traced round a die cut cup I had. The scotty (ish) dog was already on one of the papers. I added an embossed Heidi Swapp crown stamp, a sizzix die swirl, half a doily, Imagine That "celebrate" stamp and a flower with Craft Candi in the middle

I've made a few more cards this week. One uses a new Martha Stewart punch. I ordered a punch from Oyster Stamps and there was a little mix up with the order, but they sorted it out promptly and generously so I wanted to say a public thank you. This punch is a new doily border punch - isn't it lovely? (it is the blue layer)

Almost everything else is from a very old Crafty Template card kit. I adore that silver and cream paper. And the dull silver sequins. And the cream card lace. So I have been hoarding them. time to let go I think. I also used Imagine That stamps, with black and blue ink and some sticky backed gems.

Last week my prize for winning the Scrap 365 sketch competition arrived. It was an Echo Park kit from Funky Farm Scrapbook Barn. I leapt straight in to using it

The words come from one of the papers. Other bits come from that same Crafty Template kit, a Prima mask, Tim Holtz heart (sprayed with the same colour ink as used on the cardstock but it looks so different), an EK success punch, a butterfly punch and some glitter thickers

Thanks to the Queen moving half term, we have to preach tomorrow on Trinity Sunday - a Sunday that Ministers often try to avoid because it is hard (said in a moany voice). Let's see if I can explain that it is just another way of trying to understand God in a meaningful and worshipful manner.
For one of the sermons I am using this quote from Romans 5 as translated in the Message. Eugene Peterson has a wonderful way with words and there is so much love in this. I love the picture of doors opening, so I shall leave this epic post with his take on a quite difficult passage

 ^1-2By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.