And The Winner Is.......

Kathy Pardue

Kathy - if you will respond to this 

or message me on facebook I will

get you your prize in the mail!

The Truth is in the Tinsel

One thing I love about blogging

is the comments. 

I created a facebook page for 

my blog and someone commented

sharing this:

 

 The Truth is in the Tinsel

It's an Advent Experience for Little Hands

and it has a suggested Bible Reading

and devotional and a craft for

each day during the advent season.

I personally love this one!

 Templates are included - and if you

don't have time for a craft

EVERY SINGLE DAY

there is a printable ornament book

you can get to go with this

that has simple ornaments your child

can color and cut. (super easy)

The book is an inexpensive e-book

My husband printed and bound

mine because I like to read to the

kiddos with a book in my lap,

but Mom's with tablets or iPads could

probably just read it off of that.

The book is available at

The Truth is in the Tinsel

And if you're the visual type and want

a little more hands on ideas for kids

you can follow on facebook

The Truth is in the Tinsel

Try The Missionary Diet!

One way to keep Christ

in focus is to share the love

He has placed within your

heart with others.

And one way we can do that

is by being conscientious

about our own spending.

In the U.S. the majority of

people are over weight.

We eat too much, simply because

we have been abundantly blessed

and we have food.

In other counties there are people 

going hungry.

AND - while I know we cannot

save the world - or rid the world

of hunger, we can make 

a difference. It may not be a

big difference, but if one child

goes to bed fed, rather than

hungry.... it's a big difference

to that one child.

So - try this:

THE MISSIONARY DIET

To go on a missionary diet - get a jar.

Then - find a mission that you would

like to support. Pray about this. 

God will lead you to the right one.

 Then - when making food choices think 

of ways to cut back.

One example is when ordering lunch,

instead of ordering a

Hamburger, fries and a drink,

cut out the fries and put the money 

you would have spent in your

missionary jar.

 When stopping for tacos,

get one taco instead of two and

put $1.00 in your jar.

Fix a cup of coffee at home

instead of stopping at Starbuck's

and put a few dollars in the jar.

Over a period of time,

it will add up - and if you're cutting

some things out of your diet,

you should lose a few pounds.

If not - the diet is still 

successful because some little 

child, somewhere gets something 

to eat.

Some of the missions

I like are:

True Life Mission

 Compassion International

Nehemiah Vision Ministries

(NVM is the group Lawton Missionaries Cathi & Gami Ortiz work with) 

 

The Elf On The Shelf On A Mission

Some people like to use the 

Elf on the Shelf

as a countdown to CHRISTmas!

If your family enjoys it,

then by all means do it.

But - consider this.

Make your Elf on the Shelf

a MISSIONARY!

 Instead of that naughty elf that the

kids saw last year -

What if your elf had a change of heart?

He could be used to encourage 

your kids to be more kind,

obedient or giving!

 Your family is unique. Your needs will be

different than our needs.

But - the basic idea is to incorporate the

elf to help you reinforce to your 

children the things you are

wanting to teach them in their

day to day lives.

 Let's share!

 Let's be considerate of others!

 Let's empathize with people and animals

that might be cold and hungry.

 Let's show appreciation and give thanks!

Let's learn to be living vessels of 

God's love and lets

let that love flow over to

those around us!

These are just a few 

"starter" ideas.

But, I'm sure you can think of

tons of ideas on your own.

Let's offer to read to an elderly 

person who can no longer

see very well.

Let's offer to help and elderly

person change light bulbs,

smoke detector batteries,

or take out their trash.

Let's donate old magazines

to a Veteran's Home.

Let's donate toys to a

Children's Shelter.

Let's collect diapers and wipes

for a Crisis Pregnancy Center.

Let's go CHRISTmas Caroling.

 Let's shop for CHRISTmas presents

for a needy family.

Let's donate last years coat

to a child who needs it.

Let's make care packages for

single soldiers and tell them

thank you!

The ideas are endless!

And you can completely 

customize them for your

family's specific needs. 

Christmas Book Advent

Try a CHRISTmas Book Advent

using books that teach your children

about the birth of Jesus!

 

Shared with permission

by Rindy Mae

 Christmas Book Advent

This a post from last year.  I figured there's probably more than one of you out there who, like me, remembers all about wanting to do this, after the first of December.  When it's too late.  So here's your reminder to hit up the thrift stores for some Christmas books - you still have nearly two weeks to get it all dialed in.  :)  I dug ours out of the Christmas bins in the attic, and will be wrapping them up over the weekend to get them ready.  Now to find those dang numbers.....


I am sooo excited to do this with the kids this year.  I've seen the Christmas book advents in blogland over the last few years and every year, I say I'm gonna do it.  Then the first of December comes and goes and I've blown it.  Not this year!

The kids already had quite a few Christmas books.  They've received them over the years from neighbors and friends.  But I still needed more, and there was no way we could afford to get them at a bookstore. Those suckers are at least $15 bucks a pop right now.

So I hit up Goodwill.  You guys, they had three entire shelves full of Christmas books.  It was like winning the lottery.  I got all giddy when I saw them.  Then I proceeded to plop down on the floor, yes in Goodwill, and scan through every single one of them.  I bought one that was $2.99 and one that was $1.99, but the rest were .99 cents!!!  Deal of the day.  And they're nice books.  A couple of them are paperback, but most of the ones I brought home are hardcover books.  So awesome.

So I wrapped them all up, (yeah, that part took a minute), numbered them from 24 to 1 on a brown paper bag cut into circles with a Sharpie, ('Twas The Night Before Christmas will be read on Christmas Eve, of course),  put them in a basket I already had, and voila. Christmas Book Advent.

Did I mention I'm excited?  I was thinking about the kids being older, and having favorites, and looking forward to opening them, and trying to guess which one is the one they love them most. Eeeeeee.  So fun.

As I was wrapping them, I was thinking, there's no reason you'd have to do Christmas books.  If your house is like ours, you have books coming out your ears. Between the three kids, we have a ton of books, and there are some we haven't read in a long time.  You could just pick 24 and wrap them up.  Make old books new again!  No frenzied trip to every thrift shop in town, looking for ONE MORE CHRISTMAS BOOK.  You don't even have to leave the house.  And you can read books every night under the tree with the kids.  I can't wait.

I brought the basket down from the attic and we'll read our first one tonight.

So fun.

It's A GIVE-AWAY!!!!!!!!

This GIVE-AWAY has

nothing to do with

CHRISTmas - Other than,

it would make a great gift. 

Or - it would be nice to 

have should you want

to have pretty nails

for a CHRISTmas Party!

But, when talking about GIVE AWAYS

on facebook - 2/3rds of the 

people who responded chose

this for the GIVE AWAY Prize!

So - to enter

Follow this Blog

and/or "LIKE" Bring Back Jesus

on facebook. 

(each is worth an entry)

For additional entries:

Comment Here

Comment on Facebook

Share a Bring Back Jesus post on Facebook

Invite your friends to "like" the

Bring Back Jesus Facebook Page 

Share this GIVE AWAY on

your blog or on facebook!

To invite friends to "like"

the Bring Back Jesus page

Click on the link,

Then at the top left hand

side of the page see the 

spot under people.

It says 430 likes

and then has a box that says

"Invite your friends to like BRING BACK JESUS"

Under that it says

SEE ALL FRIENDS

Click on that and click 

INVITE

beside your friend's names!

Then - message Bring Back Jesus

and let me know how many you invited!

We will draw for the prize Wednesday,
 November 26th.

Ready.... Set..... GO!

Celebrate Advent

In our family we like

to celebrate advent.

When my children were young,

they recieved an Advent Calendar

from their grand parents.

 

 Now - our grand children

receive an Advent Calendar

from their grand parents - US!

 Only - we get Nativity Advent 

Calendars like these!

(Excuse the price tags. They won't peel off 

the shrink wrap and I didn't want to

open a grand child's gift)

 This is another design. I like to get a

mixture of designs so siblings

don't get the same calendar.

And the thing I like about these calendars

MOST,  is that each day,

along with their chocolate,

there is a special Bible text that

tells the story of our Savior's birth.

I got these at Hobby Lobby.

But - I've seen them at Hallmark, too. 

 We pass these out to our

grand children when they come

for Thanksgiving.

That way, they have it in plenty

of time to begin opening

the windows on December 1st.

Wear A Message!

One way to share the 

TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas

is to wear a message when

you are out and about!

And - get message

t-shirts for the kids!

Be sure to smile and show

love and compassion to others

while you wear the message.

We should all do that anyway,

but we should REALLY 

act right when we

wear a message.

We are labeled. And when we

are labeled, we are 

being representatives of Christ.

Show His love!

Show His kindness!

Smile. Open doors for people. Let

others go ahead of you in line.

Offer a shopping cart to a

stranger. Compliment others.

And if you get the last of the great 

deals on Black Friday

it would be a nice gesture to 

offer it - with a smile - to

someone who got there just a

little too late!

Be CHRIST like!

Others are more likely to 

accept Christ when His followers

truly follow!

Wise Men Still Seek Him

I just love the phrase

"Wise Men Still Seek Him"

 

We should all be seeking a closer

relationship with Jesus.

Yielding to Him, more and more!

Because - we are either getting 

closer - or - we are getting further away.

And as we draw closer and closer

to Christ - He will lead us.

He will show us more and more 

ways to honor Him. And as we

honor Him, our family and friends

will be encouraged to

honor Him, also!

BE A WISE MAN!

BE AN EXAMPLE!

SEEK JESUS!

  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Give "The Word"

Give "The Word"

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God. John 1:1 

Bibles, Children's Bibles, Bible Storybooks

and Devotional Guides make

great gifts. 

When you give the gift of God's Word,

you're planting seeds of faith.

When you read God's Word to a child,

sing a scripture songs or otherwise

share God's word, 

you are feeding that child's faith.

And what you are feeding them now,

could make a huge difference 

in how they spend eternity.

 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing 

by the word of God. Romans 10:17

For this reason, I always preferred

rocking my babies and grand babies 

to sleep. That time we spend rocking

is a special time in which I sing

scripture songs. 

I am bonding with them, but more

importantly, I am feeding their faith.

As John 1:1 tells us, THE WORD is GOD,

so as I sing scripture,

I am planting little God seeds in 

their hearts. 

In time these seeds will take root

and grow. And if I do nothing 

else in my lifetime, I want to see

my children and grand children come

to know Jesus!

And the Winner Is........

Katrina Detherow

Katrina - if you will contact me,

I will happily get this sent 

your way!

 

Maybe We Should Measure Success, A Little Differently

How do you measure success?

A good job, a nice house, a car?

Or.... is it just being happy?

Sometimes.... success just can't be measured.

But - those who walk with the Lord

will always be successful.

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

He was born in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. He then became an itinerant preacher. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He has no credentials but Himself. He was only thirty-three when the public turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. He was laid in a borrowed grave. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever sailed, all the parliaments that have ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that ONE SOLITARY LIFE.

Author Unknown

Submitted by Debbie Thompson

 

 

HE is the REASON for the SEASON Hershey's Kisses Jars!

 These are adorable little jars

filled with Hershey's Kisses.

 The tag on the front says

HE is the REASON for the SEASON.

 And on the bottom of each kiss is a

sticker with one of the various

names of Jesus!

I uses pint jars for these,

and I used the generic jars because I

like the fact that there is no

lettering on them - as the lettering

would take away from the message

I am wanting to send.

And - the stickers and tags

even work on Baby Food Jars.

We plan to make these for

Grace's class at her Home School

Classical Conversations Coop.

To make the jars:

Print names and lid cover on sticker paper.

Print tags on white card stock.

Punch out stickers with a 3/4" punch

and stick on the bottom of

Hershey's kisses and place carefully

in the jar. I put bottoms out, so names 

would show. Cut out the sticker for the lid

and stick it on. Cut out the label

and attach with a piece of color 

coordinating ribbon. 

 I bought the sticker printables here. 

They're cheap and can be used

over and over again,

year after year.

A Birthday Cake for Jesus!

Jesus' Birthday Cake

You will need:

1 Chocolate Cake Mix (eggs, oil and water)

1  Can of White Frosting

Make a round cake - chocolate to symbolize our sin.

Cover with white frosting

White to symbolize His purity that covers our sins.

Add 12 Red Candles

12 Candles symbolize that Christ is our light through the 12 months

And the color red stands for His blood, shed for us.

Encircle the cake with green frosting.

Green symbolizes everlasting life.

submitted by BJ

at Sweet Nothings blog.

Give the Gospel

When preparing gifts this season,

consider a gift that shares the gospel.

This movie is a great choice!

I watched it myself, and then took

it to Texas to watch with Grace and Olivia.

It's a great family movie.

They liked it, and wanted to share

it with their Daddy, so we

watched it again.

Olivia, who is three, lost interest 

the second time around, but Grace,

who is 5 loved seeing it twice.

  

I watched this movie

three times in one week and 

enjoyed it each and every time.

It's not a CHRISTmas movie,

but most people enjoy CHRISTmas

movies before CHRISTmas

and if you're giving it as a gift,

it will be watched after

CHRISTmas.

And while I find a lot of 

Christian movies a bit boring

this one was not!

Check it out. It's inexpensive

and will be a gift that keeps on 

giving, as many will find it

to be a great witnessing tool.

Watch THE JESUS FILM!

Gather your family and

watch The Jesus Film!

(Image is my own - not from the film)

There are even Jesus Film aps for

your phone and iPad.

Keep the REAL meaning 

of CHRISTmas the focus 

in your home and share with others.

If we all do so, I'm sure we will

see a positive change in our world.

THANK YOU, Rajeev Mahan 

of India for sharing.

Joy Making!

 This is another design we made for 

the front yard.

 The "J", the "O" and the Star

were cut from the scraps of the

4x8 sheet of plywood I used to make 

the Nativity.

 I had to buy another half

sheet to make the "Y"

and I have wood left over.

 This pattern also came from the

Woodworker's Woodshop.

 I found both patterns very easy to 

trace and follow.

And I hope my finished project

looks great in the yard!

I would have been willing to purchase

yard decor, had I been able to find it.

It would have been much easier.

But - I didn't want a Santa or a

Cartoon Character.

I wanted JESUS!

I still want JESUS!

CHRISTmas is a time to focus on CHRIST!

 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14

Perpare Yard Decorations

Last year, after quite

a search, I was unable

to find a Nativity Set for

my yard.

This year, we made one!

If you get started now you have

plenty of time to prepare 

yard decorations.

This piece was made in two days.

I ordered the pattern from

Woodworkers Workshop

We primed the wood and then

my son cut it with a jig saw.

And I painted it.

It's not perfect, as I am no artist.

But, I don't think any little flaws will

show from the street once it's 

placed in the yard. 

AND - it conveys the true meaning

of CHRISTmas!

Unwrapping The Greatest Gift

I ordered this book and 

it came nicely packaged and shrink

wrapped.

I unwrapped it, carefully,

and admired it's beautiful cover.

I opened it, carefully again,

and looked at it's beautiful 

illustrations.

I immediately loved it,

but once I dove in and actually

READ it, I loved it even more.

 This is a beautifully written

and beautifully illustrated advent book.

There are daily readings from

December 1st - December 25th.

As you read the book each day, 

you put an ornament on your Jesse Tree.

The Jesse Tree, 

is kind of half Christmas Tree

and half Family Tree.

The book and tree explain to 

children their lineage in their 

forever family of God. 

(you may just have to read it for that to make sense)

For your Jesse Tree, you can use 

just about anything from a 

construction paper cut out to a small,

live tree in a clay pot.

 Inside of Book

There are Ornaments that correspond

with each day's reading.

You can purchase ornaments,

or go to the Ann Voskamp's website

and print them for FREE,

using the PROMO code in the book.

Inside of Book

This book makes the Gospel

of Jesus Christ and the Reason

for Christmas so clear.

I would love for every family 

in the world to have it

and to participate in these 

daily devotions!

 Printable Ornaments

A child who celebrates advent 

in this way, will know

the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

And - the gift of the Christ

child, is an everlasting gift. 

I love this book so much,

I want to give one away!

So - share this page,

and let me know you shared it

and you will be entered into a

give away!

We will draw for this prize on

NOVEMBER 16TH.

That leaves everyone who doesn't 

win enough time to go out

and purchase their own 

copy before December 1st. 

To purchase the book,

Go HERE!

Disclaimer: My comments on this book are my opinions. I am not 
being paid or compensated in any way. I'm just sharing my
own feelings. This is truly a book every family should own.