Wednesday, November 26, 2014

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!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

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

And if you're the visual type and want
a little more hands on ideas for kids
you can follow on facebook

Sunday, November 23, 2014

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:

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




Saturday, November 22, 2014

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. 

Friday, November 21, 2014

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.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

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"
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.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

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!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

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

Monday, November 17, 2014

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!



Sunday, November 16, 2014

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

 

 

Friday, November 14, 2014

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.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

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.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

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.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Watch THE JESUS FILM!

Gather your family and
(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.

Monday, November 10, 2014

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
 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

Friday, November 7, 2014

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
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!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

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.