It's that time of year again! Can you believe how fast time flies? The older I get, the faster the years fly by. I fell like that by the time I get all my decorations packed away, it's time to get it all back out again. I don't mind though. Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love all the decorations and ornaments. Most of mine have sentimental value. Each one has it's own Christmas story to tell. Well, it's time for the Dayspring Gift Guide for Christmas 2018.
Here is a list of great items from Dayspring's Christmas Gifts and Decorations department. This is only a short sample of the itmes available. Be sure to shop around the Dayspring website and stock up on all your favorites. Come back tomorrow to check out their Christmas ornament collection!
Read more posts about celebrations and gift giving here.
Dayspring Gift Guide for Christmas
Update: Dayspring Cards and Gifts is no longer one of my affiliates, but you can shop for Dayspring products on Amazon here.
Today begins a new series here on Abundant Family Living. My son has been in the Army National Guard for 7 years now, but today, things changed. Today is the day he reported for his first day on active duty status. OPSEC guidelines (Operational Security Guidelines) prevent us from sharing dates, times, and places so I won't be revealing those here on the blog until or if ever a such time is appropriate, but when the time arrives, this will be the second time I've lived through a deployment. The first time began in 1992 when I watched my husband, a young US Marine, head for Somalia. At the time, I was pregnant with my son who will deploy at a time and to a place unnamed for now. I've known this was coming for a long time so I thought I would handle this pretty well. After all, I've done this before so I can do it again. Let me tell you though. No amount of time this side of Heaven and no amount of previous military family experiences could have prepared this mama's heart for watching her son prepare to head for the dangers of a foreign land to fight a so-far 17 year war. My heart is breaking into a million pieces along with many other moms, wives, husbands, children, and all sorts of people who love these brave men and women.
I have been thinking about what I might be able to send with my son to help encourage him in his faith during this long span of time away from his family, his home, and his church. I know that I could never bear this calling - this high calling - chosen by God to be the wife and mother of two brave military men - without a firm foundation of faith.
There is an old saying that says, "God will not put on you more than you can bear." My friend, my partner in the bearing of heavy burdens, this is not true at all.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. - 2 Corinthians 1:8-9
God does allow us to be burdened more than we can bear. In fact, according to 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, He allows us to be burdened EXCESSIVELY more than we can bear so that we will not trust in our own strength but in God.
I've decided that one of the things I want to send with my son is a stack of cards. On each card will be a Bible verse of encouragement. Each verse is intended to help him gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as he endures certain weaknesses. If you have a loved one deploying or you have a loved one enduring a different kind of hardship, perhaps these cards will help your loved on too. In fact, I will be creating two stacks, one for my son and one for me. I know that I will be enduring all these weaknesses too. We all do from time to time in our daily circumstances.
I want to share these with you. I'll be offering them for free right here in this post. The only thing I ask is that, if you want to share them with someone else, you will refer them back to this blog post.
20 Encouraging Scripture Cards for Deployed Military Men and Women
Simply right click. Then save to your computer. I will be printing these out on card-stock in the 4X6 size. Then, I'll write a personal message to my son in my own handwriting on the back of each card.
If your Military family member needs a whole Bible, here are some which are geared to specific branches of service.
Read other posts about living through deployment here.
Deep means mysterious, wise, bottomless, profound, unfathomable, immeasurable, incomprehensible, explainable
Scripture Passage: Ephesians 3:17-19
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,and
to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be
filled up to all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:17-19
Our pastor told us about a place called Challenger Deep. The Mariana Trench
is a place within the Challenger Deep area which measures 6.85625 miles
deep. It is known as the deepest part of the ocean and the deepest
location on Earth.
Try to imagine the depth of almost 7 miles down. That is a mighty deep pit.
Do
you ever feel like you are in a deep pit, a pit so deep that you can't
possibly climb out - a pit so deep that you feel there is no way God can
reach you. Friend, there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. - Psalm 139:7-10
Image Credit: Breathless Design - CCO Public Domain Image - via Pixabay
No matter how deep we fall or how low we feel, God's love can reach us there.
He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. - Psalm 18:16
The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’ - Deuteronomy 33:27
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. - 1 John 4:16
Is this verse (1 John 4:16) real for you?
Believing the depth of God's love for me is key to my growing into a loving person. Pray that God will deepen our love for others.
1. We are deeply loved. I am deeply loved. YOU are deeply loved.
2. We are to love deeply.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. - Ephesians 5:1-2
The more undeserving we are of the love we receive, the deeper the love.
We know the depth of someone's love for us by the greatness of the benefits we receive from being loved. - John Piper
For
this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven,
for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little. - Luke 7:47
We know the depth of someone's love for us by the freedom with which they love us. - John Piper
No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father. - John 10:18
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13
Chris Tomlin sings a song about the amazing love of God.
If you have no church background, God loves you.
If you did not grow up in a Christian home, God loves you.
If you have lived a Godless life, God loves you.
When we realize the depth of our sin, we realize the depth of God's love. There is no place for hate in the heart of the child of God.
And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. - Romans 5:5
Love does not envy. It isn't possible to be envious of someone you deeply love.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. - Ephesians 4:31-32
When we forgive deeply, we love deeply.
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Enjoy another song about the deep love of God. (I chose an oldie by the Statler Brothers)
Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creationwill be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:39
In your love, you kept me from the pit of destruction. You have put all my sins behind Your back. - Isaiah 38:17
For great is Your love toward me. You have delivered me from the depths. - Psalm 86:13
You'll find all my posts about this Bible study series here.
I recently celebrated my 49th birthday. My daughters put together the nicest birthday basket for me. I love candles, lotions, soaps, socks, and family photographs. My girls put together a super nice gift basket that contained a BUNCH of my favorite things.
Gift baskets make great gifts for birthdays and other special occasions. You can buy gift baskets already made up at a florist or online or you can put one together yourself like this one. I love the idea of personally putting a gift basket together. You can create a gift basket built around any theme imaginable. If your mom likes movies, create a movie basket. If your dad enjoys sports, create a sports themed basket. If your son or daughter enjoys reading, create a basket filled with books from his or her favorite author. Include bookmarks and perhaps a small lamp.
I enjoyed seeing all the things my kids personally picked out just for me.
Image Credit: Abundant Family Living
Birthday Basket Gift Idea
They used a medium sized basket similar to these. Then, they arranged 5 large Yankee Candles in Jars and one large WoodWick candle along with a few other items. This is a great DIY gift basket idea for any woman for almost any occasion. In fact, here is a list of the things they placed in my basket.
This is one of my favorite candles. It crackles when it burns. In the fall and winter months, it will be wonderful to crawl up on my couch with my favorite blanket and a good book. It will be nice and cozy with this candle sitting close by.
They also included several Yankee Candles and other items similar to these:
