Candy Cane



 

I am so glad you found the candy cane that we left for you!!! Those candy canes were made by the precious hands of our VBS children this year!!! I don’t know about you but I LOVE CANDY CANES!!! They are so festive for the Christmas Holidays and very historical too. Candy canes are dated back more than 350 years ago. I am a history nut, so I love to surround myself with anything historical!!! So yes, they are all over my house and Christmas tree!!!

I also think it is amazing how something as small as a candy cane can point us to Jesus and there is nothing more historical in the world that I would like to surround myself with, than Jesus!! There are so many different ways I have seen the candy cane represented in a Christian way, but the poem below is my favorite….

Look at the candy cane,

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me

White for my Savior

Who’s sinless and pure!

“J” is for Jesus,

My Lord, that’s for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Is coming for me!

-author unknown

I want to challenge you after the Christmas season is over, after all the Christmas decorations are put up and the house is “back to normal” until the next Holiday, leave a candy cane out….just one is all you need….put it somewhere you look every day…your bathroom mirror, the kitchen sink, in your car….to remind you of what Christ has done for you. God sent his son to die for you, so you could eternally be saved, loved, shown grace, and most importantly of all, to spend eternity with the most important historical person of all, your Heavenly Father. Thank you for reading….wishing you a blessed and happy Christmas and a God filled 2013.

Star Ornament

How many stars are in the universe??  Astrologers and scientists have
been studying stars for hundreds of years and no one can agree on one answer. 
As technology and exploration efforts improve, we discover new heights to the
heavens and the immeasurable expanse of the universe.  Whether its a million, a
billion or 1000 trillion, we will never be able to count them all.  Only the One
who created and placed the stars, the One who calls them by name, the One with
infinite wisdom, knows how many stars there are!!!
    Psalm 147:4, 5 states , "He determines the number of the stars and calls
them each by name. Great is our Lord and MIGHTY in power; his understanding has
no limit."
      I love being reminded of who I am in Christ.  Have you ever read the book
of Job?  Job pleaded with the Lord to respond to him and when the Lord does
respond, He speaks out of a raging, violent storm.  In a magnificent display of
His power and wisdom, the Lord offers Job rhetorical questions that he can't
possibly answer.  Here are a few from Job 37-38: " Where were you when I laid
the earths foundation? Who marked off its dimensions? Who shut up the sea behind
doors? And said 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud
waves halt.'  Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its
place?  Have you entered the storehouses of the snow? Or seen the storehouses of
the hail?  What is the way to the place where the lightening is dispersed?  Or
the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?" 
     I am completely humbled by our Mighty God!  All I can do is offer my
praise... A few years ago I heard a man telling a story of him praising God.  He
was driving down a street and noticed that even the trees raise their branches
in praise.  So next time you are traveling down a road and you see a starry
night, remember the marvelous works of His MIGHTY hands and Lift your hands in
Praise to the Lord.....

Candy Cane

Candy Cane Facts

• The original candy cane had a shape different then the modern day design. It was straight, all white, and hard.
• A candy cane turned upside down reveals the letter J, which many believe represents Jesus.
• National candy cane day is celebrates on December 26 in the United States.
• The first candy cane was made over 350 years ago.
• The first historical reference in America to the candy cane dates back to 1847. A German immigrant from Wooster, Ohio decorated his Christmas tree with candy canes.
• The red and white striped candy canes were first made around 1900.
• The traditional candy cane flavor is peppermint, however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and colored stripes.
• Over 1.76 billion candy canes are made each year.
• The biggest candy cane ever made was 36 feet 7 inches.
• Candy canes are sometimes as a topping for foods such as ice cream or as an additive to drinks such as hot chocolate. They are hung as decorations on Christmas Trees.
• Nearly 2 billion candy canes will be sold in the four weeks before Christmas and Hanukkah.

I can't believe there are this many facts on a piece of candy!!  I typed in candy canes in google and I got alot of stuff.  This is all from one website (candycanefacts.com) but I was really shocked at the number of candy canes that are made each year.  1.76 BILLION!!!!  That is alot for one sweet symbol for Christmas!  Attached to the candy cane that you received was a little story of the history of the candy cane and what it represents.  Keep this paper with you!  Why?  Reread it and anytime you see someone with one of those 1.76 billion candy canes, tell them the meaning behind the candy cane.  Tell them about this Jesus man who lived a pure and sinless life only to die a cruel death to save US/Me/YOU from hell!  Jesus was our living sacrifice so that if we believe in Him, we could have eternal life. 
John 6:40
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Don't let opportunities pass you buy when it comes to God's Kingdom!  There are so many people searching, so let one of those 1.76 billion pieces of candy help you tell them about the Almighty God and how following and developing a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to true fulfillment! 

Heart Puzzle

 

Don't you just love a good puzzle?  I do.  I love seeing the final product and know that I accomplished the task of twisting and turning each piece to make it fit into a masterpiece.  I love that I got to write this blog post tonight.  I actually spent the evening last night at the ER with my husband because of severe chest pains he was having.  When we got to the ER, I said the golden words "chest pains," and he was whisked away at rapid speeds because something wrong with your heart is a very serious matter.  They X-rayed him.  They ultra sounded him.  They CT scanned him.  All nothing.  No signs of anything wrong inside his body!  It was a puzzle for sure.  The Dr. had no answers for us.  All the pieces were there for a healthy body, but one piece was missing - the one that explained where this pain was coming from. 

Do you ever feel like that?  Do you ever feel like all your pieces are in the right spot, but just one piece is missing?  The piece that makes it all make sense.  The piece that heals, that forgives, that loves.  That piece is Jesus Christ.  He is our missing piece.  He is our answer.  He is our way to get to God the Father.  John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

And if you already know Jesus as your Lord and Savior - then what?  Serve Him!  Use your FULL heart to spread it to others.  Jesus isn't your missing piece for you to keep it all to yourself!!  I am sure if that Dr. last night was able to figure out some crazy reason why my husband was having so much pain, he would be telling other Dr.'s about it so that they could cure others.  Make each day count for the Kingdom of God!!

1 Chronicles 28:9
And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

Back when my now 12 year old daughter was in kindergarten , I went to her school to eat lunch with her. Oh the memories... As we walked down the hall with our finger over our mouth, the smell of the cafeteria was coming ever closer. Lunch had always been my favorite subject in school, second to gym , so I could tell what was on the menu even before we got in line. It was nugget day! It's so funny what comes back to your memory when your standing in the lunch line waiting your turn to plate up. There it was, the sign I had seen many times before... NO SECONDS ON NUGGETS! Wow...some things never change!

I'm so thankful that Jesus isn't like that sign in the lunch room! In this world, so many things run out, like time, health, money, and yes, sometimes "the nuggets". Jesus will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) If you don't have the joy of Christ in your life today, pray to him, His love and forgiveness will NEVER runout even if you need another helping. Click on the link below to worship our King!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_o6s5X5LSw&sns=em

 

Thank you for serving our children ~ You are very appreciated!

Thank you Librarians!

 

Thank you librarians!!!! I am so glad you found the precious gift our VBS children made for you!!! Thank you for what you do and dedicating yourself each day to making sure our children and families are educated!!! I just love libraries, the quiet surroundings, books and books of knowledge all around me!! And so very thankful for you, always willing to help find that missing link to the project being worked on, papers needing to be written or just good ole research being done to calm the weary mind!!! Reading, whether a book, e-book, magazine, website, etc. not only improves your vocabulary but gives us a general awareness about the world, different cultures and keeps our brain active!!! Thankfully, my mom instilled in me very early to read and I am so appreciative to her now for doing so!!

Just like going to the library and getting that prime spot, so quiet and away from distraction to read and research whatever it is we are working on, it is also extremely important for you to daily find that same quiet spot away from distraction to read God’s word. In order for us to understand and truly learn God’s word, we must read and get into the bible!! How do we know how God wants us to live, if we don’t read and educate ourselves? He wants nothing more than for you to understand him and realize His book, THE BIBLE, is not fiction!!! It is the truth, the light, the way to eternity with Him.

So I ask you, find that quiet spot today, even if only for a few minutes, open the bible, the best book in the world, and read, read, read!!! God loves you and is waiting for you to experience the challenges, journey’s, love, hurt, sin, forgiveness, grace and all the many things His word has to offer.

I hope you all have a wonderful and spiritually powerful day!!!

Thank You Mail Carrier!

Thank you Mail Carrier

I don't know anything about him, but I know the exact time my mail carrier comes every day.  I know what type of car he drives.  I know when he is late.  I know when there is a substitute.  I know my mail carrier will come every day:  rain, sunshine, sleet, snow and ice.  I know all about my mail carrier's schedule - the only visitor I get to my house daily, and being a stay at home Mom, I look forward to my daily walk down the driveway to get the goodies he has stashed in my mailbox.  Never do I get to say thank you.  Never do I get to acknowledge my gratitude for his diligent deliveries.  So, we just wanted to let you know that we appreciate YOU!!!  We appreciate your service that you provide DAILY regardless of any circumstances.  Thank you. 

Isn't that a great feeling knowing that someone is there for you everyday?  This is just the mail, but God is there for you everyday.......regardless of YOUR circumstances.  Regardless of the hurricane in your life.  Regardless of the tornadoes that spin you out of control.  Regardless of the blizzard that we can create daily and let it snowball out of control.  God shows up for us daily.  God sent his son Jesus Christ so that we could be forgiven and so that we could see the unconditional love that shows up for us daily.  Luckily we don't have to wait for that one time of the day for God.  He is always available, always ready to listen, always ready to hold us up in every situation.  A relationship with our Heavenly Father is readily available when you accept the gift that He has given through the blood of Jesus Christ.