Unthankful Christmas

As I am listening to Christmas music and wrapping some gifts when I got a little annoyed at how unthankful some people can be....or at least seem to be. How even though in today's society with phones, Facebook, emails & Skype you never hear a simple "Thanks".....

But then I thought about how God sent his only Son, the best gift he could give to the world, let him grow up and  

DIE for YOU & me.

And you know....he does not even get a "Thanks".....and with God you don't even need the excuse of a phone or internet to say Thank you.

I said thank you and  accepted that gift [Jesus Christ] 18 years ago....it is the most precious thing I got and I am thankful I am not on my way to hell anymore.

When did you accept Christ's gift?

Thankful Thursday

Day 1: I am THANKFUL for friends that you can have fun with but also have sweet spiritual fellowship.

Day 2: I am THANKFUL for new beginnings. The beginning that each new day brings... new friendships, new memories, new adventurers... new sun sets....

Day 3: I am THANKFUL to have a man that goes to church with me, loves the Lord & the ministry

Patrick & I at church

Day 4: I am THANKFUL for the good ol' hymns. They convict & encourage you like no other songs out there... 

Day 5: I am THANKFUL for my salvation. At 4 years old I understood that my lies, disobedience and temper tantrums were sin & would not let me into heaven. I did not want to go to hell and so that night, before I went to bed I prayed on this old brown & green couch. I prayed "Jesus forgive my bad things. Take me to heaven. I don't want to go to hell. In Jesus name. Amen"

Since then I have been beyond blessed to grow up with Jesus. To have him guide me.

  

Day 6: I am THANKFUL for my mom and the sweet times we have together.

Day 7: I am THANKFUL for my fun birds. They make me laugh so often....and can be super annoying. They are the loudest when I am talking on Skype..... and they get SUPER excited when I listen to college classes. I think they should get a degree too since they listened to all the classes with me...ok, maybe not...they were always talking in class....  

What are some things you are thankful for this week?

 

One Little Sparrow

Saw this dead little sparrow on the ground the other day....but it reminded me of how awesome it is that I can have a personal relationship with GOD and see how much he loves me.

Ten Ways to Bring your Husband Good Before You’ve Even Met

I wish I would have read this when I was single!

Over on the Tricia Goyer Blog Brittney Melton guest posts and shares 10 ways to bring good to your husband....even before you met!

Go over {Here} to read the the 10 ways.

Proverbs 31:12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

SO tell me: Are there some ways your prepare for your future husband?

Let the Guys Be Guys // Vlog

You're wondering where all the Gentlemen are?

Well, are you a real lady?

Challenge: Be ladies and encourage your guy friends to be gentlemen!

God Gave Me Curls

We should never forget to give credit to whom credit is due......even God. 

Did I tell you...that God gave me curls?

The First Miracle?

Patrick had a job interview in Security Wednesday.

.....and he "got the job"!!! 

They said they want him to start part time now and THEY will work on getting him his work permit. (This opens the possibility of him getting a work permit so much more!) 

He has to take a written and oral exam in German testing his knowledge on Germany's legal rules. This is going to be a big challenge. Learning rules is hard enough....even more so in a forgein language!!

The guy from church who is helping him is doing security himself and said that the test is pretty easy and believes Patrick should be able to pass it.... 

If he passes the exam they promised him would get a full time job! Another guy in our church working security 21 years asked HIS company about getting Patrick in and they said they would take on Patrick full time....so now Patrick pretty much has to decide which security job he will take.

It's scary....It's exciting!

Please pray for Patrick as he will try to study for his exam in July & that he will get the work permit.

The Lord is a faithful God and if this is his will he can not only provide a job but also help Patrick remember what he learned and make the German government give him a work permit.

 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20

What has the Lord blessed you with this week: a bible verse? a simple gift? an answered prayer?

Are you surprised even though you prayed for it?

A while back Patrick was reading his Bible when we started talking about that story when Peter was in prison and God got him out. The story is amazing!

Peter has been taken prisoner. There he is between two guards.... sleeping. Suddenly his chains on his arms fall off and the angel says for him to get up and walk out. When he came to the door it suddenly opened...and they didn't have automatic doors back then.☺

The story goes on to say that Peter went to the house he knew his friends and the church were at praying for him. Still confused and fearful he knocks at the door......

....The people were praying for him to be delivered. But when they heard the knock they did not believe Peter would be standing in front of the door. They did not believe he could be out of jail. 

Were they praying but did not believe God could get Peter out?

Before we shake our heads at them lets look at our own prayer life. How many times have we prayed for something or someone but secretly we didn't believe God would come through. Oh yes, God "can do all things" but will he? Is he listening to my prayers? That is where faith ends. We don't believe God will come through. What are the odds of the situation? Maybe many.....

Let us look at this story and learn.... GOD CAN! Pray and have FAITH!

Linking Up with: A Royal Daughter

3 Places a Christian Should Feel at Home

Yesterday's sermon was about the 3 places a Christian should feel at home. A House is not a Home. Four walls with a roof and furniture does not make it a place you call home....it takes more. You need to make a house yours in order for it to be a home. A home is a place that you feel comfortable.... the place in which our affections are centered. 

So what are the three places a Christian should feel at home at?

#1- Our Earthly Home

We all should strive to have a God-centered home. We should have clear guidelines in order to live peaceably together. Even though "familiarity breeds contempt" we should strive to be disciplined and show love and respect to each other. We are different from the world and should have higher goals and always strive to reach a higher standard.

#2- Our Spiritual Home

Our spiritual home is our church family. A good church should will feed you spiritually and challenge you to become a better Christian. Since there is such a large variety of people with different backgrounds in church, we learn to deal and get along with lots different people. A good church should get you ready for the week ahead in the world.
Like a piece of coal will cool off quickly away from the fire so a christian will cool off quickly if he's away from his church family.

#3- Our Heavenly Home

This is our home in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the most important Home....for without it we would not have a church family or a christian earthly home. The things we do now will affect our heavenly home.....what are you doing to prepare and "furnish" your heavenly home?

What did you learn about yesterday?
Which rain picture is your favorite? Pin it!

Nets You Might Get Caught In

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Proverbs 12:12 The wicked desireth the net of evil men:

Yesterday we talked about the nets....I know....I mean, what are nets.....they are to catch something right? And normally, whatever is caught won't be happy much longer. So what are some things we can get caught in?

1) Advertisements- The reason we see them everywhere is because they work! Just hearing the sound of the pop and hissing sound when opening a can....don't you suddenly feel like a nice cold coke?

2) Internet- Today it is way to easy to get caught in this world wide web....way to easy we can get a hold of wrong information and land on bad websites.

3) TV- or networks. The TV in itself is not bad.....but the more you sit in front of it you are letting yourself be programed....by who? What are you letting come into your home and heart?

4) Politics- I think us young ladies won't be caught up into this too quickly but there is so much exploiting and lying involved.

5) Conspiracy theories- Though I've never really gotten into them they are SUPER interesting. One thing is sure....the way they say things happened on TV are never 100% true. What REALLY happened with the Twin Towers....it probably was an inside job....but we will never really know and it will not change anything. 

7) Pyramid Schemes- Companies like Amway, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Thirty-One, Herbal Life.....I am NOT against them. I have many lady friends involved in some of these....and would even do some of them....but they should be treated with caution. They ARE a lot of work and if you are not careful you'll be looking at people around you with $$ signs and be willing to speak to complete strangers about Tupperware....but not Jesus Christ. 

What did you learn about in church yesterday?

Happy Resurrection Sunday

1. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,

waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Refrain:

Up from the grave he arose;

with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;

he arose a victor from the dark domain,

and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

2. Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,

vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

(Refrain)

3. Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;

he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

(Refrain)

Signed, Sealed & Tatooed // Guest Post

"My name is Kellie, blogging at Nothing Less Than Bread. I'm a single twenty-five year old currently living at home with my parents and the six remaining siblings. In a nutshell, my life consists of Jesus, family, work, friends, photography and my cats whom I adore! Thanks, Iris, for hosting me!"

 

I’ve gotten back into playing my favorite game lately. You know, that game - the Compare Yourself to Everyone Else one.

Okay, I lied. It’s not my favorite game. But you’d think it was judging by how much I play it and how seriously I take it.

“Her blog is better than mine.”

“This blog has more followers than mine.”

“She has someone special and I don't.”

“She’s skinnier than me.”

“She has more freedoms than me.”

“She’s stronger spiritually.”

“She has a kitchenaid and I don’t.”

(yes, I have though that recently!)

It’s hard to be just me. On the inside of my head looking out, the things I have seem normal and insufficient and everyone else’s lives seem so much more…well, more! And trying to be “content” sometimes feels like having to settle for being the underdog of the fashion/achievement/relationship/Christianity scene.

But perhaps…

As a born-again Christian, the rights to my identity were bought by Christ. Just like the NLTB watermark I put on the left-hand corner of all my pictures, there is a watermark on my heart, soul and body claiming me as the copyright property of Jesus Christ. I’ve been tattooed with the copyrights of Christ and it’s not done in ink – it’s done in His blood.

The only Comparison Game that I should play is the one where I compare myself to Christ.

Am I like Christ?

Am I patient like Christ?

Do I love like Christ?

Do I ache for the lost like Christ?

Do I conduct myself as someone following Christ?

____________________ 

____________________

Yah, her blog has more followers…but I don’t have to be the best blog out there because I'm not blogging for popularity stats to begin with.

Yah, she has a relationship/marriage and I don’t…but I don’t have to be in a relationship/marriage to be someone and to enthusiastically live and enjoy life.

Yah, she’s a strong Christian...but I don't have to be the strongest, because simply...I'm not.

Yah, she has a kitchenaid…but really? Where would I put one if I had one?? :)

I'm not the strongest. Or the prettiest. Or the godliest Christian single. I'm not the one with the Most Content award. I'm not the best. I'm not the one with the most enviable blog in the neighborhood.

But I’m owned. Bought up. Marked. Copyrighted. Tattooed. Loved. By God.

I’ll always want to compare myself to others. It’s a temptation I’ll never fully beat, I fear. But when I remember just how loved I am…it doesn’t feel like settling for underdog.

It feels more like taking a magic carpet ride and discovering a whole new world.

*launches into song*

____________________

____________________ 

To those of you who read all the way to the bottom of this post just to see if I'm really planning on tattooing that onto my under wrist...I'm not. 



At least not today.


**wink**

_______________________________


Thank you Kellie for visiting me here in The Blue Birdhouse. I really like this post. I think us girls are always comparing ourselves and forget to look at we already have.....

Peppermint Jesus // Guest Post

I met Amy through her Link Up and soon found that she writes really encouraging & thought provoking devotionals. I love learning from other people's experiences....letting their insight make me grow closer to the Lord and in wisdom. Today she has a very important message to share with us.

My phone buzzes, I look down from the Vacation Bible School missions lesson my co-teacher is presenting, expecting it to be a text from my husband, only to see a text from a sweet lady down the hall saying "your daughter has some big news for you!".

Ten minutes later, Sadie passes me in the hallway and says "Momma! I accepted Jesus into my heart!" I smile, say "that's great honey", and as she walks away I look around to see others staring at me and know they are wondering why I am not weeping and hugging and emotionally out of control. For a moment I feel like a REALLY BAD CHRISTIAN. But they don't know....

They don't know that Sadie has accepted Jesus into her heart 80 times in her bedroom. That she asks questions all the time, that she's struggling to figure it all out and reading her Bible more than I do. That she watched her friend get baptized in front of everyone in worship rally yesterday and REALLY wants to get in that cool tub. That she is in process....that she is "being saved..."

See, we've worked with either youth or college students for the past 12 years of our lives. We've seen the damaging effects that can happen when someone is rushed to say a prayer, "accept Jesus", and baptized before they really understand what it all means - then later in life they struggle with knowing if they really ever had salvation. We've seen so many kids "rededicate" their lives, when really it was probably for the first time. I have been that kid.

Not all of them, mind you. Some really do find Jesus at 7 and "get it" and never turn back. My personal opinion is that this is rare.

There is no magic in that prayer that is prayed when the lights are low, and the music is playing softly and someone is speaking dramatically hushed. I want my children to accept Jesus with their EYES WIDE OPEN, counting the cost and knowing that this is not game or a fairy tale or an emotional experience.
So, my husband took Sadie for "coffee" that night and they talked about it. We knew after the talk that she is still a bit confused. She thought you "become a Christian" after the baptism, so there's still some work to be done. He used an illustration with her that I thought was really intriguing.

He put a peppermint in her hand. He had her hold it, smell it, observe it. There is so much you can know about that peppermint just by being an observer. You could research how they were made and what herbs are in them, and know from the smell how they might taste. But, until you put that peppermint in your mouth, it is all just intellectual. There is no personal tie to that peppermint until it is in your mouth and in your stomach. You could never TRULY say that you knew peppermint, unless you've actually eaten one.

As parents, we personally believe that Sadie is holding that peppermint and lifting it towards her mouth. Her taste buds are starting to water as she anticipates the minty freshness. BUT, it's not quite there yet.

Is it for you?

___________________________________

Amy Schaffner lives in the promised land of Arkansas with her husband, two kids and two dogs that sleep entirely too close to her. She loves Jesus with all her heart, and is trying hard to figure out how to live that out in her daily job of mothering and homeschooling. She blogs about her life: the good, the bad, and the ugly – the adventures of ministry, motherhood and anxiety disorder that makes her just crazy enough to be interesting. You can find her at her home on the web at Pieces of Amy or on Facebook or on Twitter.

What I Learned Last Night // Vlog

So I was walking the dog with my mom one more time last night....it was dark....no flashlight....so we looked up and saw the stars....and here is what I learned. 

 (only 95 seconds long this time ☺)

Day Ten // Women that Made History

I think most of us dream and long to be married some day..... but marriage won't make us happy. What will truly make us happy is working for Christ. Living a life for him is what will give us true meaning in life and real joy. Last summer I met a young lady. We sat across from each other on the couch eating grapes and just...talked. The subject of marriage came up and she told me she really does not have the desire to be married. She likes to be on her own, come and go as she pleases, help people out when she wants and just go do...when she feels likes it. She said she likes the life of being single, the thought of being married, having to stay home and do what your husband wants just does not appeal to her. She said she knew she had the wrong attitude about marriage but I told her that the Lord could use exactly that. 

The Bible says that we can do the Lord's work better when we are single so her thoughts aren't so wrong. I also pointed out to her that many influential women, that did the Lord's work and made history often were not married. I don't want you to think of "women power" here but that not being married is not bad. 

A few Godly ladies that stuck out to me were:

Mary Slessor

Mary Slessors growing up years were not pleasant. Her father was a drunk and she had to work really early. Her mothers prayers about having a missionary come from the family was answered when Mary wanted to follow the footsteps of David Livingston and go to Africa. There she saved many lives. The story of saving twins who were thought to be a curse is one of her most famous stories.

Gladys Aylward

Gladys Aylward did a great work with the many orphans in China. She tried to reform the prisons and often set her life on line to help those in need. Her greatest accomplishment and what gave her great respect from many was when she took over 100 orphans safely over the mountains.

Amy Carmichael

Amy Carmichael had to wait a long time till she could be were the Lord originally called her. When she finally was in India she opened many orphanages and saved many young girls from the Temples where they were kept for prostitution.

Corrie Ten Boom

Corrie Ten Boom lived during WWII. Her father had a clock shop and risked his and his family's life to save Jews from the Nazis. This later cost the entire family's life....except Corrie. She lived to tell her story and how amazing it was.

Elisabeth Elliot

Elisabeth Elliot came from a missionary family. She met the famous athlete Jim Elliot in college and after they were married they went to Ecuador to be missionaries to the Indians there. Her husband was a pilot and in order to have the Indians warm up for their arrival they would throw gifts down from the airplane. One day Jim Elliot and his assistant went to the Indians only to be killed and eaten. Elisabeth did not let this stop her but went to that village a little later and was able to lead almost all of them to Christ. What a story to tell!

There are so many more women who have made history. They sacrificed their lives to Jesus Christ...and they all could say...they were happy! All these women went through heart aches we cannot imagine...yet they were happy.

All their names above link to a book that tells their story. Their stories are very interesting and are so inspirational.

What is your excuse? Why can't you serve God?

If you have anything on Valentines you'd like to share (or a devotional we might enjoy) you can link up >here<.

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