Love Is...

It's almost Valentine's Day and there are so many crafty ideas out there on the web.

  I came up with one of my own and wanted to share it with you.

  Valentine's Day is mostly linked with romantic love, but I wanted to focus on the most perfect love there is...

God's love.

  So I grabbed my bible and found scriptures, some that spoke of God's love for us and some that spoke of how we are to demonstrate that love to others.  There are so many to choose from, but I narrowed it down to 29;

 one for each day of February.

So once I had the scriptures, I set out to gather the rest of my supplies.  I still have the branches I used for my Jesse Tree.  They've been bare since after Christmas and they were begging for a bit of decoration.  I went to Michael's and grabbed some 3-D felt heart stickers, a 12x12 sheet of red polka-dot scrapbook paper and embroidery thread.

I stuck all of the stickers onto the blank side of the scrapbook paper and cut them out so the red polka dot paper can be seen on the back of each of the felt hearts.  Then I used a sewing needle to string the embroidery thread through each heart and tied a knot so they could be hung onto the tree.  But, before hanging each heart I wrote down the address to a love scripture on the polka dotted side of the hearts.

So each night after dinner we each take turns grabbing a heart and the red bible nearby, looking up the scripture and reading it to the family.  Then we talk about it.  It's been a blessing to share with each other about what God's love is and how we're meant to show it to others.

  

We're discovering the true meaning of love.

And I'd like to share it with you...

Here are the scriptures that decorate the hearts on our tree.

 We are reading one together each night in February and

letting the word go deep into our own hearts.

Psalm 31:16

Psalm 36:5

Psalm 63:3

Psalm 103:8

Proverbs 10:12

Proverbs 17:9

Jeremiah 31:3

Zephaniah 3:17

John 3:16

John 13:34-35

John 14:21

John 15:12-13

Romans 5:8

Romans 8:39
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

1 Corinthians 13:13

1 Corinthians 16:14

Ephesians 2:4-5

Ephesians 4:2

Ephesians 5:1-2

Colossians 3:12-14

1 Peter 1:22

1 Peter 4:8

1 John 3:16-18

1 John 4:7-12

1 John 4:16

1 John 4:18

1 John 4:19-21

2 John 1:6 

May God's love be sown deep into your heart and made evident to all!

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A Little Weekend Reading: Valentine's Edition

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Valentine's Day is right around the corner.

  We don't usually make a big deal out of it around here, but after seeing these ideas this may be the year that we do.  

1.  I love popcorn and white chocolate, so I will be trying this valentine confetti from Nest of Posies.  Great for gifts too.

2.  With 3 kids and the price of babysitters these days it's been forever since we've had a date night, and going out for Valentine's Day hasn't happened since we were dating.  But, not to worry I found this cute idea for a date night at home that I think will be special.  Check it out at Eat Drink Chic. 

3.  These chocolate covered pretzels look so pretty.  They'd make nice festive treats for the kid's lunch boxes.
  5 Minutes for Mom shows you how to make them. 

4.  A yummy and pretty desert for that date night at home from Tami's Kitchen Table Talk. 

5.  8 ways to make Valentine's Day more meaningful for your family from Simple Mom.  

6.  Cute ideas for child-made Valentine's.  So adorable.  Check them out at Playful Learning. 


Inspired?  I know I am.
Enjoy your day!

Sex Trafficking at the Superbowl

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This weekend it's estimated that over 100 million people will watch the Superbowl.  Indianapolis estimates that over 150,00 people will visit their city for the big game.  Millions of dollars will be spent in celebration.

  This is probably the largest party in the US.

  But, what a huge amount of people don't realize is that some of those coming into the Indianapolis area for the Superbowl are coming against their will.

  They are victims of trafficking.

What is human trafficking?

It is modern day slavery.

And it's the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world.

 Victims are recruited, forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation.  They are transported and harbored against their will.
  8 out of 10 human trafficking victims are used in the sex trade.

The dark truth of the Superbowl is that it is, among other sporting events, a magnet for sex-trafficking.  Some even say that the Superbowl is the largest sex-trafficking event in the United States.  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that Superbowl 2010 had 10,000 sex workers brought into Miami.

Victims of sex-trafficking are taken against their will to the Superbowl and forced to have sex with multiple men each night.  Human trafficking has been on the rise for the past few 

years and it's an estimated $32 billion industry annually.

  

Slaves, people, most of them women and young girls and boys, are an industry in this country and around the world.

According to a recent report by the Detroit Free Press, Metro Detroit, which is close to the Superbowl venue, is becoming a major hub for human trafficking in this country.  

Authorities have stated that the frequency of incidents of human trafficking in the area is increasing at nearly the same rate as the illegal drug trade.

Some encouraging news is that just days ago, in anticipation of the Superbowl and it's dark side, Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana passed a tightened up, more comprehensive human trafficking law.  And with it come new training recommendations for cab drivers and hotel workers so that they can recognize red flags and be empowered to help victims.

Human trafficking is evil and it goes on everyday and in every part of the world.  It's a sin against the victim and against God.  These victims are helpless and hopeless.  But they are not unseen by God.  And it's Christians and churches, who know Him and love Him, that can stand up and make a difference.

  

Let us wake up to the evil in our cities and rise to the cry for freedom.

  

So, as you go about your weekend, would you keep those in prayer who are in Indianapolis today and trapped in this evil?  That we would see an end to this horrific evil in this country and around the world?

Want to learn more and find out how you can help make a difference?
  Check out these organizations that are bringing awareness to this issue and rescue to those trapped in slavery.

Love 146

The Resurgence 

 Not For Sale

International Justice Mission

Unearthed Pictures

Abolition International

Let It Go

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Forget about what's happened; 

   don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
   It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
   rivers in the badlands.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (msg)

If we confess our mistakes, God promises forgiveness and mercy because Jesus died for all of our sins, all of our pain.  

In the Psalms it says that God's mercy is so great toward those who believe.  That He removes our wrong-doings so far from us, as far as the east is from the west.

  So, if you've already confessed those things and given them to God, stop looking back and dwelling on mistakes long gone, forgiven, and forever removed.   Or maybe you've never received that gift of forgiveness because you've been holding on and trying to move forward on your own.  Might I humbly suggest taking a moment and confessing that mistake to God?  No matter how big or how small the wrong, His forgiveness is all the same and it's available right now.

Then, like Isaiah records, forget about what's happened, don't keep going over it.  

Instead watch expectantly for the new thing God's about to do. 

Is this your first visit to Freedom Friday? 

We're embracing freedom each Friday here in 2012.
Click here for a list of the other posts in the series.

A Little Weekend Reading

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We'll call this weekend reading the all-natural health edition.

I've had a growing interest in natural health for a few years now.  Lately I've been doing a lot of research on the internet and watching some really informative documentaries to help me to make better choices for optimum health and to feel better.  Today, I wanted to share some articles that have jumped out at me.

1.  Immune system need a boost?  Try these 12 boosters from My Blessed Life.

2.  Be more informed about what's in the food you're eating.  Check out this list of the top 10 scariest food additives from Yahoo Health.

3.  Feeling sick and tired?  Try these simple ways to cleanse and detox from Keeper of the Home.

4.  5 foods women should be eating as recommended by Katie at Simple Organic. 

5.  5 more foods for optimum health and to avoid the flu, also from Simple Organic.

6.  4 ways to knock out your cold using things you already have on hand from Green Your Way.

7.  We all know that we should drink more water for better health.  Here is a list of benefits to drinking lemon water from My Favorite Things.

7.  The waste your body eliminates can tell you about your level of health.  Check out this interesting and easy to read poster I found at The Wellness Warrior.  Don't worry, no real pictures, just drawings. 

Here's to a healthy 2012!

Banner Held High

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We go through tough times.  We get news we don't want to hear, we encounter changes that we don't necessarily embrace, we enter times of suffering.  Those times bring uncertainty, anxiety, and sometimes pain.  But I've seen that it's in those times that we also grow and learn things that we may have only been able to learn in those circumstances.

  I don't believe that God brings bad circumstances upon us, but that He uses them, working together all the things that we face for our good and His glory.  It's in realizing that, that brings freedom.  That no matter what the circumstance speaks, He's still in charge and we can be sure that He's got our best interest at hand.

So, instead of being chained to our challenge, we are freed by the truth that God is for us.  And, if God is for us who or what can be against us?

  

Who or what can stand against God?

Can sickness stand against a God who bears the name Jehovah Rapha, God the Healer?

  Can debt and loss stand up against a God who bears the name Jehovah Jireh, God the Provider?

  When we find ourselves in a dark place of despair, can that place stand up to a God who bears the name Jehovah Raah, the Lord our Shepherd?

What place do you find yourself in today?  Is there a Name of God that can bear your pain today?  A Name that speaks a different outcome than the situation you now stand in?

How about Jehovah Nissi?

  It was during a great battle, documented in the Old Testament, that God revealed Himself to the Israelites as Jehovah Nissi.  Joshua led the Israelite army into battle with their enemy the Amalekites. Moses stationed himself on a hill top and prayed with his hands stretched to the sky over the battle.  As his hands were held high the Israelites prevailed, but as they tired and fell the battle changed in favor of their enemy.  So Aaron and Hur came alongside Moses, set him on a rock and held his hands up until the battle was won.  Moses' hands held up like a banner over God's people as God caused them to be victorious.  After the battle Moses built an altar to God as a way to remember that victory over the enemy.

  He named it Jehovah Nissi, the Lord Our Banner of Love and Protection.

So wherever you find yourselves today, whatever you're dealing with, wave that banner, Jehovah Nissi over yourself.  Wave it in prayer as you give thanks for his unfailing love and constant protection.  Wave it as you go about your day and are reminded of the battle at hand, speaking His Name over it, banner held high.

Wave it and watch for the victory.

Is this your first visit to Freedom Friday?

 We're embracing freedom each Friday here in 2012.

  Click here for a list of the other posts in the series.

These Words Are Stirring Me

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There is a light that shines within me.

There is a hope that burns inside me.

Deep within my soul, my very existence, there is a being waiting to be freed.

A child who knows no fear, pain, or rejection.

There is an emotion all encompassing of excitement, joyfulness, gladness, and love.

The creative potential of laughter and the undeniable power of an infant's joy live inside me.

Unmeasurable are my limits for I call you Father.

Unimaginable my potential for you have called me daughter.

There is someone inside of me, waiting to be unleashed, whom you embrace, whom I long to be.

There is an all-consuming fire, a light that permeates from my very being.

You have unlocked me God, the doors you open no man can shut.

I will praise you for all my days for you are good.

You have released me God, with your love...

You are everything.

Words by Ian McIntosh from his song "Adoration" which you can listen to here.

*I changed the word son, to daughter.