Christmas Envelope Boxes

 This year I wanted to do something a little different for Christmas. My children and grandchildren are all getting older, so it is getting more difficult to choose gifts for them. I wanted to find a way to have fun with the gifts, so I decided on Christmas pillow boxes and Santa bags. 

I came up with this idea after seeing some Christmas pillow boxes on Amazon. These boxes are small envelopes that kind of puff up when you push them together and fold in the ends. I went ahead and ordered them. They came in a set of 60 with 12 different designs. They were a great price at $7.99. I got them in about six days. I bought some candy, little gifts, and some Santa Christmas bags. Originally, I wasn't sure of the size bag I needed, so I bought two different sizes. The bag you need will really depend on how much you want to put in them. 

The next thing I did, was I went to the bank and got some bills in different denominations. This is going to be the main gift for my family, so I got enough $1's, $5's, $10s, and $20's. I already had some coins. 

It was important to me that my family not forget the true reason for Christmas, so I also wanted to include Christmas (Christian) messages. I typed some up and had planned on putting them in the pillow boxes on their own, but they kind of stuck to the inside of the box, so I decided to fold them in with the money. I've included the link below in case you are interested in using my Christmas messages, but you can probably think of some good ones on your own. You could also just handwrite a message or a special note. 

After I filled the Christmas Pillow Boxes with different items, I put them in a bag. I decided on the Santa bag because it was so cute. I was only able to fill it with eight pillow boxes, but that was enough. Each envelope had a fun surprise, so I'm sure my family will enjoy it. 

For this post, I only put together one gift bag, which is for my son. I want to pick up a couple more little things for my grandkids before I do their bags. I will need to remember to write their names on Santa's hat, or beard for the rest of my family. I had fun filling the Christmas pillow boxes and putting the Santa bag together. I am really happy that I was able to include a Christmas message.

I hope that you like this special gift idea. I wish you and your family a very Merry and Safe Christmas. May God bless you always! 

Here is the Google Link to Christmas Messages (PDF)

Christmas Messages PDF

Update: This is a post from a couple of years ago. The bags were a hit! This year I am doing Christmas Eve Pajama Boxes. I have a YouTube video that you can view if you are interested. 

Christmas Eve Pajama Boxes

Another cute idea that I did a few years ago is the Snowman Tower Boxes. They were really a fun project. Of course, my family loved them. I have included the link to the blog post and a couple others that you might like. 

Snowman Tower Boxes

Holiday Gift Idea for Co-workers, Friends, Teachers, Ect.

Cozy Christmas Gift Idea

Bible Resources for the Everyday Woman

Today, I was reflecting on my growth as a Christian. I truly believe it is a lifelong process. As I was reflecting on this I started thinking about the resources that I find most helpful. I rely on resources that truly speak to the everyday woman. You know, like me and you. My husband has a gift for being able to take complex readings, sermons, ideas, etc. and break them down to get the most out of them. I need things rather simple; right to the point; ideas that I can apply immediately. After thinking about the resources I use, I decided to write this post in hopes that you may benefit from my list.

My list is not in any particular order, but the Bible is, of course, number one in the area of importance. I love using the Bible Gateway website. One reason I love using this website is that I can open it up on my iPad and keep the tab opened to mark my spot. This makes it easy for me to pick it up and read (or listen to) anytime. There are many Bible apps that do the same thing, but I tend to ignore/forget about these apps. The opened tab serves as a reminder for me to be in the word. 

Bible Gateway Website
https://www.biblegateway.com/

I have a very difficult time memorizing scripture. I’ve tried, but it is just not something I have the gift for. I am familiar with scripture and God helps me call it to mind when I need it, which is really all that matters, but sometimes I want more. If I have a problem and I want to be in God’s word, I use the Topic Bible. I can look up a topic, such as “worry” and read lots of scriptures on the topic. I find this super helpful. The Topic Bible is a great website.

Topic Bible
http://www.openbible.info/topics/

Sometimes, I struggle with how I want/should spend time with God. My normal morning routine is prayer, devotions, and reading the Bible. I'm retired now, so I have some flexibility in my schedule, but even while I was working I made it a point to spend a half hour in the morning with God before getting ready. I'm a morning person, so this helps. My favorite devotional is Our Daily Bread. I have used this devotional for many, many years. I used to get it as a free booklet, but now I just use the website. I love the real life examples in this devotional. God often uses the stories to speak to my heart and help me grow.

Our Daily Bread
https://odb.org/

I won’t go into a description for each of the following resources, but each one serves as a tool that helps me in my walk with God.

K-WAVE (I actually use the app)
http://player.listenlive.co/28571

K-LOVE (Again, I use the app, or radio)
http://www.klove.com/listen/player.aspx

Joyce Meyers - I usually watch her on YouTube - She is super relatable and real!

Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life - (Available as a Kindle and paperback book)
When you first start reading this book it might seem a little difficult to read, but stick with it. There are some great insights.

I'm sure if I thought on this longer I would come up with more resources, but I don't want this post to be overwhelming. In this day and age, there are tons of Bible resources available, but these are the resources that I have found helpful. I hope that you will too. 

God bless you always! Anna 

Trust in the Lord

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6  KJV)

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my trust in God. Yes, I say I trust Him, and I believe that I do, but am I truly living a life that reflects that trust? How often do I spend time worrying about things I have no control over? How often do I ask God for help, and then continue to worry about the problem? Do I not think God is powerful enough? Do I not trust that my God is faithful? I think that the answer is simply that I am flesh and blood. I am human. 

When I am having trouble trusting God, I meditate on Proverbs 3:5-6. It reminds me that I can lean on God. I can put my complete trust in Him. I just need to acknowledge Him and He will direct my path. I was reading from one of my favorite books, The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life, the other day. The chapter I was reading focused on trusting God. The author points out that there are two jobs. Our job is the trusting. We are to trust God. That’s it! Totally and completely trust God. God’s job is the doing. Isn’t that wonderful? God has it in His power to take care of any problem, or situation that life can through at us. Thank you Lord! Thank you!

I pray that you always remember that God loves you and that you can trust Him. He will not fail you. Take your cares to the foot of the cross and leave them there. God Bless you always!

Shine your Light!

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)

Have you ever really thought about this verse? I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. The thing that throws me, is the idea that my light can shine. I mean I’m not the light, Jesus is the Light, right? He says so in John 8:12 - Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 

My first thought in reading this scripture was, “Don’t look at me. My light doesn’t shine.” As I have mediated and reflected on the words, this verse has come to mean much more to me. It isn’t so much about my light shining as it is about God being glorified. This changes the whole meaning for me. I don’t have to think about what I can do to make my light shine. Instead, I need to take note of everything thing I say and do and decide if my actions are actually glorifying God. Looking at it this way really changes things for me. It is not a prideful thing in which I want people to see how well I am doing. It is a hope and prayer that I may honor God in all that I do. This really is my heart. I may not always get it right, but it is something that I can work on and continue to get better at. 

As I think about this scripture a song comes to mind. Remember the children's song, This Little Light of Mine? There are several different versions, but I like the one by Ernie and Debbie Rettino. Here is what the first part says:

This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 
This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 
This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 
Everyday, everyday, everyday and every way. 
I'm going to let my little light shine. 

What a simple way to remember how we are to shine our light and how we are to glorify God. Let your light shine, and let God be glorified!

Game On VBS Reflection

My reflections today is a little different. Rather than reflecting on a scripture that I read I am reflecting on a week of Vacation Bible School (VBS). I was blessed to be able to spend last week with a group of Pre K/Kindergarten children. The ages ranged from 3 (not quite Pre K) to 6 years of age. While the 3 year olds were a bit young, we felt it was so important to include them in order to help them grow in the Lord. It was a lot of work, but such a blessing. 

It is definitely true that when God calls you to do something He surely provides. After all of the planning He really brought everything together and blessed us with a wonderful week in the Lord. It was so amazing to watch these little children, God's children, learn more about Jesus and grow in their understanding and love for Him.

Our VBS was the Game On sports theme. The scripture that was the driving force behind the week was 2 Peter 1:3. There were really two great messages behind this scripture and theme. One is that God truly provides us with everything that we need. The other is that in the big game of life we need Jesus. The bible is the rule/play book that helps us know how to live in Christ. 

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

(2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

Planning for VBS was fun, but it did take some time. I'm sharing some of the ideas I used in case anyone is still in the planning stages of their VBS or maybe just looking for some sport decoration ideas. I purchased some supplies from Party City, some from  Walmart, some from the Dollar Store, and I made a lot of the other stuff.

We used this area for pictures. It made a great backdrop. Ms Rose (my co-teacher) was wonderful enough to have a t-shirt made into a football jersey with Team Jesus written on it. She also made a Tutu for a cheerleader skirt, which with the pom poms was perfect. 

The tables we used had a football table clothe on it, which was very nice. 

Our soccer wall was a fun area. The soccer balls were plates with a soccer ball picture glued onto it. We had extra plates that the kids could throw like a Frisbee at the net. We later added labels with scriptures on them. Everyone got to take one home at the end of VBS. 

I made football jerseys for an extra football wall. I also made some little football cutouts. Everyday we chose a few scripture labels to read, attach to the footballs, and then tape to the wall.







We used this baseball area to explain the Salvation Plan. Ms Rose got together with Ms Koko, the Sunday School teacher, and put this together in a very age appropriate way. 

1st Base -  Black Heart -  is our heart full of sin. 
2nd Base - Red Heart - is for the blood that Jesus shed for the forgiveness of our sins. 
3rd Base - Green Heart - is for the new life we receive when we trust in Jesus as our savior. 
4th Base - Gold Heart - is the prize we receive when we go to heaven. HOME RUN!

I know that all of the children that attended VBS were greatly blessed, but I think that all of the music, craft, kitchen, recreation, youth helpers and teachers were blessed even more. It was a very heart warming and super great experience! 

Are Tears Prayers?

Today I read a comment that was posted on My Daily Bread in which someone having gone through some struggles mentioned learning that tears were prayers to God. Hmmmm.... I had never heard that before, but I immediately wanted to know if that was true. I wanted to know if it was biblical. It sounded true. It made sense. I mean I know that when we don’t know what to say the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and takes our groaning to God. Isn’t our crying and tears a form of groaning? I really wanted to know more. The first place I looked was on the Topical Bible website (great site). I looked at all of the scriptures that had to do with tears, but it wasn’t quite working for me. I guess I was looking for something that clearly said, "tears are prayers."

After that search didn’t pan out so well I went online and did some reading. Everything kept bringing me back to one scripture. It was Psalms 56:8.

The NKJV reads:
You number my wandering;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?

This was still not realy clear enough for me, so I tried other versions of this verse. The NLT version finally did it for me. Here is what it says:
You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.
You have recorded each one in Your book.

As I reflected on this translation of the verse I could see that our tears do matter to God. Through our tears we are able to communicate our sorrows to God. Isn’t that prayer? God even collects our tears and records them in His book. That is a pretty good argument for tears being a form of prayer.

I guess as I think about it, my tears and prayers always go together. I know that when I am hurting I cry out to the amazing, wonderful, almighty God of this world. I know that He hears my prayers and will not forsake me. My prayer as I reflect on tears is that God will take every tear shed of both believers and nonbelievers and use those tears to draw them near to Him. We are so blessed that God cares and is watching over us through both good times and bad.

God be with you and bless you always! Amen

My Soul Cries Out

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
(Psalms 42:11 KJV)

I’ve been working on memorizing scripture, which is not going so well, because I’m really bad at it, but anyways this was the scripture that I pulled up today. I get daily scriptures emailed to me, then I save my favorites to a bible verse file. This is really helpful, since memorizing them doesn’t always go so well. This morning I went with one of the first emails I had saved and this was the scripture that it took me to. 

This scripture was perfect, because my countenance was definitely a little off this morning. I felt like I had major PMS, but I no longer have that issue, so I knew that wasn’t it. I really do love this piece of scripture when I am feeling out of sorts. It is really a good reminder to me that my Spirit is under attack. I need to examine why I am feeling the way I am feeling. Why is my countenance (attitude, outlook, emotions, demeanor, composure) not in line with God’s desire for me? When I feel this way I know that I am not reaping the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, long  suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, & temperance). Instead I am void of them.

My solution? Well, it was to read and really meditate on this piece of scripture; realize that I was under attack; and pray. This helped me pretty quickly, but I also got out and did something fun. I went for a ride with my husband on our ATVs. In doing this I stopped dwelling on the way I was feeling and just turned it all over to God. I have to say that right now my soul is no longer disquieted and my countenance is doing much better. As I write I am enjoying the fruits of the Spirit.

God bless you and may you enjoy the fruits of the Spirit today as well.