Top 10 Scriptures to display in your home…

As a boutique retailer of Christian and Inspirational gifts, we get to talk to customers ALL THE TIME! 

Customers who come to our store are looking for something specific… often time it is their favorite verse or family verse that they would like to display in their home.  It is much like a family mission statement… it’s the family’s mantra… it becomes their guiding principle for a season — or forever.  It is pure joy helping our brothers and sisters in Christ find the perfect vehicle by which they can display God’s Promises in their home.

Here is a listing of the top 10 Scripture Quotes that were requested throughout 2009 (and a link to a product example):

1. Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
2. Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”
3. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”
4. Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.”
5. Psalm 19:14  “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord.”
6. House Blessing   “God’s Blessing Rest upon this House and all who Dwell within. May all who enter, too, be blessed”
7. Proverbs 16:3  “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”
8. Psalm 16:11  “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence.”
9. Isaiah 30:15 “In quietness and trust is Your strength.”
10. Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

What is your family verse?  Let us know.

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My Indiana Dad said…

You have probably heard about that REALLY popular Blog entitled #$%^ My Dad Says.  Well, if not… no worries… it’s funny in a very crude sort of way and not even remotely appropriate for most audiences

Anyway… I’ve been thinking about my dad a lot.  He’s getting old and recently had a horrific experience having his rotted gallbladder removed.  He was allergic to the anesthesia and didn’t do so well.  He was on a respirator for a couple of days and finally came out … fairly unscathed.  PTL that he survived.  I guess that God didn’t need him quite yet.

In my retrospective mood, I began thinking back about funny things that he said when I was growing up.  Now that I’m so much older I started to think about not only what he said but what he meant.  Being from rural Indiana, born to blue-collar parents with not a lot of money, our life was simple and our ways were even more so.

One of the sayings that my dad would occasionally share when he would be sitting outside under the big maple tree in a lawn chair or in his lazy boy rocker was…

‘I’m waiting for the spirit to move me.’

My father was and is a man of God.  I always thought he was just procrastinating do whatever it was that he had to do… and he may have been, but a couple of years ago, I found Scriptural Evidence that shed new light on this colloquialism.

…those who are led by the Spirit of God are son of God.  Rom 8:14

Proverbs 4:11,12 says, “I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.”

Perhaps my dad was simply awaiting instructions from his maker… maybe he was awaiting for the path to be cleared.  Perhaps he didn’t want to venture out on his own agenda, but rather was waiting on the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is ‘holy’ by definition.  Therefore the Holy Spirit was not going to lead him into something unholy or troublesome.  Perhaps my father was simply guarding his steps… or perhaps this scenario is best understood in the realm of our spiritual lives.

I like this interpretation.  There’s much to be learned from our Fathers… both of them.

Just sayin’!  Malarkey or Truth?  You decide

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Woman kills six children… following Abraham’s example

I’m a BIG Community Bible Study fan.  Have been for a while and LOVE every study that we go through (well… Song of Solomon was a bit much!).  We are in the middle of Genesis and finished up the Abraham sacrificing Isaac story several weeks back.  I found it interesting to see women’s reactions to the details of this story.  Some women had heard it many times before, but for others it was a ‘debut’.

Refresher for us all… Abraham and Sarah had waited nearly 25 years for the son that God had promised them.  Of course, Sarah – tired of waiting and being ever so resourceful – had contrived the ‘coming together’ of Abraham and Hagar (her maidservant) which resulted in the birth of Ismael.  Regardless of that and its consequences, God was faithful and gave Abraham and Sarah the son that they had always wanted… the son that would father the multitude of nations (that was also promised by God).

So Isaac is born and begins to grow and is probably the apple of his mother’s eye and the mountain by which the sun rises and sets for Abraham.  In Genesis 22 God tests Abraham.  God tells Abraham to take Isaac up Mount Moriah and to sacrifice “your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love.”  Fascinating… as the story goes on, you find that Abraham and Isaac had to carry wood up the mountain because there would be none at the top.  It took 3 days for the journey and they took along a few men for the journey.  When they near the top, Abraham tells the other men to stay and that he and Isaac would return.

Abraham, being perfectly obedient to God, had left to do this chore immediately, had followed God’s directions perfectly, and was ready to prove that he not only was obedient to God in all that He asked, but that he loved God above all else and desired to please God… Abraham – in his heart – had chosen God over Isaac.  That was the test.  It wasn’t about a brutal child sacrifice which the pagan religions around them were fond of… it was all about a sacrifice in the heart.  A test of true allegiance and trust.

Some of the women, in my CBS class, really struggled with the thought that God would ask Abraham to kill his own son.  Of course, God wasn’t asking Abraham to do anything that HE wasn’t willing to go through… but I don’t believe that is the point.  I really believe that it was about Abraham’s heart. 

This particular recount is one that can be so misused.  Recently I read a chilling tale in Christianity Today entitled Saving Witches in Kolwezi.  This is a story of how the children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are being accused of witchcraft by parents and churches and in many cases are being tortured and killed.  It appears that many of the ‘backwoods’ pastors are not well grounded in scripture and they are not being held accountable to any oversight group.  Their teachings are flawed and their interpretation of the scripture is wrong.

“In Kamina, 400 miles from Lubumbashi, a woman reportedly sacrificed her six children to God.  She was part of a religious movement that attempts to follow Abraham’s example of being ready to sacrifice his son Isaac.  The woman was jailed, but Mwebe fears more parents could follow in her footsteps unless church leaders receive in-depth teaching on how to interpret Scripture and how to treat children.”

There is much more to the plight of the children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and I urge you, with all of my heart, to pray for their safety and that God would bring adults into their lives to protect them from the evil that abounds and that they would find the love of Christ to be their salvation.  But I also urge you to pray – not only for the pastors in the DRC – but for the pastors, teachers and leaders in our country.  Pray that they would teach the Truth from the Scripture and that they would ‘test’ their learnings against other scripture and against the Character of God.

Seek time with Him daily… soak in His Word… let it change you from the inside out.

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Valentine’s Gift Ideas – Free Shipping

	Greetings!   Shop Today through 1/29/10; Purchase Jewelry for your Valentine (valued $50 or higher) and receive  FREE SHIPPING!  Use Coupon Code HEARTME!  Valid for Jewelry Purchases Only!   SHOP NOW    www.christiangiftsplace.com     Valentine Gift Ideas Jewelry Ideas  JEWELRY SALE ITEMS
FREE SHIPPING   COUPON CODE:  HEARTME. You must purchase Jewelry valued at $50 or greater to receive FREE SHIPPING!  If you purchase a non-jewely item, you will be charged regular shipping.  Valid for shipments within the United States only.   866.834.0356   OR   203.834.0356      Offer Expires: January 29, 2010.

Valentine’s Day 2010 – Give a gift that Blesses…

 

 

It’s the Season of Love!  This year, ditch the candy idea and give a gift that blesses & perpetuates joy for a very long time.

 

10% OFF all orders over $50

 

Check it out —> Valentine’s Day 2010 at ChristianGiftsPlace.com

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Year-End Inventory… Does this apply to our Spiritual Life too?

Happy New Year.  Welcome to my first blog entry of 2010… wow that sounds surreal… the 2010 part not the first blog entry part.

Since the end of 2009, we have been in the midst of Year-End inventory… this is a time of the year that I absolutely despise.  It’s very time-consuming; fairly mundane; pretty dusty… and just not a lot of fun.  This is a time of the year where we count the number of units remaining in inventory of every SKU.  Warehouse shelves get reorganized so that items can be found more easily… dust is removed from boxes… floors are swept cleaner than any other time of the year… decisions are made about discontinuing items that just haven’t moved (or just taking up space)… decisions are made about which vendors and artists to continue doing business with and which ones just aren’t working out… etc. 

As I was in the storeroom last week, I began to think about how this process may be relevant to our walk with Christ.  I wondered if there was a need to assess the things in my life that were just taking up space and distracting me from my mission on this earth… perhaps bad habits that take up space and don’t allow for Godly habits.  I also thought about practices or disciplines that may fall away throughout the year that need to be dusted off and repositioned in a more prominent place so that I can more easily navigate toward them and use them… and rely upon them… things like journaling and reading the scripture daily. 

Then I began to consider how this Spiritual Life Inventory is connected to New Year’s Resolutions… I was fairly convicted that if I was to make a resolution… it would be that I continue to decrease and HE continues to increase in my life in 2010.  I resolved to allow HIM to work freely in my life… even to joyously endure the testing that He allows (God designs tests to surface what is good in a person and to bring glory to HIM).  I hold on to James 1:2-4 ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish it s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’  I vowed to be obeDIEnt to HIM and continue the process of dying to myself and to my plans.

All of this thinking was brought full-circle at worship yesterday.  The sermon was entitled, ‘Make History or Just Be It’.  The scripture was from the book of Esther and the story line was around the communication between Esther and her cousin Mordecai in regards to him asking her to go to the King to plead for the lives of those who love and follow God.  The whole story is fabulous and found in the early chapters of Esther… but the specific scripture that really resonated with me was in verse 14, where Mordecai writes to her saying  ‘… who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such as a time as this?’  I love that… it reminds me that we are deliberately placed and perfectly situated in the ‘here and now’ for a purpose.  That scripture enabled me to see past my circumstances… and directly to the heart of the matter; which is that I must face 2010 with a resolute attitude that God is in control of my life.  The circumstances around me may not always make sense, but that He plans no harm to me (Rom 8:28).  I am His masterpiece (Eph 2:10), and I was created to do good works that He planned long ago.  I am not ‘here and now’ by accident.

Are there any resolutions you need to make?

End-Of-Year Sale at www.ChristianGiftsPlace.com

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Just a heads up about our End-of-Year Sale… you’ll find up to 50% off selected items.  We have to make room for 2010 Merchandise! 

Happy Shopping!

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT’s ON SALE

 

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Christmas Shipping Special or 10% off Discount Coupon for Christmas Gifts

Christmas Savings New Products & Special Holiday Deals Just for You! We know that you are busy this time of year and want to help you with your shopping.  Listed below are a few BRAND NEW items that have just been added to the store.  Additionally, we are offering you a choice… FREE SHIPPING or 10% off any order over $75.   COUPON CODE FOR Free Shipping is REJOICE. COUPON CODE FOR 10% off Order is GIFT.   Wanna get busy shopping right now?  Go to www.ChristianGiftsPlace.com.  Otherwise, check out some of our new products below… Armor of God Shield Ephesians 6:13 on a pewter shield. Perfect on a desk or dresser.   Our Price: $49.50 Shop for other Gifts for Him    Nativity Ornament Hope for all… Lovely heirloom quality pewter ornament.    Our Price: $13.75 Shop for other Ornaments    Small Leather Canvas Leather wall hangings engraved with scripture.  Choose from 1 Cor 13:4-8 or Joshua 24:15.   Our Price: $120.99 Shop for other Home Decor    Large Leather Canvas Leather wall hanging engraved with scripture. Perfect for home, office or church… Jeremiah 29:11.   Our Price: $218.90 Shop for other Home Decor    Be Spirit Filled Necklace Sterling Silver Charm with ‘be’ and a dove on the front and ’spirit filled’ and ‘Mark 1:8′ on the back.  Comes with sterling snake chain.   Our Price: $46.20 Shop for other Sterling Jewelry    Water Life Pewter Pendant Water of Life… He is Living Water… John 4:1-38.  Made of pewter. Comes with satin black cord.   Our Price: $13.20 Shop for other Jewelry for Youth    To be rich in love… Toggle Bracelet To be rich in love, is to be rich in life.  Made of .925 sterling. Double rope chain.   Our Price: $72.49 Shop for other Sterling Jewelry    Teach us… Heart Necklace .925 silver. ’Teach us… that we may feel the importance of every day, of every hour, as it passes’.  Jane Austen.   Our Price: $43.45 Shop for other Sterling Jewelry    Stamped Tin ‘As for me and my house we will serve the Lord’.  12″ x 12″ stamped metal.   Our Price: $28.75 Shop for more Wall Art   Black & Taupe 19″ Cross Made with a wooden printed base and a resin cross ornament.   Our Price: $57.50 Shope for more Crosses   Leapord Cross This 14″ wall cross has been made with two layers of painted wooden, a resin cross with crystals.    Our Price: $44.85 Shop for more Crosses   Names of Christ Measures 10″ tall and displays the various names of Christ.  Made of Resin.   Our Price: $27.60 Shop for more Crosses   Top 5 Categories of Product Sales for this Holiday Season   Sterling Silver Jewelry Scripture Wall Art Scripture Pottery Wrought & Cast Iron Serving Pieces & Crosses  Christmas Ornaments    *Based upon sales 11/1/09 – 12/3/09 Our present to you… your choice… 10% off entire order OR Free Shipping.  See coupon below for details.    Soak in the goodness, glory & perfection of this advent season… as we await the celebration of our Lord’s birthday.   Merry Christmas,   David & Jeana Dickinson christiangiftsplace.com

For Orders over $75 … Get choice of 10% off OR Free Shipping  10% Coupon: GIFT Free Ship Coupon: REJOICE   Valid on orders shipped within the US only. Coupons cannot be combined. Valid for UPS Ground and USPS Priority Mail shipping only.  Not valid for Express Mail, Overnight Express, 2nd Day Air, or 3 Day Air.  Regular rates will apply and your order will be modified to reflect normal rates. Offer Expires: December 6, 2009

FREE Shipping today through Cyber Monday ‘09!

FREE SHIPPING

for all orders over $75

Happy Thanksgiving!

Out of gratitude for all of our amazing customers and for God’s gracious blessings throughout 2009, we would like to offer free ground (UPS) or Priority Mail (USPS) shipping for any order over $75 shipped within the United States over this Thanksgiving Weekend.

Use Coupon Code Gobble09.

Happy Shopping!

• valid TODAY through Monday, November 30, 2008.
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Is your faith boxed up?

I have put off writing this blog for a couple of weeks now.  Time to get it down so that the Lord can stop stirring it up in my mind and soul….

I attended a funeral a few weeks back where something was said that just hasn’t left my mind, heart or soul and continues to play over and over again in my head.  Don’t get me wrong, the service was lovely … the deceased – who was gravely ill – is now with the Lord and celebrating a new life.  Nonetheless… something was said that I felt was misleading….

During the message, it was said that this lovely person had placed their faith in God… in a box… to protect it.  The gest of the message was that a good life was lived and that faith had been protected via safe-keeping… with the finale being handing the box to back to God when they meet in Heaven.

It took me most of the day to figure out what was bothering me and finally my husband and I had a chance to debrief and I shared my thoughts.  This part of the message had escaped him, but had been a significant stumbling block for me.  It reminded me of the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30.

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together![b]’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that the speaker NEVER intended this to be the meaning of his comments, but I couldn’t help but wonder how many people actually do treat their faith like this.  Something to protect and hideaway for safekeeping until the day they meet their Lord.  It occurs to me that our faith is something to be multiplied and shared… it is given to us with the expectation that we will invest it wisely and be able to show gain… fruit.  Otherwise, why receive it in the first place.  Remember, our life on this earth is not about us… it’s all about God.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! 

Be Blessed!

Don’t box up ANYTHING that the Lord grants to you….

 

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