Hey everyone! I know that Christmas time is vastly approaching us and many people have been getting all of their Christmas shopping done. I was looking today for the perfect example of how to keep Christ in Christmas, when I came across this from the Potters House. It is so easy to get distracted this time of year and we can sometimes lose focus on the real meaning of Christmas. I encourage you to read the passage below and I encourage you to let this touch your heart, so that you can understand the REAL meaning of Christmas.

‘Tis the season for delectable eggnog, warm blueberry pastries, and peppermint-infused beverages. Embarking on the arduous drive through holiday traffic to your favorite shopping center, your musical palate indulges songs of “Santa Claus Coming to Town” compliments of the radio airwaves. You’ve drafted your Christmas shopping list (and checked it twice). You anticipate expressions of joy from your family and friends, as you gift them presents that they’ve desired all year. From the latest electronics to the most sought-after kitchen gear, you know your gifts are going to spread an abundance of Christmas cheer! By your calculations, every recipient on your list should be pleased with your gift offerings. After all, that’s what Christmas is all about, right?

Every year American shoppers are slated to spend upwards of $1K during the Christmas holiday. According to American Research Group, Inc., shoppers across the nation are planning to spend an average of $983 for Christmas gifts. While the hallmark of the holiday season includes gatherings, with festive beverages enjoyed around the fireplace, we must remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Jesus Christ is the reason! The adage, “Jesus is the reason for the season” is why we observe the Christmas holiday, not just to indulge in gifts for our own merriment.

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:11

In an effort to keep Christ in Christmas, we must incorporate celebrations – and engage in dialogues – that honor his birth. Jesus Christ is the greatest gift to mankind, as he was brought here on earth as our Savior, to redeem us from our sinful ways. God loved mankind; He fashioned Jesus Christ as our Savior so that we could live life more abundantly – in Jesus Christ! When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are to reflect the thinking and, subsequently, the lifestyle of Jesus, which is always underscored by serving others. This is living abundantly.

However, with the commercialization of what is now the “shop-‘til-you-drop” Christmas holiday season, the true meaning of Christmas is amiss. There’s great delight in shopping for family and friends, as well as attending “ugly Christmas sweater” holiday parties, but we must remember to keep Christ in Christmas.

If we examine the scriptures from Matthew 2:9-11, we’ll see that Wise Men presented Jesus Christ with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as an expression of their reverence for Christ as Savior. The reason we give our friends, family members, and others gifts during the Christmas holiday is symbolic of the Wise Men’s act of reverence for Christ. As they followed the star to Bethlehem, they were eager to worship Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, today’s customs of Christmas gift-giving often reflect our desires to celebrate ourselves. Are we eager to worship Christ? While attending the countless Christmas parties that you have slated for the season, will you engage others to discuss the greatest gift to mankind – Jesus Christ? When you make that mad dash to the nearest boutique or rush online to purchase that “one-last-item,” will you consider exhausting that same energy to serve others? These are all questions that we must ask ourselves, as we make an effort to keep Christ in Christmas.

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” – Matthew 2:9-11

As we explore opportunities to celebrate the birth of our Savior, remember to serve others with the same spirit as Jesus Christ! To love God is to love people. How can we say that we love God if don’t serve the least of these? From the homeless, foster children, to the widows, and the elderly, among others, God desires for us to exude His love, mercy, and grace to these individuals.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  – Matthew 25:40

There are a myriad of ways that you can give gifts of hope and love to others through your time, words of encouragement, prayer, or monetary efforts. The Potter’s House offers more than 60 ministries and opportunities to get involved, including MegaCARE. Whether you decide to serve others through our TPH ministries or serve others through your community, we encourage you to give the gift that keeps Christ in Christmas!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Written by : The Potters House

Who doesn’t love the football games, the parades, the awesome dinner served at the table? I mean thanksgiving is one of the best holidays! But, I think people get the real meaning behind thanksgiving mixed up. It isn’t about all of those things. It is about being thankful during this season. God has blessed us beyond what we deserve. Offer up the praises to him that he deserves. Treasure this time with your loved ones. Have a thankful heart this thanksgiving.

Oh and Gobble until you wobble..

Thanksgiving Prayer

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You’ve done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy, and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.

So today we offer this response of praise, with a promise to follow you the rest of our days.

—Mary Fairchild

Ingredients

•Unsalted butter

•Pack of marshmallows

•Green food coloring

•6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal

•Pretzel sticks

Instructions

1. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a large pan melt the butter and marshmallows, over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it is all smooth and melted then add some of your green food coloring. Stir until the cereal is coated good.

3. Pour out your Rice Krispies into the pan evenly. It’s good to oil your hands so they don’t stick to you. Then let them sit for 30 mins to cool and set up.

4. Cut one cut down the middle of the pan (the long way). Then, cut each of those rows into triangles. You should have 4 scarps left over one at each side of each row.

5. Lastly add some sprinkles and the pretzels. Then you’re officially done. Now enjoy them!!

1. John 11:25-26 ²⁵Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ²⁶And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this

Hey ladies, I hope you are all doing well today. It is a beautiful day that the lord has made and I am so excited about this day. Each new day you wake up is just a new beginning, and who doesn’t love fresh starts? Today I want to do a devotion on timing. We hate the word time.. We despise waiting. Sometimes in the waiting is when God will transform you. It is in the waiting that he transform your mind, the people around you, and your life in general.

Sometimes we like to question his timing. When it has been longer than we expected we start to question God and his plan for our life.. But, the waiting. There is just something about the wait.

Can you relate?

This is just like the situation that we read about in John 11. In John 11 all hope was gone.. They thought Jesus had waited too long. Everyone seen death, sorrow, and pain. They told Jesus he was four days late. But, the waiting. They told Jesus, “but if you would have been here Lazarus would still be alive,” but, the waiting.

John 11:17 tells us that by the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. In those days, Rabbinic tradition said the spirit of the person who died hovered over the body for three days and then departed. At the end of the three days, as the body began to decompose, they believed it was “officially” too late, and death was final.

So, when Jesus finally arrived, all hope seemed lost. Lazarus was “beyond hope” dead.

Jesus had a purpose, though.

I truly believe that Jesus chose to wait to come to Lazarus because he wanted everyone to see his power unfold. He wanted everyone to know that what he did was a miracle. He wanted them to trust in him.

Martha’s faith was real. She believed Jesus could do miracles. She knew He could heal people. But this situation was hopeless, right? Imagine the pain of knowing that if Christ had been present, He could have saved her brother. Even though this was happening, Martha still confesses the might of Christ, acknowledging that Jesus could ask anything of the Father, and it would be granted to Him.

We don’t have to know the whys and the hows. But we CAN trust Jesus will accomplish what he said he would accomplish. Even if our circumstances aren’t looking very promising, His purpose always is. Embrace the waiting today in knowing that when the wait is over God will receive all of the glory he deserves. His power will shine mighty through your waiting. Don’t mistake God’s patience for his absence. His timing is perfect.

What you’ll need:

• Toilet paper roll
• Red, Yellow, and Orange Construction Paper
• 2 Googly Eyes
• Glue
• Scissors

How to make your Toilet Paper Roll Turkey:

• Cut feather shapes out of the construction paper. You’ll need 2-3 feathers of each color.
• Cut a small triangle out of orange construction paper for a beak.
• Cut a small peanut shape out of red construction paper for a waddle.
• Cut two feet out of orange construction paper.
• Tape the feathers onto the back of the toilet paper roll.
• Glue the eyes, beak, waddle, and feet to the front of the toilet paper roll

This is a very fun activity to do with the kiddos. Cheap and affordable too. I will be doing this with my church kids this month.

INGREDIENTS

Hey, ladies. I hope you are all having a blessed, fabulous day. If any of you are like me it seems so difficult to start living a healthy lifestyle… Especially if you love sweet tea as much as me. The other day as I was getting ready for work I stopped in front of the mirror and realized I am so not happy with the very unhealthy lifestyle I have been living. So starting Monday I am going to be starting a whole new lifestyle change.. Yes lifestyle change not “diet.” I thought it would be a fun way to make some changes when you have others joining you. So, if any of you also want to start being healthier we can make some fitness blog posts and email each other encouraging words. Below I am going to post some of the tips that I found that I will be using during my journey.

TIPS

• Don’t just measure success by pounds. Measure by inches, and strength gained.
• Don’t expect it to happen overnight.
• Keep a journal of your progress.
• Reward yourself with shopping sprees.
• Take a lot of progress pictures.
• Don’t eat past 7:00 p.m
• Walk Daily.
• Pray.

It may sound weird but I have had this in my heart for a while now and it’s like God himself is wanting me to change some of my habits. Over the next few weeks I will be posting some healthy recipes and encouraging words. WE CAN DO THIS.

Hello all my followers, thanks for tuning in today to read my blog. So, I wanted to go over something with you… If you subscribe to my blog using your email you can be notified when I post. It is really simple and a great way to keep up with them. A few weeks ago I was looking at some lesson plans to do with my church kids and I came across a very cute fall lesson plan that teaches us how being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. With It being Fall that’s all you see is pumpkins all over the place. It’s one of the biggest Fall symbols. Although I taught this lesson to my 4-7 year olds, it’s great for adults too. You are probably wondering how could a Christian relate to a pumpkin.. Well let me explain!!

First, God picks you from the patch and brings you in. Then, he washes all the dirt off of you. Secondly, he cuts the top off and pulls all of the yucky stuff out. He removes all of the seeds of sin. Lastly, he carves a smiling face on us and then places his light in us so we can shine our light for others to see.

Hey everyone!! I hope you are all having a blessed day! I got a request by email to do this kind of blog post and thought it would be fun. I hope everyone’s weekend went awesome. Mine was great. I hope that you enjoy this blog post. So, basically if you see me you’ll almost always see a purse on my shoulder. Handbags are one of my favorite inventions. It’s perfect for keeping all of my essentials on hand when I need them. Below I’m going to list all the things you’ll find in my handbag..

•My Wallet

•My check book

•Hand Sanitizer

•A compact mirror

•Lip Gloss

•Keys

•Sunglasses

•Old receipts

•A pair of earrings

•My phone

•Gum

•Coupons

Every now and then I’ll have some more things I’ll add in my handbag but the items I listed are literally always in my bag. Since I hit my 20th blog post since I started I decided to do a giveaway!! All you have to do is like this post, subscribe to my blog, and share. It’s that simple!!! Winner will be announced next week. Thank you so much for reading my blog. Remember today that Jesus loves you and you are Blessed!! ❤️

Hey everyone! Since Halloween is coming up I figured I would post a very easy, cute treat that your kids will love.

INGREDIENTS

Brownies

1. 1 3/4 Cup of flour
2. 2 Cups of sugar
3. 1/2 Cup of cocoa powder
4. 1 tsp. of salt
5. 5 Eggs
6. 1 Cup of vegetable oil
7. 1 Tsp. Vanilla

Icing

1. 7 oz. Marshmallow cream
2. 1-2 Boxes of ghost peeps

DIRECTIONS

Grease 13×9 pan.
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine brownie ingredients and mix until well blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool.
Cut into individual brownies and place on heat proof plate(s).
Heat marshmallow creme (about half at a time) in microwave for 20-30 seconds and spread over brownies.
Top each brownie with a ghost peep.
Take a butane torch and brown the marhmallow creme around peep.

This recipe was found on cincyshopper

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