He is Risen! {Think On These Things}

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It's why He came. To walk down a terrible and horrific road. To give His life so that we could have a life. He would walk down a path of betrayal, hurt, excruciating pain, and death to get to us, His beloved. This month let's travel with Him step by step. May the journey (story) we are so familiar with come alive so that we can see the details we have missed... so we can see the Savior whose love was so great it overflowed at the cross. Join me? See below for more details...

{You can download the file here.}

If you would like all the Think on These Things verses or want to know more about it, click here. To read about the benefits of Scripture writing, see this post.

Instagram

Instagram

During the month I try to post my thoughts on the verses on Instagram. If you would like to follow me you can find me here. Also, if you are posting your own thoughts there please use the hashtag #thinkonthesethings. I would love to read how God speaks to you!!

Supplies

There are many ways you can use these verses. You can read and meditate on them. You can write them out as you meditate on them. You can read them and then write about them in a journal or journaling Bible. You could do verse mapping with them (See this post). Here are some of the items I use...

A single column journaling Bible allows you to make notes in the margins.

ESV Single Column Journaling Bible (TruTone, Chestnut, Leaves Design)
ESV Single Column Journaling Bible (Black)
ESV Single Column Journaling Bible (Brown, Flap with Strap)

Some highlighters {These are my absolute favorites!}...

Eco Highlighter Pencils - Set of 5 Colors

Black pens are great for writing out the verses...

Black Ink Pen Set
Black Artist Pen Set

I love these journals that lay flat...easier to write in! They are great for Scripture writing!
Studio Oh! Deconstructed Journals

Let's Think On These Things!

Gift Ideas for the Anxious Person

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I have been a lifelong sufferer of anxiety. I have anxiety about my anxiety. I struggle to take control of it before it takes control of me. A plethora of ideas exist on how to cope with it. There are also items that can help a person relieve the churning thoughts. While no method will permanently rid a worrier of  the angst, tools exist to help an anxious person get through the rough bumps in the road. If you are shopping for someone who struggles with worry or anxiety here are a few gift ideas...

Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty is pretty amazing stuff. For those that are fidgety and need to keep their hands moving {For some it is calming to manipulate something with their hands} this putty totally works. It is totally different from any other putty or clay or playdough I have seen. If you buy it in the small tins they make great stocking stuffers!

Coloring books have changed my life! I know it sounds almost crazy, but I find it extremely calming to color and get my mind off of my worries. There is just something healing about art and being creative.  Here are some of my favorites:



Creative Coloring Birds: Art Activity Pages to Relax and Enjoy!
Garden Blessings: Scriptures and Inspirations to Color Your World
Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure and Coloring Book
Prismacolor Verithin Colored Pencils, Set of 36 Assorted Colors-These are the pencils I use to color. LOVE them!!

God's Word soothes my anxious soul time and again. There are times when I am not in His Word enough and my anxiety increases. I love my ESV Single Column Journaling Bible because I can take notes and record my thoughts and prayers in the margins. I use this black pen set for writing and these Highlighter Pencils to emphasize the passages that bring me comfort.

I love my GreenAir Diffuser. There are many essential oils out there you can diffuse that are relaxing. I tend to order from Plant Therapy. They have several blends that are good like Stress Free. Lavender is another oil which is good for those that are struggling with anxiety.

Other great gift ideas?

A journal to record their thoughts. For those who love to write {like me} journaling helps deal with all the hard emotions. Here are some lined journals.

Herbal teas are calming to me. Just remember though they probably need to be caffeine-free! Harney and Sons make some of my favorite teas!

So if you are trying to come up with gift ideas for those you love who have anxiety one or two of the above items might be appreciated!

Gift Ideas for Bilingual Kids

If you have bilingual kids in your life or if you are raising your own kids with more than one language, check out this post on my Spanish blog with ideas on what to get them this Christmas!

Gifts for Bilingual kids...

Christmas Reading

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Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love everything about it! During this time I try to take time to read a special devotional or book with a Christmas theme to focus my heart for the upcoming season. I also love reading fiction set during the Christmas season during November and December. Here is a look at some of my favorite Christmas devotionals/books...

Ann Voskamp's The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas is a beautiful look at the family of Christ to lead your heart to Him during the Advent season. I  have gone through this book a couple of times and have loved it each time! Here is my review of it. The book comes with a free download of ornaments when you purchase it. Each day after reading the devotional section you place one of the ornaments on your tree. I have written a post on how to get the ornaments ready for your tree. You can check it out here.

Last year I did Candace's book, Jesus, Light of the World: Praying the Scriptures through Advent. In this book, she focuses on how Jesus is our light. You can order her book from Amazon here. Or you can download it from her site here. If you would like to read more about her devotional see my review on it.

This year my youngest son and I will probably read through Max Lucado's In the Manger: 25 Inspirational Selections for Advent which is a collection of devotionals for Advent from his various books. I LOVE the way Max writes! He is an artist with the written word.

This year during my personal Bible study time I am going to be using materials from She Reads Truth. "Born is the King" is their Advent study for 2015. I have used their website before and loved some of their studies, but this time I thought I would take the plunge and buy the book that goes with the study.

I also love reading Christmas fiction during this time. In the past I have read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Yes, we all know the story from movies, but have you ever read it? Dickens can be wordy, but A Christmas Carol is one of his shorter works.  Last year I read Liz Curtis Higgs' novella, A Wreath of Snow. It's a sweet story of love and forgiveness set in Scotland.



If you have kids (older elementary) and want to read something to them this season we LOVED Arnold Ytreeide's books for Advent! The stories are compelling and each day's reading leaves them clamoring for more! There is also a short devotional thought at the end of each day. Each story leads up to the birth of Christ. This year there is a new book out, Ishtar's Odyssey! I bought it even though we don't have young kids anymore. My husband and I plan to read it to each other this year. I know that sounds crazy, but these stories are that good!  Here are the others in the series:

Jotham's Journey
Bartholomew's Passage
Tabitha's Travels


So what are you reading this Christmas season? I would love to hear from you with some reading suggestions. Leave a comment as I need more reading options (especially in the fiction department) this season!