Have a Birthday Party for Jesus! Here's How...

Hi Friends~


Happy Friday! I hope that this week's posts have been interesting, educational, and fun!  On Monday we shared about the Prince of Peace ...how wonderful that peace is!  Especially during hectic times, or through the storms that we must sometimes face it is an amazing way that He can take care of us.  On Wednesday, we read some fun little poems about Christmas, and found out that Shelly Schmidt was once again out Card Set Winner! (Please email me your address if you want these cards!)   I did forget to mention that Michele's usual post shared on the 3rd Friday of the month, "Precious Women of God--This Includes You!" is being shared next week, just in time for Christmas!  This will be something to look forward to...so be sure to stop by on Monday, Wednesday and Friday!  Lots of surprises!  I will share the info for our Give-Aways on the bottom of the post...including some additional items to give-away!


Today, I want to share about a birthday party I threw with some friends of mine.  When I was the Church's Children's Sunday School Director we had a really fun, large, educational Birthday Party for Jesus!  I am going to share the information that I still have from my notes.  I hope you can share them with your church for next year, or celebrate with your own children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren or neighbors!

A Birthday Party For Jesus

 You will want to have several cameras available...the photos will be precious!  You will also want to share a list of any food allergies to anyone who will be serving food, and you will want another option for those children. You will want the juice to be clear colored so they do not ruin their Christmas clothes. You will want name tags on everyone since you will have parents and new friends in the room.  We marked the name tags of children with allergies by writing their name in a different color.

Here was the plan:

**2 weeks before Christmas, we gave every child five invitations.  They could invite friends or relatives to come to the party for Jesus.  We also talked about how it is our responsibility to ask others to invite Jesus into their hearts.  We gave extra invitations to the rest of the congregation for nieces, nephews, grandchildren and neighbors.  The invitations were simply xeroxed on the copy machine...not hand made and rubber stamped...like I know about now!

**We had a cake donated, tablecloth and paper supplies donated, a Christmas video with the real story was donated, as well as some art supplies.  I did this by writing a letter on church letterhead asking for donations, and listing them.  I also had the Pastor sign it with me.  I asked 2 parents to please be in charge of securing these items.  I didn't want to spend budgeted money, that I could use for curriculum materials, on this party even though it was very educational, from the moment they walked in the door!

**The invitation also suggested that children who wanted, could bring a gift for a newborn baby. (Like Jesus was when He came to this world.)We suggested clothing, diapers, formula, anything that was new, and was non-perishable.  (All of these gifts were going to be given to a local abuse center for Women and their children. I had checked with the Director of the center, and they had all they needed, but were short on supplies for babies under 1 year.)

 **We decorated a big box, big enough that the children couldn't see      who gave a large gift and who gave a small gift, and who gave none.They celebrated the birth of Jesus…just like the Wise Men did! 

        The following Verse was written on the front of the box:

 "The Wise Men saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."  (Matthew 2:11) 


        And, then the children put their gifts in the box.

 
 
There was a large poster that hung above the box that shared the Scripture about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked...  (I'm sorry, I can't remember where it is found, and I couldn't look it up!)  When the children came in the room, I greeted them and their friends and parents, and read (older childred read with me) the Scripture of the Wise Men to them as they put their gift in the box. 

  

     **We then all gathered in a reading area in chairs, since we were all      dressed nicely for Jesus' party.  And, we read one of the Bible's Chistmas stories to the children and parents.  Then we did it again, and left

 out words, having the children fill them in.  They did very well. 

 

       **We made Christmas cards about the "real" Christmas for people in the hospital.  I went the next day to distribute them.  As they colored they were led in a discussion about thinking of others…and not just ourselves.  The leader of this activity wrote exactly what they said in the card...we asked the children to share their favorite part of the Biblical Christmas story.

       **We also celebrated in some fun, although not Biblically based activities.  (Such as eating cake, ice cream, goody bags, and playing pin the star on the tree.)

    **We ended the day by coloring Christmas books that I had put together based on the story of Christmas in Luke: 2.  Then we watched a flannel board story…and the children gave the words. (Showing they had the story down really well!) And the last thing we did was end in joined prayer, and songs of Worship.

 
 

It was a wonderful day, and the children concentrated on just what we wanted.  Only one child mentioned Santa all morning!  I also prepared every adult for the possibility of someone mentioning Santa, reindeer or presents...so they would not be caught like a reindeer in the headlights. I asked that they simply say with excitement, "This is a birthday party for Baby Jesus! Let's go _____!" (It worked the one time someone asked me!)
 
 
I felt that it was worth every effort!  It was nice for the parents to see what type of activities we did in Sunday School, since they hardly ever tore themselves from the Service in the Sanctuary.  And, we really enjoyed them being there.  We enrolled a few children the next week.  They were guests at our party, and enjoyed it very much.  The teachers really enjoyed all of the ages being together (except the infants) for this special day.  Because of that, we decided that once a month we would have a Service for the children...with all of the teachers taking part, and the children participating as much as possible!

     

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 Reminder of our Special Holiday Weekly Blog Candy!

We are giving away a set of cards to a person who leaves a comment...about anything before Tuesday at 8pm. The comment will be randomly chosen and announced on Wednesday! The number of cards you receive will range between 1 and 10...that number will be randomly chosen! This Give-Away will run through the month of December!

AND...

Share About The He IS Able Blog!

And, if you share about our give-aways or post our He IS Able blog badge on your blog...and let us know--(please send a link)--we will send you a card/envelope for your use...as a thank you. (Please click and paste the badge...itis not a button...they will only see the URL if it is copied.) 

It is a simple way to serve the Lord. The more people learn about this blog, and come to visit and learn about The Prince of Peace aka The King of Kings aka The Mighty One, the more they learn about the grace and love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and His amazing gift of Salvation. The more apt your readers are to pray and give their life to Him. Isn't that what we are really here for?

AND...

We are having a Very Large Blog Candy Give-Away on Christmas Day!

We have many wonderful items that will be given to one randomly chosen person. Here are the details...every time you leave a comment from December 10-24th, you will be entered in our drawing for our "Very Merry Christmas Day Blog Candy!"

We have some fabulous prizes this year:  (Red means newly listed items.)

**An awesome Ash2Ash CD (Click on the words "Rise Up" and turn up your volume on your computer! Get ready to Praise the Lord! I love this song!)

**Rubber stamps  ("Jesus is the reason for the Season," Stampington Company-"Large Donner," A Set of 4 acrylic Studio G stamps of friendship and thanks, A Hampton Art-Studio G-"Thinking of you in Prayer." and a stamp of a noise maker...one you may find at a birthday party, for instance!

**A beautiful murano glass cross

**Silver Craft Cord

**A Christmas music CD

**One glazed Nativity Scene Ornament with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus

**Spool of Town & Country Ribbon- red with green hearts for all year use

**A Sizzix Impressions Embossing Folder.

**This list includes several new items...there are more to be announced!  Be sure to leave your comments to be eligible for the drawing on Christmas Day! 

 This is in addition to our Weekly Card Give-Aways! We are so blessed to have you stop by...it is our way of saying thank you for joining us, encouraging each other---including us, and  "Sharing His love, His Word, and His gift of Salvation through Cards!*"   (* This is the blog's Mission Statement.)

 Thank you so much for sharing part of your day with us today!  If you have any ideas that worked well at a Birthday Party for Jesus, that is one thing we would love to hear about in the comment section!   We'd also love to hear which of the Gospels has your favorite version of the Christmas story to read.  You are welcome to write about whatever you would like...these are just a couple of ideas!


He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather

New Info on Blog Candy and Christmas Poetry to Enjoy!

Hi Friends~


Thank you for leaving so many comments this past week! It is exciting to see some new names, and we are so gratefully for those of you who have stayed with us! You were all entered into our drawing for BOTH of our Give-Aways!  Please take a look:

Reminder of our Special Holiday Weekly Blog Candy!

We are giving away a set of cards to a person who leaves a comment...about anything before Tuesday at 8pm. The comment will be randomly chosen and announced on Wednesday! The number of cards you receive will range between 1 and 10...that number will be randomly chosen! This Give-Away will run through the month of December!

AND...

We are having a Very Large Blog Candy Give-Away on Christmas Day!

We have many wonderful items that will be given to one randomly chosen person. Here are the details...every time you leave a comment from December 10-24th, you will be entered in our drawing for our "Very Merry Christmas Day Blog Candy!"

We have some fabulous prizes this year:

**An awesome Ash2Ash CD   (Click on the words "Rise Up" and turn up your volume on your computer!  Get ready to Praise the Lord! I love this song!)

**Rubber stamps

 

     

**A beautiful murano glass cross

**A Christmas music CD

**One glazed Nativity Scene Ornament with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus

**A Sizzix Impressions Embossing Folder.

 

 

Newly added items will be announced this Friday, the 16th!!!

 

 

That's all we are going to tell you now...but it is quite an exciting collection of goodies. We will tell you about more items as time goes by...the recipient will be announced on Christmas Day! This is in addition to our weekly card give-aways! We are so blessed to have you stop by...it is our way of saying thank you for joining us, encouraging each other---including us, and sharing His love, His Word, and His gift of Salvation with others!

________________________________

This Week's Winner of 4 Cards and Envelopes is...

Shelly Schmidt, Again!!!

The numbers 1 through 10 were gathered and the number 4 was chosen.  So Shelly, this week you have won 4 beautifully made cards and their envelopes!  This goes to show that it is good to leave a comment every week!  Shelly was our randomly chosen person to have left a comment last week, also!  You can win as many times as your name or user name is chosen!  All you need to do when you win, is email me your mailing address.  My email is located on the very bottom of the right hand side of the blog.  If I do not hear from you before Tuesday evening at 8 o'clock, I will think that you do not want to receive the cards (for some reason unknown to me!) that were to be sent to you...so please email your address right away!

Here is Shelly's comment:

Thanks so much for choosing me to win two cards! How awesome!

By Shelly Schmidt on Big News Today! on 12/12/11

And, every commenter was put into the drawing for our "Very Merry Christmas Day Blog Candy Drawing!"  You can leave as many comments as you would like for this drawing...and each one will be entered.  So, don't hesitate.  And, if you share about our give-aways or post our He IS Able blog badge on your blog...and let us know--(please send a link)--we will send you a card/envelope...as a thank you.  (Please click and paste the badge...itis not a button...they will only see the URL if it is copied.)  

 It is a simple way to serve the Lord.  The more people that learn about this blog, and come to visit and learn about The Prince of Peace aka The King of Kings aka The Mighty One, the more they learn about the grace and love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and His amazing gift of Salvation.  The more apt your readers are to pray and give their life to Him.  Isn't that what we are really here for?

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You may not know this about me.  I love to collect quotes.  I do it with the intention of using them on cards.  I rarely do, however.  I do quote Scriptures on many cards, however.  And, I hope that if any of you decide to donate cards for our give-aways and other He IS Able usage, that you will consider including a Scripture on the front or back of your card.  Even on the left inside of the card would be fine...I just want to make sure we leave room inside for people to share what they would like to share about Jesus and His Gift of Salvation and Love.  We have a nice stash of cards right now...for all different occasions!  But, the more we have, the more we can give.  Anyway, I didn't mean to ask for cards...but I guess I did.  What I did intend was to share some great little quotes that may come in handy. These may not be from the great scholars...but they brought me a bit of enjoyment.  I hope you will enjoy them also. If you want the best Christmas quotes that really make a difference...I suggest going to the Bible and quoting Scripture!

I hope you enjoy these:

"He who has no Christmas in his heart

will never find Christmas under a tree." 

~Anonymous

(This reminds me of my first Christmas...I was 29, and I slept under the tree with only little white lights on it...and I fell asleep reading the Bible right there under the tree. I slept under it for a long time! Still, my favorite Christmas!)

"Happiness is a homespun Christmas!"   ~Anonymous

"At Christmas,

Play and make good cheer,

For Christmas comes but once a year."

~Thomas Tusser

"Love's the thing.  The rest is tinsel."  ~Pam Brown

"Christmas is the day that holds all time together."

~Alexander Smith

"The real secret of happiness is not what you give or receive; 

it's what you share."  ~Unknown

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

~Charles Dickens

"May you have the gladness of Christmas, which is hope;

The spirit of Christmas which is peace;

The heart of Christmas, which is love."

~Ada V. Hendricks

And, one of my most favorite:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."  (Isaiah 9:6)  

THAT is a great quote!

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On Friday, I would like to share about a great Christmas Party we gave when I was a Children's Church Director.  It was wonderful.  I have shared about our hands-on educational and fun "Easter Extravaganza" in detail, so you could share it with your church if you wanted.  Now, I will share about "Our Birthday Party for Jesus!"  It was great fun...and so meaningful!  Even if you don't have a Sunday School, or don't want to be involved in one...it is full of great ideas to do with Grand-children, or neighbors and their children...or your children!  LOL  I almost forgot them!  So sorry. 

We are always glad to know you have been here. Thank you for spending part of your day with us.   I look forward to sharing about the "Birthday Party for Jesus" tomorrow.  I hope you will stop by!  God bless!

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather

 

 

Introducing The Prince of Peace...

Hi Friends~


Last December I told those of you who were here that I was doing a different study than usual to prepare my heart for Christmas.  I was studying the book by Ann Spangler titled Praying the Names of Jesus. I wanted to learn more about the many different aspects of Jesus.  Last year I shared with you many insights from the author, the Bible and my own thoughts on a few of our Lord's names.  We shared about the names and qualities associated with these names:  Immanuel, Jesus, Christ, Anointed One, Great Physician and Messiah.  I am studying some of His other names this year...and I wanted to share about one of those names today.


I have been reading about His name, "The Prince of Peace."  Miss Spangler shares this information:

"Who hasn't longed for peace, living in a world that is so often full of strife?  The Hebrew word for peace, however, means much more than the absence of conflict or the end of turmoil.  Shalom conveys not only a sense of tranquility but also of wholeness and completion.  To enjoy shalom is to enjoy health, satisfaction, success, safety, well-being, and prosperity.  Though the New Testament does not directly call Jesus the Prince of Peace, this title from Isaiah has traditionally been associated with Him as the One who brings peace to the world.  Furthermore, Paul assured the Ephesian Christians saying of Jesus, "He Himself is our peace." (Ephesians 2:14).  When you pray to Sar Shalom, you are praying to the One who is the source of all peace.  To live in peace is to live in His presence."


Here is the Scripture from Isaiah 9:6:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

(Isaiah 9:6 KJV)

 

I just love this Scripture.  It is amazing to me that while I was still Jewish, I never saw most of the Old Testament.  I learned about some of the "popular" stories.  But, I never read Isaiah.  So to me, this is one of the key Scriptures that tells me about Jesus' coming...right there!  It was amazing to me...and I found so many other Scriptures...especially in Isaiah that foretold us of Jesus' coming to earth...in detail.  Isn't it great how His Word foretells many of the things in the New Testament, in the Old Testament!?  You just have to look!


Let's pray together, if you would:
"Dear Jesus, my life was in chaos until You entered it.  Thank you for the forgiveness that brought me peace.  Deepen my sense of your presence by keeping me close to You.  Teach me to be a peace-maker----loving justice, doing right, and leading others along the path of peace.  Amen."

Luke 2:14 tells us that shortly after Jesus was born, the angels proclaimed:  "Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace
 to those  on whom His favor rests."

I'd like to share more that I learned from this chapter on the Prince of Peace and Sar Shalom (SAR sha-LOME).  The name Sar Shalom is not found in the New Testament.  Isaiah 9 and Luke 2:14 both share about a child who will bring peace to God's people.  The New Testament develops our understanding of peace by revealing Jesus the Christ as the source of all peace!


Spangler states:  "Though we were alienated from God because of our sins, Jesus reconciled us, making peace through His blood.  Peace with God produces peace with others and peace within ourselves.  When Christ's kingdom is fully established, all strife and cease, and those who belong to Him will enjoy forever the fullness of peace---health,  wholeness, well-being, tranquility, satisfaction, safety, prosperity, and perfect contentment." 

Of course, we aren't promised a life without any troubles or hard times.  They are a part of life that often get us to lean on Him, or go to Him in prayer, or strengthen us, or pull us together and share with others.


Are you at peace with your life?  What do you think it means to walk in the "path of peace?"  Do you experience Christ's peace in your life?  I hope that you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior...personally!  And, that you spend time with Him daily...in prayer, in His Word, in meditation...He will give you peace!

On a personal note, many of you have helped me deal with Josh's joining the Air Force.  Josh is doing great!  He is in charge of a couple of details with his flight group.  And, is actually teaching the others on a daily basis.  And, one of you suggested I give Josh back to Him.  He can take care of him better, see over him better, and protect him much better than I can.  I tell you I prayed this a couple of months ago with all of my heart...and He is so good!  He gave me a sense of peace that really is amazing and had seemed almost impossible to me.  I wait for Josh's letters, and write him a few times a week.  I am so excited when I get his 1 minute call...and I do not worry about him...almost not at all. Of course, I still pray for his Salvation...every chance I can.   I am so thankful to all of you for praying for Josh, and Dave and myself.   I thank especially the Prince of Peace...who loves all of us.  

This Scripture states things very clearly:

 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace."  (Colossians 3:12-15)

 

The author of this book reminds us that the cross was OUR punishment, the payback for OUR sins.  But, no matter what we have done, how agitated or frantic we feel, or how chaotic life has become, Christ says to us today:  Shalom Aleikhem!  (Hebrew)  "Peace upon you."  Peace be with you in your relationship with God, with others, and with yourself.  May His peace settle into your soul and rule your heart.  May it become the loom on which your life is woven, clothing you with His compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Repent of what you have done wrong.  Forgive as you have been forgiven.  And let the One who is called the Prince of Peace rule in your heart!

__________________________________

Reminder of our Special Holiday Blog Candy!

We are giving away a set of cards to a person who leaves a comment...about anything before Tuesday at 8pm.  The comment will be randomly chosen and announced on Wednesday!  The number of cards you receive will range between 1 and 10...that number will be randomly chosen!  This Give-Away will run through the month of December!

AND...

We are having a Very Large Blog Candy Give-Away on Christmas Day!

We have many wonderful items that will be given to one randomly chosen person.  Here are the details...every time you leave a comment from December 10-24th, you will be entered in our drawing for our "Merry Christmas Blog Candy!" 

We have some fabulous prizes this year:

**An awesome Ash2Ash CD

**rubber stamps

**a beautiful murano glass cross

**A Christmas music CD

**One glazed Nativity Scene Ornament with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus

**A Sizzix Impressions Embossing Folder.

(Be sure to watch here as the list of goodies grow!)

That's all we are going to tell you now...but it is quite an exciting collection of goodies. We will tell you about more items as time goes by...the recipient will be announced on Christmas Day! This is in addition to our weekly card give-aways! We are so blessed to have you stop by...it is our way of saying thank you for joining us, encouraging each other---including us, and sharing His love, His Word, and His gift of Salvation with others!

Thank you so very much for stopping by today!  Wednesday, we will see who has been randomly chosen from all of the comments of the last week (You can leave more than one.)  We will also find out how many cards that person will win by a random drawing of numbers 1 through 10.  How exciting is all of this?  We do hope that you will use the cards to share the love, Word, and gift of Salvation from our Lord Jesus the Christ to others.

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather

p.s.  Is there anyone that would be willing to spend a few minutes (any amount of time)  a week praying for the needs of our guests, and for those of us who work on the blog?  If you are willing...please leave a comment or email Traci.  Joan is our Prayer Team Leader and will work with you to give you prayer requests that should meet the amount of time you can spend in prayer.  Thank you for prayerfully considering this request.

Many Give-Aways! "What Shall I Give You?"

Hi Friends~


We are so happy that you like our NEW He IS Able Weekly Give-Away!  If you didn't hear, any comment left before 8pm on Tuesday is eligible to be chosen to win anywhere between 1 and 10 cards and envelopes!  The number of cards given each week will be chosen randomly, and the winner as well as the number of cards will be announced each Wednesday!  If you see your user name posted...or your comment...be sure to email Traci your snail mail address.  (My email is on the very bottom of the right side of the blog.)


In addition to that...every time you leave a comment from December 10-24th, you will be entered in our drawing for our "Merry Christmas Blog Candy!" random drawing!  We have some fabulous prizes this year:  An Ash2Ash CD, stamps, a murano glass cross, A Christmas CD, a glazed Nativity Scene Ornament with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, and a Sizzix Impressions Embossing Folder.  That's all we are going to tell you now...but it is quite an exciting collection of goodies.  We will tell you about more items as time goes by...the recipient will be announced on Christmas Day!  This is in addition to our weekly card give-aways!  We are so blessed to have you stop by...it is our way of saying thank you for joining us, encouraging each other-including us, and sharing His love, His Word, and His gift of Salvation with others!


Today I wanted to share a post from Our Daily Bread.  It was Friday, December 9th's post and wonderful for this time of year especially.  Who isn't hearing a bunch of "Can I have's?"  And, "PLEeeaaaassseee may I???"  As you read the words below, think about what you would like given to you...and if you would like...let us know in the comment section...this would be a great time to share a prayer request, too.

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What Shall I Give You?

I've been told that "three-wish stories" occur in almost every culture, all following a similar theme:  A benefactor appears and offers to grand three wishes to an unsuspecting beneficiary.  The fact that the stories so often occur suggests we all want something we cannot get on our own.

There's even a wish story in the Bible.  It happened one night when the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said to him, "Ask!  What shall I give you? (1 Kings 3:1-9)  Solomon could have asked for anything-- riches, honor, fame, or power.  but he asked for none of these things.  He requested an "understanding heart" or a "listening heart," a humble heart to listen, and learn from God's Word.  The young, inexperienced king, weighed down with the responsibilities of ruling a vast nation, needed the Lord's wisdom to govern well.

Am I that wise?  If God spoke to me directly and asked what He could do for me, what would I ask for?  Would I ask for health, wealth, youth, power, or prestige?  Or would I ask for wisdom, holiness, and love?  Would I be wise or foolish?

Suppose God asked you what He could give to you.  What would you ask for?---David Roper

"True wisdom is in leaning

On Jesus Christ, our Lord;

True wisdom is in trusting

His own life-giving Word."

--Anonymous

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And, here is the section of His Word which sparked the above thoughts:


 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD.  Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.


 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.  At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”


 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.


 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.  So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”  (1 Kings 3:1-9)

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Well, I do not believe in wishes.  I do believe in the power of the All Mighty God...and the Bible does say that He knows the desires of our heart.  It also says that He knows the best path for our life...and I am sure sometimes our desires do not add up with His plan.  This is why we do our best to pray for His Will...and do our best at turning things over to Him.  I am SO glad you were here today!  Please tell your friends about our give-aways!

He IS Able!
Traci Starkweather

Big News Today!

Hi Friends~


I apologize for having been missing for a couple of posts.  I have been recovering and we also went up to visit Dave's son-Matthew and our 3 grandsons, and their Mother.  It was wonderful to see them...it's been a while. The long ride causes pain. I rested all day yesterday and today.  I am doing much better today...and I have BIG NEWS to share!


I was so happy to hear that so many of you were blessed by the post "Jesus Saves."  If you would like to print it out, find it by looking at the post below this post...and copy and paste it in Word or email--or look on the side bar under "Labels."  It would be a wonderful gift to memorize the Scriptures in order and be able to "walk" a non-Believer through them...and possibly to the Lord, Himself!!


We have wonderful plans for this month...I hope you will be able to stop by every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to see what we have in mind to share.


First, let's announce the Winner of this Week's Two Cards!  These cards have been donated from people all over the world, and are given to the      He IS Able blog for give-aways like this! Up until a few weeks ago, we were giving one card a week away.  And, we will go back to that one day.  However, we have been blessed with a large amount of cards.  So, we have been giving away 2 Cards each week.  And, they are made for every occasion!


Each week all of the comments that were left before 8pm on Tuesday night were gathered and one was randomly chosen!  The writer of that comment has one week to email me (lower right hand corner) with their US postage address.  (snail mail)  Your cards will be sent out to you! (Please put "He IS Able" on the subject line.)

This Week's Winner is...

Shelley who writes the blog, "My Creative Rumblings!"

 

Shelly wrote the following comment: 

"Congrats to Becky! And it was nice for you to stop by my blog today.  A very heartwarming post- great ministry!"

Please visit Shelly at http://shellymc2.blogspot.com/   She has many different posts with different paper craft ideas...as well as blog-candy right now.

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Announcing Some of Our Very Exciting News for December...

 

Be sure to leave a comment, a prayer request, a prayer for someone else, anything you would want to share in the comment section because...

 

You May Receive Up to 10 Cards and Envelopes

in our Weekly Give-Away!

That's right...for the entire month of December, each week...someone who leaves a comment by Tuesday 8pm, will be randomly chosen to win between 1 and 10 cards!  Now, that is worth get exciting about!  The number of cards each week will be determined by random drawing also!  I will send the cards and envelopes to your mailing address in the US, when you email me it within a week.  So be sure to stop by on Wednesday's to see if you have won!

 

This will be 1 of the Cards Given-Away Next Week!  We hope you will use the cards to share about our Lord, Jesus the Christ and the Gospel!  Thank you for being here today!  God Bless!

 

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather

Jesus Saves!

Hi Friends~


 I saw this in the gotquestions.org email they send out.  They have a "Question of the Week" and this was SO important I felt I needed to share it with you.  Even if you know the answer to the question, this shares Scripture that make it even easier to share with current non-Believers. I am so glad that they gave me permission to share this with you! I hope you enjoy it!


Question: "What does it mean that Jesus saves?"Answer: “Jesus saves” is a popular slogan on bumper stickers, signs at athletic events, and even banners being pulled across the sky by small airplanes. Sadly, few who see the phrase “Jesus saves” truly and fully understand what it means. There is a tremendous amount of power and truth packed into those two words.

Jesus saves, but who is Jesus?Most people understand that Jesus was a man who lived in Israel approximately 2000 years ago. Virtually every religion in the world views Jesus as a good teacher and/or a prophet. And while those things are most definitely true of Jesus, they do not capture who Jesus truly is, nor do they explain how or why Jesus saves. Jesus is God in human form (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is God, come to Earth, as a true human being (1 John 4:2). God became a human being in the person of Jesus in order to save us. That brings up the next question: why do we need to be saved?

Jesus saves, but why do we need to be saved?The Bible declares that every human being who has ever lived has sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23). To sin is to do something, whether in thought, word, or deed, that contradicts God’s perfect and holy character. Because of our sin, we all deserve judgment from God (John 3:18, 36). God is perfectly just, so He cannot allow sin and evil to go unpunished. Since God is infinite and eternal, and since all sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), only an infinite and eternal punishment is sufficient. Eternal death is the only just punishment for sin. That is why we need to be saved.

Jesus saves, but how does He save?Because we have sinned against an infinite God, either a finite person (us) must pay for our sins for an infinite amount of time, or an infinite Person (Jesus) must pay for our sins one time. There is no other option. Jesus saves us by dying in our place. In the person of Jesus Christ, God sacrificed Himself on our behalf, paying the infinite and eternal penalty only He could pay (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2). Jesus took the punishment that we deserve in order to save us from a horrible eternal destiny, the just consequence of our sin. Because of His great love for us, Jesus laid down His life (John 15:13), paying the penalty that we had earned, but could not pay. Jesus was then resurrected, demonstrating that His death was indeed sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins (1 Corinthians 15).

Jesus saves, but who does He save?
Jesus saves all who will receive His gift of salvation. Jesus saves all those who fully trust in His sacrifice alone as the payment for sin (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). While Jesus’ sacrifice was perfectly sufficient to pay for the sins of all humanity, Jesus only saves those who personally receive His most precious of gifts (John 1:12).

If you now understand what it means that Jesus saves, and you want to trust in Him as your personal Savior, make sure you understand and believe the following, and as an act of faith, communicate the following to God. “God, I know that I am a sinner, and I know that because of my sin I deserve to be eternally separated from you. Even though I do not deserve it, thank you for loving me and providing the sacrifice for my sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and I trust in Him alone to save me. From this point forward, help me to live my life for you instead of for sin. Help me to live the rest of my life in gratitude for the wonderful salvation you have provided. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me!”  Amen. 

Have you made a decision for Christ because of what you have read here? If so, please go to: http://www.gotquestions.org/questweek.htm and click on the "I have accepted Christ today" button near the bottom of the page. And, please let us know in the He IS Able comment section!  We will be happy to celebrate with you!  If you are in need of a Bible, I will do my best to get one for you...everyone should have a Bible.

______________________________

Recipient of the He IS Able Set of Cards of the Week!

Congratulations Becky!

Here is her comment:

"That is a beautiful quilted card Traci. Joan did a fabulous job."

By Becky on The Winners Are... on 11/29/11

Becky, I agree! Joan's card is so beautiful.  I can't imagine the work that went into it.  Thank you for leaving a sweet comment...and enjoy Joan's card, as well as another surprise card.

How can you receive a Set of Free Cards?  Leave any comment, question, prayer or prayer need, anything you want to share in the comment section before 8pm on Tuesday evening.  If your name is randomly chosen you will receive the He IS Able Set of Cards of the Week!

Most importantly, if you have read the above article, and understood it, and prayed it with sincerity in your heart...well, then my friend, you have received the Greatest Gift of All!  The Gift of Jesus' love, His Word, and His gift of Eternal Life!  We are SO glad you are here!

God Bless!

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather

The Winners Are...

Hi Friends~


Take a look at that beautiful card on the side bar!  Joan our Prayer Team Leader, made that gorgeous card!  She stitched each square of the quilt.  I just fell in love with this card!  It, and another card from someone else, will go to someone who leaves a comment before Tuesday night at 8pm. Thank you for making and donating this card, Joan!  It is incredible!   I know I would want to win it if I could, but Michele, Joan and I are not eligible to win these lovely cards.  Just leave any type of comment or question or prayer need that you would like, and, you will be entered in the random drawing!


I hope that everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving last week...and hopefully every day!  Did you do anything special to celebrate this special day? Any new traditions? Any age-old traditions?  Any special ways of giving thanks to the Lord for everything He has given us?  We would love to hear about it. 


I was thrilled when our son, Joshua, called us!  He was allowed off base to have a Thanksgiving Dinner at the home of a very lovely couple who lets recruits who are far from home on the holiday join them.  I was so happy that he was given a partial day off on his 27th day of being in Military Basic Training.  We were able to speak for a few minutes.  It was a wonderful surprise.  I almost missed the call...I was just about to walk out the door to get to the festivities at my parent's home.  He sounds well.


I was so excited about Thanksgiving Day last week, that I forgot to announce the winner of this week's He IS Able Card Sets Give-Away!  Well, there were two people who found time out of their busy schedules this week to leave a comment to make them eligible to win 2 autumn cards.  So BOTH of them will win a Set of Cards from the He IS Able blog!  Please email me your address before next Tuesday at 8pm.  My email is:
tracistarkweather@gmail.com 

The Two Winners to Receive a Set of Beautiful Cards Are...

Andrea K.Van Ye  and Sea Mom

Congratulations, Ladies!

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"Say Thank You"

from:  Quiet Moments in the Presence of God

 

"Bless the Lord,  O my soul;  and all that is within me, bless His Holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."

( Psalm 103:1-2 NKJV)

 

When you were young and someone gave you something, your dad or mom would remind you, "Now, what do you say?"  They wanted you to express gratitude for what you had received.  Think of how generous God is to you and how grateful you are to Him.  Take out a pencil and paper and write down a list of your blessings.  The psalmist tells you not to forget any of them.

 

Gratitude comes when you take time to count up your past and present gifts and benefits.  It is a fundamental response to God's Grace.  Prayer reaches its highest level as gratitude.

 

Gratitude is the heart's memory of what God has done for you.  The most complete prayer is a grateful thought toward Heaven.

 

"They must thank the Lord for His constant love, for the wonderful things He did for them."    (Psalm  107:8)

 

A prayer offered:

"Dear God, when I think of what You do for me, my heart is lifted in gratitude and my voice in praise."  Amen.  Amen!

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Please think of all of the many things God has done for you...given you...showed you.  And, thank Him for it... The Scriptures tell us to thank Him at all times!  Make every day Thanksgiving!

 

He IS Able!

Traci Starkweather