What Did You Give Jesus For His Birthday?

I wanted to post this before 12/24 but had some interruptions to my life. I had a number of thoughts of what I was going to say (now I'm drawing a blank), but the sum of it is tht God came down in the flesh to welcome me into His home if I will just believe in Him and that He is the One and the only true path. Yet, if it is Jesus' birthday we are celebrating, then what will I give to Him this year since I've already given Him my heart/life? I made this challenge at my women's Home League as well...

I will give Him 100 things I am thankful for.

Gratitude is an Attitude that has NO manifestation until it is expressed in Thanksgiving! - Dr. David Jeremiah
Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. Psalm 97:12
God
Jesus
Holy Spirit
God's love & grace
my husband
my daughters
God's mercy
my sons-in-law
heat
Jesus’ death & resurrection
Madi
variety of life (that we’re not all the same)
Pastors Allan & Anita
mom & dad
home
Pastors Tim & Elaine
my brothers & sisters
electricity
Pastors Adam & Christine
nephews & nieces & their offspring
food
Pastors Dan & Melinda
aunts & uncles
clothes
Christian artists
cousins
work
the body of Christ (church)
beautiful friends (a list of names here)
water, coffee
answered prayers
Shadow
clients (7)
salvation
voice
my Country
heaven
freedom to worship
freedom to live
Ps 75 – I am lifted up
freedom to speak my mind

God is my judge
health
doctors
God will deal with those who have wronged me
vacuum cleaners
refrigerators
God speaks peace into my life/heart
hot water
toothbrushes & toothpaste
I am righteous in His eyes
dentists
Frances Higley
answered prayer
Ruth Winquist
Merlin Staatz
God hears my prayers
TV & radio
to live at this time
God’s protection over my property & my life
my soul – the very essence of my being belongs to God
Internet, easy access to knowledge & communication
Wisdom
birds
flowers, trees
heavenly mansion
grass
furniture
unspeakable joy
Christian radio
church buildings
my Bible in everyday English
that we can enjoy the talents & skills of others
sun, moon, stars
Angels
rainbows
mountains, valleys
the martyrs who have gone before us
rivers, lakes, oceans
rain & sunshine
honest neighbors
David’s truck
David’s motorcycle

What gift did you give Jesus? Can you come up with 100 or more reasons to praise Him, to give thanks? Psalm 79:13, "So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; to all generations we will tell of Your praise."

Coffee Filter Uses

I received this information in an email. If I knew who started it I would give them credit. But I thought the information useful enough that it ought to be shared in a blog, so here it is. Enjoy!

"Coffee filters. ..Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Stores cheap, cheap, cheaper than paper towels. Use the same as ;you would paper towels but in some cases the extra strength of a filter is benificial also the fact they are lint free is better.
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5.. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or applique soft fabrics.
16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.
18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.
19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.
20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.
21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.
22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggies until they sprout.
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book.
25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS TOO...better than the mesh filter that comes with your pot; the paper filter actually removes some nasty compounds that are in coffee. "

My Favorite Childhood Holiday

Christmas, because Jesus is My Lord and Saviour and this is the celebration of the first time He came to this earth to teach us and to sacrifice Himself out of His great love for us. Because of His first coming I am looking forward to His second coming!

Christmas was also a big family time. We would spend Christmas Eve at Dad’s parents’ home. The aunts, uncles, and cousins would all be there. On this side of the family I had two sets of aunts & uncles (same for Mom’s side of the family) and the total number of children was 18. My grandmother cooked up a big dinner and every family also brought food; but Grandma made lefsa and krumkake. Usually, there was also lutefisk for those who wanted it. Grandparents’ house had this really neat basement with a stairwell landing that had a door to the outside where we loved to play. We would play while the preparations were being made for us us to eat. Then we would have the blessing and eat dinner. After dinner we would sing songs. Then all the children had to perform for the adults. Then the devotional and finally the Christmas presents. Dessert was after the gifts. For the kids we drew names each year to exchange gifts.

When we got home there were brand new pajamas, gift-wrapped and under our pillows. I tried to do that for my daughters but they didn’t like it. I have seen, via the commercials, this tradition is in other families as well.

On Christmas morning we opened our stockings, then had breakfast. The mini-cereal boxes would be gift-wrapped, and we had to eat the one we picked; that was part of the fun, hoping to get the cereal I wanted. When I was little, and most of my growing up years, this was the only time when we got to eat cold cereal. The rest of the year was hot oatmeal and Saturday mornings the leftovers were fried and eaten with butter and syrup. (Saturday nights was pancakes or waffles.) But, I think we had cold cereal on Sundays (treat); mini-boxes were only for Christmas morning.

After breakfast then we would open the gifts under our tree. Since there were 8 children this would take awhile. After opening our gifts either we would go to Mom’s parents’ or her brother’s home, or my Grandparents, Mom’s sister, and her brother’s family came to ours. If we stayed home then Dad’s parents would come over sometime during the day as they visited each of their sons’ homes.

This is what I remember about Christmas.