Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Remember to keep Christ in Christmas!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Did You Know…Christmas Edition?
Did You Know…?
Christmas Edition
…The word Christmas is Old English,It means Christ's Mass.
…Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made out of goose feathers that they dyed green.
…Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
…Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.
…If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," you would receive 364 gifts.
…Christmas became a national holiday in America on June, 26, 1870.
…In Greek, X means Christ. That is where the word "X-Mas" comes from.
…Each year, 30-35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the USA alone. There are 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the United States, and trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold.
Christmas Edition
…The word Christmas is Old English,It means Christ's Mass.
…Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made out of goose feathers that they dyed green.
…Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
…Jingle Bells" was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.
…If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," you would receive 364 gifts.
…Christmas became a national holiday in America on June, 26, 1870.
…In Greek, X means Christ. That is where the word "X-Mas" comes from.
…Each year, 30-35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the USA alone. There are 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the United States, and trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold.
Gasp! He's Looking At Me!
Gasp! He's Looking At Me!
Quick! That cute guy at the Christmas party is looking at YOU! What do you do? What should you say? How do you look? Good grief! Girls go through a lot of work to impress guys. Is it really necessary? Do they even notice how much time you've taken to look nice? To be honest, probably not. What's going to make more of an impression on them is being yourself. Life has taught me, time and time again, that your personality is more outstandingly beautiful than any flamboyant imitation and approach you can take to impress a guy. They'll notice your kindness, smile, joy, and inner beauty long before how perfectly your eyelashes are. Be yourself because God made you uniquely and perfectly you. Who could ask for a better gift? Let the joy of the Lord be your strength and let it shine through to others.
By Heather Engh
Quick! That cute guy at the Christmas party is looking at YOU! What do you do? What should you say? How do you look? Good grief! Girls go through a lot of work to impress guys. Is it really necessary? Do they even notice how much time you've taken to look nice? To be honest, probably not. What's going to make more of an impression on them is being yourself. Life has taught me, time and time again, that your personality is more outstandingly beautiful than any flamboyant imitation and approach you can take to impress a guy. They'll notice your kindness, smile, joy, and inner beauty long before how perfectly your eyelashes are. Be yourself because God made you uniquely and perfectly you. Who could ask for a better gift? Let the joy of the Lord be your strength and let it shine through to others.
By Heather Engh
Break Out Your Jingle Bell Socks!
Break Out Your Jingle Bell Socks!
Ok, so maybe I'm the only one who owns jingle bell socks. But who can't help but get festive outfits for the Christmas season! You don't have to spend a lot of money on holiday outfits to look amazing though. Remember that cute red tank you have in your "summer" closet? Match that with a black skirt and a black v-neck sweater and you have yourself an in-style holiday fashion statement! What is going to make all of your creative outfits stand out are two items: jewelry and shoes. Branch out and be bold with a pair of chandelier earrings and stilettos. Shine in ballet flats and a pearl drop necklace. Holiday outfits are easy with a pinch of creativity and fun accessories. Have fun this holiday!
By Heather Engh
Ok, so maybe I'm the only one who owns jingle bell socks. But who can't help but get festive outfits for the Christmas season! You don't have to spend a lot of money on holiday outfits to look amazing though. Remember that cute red tank you have in your "summer" closet? Match that with a black skirt and a black v-neck sweater and you have yourself an in-style holiday fashion statement! What is going to make all of your creative outfits stand out are two items: jewelry and shoes. Branch out and be bold with a pair of chandelier earrings and stilettos. Shine in ballet flats and a pearl drop necklace. Holiday outfits are easy with a pinch of creativity and fun accessories. Have fun this holiday!
By Heather Engh
Is That a Sparkle In Your Eye?
Is That a Sparkle In Your Eye?
Tis the holiday season! A time for celebrating our King's birth; gathering with family and friends; wrapping Christmas gifts; and baking goodies. With all of the get-together's that approach during this time of the year, it's also time to freshen your natural beauty with some make-up tips!
The thing to remember is: a little goes a long ways! Use your make-up lightly and apply it in areas that will enhance your lovely features. Tip: If you have lightly colored eyelashes, pop your eye color with a light splash of mascara and a hint of eye shadow. Apply lip gloss to your lips to make them appear more prominent.
A little goes a long ways! And most importantly, wash your face daily to keep your skin looking fresh and the life of the party! Merry Christmas and embrace the beauty God gave you! You are His princess!
By Heather Engh
Tis the holiday season! A time for celebrating our King's birth; gathering with family and friends; wrapping Christmas gifts; and baking goodies. With all of the get-together's that approach during this time of the year, it's also time to freshen your natural beauty with some make-up tips!
The thing to remember is: a little goes a long ways! Use your make-up lightly and apply it in areas that will enhance your lovely features. Tip: If you have lightly colored eyelashes, pop your eye color with a light splash of mascara and a hint of eye shadow. Apply lip gloss to your lips to make them appear more prominent.
A little goes a long ways! And most importantly, wash your face daily to keep your skin looking fresh and the life of the party! Merry Christmas and embrace the beauty God gave you! You are His princess!
By Heather Engh
Giving Christmas Away
One way we can put others before ourselves this Christmas is by thinking of them first. We can do this by giving gifts to others. I am not only talking about giving gifts, but giving of yourself this Christmas. There is a Christmas song about this. It is called, Give This Christmas Away by Amy Grant & Matthew West. I also know a family that has decided not to give very many gifts to each other this year. Each child will only receive a few small things, but not much. Instead this family of 9 decided they had plenty and were going to give others this year. They bought a Christmas tree and ornaments for a family that won’t have otherwise been able to get one this year. This is one example of how you can put others first now at Christmas time and all year long. Maybe you can’t buy a Christmas tree, but you can do simple things like giving a smile to someone. One of the things that my family does is give Christmas cookies to all of our neighbors. This year my sister went Christmas caroling to some assisted living places and sang Christmas songs. Be creative and see how you can give yourself this Christmas! It may be the best gift you give and the best one someone receives.
Did You Know...12 Days of Christmas Song?
Did You Know…?
12 Days of Christmas song
…Every verse of the song represents something of the Christian Faith.
…Some of them have more than one meaning.
1. The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus Christ on the cross.
2. The two turtledoves represent the Old and New Testaments or the 2 gifts Mary and Joseph brought to the temple.
3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love OR the trinity OR the gifta that the wise men brought.
4. The four calling birds represent the four Gospels.
5. The five gold rings represent the Torah (Law), the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.
7. Seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
8. The eight maids a-milking represent the eight beatitudes.
9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the spirit (Gal.5).
10. The ten lords a-leaping represent the Ten Commandments.
11. Eleven pipers piping stand for the eleven faithful disciples.
12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the 12 points of belief in the Apostles Creed.
12 Days of Christmas song
…Every verse of the song represents something of the Christian Faith.
…Some of them have more than one meaning.
1. The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus Christ on the cross.
2. The two turtledoves represent the Old and New Testaments or the 2 gifts Mary and Joseph brought to the temple.
3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love OR the trinity OR the gifta that the wise men brought.
4. The four calling birds represent the four Gospels.
5. The five gold rings represent the Torah (Law), the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.
7. Seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
8. The eight maids a-milking represent the eight beatitudes.
9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the spirit (Gal.5).
10. The ten lords a-leaping represent the Ten Commandments.
11. Eleven pipers piping stand for the eleven faithful disciples.
12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the 12 points of belief in the Apostles Creed.
Christmas Devo
Christmas Devotional!
Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
This Christmas we need to focus on the “good news of great joy” that the angels brought so long ago. We also need to realize that even though that “news” came 2,000 years ago, it is still great news for us today! Today we can live in the light of what Jesus’ coming meant, because without His death on the cross, His birth would have not been a “Great Joy.” He would not have been our Savior of the world. We need to remember that His birth points to the ultimate thing that he did on the cross.
So, have you entrusted your life in Christ? Maybe this is the year for you to make Christmas point to the cross and the salvation that can only be found in Him.
The Christmas Story is found in Luke 2:1-20!
Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
This Christmas we need to focus on the “good news of great joy” that the angels brought so long ago. We also need to realize that even though that “news” came 2,000 years ago, it is still great news for us today! Today we can live in the light of what Jesus’ coming meant, because without His death on the cross, His birth would have not been a “Great Joy.” He would not have been our Savior of the world. We need to remember that His birth points to the ultimate thing that he did on the cross.
So, have you entrusted your life in Christ? Maybe this is the year for you to make Christmas point to the cross and the salvation that can only be found in Him.
The Christmas Story is found in Luke 2:1-20!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to the JOY Blog!
This is a brand new blog so make sure you keep checking back for more updates!
I know Thanksgiving is over, but this is a sample of what this blog will look like and hopefully Thanksgiving is something we can celebrate all year around.
This is a brand new blog so make sure you keep checking back for more updates!
I know Thanksgiving is over, but this is a sample of what this blog will look like and hopefully Thanksgiving is something we can celebrate all year around.
JOY Meaning
JOY stands for Jesus, Others, and You!!!
JESUS
The JESUS part is dedicated to Him. It is to help girls of all ages to come to better knowledge of our Savoir. There will be devotions and other ways to come to know Him better. The overall purpose of this section is putting Jesus first in our lives.
OTHERS
The OTHERS part is about putting other people after Jesus and before yourself. It is to help girls to learn ways that they can serve others in their lives and reach out to people.
YOU
YOU is all about you. In YOU, there will be fun activities and useful ideas.
Inspiration
In March of 2006, God inspired me with an idea to start a magazine for girls. The reason why I wanted a magazine was because at that time when I wanted to get a magazine in the mail, there was only one other Christian magazine for girls that I could find. So I decided to come up with the ideas for a girl's Christian magazine. I had all the ideas, but no resources to do it with. Now 3½ years later, I woke up and felt inspired again. I wanted to start a blog all summer long. And now I know what kind of blog I was supposed to start. The last month I have felt that there are not many Christian magazines and such for girls. Now I hope that this can be a good place for Christian girls to build their faith.
Cardboard Testimony Service
The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving we had our annual Thanksgiving Eve Service. But it wasn't our normal Thanksgiving service. Normally, about 3-5 people tell their story of what God has done in their lives and what they are thankful for. This year it was different. This year they called it a cardboard testimony service. Our pastor explained that the cardboard testimony service is like when you see a man or a woman on the side of the street and they are holding up a piece of cardboard and it says something to the effect of "I need help", "I need food", etc… He said that when he saw this kind of sign he always wondered what was on the other side. He wondered if they found help and if they got fed. How did God work in their lives? At our Thanksgiving service we had the chance of finding out what was on the other side of the cardboard, how God did work in their lives. People would come on stage and show us one side of the cardboard. It would read something like "My father abandoned me". Then they would turn in over and it would say "My Heavenly Father is there for me". Or "We lost our house" and on the other side it said "But God never left us". The one that stood out the most to me was "I don't know what my future will be. College, etc…" The other side said, "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord." This one stood out to me because this is the place I am in my life. I don't know what my future is, but I can take assurance in God's Word. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not evil, to give you a future and a hope". We can put our trust in the Lord because we know He knows what he wants for us.
Bible Reading- Jeremiah 29:11
Thanking
One way that we can serve others is by thanking them and not only at Thanksgiving, but all year around. The important thing to remember is that we need to give thanks all the time! When you are a thankful person, you are a more content person. Here are some ways to thank people:
- Verbally saying thank you
- Writing thank you cards
- Sending a E-card
- Saying thank you by acts of service(opening doors, vacuuming, etc…)
- Returning a favor!
5 Uses For…Pumpkins and Gourds
- Eat them!!!
- Make a musical instrument
- Make a bird house
- Use as a candle holder
- Carve them
Thankfulness Project
I keep a journal of things I am thankful for. This is a good way for me to remember things I am thankful for. I started it because I want to remember my blessings. We have so many things to be thankful. I date it, then write someone or something that I am grateful for on that day.
- Find a notebook, journal or something to write in.
- Decorate it and write "I am Thankful For…" on it!
- Then start writing everyday what you are thankful for. I try to do 10 things that I am thankful for, but even 1 thing is good.
- Continue everyday or whenever you can.
- And don't forget to go back, read, and remember what you were and are thankful for.
Fun Facts-Thanksgiving and Turkey
- Thanksgiving is always on the 4th Thursday of November.
- The first Thanksgiving lasted 3 whole days!
- The pilgrims didn't use forks. They ate with their fingers, spoons and knives.
- In the United States, 280 million turkeys are sold for Thanksgiving!
- The 5 most popular ways to serve turkey as a leftover is in a sandwich, stew, soup, casseroles, and as a burger.
- Male turkeys gobble. Hens make clucking sounds. They do not gobble.
- Turkeys have bad night vision.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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