As we approach Thanksgiving, we need to be thankful for the many blessings in our life. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, we have to take a moment to realize that there are still good things happening in our lives and we must show gratitude for those things.
In times of sickness and disease that many people have endured, it may be difficult to think about your own good health. In times of great economic uncertainty, it may be difficult to think about your own good fortunes. The more we focus on the perilous things that are happening in the world today, the harder it will be to see how God has blessed our lives. If we cannot see what God has done for us, we need to reflect on His goodness that is found in His Word.
Reading and studying God’s word develops a closer relationship with Him. The more you read and reflect on the stories, the more real the Word becomes in your life. For some people, it may be difficult to relate to a story that had happened thousands of years ago. Without a visual aid or without the context of a real place, they cannot connect the Bible to their everyday life today. Filled with more than 1,200 images, maps, and illustrations, and 275 full-length commentary articles, the new CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible provides those people with an opportunity to draw closer to God in a real way.
As a way to keep connected during the pandemic, our church has offered its members a variety of small groups. I am a part of two groups – the Inductive Bible study group and The Beatitudes study group. I can definitely see this Bible as a tool for finding insight and more knowledge of God’s word and sharing it with my group members. The pages come to life with the many different illustrations and the ‘Digging Deeper’ sections. It is amazing when I take my time to go through a chapter in-depth what I learn.
Have you ever wondered where on Earth was the Garden of Eden and what Adam and Eve’s life was like? Within the new CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible, you will find a brief article excerpt on Eden with a photograph of the Tigris River in eastern Turkey. You can visit the Garden of Eden and other places in the Bible without ever leaving your home. You can see images of religious artifacts, recreations of buildings, and photographs of the area as it looks today. This video provides an overview of the many features of this wonderful Bible.
This Bible would be a great Christmas gift for a family member or friend. The Bible retails for $49.99 and can be purchased HERE in a variety of colors. Giving a Bible as a Christmas gift shows that you care and are concerned about their spiritual well-being.
Giveaway Details
In collaboration with LEV3L DIgital and Lifeway Christian Resources, we are offering our readers an opportunity to win a copy of the CSB Holy Land Illustrated Bible. One person will win receive their own copy of the Bible. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below, telling us how you plan to use the Bible in your family or who you would give this Bible to as a Christmas gift. One person will be selected at random to win the Bible. For an additional entry in the giveaway, share this post on Facebook or Twitter and include the hashtag <#JTwisdomBibleGiveaway>.
The giveaway runs until Monday, November 30th at 11:59 pm (CST).
The winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 1st.
Are you tired of wearing the same tops or shoes? Wait! Don’t toss them out just yet. There are plenty of DIY ways to spice up your wardrobe to wear them out a little longer before the Spring cleaning.
Credit: Pixabay
Express your creative side through your fashion. Design what makes you happy through these five easy ways:
Fabric Patterns Have a boring or plain piece of clothing? Add a layer of fabric to bring it back to life. Decide what you’ll place fabric over and what pattern expresses you best. Will you change the display of the pockets, dress one sleeve, or redo the entire piece? Are you going to feed cotton pieces, laced pieces, or a mix of many? The options are endless!
You can place your favourite lace design over one side of solid shaded shorts, change the cuffs on your favourite jacket, and more. Go with the season or go with your ultimate favourite pattern. Take your time in bettering your clothes. This is the perfect way to use your free time and have it pay off whenever you travel out.
Rhinestones Remember those childhood times when everything was better bedazzled? Go back to those shiny times with wholesale rhinestones. Choose your favourite colours to put onto your clothing. It’s similar to laying over fabric except for this time it’s shiny looking buttons.
Rhinestones seem like boring stickers, but they are not, They come in many shapes, sizes, and shades. These little stones are amazing to express your diva side. Step up your shoe game with a whole new presentation. Put some on your back, flowy hat, and whatever your fashionable needs desire!
Knots & Rips Sometimes, destroying your clothes is a part of fashion. Ever hear of distressed jeans? Distressed jeans appear ripped, exposing the white string that helps keep the jeans together. You can do this to your clothes to give it that rebel look. Express your savage, yet fashionable self on the streets with ripped clothing.
Here’s another simple, less damaging way to express yourself in your clothing. A simple not at the front or side of your shirt goes a long way. Shoes some skin through the innocent way of tying a loose shirt or button up like you’d tie know with your shoelaces. Combine the knot and distressed look if you dare!
Hair & Makeup Here’s one more thing you can do for your wardrobe. Change up your hair. Dye your hair or give yourself a new hair cut. Or, do an updo. Wearing your hair down after a shower is a typical style that can get boring. Do something different! Braid your hair, create a messy bun, do some curls. Try something different with your hair that you only do for special occasions.
Makeup is something that always changes an appearance. Be daring with red lips or long fake lashes. Get creative with eyeshadow colours. Whatever you do, you will look pretty.
And remember, this is all optional, Do what you want, and what best expresses yourself.
Did you know that money worries are the most common cause of stress among adults in the United States? If you’re concerned about your financial situation, or you’re eager to try and get out of debt and back into the black, here are some tips to help you take control of your finances.
Analyze your accounts
It’s very easy to lose track of where you are in an age of tapping to pay, one-click ordering and direct debits. If it’s been a while since you checked your balance, or you tend to chuck credit card statements on a pile of papers on your desk, now is the time to analyze your accounts and get an accurate idea of your financial situation. Write down the figures and if you’re in debt, make sure you know how much you owe and who you need to pay. Once you know what the situation looks like, you can take the next step. It can be scary to take the plunge and delve deeper into your accounts, but it’s always best to try and tackle debts head-on, rather than burying your head in the sand.
Dealing with debts and understanding your rights
The vast majority of adults are in debt. The trouble is that some debts are much more dangerous than others. If you have a mortgage, or you’ve taken out a loan and you’re up to date with repayments, there’s no need to panic about being in debt. If you’re borrowing more money, you’re using credit cards, or you’ve taken out a series of high-interest loans, there is a risk of debt spiraling out of control. Understand your rights and know who to trust. You may have come across Debt to Success System scam imitators while looking for advice about dealing with debts, for example. Be aware that there are scams out there, and make sure you choose reputable, dependable, trustworthy organizations and genuine debt management and discharge programs. Seeking expert advice will enable you to explore the different options that are on the table, and it can also provide peace of mind. There is always a way out of debt and there is no shame in asking for help.
Budgeting and spending limits
Many of us spend money without really giving it too much thought. We can click the order button on an app, tap to pay in stores and transfer money from one account to another in an instant. If you tend to spend money on things you don’t need or want, start drawing up a budget and setting your spending limits. Figure out how much disposable income you have once you’ve covered essential costs, set a budget for other outgoings and try and put any cash you have left over aside. If you have a savings pot, you can treat yourself on a rainy day or use your fund to ease stress if you need a cash injection due to losing work or receiving bills out of the blue for car or house repairs, healthcare or veterinary treatment.
For many of us, money worries contribute to sleepless nights. If you’re keen to take control of your finances and ease pressure, hopefully, this guide will prove useful.
Teenage is a difficult stage when hormones change, there is a lot of indulgence in social media, and peer pressure is rampant. Whether your teen is enrolled in a public or private school, they could be struggling. Especially now, with many schools going virtual because of the continual struggle with COVID. If a teen is not proud of their school performance, they may not be forthcoming about it. Below are some of the top warning signs to look out for when your teen is struggling in school.
Photo by fauxels from Pexels
They evade conversations about school It is common for teenagers to give blunt answers when you ask about school. However, when they become defensive, aggressive, or continuously change the topic about the school, this a warning sign that they are struggling. Also, if your child used to talk about school all the time and suddenly stops, there could be a problem.
Poor grades despite studying If your child scores poorly in an exam, most parents will automatically assume that they did not study enough. Be active in their studying habits, monitor, and offer help whenever they need it. This will help you determine if their low grades result from poor studying behaviors or if they have a learning disorder.
Teens with learning disorders display a lack of interest in schoolwork or become easily frustrated and irritated. Some of the learning disorders are dysgraphia and dyslexia. If you notice that your teenager has a problem with their hearing and it is affecting their grades, consider gettinghearing aids.
You receive concerns from their teachers When teachers express their concerns about your teenager, don’t ignore them. This is a sign that your teen is struggling with school. Teachers spend a big part of the day with your teenager than you do. Therefore, take some time off to speak with the teachers to determine the problem and what you can do to solve it. Indiscipline could mean that there is a deeper-rooted problem.
A sudden change of activities and friends Peer influence is common during adolescence. However, when your teenager starts walking with a different set of friends, it could be an escape from their struggles in school. As a parent, you know the activities that have always interested your teen since childhood. When they no longer want to engage in those activities, and it is accompanied by poor grades, there is a problem that requires sorting out.
Eating and sleeping problems Poor eating and sleeping habits are often a result of anxiety. Low scores in school can cause your teenager to miss meal-time with the family or keep them awake due to anxiety. Also, they could be struggling because of a lack of sleep and poor nutrition. If you notice that your teen is staying up late to play video games or chat with friends or is skipping meals, it could be the reason why they are struggling.
Bottom Line Teenagers go through various changes that can cause them to struggle with school. Take note of warning signs toknow why your child is performing poorly. If you receive concerns from their teachers or notice a change of friends and activities, this could be warning signs. Also, look out for learning disorders, sleeping and eating problems, and evasion of topics concerning school from your teenager.
I wanted to let you know that were will be some changes coming to Bubbling With Elegance and Grace. After eleven years of blogging, YouTubing, and sharing on social media, my hubby and I are reevaluating our brand and looking at ways of fine-tuning what we do.
Last month, we attended the World Summit 2020 meeting with Tony Robbins, Dean Graziosi, and others. More than 8,500 people from around the world met up on Zoom to learn how to make a shift in their strategies during a pandemic and how to market yourself in the online digital world. For three days, for about 10 hours per day, each speaker shared their own experiences with their business and their brand, how they took steps to grow it and how they had to make necessary adjustments when challenges arose. Whether you are someone who was just beginning or someone who was deep in the process, this conference was ideal for anyone who wanted to create their own brand or who wanted to get into the knowledge brokering service.
After three days of nonstop action, my hubby and I had to take some time to assess what we do and how we do it. It meant that we had a lot of homework to do, regarding the planning and execution of what we do. We are taking baby steps to improve the quality of our blog, our YouTube channel, and our other social media platforms. We are narrowing the topics that we talk about and we are altering our delivery methods to improve our reach with our audience. One of the many things that we learned from Tony and Dean is that we do not have to have it all figured out before making the changes. It is those imperfect steps, working towards a bigger goal, that will show us what is working and what is not. It is okay to be wrong and make mistakes. It is those mistakes that improve our focus and where true growth comes from.
Some of the immediate changes we have made is setting a goal of one new video on YouTube every Wednesday morning at 10am. Before we would post a video as time permitted within our schedule. But after talking it through, we decided that in order to maintain a community we had to have new content on a consistent basis. We picked Wednesday morning because that time works best within our schedule. The video below is our most recent video that was uploaded this week.
Within our social media platforms, we will be sharing five main topics. We are still looking at what those five topics will be and determining how we share those topics. This is a sample post from our Instagram page
Learn More About JT Bubbling with Elegance and Grace is a place for life long learners. The Bubbling With Elegance And Grace team was created 14 years ago. A passion for fashion sparked a lifestyle blog for our Elegant Community to enjoy. We are thankful and in gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who have been with us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
Credit: Pixabay
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