Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
(Proverbs 31:8-9 ESV)

For years I wanted to approach this subject, but every year I ‘chickened out’. You know why? Because I don’t want to come of as harsh or as Miss-Know-It-All on this subject. Believe me, a lot of prayers went into this project.

My series is not political motivated; nor do I write out of patriotism (I am just as passionate about German made merchandise). Why is “Made in America” so important to a German gal living in America? Two words: Child Hunger.

You see, for me “Made in America” and eradicating child hunger go hand in hand. If people living in America do not have work, how can they supply food for their families/children? If you read the statistics (unfortunately only 2010 numbers are available that this time), it is very disheartening to see 20% of children are hungry in this rich country. And that is not counting children that live in insecure food-environments. I am thankful for local and national food banks that assist families, but I don’t think that will solve the issue at hand.

At the end of 2004, our then 19-year-old son pointed us to a documentary. I believe that the company highlighted in this documentary is highly responsible for the vanishing manufacturing jobs in the United States. I haven’t set food in their stores since I watched the documentary.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that many have to shop there, because of the budget they have for the basic necessities like food. I am blessed that I live in a large city that has different options to shop for groceries (like our Arizona based grocery chain – Bashas and AJ’s). Actually Target started to have bigger grocery sections in our area. Like I said, I have more options in a big city than people living in rural areas.

But I digress. The biggest issue is that America imports more than it exports. The most current foreign trade data is from November of 2011. The gap between exports and imports is scary to me. Trade is good, but it needs to be more balanced.

So, what can I (personally) do to turn things around in America? Maybe it is just a drop of water in a large bucket?!? But if we all look at what we buy (one product at a time), we maybe can do this together and help Americans put food on their family’s table. I want to support American families and not necessarily American companies (not the same in all cases which I will show you).

Over the next several months, I will link to products that are made in America. Not only will I link to the products, but will also purchase them (some are already in my possession ). And you, my dear readers, will be able to ‘cash-in’ as well on some of the products that are made in America (sorry, can’t give away a Viking kitchen appliance).

Thank you so much for reading my blog today and hopefully you will join me on a journey to buy more American made products to lower the child hunger in this country.

She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
(Proverbs 31:20 ESV)

Love & peace,
Iris

Current Mood: Okay

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(Luke 2:10-11 ESV)

I watched the video yesterday; I wanted to share it with my readers. Yes, it is 10 minutes long, but it is so worth it. I started to tear-up a couple of times as Pastor Greg Laurie explained the reason why the color red for Christmas. He digs into Scripture to explain it; some of the connections I knew, others not:

Thank you for stopping by today; remember: don’t forget the real reason of the season.

Love and peace,
Iris

Current Mood: Blessed †

Not only does Christianbook.com support my reader, but almost all readers (Kindle™ devices are not supported). Currently you can find over 9,000 ebooks that range from Bibles, fiction, Christian living and so much more. Can you tell that I am excited …
To top off my excitement, Terri Blackstock’s novel “Intervention” can be currently downloaded for free (yes FREE). If you like suspense novel’s Terri’s books are for you. Years ago, I enjoyed Terri’s series “Cape Refuge” in book-format.

Will I completely go to e-books? I don’t think so. I still like to read real books. Not sure why, but there is something special about turning the page of a book; sort of exiting .

What are you up to this Sunday afternoon? I am getting mentally ready for a newborn session. Butterflies have already assembled in my tummy. Even though I have had several portrait session, every session is unique and I still get nervous. I pray that I will capture some images that my client will enjoy for years to come.

Thanks for stopping in today. Remember: enjoy today and don’t think about what tomorrow may bring.

Current Mood: Happy

“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” ~ Hebrews 13:1-3 (ESV)

All who have read my blog for a while know that I have a special place in my heart for persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in China. I am not sure why that is, but I believe that God has put them on my heart. I think that this all started when I was pointed by one of my friends to the book “Safely Home” by Randy Alcorn. And again, I was reminded about the hardship of our Christian brothers and sisters when I read Kathi Macias’ book “Red Ink“.

Sure, both books are novels but nonetheless the persecution of Christians in China is real. Randy Alcorn and Kathi Macias based their books on real life events in China. At any rate, tonight I came across a post on the Voice of the Martyrs‘ website about a pastor and his wife’s incarceration.

VOM made it possible (for free) to send an encouraging postcard to Yang Caizhen who currently is serving a 2 year sentence in a ‘re-education’ facility in China. Please join me sending these postcards to Yang to encourage her to stand firm. All you have to do is check out the post and sign up. Or if you do not want to send the postcard, pray for Yang and the rest of the house church members.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: we are blessed to freely worship our Lord Jesus Christ.

Current Mood: Blessed †

Tomorrow, May 11th, “The Light Meets the Dark” will be released. I can’t wait to get my CD I pre-ordered a month ago. The song “Healing Begins” has been playing on our local radio station for two months. The words totally get to me. Too bad they are playing tonight at the North-end of Phoenix – too far to drive for me …

If you have never heard of ‘Tenth Avenue North’, I really would encourage you to check out their blog. They have amazing messages – always tying into Scripture. Check out this video message called “Strong Enough to Save”:

Thanks for stopping by today…so, now check out Tenth Avenue North’s blog …

Current Mood: Esctatic & Forgiven †

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 (ESV)

Lent is my favorite season. Although I think often about Christ’s sacrifice, during Lent I really like to ponder on the Cross.

Giving something up during the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday is something I do each year. This year I had to really think about what to give up…So, starting today, I will not visit Facebook for the next 40 days. I hope that God will give me the discipline to hold up the 40 days. 40 days doesn’t seem long, but goodness – it is 6 weeks voluntarily staying away from my world-wide friends (and my sweet niece in Germany I just connected with).

One of my local friends said: “You shouldn’t – you try to build your photography business”…But you know what? To me that means that I have to daily combat this urge — laying down my life to honor Him and His sacrifice.

So, this week I am thankful for Lent; its meaning for my personal walk of faith. May God give me the discipline I need during the next 40 days. Lori had shared a ministry site with me last week (pst – if you like books you might want to subscribe to Lori’s review blog). Check out Sovereign Grace’s February sale. I picked up three books; Living the Cross Centered Life will be my read through Lent .

I am also thankful that Alanna contacted me to share a very cool Lent project for kids. Check out her Lenten Grass Project which is based on an old Finish tradition.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving your link below. Hopefully we all can make a few visits to each other this week (okay – I hope I can – you all have been so good visiting each other)…

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: We have an amazing God; He sent His son to rescue us from ourselves.

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Current Mood: Blessed † & Thankful

Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
~ Exodus 15:6 (ESV – emphasis mine)

I woke up with this song (from the album “In the Hands of God”) by Newsboys in my head…so I thought I track it down for you to share:

Current Mood: Blessed †

By the way, you can get this song as a MP3 download for free on Amazon.com or you can purchase the entire Christmas album at a low price…

Peace to you and yours this Christmas…

Current Mood: Blessed †

Oh, and I worked on my photography skills. I shot a few photos – 12,178 to be exact. Since I had so many photos (some good, some not so good, some really bad), I thought that I create an inspirational calendar for 2010.

You can get your own copy if you are interested . The cost is $20 (including shipping within the US). I am offering this calendar not for personal financial gain. Any proceeds from this calendar will go to “Samaritan’s Purse“. Not only will you get a handcrafted inspirational calendar, but also help others.

Here are some sample pages of the calendar…The first page is the cover:

The next page is from the month of March (which is actually my personal favorite):

Here is the last page of the calendar (did you know that the first Advent candle stands for “HOPE”? Thus the Scripture passage from Romans):

BTW, there will be no logo on the real calendar. Also, the calendar has some Christian holiday I added, for example “National Day of Prayer”. The verses are taking from the ESV (English Standard Version). The materials I used are from Mystique Designs, Lily Designs, MAG Designs, Newlife Dreams, and Michelle Pieters.

So, if you are interested in the calendar, all you have to do is leave a comment (make sure you leave a valid email address so I can contact you) or use my contact form (again with valid email address).

Thanks for stopping by today…

Current Mood: Blessed † & Happy

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
~ Psalm 30:4 (ESV emphasis mine)

There are so many things to be thankful for, don’t you agree? In the US the ‘official’ Thanksgiving Day is celebrated today. But why should we wait for an entire year to give thanks? That is why we ‘meet’ once a week to share our thanks…I hope you will still join us this week for the ‘Thanksgiving Edition’ …

Today I want to share with you the things that just popped in my head this morning…the things we might take for granted on a day-to-day basis. So here it goes:

• I am thankful for God’s provision – not only salvation, but provision on a day-to-day basis — the ‘Daily Bread’. I so enjoy spending time with Him in the morning; it gives me the right perspective to start my day..
• I am thankful for my beloved. He still is my greatest cheerleader; even when I have a very bad photo session. He still encourages me and shows me ways how can ‘rescue’ photos…
• I am so thankful that our son is doing so well. It really was hard for me to really let go, but I know that he is in God’s hands now…
• I am thankful for the Internet. Not only can I connect with believers around the world, but I can share my faith with anyone who wants to read what I am writing about my Lord. I am also grateful because I can order stuff from my home-country Germany. I was so giddy this morning that I had to share with my friend in Florida. You know what I ordered? A German Bible and a study companion for the new year!!!!! Yes, I do I have a German Bible, but I wanted a more contemporary version (my German is a getting little rusty when it comes to reading )…
• I am thankful for my radio station. I love singing praises every morning going to work (and coming home)…
• I am thankful for our home. My dream-home? Hm, I would love to live closer to the beach (closest is in California). BUT I do have a roof over my head…
• I am thankful for my job. My dream-job? Hardly!!! But it helps to contribute to our household income to pay our bills etc. Maybe one day God will allow my dream to become my job (with God all things are possible)…
• Last but not least I am thankful for a four-day-weekend!!! Wahoo!!!!!

Oh.my – I could go on for ever, but I want you not to be bugged down with just my post. Go out and ‘meet’ other thankful Bloggers …So, what are you thankful for this week? Please share with us by leaving your link below…

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: It does not have to be declared a national (US) holiday to be thankful . Have a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!

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Current Mood: Thankful & Blessed †