Sometimes, I will read something, and all of the sudden, I will have product images dancing in my head. That is partially how the "Dad's Legacy" Personalized Leather Book got started. As I said, the following story is only part of the inspiration for the Dad's Legacy Personalized leather book. Actually, the inspiration for this personalized leather book was two-fold.

Because a Dad's Legacy is so great...I want to take a few minutes to introduce you to the Dad's Legacy Personalized leather book and the inspiration behind it.

Dad's Legacy personalized leather book - Inspiration 1 (the idea behind the personalized leather book): My own father. After creating the "Mother's Legacy" Personalized leather book, I got thinking about my own parents, and my children.

My son lost his father when he was just a baby, which just reminds how very blessed I am to have my dad with me now, and how much I've benefited from his constant guidance through the years. My dad has taught me so much - not just in thought and word, but, also through his actions.

Not only is my dad the one who is responsible for my love of tooling leather (and therefore at least partially responsible for the creation of Legacy Journals), but, there is so much more to my dad's legacy. So much that I wanted to be sure to preserve for my children, and their children, and their children's children. I realize that my dad isn't going to live forever, and I want to be sure that his legacy endures for generations to come.

Saint Peregrine is the patron saint for those suffer from cancer. With my mom's current battle with breast cancer, a dear sister in Christ sent this to me, and I was compelled to post it for all of you who may be suffering from cancer, or enduring a loved one's cancer. May the God of peace & hope surround you and yours.

O God, in Saint Peregrine you gave us an outstanding example of faith and patience. We humbly ask you that, by imitating him and by the help of his prayers, we may believe more fully in your healing help, bear the suffering of this life without wavering, and come with joy to the peace of heaven. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Dei gratia,

Dee

"For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him."

~ Psalm 55:12 (NKJV)

Have you experienced the sort of betrayed feelings that David is expressing? Have you had a friend who, in your eyes (whether it's right or wrong), "betrayed" you, or wronged you in some way? Maybe it was someone, as David continues, who "took sweet counsel" with you. In your journal, write about that experience. Have you forgiven your friend? Search deep, sometimes we hold resentments deep within, and while we may think we have forgiven that person, we haven't completely forgiven them.

Christian Journaling Prompt Bonus: Now, let's look at this from a different angle. Consider your feelings that you wrote about in your journal, when you experienced a wrong from a friend. With that in mind, think about how the Lord feels when we stray from His side, and ignore His "rules" - rules set forth to protect and guide us. In your journal, think of a time when you knew (either during or after) that you were doing something the Lord wouldn't approve of. How much more do you think that feeling of utter sadness & disappointment that you experienced, was God's sadness and disappointment? Finally...consider this - when you asked for forgiveness of your transgression, He immediately, and without question forgave you. In your journal, consider that - and write about how that can guide you in forgiving others - even friends - who may have wronged you in the past or in the future.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders - providing you with handcrafted, personalized leather journals to record your daily Christian journaling in, and is copyright (c) 2005, Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

My scripture meditation this morning was on joy. I was more than happy to spend some time with the Lord, pondering the joy He gives us, He has given me. I sang His praise, making sure to emphasize all the joy He has given me in the last week.

You see, things have been beyond awesome personally & in business lately. The Spirit is guiding me in every action, every day - I'm accomplishing so much more every day because of His leading, particularly with this new no-time management program that He has led me to. I'm running twice a day. My mom has been feeling a little better each day, as she prepared for her next chemo treatment this morning, and I've adjusted really well to the extra responsibilities involved with helping her and assuming a bigger caretaker role in the family. The kids haven't been perfect, but, I am so joyful that the Lord has so generously blessed me with them. My youngest daughter is coming up on her 3rd birthday - 3 years of defying all odds - 3 years of proving that miracles happen right in front of us. My new website is coming along really well - with a great big "Amen" yesterday when I saw one of the proposed designs. Everything has been really awesome. I think I would have to really search to find *anything* to complain about!

And, that is when it is easiest to rejoice in the Lord and appreciate the joy He provides. Not that I don't rejoice when things are difficult - there is always a reason to rejoice - sometimes, we have to find a reason - particularly when things are dark around us - but, there is always a reason.

Then, it happened....

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gld, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

~ 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV)

You know, most people spend a certain amount of time on their outward appearance every day. Fixing your hair, accessorizing, choosing appropriate clothes, shaving, putting on makeup, etc. I haven't read a worldwide "average" of the time spent preparing oneself outwardly for the day, but, I would imagine it would be more than a half hour - even for the most bare bones person.

The question then becomes, how much time do we spend "adorning" our inside? "Adorning" our hearts and spirits? Do we spend at least as much time every day with inner/hidden adornment as we do with our outward appearance?

In your journal, consider how much time you spend on outward adornment, as opposed to inward adornment. Be brutally honest with yourself. Think about every time you stop in front of a mirror and "fix" your look - that counts towards your outward adornment time. Think about the short prayers and ejaculations you utter throughout the day - that counts towards inward adornment. How do the two compare in the amount of time spent on each?

Christian journaling prompt bonus: When you did the previous exercise, did you find that your inward adornment time is far outweighed by your outward adornment time? Or, were they closely matched? Was your inward adornment time far greater than your outward adornment time? With that information in mind, do you feel that the demeanor of your spirit is accurately reflected by your time expenditure? If you see your time expenditure is way out of balance - with much more outward adornment time than inward, what can you do to improve the demeanor of your spirit, and make more time for your inward adornment through reading scripture, prayer, and filling your mind, body, and soul with the goodness of the Lord?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders - providing you with handcrafted leather journals to record your Christian journey, and is copyright (c) 2005 Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

"Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand."

~ Philippians 4:5 (NKJV)

In your journal, write about how your gentleness can be known to all men. What does this mean to you? Do you believe that your gentleness is known, or is it sporadic or lacking?

Christian journaling prompt bonus: Gentleness at all times isn't an easy task. There may be people in our path who compel us to thoughts of anything but gentleness. Yet, our command is to let our gentleness be known. What strategy can you use in your daily life to remember the importance of true gentleness in all situations? Write them in your journal.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders - providing you with handcrafted leather journals to record your Christian journey, and is copyright (c) 2005 Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

"The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever."

~ Isaiah 32:17 (NKJV)

In your journal, examine the work of righteousness in your life. Are you feeling peace? Do you feel the effects of quietness and assurance?

Christian journaling prompt bonus: Although we can not be perfectly righteous (none of us are perfect), we may feel the work of righteousness in our lives at various times - hopefully, more often than not. If you are not experiencing the work of righteousness or the effects of righteousness in your life right now, have you experienced it before? Write about that time in your journal. What was different then? Was there something present then that is missing in your life today (other than peace, quietness & assurance)? What can you change in your life today to move toward the peace, quietness and assurance that righteousness provides?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders - providing you with handcrafted leather journals to record your Christian journey, and is copyright (c) 2005 Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

~ Galatians 5:22-23

In your journal, take some time to explore this question: Are you experiencing the full fruit of the Spirit in your daily life? Is there some fruit that is lacking in your life? Are you struggling with other pieces of this good fruit - sometimes experiencing it, and other times feeling like it is just beyond your reach?

Christian journaling prompt bonus: Which fruits of the Spirit do you think you have an abundance of? Would your friends & family agree with your assessment? What would they say you have an abundance of?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders - providing you with handcrafted leather journals to record your Christian journey, and is copyright (c) 2005 Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

O eternal God, who from all eternity dost behold and love thy own glories and perfections infinite, and hast created me to do the work of God after the manner of men, and to serve thee in this generation and according to my capacities, give me thy grace, that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time, so as I may best prevent or resist all temptation, and be profitable to the Christian commonwealth, and, by discharging all my duty, may glorify thy name.

Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and an active spirit, and wisdom to choose my employment; that I may do works proportionable to my person and to the dignity of a Christian, and may fill up all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity; that, when the devil assaults me, he may not find me idle; and my dearest Lord, at his sudden coming, may find me busy in lawful, necessary, and pious actions, improving my talent entrusted to me by thee, my Lord; that I may enter into the joy of my Lord, to partake of his eternal felicities, even for thy mercy’s sake, and for my dearest Saviour’s sake.

Amen.

This prayer is brought to you by FaithMinders, providing you traditional prayer tools for all denominations, and is excerpted from "Holy Living" by Jeremy Taylor - a work in the public domain.

"To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:"

~Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

If you are feeling rushed, take stock of all the activities you are doing in your journal. Do your priorities align with your activities? Are you trying to do too much? Are you living a life of balance?

Today's scripture reminds us of the importance of balancing our lives, keeping our schedules in check. To everything there is a season - there is a time for everything we are meant to do. We shouldn't feel rushed or overly busy, but, we must make sure that our schedules reflect our priorities. We must keep our lives in balance.

Daily Christian Journaling Prompt Bonus: If you don't feel rushed or overly busy, give some examples of how you make the decision of what to do and when to do it. Imagine that you've been asked by a loved one to guide him or her in un-muddying their own schedule. What would you tell them? How would you explain your method of managing your time?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian Journaling Prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders, Inspirational Christian gifts for all seasons, and is copyright (c) 2005, Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

"Why is light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter of soul,
Who long for death, but it does not come,
And search for it more than hidden treasures;"

~Job 3:20-21 (NKJV)

As I was reading this scripture, my Tammy Trent CD rotated into place and began playing, filling my room with her song "My Irreplaceable", and awesome, wonderous song about our Lord. This reminded me of her story - a heartwrenching story of the loss of a true love & companion - snatched away at a very young age. I don't believe in coincidence...there is a message behind all this.

When Job was suffering, he wondered, aloud, why the Lord would keep him alive - why not grant him his wish of death? Why make him continue to suffer in the darkness that overtook his life at the time.

There are times when most of us feel this way. Sometimes, the valleys of our journey feel never ending, and we wonder why we must continue to go on. We wonder if God has forgotten us, or is somehow "repaying" us for our previous sins.

However, we must take heart in the fact that our Lord will never forget or forsake us - and, when we sin and ask for forgiveness, He forgives us - completely forgetting the sin.

In your journal, think about a dark time in your life - one where you could completely empathize with Job's wish to die. What was the situation? Did you cling to the Lord during this time? What did you learn or "gain" from this time? How is the Lord using this in your life, in a positive way, now?

Christian journaling prompt bonus: If you are experiencing one of those deep dark valley times in your life now, write about it in your journal. Release all of your fears, frustrations, and sorrow into the pages of your journal. Search for the positive, even in this dark time, and write out a praise for the Lord - even if you don't feel like you have anything to praise. Remember, He has hedged you in, just like He hedged Job in - but, it isn't to keep you trapped in desolation and suffering - it is to protect you and help you heal.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders which also brings you personalized handcrafted leather journals where you can record your daily journaling prompts & your Christian journal, and is copyright (c) 2005, Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

"So he answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind' and 'your neighbor as yourself'."

~Luke 10:27 (NKJV)

Love is a funny thing - not funny "ha-ha" - but, rather, funny - strange-funny. Because, in order to love, you must know how to love, but, in order to know how to love, you must experience love.

God, in His ultimate, almighty wisdom, understands that this is how He created us. And, showers us with His love, so that we may know love, experience love, and give love abundantly in return, as well as sharing it with others.

However, somewhere in all of this, we forget that we must love ourselves in order to effectively, truly love our neighbors. All this, amidst society's messages to us that we are never enough - never beautiful enough, never thin enough, never perfect enough. So, how do we honor God, and His creation that is us, if we can not believe that we are as He has meant us to be, and therefore love ourselves?

In your journal, take some time to think about your "faults". What is it about yourself that you just can't bring yourself to love? What is it that, when you look in the mirror, jumps out at you as imperfect and unlovable? How can you learn to love yourself - despite your faults and imperfections - including them as loveable parts of yourself?

Christian Journaling Prompt Bonus: Many times, our blessings in life - are disguised among the thorns. The same can be true with the most loveable things within ourselves - they can be disguised *as* thorns - as flaws and imperfections. Using your earlier entry as a guide, list your flaws and imperfections - and how they are or can be used for God's purpose in your life. Consider the blessings that are "hidden" within your perceived flaws.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders, bringing you inspirational Christian gifts for all occassions that help you and those you love remember who you are, and is copyright (c) 2005, Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To Preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed;

~Luke 4:18 (NKJV)

The Spirit moves and provides us with our "to do" list, if we allow Him. He directs our path, and leads us towards completing God's will for us. The problem sometimes becomes that, in the busyness of our lives, we linger and procrastinate, and put off doing the "to do" of today.

In your journal, write out your to-do list that the Spirit has given you. Are you faithfully acting on His promptings, or do you feel like you are either not hearing Him or procrastinating in your action?

Christian Journaling Prompt Bonus: If you don't feel like the Spirit has given you a to-do list, take some time in your journal to pray and ask for the Spirit's guidance, guiding your hand to write out His to-do's for you.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders: Handcrafted Leather Journals custom designed for you, and is copyright (c) 2005, Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

Over the past week or so, the Spirit has been working overtime on me. One scripture after another has presented itself - full of fresh insight. I received an open letter from a trusted advisor containing the same message, and one of the books I'm reading happened to have the same message waiting for me tonight.

I don't believe in coincidence, and while my weary body can make my mind a little thick at times, I definitely knew that the Spirit was at work through all these small things.

The message I've been receiving is one of the importance of time. More specifically, how important it is to make sure that my time is spent on those things that matter most in my life - not spending too much time on other things that are not as high priority. Balance is key here, and that is one thing that I've been struggling with - particularly recently - but, honestly, it's a struggle I've had off and on for many years.

I have a tendency to be a workaholic. Now, with the nature of my business (in that it is where the Lord has called me to be to bring glory to the Kingdom), I can all-too-easily fall into the trap of saying that I'm working so much as a servant, and it's not my choice, but, my directive. However, that is not necessarily the truth of the situation. Not that I am intentionally misrepresenting why I work the hours I work, but, I was unknowingly falling for a lie from the great deceiver.

"I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts."

~Psalm 119:45 (NIV)

Do you ever feel chained and heavily burdened by the crazy busyness and demands of daily life? Have you ever felt an intense longing to have more time for worship, for family, for friends? Do you long to walk about in freedom? If you do now or have in the past, take some time to write about that in your journal today.

Christian Journaling Prompt Bonus: One of the major factors in walking in freedom is seeking and following the Lord's precepts - which means that our priorities truly need to be in order.

How do your priorities mesh with your schedule? Would someone looking in from the outside see your schedule and immediately be able to discern where your priorities are accurately? Or would they look confused or bewildered? Would they look at your schedule and guess a completely different set of priorities?

In your journal, ponder these questions, and if the answer is that someone looking in from the outside wouldn't be able to immediately see where your priorities lay, write your priorities as you see them (without looking at your schedule), and then, reflecting on your schedule, outline how you can make sure that those things that are priorities to you are reflected in how you spend your time.

Happy Journaling!

Dei gratia,

Dee

This Christian journaling prompt is brought to you by FaithMinders, which carries a wide selection of custom made, personalized handcrafted leather journals designed specifically for you, and is copyright (c) 2005, Dee Kreidel & Saving Grace Enterprises, except where otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Duplication without permission is not permitted.

Recent family events have compelled me to think about my summer last year. I went through a high dose cytoxan treatment for my lupus - a form of chemotherapy. During the treatments, I was pretty much isolated. The point of the therapy was (very simplisticly) to completely destroy my immune system, in hopes that when it regenerated itself (from the baby stem cells), it wouldn't be in the overdrive state that lupus throws it into.

It was a hard summer for me - a social person. It's one thing to choose to be a hermit (and, even though I'm social, I have that tendency at times) and to be forced into "hermicy".

During that time, however, I knew that the Spirit was working on me. I experienced alot of growth spiritually, growing closer to Christ, experiencing a deeper relationship with God. And, I was thankful for that time. It was a true "wilderness time" for me, and even though it wasn't "fun", I was thankful that the Lord had given me that time away from the rest of the world to grow in my relationship with Him.

I knew the whole situation was for good - I knew there was a blessing there. Yet, I didn't understand the extent of the blessing until recently. And, quite honestly, I still may not understand the full extent of it - but, there was definitely more blessings there than what I was aware of then.

Hey! This week's Christian Carnival is up over at The Bible Archive with a surprising twenty-something posts.

Rey did an awesome job this week with a fabulous Star Wars theme, but, he does wonder if some of the submissions disappeared into the ether.

If you submitted and it didn't show up at the carnival, email Rey at the Bible Archive.

And, of course, I strongly recommend stopping by and checking it out whether you submitted something this week or not. It's very cool. : )

Dei gratia,

Dee