Rejoice!

This simple cross with a shell halo behind it has the sand washing up on it's four corners and a Starfish embracing the center of the cross.

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The shells of the halo remind us of the blessings that God has bestowed on us through our faith. The sand washing up on the cross reminds us of the innumerable blessings we receive when we accept Christ's gift at the cross.

Purpose: Faith, Celebration, Easter

Scripture: Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar.... - Psalm 96:11 (scripture printed on side panel of package)

Size: 4.25"

Poetry: (Printed on back panel of package)

REJOICE

Rejoice for the bountiful blessings in your life,

Rejoice to the Lord for his thoughts of you outnumber the grains of sand on endless beaches,

Rejoice for the gift of our loving Savior.

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Blessings,

Janice & Jay

Blizzard of Praise

This year's snowflake Gift ornament design is titled "Praise" and the Adornment design is titled "With Praise".

Our prayer is that every moment of every day in every circumstance we all would be able to praise our Creator, our Redeemer, our Holy, and loving God.

Blessings,

Janice & Jay

Somewhere its Snowing

One snowflake.

Then another, and another.

Falling down.  Blowing around.  And then piling up.

A snowstorm shut down the runways in Denver last weekend for a couple of hours.  This "delay" was  just the right amount of time to reflect more fully on the previous weekend's Thanksgiving blessings.

Blessings of time spent with family and meeting with strangers who became new friends over a shared dinner that Thanksgiving eve.  And blessings of stories about how others were serving and making a difference:

One at a prison.

Another at a clinic.

And another ministering to students

unable to travel home for the holiday

Their gifts of time and attention.  Their commitment to vocations of purpose.......it all started piling up.  Piling up into a blizzard of service.  A snowstorm of daily life falling down and blown around.

And piling up.

And during this Holiday Season, this season of blessings remembered,  this season of thankfulness offered to our loving God, our prayer is that you too are "delayed" at some point this season for a moment to reflect on His purpose in your life.....one at a time.....piling up....into the person you've been called to be to all you're blessed to touch during His season.

Blessings,

Jay & Janice

From Above

From our studio we see that Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson are now snow-capped and glow pink in the fading sunlight at the end of the day.

And in the morning as we begin our day at work, we see our kilns glowing pink at the end of their night's firing cycle, and together if they could cry out, the white snow capped mountains, and our white bisque porcelain ornaments would quote James 1:17 "Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights..."!

Snow transforms the landscape, crowns the horizon's peaks, and reflects the light in an array of beauty and colors often indescribable.

Our "From Above" Snowflake Angel series reminds us that our brief time together with friends and family during the holiday season vanishes as quickly as a snowflake melts in our hands. And while we have the memory of these special holidays, our hope is that this year's 2008 Snowflake Angel ornament will reflect the memories of those nearest your heart in an array of beauty that is indescribable.....and that you too would exclaim "every good and every perfect gift is from above".

Blessings,

Jay & Janice

Mesmerized

Ever more intricate. Ever more complex. Ever more involved. Ever more to see....

Yes, the beauty of a snowflake can be mesmerizing.....

How much more His word? His hand? His love?

We hope you enjoy our 5th annual Snowflake Ornament with the title, "Thankful" for our Gift size, and "With Thanks" for our Adornment size in a slightly different configuration, but same style.

May you have a moment to be mesmerized and captured by His beauty this season.

Blessings,

Jay & Janice

In Circles

Are you running in circles? Going fast; but making only limited progress toward your goals?

Last weekend was the running of the annual "Turkey Trot" fund-raising 5K run. Maybe you had an event like this in your town too.

The lead group of about 15 runners missed the sign marking the race route because they were concentrating on each other, on their competitor's pace and position, and where they were ranked among the leaders.

As a group they "zigged" when they should have "zagged". After more than a mile detour loop, they met back up with the stragglers walking and limping toward the finish line. And as a group they wondered "what happened"?

How easy it is to be distracted! Distracted by the competition and heat of the race, only to lose your way with unhappy results. The detour in this year's "Turkey Trot" reminds us to daily ask these questions:

What Signs to Watch? Who do we Serve? Why do we Serve?

Stay alert to the Signs your business generates to avoid costly detours. What product lines are performing NOW? What lines can deliver NOW to meet your customer's needs? Today, what have you and your associates learned new about your customers that you can act on NOW?

Stay focused on Who We Serve. The signs your business generates gives you important indicators of PAST performance; and while useful for steering your business in the future, there's no better method of avoiding detours than by listening hard to your customers.

Serve them. Listen to them. Delight them with surprises. Look to the future WITH them. Special order for them. Ask them what they'd like to see.

Stay focused on Why We Serve. Do you remember why you got into this business in the first place? To express yourself? To create a safe place to enjoy with friends and new-found friends? To minister to your community with meaningful products for meaningful times in their lives? You make a difference in your community! Be encouraged by remembering your purpose and work hard to make more of your day "purposeful".

The "Turkey Trot" lesson rang clear for me this weekend: While watching the competition is important....don't let it be consuming. Don't let it detour you! Watch the signs, listen to your customers, and remember why you're in this business..... Act with purpose!

We selected this last snowflake pictured above, our best selling Fall/Winter item - "By Design", as a reinforcement to this month's "Inspire" message. The scripture reference associated with this item is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope".

Amen.

Back to Normal

Whether your store was in the swath of the recent hurricanes or not, your business has likely been affected in many unforseen ways.

Influx of new residents; Outflux of local resources to relief efforts; And little flex in your ability to meet your sales projections, or increase sales volume, with these events pushing "normal" activities off the agenda for most of your customers.

Our hope is that you've had ab-"normal" opportunities to engage these fluxes with active ministry of hands helping hands, and hearts touching hearts: with neighborly outpourings of support and with an extra dose of Christian hospitality and witness, where able.

With the change in season; temperatures dropping; leaves turning color; and school activities kicking into high gear we encourage you to proactively seek opportunities to continue your support. For many of us, the best way to do this is by getting back to "normal"...by meeting needs in the market-place...by helping those you serve achieve their hopes and dreams with the goods and services you provide.

Now....let's help one another move on toward "normal"-cy.....