Pray for Matt Chandler

On Thanksgiving, Pastor Matt Chandler had a seizure, and has since had surgery, and today found out that the tumor in his brain was malignant. He is a Man of God, a husband, and father. We need to fervently pray for him. Click here to see the website to see updates.

In a world of mediocre and even evil pastors, Matt is a light. He preaches the Word of God, and lives what he believes. To lose such a light would be devastating, not to mention he is a young husband and father. We must pray, pray, and pray.

Below is a clip of one of his sermons to show you his heart for God. You will not regret watching it.

Adoption Awareness Month

As we all know, October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now, don't get me wrong, I was greatly affected by breast cancer myself. My grandmother fought it 3 times before it finally took her life in 2002 at the young age of 56.

BUT, October is over. November is Adoption Awareness Month. One of my goals/dreams in life is that Adoption Awareness Month will be as "celebrated" as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Today I will write about the need for adoption... taken from the Hands for Hope ministry of Grace Community Church, (we are visiting this church in January, and I will be meeting with this ministry for information of one day staring my own adoption ministry one day).

THE FACTS

What is the need?

* Over 130 million children have lost one or both parents.(1)

* Every 18 seconds another child becomes an orphan, without a mother or father.(2)

* At least 16.2 million children worldwide have lost both parents.(3)
* Every 14 seconds a child loses a parent due to AIDS.(4)
* Conflict has orphaned or separated 1 million children from their families in the 1990s.(5)

Where are they?

* 43.4 million orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa, 87.6 million orphans live in Asia, and 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean.(6)


* 1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe alone.(7)

* At any given point there are over 500,000 children in the U.S. Foster Care system.(8)


* In some countries, children are abandoned at alarming rates, due to poverty, restrictive population control policies, disabilities or perceived disabilities, and cultural traditions that value boys more than girls.(9)

What about AIDS?

* More than 14 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa.(10)
* By 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS globally is expected to exceed 25 million.(11)

* AIDS is more likely than other cause of death to result in children losing both parents.(12
)
* As the infection spreads, the number of children who have lost parents to AIDS is beginning to grow in other regions as well, including Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.(13)

What happens to the children?

* Children are profoundly affected as their parents fall sick and die, setting them on a long trail of painful experiences often characterized by: economic hardship, lack of love, attention and affection, withdrawal from school, psychological distress, loss of inheritance, increased physical and sexual abuse and risk of HIV infection, malnutrition and illness, stigma, discrimination, exploitation, trafficking, and isolation.(14
)
* Orphaned children are much more likely than non-orphans to be working in commercial agriculture, as street vendors, in domestic service and in the sex trade.(15)
* Unaccompanied boys are at high risk of forced or 'voluntary' participation in violence and armed conflict.(16)
* Orphanages, children's villages, or other group residential facilities generally fail to meet young people's emotional and psychological needs.(17)

What about foster care?

* On average, children stay in foster care for 30 months, or 2.5 years.(18
)

* 118,000 children were waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2004.(19)


* On average, those children waiting for adoption have been in foster care for 43.8 months, almost 4 years.(20)


* Each year, an estimated 20,000 young people “age out” of the U.S. foster care system. Many are only 18 years old and still need support and services. Of those who aged out of foster care:(21)


Outcome(22)


Earned a high school diploma: 54%


Obtained a Bachelor's degree or higher: 2%


Were unemployed: 51%


Had no health insurance: 30%


Had been homeless: 25%


Were receiving public assistance: 30%

Is there any hope?

* Yes. There is a Father who infinitely loves each orphan and calls His people to join Him in caring for the fatherless. 


* If only 7% of the 2 billion professing Christians in the world would care for a single orphan, looking after the child in their distress, there would effectively be no more orphans. We can each do something.

Click here to see the sources of the statistics.

Center

What is the center of your life? Your family, health, job- what is it?

Do you know what should be the center of your life? JESUS CHRIST.

When we put anything else before Him, that is called idolatry. Idolatry breaks the first and second commandments.

This song is a great way to call out to God and to ask Him to be the Center of your life, and it is a great way to commit yourself to Him being your center.

L♥L

My pastor used this as an illustration yesterday, and it was hysterical, yet convicting.



We need to be prepared to complete our mission from Christ!

Hiatus Status

Sorry for my blog hiatus. We have been praying through BIG decisions in our lives, and we finally have decided.


My family blog will now be called The California Keierlebers instead of The Keierleber Family. We are moving from Texas to California so my husband can attend the Master's Seminary. We are so excited to see where God is leading us!

Oh, and I promise to update this blog soon!

Leave Those JoBros Alone!

Ok, so I am not a Jonas Brothers fan or anything, but I do respect these boys. They wear purity rings... how cool? :)

Kevin, (Jonas on right), is getting married. They want a calm family event for his bachelor party. A yahoo blogger cannot stand the fact that there may be pure people in the world.

"An epic night of debauchery -- he'll regret it later if he doesn't do it now. " Seriously- regret? Living for Christ is nothing to regret... having a crazy bachelor party WOULD be something to regret.

Get full ridiculous story here.

Romans 12:2- And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Worth it?

Since you have accepted Christ, what has been your worst form of persecution? Friends making fun of you, slander of you by all walks of life including people you love all the way to complete strangers, or distance between you and your family and friends. Yes, those are legitimate persecutions we face as Christians, but have you ever feared for your life? If you are an American, probably not. If you are a Muslim, (yes even in America), then yes you probably have- if you are not already dead.
We need to be fervently praying for this beautiful girl, Rifqa Barry. She is 17 years old, and she converted to Christianity from Islam 4 years ago. Her family recently found out, and have threatened to kill her. She ran away and is in court right now to determine if she should be sent home to her parents. Of course her family is denying it and are coloring her as a normal hormonal teenager. "Honor Killings," yes even in America, occur... the media covers it up, or just ignores it all together. Also, there was a Facebook group of 123 people who said that if she comes home to Ohio, then they will kill her. FB of course took off the group, but that is just proof that Honor killings still exist.

Visit here and here to learn more.

PRAY PRAY PRAY!!! Not just for her, but for all of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ that are facing death for simply accepting Christ.

Did you know that I am a published author?

I received my final proof of my book! I just have to ok it and send it back and I will hear from Marketing! YEA!!! :) I will let you know as soon as it hits stores. This book is perfect for any Christian, and anyone who is/has adopted.

Forgive the glare from the flash... Here is a sneak peak at my BOOK!!!

our FAV page! :) Do you see Jersey joining in the prayer? :)

DIY Christ Centered Decor

I read this quote and KNEW I HAD TO HAVE IT! I decided to put it with a pretty picture and make a poster. I looked through my pictures and found this one to go with the quote. I am hoping to print it out in three sections like this, (or something like it).

Who is George Washington Carver anyway? He is a new hero of mine and my husband! He was such a hero of faith! You have to look him up- and never fear- I will post about him on here soon! :)

I am a firm believer in using photographs in home decor! Look through your photos to see if you have some decor worthy photographs too! :)

Christ Centered Fall Decor

I saw these pumpkins at the Christian store last year, and I HAD TO HAVE THEM!!! Well, I actually had to wait to get them, but either way- I have them! :) I LOVE them!!! They are my only fall decor. I love them because they can stay out from Sept to Nov. They are not too Thanksgivingish, nor are they too Halloweenie, (we don't celebrate Halloween). AND the scriptures- PERFECT!!!
Oh, and be sure to notice the painting above the fireplace- that is there year round... it was another, "HAVE TO HAVE" item.




Don't you just LOVE them???

The pumpkins and the painting were purchased from Family Christian Stores.

YEA! :)

My Friend, Traci, awarded me with this award today. Thanks girl! That is what my purpose of this blog is! In her words:"who inspire others to Love GOD, Love FAMILY, and Love OTHERS. I think it is good to honor those who glorify God."

I promise I will continue to make this blog award worthy. ;) If you want to see another blog that is award worthy, check out Traci's blog! I actually have borrowed her posts and put them on here before since they are so good! :) Also, while there, you will find the other winners to add to your blog list! :)

Never Forget

I hope we never forget 9/11/01. Watch this video as a reminder of how you felt that day, and in honor of those who lost their lives and those who mourn them.


Watch this video in its entirety and be sure to grab the kleenex! There is a man talking, and it is worth a full listen!




So if you would have died in the tower, the pentagon or the field in Pennsylvania, would you have gone to Heaven? Jesus is the only way to Heaven. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus is that Savior. Accept Him as your Savior, and repent of your sins, and you can have Everlasting Life. Want more information? Please comment and leave your email address, and I would be happy to share it with you! ♥

That's my girl!

Katherine Heigl and her husband are adopting a little girl from Korea!!!

YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many precious children that need a family- have you considered adoption? :)

We are adopting- be sure to check out our family blog to stay in touch with our process. :)

Watch This, Be Blessed.

Ad♥pti♥n Bug

If you are adopting, like me, or if you know someone who is- check out Adoption Bug! Great gift ideas since the Christmas season is getting close! This site is on my "I want" list for sure! :)

Why Be Conservative Chic?

My friend Traci posted this a few days ago, and you MUST check it out: Does what you wear encourage men to stumble?

Check out all of my Conservative Chic posts to find great clothes that WON'T encourage men to stumble, and in doing so will glorify the Lord!

{OH SO} Conservative Chic

My original Conservative Chic post had dresses that were cute, but nothing to scream about. The next one got better, and these are even better! I wish I had money just laying around to buy it all! :)

Funky Frum

Shabby Apple

Diviine ModesTee

Modest Threadz

Please continue praying for the sweet baby's Mama in the below post!

Urgent Prayer Request

My friend's sister needs urgent prayer right now, read below: Mary is in the hospital and will not come home until the baby is delivered. She is 30 weeks now. Her water broke, her fluid level is not good but not at an extremely dangerous level. So, if she can keep from getting dilated or loosing any more fluid, she will stay put until he is born. Some people have stayed in this situation for a month but her doctor said that normally when your water brakes the likely hood is that the baby will be born within a week. For now, she has to wait day by day to see what will happen. She is very uncomfortable and is having back labor pains.

They are giving her steroids to develop the babies lungs and each shot increases his chances of being better off. She gets the second dose today at 5:00. She is very upset about not being able to care for Andrew (I year old) at this time. You could be praying for Mary – remain in stable, healthy condition as well as her emotional/spiritual state now and in the future. New baby Luke – remain in his mother’s womb and to be strong and healthy at delivery. Andrew to be cared for and not too distressed over his mommy being gone or unable to hold him. My mom, Paula that she will be physically, mentally , and spiritually strong to care for Andrew. The whole family – all grandparents and siblings to be supportive of Mary and Joe at this time.

Look at that sweet face- how can you not pray for him and his family? ♥

Christ Centered Decor, Revisited

A few posts ago I wrote about Christ centered decorating. Here are a few more ideas:

Do you remember the bird room? Well, I made some adjustments. Check it out here. Here is a scripture piece I made which is the theme of the whole room. I had to abridge it a bit for space... here is what the Bible fully says: "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" Matthew 6:26
I also have a cow room which has this as its theme: "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul;" Psalm 23:2,3... also abridged for space. :)

What are some of your Christ centered decor ideas? :)

Consevative (really) Chic

I found a GREAT website with REALLY Chic, yet conservative, items. I would have posted pictures, but they won't let me. Be sure to THIS LINK! I will so be buying from them! Really cute stuff!

Thou SHALL Steal?

I stole this from a friend of mine, and it is a MUST SHARE!!!

A Daddy Alarm,
By Julie Banton
Pierson Station, Illinois,, USA

At our house we have a "Dad Alarm.” This is a recurring alarm that I set on my cell phone. It goes off one hour before my husband arrives home from work. It reminds my children to clean up any messes around the house and tidy themselves up. It reminds the older children and me to start supper. It also reminds me to make sure my clothes are fresh, to fix my make up and my hair and say a prayer for my big sweet hubby.

To be honest, we are not as consistent with this as I would like to be. Sometimes the alarm goes off and I ignore it, thinking to myself "too busy." But when we are consistent, the results are not only a blessing to my husband, but a blessing to our whole household. My husband is never "too busy" to go to work to provide for his family and this family should never be to busy to provide a warm, clean, "Welcome Home" for him.


Here is a picture of my sweet hubby! I am so blessed to be his wife, and I will for sure be implementing the Daddy Alarm at our home! :) You should too!!! :)

Christ Centered Decorating

Sorry for my blogging hiatus! I went to summer camp with the youth group, (we work with the middle schoolers at our church). It was a blessing as always! :)

My FAVORITE passage in the Bible is Matthew 6:25-34. I have it in my house at least 4 times, in different ways of course. :) Here is number 5! :) I am hoping to adopt two little girls, (prayers appreciated). If I do get them, the eldest's room will be Birdies and Flowers, so the theme of her room is Matthew 6:25-34! She will have a worry free room! ;)



I used left over art board, and paints I already had. This was absolutely free!

Help keep Christ center in your life by keeping Him the center of your decorating! :)

Conservative Chic Swimwear

I found a great site for conservative swimwear! Click on the logo to check them out!

Conservative Chic

Conservative Chic was originally going to be the name of my magazine which is now this blog. However, I wanted something that was more godly than just conservative.

So, when I talk about clothing on this blog, I will refer to it as Conservative Chic. Conservative Chic, as in conservative, yet chic!

Check out Jen Clothing to see some cute conservative dresses! :) Now these may not be the most amazing fashion pieces you have ever seen, but if you have looked for conservative dresses, these are much nicer than anything else I have seen on the market!


Ok, nix the gloves, get better shoes and you have to admit this is a cute number.
I like this one, even though I think even this top would be too low cut on me. (The larger your chest, the lower the neck line goes)
I would love to try this one on to see how it would fit. Super conservative, but maybe super cute too!

(Jen's Clothing is for LDS- Jen also is an LDS magazine, much like what I am doing with this blog (which is Christian). Interesting, huh? I completely disagree with their theology and beliefs, but I agree with their modesty)! :)

Hearing the Call

So, do you know something that grinds my gears?

Okay, it is socially acceptable to tell everyone, "Don't purchase your puppy, you should adopt!" Why don't we do the same about people?

God has given me a great burden for orphans, and I know that this is one of the main reasons God put me on this earth. Recently, we have felt called to adopt from Africa. I have a friend who has adopted from Ethiopia, and we are planning to go the same route. Please pray as we pray and prepare for this process. It may be quite awhile before me begin it, but prayers would be greatly appreciated! :)

Here is something to chew over: growing up I used to wonder why anyone would adopt overseas when we have so many orphans here in America.* Here is what I realized:
Orphans here have
1. Running Water
2. Roofs over their heads
3. Access to education
4. Shoes
5. Opportunities to hear about Jesus
6. IT'S AMERICA- besides not having a family, they have access to pretty much everything!

Now, don't get me wrong, American children still deserve to be adopted- ALL ORPHANS SHOULD BE ADOPTED! I am just showing you why my above train of thought (*) was incorrect.

I hope you open your heart to hear the call from the Lord in regards to adoption.


There are over 200,000,000 orphans in the world, and if only 7% OF THE CHURCH would adopt there would be no need for orphanages. Think about it!

Below, some precious Ethiopian angels. My heart aches.

Design on a Dime

I have been a bad blogger lately! SORRY! I have been very busy!

My post today is about decorating, and decorating money consciously. We are huge Dave Ramsey fans, (post on him to come later), and we believe we should be good stewards of our money. After all, it is God's really. So, spending loads of money on home decor is out of the question for me. That is why I loved the below I ideas! I hope you do too! :)

The first two ideas I got from an episode of Rachel Ray when she had a special guest from Design on a Dime.

First, the Cornice box:
All we used was foam board, and fabric...
Ready for fabric...
Coming together...
TADA!
Close up to see it better, (a little dark in above pic). (Oh, and no it is not crooked, just my shot was) lol


I loved that project, and I will do it again! :) Below is the next idea I got from Design on a Dime.
Ever noticed how unsightly books can be in a room? Well, if you never thought about it before, think about it now. Now, notice how much nicer they looked all wrapped up in room coordinating colors!
I loved how this turned out, and it was an inexpensive way to add decor to my room!


For this last project, I got the idea from HEB. They sell these arrangements, but they are pretty pricey, so I made it myself, and it was a big hit!


Do you have any money saving, DIY decorating ideas? I would LOVE to hear about them! :)

Under God

I bought this book at the Christian bookstore years ago, and have had yet to read it. I am KICKING myself about that one! This book is wonderful!!! The night before the 4th, I decided to give it a go, and it is just fantastic! It is about Christianity in American history- the chapters are about 3 pages long, so really short, and they are really easy to read. Go out and buy it now!!! :)
My little boy celebrating the 4th! :)
"Wag if you ♥ USA!"

I hope y'all had a great 4th!

Psalm 101:3 Laughs

In this post, I mentioned about godly entertainment choices.

We have Sirius satellite radio, and there we were introduced to Christian Comedian, Bob Smiley. He is so funny and his sets are God honoring! What more could you want? :) Be sure to check out his website and listen to some of his stuff. We are huge fans, and we think you should be too! :)
How big of fans are we? We were making plans for our two year anniversary and had nothing down on paper yet... one month away, so I took over the planning. ;) I was looking at Bob's website and saw that he would be at the Woodland's the weekend we were planning to celebrate. Now we had plans! We planned the whole weekend around his show. We were so glad we did! We had a wonderful weekend, a wonderful night at his show, and we got to meet him!!! :) (Please excuse this less than stellar picture of me. I don't like it- but it is the only one we got with Bob, so there ya go)! :)

Sermon Jams

Here is a link for a GREAT resource!!! You HAVE to check it out!!! You will not be disappointed!!!

Psalm 101:3

Psalm 101:3 says: "I will set before my eyes no vile thing."

We Christians do not follow this I am afraid. After becoming a Christian I knew certain movies were unacceptable to God, so I got them out of my life. Easy. Then I heard God again prompting me, but I (once again), didn't like what I was hearing. If you study the word, "ungodly," you will find that it is not a synonym for wicked; no, it is an antonym for godly... meaning simply, void of God. So in other words, a rated R movie with sex and cussing is wicked, while a Disney movie is only ungodly. Starting to make sense? Every time I would hear a sermon on ungodliness or read it in God's Word, I would see Disney, but I would shake it off. There is nothing evil about Disney, and I didn't own any rated R movies, so what is the big deal God?

The big deal? When I sat in front a t.v. show or movie for like 2 hours... well, that was 2 hours I could have spent with God. God created us to glorify Him, to love Him, to fellowship with Him. How is watching Beauty and the Beast fellowshipping with God? It is not. I may have a little free time now, but when kids come it will dwindle to nothing, I am aware. How should I spend my free time... with Cinderella? Or with God? Um, yeah, GOD!!!

God called us to give up all our secular movies, and only keep the movies that are godly. This way, if we watch a movie in our free time, we are still spending time with God!

I challenge you today to go through your movies, music, books, and tv shows and pray for the Holy Spirit to convict you! Let me know if you do get convicted so we can pray for your strength to turn away, and also so we can praise God together for the work He is doing in you! :)

Click on this link to read my original movie post in its entirety, or click on the picture below to see the whole series. :)

10 years

So Jon and Kate "made" it to 10 years, but are calling the quits. We need to be sad for them. We need to realize that we are desensitized to divorce, and we need not be. It breaks God's heart, and it should break ours too!

While we are saddened for Jon and Kate, we can rejoice with another couple that has made it to the 10 year mark. My friends Kempton and Caryn Turner just celebrated their 10 year anniversary and are still going strong! They have not had the easiest hand dealt, (their son Christian was born extremely premature and now is a special needs child who glorifies God with his life is amazing ways), but God has molded them and used them for His glory. They are a great example of godly people and a godly marriage. Be sure to visit their blog to accompany them on their journey through life, and to get great godly examples!

As we see with Jon and Kate, anyone can be married 10 years. BUT to be happy and married in a way that is pleasing to God is something worth celebrating and worth striving to emulate!




Thank you Kempton and Caryn for being such great godly examples of children of God, spouses and parents. Y'all are a blessing to me and I am proud that y'all are my siblings in Christ! Congratulations on 10 years of marriage! We love y'all! ♥ PK, TK, and JK ;)

On The Rocks

As most of you probably know, whether or not you are a viewer, Jon and Kate have a big announcement tonight. I am praying it is that they are quitting the show to heal their relationship, but I fear it will be about divorce. :(


We need to pray, pray, pray for this family!!! Even if they announce divorce, or even if they get divorced, they can still mend their relationship.

Despite the obvious fact of them having 8 kids-two sets of multiples- do you know what killed their marriage? Do you want to know how to avoid their fate?

They put their kids before their marriage. Period.

You see we must put God first, Spouse second and children third. If these get out of order, trouble will occur!!!

In Mark 10:8, Jesus says, "AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh."

Where in the Bible does it say that we become one with our kids? NO WHERE! We are one with our spouses! They MUST come before our children!

Seems too easy right? Well, it is really. If we live our lives the way God intended, then life will be easier, (notice I said easier, not easy. Jesus promised life would be hard- BUT if we keep our priorities in order, satan will have a harder time bringing you down in those areas). :)

I fear we have become desensitized to divorce in this culture. It breaks God's heart, and it should break ours too. I am heart broken for Jon and Kate, and I hope you join me in praying for them.


*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*

Don't forget to enter yourself in the giveaway!

First Giveaway!

****Giveaway is closed!*****


Hey friends!!! Time for my first giveaway! In honor of Father's Day today, I have two books to giveaway! One book is for dad's and one is for men in general. Just leave me a comment saying hello and which book you would like and whom you would like give it to! Good Luck! :)

For that special guy!

Okay, so I am very late for a post about graduation, and considering Father's Day is tomorrow... well, I am late. It is not my fault- I started this blog, what, 3 days ago? :)

So here are just a few ideas for that special guy in your life:
Husband, Father, Boyfriend, Brother, Uncle, etc, etc, etc!


Okay, yes we do not offically have a child yet, but I still like to acknowledge my hubs on Father's Day. He is going to be the greatest father, so I am honoring him in advance. Along with a few sermon cds that I knew he would love, I got him this wallet. He needed a new one, and I knew this was a must buy! I bought it at Lifeway Christian Store, and I found it online here. On that website, you will find many differt styles and verses too! :) This was my favorite. :)

For Christmas I bought this watch for the hubs, and he gets compliments on it, (literally), daily! You can find it here.