Operation Christmas Child, Duck Dynasty, and a GIVEAWAY!!!

November 13, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

Last week was Operation Christmas Child week here on the blog.

Monday What is Operation Christmas Child?
Tuesday Operation Christmas Child FAQ Answered
Wednesday How-to Pack a OCC Shoes Box
Thursday How-to Pack a OCC Shoes Box
Friday Operation Christmas Child Packing Party!

Today, the beloved Si wants to share his passion for OCC with you::

For the GIVEAWAY, we will be joining oh Amanda's monthly mission.

Here are the options for GIVEAWAY entries:

Show your kids, friends, and/or family at least one of the awesome videos of Si from above, Veggie Tales, or one about Alex- for the older audience. {comments about who you shared which video with for your 1st entry}
Pack a box with your kids. Take pictures and post them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc. Use the hashtag #OCC and #asJulesgoes {come back here and comment with a link to what you shared for a 2nd entry}
Pray with your kids, friends, and/or family for the child that will receive your box. Ask God to lead you to the gifts that will minister to that child. Don't forget to DROP IT OFF. {come back here and share about your drop off location for a 3rd entry}
Host a Packing Party {come back here and share stories you partied for a 4th entry}
Come back here by November 27 and report back with how many boxes you collected. {come back here and share stories of who you may have encouraged to pack boxes with year for a 5th entry}

Everyone that packs a box and leaves a comment sharing about it will be entered to WIN---->

1 copy of Operation Christmas Child: The Story of Simple Gifts by Franklin Graham!!! To learn more about the book, Amanda shares here.

To order ohAmanda's awesome eBook, use the affiliate link by clicking the image below. LOVE THIS BOOK. We went through it last year as part of our Advent and will likely do it again 😀

Filed Under: Cool Ministries, GIVEAWAYS!, Holidays, Operation Christmas Child, Operation Christmas Child Week, Parenting, The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness}, The Ones about Post Series, The ones about the Rothacher Home, Truth in the Tinsel

Happy 2012th Birthday Jesus!

December 25, 2012 by Jules Leave a Comment

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

This is our lil fam at the One Church {Conway} Christmas Eve service.

Papaw "Ms Magdalene, what was ur favorite thing about Christmas?" Mags "That me & Iz got our special winter wish! It SNOWED!" #heartofachild

— Julie Rothacher (@JulesRothacher) December 26, 2012

My girls had been telling me they reeeeeally wanted it to snow on Christmas. {Every Christmas movie talks about a white Christmas...} Since we live in central AR it's rare for it to snow here soooo, Matt and I made it "snow" on Christmas morning. {aka chunking plastic & foam snowflakes all over the house} They thought it was great. But we All know, God's MUCH better at this stuff...

YEP! It snowed Christmas night! White flakes, power outage, and sledding, oh my.

Happy Birthday, Jesus Party complete with chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate milk, balloons, singing, and candles!!!
Oh, and of course we gave gifts to Jesus {via World Vision}.

Then we got to give gifts to one another.

We let the kids "shop for parents" this year. Each kid got to experience choosing a thoughtful {inexpensive gift}, keeping a surprise, and then the joy of watching them open it.

We also ask them for ideas for gifts for one another. That was fun to give the kids a gift from their siblings.
We gave the kids credit for the "Hottest Gift of the Season" ;o)

Look out Allume! My hubby surprised me by sending me in Oct 2013!!! Already have my ticket!

I know I "back-posted" but I was enjoying my cool little family Christmas day {and several after} with no posting. So have a happy New Year's Ever. We'll be watching my hubby Christmas gift: Smallville Season 9 marathon. Anybody wanna join us?

What are your plans New Year's Ever?

Filed Under: Advent 2012, Holidays, The Ones about Post Series, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Compassate Giving this Season

December 19, 2012 by Jules Leave a Comment

Last year around this time, God had begun a crazy work in the life of my family. My husband had always loved Jesus and oozed Him in all aspects of his life. But about a year and a half ago, God caught Matt on fire in a new way I never saw coming.

The hubs and I are neither one big readers {one of our many like interest, hehe}. All of a sudden Matt got this crazy craving for learning. He's a stank'n genius, so very few things challenge or fulfill him intellectually. But that year...he couldn't get enough. Our conversations changed. The simple what happened with the kids today, what youth even is coming up we need to plan, how is a fun new way we can teach our student ____ now became in depth theology, working out our long held to traditions {and we thought we were 'contemporary'}, and wows about how far our American churches have drifted away from the Center. Christ.

One of the many books he read during this time was Radical, by David Platt. Lots of you have probably heard of it; if you haven't I'm sure we can dig up some "orange crack" around our house somewhere to pass on! I have to be honest, I haven't personally read word for word any of these books Matt went through, but having been 'discipled' like a 3rd world nation without Bibles, I think I have the core of all of them.

Radical, coming from a pastor of a mega church who seemed to be scaring crowds away with his relentless telling of the true gospel, we were taken back. What's with this dude? Isn't church about 'gaining numbers'? Shouldn't he be building the kingdom? Heck to the NO. This dude is taking his cues from Jesus! Jesus ask people to eat him and hate ya mamma. That was totally driving crowds away. Those following Him around weren't from his dashing good looks, story telling ability, or His immaculate menus. Nope, they were following Jesus because He provided an everlasting hope. He fulfilled a promise centuries in the making.

Through our radical life styles change as a result of what God began in my husband's life, we chose to do Christmas a little different last year. Our family "Gave Christmas Away". We defiantly baffled our christian families when we digressed from our normal traditions. Now, we never did the giant ripe-n-tare in either of our families so our choice to "give Christmas away" was confusing. Do they think we ever went 'over board' with gifts for one another? Is gift giving wrong? What does this even mean?

Last year we choose not to give our families gifts. Rather, we picked LOTS of ways to 'give our Christmas away." All money we had budgeted for Christmas gifts went to ministries to spread the gospel. The following list are some of those:

Operation Christmas Child Boxes
Angel Tree Children
Families our Church knew where in need
Lots of homemade fun for neighbors
{we prolly enjoy this more than they do, hehe}
Random opportunities that came up
Harvest International
Gospel for Asia
Samaritans Purse
World Vision

The last four of those we gave to in two different purposeful way.

Choose gifts according to something meaningful to each person in our family and then made a homemade gift for that family member that let them know what we gave for them. i.e. My father-in-law loves fishing so we gave fishing nets {through Gospel for Asia} to help families have the means to feeding as well as to have a new job to provide for their family.
We gave "birthday presents to Jesus" at His birthday party. My husband made up pictures of animals and how much they cost. Then each child was given a 'budget' to buy whatever they wanted. FUN!

We had so much fun with working through the process of rethinking gifts! This year, we are giving our children gifts but are definitely still contributing to gospel oozing ministries as well as limiting gift giving among ourselves. Again, I wanna say, we do not think there is anything wrong with giving gifts among family! We just want to make sure we aren't turning the birth of our promised "God with us". We want EVERYTHING in our lives to spread the good news of our loving God.

We let our kids help choose OCC box items as well as gifts for needy children we are helping this year. But this year was the first year we allowed our children {oldest 4.5} to help pick out gifts for us. Matt and I took the kids shopping without each other. Through this process we wanted to begin ingraining in them what it means to be selfless, thoughtful, sacrificing, all the while learning the joy of creativity, surprises, and giving in secret. This will also be done through giving more gifts to Jesus on his birthday.

I'd love to give you and your family just one fun opportunity to compassionately give this year.

A Note About Gifts {from compassion bloggers}

You get it. Christmas isn't about the gifts or the toys. It's about celebrating the birth of the greatest gift, and really, the only gift we will ever need, Jesus coming to earth. To save us from an eternity apart from God.For Jesus, "It's About Giving" was about giving everything.

Brianne, from compassion international, has visited a few of the countries where Compassion works and has talked to the children about Christmas, and what they do. For many of them, it is just another day. Another day to wonder if they will eat. Another day to walk for miles for water. Another day to get up early and go to the market with their mom or dad to try to bring in some money. Giving through the Christmas Gift Catalog provides an opportunity for the churches we partner with in South America, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, and Africa to personally hand these gifts to a child in poverty, to meet their need, and to tell them Jesus loves them.

We have a goal of gifting $20,000 through compassion bloggers could shift the focus for so many children this year. As just one of the ~2000 compassion bloggers, my goal is to raise $100 for the gift catalog through this final post.

Here is the support in raising this gift that I'm asking of my readers:

I would love just 10 of you to give $10
About five to give $20
And if just two to give $50 then we've met our 'as Jules is going" community goal

Any amount will be helpful. Greater or small than the suggestions above. You can leave a comment encouraging others to participate if you like!

Filed Under: Advent 2012, Compassion Blogger, Cool Ministries, Gifts Ideas, Holidays, The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness}, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Giant Christmas Ornaments {up-cycled pumpkins}

December 17, 2012 by Jules Leave a Comment

I'm on the Homemaker's Challenge again today sharing about my "up-cycled pumpkins"

Filed Under: Advent 2012, Decorating, Holidays, Homemaker, Projects, The ones about the Rothacher Home

They Smell like…Manure

December 17, 2012 by Jules Leave a Comment

God sends word to them while they were disconnected from the rest of the town. No one thinks much of them. They are often looked down upon because they are thought to be uneducated. Their jobs are less than desirable. No one can really relate to them. No one wants to hang out with them. There was very little socialization in their field of work. Quite frankly, a lot of them are rarely clean, appear raggedy and smell like...manure. Their job is frequently persevered as "the worst job ever".

That's right, Stay At Home Moms.

As SAHM we some times feel disconnected from the rest of community. Even when trying to be purposeful about ministering to those around us, we just are incapable because of our job requirements. Rest in this season of life. Know that you are serving your community in a great way by being dedicated to raising godly children even when you are overtaken with the thoughts of being a lesser career women. Daycare workers are not expected to run field trips weekly. Parents would be ashamed if the child care provider was constantly overlooking the needs of their children; naps, meal times, education, reliable routine, nurturing. It is our job to protect our children. Discern their needs from our wants. Care for them with excellence just like we would expect someone else to do.

You may feel like the world looks down on because you are thought to be uneducated. Are you? No. I don't care if you have a masters degree in bladiblabla or if you have the street smarts of a veteran mom. You are educated in your line of work. Do you feel uneducated? Get out there learn. How can you do your job better? Better yet, how does God want you to do your job better? Read a blog, buy a new book, take a class, ask an older women how to ______. You are never too young to start being a great mother, and never too old to learn new ways to be a better mother. God created us in His image and we are no where near meeting that standard; that's half the fun, learning how!

Some may see your jobs are less than desirable. Who cares. The mundane, and exhausting aspects of this job are all worth it when you get to see your child's first steps, words, pretending, and even the first glimpses of learning to follow Christ. What may seem mundane to others is just the consistency our children need to learn love. Guiding our littles hearts to Jesus is our number one job. THAT is a big deal!

Sadly, I know all to well what its like to have few people {women} whom I really can relate. We're in the trenches. I encourage you to join {or create} a group of mom's can get together once a week or once a month, with or without kids, where you can spill your guts. The good he bad the ugly of your job. Other jobs have break-rooms so be creative, where would be a comfortable break-room for you and your fellow moms? Playground where kids can play? Someones home? A backyard? A restaurant? You need to know there are other women going through the same stuff. You'd be surprised at how many in your area would love something like this. You don't all have to be in the exact same stage of life or even parent the same {you're NEVER going to find someone who thinks exactly like you}. Online groups are alright but don't underestimate the need for face to face relationships- doing life together is is part of how we're made!

Let's be honest, some days we are un-showered hot messes and may even smell like...our child's poo. Our job can be persevered as "the worst job ever". God made this job. He approves. What more do we need. Lets bring up a generation who sees us love our job; take pride in our job; accomplish our job to the best of our ability.

God can and will breath life into your right were you are. In the fields guarding, watching, guiding your sheep, day and night. He has big things to tell you. He wants to use you in a powerful way as part of His grand plan.

Christ is our example. We are to love like He loved. He told us in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Let's live that out as MOMS! Be willing to give up your reputation, stature, pride- give up your LIFE to be a good shepherd for your children.