Adorenaments

Oh. My. Word.  People.

I've never really wanted this blog to become focused on reviews and giveaways and such, because it's really more of a place to come and hang out, read stories, and hopefully be encouraged. But every now and then, I fall in love with something so much that I have to spend a day telling you about it, because I can't get over how wonderful it is. And today is just such a day.

Have you heard of Family Life? It's Dennis and Barbara Rainey's ministry, and over the years they have done some tremendous things to help strengthen families and marriages - and you know how we love that here in Shafferland!

But I did not know until very recently that Barbara has crafted a line of home decor that is brilliant. Brilliant because it's beautiful and brilliant because it enables you to decorate your home with things that declare your faith. And while Ryan and I are definitely in a season of paring down our stuff, I'm all about filling my home with things that have a purpose beyond just being pretty.

Among the many items in Barbara's collection, you'll find some Christmas ornaments. Now. Let's stop for a moment and remember how insanely over-the-top I tend to be when it comes to Christmas ornaments. Remember how there's usually a themed tree in every room of the house? Yeah. Over the top.

But - true story - I've been convicted in the last couple of years that while we have "the story of us" tree {with ornaments we've collected in our travels}, the "s'more" tree with all my s'more ornaments, the Colts tree with Ryan's Colts ornaments, blue and gold tree with our wedding color ornaments...you get the idea...we've never had a tree that is a Jesus-themed tree.

Uhhhhh that's not good. If we can make room for Colts and s'mores, we definitely need to have a tree for Jesus. I looked at ideas for making a Jesse tree {look it up on Pinterest if you're not familiar}, and I found an idea for hand-making ornaments with the names of Jesus, and I did love that idea. And then I found out about Adorenaments. These are the ornaments I wanted, and I didn't know they existed. I'm not kidding.

Let me give you some quick facts about these ornaments:

* The first set is called His Christmas Names and includes seven bronze metallic ornaments, each containing one Name of Jesus we usually hear around Christmastime. It comes with a booklet Barbara wrote talking about each Name and what it means.

* The second set is called His Royal Names and includes seven Names of Jesus associated with His royalty, and etched into a unique silver crown. It also comes with a booklet Barbara wrote talking about each Name and its significance.

* The third set is called His Savior Names and includes seven unique historic crosses, each bearing the a Name of Jesus associated with His role as our Savior. It comes with a booklet Barbara wrote talking not only about the Names, but also the significance of each cross.

* The newest set is called His Name Among the Nations, and it includes five metal ornaments with the Name of Jesus printed in five languages: Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic and Mandarin.

I was excited about these ornaments just by reading about them, and I had grand visions already forming in my head about a tree for next year that was a Jesus tree. And then I received the Savior Names set in the mail and was 100% blown away by the beauty of these ornaments. They were much bigger {I do love me an ornament with some presence} than I expected and the quality is outstanding. {FYI, the ornaments are almost as big as my hand. They're big. Wonderfully big.} These are not cheap little things that are going to fall apart or break the minute the cat visits the tree. {Not that we've ever experienced such a mishap here in our humble abode.}

These are quality. I tell you that because you know if you clicked on the links that they have a bit of cost to them. But I come to you as the biggest cheapskate on the planet to tell you I would {and will} spend the money out of pocket to buy the other sets because these are stunning. They are timeless and classy {and classic!} and no matter how many thousands of color schemes I go through in my lifetime, these ornaments will always fit in.

They're not trendy or whimsical. They're...well, timeless is the best word for them.

The booklet that came with the set was wonderful. It wasn't academic and lofty. It was very conversational and easy to understand, so if you have kids at home that you want to teach in a new way about the Names and qualities of Jesus, these ornaments with this book would be a great way to go about that.

And here's the other great thing: these ornaments are not confined to Christmas. You could present them in frames or on stands and use them throughout the year in small groups or Sunday School classes...at Easter or anytime, really. I mean there's not a time of year when studying the Name of Jesus is out of style. And if you are in charge of any kind of decorations for your church, PICK THESE. Lovely.

In case you can't tell, I am really excited to know about these ornaments and to stock up on the other sets so next year we can have a whole tree dedicated to the Reason we even celebrate Christmas: Jesus.

BONUS exciting news. I have a set to give away!! Family Life sent me a set for myself {thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you}, and they sent a bonus set for me to give away. It's the same set I have - His Savior Names, and it's all boxed up so lovely, with the book included. I know Christmas is in ONE WEEK, so you're probably set for this year, but it will make a fine start for next year, or for Easter or for every day!

If you want to enter the drawing for the set of Adorenaments, just leave a comment about your favorite Christmas ANYTHING - and I'll put your name in the hat! I'll draw tomorrow night {12/19/15} - so make sure you comment before then! {Just because of postage costs, the drawing is open for US residents only - I'm so sorry!!}