I'm a Brand Rep

What are you wearing? As I write this I sit in my pj's relaxing after a refreshing but hard run with my husband. It's nothing special, but the clothes do have logos on them and if you look close enough you can tell what store my tank is from and what store my shorts are from.

We often time, though we shouldn't, look to what people are wearing and what brands they are representing. After all, for companies, this is some of their best and *free* advertising.

Now some people concern themselves highly with the brands they wear, some for status, some for the sake of a cause, and some because they don't want to promote a company that acts contrary to their beliefs. I'm not here to argue that. In the end, it's not what is on our bodies, but in our hearts, so I will leave what you wear up to you and the Holy Spirit.

But what does matter most? There is a brand that all Christians wear, and often times we act in ways that are inconsistent with that brand's standards. We are wearing God's brand, hopefully on our sleeves, all over our face, on our hands, and on our heart.

Ephesians 1:13-14 says that we are marked with the Holy Spirit, God's brand on our hearts:
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. NIV

When I worked at a certain retail store, there was a position called a brand rep whose main purpose was to show off the clothing-the brand. They had no real tasks like folding clothes or stocking the shelves like the rest of us average workers, just rep the brand.

Now while we have many tasks, our main job is to be a brand rep of the Holy Spirit, of God and to be Jesus to the world. So what does this look like?

When we wear God on our sleeves, we are open about sharing our faith and the gospel, sharing what God has given us

When we wear God on our faces, we greet all people regardless of race, religion, or creed with courtesy and respect, just as Jesus did

When we wear God on our hands, we are ready to serve and do so with a cheerful heart, because Jesus came to serve, not to be served

When we wear God on our hearts, we show others the love Christ has given us first


I don't know any clothing brands that treat their brand reps like that. So what do people see when they look at you, do they see logos and styles and your taste, or do they see that you are clothed in the Holy Spirit?

I'm linked up at:

Deals Overview 7/24-7/31

Deals I'm planning on getting this week:

Time to use up all those coupons that are expiring 7.31.11!

CVS:
Going to try to get the Gillette & Skintimate deal on Sunday if they're not out yet
FREE-make money on Crest/Oral B deal
FREE Bengay cream with $5 off coupon
$.49 U by Kotex
FREE Papermate Pens

RiteAid:
Listerine: $.50
Aussie Styler 2 for $2 (I need hairspray!)




Walgreens:
Skipping Walgreen's again... just too far and not worth the math and the expiring too soon RR's


Target:
More John Frieda to use up my coupons
Ziploc freezer bags $.75/box
More sharpie highlighters with coupons my mom gave me
Looking for deals for my $3/1 jeans coupons!


AND I'm taking a trip to Wegman's this week with a girlfriend to stock up on some natural and organic products not available around here, especially good grass fed no antibiotic or hormone beef... mmmmmmmm

Super Savings Saturday

CVS:
Needed to spend! I had $20 expiring in ECB's and a lack of good deals meant I needed to spend. I worked out a scenario with the Revlon deal and picked up 2 mascaras and 3 eyeliners at BOGO 50% off used 4 $1/1 newspaper coupons, a $5/$20 revlon and $4/1 revolon mascara *magic* coupon printer coupons, used $1/2 Edy's coupons, got shaving cream for $.99 and toothbrushes for free, ended up spending $13.11 in ECB's ($1.12 OOP) and saved $48.13




Target:
After printer error I wasn't able to snag the pillow coupons, which was a major bummer, but I did score massive amounts of free school supplies! Got a Men's Tee for $.48, shower curtain (word to the wise, don't buy the PEVA liner, spend the extra and get fabric, because when the plastic gets nasty you'll be back to buy the washable fabric one anyway!) Free Jif, and decent priced paper. Spent $15.44, saved over $60!!!


Aldi:
Picked up some basics, peppers on sale, watermelon on sale, and needed cheese, spent $10.82



Martin's:
Needed some basics, got bacon on sale, Late July chips for $1, Simply OJ for $3.99 (large one!!) and organic strawberries and romaine, peaches were on sale $1/lb. Spent $19.42

Media and Parenting

Today's topic in the Media Monday series is:

Media and Parenting

Not a parent yet, so I'll leave this one up to the current mamas... make sure to check out all the links on Courtney's site!



How is the media affecting your parenting?

Linking up @

Choosing to Cheat

Today's topic in the Media Monday series is:

Media and Our Marriage

Well as I sat down to think about this, I thought about a lot of conversations that have been had in our home about media.

"What are you doing on the computer?"
"Oh you know, just stuff"
"Oh, okay, well, I'm going to be over here"

Usually the one who is busy (which has been both of us) is on a laptop, blackberry, smartphone, etc. The other person just wants their spouse's attention, all of which is consumed in the technology.

As I prepared to write this I asked my husband what he thought about media and marriage. It's not good, he said. And he's right, for the most part, techonology steals attention from our spouse. In his book, Choosing to Cheat, Andy Stanley explains that "cheating" by definition is neglecting one thing by choosing another. Cheating is not necessarily a bad thing he explains int he book, whenever we choose to spend time doing one thing, we cheat another thing.

When we choose to spend time just sitting with our spouse, we cheat time that may have been spent cleaning

When we choose to exercise, we cheat the TV out of time with us

When we choose to read our Bibles and spend time with the Lord, we cheat time the time we spend on facebook

But when we choose to be absorbed in media (facebook, phone, ipad, ipod, tv) we inevitably cheat time from our families.

This means that we need to set up boundaries for things that aren't as important and make sure that our time goes to our highest priorities. And honestly when we look at our priorities, most of us wouldn't rank facebook as our number 1.

If someone looks at your schedule, however, they should be able to tell what your priorities are... does it look accurate to what you want your priorities to be or does it look something like this:

1) Texting
2) Googling things on the internet
3) Blogging
4) Facebook
5) Online Games
6) TV
7) Spouse
8) God

Is your schedule upside down?

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 ESV

The Bible tells us that God should be our number 1 priority, does our schedule reflect this?

My challenge to myself and you all is to make your schedule reflect your priorities, don't let media top the list, it's

just
not
that
important

Holly

How is the media affecting your marriage?

Linking up @

Super Saving Saturday

Deals I got this week:
Rite Aid (above):
I picked up some Veet strip from MANY MANY weeks ago that I had paid for already and just needed to pick up with the raincheck. Also got the St Joseph's Aspirin from a couple weeks ago with another raincheck, and needed to spend some UP+ rewards to stop them from expiring, so I spend a little on some Crest toothpaste, don't remember my total, I think I spent about $2



CVS:
Used a $5 off $35 purchase so I filled in with Power Bars using BOGO free coupons from the newspaper. Used a *magic* coupon machine coupon + newspaper coupon for the twizzlers, and the razor refills came to $.99. Tried again to spend ECB's and ended up making $2. Now I have about $45 in ECB's.... hoping for better deals next week!

Walmart: my walmart does not take kindly to using coupons---- and I don't even price match! I guess it happens in a small town, I might stop trying and boycott walmart for awhile. Spent $.98 after I made money on the PB&Co.

Distraction or Tool

Today's topic in the Media Monday series is:
Media and Our Walk with God

As I sit down to write about Media concerning my walk with God, I think about this morning, similar to other mornings. Since it's summer, it begins waking up to my amazing husband. We chat about what we want to do that day while he reads through the news on his smartphone (we don't have cable). Then we eat breakfast media-free. My husband retreats to the couch to read his study Bible and as long as I don't get distracted by facebook, blogging, or couponing, the first thing I do is hop onto YouVersion.com to spend time in the Word according to the Bible reading plan I'm going through right now. Sometimes I do this in bed on my Blackberry if I wake up first. Then I blog (some days), sign up for any new freebies, print new coupons, read a few blogs, and then start my real day. I usually don't go on facebook on the computer.

For the rest of the day my media intake includes facebook alerts on my phone, googling almost everything I don't have an answer to or are curious about, texting friends and family, sometimes calling, and accessing Our Daily Bread online.

And this kind of day, I'd say is enhanced by media. There are so many good tools online for furthering your walk with God (and many that can take you away from God, more on that in coming weeks). As long as I don't get distracted by these websites, or other things, and I'm not
ignorning the people I'm face to face with while I chat virtually with others via facebook and texting, I'd say it's pretty easy for me to not be distracted by media.

These are some sites that help me strengthen my walk with God:
YouVersion (100's of reading plans, also syncs to your smartphone bible app)
Proverbs 31 Ministries (devotions)
Women Living Well (Courtney-the host of this series)
Crosswalk
Bible Study Tools
Money Saving Mom
Google Books (reading Lee Strobel and others authors books online)

Holly

What websites have helped you in your walk with God??

Media Mondays

I will be participating in:

The main page is over at Courtney's site, and I'll be posting my thought here over the next 8 weeks. The schedule is over on womenlivingwell.org for others who's like to participate!

Holly

Light in the Dark

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." John 3:18-21 NIV

We were spring cleaning our house before we left to go help out my parents for a few weeks. We made our way through the kitchen and dining room getting down and dirty, scrubbing places that may have never been scrubbed. Then my husband pulled out the stove. Now behind the stove is a very dark place, it never sees the light of day or the brightness of the electric lamp in the ceiling.

When the rest of the kitchen is clean, you don't think about what it looks like back there, afterall its dark and no one sees it, but it's still there. When we pulled out the stove we found mouse dropping, cat toys (we don't even have a cat), dust, dirt, food remnants, oven mitts (that I had forgotten fell back there). It was gross! If i looked back there with no light, I would never have known all this was back there and I couldn't have cleaned it. I needed the light to shine back there and show me how dirty it was.

In John 3, after probably one of the most memorized verses (John 3:16) Jesus explains how light affects darkness. Sin, doing evil, is compared to darkness. Jesus tells us that those who do not know God are in darkness. They are sinning and they like it, afterall don't forget that sin feels good when we do it, hence the struggle. People who are without Jesus don't want to be exposed to the light, to see why what they are dong is wrong. After all there is no sin to a nonbeliever.

Jesus then tells us what the light will do for those who love the light. It exposes, yes our sin, but also how God has come into our lives and transformed it and molded it to be more like him. To those who believe the light of the truth is good, it helps us grow and become more Christ-like.

Sometimes in our walks we meet people who are in the dark, they don't know Christ, they don't know that they are in sin. We are to be Christ's light to them. Now this doesn't mean exposing them and judging them and calling them out on sin that they do not even know the concept of. Sometimes just loving them and being their friend at first is enough. It has been my experience that doing this has one of tow outcomes.

1) The friend looks at my life and realizes something is different and starts to question, this is where some really good conversation and opportunities to share the gospel come from.

2) The person shys away or rejects the friendship- I think that this relates back to the passage in John. Sometimes seeing what we do in our lives-whether it be that we don't live with our boyfriends or we give money to the church and stick to a budget, or we don't go out get drunk-they feel like perhaps their choices are being put i
n the spotlight, light is being shone upon them. Now I don't mean this is done by us intentionally, but just us living out our lives . This can be hard, but so far I've found to just be sensitive and pursue their friendship in love so that the person is not defensive and to pray that the Holy Spirit would soften their heart toward the truth. Then once we build a relationship, they may become comfortable enough with us that we can reach out with the gospel in love.

I pray that if you are experiencing the second, that you would be strengthened and that God would work in the heart of these kinds of friends.

I'm linking up at:

Deals Overview 7/2-7/9

Not too much for deals or coupons this week, I have a lot of ECB's so I'm hoping for better deals next week!


Deals I'm planning on getting this week:

CVS:
Using 3 of my $5/1 John Freida Full Repair coupons to make $3 on the John Freida deal (spend $20, get $10)
Oral B toothbrushes: FREE


RiteAid:
Crest ProHealth Rinse: make $1.50
Possibly some more John Freida depending on BOGO free prices in relation to $5UP+ on 2
Colgate toothbrush: free
Scope: make $.50




Walgreens:th
Skipping Walgreen's this week. I don't have any RR to use and it's out of the way to get there so I'm passing.


Target:
If I get there I'd like to get the BBQ sauce they were out of last week, other than that, I'll be saving any hot Target coupons for a big trip (since it's 30 min from home :-( )

Super Savings Saturday

And this week, I got these great deals leading up to the Holiday weekend while at my parents' house. Also got a big load at target of john frieda shampoo, free crackerfuls and newtons thins, cheap breyers, and a few other things.

CVS:
Made $2 on 10 bottles of Honest Tea using Recycle Bank coupons (on sale for 25 points)

Rite Aid:
I made two trips to Rite Aid because I was having trouble printing the $3/1 Veet coupon my without my home printer.
First trip I got the above and made another $2

I went back later in the week with my Veet coupon now printed and found that the Tom's from last week I had rainchecked was now in.

What deals did you find this week?