JennieKieu | Faith, Love, Life & Photography

Valentine's Gift Ideas :: Memory Journal

2012-02-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

Are you still thinking of a gift for Valentine's day? A kind of gift that would make people adore and smile when they see it? How about a memory journal? I think this is a great Valentine's gift idea for your loved ones because not only it will bring back good memories but it can be a great treasure gift too.

Shelley from howdoesshe.com created this adorable Map O' Love Journal, using the one-of-a kind handmade leather journal from MedievalJourney on Etsy. It is unique and creative and will make a great gift. Hope you enjoy it.

Check it out at howdoesshe.com and thank you for reading.

images via howdoesshe.com

Counting Blessings

2012-02-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

“It's amazing the life that I’m living today, and I count my blessings every day for the gifts that God has given me.” - Sasha Azeveno

I am a day late for sharing my "counting blessings"....Here I am continue down my list of blessings.

#15....New and organized room, looking forward to coming home every day.
#16....The unspeakable joy deep within my heart.
#17....A red polka dot blouse
#18....An encouraging scripture this morning's devotion. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2: 9-10 Therefore I declare that "I am God's special POSSESSION."
#19....A bowl of noodles from my sister
#20....A new song "Because of You"
#21....I am still breathing

Thank you Lord for your gifts.

image via pinterest

Love Story :: Song of Songs

2012-02-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

My beloved spoke, and said to me:“Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes, give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away! (Song of Songs 2:10-13)

Hello, I hope you’re enjoying your Wednesday so far. Lately I love reading the book of Song of Songs in the bible. It is the most heart moving book about the love of Christ and His bride.

Shulamite is a lovely young woman who has a lover. Her lover is a shepherd, although he is absence, but she always think about him like he is there. Shulamite, always talk to her lover (Jesus), though not seeing him, just like us, we always talk to the Lord through prayer.

My beloved spoke and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one and come away. The winter is past, the rain is over and gone. Time of singing has come. Rise up and come away!” The winter represents gloomy and sad days. Jesus said those days is past, our old days are in the past and happy days are here.

A time of singing has come. When we have Jesus in our life, we start our life with singing. Our days are like Spring. It’s a joy to become sons and daughters of God. We sing in church, in our homes, in the field, in a hospital bed, there is singing everywhere.

God wants us to rise up, to dance, to sing, to be happy, because our sorrow days had passed, our rainy days are over.

If you don’t know Jesus and still living in the cold winter, come to him, to enjoy the beautiful spring and blessings. Jesus is the fountain of life. “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:9

image via pinterest.com

Feeling Love :: Awesome Love Scriptures

2012-01-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!

Waking up with a "love" feeling...I would like to share some awesome scriptures about LOVE from whatchristianswanttoknow.com.

The Love of God

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Love One Another

Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Ephesians 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love...

Love Quote

God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. – Max Lucado

To read more about "LOVE" quotes please go to whatchristianswanttoknow.com

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

image via weheartit.com

Pink Moment :: Happy Weekend

2012-01-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

A weekend enjoying tea sipping...home decorating..a little touch of pink here and there...

...and maybe some sweet treats after....looking to a perfect "pink moment" weekend ahead..

Wishing you a weekend filled with happy moments and sweet stuffs...

image 1 via pinterest, image 2 via livingetc, image 3 via pinterest

The Father's Love :: God Runs Toward You

2012-01-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and happy Thursday!

This just came into my email inbox today. I read it and got encouraged by it. How deep is the Father's love for us? He is longing for His lost sons and daughters to come home so He can embrace them in His loving arms. Thank you Father for finding me 5 years ago, I was lost but now I am found. I hope this will encourage you too.

Brighten your day by envisioning God running toward you...When his patriarchs trusted, God blessed. When Peter preached or Paul wrote or Thomas believed, God smiled. But he never ran.

That verb was reserved for the story of the prodigal son. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20 NKJV)
God runs when he sees the son coming home from the pig trough. When the addict steps out of the alley. When the teen walks away from the party. When the ladder-climbing executive pushes back from the desk, the spiritist turns from idols, the materialist from stuff, the atheist from disbelief, and the elitist from self-promotion…

When prodigals trudge up the path, God can’t sit still. Heaven’s throne room echoes with the sound of slapping sandals and pounding feet, and angels watch in silence as God embraces his child. You turn toward God, and he runs toward you. - Max Lucado

Happy Wednesday :: Wordart

2012-01-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

LIVE without pretending

LOVE without depending

LISTEN without defending

SPEAK without offending

Wishing you a cheerful Wednesday! The Lord bless you and keep you. ~ Jennie

Valentine Gift Ideas :: 14 Love Notes

2012-01-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

The first month of 2012 is coming to an end...which means February is around the corner. The "LOVE" month is coming up fast, I would like to share some great Valentine gift ideas with you which I love love so much. The 14 Love Notes is a great idea for a gift to anybody, your lover, children or friends. It is a very creative and fun way to express your love. I hope you find this helpful.

To find out more about this gift ideas, please click HERE

images via howdoesshe.com

A Helping Hand :: Vietnam Mission Trip

2012-01-24T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
Just got back from a short mission trip to Vietnam & Cambodia last weekend. Vietnam is a place where I grew up, it was such a great feeling just to be back home and do God's work there.

It was an eye opened for all of us. Over the two weeks spent in Vietnam and 4 days in Cambodia with SOS (Salvation of Souls), I experienced many emotions. There was joy, there was sadness, hope and faith as I spent the time sharing God's love with the people who are living in poverty.

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Prov 19:17

I thank God for giving me this great opportunity to express His love and to do His work. A trip filled with tears, joy, and love. I thank God for His amazing and unconditional love to me and to the people around the world.

I will have more pictures to share in another blog, as for now, may the Lord bless you and His love overflow in you.

Thank you for reading. ~ Jennie xo

Holiday Wishes :: Peace & Love

2011-12-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

Wishing you PEACE & LOVE this holiday and always!

xo Jennie

DIY :: String Lights Tree

2011-12-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

Bonjour! Hope you're having a great week so far...I know Christmas is just 3 days away, it's not too late to create this fun and creative string lights tree for your home. I saw this DIY tree in CB2 catalog and immediately loving it and would like to share it with you all.

Click HERE for directions.

image via cb2

The Joy of Giving

2011-12-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year…With the kids jingle-belling… And everyone telling you… Be of good cheer…It's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's the hap-happiest season of all…With those holiday greetings..And great happy meetings… When friends come to call… It's the hap-happiest season of all..

Christmas songs are chanting in the radio, in the office, at the mall, in my car and just almost everywhere I go. It is a wonderful time of the year. I remember vividly about my first Christmas in the United States. I was 13 years old; a young lady who was living in my parent’s house at the time asked me what do I want for Christmas? I thought for a minute and answered her “I would like a navy sweater”. And on that Christmas day, I opened my present and saw a beautiful navy sweater, just what I wanted. I was overwhelmed with joy. I put on my new sweater, swung around the mirror, my whole face lit up like a sun. Receiving a gift on Christmas brought me great joy.

…For the last 5 years, Christmas to me is more than just receiving a gift that I wanted, but receiving Jesus Christ. Jesus is the reason for the season. Luke 2:10 “… I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” Christmas is to celebrate and receiving the priceless gift has been given mankind 2000 years. On this day of the year, God has giving us His Only Begotten Son and it is the greatest joy to you and me.

To me, the true spirit of Christmas is giving. The true joy comes from giving. Sometimes it is giving someone a smile, giving your time or a helping hand…Sometimes it is praying for someone, listening to a hurting heart, sometimes it is a card of encouragement or a just as simple as…two chicken can help give someone a lasting source of nutrition and income.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."- Winston Churchill

What does the "true spirit of Christmas" mean to you?

Isaiah 9:6 ~ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. )

image via el meuble

Thankful :: Oklahoma the Beautiful

2011-12-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all have a blessed weekend. Christmas is getting very closer now...I got a chance to go back home to Oklahoma for an early holiday with family...

Continue with my One Thousand Gifts...

Today I am thankful for..
#15 His peace
#16 Strength
#17 Early morning prayer group
#18 Revelations
#19 Vietnam SOS trip
#20 A new coat
#21 A new day

"The Bridge"

2011-12-13T23:17:00.000-08:00

DIY Stationery :: Holiday Envelope Liners

2011-12-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

I am loving these holiday envelope liner, perfect for sending holiday party invitations, greeting cards and thank you notes. Thank you ellinee.com for this adorable template.

Click here to download FREE printable envelope liners.

I also adore this Christmas Gift Planner. A great way to organize and keep track of your gift lists.

Christmas is a holiday fills with fun shopping and lovely gifts, but it also can be very stressful. Ease the Christmas stress by drawing up a budget, shopping early and taking steps to avoid overspending. Ellinee.com is giving out a FREE printable planner, easy to use and help you organize your gift lists.

Download the Christmas Gift Planner HERE.

image 1 & 2 via ellinee.com

hello december!

2011-12-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

. . December has arrived so quickly, I'm 1,300 miles away from home...It feels so winter here in Oklahoma, the chill air, the rain, snow is yet to come..It's been almost six years and still Oklahoma has not changed a bit.
Taking a break and visiting the Oklahoma City Memorial today. Remember the victims of the 1995 bombing...I took a stroll in silence..snapping photos at the symbolic of the empty chairs..."The 168 chairs represent the lives taken on April 19, 1995. They stand in nine rows to represent each floor of the building, and each chair bears the name of someone killed on that floor. Nineteen smaller chairs stand for the children. The field is located on the footprint of the Murrah Building."
...Psalm 9:9 - "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble."...Happy December! Wishing you a day filled with joy!...jennie

image 1

life is a journey

2011-11-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” - Don Williams

I hope you're having a great week so far. Life is like a journey, there are up and down moments, but we will always get through because God promised us that He has good plans for our future...but we must seek God in order to know His plans. I would like to share this beautiful encouragement word about Journey from DailyWord.

Life is a journey that continuously takes me from comfortable and familiar territory to the new and unexplored. At times in my life I may change jobs, build a family, move to a different home or city, travel around the world. Venturing into the unknown can feel frightening. I choose to embrace the adventure of exploring new possibilities. With every change and challenge, God is with me.

I may not be able to see around each bend--but I know I will be led to the right destination. I have the wisdom and understanding to navigate any speed bumps, detours or obstacles. I celebrate the wide-open grandeur of life as I travel with the Divine on my spectacular life journey.

"When our days there were ended, we left and proceeded on our journey." - Acts 21:5 Via DailyWord

May your journey be beautiful and blessed.

~ Jennie xo

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4)

...First, I would like to give thank to God for his unconditional love for me. As I learned to walk with Him each day, I learned more about His characters, His amazing love, His ways. I thank God for his blessings on my family. His guidance for my everyday life. His faithfulness. I thank God for my friends, for the people who helped me, encouraged me, prayed for me and helping me grow each day spiritually.

...and many thanks to the readers of this blog. Thank you for reading. I hope you find this blog helpful and encouraged you in some way. May the Lord bless you, may His love overflows in you. Have a blessing Thanksgiving!
~ Jennie

One Thousand Gifts is an awesome iphone app. It allows me to take picture and write a note of my every day gifts and I can share it with my family and friends. You can download this FREE app at itunes.

Thank you ANN VOSKAMP !

happy monday::loving the fall seaon

2011-11-21T17:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday everyone!…I hope you had a great weekend…I just love this season so much. It gives so much beauty. The changing color of the leaves on the street, the rain and the crisp weather…Thanksgiving is just couple days away..What are your plans for the holiday?

Over the weekend I read a book titled “The Cross and the Switchblade” based on a true story of David Wilkerson. I literally cried while I was reading it because I felt the love of God for the troubled teens. They were gang members, drug addicts and were most hated by the communities, but God saw the good in them. David Wilkerson was a country preacher, he felt that God called him to go to New York and help the troubled teen. Because of his obedience to the Lord’s, he saw miracles. The most touching part was when David Wilkerson met Nicky Cruz. Nicky was the president of the gang, the toughest Puerto Rican warlord.
“You don’t think much of me Nicky,” David Wilkerson said, “but I feel different about you. I love you, Nicky.”

“You come near me, preacher,” Nicky said, “I’ll kill you.”

“You could do that, you could cut me in a thousand pieces and lay them out in the street and every piece would say I love you,” said David Wilkerson.

This touched me deeply. The love of God was all over him. God is so wonderful. I love Him more and more every day.

If you haven't read this book yet, I recommend you that this book would open your eyes to see the love of God for the unlovable people of this world. It would enlarge your heart and draw you nearer to God and to "Follow the way of love " - 1 Corinthians 14:1

Have a wonderful day!
~ Jennie

Available at amazon.com

power of words

2011-11-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday!

I hope you're having a terrific day so far. Today, I would like to share a daily word from MaxLucado.com...This encouraged me, hope it will encourage you too. God bless you!

Encourage One Another By Max Lucado

"When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger." Ephesians 4:29

You have the ability, with your words, to make a person stronger. Your words are to their soul what a vitamin is to their body.

Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down! Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has believed in you.

remember veteran's day

2011-11-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

To all the Veterans

... I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you ... (Romans 1:8)

and Happy Friday everyone!

11.11.11

be joyful always

2011-11-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Be joyful always"

So I was wondering, what is the different between happiness and joy?

happiness > state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.
joy > a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment.
These are the definition from the online dictionary.

The different between joy and happiness is joy is internal and happiness is external. Joy is not dependent on circumstances or people but rather on a heart issue. Happiness is temporary. When I see something I like, I am happy. If the weather is pretty, I am happy, but it does not last long. Joy is more than a feeling...it is a deep peace. Joy is a gift from God. Joy is born when we except Jesus Christ and receive his salvation.

I remember when somebody asked me what did I feel when I say the prayer to accept Jesus into your heart. My answer was, "There was joy in my heart". Joy is a gift from God, deposits into my heart and he promised that and no one will take away your joy (John 16:22)

James 1:2 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
This speaks of the condition of the heart, no matter what trial we face, James told us to consider it pure JOY. God is still in control. James reminds us that God wants us to trust Him in the trials of life. The joy of the Lord gives us strength. The joy that he gives us motivate us to stand strong whenever we face trials.

To know what makes I'm happy, I jot down a list:

Writing my blog
A cup of hot green tea
A phone call from Bo in Vietnam
Seeing my niece and nephew
Talking to my mom on the way to work
Meeting my brothers and sisters in Christ
Macarons
Friday nights
Snapping pictures
A text message from my brother

I can go on and on...But you see, these are all temporary. The joy that God gives lasts forever. It's within the heart, not the feeling. It's more than words can describe. Being in His presence, singing praises to Him give me joy. Sometime I couldn't utter a word, but the tears of joy keep running down on my face.

God wants us to be joyful always. To keep our hope in Him, to trust in Him, to believe in Him. So, whatever trials you are facing, God knows and He wants you to be joyful, because weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

God bless you and I hope you have a great weekend.
xo Jennie

a trip to ojai

2011-11-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

Hello! Hope you're having a fantastic Monday so far...Over the weekend, I get to traveled to Ojai with a great group of people. Ojai is situated in a small east-west valley, north of Ventura and east of Santa Barbara. Since Ojai is lined up with an east-west mountain range, it is one of few towns in the world to have a "Pink Moment" occur as the sun is setting.

I start today with a new attitude, a new mind set, a new look at things. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I thank God for...
#8 My job
#9 Waking me up early to worship Jesus
#10 New pair of ivory pants
#11 Friends who make me laugh, pray for me and care for me
#12 My mom
#13 The amazing trip to Ojai
#14 Thank you Lord for your unconditional love for me..

wfw :: i found love

2011-10-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

"Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of the one who conceived me.." Song of Solomon 3:4

I love this this verse so much. It reminds me of how deep the love of God for us, so deep that my heart is longing for Him. I found the one my heart loves...and his name is JESUS.

Joining WFW with a great company of wonderful women at internetcafedevotions.com

counting my blessings

2011-10-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Reach out to the world....a mission statement that the SOS {Salvations of Souls} are working on. SOS' 2011 Vietnam mission trip is coming up fast..I can't believe it's just around the corner..

Counting my blessings one day at a time...
#1 Kissing my niece and nephew before they head to school
#2 The cold weather
#3 My warm boots
#4 Strumming my guitar at sunrise
#5 Singing a new
#6 John 14:27 devotion verse...This morning I read John 14:27...Jesus said "I'm leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." This is just an encouraging verse, it also is a promise Jesus gives us..I claimed this promise as I read it.

#7 This day

I hope you're having a great week so far...God bless you
Jennie