Gospel Gifts Blog
 | Welcome to our new Blog! We are excited to have this opportunity to interact with you and help keep you informed on all the great things that are going on, both in Christian retail as well as current events - local and national! We also want to use this Blog for prayer requests and praise reports. This is YOUR Blog! We may start the topic but feel free to jump right in! Our website is a great place to discover the many ways we can help you with books for leisure or study, music for a long car trip or to sing along to as you drive, DVDs for you and the kids, the special gift and more! The Blog will just add to all of that! We can keep you up to date on new releases and anything else we think you may find interesting! Check back often for new information and leave us questions or comments so we can help serve you better. |
Gospel Gifts Inc BLOG Topics
Singular Focus ..... Cafe Night!!:
Posted 11/24/2009 2:09:04 PMAnd what a party it was!! We didn''t know what to expect, but given the way the Lord orchestrated every single detail, we knew it would be a powerful testament to His glory! Indeed, everyone that came expressed their thanks and appreciation for our obiedience to the Lord''s direction and how necessary this time of fellowship was for all. We all left blessed in abundance that night, pumped and energized with the Spirit! Originally planned to occur from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., God had other plans and the worship continued until 9:30 p.m.! Folks came and went throughout the night and over a dozen children played and danced around. It was very casual and friendly, feeling very much like a family get-together! Throughout the whole store, people could be seen visiting with one another, listening to the music and just generally enjoying each other''s company!
We will definitely continue to host these Spirit-filled nights every other Saturday with the next scheduled for December 5th. A special Christmas night will be held December 19th. This time; however, cafe doors will open at 6:00 p.m. to allow for "pre-show" conversation and fellowship! You''ll definitely want to make plans to join us - and bring the family! - and bring a friend! Come for the whole night - or just pop in for a cup of coffee and a few hugs! Be a part of the desperately needed revival the Holy Spirit is growing in Charlotte County!
Glory to God in the Highest!!
Chris Tomlin''s "Glory In The Highest" now available!:
Posted 10/24/2009 2:19:26 PMTriple Play DVD Set Street Release THIS TUESDAY 9-8-2009:
Posted 9/4/2009 12:37:23 PMNot applicable for online shoppers.
Lessons From Muffy the Missing Dog:
Posted 7/30/2009 11:26:30 AM
Good News Now was about a little white mixed pup named "Muffy" who was found after having gone missing nine years ago. Even more interesting is the fact that the little dog had managed to travel over 1,200 miles away from her family''s Australian home. Thanks to the microchip the family had implanted in the dog, the RSPCA (investigating other claims) stumbled upon the dog sleeping outside on a "scrap of cardboard". Of course Muffy''s owners are "over the moon" about having the furriest member of their family back home again and the mystery of her whereabouts and various adventures over the last nine years will continue to be a topic of discussion for many more years to come. In many cases, we too are like the little lost Muffy, aren''t we? We belong to God and He has placed in us a "microchip"; a place in our hearts that can only be filled by Him. Even non-believers feel the emptiness and attempt to fill it with anything and everything they can and yet...they continue to feel the hole in their hearts that can only be filled by the Holy Spirit. That need we have to worship and bask in the Glory of our Heavenly Father is our microchip. We will travel all over the world, having many adventures along the way, but when God finds us, sleeping on that scrap of cardboard, He will bring us home again. We are His alone and no matter where we travel, the "microchip" within us will always protect us and identify us as children of God.
Fetuses Have Memories, Study Says:
Posted 7/21/2009 1:34:42 PM(July 20) - You probably recall little of your days in the womb, but a new study suggests that short-term memory may be present in fetuses at 30 weeks of age.
Until a few decades ago, "people would say that the human fetus is a sort of black box," said Dr. Jan Nijhuis, a co-author of the study and an obstetrician at Maastricht University Medical Center in The Netherlands. Studies over the years have started to reveal more about the neurological development of humans before they are born, but researchers are still trying to figure out when memory begins and how long it can last.
The new study tested how fetuses in nearly 100 pregnant women responded to a specific stimulus, in this case, a "vibroacoustic stimulation," which is a very low sound that makes a vibration. The researchers observed the reaction using an ultrasound. When the fetus first receives the stimulation, it is startled. But after repeated trials of the same stimulation, 30 seconds apart, the fetus gets used to the sound and doesn''t react."A normal fetus, of about 30 or 32 or 34 weeks, would stop responding after about 13 or 14 stimuli," said Nijhuis. This lessened response to a repeated stimulus is called habituation, a process that both humans and animals are known to experience. For example, you might become habituated to the sound of your heater at nighttime, hearing it at first, but growing used to the noise after a while and falling asleep, Nijhuis explained. "Habituation is a form of learning and a form of memory," Nijhuis said. He and his colleagues used the habituation tests to examine memory in fetuses 30 to 38 weeks old. They found that 30-week-old fetuses had a "memory" of 10 minutes if the fetuses received a second round of sound stimulation 10 minutes after the initial test, it took them a lot less time to become habituated to the noise during their second session, and they stopped responding after only a few stimuli, he said.
The researchers also found that 34-week-old fetuses were able to "store information and retrieve it four weeks later," he said. The team came to this conclusion after performing the habituation tests at 34 weeks and then again at 38 weeks. The scientists compared the response of the 38-week-old fetuses who had been tested before with that of fetuses who had not been tested before.
"We saw this striking difference," Nijhuis said. "The fetuses who had been tested before were habituated within two or three or four stimuli, and the other fetuses of 38 weeks responded in the same way as 32 week-old fetuses who had not been tested before," meaning it took many more stimuli to habituate the 38-week-old fetuses if they had not previously experienced the test at 34 weeks.
"So that shows that there is a sort of remembrance of 4 weeks," he said.
Previous research has shown that fetuses can habituate to sounds and that the fetus has a short-term memory of 24-hours, but this study further examined how long these memories can last.Fetuses younger than 30 weeks do not seem to be able to habituate, Nijhuis said, although this may be because the scientists are not using the right type of stimulus, he said. Future research will work on refining their current protocol to test habituation at different times during fetal development.Since fetuses that have developmental problems take longer to habituate than normal fetuses, these types of studies may help indicate fetuses that are at risk for certain conditions.The results were published in the July/August issue of the journal Child Development.
Imaginova Corp. All rights reserved.
2009-07-20 17:49:07
Life-Changing Book Requests Please!:
Posted 7/20/2009 11:30:13 AM It''s exciting to be involved in something from the ground floor up and create energy about something in a "grass-roots" sort of movement as it grows in popularity to eventually become a New York Times Best Seller. When a book is that good, you want to share it don''t you? Has there been any book that has done for you what "One Month To Live" has done for so many? Share your favorite books with us so that we too can have a life-altering experience and grow closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (and enjoy the serene, and seemingly sweet, indulgent pleasure of curling up with a good book!!)
Thanks for Sharing and God Bless!
I''m Tired....:
Posted 6/25/2009 1:50:56 PMToday is such an exciting day for our store and family The New Website Has Arrived!!! ..And I''m tired...
Work is piling up, kids are sick, the economy has my friends in stressful positions, (and of course, empathy is one of my spiritual gifts) essentially, it''s been one of those, "if it can go wrong today it has! kind of days. Why, today, of ALL days, would THIS be the day to have a headache, be tired, and have my coffee spilled all over my shirt on my way into work??? It''s a silly question really, because I DO know why: Satan is attacking me. Gospel Gifts is working hard to reach our community and our nation. We''re implementing new ministry outreach programs, building relationships, praying with those who are hurt, branching out to offer an amazing Christian website with resources to enrich you every single day whether you ever purchase something or not.....and Satan is angry.
No one ever said the life of a Christian was easy. (Did they? Because if someone told you that you better go have a talk with them right now!) In fact, we may suffer MORE than non-believers in some situations. Like mine today for example: We''re trying to build up the Kingdom of God. Now folks, be forewarned: Take up the task of building the Kingdom of God, and be ready for some heavy spiritual warfare. There is a very real war going on and it''s not just the one taking place overseas. It''s a war right here in our town. In our homes. In our very hearts and minds. The spiritual war is real and Satan comes throwing all punches! Today came in kicking and screaming and I''m uncomfortable with that. I am also joyful! I''m joyful because I know I''m on the right path. Satan wouldn''t be near as interested in me if I was not shaking up his world a little bit! Right?
So, I''m going to take joy in the struggles today. I laugh in your face Satan! You''ll have to try a lot harder than that to drag me down! Nothing separates me from my Lord and I will let NOTHING steal my joy HIS Joy!
Ever have a day like mine? What thoughts, scripture or words helped you through it? Since we''re all extended family, children of God, we need to encourage one another. What advice or thoughts could you share?
Tell Others About Your Favorite Summer Book, CD or DVD:
Posted 6/1/2009 10:02:47 AMWe have great summer fiction, New Music, and stuff for the Kids. Discover new novels from bestselling authors like Tracie Peterson, Terri Blackstock, Jerry Jenkins and Gary Chapman.
Visit our website and click on Read a Chapter to sample over 500 books online. We are excited about the long days and fun nights and hope that you are too.
Take a minute and tell us and other customers about your favorite book, CD or DVD for this summer. Some are old favorites and others are new favorites; we are always looking for another great read. If you can’t pick just one, leave a list! Let our store be your home for great summer fun!
