These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things 2022

Many of you are probably well into your Christmas shopping. Maybe you even have all your shopping done. But if you're like me (I tend to wait till the last minute) have I got a sweet deal for you! It's like going to the mall (remember those days?) but better!

​We polled our guest bloggers about their favorite things, like faith-inspired gifts and Bible study tools, books, etc., and came up with Our Favorite Things 2022 Christmas Gift Guide and we're excited to share it with you today!

​This gift guide has some pretty cool stuff in it and I think you're going to really love it! 

​So, from us here at InstaEncouragements to you there at home, Merry Christmas and we hope you enjoy some of our favorite things this Christmas!

I Love My Single-Column Journaling Bible​

Last year, I realized I was spending way too much time with the Bible app on my phone and laptop and not enough time with a physical Bible in my hands. I'd lost my way around and started having difficulty finding certain books of the Bible—like Hosea. So, I purchased a new Bible for myself.

I purchase this ESV (I call it the Extra Special Version) single-column, journaling Bible, and I love it! It's large-print and easy to read. The brown leather, is soft to the touch and feels feminine. I love the strap closure too.

The extra wide ruled margins allow me to record personal notes, meaningful prayers, and  thought-provoking quotes right inside my Bible!

This Bible is made with high-quality paper and leather and is a durable edition—great for anyone who wants to capture sermon notes, prayers, artwork, discussion notes, or personal reflections in their Bible.

Features:

• Single-column format
• 2" ruled margins for writing
• Cream-colored Bible paper
• Ribbon marker
• Smyth-sewn binding
• Size: 6.25" x 8"
• 7.5 pt Lexicon type
• 1,360 pages
• Black letter text

And the best part is that right now it's on sale over at Amazon! This will make a great Christmas gift for the college student on your list or even for yourself!

​The Best Bible Journaling Highlighters I've Ever Used

I just want to share with you my favorite Bible journaling highlighters of all time!! 

I wouldn't use anything else! ​

This set of six pastel, gel, highlighters also includes a card with tips for highlighting and space to create your own color-coding system and I love that! But what I love more is that these gel highlighters will not bleed through even the thinnest Bible pages, and that's important to me because I bought a new Bible last year. It's probably important to you too.

These make GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS!!

​Girl to Girl

60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith

Calling all moms and daughters!
Do you want to strengthen your relationship, grow closer together, and connect with God in new ways? Let this delightful mother-daughter devotional book serve as your guide!

Why This Preteen and Teenage Girl Devotional Is Unique?
Unlike other tween and teenage girls’ devotional books, this book is written by tween-daughter and mother coauthors. As a pre-teen, Bekah knows all about the struggles young women face. She addresses topics like how to handle an unwanted crush, managing stress, grumpy teachers, sibling squabbles, and much more!

​Prepare to laugh together, strengthen your relationship, talk about tricky topics, and seek God together. This devotional is the perfect tool for mothers and daughters who want to connect with each other in new ways while growing in faith.

Each devotion offers a:

• focus Bible verse
  
• section called “Mom’s Thoughts” written by Stacey
  
• section called “Girl to Girl” written by Bekah
  
• prayer to read out loud together
  
• journaling section for mother and daughter to complete at a later time

These mother-daughter devotions are heartwarming and full of personal stories from a real-life mother-daughter duo. Bekah shares testimony about her difficult adjustment to middle school, stressing out over homework, navigating grief, seeking God, and much more. Stacey offers insights gleaned over 12 years as a mom as well as two decades spent mentoring teenage girls.

Who Is This Mother-Daughter Devotional Book for?
The devotional is written with a focus on ministering to girls ages 10-15; however, the topics discussed could be used for moms and daughters of any age. Most of the devotions are applicable regardless of age. If you are 80 and your daughter is 50, you are welcome here! Mom, you might need to offer additional explanations for some of the devotions if your daughter is younger than 10, but younger girls will glean insight from this book as well. Additionally, this is not a devotional exclusively for biological mothers and daughters. It could be used between a grandma and granddaughter, an aunt and a niece, an older sister and a younger sister, or an older mentor and a younger friend.

Women of all ages will take something away from this book!
With so many distractions competing for our attention, finding time to connect with each other and pursue God is more challenging now than ever. Let Girl to Girl help you build a stronger relationship while leading you deeper in your faith!

​Fisher-Price Little People Nativity

If you have little ones, this is perfect for them! I remember when ours were little and they seemed to always want to play with our porcelain nativity set. And then there was the time I found our cat batting baby Jesus around on the floor. YIKES! No worries with this nativity set though. It's made for little hands to play with, and it's cat-friendly as well!

FEATURES:

• Star lights up, set plays Away in the Manger.
• Figures Included: Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, angel, three Wise Men, 2 donkeys, camel, sheep, and cow.
• Includes stable, left and right stone walls with palm trees, hay dale, and donkey's cart.

Create a Custom Gospel-Centered Keepsake Book For the Little Ones

Want to create your custom book? I am here to help you create your own customized, biblical version of Captain Small Pig. Here's how to do it:

1. You can purchase Captain Small Pig here in either a paperback or hardcover version. 
2. Download the free PDF printable of the verses I used to create the biblical version of Captain Small Pig. Use it to create your special keepsake. I used the ESV, but you certainly can use another version of the Bible if you like.
3. ​I highly recommend using an acid-free pen like the Sakura Pigma Micron pen. This ensures that your special gift will not fade in the years to come. ​

​Sweeter Than Honey: A 365-Day Devotional Journey

How would you like to read through God's Word in chronological order of book authorship in 2023 with a group of like-minded, Christian girlfriends? ​I'm so excited about this! ​We are going to be doing just that here in the private, Facebook group for Sweeter Than Honey. 

I've never seen a 365-day devotional like this, friend. It's not the usual chronological order of events in the Bible. It's chronological order of book authorship. That's totally different. It begins with Job and ends with Revelation.

This will be a great gift for your mom, your sisters, daughters, the girls in your small group or Bible study, coworkers, and neighbors!

​Artza— The Subscription Box That Follows the Footsteps of Jesus

The gift that keeps on giving throughout 2023!!
Artza is a quarterly subscription box that follows the footsteps of Jesus, delivering the best artisanal food, crafts, and content from across the Holy Land straight to your door. This journey brings the land of the Bible to life while supporting the people of Israel, and I absolutely LOVE that! 

• Each box includes 7-9 authentic, full-size products from around the Holy Land.
• The highest quality Locally-sourced, handcrafted gifts, foods, art and crafts from Israel.
• Learn Hebrew! Each box will include Hebrew words cards and games to help you and your family learn the language of the Bible.
• Original and unique content and photography from around the country that you will not find anywhere else.
• Learn about the artisans behind the products, build bridges and connections with the people of the Land.

​BONUS: We have an exclusive 25% OFF DISCOUNT CODE just for our readers!
Enter INSTA25 when you checkout here at Artza and save 25% today! 

​5 Gospel-Centered Books For Little Hearts & Minds

I love Elisabeth's post about ​5 Gospel-Centered Books For Little Hearts & Minds. She writes, "When we became parents to our daughter Emersyn we agreed we wanted not only to instill a love for books but especially for books that would deepen her understanding of the Bible and cultivate a desire to know God. Therefore, from the very beginning, we’ve been building her little library with books that reveal God’s character, who we are as His creation, and how we can know and love Him better." Read more about the books here.

Children's Books That Are Both Beautiful & Inspiring

Author and Illustrator, Melissa Smith Turner, created the Alma Louise children's book series to teach simple lessons using whimsical rhymes and pops of color. The books have exploded in popularity and are a favorite for readers of all ages. ​

Read more about these lovely books, and find additional books in the Alma Louise series for little readers, at Let Me Introduce You to Alma Louise.

Tiny Theologians (3 books)

• Does God ever get tired?
• Does He sometimes get sick?
• Does He ever stop working?

​Amy Gannett, founder and creator of the popular Tiny Theologians brand, aims to answer questions like these in Does God Sleep?: A Book About God’s Power. The book’s engaging, rhyming text and bold, delightful illustrations make God’s omnipotence (His all-powerful nature) understandable, relatable, and applicable for kids. Young readers will close the book knowing there’s no need to fear when falling asleep—for God is always awake, watching over us and working in the world.

Also in this series: Did God Learn His ABCs?: A Book About God’s Knowledge and Does God Go on Vacation?: A Book About God’s Presence.

​A Place at the Table 

 Fresh Recipes for Meaningful Gatherings

Bestselling Lifeway Bible study author Kelly Minter is known not only for her passion for God’s Word, but for her ability to foster community over an inviting, delicious, and nourishing meal. Her own lifelong love for cooking and gardening paired with her many travels to the Amazon with chef Regina Pinto has resulted in rich spiritual and culinary experiences that will inspire your cooking and gatherings.

More than an ordinary cookbook, A Place at the Table offers readers a chance to not only approach mealtimes with accessible recipes from a renowned chef, but also hear heartwarming, personal stories from Kelly herself and enjoy some spiritual encouragement too.

For Kelly, meals should be more than just ingredients and décor, though these enhance the experience. Food has historically gathered people together, and in this cookbook, Kelly points readers to just that—opening their tables so others can have a place to experience the love of God and fellowship of his people. After all, some of the most meaningful moments in the Bible were experienced around food.

​This cookbook offers a delicious, unfussy selection of both well-known and novel dishes, and it also includes personal favorites from Kelly and Regina. 

Featuring fresh, whole or homegrown components, Kelly prioritizes the value of flavors that can only come with seasonal ingredients. As a bonus, there is supplemental material throughout, where the reader can hear more from Kelly and Regina about broths, seasonal drinks, canning, décor, growing herbs, and more.

​In these pages, Kelly’s humor and warmth shine through in each story, and the stunning photography inspires all readers to put their hand to the joy of cooking, offering others not just a meal, but a place to belong.

​Bible and Breakfast

I'll be honest with you, friend, when I first saw this I thought, This is gorgeous! But who has time for this? Maybe you don't have time for this every day, but what about Saturday mornings, holidays, winter breaks, spring breaks, and summer? This would be perfect for those days!

Are you starting your day on empty? Before your feet hit the ground, chaos drowns out any hope of quiet time with Jesus, as the alarm blares, kids run around the house, and your to-do list reminds you that you’re already behind.

If all that sounds too familiar, Bible and Breakfast is for you! In just a month, you’ll kickstart a morning habit of meeting with Jesus and eating a healthy breakfast every day. Join Bible teacher and author Asheritah Ciuciu for 31 devotions for busy women and 31 tasty breakfast recipes.

EACH DEVOTION INCLUDES:

• Feast Bible study prompts for days you want to dig deep.
• Snack on-the-go devotionals for busy days.
• Plenty of space for journaling and responding.

​RECIPES FEATURE:

• Family favorites that are healthy enough to feel good about and tasty enough that your kids will eat them.
• A full-color photo for every recipe.
• Lots of gluten-free, kid-friendly, and freezer-friendly options.

​No more waiting for the perfect time and place. Experience the joy of starting your mornings with Jesus today!

​5 Great Stocking Stuffers For Bible Study

After I purchased my new Bible this past year, I immediately realized I needed a set of Bible tabs to help me, once again, find my way around this beautiful Love Letter. I headed over to The Daily Grace Co. and purchase a set of their Bible tabs and I AM IN LOVE!! They were so easy to install. I was a little worried about that, but trust me friend, it was simple and if I can do it, you can do it too!

The second thing I purchase, to help me with my Bible study, was a couple packs of sticky notes. I'm a sticky note queen! I love to make lists and jot notes to myself. Sometimes, you want to write notes in your Bible that are permanent, and somethings they just need to be temporary. I LOVE THESE STICKY NOTES for that! The Blush Bible Study Stickies and the Blush Planner Stickies are perfect!!

Next, I needed bookmarks, but I didn't want just your traditional book marks. What I found at The Daily Grace Co. was great! I didn't even know these existed—magnetic bookmarks. YES! First, I grabbed the Words of Life Magnetic Bookmark Set and then the Bible Study Mini Bookmark Set.

​Prayer Journal for Women

This 52-week Scripture, devotional, and guided prayer journal continues to be one of our favorites!!
​
The journal includes: Scripture verses, reflections on the Word, and journaling prompts to guide your walk with God and strengthen your faith.

Verses are organized thematically: Love & Inner Beauty, Provision & Faithfulness, God’s Love, Adversity & Trials, Awe & Sovereignty, Strength Through Faith, Fear, and Grace & Forgiveness.

​This 12-month journal is a perfect companion for individual worship or group Bible study.

• ​JOURNAL FEATURES:
• A generous 8 x 10 trim size with plenty of space to write.
• Four full pages for each week of the year.
• Original illustrations on each page by author and artist Shannon Roberts.
  ​
• EACH WEEK INCLUDES:
• Scripture - An inspiring Bible verse to reflect and meditate on throughout your week, giving you time to memorize the verse and ingrain it into your heart and soul.
• Reflect - A Reflect page with thoughts and questions prompted by the weekly Scripture verse, along with space to record your own thoughts and responses.
• Journal - Two full pages to journal your praise for God, your prayer requests, the things on your heart, and how you wish to be taught and guided, as well as a Bible verse about the power of prayer.
• Answered Prayers - A tracker with space to record your prayers so you can see how God moves in your life throughout the course of the year.

​Gratitude Journal: A 52-Week Guide to Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Our favorite Gratitude Journal is now available spiral-bound!

Good Days Start With Gratitude and that is the truth! You're going to LOVE this 52-week Guide to Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude, friend! I promise! It is also from Pretty Simple Planners and unbelievably affordable. You'll want to purchase one for everybody on your gift list. This is a self-exploration journal designed to focus on being thankful for what we have, the big things in life, as well as the simple joys. Each well-designed, weekly spread contains an inspirational quote, space to write three things you are thankful for each day of the week, and a weekly checkpoint. If you start each day by writing down three things you are thankful for—a good cup of coffee, the smell of rain, starting a good book —you begin each day on the right note. Do it daily and make it a habit to focus on the blessings you have been given! Grab a copy for yourself and for a friend and share the journey together!

​Scripture Art

I love having Scripture Art hanging on the walls of our home—especially in my kid's rooms. The power of putting Scripture on the walls of your home is that anyone who visits has the opportunity to read the Living Word of God, including your kid's friends. BONUS! And these are so lovely and affordable. You can hang them as posters or frame them. Either way, you are turning the focus of the room to God's Word, and that never returns void!

Another Gift That Keeps on Giving Right Into 2023!

​Did you know that The Daily Grace Co. has a magazine!?! I know you did, because I just told you. But before that, did you know? The Be Still Magazine may be one of their best kept secrets, but it is one of our favorite things ever! Each issue is packed with beautiful and intentional design and gospel-saturated truth. The articles are written by women for women and your heart will be encouraged to look to Jesus on every page. You can purchase individual issues or subscribe to this quarterly magazine and get a brand new issue in your mailbox every quarter! And they are coffee table worthy!

NIV Journaling Bible Illustrated by Hannah Dunnett

With extra-wide margins, quality writing paper and thirty-two pages of Christian artist Hannah's Dunnett's beautiful illustrations to inspire you, this NIV Journaling Bible is perfect for those who love to reflect and journal creatively in God's presence. The single-column setting and blank margins allow for plenty of room beside the Scriptures for your notes, drawings, stencilling and illumination, bringing a new depth and imagination to your quiet times. 

There could not be a better gift for Bible readers who love to add their own doodles and personal reflections to their Bible. Enhanced by Hannah Dunnett's stunning biblical artwork, this edition will encourage you to spend time soaking in the Word as you meditate on her paintings.

The endpapers feature original artwork by Hannah Dunnett, inspired by the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis, and Revelation's Heavenly City. This NIV Journaling Bible has an easy-to-read, single-column 8.5PT Bible text, two ribbons markers and an elastic strap closure. Also included are shortcuts to key stories, events and people of the Bible, lists of references for help and guidance and a reading plan to help you familiarize yourself with the Bible.

​This edition of the New International Version uses British spelling, punctuation and grammar to allow the Bible to be read more naturally.

​InstaEncouragements Etsy Shop

Many of our InstaEncouragements from Instagram can be purchased over at our Etsy shop in print form either as 5” x 5” press prints or 8" x 8" and/or 12" x 12" full-bleed prints on premium Fujicolor archive paper, and they are gorgeous! During the months of November and December, use code SAVE50 at checkout to save 50% off your entire purchase! And, as always, shipping is just $2.00.

Thoughtfully Crafted Scripture Resources & Goods For Treasuring God's Word

Scripture Type was founded on a desire to memorize God's Word. Just about everything you find in their shop is taken from initial design to finished product in their home studio in Louisville, Kentucky. Their aim and desire is to create quality products that help you (and us) treasure God's Word. Be sure to check out their collection of free wallpapers & locks screens to aid in your own meditation and memorization of Scripture.

Share with us a few of your favorite things. We may just add them to the list!

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