Getting engaged to someone you love is probably one of the most special day in any individual’s life. If your friend recently got engaged then you can give them a gift to celebrate this special moment. You will find several engagement gifts ideas if you flip through any magazines or catalogs. But, when choosing a gift, remember to select something that will convey your love and blessing to the couple. Some of the most popular items which you can give them are as follows.

One of the most popular engagement gifts ideas include gifting them a photo album. This will be greatly cherished by the couple as in it they can preserve all the photographs which they have taken after their engagement. Since this couple will be embarking on the journey of marriage, this photo album will help them to preserve all their treasured moments. If you want your gift to have a personal touch, you can get it personalised. Among the various engagement gifts ideas, these are most popular among gift givers.

If the couple will be shifting to a new place of their own, you can gift them items which will be useful in their new home. From utensils to cutleries to decorative items, the list goes on. Since they will want to begin their life together with everything new, these engagement gifts ideas will be the best option to go for. You can also give them other essential items like a refrigerator, microwave, washing machine, dish washer, etc.

Before you choose from the engagement gifts ideas, keep in mind their interest and preference. This is very important because if you do not want your gift to find its way in the attic or basement after a few weeks. This point should also be kept in mind when you are searching for anniversary gift ideas as well. Any wedding anniversary is a special occasion in any couple’s life as it signifies the years they have spent together as husband and wife. Thus, your gift should be able to convey your message of love and admiration. When choosing a gift for them you can either choose to give them according to the tradition or any other item which will be appropriate for the occasion.

Even in current times, traditional wedding anniversary gift ideas are the most popular among gift givers. For example, if the couple is celebrating their first anniversary, according to tradition you are supposed to gift them items made of paper. When you think of a suitable item made of paper to give them, you may be at a loss but with a little bit of imagination and creativity you can gift them items which they will truly cherish. Some of the most popular anniversary gift ideas include gifting them tickets to a romantic movie, flight tickets to their favorite destination and many more.

But when browsing through anniversary gift ideas, remember you do not have to gift them something which is beyond your budget. There is no hard and fast rule that you have to gift them something expensive. Among the various wedding anniversary gift ideas, you can choose to give them a simple gift which you know will be greatly cherished by the couple.

Riley, I would love to do what you do, but I dont have the gift of evangelism.” The words came from a well-meaning Christian who was referring to my street ministry. At the time I was training people in evangelism at my church every Friday night. We were taking teams into the city and seeing fifty to one hundred people pray to receive Jesus every weekend. I told that man that he could do what I dobecause he was a believer.

The Bible says, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied [it]” (Mark 16:20, AMP). Amen. Signs and miracles will follow us as believers!

God has given certain gifts of service to us as believers. Take a look at them: “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip Gods people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (see Ephesians 4:1112, NLT).

The Bible tells us that these five-fold ministry gifts are for the “perfecting of the saints” to do the work of the ministry. Based on what we just read, the job of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to teach, train and equip you as a congregation member to do the work of building up the body.

But there is no such gift called “the gift of evangelism” recorded in the Bible. Its not your pastors job to fill the empty seats in your church. Its not your pastors job to reach your city.

Its yours.

Now, when Im sent to a church to do evangelism training, Im sent as an evangelist. But when Im not standing in a pulpit under the office of an evangelist, and Im simply going about my day, Im constantly listening to the Lord as to who He wants me to minister to. The Lord speaks to us constantly; all we need to do is tune in a little closer so we can hear what our assignment is for the day.

My family and I recently went to lunch at a local Italian restaurant. The place had just opened, and we wanted to try it out. The waiter seated us and handed us the menus.

I was in one of those moods in which I didnt want to even look at the menu; I just wanted to ask the waiter for a recommendation. When the waiter came to our table, my wife and daughters ordered from the menu. Then young man turned to me. “Sir,” he asked, “what would you like?”

I asked him what he would recommend. Happy to oblige me, he pointed to a particular item on the menu and said to me, “Sir, if I was on death row and this was the last meal I would ever eat, this is what I would order.” I was shocked by his comment about being on death row. But I knew at that point what the Lord was about to do. I ordered what the waiter had suggested, and it turned out to be an amazing dish.

When the waiter came back to the table for the check, I had another question for him: “If you were on death row and these were your last few moments to live, where do you think youd spend eternity?” The young man looked down and told me, “Im really not sure.” I shared with him the Scriptures from Romans from the script our ministry uses. And then I led him in a prayer to receive Jesus. During the prayer our waiter began to cry, and as he lifted his head, he said, “Thank you so much. I was just thinking about my life. I know I need God.” My family and I got ready to leave, and the waiter stopped by our table one more time. “I believe God sent you here,” he said.

God wants to use you today! Be bold and courageous! You dont need to have a five fold ministerial calling with a “gift” in order to see miracles and signs following. All you need do is listen to the little promptings you get every day from the Lordand then be obedient!

It’s the merriest time of the year once again and in a few short weeks, office holiday parties will start again. Are you thinking of giving gifts for your officemates? Or is your office holding a Christmas gift exchange game? If so, let me share to you some ideas to help you make your office gift giving appropriate and less stressful.

1. If you’re holding an exchange gift game, don’t overspend. If your office has imposed a limit to the amount of money then you should stay within that limit.

2. Consider the recipient’s interests and hobbies. Nothing would make them appreciate the gift more than knowing that you went out of your way to give something that you think they would like.

3. Avoid giving gag gifts. Some people might not take it well so avoid giving such gifts in the workplace.

4. Wrap your gift. Wrapping your gift makes it more presentable and gives it an element of surprise and mystery.

5. Avoid giving food as gifts. Some people might be allergic to certain foods that you don’t know of so it’s better to be safe and not give something edible.

6. Consider giving gift certificates. This is considered to be the safest gift that you can give to anyone. You could give them a gift certificate from a popular coffee shop or a bookstore.

7. Avoid giving gifts from thrift stores and dollar stores. You don’t want the recipient to think that you’re cheap don’t you?

8. Consider giving practical and gifts that the recipient could really use such as notepads, calendars, umbrellas and stress squeeze balls.

Giving gifts to the people you work with at the office is a simple way of saying “Thank You”. You don’t have to spend a lot in buying gifts because it’s the thought that counts. Happy shopping!