Berean Christian Stores have filed for Chapter Eleven Bankruptcy Protection. You can read an article about it here.

I visited my local Berean store last week and the owner told me that they are absolutely open and getting in new inventory every week. She asked me to pass the news along and encourage others to shop there this Christmas.

So, while I was in the store I decided to meander around and see what kinds of things the store had to offer that I thought would make good Christmas gifts.

There was waaaaaay too much great stuff to list it all here… But… I thought I’d at least mention a few things just to get your mind moving in that direction and help you consider making Berean one of your Christmas Shopping destinations.

I love this. It’s the kind of thing that would look beautiful in any home and set a tone of peace and faith. It’s also the kind of thing that a lot of women would love to have, but might not spend the money to purchase it for themselves while so busy budgeting to spend on socks for the kids, groceries for all, car repairs, gifts for friends, and on and on the list goes.

Here’s another one. This one would look so neat on a bookshelf with books stacked around it, and smaller books stacked on top of the little shelves over the words.

I love this one. What a beautiful message to be seen by your whole family, day in and day out on a mantle above the fireplace in the center of your home. It’s a great reminder that I would love to pass by throughout my day to remember not to get huffy and puffy and caught up in the hustle and bustle of my own plans but to keep God’s plans as my focus. It would look beautiful with little tea light candles on it’s shelves.

These are neat too!

You just peel them off and stick them on any bare wall that needs a little sprucing up.

The home decor section at Berean is filled with many beautiful accessories that would make great gifts this Christmas… Clocks, paintings, welcome signs, candles, plates, throws, tree ornaments, the list goes on and on.

And, I know… I know. All these gifts have been for women.

Berean has a huge selection of gifts for everyone…. particularly books. I won’t even begin to attempt to list ALL the books that would make great gifts… there are soooooo many, but I will mention a couple that newly caught my eye on this visit.

This is an excellent book for any man. I think it’s great for women to read as well, to understand men. I’ve read it myself and I loved it. Kind of a weird gift for a woman though. Just give it to a man, and then his wife can sneak away with it and read it too.

Here’s the latest and greatest DVD for the kiddos, just released this past November 2009. It has a silly little message that helps convey the truth about who St. Nicholas was and how that relates to who Santa Claus is.

This is a huge floor puzzle with large pieces for little hands just learning to put puzzles together, that also teaches the ABC’s, and has Noah’s Ark at it’s center. Berean has tons of toys, games, and books for kids of all ages…. so many in fact that it’s hard to decide which ones to buy.

This is a great new CD for the teenage crowd with a little sampling of songs from all of their favorite Christian artists.

The boys will like this new CD from Skillet.

The girls will like this new CD from Francesca Battistelli.

Now this is something I already have and LOVE! This is a Chronological Bible. I recommend it for the well trained Bible student who has been reading and studying the Bible for years.  This Bible offers a new understanding and perspective by taking every single original passage found in the New King James Bible and organizing them into Chronological order.

So for example, when you are reading about the life of David in the book of 2 Samuel, there are Psalms that David wrote mixed in with it.  When you are reading the gospels, instead of being divided into Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four books are mixed and spliced together in chronological order.

It’s a really neat new way to understand the timeline of events and comparisons between passages that get overlooked in the original bible when the relating passages are spaced so far away from each other.

I also love this new bible. It’s called the Notetakers Bible. It’s beautifully bound on the outside. This one is the Men’s Edition.

Inside it’s laid out with wide, lined, margins on every page so that you can take and keep notes right inside your Bible.

This is a great gift for that person in your life who is always taking notes in Church or who loves to journal along with their Bible study.

Can you imagine what a treasure this kind of Bible would be years down the road to a son, daughter, or grandchild after it has been well used and written in by a parent or grandparent through their years of Bible study. Whoever you give it to can use it to create their own little Bible commentary that can be passed on to loved ones for generations.

This is the Women’s Edition of the Notetakers Bible. I’m pretty sure the only difference between the Men’s and Women’s Editions is the difference in the cover artwork. Both are beautifully bound and would make great gifts.

Here’s one more bible that caught my attention and could be given to someone who already loves the bible and could take away something from this new and very different version. I’m so interested in American History and understanding our Christian heritage in this nation but to be honest I have a hard time, finding the time to really study both my bible and then separately, American History. This Patriot’s bible offers a chance to get snippets of great moments and quotes from the history of America’s Christian Heritage right along side studying the Bible.

And, if that last suggestion makes you crazy because you believe American Patriotism and God’s Holy Bible have no business coexisting in the same book… you might like this one…. Jesus for President. Looks… thought provoking.

A lot of people have been hit hard by the economy this year and therefore are planning on a very different Christmas than usual. I know in my family that this year’s Christmas spending budget is minuscule compared to how it has been in years past. But the dip in our incomes as Americans has created an opportunity for a lot of us re-prioritize our lives… rethink our debts, reorganize our budgets, and refocus on the things in life that really matter.

This year, consider the small businesses in your area… the spice shops, children’s boutiques, small bookstores, and specialty markets that are also struggling to make ends meet. They don’t have the marketing budgets like huge retail chains who can afford to keep commercials in your face, and their names at the forefront of your shopping mind. Small businesses could use a boost this time of year by you doing some of your Christmas shopping with them.

This year, instead of only going to the mall and spending on highly sought after, high priced labels, consider a store like Berean that offers gifts that will have a lasting impression on someones soul.

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