Category Archives: Reviews

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Are You Blogging?

I get asked on a regular basis about blogging or about how to set up a blog.

There is some really good free information out there for those just getting started as well as for those who want to earn some money with their blog.

For those who are interested in making money with their blog, I always give them this link to Income Blogging Guide In fact I just sent that link to a friend last week.

I know, Joel, one of the authors of this free Income Blogging Guide.  I’ve been blogging here at Confidence And Joy for a little over a year.  I owe a great deal of gratitude to Joel for all his personal help with site.  You are looking at some of his handy work.

Joel is very blog savvy and this guide is a great tool, not only for those who want to earn some extra money with their blog, but also for those who are just getting started in the blogging arena.

Particularly helpful is their step-by-step guide, with images, of  ‘must-have’ plugin that you need to install on your blog, plus the necessary tweaks for those plugins.

If you’re blogging at all, just Click Here and get this free guide.

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Christian Gifts – Review

Lots of Christian Gifts From NestEntertainment.com

hollyThe holidays are right around the corner.  And, if you’re like me, there are some people on my list that I like to give gifts that have a Christian theme or message.  I found a site that has a whole lot to choose from at some really good prices.  it’s called, NestEntertainment.com

They carry Christian Books, Christian Videos, Christian Music, Christian Toys & Games, and, a lots more. Actually they have a huge selection of items to choose from.

From Their Web Site

NEST Family Entertainment is your one-stop shop for the best in Christian entertainment! When you’re in the market for wholesome, pre-screened Christian books, music, videos, and more we do the work for you.

From best selling Christian books to chart topping Christian music and award winning Christian videos, NestEntertainment.com offers the best in inspirational resources. We are committed to producing and distributing the highest quality, media products that educate and entertain children of all ages.

If you’re searching for any book, video, music or other Christian product not found on our site, please call us or drop us a note. You ask, we deliver.

Specials And Lots Of Fun Stuff!

I noticed that have several pages of specials, and if you like, you can get someone a gift certificate.  But, again, what stood out to me was the huge variety of items – they even have Veggie Tales Bible covers!veggie-bible-coverSo, if you are thinking about getting someone on your list something with a Christian theme, do check out their site. Whether it’s an adult or a child you’re shopping for, they have plenty to choose from.  They also offer free shipping for orders over $59.

Click the banner below to get to NestEntertainment.com And, please to feel free to leave a comment, especially if you purchase some items from them.

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A Very Krafty Review

Craft Kits From KraftyKid.Com

As I mentioned in the last review, in these economic times, we are all trying to save some money wherever we can. The holidays are coming up soon and something fun and inexpensive that you can do with your kids is to make things?  And, oh boy, what a relief;  it’s a break from all the electronic technology!

A Christian Business

I looked at KraftyKid.com web site and saw that they are a Christian business. They do Craft Kits for kids of all ages – delivered monthly to your mailbox! No more time wasted planning your craft activities!

Here’s what I found on their web site:

Our Mission:
Our mission is to help families spend more time together engaging in craft activities that are fun, educational, and easy. We do this by providing affordable arts and craft kits directly to your door with easy to read instructions.

Fun and Easy Crafts, LLC. (dba KraftyKid.com) Our Mission:
Our mission is to help families spend more time together engaging in craft activities that are fun, educational, and easy. We do this by providing affordable arts and craft kits directly to your door with easy to read instructions.

Each kit come prepackaged with clear and easy to read instructions, precut pieces, and embellishments. The appropriate age for these product is 3 years (with parent supervision) and up. Many of our kits, as well as our free craft idea section, are suitable for all ages.

Secure and Safe Payments:
All payments are secure through our payment processing agent.  We are hacker safe and members of the Better Business Bureau so you can rest assure that your payment will be kept in strict confidence. You can also order via mail by printing our craft kits order form and mailing it to our location.

Click the banner below to get to KraftyKid.com and check it out.  You will probably find something you like, as they really have a large selection of craft kits.  Then enjoy spending some time with your kids.

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Greeting Cards – Review

Boxed Greeting Cards From DaySpring

When was the last time you bought a greeting card?  They are priced anywhere from $2.95 to $4.95. The last card I bought cost $3.95. It takes time and gas to go to the store, plus the time it takes you to actually find a card that you like.

In these economic times, we are all trying to save some money wherever we can. Why not save time and order your cards from a name you trust, and save yourself a lot of money too?

Send a Real Card! dayspring-2

I have received and sent plenty of DaySpring greeting cards via email.  Maybe you have too.  But, when an email card just won’t do, and you want to send a real card, you can simply order a box of DaySpring cards, and save a lot of money.

Their prices range from $4.99 to $9.99 for a box of 12.  That’s a huge savings!

If you like to send out Christian themed cards, DaySpring has a lot to choose from.  Whether it’s a birthday, an anniversary, a thank you, or get well, (and lots more) they offer a really great selection.  They even have seasonal Christian cards, blank cards, and song cards too.

On Sale!

I spent some time on their web site, looking at their cards. I saw that right now they have some sales going on, including Christmas cards.  One box of 48 assorted cards was on sale for $7.49.
dayspring-1
Yes, of course they have tons of other Christian items, but I was only interested in the cards.  In these economic times, we are all trying to save money.  But you can still send a card to those you love, and save a lot of money with cards from DaySpring.

Click the banner below and browse around.  And, if you do decide to purchase some cards from them, come back to this post and leave us a comment.

Christian Greeting Cards from DaySpring

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Back To School – Review

Alpha Omega Publications Home School Products

You probably know someone involved one way or another with “homeschooling.”  I do as well. There are many dedicated and hardworking parents who have chosen this option for their children.  It takes commitment. school-son-dad

There are a number of places to get supplies for homeschooling.  I recently checked out Alpha Omega One of their two offices is right here in Arizona, in Chandler, which is a suburb of Phoenix. The other is in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

I Called Them Up

I called up Alpha Omega in Chandler and talked to Nancy for awhile.  Very nice lady. Alpha Omega Publications has been around for over 30 years helping families by offering them quality educational materials that promote Christian values. They have provided thousands of families with exceptional, Christian home school curriculum, learning resources, and educational services.

They offer innovative and time-tested homeschool curriculum such as Switched-On Schoolhouse®, LIFEPAC®, Horizons, and The Weaver Curriculum®. Here’s a quote from their web site:

Confused about which homeschool curriculum to buy? Feel free to look around and check out our affordable homeschool curriculum options for PreK-12th grade. We’re here to serve you, and we look forward to making your homeschooling enriching and enjoyable.

Helpful Even If You’re Not Homeschooling

school-mom-daughterNancy also pointed out to me that even if you’re not homeschooling, but a student needs some additional help, they have individual subject courses that are available. Or, you can also check into their tutoring service.

On their web site, they offer some free resources to help you.  Some of that information could be  really helpful for someone who might be thinking about starting homeschooling.  They can also help you to find local homeschooling support groups in your area.

If you are involved in homeschooling, or, just starting out, check out Alpha Omega Just click the banner below.  By the way, they have a sale on right now.

And, if you have comments about Alpha Omega, or about homeschooling, we would love to hear what you have to say.  Type your comments in below.

12% Off All Preschool -12th Grade Curriculum

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Christian Merchandise – Review

ChristianGear.com

Has this ever happened to you?  You want to buy some kind of Christian item for yourself or someone else, but you can’t find what you want on the item.hat-3-16

Yesterday I told my wife Kathy about a web site I found called,  Christian Gear. When I told her what you can do on that site, she said, “You don’t know how many times I’ve tried to buy something for someone and the item just didn’t have exactly what I wanted on it.”  Has that ever happened to you?

I too have been in Christian gift shops looking for a T-shirt, or a mug, or something for someone and more often than not, I just could not find what I was really looking for.  The item didn’t have the verse I wanted on it, or, I didn’t like the picture, or the art work.  Well, now you can design it yourself, online.  I did. I’ll tell you about that in a minute.

One Of The Largest

Christian Gear. is one of the largest producers of custom made Christian merchandise on the internet. They do their own in house embroidery, screen printing, glassware printing and banners! Fast, quality merchandise with no middle man.mug

They carry over 600 gift items such Christian apparel, hip Christian t-shirts, Christian shirts, fun Christian items, religious stuff, religious apparel, religious merchandise, hats and cups and lots more.

With millions upon millions of customers going to their website and having an almost unlimited supply of custom products, Christian Gear is fast becoming the largest online source for Christian and Religious merchandise.

Their Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide the easiest way for Christians to buy merchandise on the web. We think the Internet ought to be fun and that shopping should be as fast and convenient as shopping for anything else on the Internet. We are making a personal commitment to every customer that Christian Gear will be the best source for all of their Christian needs.

What They Promise

  • They promise that you will discover the largest selection of Christian merchandise available anywhere.
  • The best customer service in the industry.
  • You will receive your order lightening fast.
  • You will get the best value offered anywhere, guaranteed.
  • They have more Christian Inventory then anybody

But One Thing Is Missing

I spent quite a bit of time looking around on their site, and the one thing I didn’t like was that they don’t promote their “Design Your Own” features in a big way on their Home page.  Wow, this feature is very cool! You can design your own Christian gifts, clothing and lots more!  And it is so easy.

I actually designed a T-shirt with text and a picture imported from my files, in less than five minutes!  Pick the color; pick the text; type the text; import a picture if you want; position everything and you’re done.  Then you pick the size and quantity.  It is really that simple.

Now obviously, if your quantity is more, the price is lower, but I just picked “one.”  The price was under $25 and that was for a T-shirt that had exactly what I wanted on it, and in the color I wanted.

I tried to copy/paste my final design, so I could show it to you here on the blog, but I couldn’t. But just to give you an idea, here is what I designed:  A light blue T-shirt, with the following text and picture.

More Than A
Conqueror
CatAndMirror

I’m not trying to go on and on about it, but for me to get exactly what I wanted, it was really cool.  Yes, of course they have tons of items that you can buy, but they really ought to promote this part of their site a lot more.  To find that feature, just look on the left side bar for Design Your Own Christian Gifts, Clothing & More!

Click the banner below to get to Christian Gear And, please to feel free to leave a comment, especially if you decide to design something;  let us know what you did.

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Christian Dating Service – Review

Christian Cafe

Over the years I have seen many people who want a lasting relationship struggle to meet other Christians. Sometimes after trying over a period of time they get discouraged.  I found a Christian dating service called, ChristianCafe.com

No, I’m not looking to date someone; my wife and I have been on a date for over 38 years now.  But I decided to review this service, compare it to other services, and then share what I found out with you.

I actually found comparisons with both eHarmony and BigChurch right on their site.  I was impressed with the differences.

I thought one of the best parts about ChristianCafe.com was not just their free trial, but the benefits you get from their free trial.  I’ll tell you about that in a minute, but first let me tell you what they say about themselves.

What They Say

The premier Christian singles site. A comfortable relaxing online Cafe where Christian singles connect with one other. Whether you’re looking for a companion, a date, or a soul mate, ChristianCafe.com is the place for you!

By comparison, ChristianCafe.com is a service only for Christian singles. These singles have faith as a priority in their life and are only seeking someone who shares their religious beliefs.

Profiles

ChristianCafe.com dating profiles are centered around a persons faith. For example, there is a short answer question, ‘Describe your Christian faith. Where are you at and what are your goals? What Scripture verses are important to you?’. Likewise, when searching for matches on ChristianCafe.com , one can select from the standard criteria, but also from items such as level of Christian faith, level of church involvement, and denomination. This type of focus is not available on a secular dating site like eHarmony.

The service eHarmony sends matches based on a personality survey filled out when joining the service; eHarmony members can only communicate with (and view the profiles of) those that are sent to them as matches.

You Have Full Control Over The Search

By comparison, ChristianCafe.com allows its members full control in searching for potential matches, providing over over 20 search criteria in helping them find their match. This way singles can search all profiles on ChristianCafe.com and decide themselves whether there could be a connection. members can contact these people right away as the service provides a free 10 day trial that includes the ability to communicate with other members. 

Meet Christian Singles Now

ChristianCafe.com allows singles to get started right away. Christian singles can fill out a profile and start communicating with other Christian singles immediately – and free! (during the free trial period). eHarmony requires filling out an extensive personality profile which could take up to an hour, and then users must wait for new matches to be sent to them. Even then, users have to pay to even see photos of their matches, let alone being able to contact them.

I also found that there testimonials go back to January of 2002, so they have been helping people get together for over 7 years. 

Free Trial

But I still think the best part is the free trial offer. The site says that with a free trial you can profile and browse thousands of profiles of other Christian singles. Their free trial includes a lot, including, posting a profile and communicating with other singles using email, winks or quick messaging.  The free trial includes access to send and read email; have full search capability; view full size photos; and view ‘Who’s Online’ and, communicate with them.

I think this is perhaps their best selling point.  Someone can try it for free and see all that they have to offer and use it and see if it is indeed the service they are looking for.

Check It Out Yourself

If this is a service that you have been looking for, then go to the site and check it out for yourself; just Click Here

If you do decide to use the service, please let us know about it; if you like it or not.  Come back to this post and type a comment below.

And, if you have any comments about Christian dating services, please put them below.  Let us know what you know or have experienced.

Meet Christian Singles!

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Internet Filtering – Review

Christian-Net  The Family Internet

Our first computer was in the living room, next to the dinning room table. Paula was in high school and Mike was 11.  It was 1995.

We had no Internet.  For email we used a very long telephone cord so that we could utilize Juno’s free email service.  The kids begged me to “get online.” Eventually we did get Internet service. By that time Paula was in college and Mike was in high school.

We all know that the computer is a very useful tool.  The Internet can give us access to information that can be helpful and beneficial, like this site for example!

But we also know that there is a lot of crap out there and it’s only a click away.  And lets face it, kids can get curious. At times friends can talk other friends in doing something that they shouldn’t.

Now there is Christian-Net

I found this service online.  They provide “Internet Filtering & Accountability.”  But in looking at all they have to offer, I discovered something that makes this service worth looking into.

It is designed for families.  The service lets you set up separate profiles for each family member.  I’ve never had any content filters or time restraints on my computer.  But the biggest complaint I have heard is that content filters can block sites that are not harmful, depending on the filtering level you pick.  But the problem is one level; one size fits all.

Christian-Net lets you have different levels for different family members and that can certainly put mom and dad at ease.

Some Of Their Features:

Multiple profiles for greater control.

Gone are the days of trying to cope with “One Size Fits All” filtering. Our filter can be customized to give each person in your family a completely different level of filtering, based on your preferences.

Detailed web usage reports.

Find out what your kids are viewing online, or send reports of your own access to an accountability partner. With Christian-Net it’s easy to send reports via email on a Daily, Weekly, or Monthly basis.

Time-based controls.

Want to restrict the time your kids can spend online? It’s easy with our new time controls!

Use on up-to 5 computers.

Does your family have more than one computer? You can use Christian-Net on up-to five computers without paying any additional license fees.

Application & protocol blocking.

Not only can you choose from over 20 categories to block, you can also block Internet-based applications and protocols, such as instant messengers, file sharing, VOIP, newsgroups, and chat.

If you’re looking for a product that can help you keep your family or small organization safe online, Christian-Net Home Edition is the solution for you. Our filter can be customized to not only block pornography, but any number of categories of undesirable content. It also features detailed web access reports that can be sent to the email address of your choice.

With our subscription-based pricing, your filter is always up-to-date, blocking most new pornographic web sites the day they come out. Your subscription to Christian-Net Home Edition also includes free product support via email and telephone. Additionally, you may install our software on up-to five computers at no additional charge.

I was surprised that the price is so low – $4.95.  And they do offer you a free 10 trial.

If you think this is something that might work for your household, and give you a little more peace of mind, go their site and check it out, and then get their free 10 day trial. To go to Christian-Net, Click Here.

If you do get this service, please come back to this post and leave a comment.  Tell us if you like it, how it’s working for your family, if you recommend it to others, etc.

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Who Moved My Cheese?

(Coming very soon: “This Is My Story.” It’s a very personal article about my life – the good times, and, the not so good times – the ups and the downs.  I am planning on posting it this week.)

I Recommend…

Who Moved My Cheese?

Most people don’t like change; we like our comfort zone.  But in the last twelve months there has been a lot of change.

“Who Moved My Cheese?” is a short but powerful book about change.  The funny little characters in the story are faced with unexpected change.  The lessons on how to deal with change are quite clear and obvious.

Having confidence in God does not mean ignoring or being oblivious to all that is going around you.  God does expect us to use our brains!  This is a great book about what different people do when something changes.

I’m recommending this book because I really enjoyed it and it is very practical and very timely for today’s changing world.

For information on purchasing “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, M.D. click below.  It will take you to the lowest price on Amazon.

And it you have read it, leave some of your comments about the book.

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Host Gator Web Hosting

I Recommend…

Host Gator Web Hosting

Web hosting is something that you need if you are going to have a web site on the Internet.  It is a service that “hosts” your site.  That simply means that all the files that are on your web site are on a hosting company’s server so that anyone can access your site on the Internet.

From time to time people ask me, “What’s a good web hosting company?” There are a lot of companies to choose from and they can differ in prices by considerable amounts. When you go to their web hosting site they will tell you all the things that they offer.

Over the years i have done business with a number of hosting sites.  For me, Host Gator has been by far the best that I have found.  They are not only hosting this site, but my other sites as well.

Their prices are great, especially for small sites, including blog sites. They are also great for bigger sites, like my membership site, Enriching Your Life Now! Their service has been outstanding.  When you need assistance, you can either call them, or do online chat – I have done both on a number of occasions.

I am sure there are other web hosting sites that do a great job at a great price.  But, from my experience, I highly recommend, Host Gator.

Click the banner below to get to the site and look around.  If you have questions, you can call and talk to them.  And if you find, or if you know of another really good hosting company, then by all means leave us comment below.