Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for the month of May is the emerald. And it reminds me of Jesus.

The gorgeous green emerald symbolizes rebirth, reminding us of Jesus’ resurrection as well as our rebirth into God’s family when we come to Christ.

Several healing properties have been mythically associated with the emerald. The one that makes me smile is that gazing upon an emerald soothes the eyes. Well, of course it does. It’s just that beautiful. As is our Lord when we gaze upon Him.

Ancient Greeks and Romans, associated emeralds with Aphrodite/Venus—their goddess of love. Our Heavenly Father—the one true God of love—proved His love by the physical act of becoming human and dying for our sake. In Christian symbolism then, the emerald stands for rebirth in Christ, faith and hope and love.

So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Sort of makes you want to go find an emerald and gaze upon its beauty, doesn’t it?

Happy birthday to everyone born in the month of May.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the extravagant beauty you have spread throughout this world. Thank you for even hiding bits of your glory underneath the surface of the world for us to find and enjoy. Thank you that everything in the universe provides us with an opportunity to thank you and exclaim your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? This is the final post in the Carol’s Gems series. Have you followed the monthly birthstone blogs? Which birthstone most reminds you of Jesus?

The post Carol’s Gems: May – The Emerald first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: May – The Emerald appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for April is the diamond. And it reminds me of Jesus.

Cut Diamond

Have you ever seen a diamond in the rough? It’s not so thrilling. It resembles simple quartz—often dull and full of spots.

Rough Diamond

Sort of like us, before Jesus takes hold of our hearts and cleans us up from the inside out.

The diamond represents faithfulness, love, and purity, which is why the stone is traditionally used in engagement and wedding rings. But in gemstone symbolism, the diamond also symbolizes eternity. As does Jesus.

When shopping for diamonds, buyers are cautioned to always look for the “four Cs.” Those are color, clarity, carat, and cut. By focusing on the four Cs, a buyer can be assured of getting the best quality in this precious stone.

But as Christians, we too have the 4 Cs. They are the cross, Calvary, covenant, and command. And they are more precious than the most precious diamond.

The diamond is also the stone that represents a monarch’s sixtieth anniversary. Remember, Queen Elizabeth’s “Diamond Jubilee” last year? It celebrated her reign as Queen of England for the past 60 years.  There’s a bit of confusion relating to diamonds though, since they represent 60 years for royalty and 75 years for everybody else.

Tomorrow, I turn 60. Fortunately, as an adopted daughter of the King of the Universe, that I’m royalty. It means it’s also my diamond jubilee. I don’t have to wait until I’m 75.

Then again, every day lived under God’s reign is a jubilee!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for adopting us into your family. Thank you for making us royalty in your sight. Thank you that every day lived in your love is a jubilee! Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you know any diamonds in the rough who need some polishing? Is there anyone in your life who sparkles with Jesus’ love?

The post Carol’s Gems: April Birthstone – The Diamond first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: April Birthstone – The Diamond appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for the month of March is aquamarine. And it reminds me of Jesus.

Aquamarine

The word aquamarine means “water of the sea.” Genesis tells us that in the beginning, the Spirit of God hovered over the water. Later, Jesus became the living water. Water itself—in the Christian practice of symbolically proclaiming our faith through baptism by water—points us toward Jesus. All of us need water to live. We need living water for eternal life.

The aquamarine gemstone is believed to enhance divine communication and help us connect with heaven. Spiritual metaphysics notwithstanding, gazing at the cool, clear blue of aquamarine gives a person a sense of well-being. Spending time with God does so even better.

Bloodstone

A secondary birthstone for March is the bloodstone. It is a dark green jasper with bright red spots, caused by iron oxide. Legend tells that this stone was created when Christ’s blood dropped onto green jasper at the foot of the cross.

Happy birthday to everyone born in March.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the beauty of this world and the reminders of you and your glory that are all around us. Please remind us that you have gifted us with prayer for divine communication and that through your blood—our living water, we are washed clean. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Know anyone who needs an aquamarine gemstone?

The post Carol’s Gems: March Aquamarine first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: March Aquamarine appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for the month of February is the amethyst.

Amethyst

And it reminds me of Jesus.

Amethyst is one of my very favorite minerals. This photograph shows the gigantic pile of amethyst sitting in my kitchen window, catching the morning sunlight and casting sparkles about the room.
Amethyst is just quartz—like what you find most everywhere. But as quartz goes, amethyst is the most precious of the varieties of quartz. And the loveliest.

Symbolism of the Amethyst Stone

Amethyst symbolizes heavenly understanding, spiritual contentment, and the unity between mind, body and spirit. Can you say Holy Spirit? God, through the Spirit lives in us—our bodies, its temple.

One of the 12 foundations of heaven is amethyst. Heaven—founded on lovely amethyst—is gonna be amazing in its heavenly beauty!

The Color Purple

Lydia, one of the New Testament women mentioned in Acts had a business selling purple cloth to rich people. Most people couldn’t afford to wear purple, because the die used came from one specific type of clam, found in the Middle East—a costly process to achieve the beautiful purple color.

One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. (Acts 16:14)

Purple cloth eventually became so expensive that in medieval times, no one but royalty wore purple. To this day, purple is considered to be the color of nobility. Jesus, the King of Kings, is most worthy of all to wear the purple color of royalty.

And in fact, he did.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face. (John 19:1-3)

The Science of Purple

Purple is a combination of the colors red and blue. In color symbolism, red is associated with war, blood and judgment. Blue is associated with law and commandment.

Jesus—as God incarnate—represents both judgment and the commandments, made new and made possible through his blood sacrifice.

Purple is the color of Jesus.

Happy birthday to everyone born in February!

PRAYER: Jesus, as the King of Glory, you have the ultimate right to wear the purple robes of majesty. Please remind us that in your creation of the beautiful amethyst, you have hidden a tiny glimpse of the glory waiting for us with you in heaven. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Know anyone who needs to hear about the amethyst?

The post Carol’s Gems: Amethyst, Purple Is The Color Of Jesus first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: Amethyst, Purple Is The Color Of Jesus appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for the month of January
is the garnet. And it reminds me of Jesus.

The term “garnet” refers to a family of minerals. The garnet family
contains gemstones that appear in every color except blue. The
difference is what they are called and what extra minerals they
contain. For example, within the mineral family of “garnet” are
tsavorites (green), hessonite (orange, brown and pink), and rhodolite
(purplish red). When we picture a garnet, however, most of us think of
the deep blood red stone.

Red Garnet

Blood red. The color of Jesus’ blood shed for us. A forever reminder
of His sacrifice for us.

In gemstone symbolism, the garnet signifies eternal friendship and
trust. Such as is found in Jesus, our eternal friend in whom we can
place our trust.

Just like there are star sapphires, there are also star garnets. The
“stars” are produced by a sphere of tiny rods composed of titanium
dioxide. These rods reflect light back out of the garnet and appear to
our eye as a 4 or 6-rayed star that moves across the face of the
gemstone. Star garnets are only found in India and Idaho.

Star? With our celebration of Christmas still fresh in our hearts, it
would be nice to have a star garnet to always light the way to Jesus.

Star Garnet from Americanlisted.com

The garnet is known for its luminosity and high refractive quality.
Because of those qualities, early travelers carried garnets, which
they believed lit up the night and protected a person from evil. Many
extra biblical sources suggest that Noah used a lantern made from
garnet to help him see through the storms while on the ark.

Evidently, the garnet reminded Noah of Jesus, too.

Happy birthday to everyone born in January—especially my super husband
Jim, whose birthday is TODAY!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for placing reminders in this world
of who you are. Please open our eyes to see you in everything today.
Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you own a garnet?

The post Carol’s Gems: Garnets For Jesus first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: Garnets For Jesus appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Each month has a birthstone. The birthstones for the month of December are the blue topaz…

Blue Topaz

and tanzanite.

Tanzanite

And they both remind me of Jesus.

Blue topaz and tanzanite are popular gemstones used often in women’s jewelry. But did you know that nearly all of the two gems found in their natural state begin as dull, brownish stones? In fact, the exquisite tanzanite—found at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 1967 and nowhere else on earth—was not recognized as a gemstone until a wildfire heated some of the brown stones on the ground and turned them the rich purplish blue color we know today. It is heat that did it. And heat is also routinely applied to natural brownish topaz to turn that gemstone blue.

Our souls, too—in their natural state—are dull and brownish; filled with unrepentant sin. We need Jesus to clean us up and make us sparkle.

Scripture tells us that Jesus will make us white as snow. But when you think of laundry back in Grandma’s day, you remember that she added bluing to the white load because blue-white was even whiter than white.

So, too can Jesus clean up our souls so that they are whiter than white.

Sometimes though, he has to do so by allowing us to go through fire.

This third I will put into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
(Zechariah 13:9)

And check this out—scripture that combines both a refiner’s fire AND a laundry reference!

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. (Malachi 3:1-3)

God can transform our drab, brown souls into something that glorifies Him. He can turn them into something that reflects His glory.

I said last month that more than any other birthstones, yellow topaz and citrine best represented their birth month, November—a time for autumn and harvest. But December’s blue topaz and blue/violet tanzanite also nicely reflect their birth month, December. The color we humans most generally associate with baby boys? Blue. Appropriate because during this month of December, we celebrate the human birth of the most precious baby boy in the history of humanity—Jesus Emanuel. God with us.

Happy birthday to everyone born in the month of December.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the sparkling glimpses of your glory found in nature. Please clean us up and make us shine—even if you have to put us through fire. We thank you that you are with us always. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Is there a time you felt you went through fire but came through knowing God had been with you?

The post Carol’s Gems: Blue Topaz And Tanzanite first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: Blue Topaz And Tanzanite appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Please click here to head over to Amazon to purchase the paperback or Kindle edition!

My first book was published. Yay, I am so excited to be able to share this news with you! I was talking to one of my good friends at church yesterday about it, and he pointed out that it’s a pretty big deal to publish a book. I tried to downplay it, but I guess it really is. Lots of people have been asking me for direction on writing a book now so that will be something that I try to share, the knowledge of how this all came together (I’ve written about this process briefly, you can read that post here).  I believe that everyone has at least one book in them, and I would continue to encourage you to explore writing yours when the time is right.

Common Ground… Geology Happens! This book is a series of short, funny stories about God’s wonderful creation, our planet earth and it’s surroundings. It’s dedicated to my mom and dad, and the University of Florida’s Geology Department, where I found lots of answers and quite a few questions too. This book is Geology 101… just for fun! I hope that you will check it out, it’s a perfect coffee table conversation piece, and/or you can read/share it on your Kindle too! Just head on over to Amazon by clicking on the book image.

Thank you again to everyone who reads I’m Just Thinkin’, for your encouragement and support of my writing.

I’m so thankful to our Heavenly Father, the best is yet to come 🙂

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

The post Book Release: Common Ground… Geology Happens! first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Book Release: Common Ground… Geology Happens! appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstones for the month of November are:

Yellow Topaz

and

Citrine

And they both remind me of Jesus.

A Gift From The Sun

Both of these golden gemstones are the color of sunshine. Yellow topaz
is naturally occurring; yet rare. Golden citrine—quartz—is also rare
in its natural state. Most commercial citrine today started out as
purple quartz (amethyst) or smoky quartz and was turned golden by
applying heat.

Ancient Egyptians believed that natural yellow topaz got its color
literally from the sun; or rather from the rays of the sun god, Ra.
Romans similarly affiliated topaz with Jupiter—who was the Roman god
of the sun.

Ecclesiastes tells us though that there is nothing new under the sun.
In other words, there is nothing new down here on earth. Above the
sun, in heaven, is another story because above the sun—as well as in
our hearts—is where Jesus resides. Jesus is not the sun god. He is the
Son of God.

Symbolism

Topaz is a symbol of wisdom, friendship, love, honesty, faithfulness,
tenderness and purity. Sound anything like the fruit of the Spirit?

Citrine is said to bring the wearer health, hope, energy and warmth.
In ancient times, citrine was worn as protection against snakes and
evil thoughts. Instead of pasting together a dozen fig leaves, Adam
and Eve should have encased themselves in citrine!

A gift of citrine is symbolic of hope and strength. Jesus is our only
hope of heaven and our sure strength for all trials.

Harvest

More than any other birthstone, yellow topaz and citrine represent
their month—at least for the Northern Hemisphere. Both gemstones are
the color of harvest—the color of leaves after the first frost-cold
night; of persimmon cookies, pumpkin pie and butternut squash. Both
stones capture the warm glow of autumn and bring sunshine to the first
days of the long winter to come.

As a reminder of harvest, yellow topaz and citrine point to the
eternal harvest Jesus will begin when he returns. That harvest of
souls. The one you and I are so eager to be part of.

Happy birthday to everyone born in November.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank you for seasons. Thank you for the
reminder of the warmth of summer and the coolness of autumn. Thank you
for harvest time on earth that reminds us that those of us who call
upon your name are assured of the eternal harvest to come. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Do you own any yellow topaz or citrine? Want some?

The post Carol’s Gems: Topaz and Citrine – Harvesting Sunshine first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: Topaz and Citrine – Harvesting Sunshine appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

There are two birthstones for the month of October—tourmaline and opal. And they both remind me of Jesus.

Tourmaline

Watermelon Tourmaline

Tourmaline comes in a variety of colors. More interestingly, tourmaline often contains several colors in the same gemstone. The watermelon tourmaline is a great example. It is banded in green, white and pink. In gemstone symbolism, the three colors in watermelon tourmaline bring together compassion and spiritual love. Sounds like Jesus.

Wearing pink tourmaline supposedly brings out a person’s inner child. Since Jesus reminds us that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children (Matthew 19:14), maybe we should wear pink tourmaline every day.

Opal

White Opal

Opals are formed when silica gel seeps into the sedimentary strata and hardens. As a result of this process, opals contain a high amount of water—up to 10% of the total weight of the stone. Thus, opals are both a stone and water—just as Jesus is our cornerstone and is also the living water.

Tourmaline and Opal

What is unique about these stones is that they both frequently display several colors in the same stone. It’s as if each stone contains its own little rainbow—God’s promise to us and to Himself after the flood. That promise was fulfilled through Jesus who came to save us—not just from a flood—but so that we might live with him in heaven.

Happy birthday to everyone born in the month of October.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for creating so much beauty in this world—even in the very building materials that make up this world. Thank you that you have placed these reminders of your glory everywhere. Please open our eyes to see them and open our hearts to see you around us. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Which of these two birthstones do you prefer?

The post Carol’s Gems: Changing Colors first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: Changing Colors appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for September is the sapphire. And it reminds me of Jesus.

The Sapphire is Strong

The diamond is the only mineral harder than the sapphire. I like that fact. It means you can wear sapphires every day, without having to worry about them cracking, being scratched or disintegrating.

We should put on the armor of God each day also. Jesus’ cloak of righteousness is not only beautiful; it is strong and durable, too.

Protection from Evil

According to folklore, the sapphire protects the wearer from evil and grants the wearer peace and joy. Its traditional blue color symbolizes truth, sincerity, and faithfulness, which is one reason women in many countries (remember Princess Diana and later, Kate Middleton?) prefer a sapphire engagement ring.

Jesus protects us from evil and grants us His peace and joy.  Jesus is truth and sincerity and is ever-faithful.

Sapphires Remind Us of Heaven

Medieval clergy wore sapphires to symbolize heaven, while commoners thought the gem attracted heavenly blessings.  The sapphire’s various shades of blue reflect the sky at different times of the day and night—from soft blue to twilight to midnight blue. Some ancient stories claimed our earth sat inside a large blue sapphire heaven.

Sapphires come in other colors than blue, however. In fact, the sapphire and the ruby are both in the same family of minerals—the corundum (see July Carols Gems: Rubies For Jesus ). The existence of additional mineral elements (such as iron, titanium, vanadium, chrome) in corundum, determine its ultimate color. When corundum contains chrome, it is called “ruby.” All other colors of corundum are called “sapphires” and come in white (clear), black, yellow, pink, green, blue, and violet—basically the colors of the rainbow.

Speaking of rainbows…God created them as a reminder to us and to Him of His love for us. One more way sapphires remind me of Jesus.

Happy birthday to everyone born in September.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the great variety and excessive beauty you have filled this world with. Please help us see the beauty around us and be reminded that it is but a small reflection of your glory. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?  What do you love about sapphires? Do you know someone born in September?

The post Carol’s Gems: September’s Sapphire first appeared on I'm Just Thinkin'.

The post Carol’s Gems: September’s Sapphire appeared first on I'm Just Thinkin'.