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he Randon Number Generator chose comment #9 who is TERESA and will be receiving a copy of Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood
Thank you for all of who submitted for this book drawing. Teresa please leave a comment here by this Wednesday 11:59 PM EST to claim this book, along with your email address. I will e-mail you so you can e-mail me back with your address. Congratulations! 
(new book review & drawing next week!)
P
lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote shared below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.
Next week DEBBIE will be hosting, so please visit her site, Heart Choices on Tuesday. Think and ponder on the quote she has chosen and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to Heart Choices on Tuesday and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.
“To just read the Bible,
attend church,
and avoid “big” sins –
is this passionate,
wholehearted love for God?”~Francois Fenelon,
The Seeking Heart
Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!
Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!
Here are two wonderful Bible study books that I am very excited to share with you, Live Relationally: Lessons from the Women of Genesis and Live Deeply: A Study in the Parables of Jesus. Just at first glance I liked these books because of their simplicity, the layout and bright coloured covers. Each 288 page book is set up as a 10 week Bible study, with 10 chapters and each chapter broken down to five days of study. Each day has these divisions, taking about 20 minutes to complete:
Live Deeply: A Study in the Parables of Jesus helps one dig deeper into the meaning of the parables and uncover their important meaning for our walk with Jesus. Have you ever wondered the real meaning of the Parables? This book will help you to search and understand and apply it to your life.
Live Relationally: Lessons from the Women of Genesis looks at the women of Genesis – Eve, Noah’s Wife, Sarah, Hagar, Lot’s Wife, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, Dinah, Tamar and Potipher’s Wife. These women have experienced what women in our day have as well; death, marriage, divorce, rape and family tragedies.
These books were written by two women, Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose, with the intentions of these Bible study books to be for women. These are ideal for women to use individually and/or for Bible study groups and do not need to necessarily be age segregaged. I also believe, as a homeschool mom, these would be ideal to use for older highschool children. Of course, Live Relationally: Lessons from the Women of Genesis would be better suited for girls, but Live Deeply: A Study in the Parables of Jesus would be fine for either boys or girls.
These Bible Study books use the inductive Bible study method and are endorsed by Kay Arthur and Ruth Graham Bell. There are two other books in this Fresh Life Bible Study Series, Live Intimately: Lessons from the Upper Room
“We’re not necessarilydoubtingthat God will do the best for us;we are wondering howpainfulthe best will turn out to be.”
~ C.S. Lewis
Yes, I’ve wondered many times why life is often so painful, not just in my life, but all around me. I’ve often said to my husband “I can’t go through this again . . . I would never make it” . . . but what if . . . what if God says He wants another one of my children early . . . or a grandchild someday? I had similar fears when my husband was so sick in the spring.
I’ve often asked God why . . . but I’ve seen Him use the painful times that hit rock bottom for His glory. I’ve seen Him use the darkest ashes for His full beauty. I know that there will be souls in heaven because the deaths of my two children. MaryBeth Chapman (wife of Steven Curtis Chapman) who lost their daughter just over a year ago in an accident in their driveway wrote, “Maybe life gets hard at times so we just stop for a moment and realize we are not home yet. Our eternal home awaits us! Good news for the weary!“ For me, as I think of the deepest painful times, it’s not the end. Eternity is around the corner. If pain means bring more to Christ, for us to shine more for Jesus, then I can say with the song writer, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, one glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase. . .”
Some close friends of ours have gone through very rough financial times. They nearly lost their home, but at the last minute the mortgage company offered to remortgage their house for $30,000 less than they owed, with no penalties. Before this, they were anticipating to get a job as camp directors at a very large camp in Michigan. They were sure they were going to get it as it fit them in every way, and it would have included a house to live in. But the job was never offered to them. The house got remortgaged which was a blessing they had not anticipated. It was not something they were “looking” for and they were disappointed in not getting the job. Then the puzzle pieces were put together. Last week they found out that the camp they wanted to work at was closing. Not only would they have lost a job, they would not have had a place to live. It would have all been gone. It was a painful time they went through, and it’s still hard, financially, but they see that the painful time was worth it, to prevent even harder times now. God knew . . . . He had all the puzzle pieces lined up ready to put in place as they allowed Him.
But He knows the way I take:
When He has tried me,
I shall come forth as gold.
~ Job 23:10
That process of coming forth as gold is painful and we don’t know how hot the fires will have to be until the process is finished. But I see glimpses of eternity through it, and even through the tears, we cannot lose our focus. God’s there and He truly wants the best for us.
This week we have a new guest hostess, Jennifer who shared the quote at the top of this post and is writing on it on her blog, Scraps and Snippets. Be sure to visit her site and the links to the other women who have shared on this quote. Then come back here on Friday, for next Tuesday’s new quote for In ‘Other’ Words. Be blessed.
T
here is probably a mom in your life (maybe even you) that needs some encouragement. Possibly a mom who has three young preschool aged children, or the mom who has a teenager in driver’s education. Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood
“After a hard day, there’s just no better comfort food than a chocolate chip cookie warm from the oven. Or two. Or ten. Slice and bake was a wicked enough temptation, but now Satan himself has created those giant tubes of pre-mixed cookie dough. They’re straight from the Fire and Brimstone Bakery. Every day I say, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” And he does. It’s call cellulite.”
The author, Deborah Coty, a mother of two, looks for joy and refreshment in the things of every day life as a mom, from the ups and downs of marriage, teenagers, depression, the horror of embarrassing children, self-control, making positive memories, dealing with sleep deprivation, aging, self-worth, etc. Though it’s said with humor, it’s realistic, and gives a new outlook in how to look at life, and possibly change things.
It’s tempting to pray for elimination of the nuisances and obstacles in our lives, but we must realize that the creek would never dance if God removed the rocks. It helps to remember I Peter 1:6-7 “.
Instead of giving a frazzled mom a chocolate bar, Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood
“They’re [children] my weapons of defense against depression, isolation and boredom. They give me joy and purpose that no one else can. And best of all, they mirror my heavenly Father’s unconditional love for me, no matter how many mother mistakes I make.”
Mom Needs Chocolate: Hugs, Humor and Hope for Surviving Motherhood is a delightful book offering daily chocolate nuggets to encourage moms to make their faith a priority even as they travel through the normal joys and trials of being a mom.
Would you like a copy?!?!?! I have one copy to give away! For one entry, just leave a short funny story or quote relating about your children. For two entries, write your story or quote on your blog (or Facebook Note or CafeMom Journal) AND about this book drawing with a link back here & leave the link to your post below. For two additional entries do the same and Twitter about it, with a link back here. You can use this short link too: http://tiny.cc/MomChocolate This drawing will end on SUNDAY night, July 5th @ 11:59 p.m. EST and winner announced on MONDAY here on my blog. You must claim your book on my blog, so be sure to come back!
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he Randon Number Generator chose comment #7 who is Christine, from CafeMom and will be receiving a copy of Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner by Wendy Blight.
Thank you for all of who submitted for this book drawing. Christine please leave a comment here by this Wednesday 11:59 PM EST to claim this book, along with your email address. I will e-mail you so you can e-mail me back with your address. Congratulations!
(new book review & drawing coming up shortly!)
“There was a time when [you fill in] defined my life and left me physically void, cocooned in a prison of fear. It stole my every hope and dream. But God’s love and His Word set my heart free. I learned that within the confines of God’s story, nothing had been stolen from me, rather everything was given to me. My life, which felt so out of control, was in reality in complete control – God’s control.”
~ Wendy Blight
Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God’s Story
The above paragraph really struck me when I first read it. The author’s “blank” above was something none of us would want to go through nor would want anyone we know go through. But we all have our dark corners, that can control our lives, take our joy and smother us. I could put numerous different words in the blank: rejection, sorrow, two children’s deaths, etc. Yet, reading on, what hope we have, that indeed, nothing was stolen from me. No, my children were not stolen from me . . . I have hope to see Angela & Matthew again, and I know because of their untimely deaths, others have come to know Jesus. No, I’ve not had control over my daughter, Jessica’s health, but I’ve seen God orchestrate her well being beyond what I could ever imagine!
Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God’s Story
“Satan took every opportunity to return me to a place of vulnerability and weakness. He knew fear paralyzed me and left me ineffective as a wife, as a mother, and as a friend. Even more significant and more pleasing to him, I was ineffective to God.”
I don’t know the fear of such violence and being alone. But I know the fear of letting children drive away in their car (or worse yet, a motorcycle), going away to camp, or to college. What if a deer runs in front of him? What if “games” are played at camp that took my son’s life? What if my daughter who is on coumadin gets hit in the head by a volleyball? What if . . . and Satan continues to tear away my (our) joys and those around us.
Wendy shares her testimony of forgiveness, healing and major transforming by grace because of the power of God and His Word. She does not want the focus to be “rape” but what God can do with the dark corners in your life and how you can find your hidden joy.
I want desperately for you to believe that God has a redemptive plan for your life and that no one and nothing can take that from you. No circumstance is too difficult and no choice too reprehensible, and no pain too deep for God to redeem. Before my rape occurred, God had set into motion His plan to heal and restore my broken heart. His only requirement was that I take the first step. I had to surrender my brokenness, my sorrow, my anger, and my pain and place it fully in His hands. When I took that step and sought Him for my answers, His redemptive plan immediately began to play out in my life.
In the back of this 206 page book is a “Guide for Reflection and Study” which would be ideal for group studies. From Chapter One, “Valley of Weeping” here is the first question for thought . . .
1. Do you currently have a loss, a hurt or trial that is burdening your heart?
a. How does this burden currently affect your life?
b. Have you tried to deal with this issue through means other than God?”
The author also has a blog andhas an on line group going through her book and sharing about the questions in this section. I invite you to read Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner
And I am giving away my copy to one of my readers. Just leaving a comment ABOVE enters you. If you write on your blog, in a Facebook note, CafeMom journal, or “someplace” on the internet about the quote and this book give-way AND leave a comment with the link below, you will be entered two times. (Maximum two entries per person.) Entering for this drawing ends on Sunday, June 28 at 11:59 EST and you must return here and leave a note with the announcement along with your e-mail address to claim the book.
Be sure to read the comments below and visit the others who are participating in this In Other Words quote and learn what has defined their lives that God has worked and remolded them. Come back here on Friday for the new In Other Words quote and announcement of who will be hosting it. If you would like to refer others to this post, here is a shorter link: http://tiny.cc/hiddenjoy
From Fiction to Real Life,
Author Changes Orphans’ Lives with Education
Author Tom Davis and Children’s HopeChest sponsor the
Scared $1 Million Education Fund and Writing Contest
I shall live in hope of getting what I seek another day. ~ Swazi proverb
The number one need in Swaziland, Africa, is not what you think. It’s true: Swazi people face the realities of poverty and disease and have great, pressing needs which must be met. But meeting these needs alone will not give children what they need to overcome their circumstances and to change their world—this can only happen through education.
In his new release, Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World
Adanna’s life story could be a blueprint for any of the thousands of Swazi kids Davis has met and worked with as CEO of Children’s HopeChest — a global orphan care organization. These children are brimming with potential, but lack even a shred of opportunity.
Beyond meeting basic, practical needs, the mission and passion of Children’s HopeChest is to provide orphaned children the tools they need to become independent adults and mature people who can impact their communities and culture. One of the best paths for reaching this goal is education. With that in mind, Davis and Children’s HopeChest have developed the Scared $1 Million Education Fund and Writing Contest.
The writing contest will be launched with the release of Scared
How the Writing Contest Works
– Children will submit their writing pieces (maximum of one per category). Submission deadline is September 1, 2009.
– A panel made up of Swazi teachers and HopeChest Carepoint staff will judge all entries and select the top ten from each category.
– The top ten finalists in each category will be posted on the Scared website, www.scaredthebook.com, December 1, 2009. People around the world are invited to log in and cast a vote for their favorites in each category.
– Winners will be announced March 2010.
For more information about the contest, visit www.scaredthebook.com
Click here to watch the Scared book trailer!
For a limited time, the PDF version of the book is available for download if you tell three of your friends about the book. Click here for details!
Tw
enty-Four years ago today, my husband and I said “I do” in a small chappel with just five witnesses – two of our friends, the pastor & his wife, and God. It’s not always been “happily ever after” during these past twenty-four years. We’ve had our ups and downs through numerous job losses, burying two children, three miscarried babies, but many celebrations of life – 11 children brought into our home and celebrating so many of their firsts from the first step, first tooth, first words read to now, almost four graduations. We’ve celebrated children’s decisions to follow Jesus personally and baptisms. We’ve had to learn how to love, forgive, love more, and forgive more. We’ve not finished learning this yet.
We’ve said good-bye through death to close friends and grandparents together. We’ve struggled through churches together, home churched, given up on church and back to church. God never gave up on us! We’ve gone through three open heart surgeries with one daughter, numerous trips to ER for broken bones, stitches, fevers and two boys in a serious truck accident. We’ve stood by each other through surgeries, births, and uncertain test results. We’ve homeschooled all along, learning along with our children, sometimes wishing the yellow bus would take them to schoool but quickly realizing their hearts are more important than our temporary insanity. We’ve made three houses our homes, decorating in country blues in 80’s, Victorian mauves in the 90’s to sage green and tans the last 9 years (I am ready for change again). We’ve gone from carpet to laminate flooring. We’ve built garages, barns, decks and sheds, torn down walls and built new ones. We’ve had more dogs and cats I can count along with chickens, goats, sheep, and rabbits. We’ve planted gardens, fruit trees and flower beds. We’ve gone from a Buick Regal (our first car), to a Mazda 326 we brought our first baby home in, to station wagons, Suburban, ten, twelve and 15 passenger vans and numerous mini-vans. We’ve rarely gone to the movie theatre, but have gone to many auctions and garage sales, seeing how God has supplied both needs and wants in unbelieveable ways (such as a new large double pane window for our living room for $15 that would have cost us over $500 new.)
We’ve wept together. We’ve rejoiced together. We’ve had times of not liking each other with almost unbearable pain ~ realizing our love was stronger.
So, here we are 24 years later and despite the ups and downs, still learning, growing, forgiving and loving, and saying, “I do”. 
I
if you or someone you know is struggling with a personal relationship with God, finding it hard to believe God can truly love you and want you no matter what you have gone through, done or have thought about, this easy reading book is for you.
“ Too many of us live with a distorted perspective of God . . . This distorted perspective also affects how we see ourselves. We look in the mirror, and and instead of seeing one loved and forgiven by God, created in His image, empowered to influence the world for Him, we see something else. We see images from the past.”
Eyes Wide Open: See and Live the Real You
by Jud Wilhite
This is not a psychological book of feel good messages, but of simpleness brought from truths of God’s Word. The author, Jud Wihite, serves as the senior pastor of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. In Eyes Wide Open
“The Bible teaches that the world and universe are not about us. They’re about God. They’re about His fame, His glory, His power, and might. Understanding this, and then living in it, becomes one of the most challenging lessons we can learn, but it frees us to live with great joy and surrender in the moment.”
Eyes Wide Open
Part 1: Wide Open To God
Part 2: Wide Open To Identity
Part 3: Wide Open To Change
Part 4: Wide Open To Influence
In addition to Eyes Wide Open
I personally recommend this book, and give it 4 stars out of 5. Some of this review quoted by permission from Random House who has given me this opportunity to read and blog on this book.
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