Monthly Archives: March 2016

Giving Our Kids God’s Word {Giveaway}

I love when our children embrace God’s Word. When they start to recognize the importance of understanding the stories contained within in a real way.

Karlena has had a “Baby Bible” now for a few years, but hasn’t had an actual Bible with the full text inside. She can’t read yet but very soon she will be reading on her own and I hope that she will learn to find God’s Word as a source of knowledge and comfort.

When this Bible arrived at our door Karlena was so excited. The bright colors and pictures on the front and throughout remind you of a Disney movie! In fact one friend asked if it was a Disney Bible!

It is a NIrV edition, so it is an “easy reader” for children, with easier text for them to understand. Elijah asked me to read them some verses so since we were close to Easter I opened it to Matthew so that I could read portions of the crucifixion story.

Some of our favorite pages in the Bible were these insert pages.

There was the Lord’s Prayer, the ABC’s of accepting Christ and the books of the Bible. I read one review that stated she wished there had been more of those pages throughout and I agree. Those were the pages Karlena kept turning to herself!

At church this past Sunday our Pastor talked about Peter. And while all of the passages he read were familiar to me, hearing it again brought new life and new meaning to who he was.

I think that is why we need to continue to encourage our kids to read God’s Word over and over. The meaning, our understanding, of the stories change over time. As we grow in our faith we can start to apply the principles to our own lives.

In 30+ years I want my kids to nod in agreement at a familiar story and at the same time see it all in a new light.

Do you have a favorite children’s Bible for kids in this 6-10 age group? I’d love to hear about it!!

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The Under the Sea Holy Bible, NIrV is a perfect gift for children ages 6 to 10. Themes of underwater fun and sparkling fish grace the interior of this wonderful children’s Bible. The outside is covered in foil and sparkle. The interior has color inserts featuring whimsical underwater scenes with themes of God’s care and love for each of us and all of creation.

Learn More: http://www.zondervan.com/under-the-sea-holy-bible-nirv

I was sent the Under the Sea Bible as a free gift in exchange for my honest review. In addition the wonderful people at #FlyByPromotions have another copy to send to one of my wonderful readers! Do you have a child between the ages of 6-10 that would love this Bible?! Leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on Friday April 1st!

Searching for Answers – Wildflower DVD Giveaway

Wildflower DVD

There is a large part of my childhood that I don’t have any memories of. I know that we took a special family vacation every summer, I remember playing kick-the-can at night in the summer with our neighbor friends, riding bikes around and around the circle and going to the pool for family swim. But the majority of my most vivid memories are ones that felt significant to me. Things that shaped the way that I have processed life even as an adult.

Being embarrassed in first grade because I got a huge black eye when I fell and hit the bike rack at school. Sadness at not being good enough to be invited to the boy-girl party that was the talk of 6th grade. Disappointment when I didn’t get picked for the cheer leading team…

Many of the things I do remember seemed to reinforce the idea that I didn’t measure up. I wasn’t good enough. I have been processing through that a lot lately, trying to determine what was truth and what were lies. And I have been praying that I would remember more.

There are things locked up inside of me, that likely hold a key to why I am the way I am. Why I think the way I do, and react the way I do. It is frustrating when you are seeking for understanding and yet God isn’t revealing the lost memories.

Aren’t we all in some way searching for answers about who we are?

In the new movie Wildflower, Chloe is a young girl who also has a “lost” past. She starts to have dreams that seem to be a premonition to a future event that might take place…until she discovers that it is a long locked away memory of something she witnessed as a young girl.

Desperate for answers she seeks help from a young man who is struggling himself. Together they discover hope in finding answers and freedom from darkness in their past.

I enjoyed this movie and the reminder that we are not ever alone. Sometimes the path to finding freedom is a difficult one, but God is present through it all and the healing and hope that comes from the process are worth the difficult journey.

You can pre-order Wildflower over at Amazon, or watch the trailer here.

I was given a copy of the movie to review from Icon Media in exchange for my honest review. And as an added bonus they sent me an additional DVD that I can give away to one of my readers! It isn’t even available to purchase until April 5th – so this is an advance copy!

So for a chance to win the DVD please just leave a comment below! I will pick a winner on Thursday the 24th and have the winner’s copy in the mail on Friday!

Shining Light in the Corners

We have a vacuum with a light on the front of it. It feels all fancy-like really and my only complaint is that when I switch over to use the hose, the light goes off. There have been times I wish I still had the light on when I use the hose, but that’s not what I am here to talk to you about today.

My vacuum and I have become fast friends. It sits out in my kitchen because I use it almost every day. No I am not completely OCD, but we have this dog. Now at the risk of offending my true pet-loving friends can I just take a moment and admit that the reality of pets in my home is waaaay less appealing that the original idea of having pets.

There, I’ve said it. I am a horrible person I know, but I just am realizing that I am not a great dog owner. I am tolerating her for the sake of my husband and kids. My husband said she is a good lesson in me not giving up on something that is hard. I resent him just a bit for the truth in that statement. 😉

But this dog of ours sheds 352,000 pounds of fur approximately every other day. It doesn’t matter what we do…she sheds, it is her breed. I thought she might only shed after winter, but no she sheds every waking moment.

Thus the need for the vacuum out and available.

I can’t stand dog hair in clumps all over my kitchen, on my rugs, the sides of my couch…I am drowning in fur balls…but that really wasn’t what I came here to talk to you about today.

I was vacuuming the other day and my handy light on the front was revealing hair in places that I hadn’t seen without the light. If you came into my kitchen right now you might look at the floor and think it is fine…but with the light of the vacuum the true reality is revealed.

And I was struck by the idea that is just how sin is in my life.

I can pretty myself up just enough so that I look clean to those I come in contact with. And just like when I walk through my kitchen, I stop and deal with the visible chunks and then I think things are just fine.

But when you shine a light on the edges and the corners of the room, the reality of the “dirt” is revealed. And it isn’t pretty.

Sin that I try to hide and ignore, while it may be tucked away in the corners of my life and not completely visible to others, is still there and at some point it needs to be taken care of.

I have been a “stuffer” for the majority of my life. I get hurt, feel slighted, feel angry, whatever and instead of dealing with it, I stuff it away. I easily get resentful and then I allow those resentments to fester. Pretty soon I have made a mountain out of a mole hill…and it keeps going until I explode.

You can only stuff emotions away so long….at some point everything comes to the surface.

And so last fall I got angry and said some terrible, hurtful things to my husband. Something needed to change and it needed to start with me. It was a hard season, one that I went into kicking and screaming, if we are being honest.

I didn’t want to deal with my issues, I had gotten so good at pointing out the wrong in others I had been unable and unwilling to look inward. But with the help of a wonderful Christian counselor I started to examine my life. My responses, my feelings, my anger and what caused it.

I didn’t want to be the woman, the wife and mother that didn’t have it all together. It hurt admitting my faults. I was humiliated by who I had become.

Thankfully I had people in my life who loved me in spite of me. I joined a bible study of women that I felt compelled to be honest with. They accepted me and encouraged me. The need for perfection started to fall away as I realized that I was ok not being ok.

I can honestly say it has been an amazing work of the Holy Spirit in my life. There has been a transformation in my heart, in my mind. Things that would upset me before can be let go. I am not holding resentments but rather extending grace to others in a way it has been given to me.

There is still “dirt” in my life. It will always be a walk of progress not perfection. But I am not walking covered in shame anymore either. I have a desire to be more transparent, if anything maybe my admission will allow someone else to seek out freedom in their own life as well.

Today I am not afraid of the light shining in the corners of my life. I may not like what I find there, and I might need to do some heart work to make things clean again…but even though the work is hard, the joys that come from that kind of freedom-work are immeasurable.

Are there areas you need to address today so that you can walk in freedom?

Photo Credit: williamnyk