ABC Verse Memorizers ~ Kid-size! :)

If you haven't had a chance to sign up for my Kids Book GIVEAWAY, please join the fun! (Click here for more information). You have until Tuesday, November 30th to enter. I'd love to hear from you! :)


As many of you know, this past January 1, 2009 ~ a large group of men, women, and children all across the United States accepted my challenge to memorize 26 new verses in 2009 ~ ABC style. (For more details on how my ABC Verse idea started, click here)

Monday night I was at church getting ready for Bible Study. I ran into two little friends in the hall who are fellow ABC Memorizers. Of course, they wanted to know when I was going to send out the "U" verse. I tried to explain about my past computer troubles, but I don't think they were buying my excuse! :)

So then I asked, "Are you guys ready for U?". Oh me of little faith! Are they ready?? You betcha!! The two little girls know ALL of the verses A through T by heart.

I couldn't resist having them come to Bible Study with me! After checking with their mom, my two young friends stood before the 70+ ladies of our group. The girls thought it would be fun if we "tested" them by picking a letter of the Alphabet, and then they would say the verse. The first letter picked was "J".

Here are my two friends getting ready to share John 14:6. Jesus answered, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Of course they knew it perfectly!!

So cute! Then I asked them to share their favorite verses with us. The younger sister said her favorite was the letter N verse ~ Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness (Psalm 115:1). Here she is sharing it proudly below...

Her big sister's favorite verse is the "M" verse ~ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer (Psalm 19:14). Here she is saying it below...word for word...

So precious!!! What an encouragement the two girls were to me (and to our Bible study!!)!! If they can do, so can we, right??!! :)

If you are interested in accepting the ABC Challenge, it's not too late! Start anytime! Just grab some index cards or a little binder and join us!! You can learn more about ABC Challenge here!

And if you've been participating in the Challenge since January, can you believe we are at the "U" and "V" verses already?? Keep up the great work!! You're almost to the finish line. Woo Hoo!!

Here are the two new verses....

U - Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16:24

V - Victory rests with the Lord. Proverbs 21:31b

Time spent memorizing God's Word is never wastest time! Whether you choose to follow the ABC plan or another way, may I encourage you to pick one verse before you close this post that you can commit to memory. (Do you have your verse??) Now grab an index card, write it out, carry it with you wherever you go, and say it aloud often!! Let's allow God to transform our minds!! Woo Hoo! :)

Happy Memorizing!!

P.S. What verse are you currently memorizing or has been impactful to you (in case someone is looking for a verse to memorize)?? Share with us please!! :)

Kids Book Review and GIVEAWAY :)

I love books! As a little girl growing up in Indiana, one of my weekly highlights was a visit from the Bookmobile. Even now, there is barely a day that I don't end up in a local bookstore! My girlfriends even stop by the bookstore if they need to find me! :)

I also love kids!! During my life "b4k" (before four kids), I served as the Children's Ministry Director at a megachurch here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I had the privilege of overseeing a ministry that served 2700+ kids. I loved it!! One of my favorite parts was hanging out with the kids, as well as thinking of new and creative ways to teach them the foundational Truths of Scripture. It was a dream job!

So, imagine my delight when Zonderkidz asked me to review some kids books on my blog! I was thrilled! What an awesome opportunity to combine 3 of my passions (God + kids + books!) Yippee!! :)

And the best part of all....the two books I am reviewing, God is with Me through the Day, and God is with Me through the Night..are books I would highly recommend. Woo Hoo!!

From the minute I opened the box, I had a feeling these were going to be good books! I barely had the books in my hand, when my two girls were in awe! The cover and pictures are very kid-friendly, and captivated my young audience (Amanda is 6, Sarah is 5). The girls were immediately hooked!

We sat down and read the books, and I'm not kidding, I had tears in my eyes. I won't give away everything (you'll have to read the books yourself), but I love when the monkey says, "I say out loud, I AM LOVED!", and the tiger follows with, "I roar like a tiger, "I AM SAFE!". What awesome Truths I so desire for my kids to know to the depths of their innermost being. I am loved! I am safe! (And a great reminder for me to say aloud too!)

Having read about 1 billion books to my children (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not much), I love it when a really great kids book comes along. Especially one that I don't mind reading over and over again. God is with Me through the Day and God is with Me through the Night both definitely fit the bill! And good thing, because we've read these books daily for the past 3 weeks!!

I also loved what the author of these two delightful books, Julie Cantrell had to say. Julie shares on her blog....

If there’s one thing I want everyone to know – it’s that they’re loved and that they’re never alone. If these books share that message with even one child a day, then I am very blessed.

Awesome, huh?! :) If you are looking for a book for your little one (ages 4-7, I'd suggest), grandchildren, or need a great Christmas present, I would highly recommend these books. Take it from a girl that knows my books, you won't be disappointed!

The dear folks at Zonderkidz have provided me with a set of these beautiful books to GIVEAWAY. (Don't worry, Manda & Sarah, I'm not giving yours away!) If you have little ones or know any little ones you’d like to share these books with, please leave me comment. I will pick the winner on November 30, 2009. Woo Hoo!! :)

Blessings to you and Happy Reading!!

P.S. You might also enjoy the author Julie’s blogsite: http://juliecantrell.wordpress.com/. Julie has a fabulous website with tons of fun family ideas and activities. My favorite idea so far has been playing the "Where is Mr. Turkey?" game. Check it out! :)

P.S.S. A huge THANK YOU to Julie and Zonderkidz for the beautiful copies to review. We are grateful! :)

The Gift

Thursday night I had the opportunity to share my testimony at a beautiful, holiday women's ministry event at Calvary Church called "the Gift".

The church was set up like an authentic fair-trade marketplace. There were beautiful baskets and cards, clothing and pottery, jewelry and so much more...all items supporting artistians from around the world who depend on their craft for survival. It was amazing!

And then I had the chance to tell my story. I shared how God took me from a life of insecurity and defeat, delievered me from addiction and pain, and filled me with purpose and hope and joy.

It was particularly significant and emotional to have the chance to share at Calvary church. This was the church that I began attending right after I became a Christian 13 years ago. This was the church that my fiance David and I attended on our very first date. And this was the church where we held David's funeral, after he was very tragically killed in 1998, five months before our wedding.

I haven't been back to Calvary since 1999. Only God could orchestrate the opportunity for me to return (exactly 10 years later) and share of His faithfulness and unconditional, unfailing love. Only God!! :)

I love how the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:15, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!" The Gift of Jesus Christ!!! Yes, thanks be to God!!

Have you received "The Gift"? Are you experiencing the freedom and joy that comes from surrendering your life to Jesus and letting Him lead and guide you??

Take it from one who tried to do life "my way". Nothing in this life compares to the peace and joy from journeying with Jesus. He is the best "Gift" of all!!

Let's pray....Oh Lord, thank You for Jesus. Thank You for the life, hope, freedom, and peace that we can have in Him. I pray that if anyone reading this post has not received "The Gift" of Jesus, that today would be the day that he/she would turn to You. Thank You for Your love.

In Jesus Powerful Name I pray..... Amen!

P.S. I am so excited for some great GIVEAWAY opportunities I'll have on my blog over the next few weeks! AMAZING!! Perfect right before the holidays!! Woo Hoo!

Release and Receive

What a crazy, long week last week turned out to be!

I have two special speaking engagements this week (in addition to Monday night Bible Study), and spent the beginning of last week studying, praying, and preparing. I felt really good about the progress I was making, so I decided to spend last Wednesday cleaning, doing laundry, raking leaves. etc...

I was so full of joy ~ serving my family ~ eagerly anticipating what God has planned for my engagements this week. Everything was perfect ~ my family was healthy, I was healthy, the sun was shining, my house was clean, my deadlines were on target...ahh...life was good!!

And then I received a hallmark card through my e-mail. Isn't John sweet, I thought. I proceeded to open the e-mail, only to learn it was a horrible virus that immediately shut down my computer. Ahhh!!

Thursday was spent crying and praying and calling every Geek Squad Mobile out there. I finally found a locally owned company (Nerdswarm), and a very knowledgeable, gracious "computer fixer". Shawn came over late at night to help (I think he could sense my desperation!!) ~ and unfortunately, the virus had really made a huge mess of things. My computer (and all of my projects/work/speaking engagements) needed to leave my house. The stress was almost too much to bear.

To make this long story short, my computer was finally up and completely running on Sunday afternoon. In the mean time, I spent 5 long days anxious, exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed. I tried to pray and trust God. I tried not to think about it. I tried to look on the bright side (fortunately I do have paper copies of most of my work). I thought I was going to develop an ulcer.

My daily devotion from Jesus Calling was perfectly timed, as always. It read...

"...my main work is to clear out debris and clutter, making room for My Spirit to take full possession. Collaborate with Me in this effort be being willing to let go of anything I choose to take away. I know what you need, and I have promised to provide all of that - abundantly!

Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way. I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My Presence. This entails being satisfied with much or with little, accepting either as My will for the moment. Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive. Cultivate this receptive stance by trusting Me in every situation."

If last week was a test, I don't even want to think about the grade I would have received. However, I do know that God worked out every detail perfectly. I was able to contact everyone I needed before Monday. I was able to finish my hand-outs for Tuesday. And I've been able to use my computer all week for my talk tomorrow night. In the big scheme of things, my computer challenge now seems relatively small.

The lesson I learned though is huge. Those two words release and receive have taken on a whole new meaning to me. I want to live with open hands before God, willing to release anything to Him. My computer. My need for control. My addiction to Diet Coke. My anxiety. My fears.

Once I've released any and all things getting in the way of my perfect, love relationship with Him, I want to have open hands to receive. His wisdom. An abundance of grace. His Spirit without limit. Power for witnessing. I want my hands to be wide open and ready to receive ALL that He has for me!!

What about for you?? Is there anything in your life that you are clinging on to?? Clutter or debris that needs to be cleared out??

May I encourage you to stop, place your hands out before you, palms up, (go ahead and do it now) and ask the Lord to release these burdens from you. Don't close your hands up yet! Keep them open and get ready to receive from Him ~ in abundance!! And may God bless you with His Presence and Peace in ever-increasing measure!!



P.S. I highly recommend the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (sorry, my links aren't working yet on my computer or I'd link you there). If you don't own a copy yet, put it on your Christmas list. You'll be so grateful you did! :)