It doesn’t seem like it’s time for Halloween just yet. I still can’t believe that summer is over. We are already making Thanksgiving and Christmas plans! Wasn’t that just last month or something?
We always have trouble deciding when to carve our pumpkins. The girls are always chompin’ at the bit to get them done, but knowing that they go bad so quickly I like to hold off as long as possible. This year we carved them not too far into October. Just as expected, they began to go bad that same week. But we still have the memories!
Here’s a peek into our fun. Each one of us picked out our favorite design. In the beginning I was really ambitious. Picking out intricate things that looked cool.
That didn’t last long.
Meet what was supposed to be Olaf. Yeah, not so much. I ran out of room for his eyes so they ended up way far apart. And his nose? Kinda looks like a piece of candy corn on steroids..
But I will say this. He looked much better in the dark!
Addie loved her pumpkin anyway!
This is Britton’s kitty cat. Was probably the easiest one that I did. And get this, I didn’t even use a pattern. I’m like a pumpkin-carving ninja.
She adored her kitty. She did not enjoy getting the goop out of the inside. 🙂
This is my pumpkin. All by hand again. I know, I know. I need to have my own pumpkin-carving reality show. This flower was easy. And just a tad simple, but it was cute!
Here’s my pumpkin. I had just carved 3 of them so I was poooooooped.
Hubby did a fantastic job on his John 3:16 pumpkin. It was seriously representin’ when lit!
He was so proud. He should be! And by the way, he’s such a hottie isn’t he?!
I’m throwing this one in there for you. It’s what happens when the hubby takes the pictures. He snaps a billion of them creating a cartoon like strip of photos where you look both stupid and hilarious at the same time.
What about you? Did you carve pumpkins early on or do you wait?
I’m really not that old. However, when I start to think about high school and middle school, I’m reminded of how long ago that really was. I had a lot of fun during those years. I made some of my life-long friends then. That’s even when I met my husband! Some friends would come and some would go, but the true ones always stuck around. I remember our sleepovers, football games, and talking on the phone for hours.
A real phone, by the way.
We weren’t lucky enough to have cell phones then. Our phones had cords or ranges of 200 feet. It was a good way for our moms to keep tabs on us come to think of it! We definitely couldn’t go very far.
I also remember that those years were very hard. There was a lot of pressure to fit in and to be considered “popular” was an achievement. A girl’s identity begins to form around this time. So many changes take place and things seem really intense. Everything is intense. Feelings, thoughts, words. It’s a pivotal time in a girl’s life.
When I was 11, my parents got divorced. It was by far, one of the most devastating experiences of my life. It came at the worst possible time for my self-esteem. I felt lost. My dad wasn’t around anymore like I was used to. The world’s influences spoke so loudly. I didn’t go to church anymore. I began to look for my value in the approval of others.
I had no idea that the One and only approval necessary had already been granted to me.
Young women need so badly to understand their worth. They need to know that beyond the social pressures, expectations, and cliques, that God is doing a marvelous work within their lives. He has a plan and a purpose for every single one. He also sees each one as beautiful.
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. – Matthew 10:31
I got the opportunity to read the book Free To Be Me by Stasi Eldredge recently. Can I just tell you that this book is everything I needed to hear when I was letting the world tell me how it is. Stasi does an incredible job of using her past hurts and mistakes to really speak truth into young women’s lives. Even as a grown woman, I found lots points that I could use reminders of.
This book is for teenagers and would be a perfect gift for a daughter or niece. Any girl that you know really. I will saving this book for both of my daughters to read when it comes time. Such a fantastic resource that I only wish I had when I was that age.
This giveaway will end on Monday, November 4th at 12:00am CT. The winner will then be chosen at random by Rafflecopter. I will contact the winner on November 4th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them in 24 hours, I will name a new winner. This giveaway is open to those in the US only.
I received a copy of Free To Be Me for the purpose of review by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
The average person consumes 2 bottles of ketchup per year. The average lifespan of a squirrel is 9 years. The average person walks the equivalent of twice around the world in their lifetime. And the average number of times that I tell my children “don’t do that” or “stop that” is approximately 63 times per day. Per child.
Children don’t understand that there are times when they simply can’t do things alone. Recently my 7 year-old decided that she was thirsty. So thirsty that she decided to skip the part about asking for help from a parent and do it herself. Can you see where this is going? Our pitcher of juice is on the very top shelf in our refrigerator. It’s a french door on top and freezer on the bottom so it’s very tall.
She manages to get the pitcher (full of juice) off the shelf. Then as she is slowly walking to her cup, the moving waves inside the pitcher cause her to slop juice all over the floor leaving a juice trail behind. As you would imagine, this is the moment when I walk in the room and see what’s going on. The first words out of my mouth are, “You need to ask for help with that. You can’t do that alone.” And like most mother’s, I added, “Do you understand me?” The first words out her mouth were, “I’m sorry”,
There are just some things that we can’t do. Here are some things that I can’t do:
Change a flat tire
Crochet
Eat raw oysters
Tie a knot in a cherry stem with my tongue
Ice skate
Tell a joke
The list goes on. I’m alright with not being able to do these things. I thought I was really good at ice skating until I busted my bum. That’s all it takes to keep this girl off the ice for a good long while.
Though we’re not helpless children anymore, there are many things that God wants us to see that we cannot do by ourselves.
What about some of the harder things in life? Like overcoming anxiety, depression, or addictions. Forgiveness. Healing. Gaining courage in the midst of fear. Provision through a drought. These may seem completely unattainable and they are. To you. You simply cannot do these things on your own.
But with God you can.
You simply have to trust that He will. Jesus says…
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. – John 15:5
The Bible says that we can do anything through Christ.
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13
As humans, especially type-A humans *ahem*, we can be a little controlling. It’s natural for some more than others. This makes it hard for us to hand the reins of our problems, illnesses, relationships, and addictions over to God.
Sometimes God finds me just like my 7 year-old daughter, mid-pour with juice all over the floor. And I have to say, “I’m sorry God. I should have asked for your help.”
He is waiting. His hands are wide open waiting for your burdens. Whatever it is, He will walk through it with you. He will bring you to a place of peace no matter how bad that situation is. Make your plans, but turn the over to God before you carry them out.
It’s ok to be thirsty. We are ALL thirsty for the Living Water that comes from the Father. Just make sure that before you scale the refrigerator, grab the pitcher, and slosh juice all over the floor on the way to fill up your cup, you ask for help.
The following post is by Gathering Grain on behalf of Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Oh wheeeeeeeere is my hairbrush? Oh wheeeeeeeeere is my hair brush? Oh where oh where oh where oh where oh WHEEEEEEERE…is my hair brush?
Where are my Bowling Green, Kentucky VeggieTales fans at?! This may be my favorite VeggieTales song. They are all so cute. It might be a close second to the cheeseburger song.
So excited to tell y’all about this awesome event at Family Christian Stores coming up on October 31st in Bowling Green, KY!
Here are the details:
When: Friday, October 31st 2014 Where: Bowling Green, KY Family Christian Store- 2425 Scottsville Rd #100 What to do: Dress like a veggie, take a photo in-store, post it to their Twitter and/or Instagram using the hastag #FCVeggies and tagging @FamilyChristian
The grand prize winner will receive a $250 gift card to Family Christian. FIVE runner ups will receive $50 appreciation certificates.
Your child does NOT have to dress like a VeggieTales veggie, just any veggie to qualify. You must have at least ONE child dressed up to enter the contest. And ALL children that stop by during the Dress Like A Veggie Event will receive small goodies!
There is a COUPON! 40% Off Any Regular Price Item. Print this sucker out and take it with you when you dress like a veggie! Or use it online today! I’m already thinking about Christmas gifts so this would be a great way to save on those. Or just something for yourself. I could spend hours in there. Literally.
Coupon can be used at any Family Christian store or online and expires 11/13/14. This event is happening at ALL Family Christian stores nationwide!
Here’s another Christian movie review coming to you thanks to Family Christian!
I’ve talked before about how difficult it can be to find good family movies these days. But I’m so thankful that more and more Christian movies are finally popping up. Not just films with generally good messages and life lessons, either. Films with the message of God’s love are finally hitting the scene. Woohoo!
My husband and I got the opportunity to watch the movie The Current. I was a little concerned with the acting in it at first, but once I looked past that I enjoyed it. The Current is a sorta coming-of-age story that digs into the big question that so many ask, why do bad things happen to good people? It’s about a boy who moves with his family to live on a campground and meets a friend who forever changes his life. There’s a bunch more to it, but I wouldn’t want to give it away.
I found myself both laughing and shedding a tiny tear at this film. And it totally made me want to go camping. Ok, like a teeny tiny bit. Ok, not really much at all. Bugs, ew.
My girls are a little young to understand this one, but if they were older I’d have no problems with them watching this. It had a great message! SO, you want to win a copy of this DVD for yourself?!
The Current DVD Giveaway
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TIP: The more comments that you leave here, the more entries that you will receive!
This giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 21st at 8:59pm CT. The winner will then be chosen at random by And The Winner Is wordpress plugin. I will contact the winner on October 22nd and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them in 24 hours, I will name a new winner. This giveaway is open to those in the US only.
I received a copy of The Current for the purpose of review by Family Christian. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
I had the privilege of attending the 2014 Dove Awards in Nashville, TN this past week. It was beyond what I expected. Many of my favorites were there and some that I heard for the first time. All of which were amazing! The feeling in that arena was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was anointed no doubt. And love for Jesus was felt with each award given and each performance.
One of my absolute favorite worshipers performed and I was just beside myself. Kari Jobe sang Forever. Oh. My. Goodness. So glad I got to be there to hear it live. I love how her love for The Lord shines when she sings.
The Newsboys opened the show with Michael Tait high above the crowd on a platform. He slowly came down and they rocked the house!
The night ended with an amazing performance by For King & Country.
There is so much more here that I couldn’t possibly share. Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) won Worship Song Of The Year which I totally predicted. Ahem, yep. But I won’t give any more of them away. You’ll have to watch them for yourselves!
On TBN TONIGHT October 12th at 7PM PT/9PM CT! I know it’s late for us central timers, but it’s worth it. Bart Millard and Lecrae were hilarious. They really were and they alone are worth watching it for.
It was honestly more than I expected. I’m so blessed to have been able to go thanks to Family Christian!
You are not defined by wearing all of the hottest trends, having the cutest hairstyle, or sporting the latest popular shoes. You are not defined by your outer self. God wants you to shine from the inside by sharing your heart! God says it’s what’s on the inside that counts. People will try to tell you that it’s important to stand out by making yourself unique, when they are only making themselves more like each other. A gentle and quiet spirit speaks volumes over striving for acceptable outward appearances any day.
Your body is simply a vessel carrying the more important spirit inside.
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. – 1 Peter 3:3-4
The world focuses on appearance; hair, make-up, clothes, skin tone, the entire body. They will nit-pick it to the very core. And yet, God looks past those things and straight to your heart. He knows who you really are despite what others may think. And even despite what you may think even about yourself.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16
Your value is completely unrelated to appearance. Period.
2. It’s a temple.
After accepting Jesus Christ, your body is where the Holy Spirit lives. He wants you to take good care of His temple. This means eating healthy, getting proper exercise and rest, and abstaining from physical sin.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Our bodies are already God’s, but offering them fully over to Him as a sacrifice is the ultimate worship to our Creator.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2
3. It’s made just like God’s.
You weren’t made to be just like Selena Gomez or Madonna. You were made in the very image of our amazing Creator. You are so important that God made you with Himself in mind. That’s a pretty awesome blessing! He gave you similar characteristics and the ability to reflect His greatness. You aren’t called to absorb the world’s influences and then reflect that. Your body is a vessel for showing the world God’s character.
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. – Genesis 1: 26-27
4. It’s perfect the way it is.
You were made so perfectly precise the way you are. He put more thought than you can ever imagine into every detail of your body. He knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. Praise God for making you so uniquely you!
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. – Psalm 139:14
Comparison can be a terrible thing when it comes to accepting yourself. The images on TV, in magazines, and all over the internet are nothing but visual representations of physical appearance. They try to set a standard for you that this world wants you to live by. Do NOT fall for this false idea of who you need to be. God made you exactly how He wanted you to be. There is no need to try to be anyone else.
You will always be beautiful to God. He knows and loves you more than anyone else. After all, he DIED for YOU!
5. God cares about your body.
We’ve recognized that the most important part of our being is what is inside, yet we are also called to take good physical care of our bodies. Not because of looks, but because we have to be healthy to carry out the work on earth that God has called us to. It’s obvious that physical fitness is of some importance to God to be mentioned in the scriptures. He wants us to keep our body healthy both physically and spiritually.
Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. – 1 Timothy 4:8
He wants you to enjoy things that you can put into your body, yet…
Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. – Ecclesiastes 3:13
Everything in moderation.
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. – Philippians 4:5
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31
Our bodies belong to God and they were made for a purpose: to worship Him.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. – Romans 12:1
And I finally I want to pray this prayer from Ephesians over my girls so that they understand God’s love and how powerful that it truly is. Pray this over your daughters too!
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:14-21
I have some news that I have been dying to share with you and well, basically I am STOKED. That word doesn’t really do my excitement justice. How about thrilled, exhilarated, enthusiastic, or eager? Ok well if you added all those words together then you’d just about understand my excited about this announcement.
Family Christian is sponsoring me to attend the 2014 Dove Awards! Woo to the hoo! This is so huge and I am beyond blessed to get this opportunity. I keep pinching myself. I LOVE Christian music and so many of the artists in the industry so to get the chance to see some of them perform, be nominated, or win awards is like a dream come true. Eeeeeep I’m so excited just thinking about it!
This years GMA Dove Awards are being hosted by Bart Millard of MercyMe and Lecrae viagra inde acheter. I am looking forward to performances by:
Mandisa
NEWSBOYS
Kari Jobe
Natalie Grant
Ellie Holcomb
for King & Country
And there are TON more. Not to mention that I’m excited to see the following presenters:
Amy Grant
Danny Gokey
JD from Hillsong United
Colton Dixon
Sandi Patty
And hello, there are some incredible nominees, too. And I won’t even go there because there are so many.
So here is some info for YOU. You can follow the Dove Awards for info and happenings here:
I actually have more than this, they are just for Pennywise Cook. It may be time to work on this a little, ya think? These two look so sad.
You can STILL get tickets if you want to go! Grab a ticket here and join me. You just can’t tell anyone about my screaming like a teenage girl when the Newsboys perform. 😉
Thank you SO much to Family Christian for sponsoring me. Beyond blessed is the only way I can describe this. Stay tuned for updates, photos, and news!
We’ve been going through a series at our church the past couple of Sundays about prayer. It has been such an eye opener. Prayer is such an important part of our walk with Jesus. It’s something that I struggle with, if we’re being honest. I worry if I’m doing it right.
Am I saying the right words? Am I praising His name enough? Asking the right questions. Declaring the right promises.
Yada yada, the list goes on. I think too much. My prayers may become more centered around saying it right than the actual reason for praying. Human nature. It can be so superficial sometimes!
Last year I started reading a Max Lucado book during some really tough times in my life. His words really spoke to me. I adore his writing because I can understand it and it’s not boring. Sound silly, but that’s the kinda book that keeps my attention. I loved his writing so much that I read 11 of his books in about a month’s time. Craziness. I know.
Max Lucado has a new book coming out called Before Amen. It’s written about the simple, yet complex topic of prayer. I am so excited to dig into it and get his perspective. It comes out TOMORROW, September 30th and you can order it over at Family Christian. His books always make great gifts because of the blessings that they bring. I know they have for me.
This post was written by me on behalf of Family Christian. All opinions are 100% mine.
The hubby and I sat down the other night to pay a few bills. Try to contain your jealousy of our wild Tuesday night rendezvous. It was just about as awesome as it sounds. We will work on simmering down over here.
I was telling hubby the amount and due date of a certain bill when I came across a disclaimer underneath the total:
There is a 7-day grace period after which all balances will be considered late.
My first thought was why would anyone waste their time paying their bill on the actual due date when you have 7 whole days before it’s considered late?
And then it occurred to me that my bill used the principle of grace. I hear about grace all the time at church, in my music, and in the Bible, but never on a bill. I don’t normally associate business and God both using equal principles, but I could just tell that God wanted me to make this connection that day.
I was caught off guard to be honest. Bills are annoying. I mean. I get tired of forking over money each and every month. But I sorta got this weird sense of peace when I read that part about grace. (I’ve read it before, but you know how God likes to bust out a BAM moment when you least expect it. It’s like reading the Bible more than once and noticing a verse that you never noticed before. It almost jumps out at you)
I started thinking about the grace that God, Himself gives to us. It’s all for absolutely nothing. We aren’t even paying Him monthly! In fact, the very definition of grace is the free and unmerited favor of God.
Just wow.
Favor and blessings given directly to us from the King of Kings who reigns over ALL. No strings attached. It’s just His character. What a mighty God that He is to shower us with favor. Our bill with Him is paid. His son Jesus paid our debt and essentially every single late fee we could ever incur.
For His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. – John 1:16
We are given blessings instead of curses. Love instead of hate. Reward instead of punishment. Strength instead of weakness. Life instead of death.
And that grace period? Yeah, it’s eternal. Never-ending. Never-failing. Forever ours with no late fee.
It doesn’t seem like it’s time for Halloween just yet. I still can’t believe that summer is over. We are already making Thanksgiving and Christmas plans! Wasn’t that just last month or something?
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