Praises of a Wife and Mommy

 I finally decided to let some people decorate my purple cast—but with one very important requirement: you had to add scripture before signing your name . If I was going to carry this thing around, I wanted it full of life-giving encouragement! Plus, as a pastor, getting kids to open their Bibles and pick a verse? Total win-win.  Before anyone else touched it though, I had one big request: I wanted a crown drawn right on top. 👑 Why? Because I’d been thinking a lot about James 1:12 : “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” Thank you Baylee for doing  a great job on the crown!  It was a sweet time—laughs, Bible verses, doodles, and lots of love. But here’s the kicker: silly me, we decorated it on a Saturday and Sunday… and then Monday afternoon the cast came off.  All that beautiful artwork, all that scripture, lasted just a coupl...

About You Are Loved Journal:  In a noisy world where we’re constantly bombarded by negative messages, the  You Are Loved Collection  delivers a much-needed dose of encouragement and soul-affirming messages from God’s heart to yours. Beautiful floral images set the background for the  4x4 Scripture Card Set , featuring affirmations and scriptures from God’s Word for each week of the year. A matching  Scripture Writing Journal  complements the card set, with room to write scriptures and affirmations along with space to reflect and record daily thoughts. Purchase this gift set now for Mother's Day HERE!   I am a mom and I love gifts like this!   Journaling and my quiet time is so vital to a successful day!  It is a discipline but a great one and worth the sacrifice of waking up at 5am to get a good quality time with Jesus!  My Review: I enjoy scripture affirmations and with the notecards and journal you are set!   So far...

  Features of this Bible Include: This Bible is designed for kids aged 4-8 and it has only one column per page and no chapter verse numbers.  The translation is written at a thrid grade reading level.  This was designed to help remove distractions for young readers.  This Bible contains over 750 colored illustrations and included time line and many colored maps.    My Review: I enjoyed the one column per page but I do feel they could have used a bigger font on the page.   The pictures are nice and bright and spread out all over.  It was a bit hard for me to get past not having the numbers by each verse.  It makes sense for those little readers so they are not distracted but yet I must be so custom to it that it confused me not having the numbers.  They do however, have a heading that says what chunk of scriptures is in the paragraph.  However if this Bible is brought to Sunday school or church it could become a bit more frustra...

  Book Description Help him grow into the young man God wants him to be . The freshly-updated  NIV Boys’ Bible  is a full-featured Bible designed to help boys ages 8 to 12 dig deep into God’s Word. Loved by parents for years, this newly redesigned version allows boys to learn amazing new facts, discover inspiring people and stories, and uncover all kinds of stuff they never imagined was in the Bible. Helpful, fun, and often downright astonishing, the  NIV Boys’ Bible  includes unique and meaningful content developed around the needs and interests of growing boys. Features:  Complete text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) translation What’s the Big Deal?  - Need-to-know biblical stories and people Check It Out  - Interesting or funny facts about Bible times and characters Grossology  - Gross and gory stuff in the Bible Makin’ It Real  - Help for applying Bible stories to everyday life Hund...

Here we go again... I got this wonderful and beautiful Bible in the mail and immediately Selah my 12 year old daughter was begging to make it her new Bible.   (She has so many Bibles so I was like I think we need to bless someone else, and now she is mad!)  This art collection bible has some other great features.   You can see some of those great features in the image below.   I really like the the pages of this bible are thicker.  It makes me more likely to take notes in the side margins that are provided because the paper isn't so thin.    Thanks Zondervan for sending me this book for free in exchange for an honest review.  I was not paid for this review and all opinions expressed are 100% my own.  

GIVEAWAY!!!  CLICK BELOW to ENTER! DISCOUNT!!!   Enter " praises" when checking out to save 20%!!!   HOW AWESOME!!   Now you can start covering your kids in God's Word. We choose 10 verse that are short and easier to memorize but are still powerful and essential truths. We used the NIRV ®  translation for this pack, which is targeted for a lower reading level. You may even want this pack for yourself...we won't judge.                                                                  The List: Psalm 136:1   - God's Love Is Forever Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good. His faithful love continues forever. Proverbs 3:5  - Trust In The Lord Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Psalm 56:3  - Don't Be Afraid When...

I found this scripture very encouraging this week.   Habakkuk would have been one of those people who always had a hop in his step and a half full type of personality... in my opinion.  Habakkuk was wise in this moment as he had pure joy even when the Babylonians invaded- he understood that he could lose it all but would still find joy in the Lord.   "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation." What a lesson we all could hear as we are putting our fancy Christmas trees and expensive gifts.   Don't allow these things to distant you from praising and rejoicing our giver of true gifts- Jesus!   It seems that many people think they need the next best thing to find joy- they are chasing material items that leave them unsatisfied.   Habakkuk shows us that no matter we should focus on getting our Joy from God and when we praise and rejoice him even through the tough stuff we can be joyful in knowing our salvatio...

I am going to try to do a better job and putting some of my devotionals up.   I hope they encourage you with your walk with the Lord. So this devo happened through reading a kids Bible with my kids before bed.   It got me thinking more and more so I had to get my Bible out and do a little more reading.   2 Samuel 24:14- "I'm in a desperate situation! David said to Gad, "Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands."  Wow! David screwed up again and had sinned against the Lord.   God gave him three options for the sin and even though David didn't pick any of the three the Lord delivered the consequence- three days of terrible things- death of 70,000 people.  David must have felt a lot of pain and heart ache knowing his sin cause the death of so many people.  David though realized that God would still have mercy and after all of this heart ache David built a new alter.   ...

Life can sometimes get so busy and our attention can be pulled in so many directions. Jesus promises to be with us always so stay focused and listen for him to guide you in every area of your life. God tune our hearts to hear clearly from you

Stop the negative self talk and start believing truths about yourself. God made you, you are loved by God, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you have purpose, you were made for such a time as this, you are royalty, God has a mighty plan for your life! Declare truths over yourself rather then negative self talk.... you are good enough, strong enough because you love and serve a good And loving God.  

The  NIV Holy Bible for Girls, Journal Edition  is the perfect way to apply Scripture to your everyday life. Designed with the thoughtful writer in mind, a whimsical cover and journaling lines inspire reflection in God’s Word. This Bible contains the full text of the bestselling New International Version (NIV) translation.  Features include: Lines on each page for journaling and notes Thick paper perfect for any writing utensil A presentation page for gift giving A “How to Use This Bible” page to get started on the right foot Ribbon marker The complete text of the bestselling New International Version (NIV) My Review: This hard covered Bible has such a fun and beautiful design that caught my daughters attention right away.  As I paged through it I really liked the "How to use This Bible" section!  It is one thing that I try to help kids and adults alike is how to gain confidence with reading their Bibles and allowing God to fully move in th...

It is Christmas week already!!!  I am starting to get excited!   What are some of your Christmas traditions?    One thing I heard on the radio today that had me thinking was think of a gift to give someone that they could never repay you for!   I still have not thought of it yet... praying God would show me this!  

The  Read and Play Baby Bible  offers parents priceless opportunities to cuddle up with their child and enjoy time together learning about God’s Word. With 22 fun stories written just for little ones and activities like tickling bellies and singing along with David and his harp, children will learn that God loves and cares about them. The  Read and Play Baby Bible  fill story time with lots of love, hugs, and kisses. My Review: My children are no longer babies however I really enjoyed this and very happy to that I got this book for free from Zondervan for an exchange of an honest review.  What I really liked about this book is the little things it tells you to do to engage your baby.  I actually did this with my 5 and 9 year old and they were giggling non stop because of the tickles and me calling them my baby.  I am very excited to give this book to someone who is expecting!   I know they will love it! This Bible also had many more stor...

Sometimes you just need everyone to read this... and live it! 

Ready for your first “real” Bible? Great! You’ll love how you can read this Bible all by yourself. The print is easy to read and  The Beginner’s Bible ®art is fun and will help you better understand the stories in the Bible. Features include: Presentation page so you can make this Bible your own. Complete text of the New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) of the Bible—written for kids just like you! Large print is easy to read. 20 full-color pages of  The Beginner’s Bible  illustrations help you better understand the stories. 66 book introductions and outlines explain who wrote each book of the Bible and what you will discover as you read. Dictionary of key Bible words will help you when you come to a word you don’t know. Reading plan of 150 famous Bible stories will give you a great overview of God’s Word. Brand new vibrant, three-dimensional art. My Review: I bet some of you are won...

Written for children ages four to eight, Christmas Love Letters from God cleverly combines both prose and poetry as the story of Jesus’ birth unfolds. The book includes seven stories, beginning with Isaiah’s prophecy and ending with the visit of the wise men. Following each story, the child will find his or her own letter from God, folded into a small envelope attached to the page. Each letter begins with a space in which to write the child’s name, so each one can be specially addressed to the child. Written as if God is speaking, each personalized message gives the young reader a sense of wonder as they discover anew the Christmas holiday and the birth of Jesus. A very special Bible verse, entitled God’s Perfect Promise, also accompanies each story and letter as God’s personal words of love, promise, and hope. My Review: I have reviewed other "Love Letter" books and I adore them.  My kids enjoy having a letter just for them each time.    This version is a goo...

The  NIV Wonders of Creation Holy Bible  explores the wonders of our created world though detailed black-and-white illustrations—each one ready to be filled with the hues of your imagination. From amazing Eden-esque gardens to the creatures God made, this Bible features over 50 ready-to-color pages alongside the full text of the New International Version (NIV) translation. Features include: Beautiful cover with foil makes for a stunning gift Over 50 pages of black-and-white illustrations ready to be colored Key verses called out on each coloring page The full text of the bestselling New International Version translation Presentation page for gift giving Ribbon marker My Review: Grab your colored pencils or fine point markers and get ready for this fun Bible.   How fun it is to have this Bible at church and color while listening to your pastor preach!  Each coloring page has a Bible verse on it and on the opposite side you don't have to worry abo...

The Berenstain Bears Bedtime Devotional is perfect for little cubs settling down for a good night’s sleep. Including a devotion for each day with a reflection, Scripture, and a Bear Prayer for the End of Day from Brother, Sister, and even Honey Bear, these 90 reflections on simple Christian truths such as God loves us, love one another, be courageous and kind, and much more are the peaceful way to end a busy day. Bear Country friends will be featured throughout in simple artwork from the Living Lights brand. My Review: I am highly enjoying reading this devotional every night with my kids on each side of me.   If you read my blog often you know I love the Berenstain Bear book series.    The book is a hard cover book and each devotional is one page.  It is geared for children 4-8 years old however I think older children will enjoy it just as much. My favorite feature is how they end the devotional, a prayer from one of the characters from The Berenstain...

Book Description: What if a child could read his or her own personal mail from God? The NIrV Love Letters from God Bible will invite kids to do just that! This full-text Bible in the New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) is a perfect way to introduce children to God’s Word and his great love. With 80 love letters from God written especially for the reader, children will see Bible stories and themes come to life and learn just how much they are loved by their Creator. Each love letter also contains a very special Bible verse, entitled God’s Wonderful Words to You. Much more than a mere memory verse, each carefully chosen promise will be God’s very own personal words of love, encouragement, and hope, and are highlighted in the text. The love letters will culminate in an invitation for the children to write their own RSVP to God. Features include: 80 personal love letters from God Highlighted Wonderful Words—special verses to remember and cherish 80 prompts encouraging...