December 2011
2 posts
Have Yourself a {Mary} Little Christmas –... →
We’ve journeyed through the life of Christ alongside three very important women … Mary, His mother; Mary, of Bethany; and Mary, of Magdala. And we’ve learned four keys to having a Mary Christmas:…
10 Tips for a Meaningful Christmas →
Christmas is less than a week away. Based on the Facebook status updates racing through my feed, the theme of these last few days is RUSH.
Rush to buy.
Rush to wrap.
Rush to bake.
November 2011
5 posts
10 Things We Introduced to Our Exchange Student in... →
We are having a great time with our sweet exchange student! November brought the opportunity to introduce her to several new foods and experiences. This is definitely one of my favorite parts of…
Giving {Living} Beyond →
For most of us, this week will be filled with food and family, traditions and even some shopping.
But for millions around the world – and even many in our communities – this Thursday will not be a…
Beat Holiday Chaos: 4 Ideas for Staying Focused →
Less than a week until Thanksgiving … just over a month until Christmas. Perhaps your calendar looks a little bit like mine … c.r.a.z.y.
But, before the mayhem begins, I’d like to share…
When Songs Heal {and Giveaway Winner} →
Congrats to sweet Eryn {@MamaHall} who won the $50 gift certificate from Dayspring!! I’ll email you with the code! Thanks to all who entered!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once a…
Relevant, Element, and Rest →
It was amazing. I cherish every moment of the time I spent with friends … and learning, so much learning.
Sure I learned about blogging basics with this incredible woman and listened as
October 2011
26 posts
{Joy Day 31} The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ →
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Philippians 4:23
Oh Lord, thank You for the gift of Your grace. Today, I pray for an open ear to hear the whispers of Your love. I…
{Joy Day 30} God Will Supply Every Need →
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Greet every saint in Christ…
{Joy Day 29} Share My Troubles →
my first mentor group … my best friends
Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left…
{Joy Day 28} To Be Content →
image via pinterest
I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I…
{Joy} 31 Days in Philippians … An Index →
Here’s a listing of the 31 Days of Joy: a journey through philippians posts.
Grace and Peace {Philippians 1:1-2}
Making My Prayer with Joy {Philippians 1:3-6}
…
{Joy Day 24} Stand Firm in the Lord →
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in…
{Joy Day 23} Let Us Hold True →
Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join…
{Joy Day 21} By Any Means Possible →
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the…
{Joy Day 20} Counted as Loss for the Sake of... →
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I…
{Joy Day 19} Under the Law Blameless →
Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people…
{Joy Day 18} Put No Confidence in the Flesh →
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ…
{Joy Day 16} Receive Him in the Lord with All Joy →
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all…
{Joy Day 15} Genuinely Concerned for Your Welfare →
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by the news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare….
{Joy Day 14} Holding Fast to the Word of Life →
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you…
{Joy Day 12} Jesus Christ Is Lord →
Today is a little different. As you read the passage from Philippians today, I encourage you to make it your prayer. Pray for the mind of Christ Jesus and praise Him that He is Lord.
Have this mind
{I Am Pink} Going Pink Locally →
On November 11, it will be 30 years since my grandmother died from breast cancer. I was barely ten. My mom was 27. My grandmother was 55, ten years younger than her oldest daughter, my…
{Joy Day 11} Count Others More Significant →
Nursing Home Visit
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the…
The Heart and Soul of Breast Cancer Awareness {I... →
It’s October … leaves-changing, football-playing, sweater-wearing, autumn-arriving October. I love it all!
But mixed in with all the harvest happenings and pigskin rivalries, October brings pink ……
{Joy Day 9} Standing Firm in One Spirit →
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one…
{Joy Day 8} Joy in the Faith →
I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I…
{Joy Day 6} Christ Is Proclaimed →
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim…
{Joy Day 5} More Bold to Speak →
{I’m very excited to share that Joyful Journey: 28 Days in Philippians is now available for the Kindle and Kindle apps. Same price of $2.99 as the PDF option.}
I want you to…
{Joy Day 4} The Fruit of Righteousness →
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so, be pure and blameless for the day of…
{Joy Day 3} Partakers of Grace →
It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and…
{Joy Day 2} Making my Prayer with Joy →
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until…
{Joy Day 1} Grace and Peace →
Welcome to my first ever 31 Days series. We’ll be spending just a few moments every day journeying through the Book of Philippians. I’ll share some verses, a thought or two, and a prayer. My…
{Weekend Challenge} The Power of Touch →
While I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about the dotMOM conference interspersed in posts around here for quite some time, this is the last of my recaps. And I’m ending with an author I truly…
September 2011
21 posts
Joyful Journey →
Looking for a Bible study to do on your own or with a group? Here’s my latest …
She fears God and nothing else! →
Great post by @KathyHHoward on Scripture Dig today! This P31 series has been amazing.
Easily Distracted →
{First, my apologies … yesterday I had intended to share another Swede Home Alabama post about our experiences as a host family. Obviously, that did not happen. Life happened instead! }
I…
Let Down the Nets →
The final session of .MOM was Priscilla Shirer … and she was fantabulous! Using Luke 5:1-11 as her text, Priscilla shared how Peter had left his boat after a disappointing and…
Beautifully Devastating →
Angie Smith is amazing. When she spoke last year at a conference I attended, I was moved beyond words. Giving expression to the depths of despair and the heights of hope, she reminds us to trust…
3 tags
{Weekend Challenge} Learn! →
I’m headed to the .MOM conference this weekend in Birmingham … and I am quite excited! Some of my favorite speakers will be there … Angie Smith and Vicki Courtney. There are so many breakouts
{Top Ten} Books to Encourage a Weary Heart →
It’s no secret around here that I love my Kindle … I mean, I really love my Kindle. So much so that I have convinced several others to get Kindles just because I rave about mine so much.
But …
{Weekend Challenge} Choose Joy! →
Each week my beautiful friend Lisa-Jo, hosts Five Minute Friday on her blog … a challenge for us as writers to forget perfection and just write. I have to admit, I love this idea in theory but…
{SwedeHomeAlabama} The Adventure Begins →
Let’s see, last Wednesday I left you with this picture as we waited in the airport:
And the “Blogger of the Year” award will certainly be mine as a result of the amazing pictures I got…
Laying Ourselves Down {The Discipline of... →
Beginning a look at how submission affects our parenting … some tough questions.
{Top Ten} Lessons from Wearing Heelys →
“Shoes with skates? Seriously? That’s a concussion waiting to happen!”
Probably my exact words the first time my daughter mentioned Heelys. {And the second, third, fortieth times as well.} But,…
We Will Remember →
Ten years ago today I was with my entire family – parents, brothers, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews – at “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
We were on our second day at Magic Kingdom and…
4 tags
“We will remember, we will remember, we will remember the works of Your hands...”
– We Will Remember
{Weekend Challenge} Remember and Give Thanks →
With the tenth anniversary of 9/11 upon us, this seems a good time to remind ourselves of the sovereignty of God … and in that, His faithfulness and mercy and provision.
This weekend, I challenge…
5 tags
“The sorrows of life have themselves been the source of life’s enlargement...”
– Streams in the Desert {Sept. 8}