Audra Jennings

Super Bowl Champs Talk About Faith in New Book, The Biggest Win The Biggest Win by Joshua Cooley Gives Athletes and Sports Fans an Insider’s Look Into the Lives and Faith of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton, Jordan Hicks and Chris Maragos This past February, the Philadelphia Eagles weaved the football-loving world an incredible tale, culminating with an exciting Super Bowl win against the New England Patriots that has left the city with lingering feelings of pride. But nearly a year earlier, Joshua Cooley, one of the premier Christian sportswriters in the country, was invited to write a freelance story about the faith of a group of NFL players who were playing for more than gridiron glory. Their story, their faith and their desire to glorify God while playing the game they loved turned into a new book that gives sports-minded readers hope and direction for living out their faith while competing. The Biggest Win

Here we are at the almost end of the season. Tonight it's the Men Tell All episode of The Bachelorette . Tonight after what is sure to be an epic waste of two hours that could have been covered in 15 minutes, I have to work on back posting on my blog. I'm a week behind because I haven't posted/scheduled since last Monday night when I posted Tuesday nights blog. Such is life as of late! Oh, and of course, I'm trying to eat dinner as the show starts. I didn't get down as early as I planned. That's nothing new either. There will be a lot of commercials though, so there's that. Just the teasers at the top of the show make me want to skip. I can't handle Jordan. Yes, I am cranky today. I'm just in a cranky mood. Now, we have previews of Bachelor in Paradise with Jordan and Krystal. I will probably try to watch, but I am 95% sure I am not going to spend the next several Mondays and Tuesdays trying to blog about it. In fact, I hope to be able to get m

I was looking through old videos to share because though I have taught a lot recently, I've not gotten new videos. I forgot we'd tried this one. I am surprised I tried it with a small group.  The Plague Song To the tune of “This Old Man” Then God sent, plague number one Turned the Nile into blood.  Chorus: All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low;  Moses told Pharaoh “let them go!” Then God sent, plague number two Jumping frogs all over you. ( Chorus) Then God sent, plague number three Swarms of gnats from head to knee. ( Chorus) Then God sent, plague number four Filthy flies, need we say more? ( Chorus) Then God sent, plague number five All the livestock up and died. ( Chorus) Then God sent, plague number six Boils and sores to make you feel sick. ( Chorus) Then God sent, plague number seven Hail and lightening down from heaven. ( Chorus) Then God sent, plague number eight Locust came and they sure ate.

If you have been missing crafty posts, you're going to have to wait another week or so. I've banned myself from the office for a couple of weekends, but spent my craft time organizing and reorganizing instead of creating.  However, this weekend is a full office weekend. I'm hoping to have a better grip on things soon because I need to let off some creative steam and work on merchandise for the fall. Hopefully, I'll be posting some creative things soon!

  There is Hope After Betrayal Author’s story provides testimony of healing when sexual addiction invades a marriage Seventeen years ago when her husband confessed to years of sexual addiction (SA), author Meg Wilson ’s world seemed to fall apart around her. Her first response was that she wanted a divorce. In the moment, she wanted the pain to end, but God told her to wait. Because she and her husband were willing to work towards change, God was able to restore what was broken. She knows the devastation SA can bring to a marriage, but has come through the other side stronger, and now ministers to other women, offering hope and helping them to do the same. “The world uses the word hope as a dream or wish for something to happen. God’s word is far more potent. It is the certainty of things yet unseen. The fuel of faith ignites our hope. I see every day how finding hope takes a women woman weakened by shame and devastatio

Finding the Gospel in the Old Testament First in a new series of small group studies for teens and young adult uncovers the gospel story in Exodus For many, Sunday school as a child is fondly remembered, with the introduction to the gospel story helped along with large picture books and easy-to-digest stories. Growing older, we made the move to Bibles with fewer pictures and more words and began to find the gospel in the Old Testament as well. However, we may have missed key instruction on how to make that transition. The new Gospel-Centered Life for Students series for teens and young adults will help make the connections clearer. In the first book of the series, The Gospel-Centered Life in Exodus for Students (New Growth Press/July 23, 2018), author Kristen Hatton leads readers in finding and meeting Jesus in unexpected places as well as seeing the pattern of redemption present even in the Old Testament. As they learn the entire Bible is one unfolding story about Jesus, a

For all of you football loving bloggers, out there, I have a book for you! Now available from New Growth Press, The Biggest Win by Joshua Cooley. It's actually a book for all young people in sports. Learn more below. THE BIGGEST WIN Pro Football Players Tackle Faith by Joshua Cooley Foreword by Carson Wentz, Trey Burton, Zack Ertz, Nick Foles, Jordan Hicks, and  Chris Maragos About the book: The Biggest Win  gives athletes and sports fans of all ages a unique, insider’s look into the lives and faith of six Christian NFL players from the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl team—Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton, Jordan Hicks, and Chris Maragos. Through the ups and downs of their experiences, author Joshua Cooley shows how these high-profile athletes remain committed to God’s Word, genuine Christian discipleship, and sharing their faith.  Using their voices and stories,  The Biggest Win  gives sports-minded readers hope and direction for living o

Somewhere along with all my book publicizing and my cut book sorting and hoarding, I've been working on getting the fall scheduled for The Crafty Dad and Daughter . This is why I've really needed to be crafting at night, but pretty much failing. Where can you find us this fall? Check out our line-up! Click on the school name for more information on the event. Click on the address for Google Maps. This year our events spread over 275 miles from North to South and  October 13 ~ 9 AM - 4 PM Flower Mound Marcus High School ( 5707 Morriss Rd, Flower Mound, TX 75028) October 20 ~ 9 AM - 5 PM October 21 ~ 11 AM - 5 PM Arlington Martin High School (4501 W Pleasant Ridge Rd, Arlington, TX 76016) October 27 ~ 9 AM - 5 PM Arlington High School ( 818 W. Park Row, Arlington, TX 76013 ) November 3 ~ 9:30 AM - 4 PM Denton Ryan High School ( 5101 E McKinney St, Denton, TX 76208) November 10 ~ 9 AM - 4 PM Mansfield Summi

Tonight from the previews of The Bachelorette, I can tell you that most of this blog will be pointing out the dumbest things the men say. I didn't order my pizza soon enough, so of course, I am running late even though I planned all day to be ready to go on time. Me and my plans! We join Becca and her men in Thailand. In Shanghai to be exact. I'm going to put all of the stupid statements in quotes because some are just cliche. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ROMANTIC PLACES I HAVE EVER BEEN. #bachelorettebingo Further proof this show is scripted. She roams the streets smelling food, rides a puttputt, She arrrives at the Shangri-la and muses on how she is in love with two men and falling in love with a third. She recaps where she is with each man. In love vs. falling in love. Best friend vs. hot attraction. Who has said, "I love you." The first date of the week is Blake.  When he arrives at his stop, Becca literally jumps him. I HAVE A GREAT DAY PLANNED. The proble

I love some of the faces they make when they are annoyed with me. The expressions in the preview shot are great.

This week's edition of "This Weekend in Craftiness" found me still trying to get books organized and put away. All the finished books have been sorted into "take" and "extra" boxes. I crammed 9 bins of full/ into the closet formerly known as "The Christmas Closet." Then I got to work on finishing other things I have started. Now is the time to get to work on everything else! Stay tuned next week for a post on our fall schedule. Ready to be personalized - I have a print version and a script version.

Humility IS a Virtue  New book calls the church to reclaim humility as the central value of Christian faith and life.  Most people think humility is a good thing to have . . . especially in someone else! But in today’s world of constant sharing, attention-seeking, and yes, prideful behavior, humility seems more out of fashion than ever. Even in our churches, where celebrity pastors build large platforms (to reach the unsaved, of course!), humility has fallen farther down the list of Christian virtues. In his new book,  Rediscovering Humility: Why the Way Up Is Down   (New Growth Press, 2018), Christopher Hutchinson urges the church to place humility—both individually and corporately—back as the central goal of Christian life and the best way we can grow to be more like Jesus. Through compelling critiques, Hutchinson, a long-time pastor and first-time author, shows what happens when the church doesn’t value humility and offers suggestions for how Christians can better practi

  Part 2 of an interview with Rachel Linden, Author of Becoming the Talbot Sisters (Read part 1 of the interview here.) In Becoming the Talbot Sisters (Thomas Nelson), author Rachel Linden hopes to bring a greater awareness to issues important to women around the world and encourage them to live what she describes as “every day brave.” Becoming the Talbot Sisters tells the story of estranged twin sisters who live very different lives on opposite sides of the world but are drawn to rebuild their relationship in support of one another as they face challenges ranging from miscarriages to sexual assault to career woes. The sisters’ stories draw from many aspects of Linden’s own life. In this second half of her interview, Linden delves deeper into the emotional and relational toils that infertility and miscarriage can have on a marriage. Q: An author normally works some of herself into her novel. How much of Becoming the Talbot Sisters reflects your own life?