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Showing posts from April, 2019

Win a copy of Tiffany Bluhm's She Dreams

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Scroll down to enter! For the next two weeks, my blog team will be reviewing She Dreams   by Tiffany Bluhm, published by  Abingdon Press . Learn more about the book, then enter to win a copy of your own. I'm giving away a book at the end of the tour.   About the book: Say yes to the dreams God has planted in your heart.   Every woman was born to dream—to live a life of beauty, passion, adventure, and purpose. No matter how big or how small they are, our dreams push us to become women of courage, grace, and grit. God in His goodness breathes new dreams within our hearts and revives the dreams that have died, inviting us to trust Him as we dream impossible dreams that only He can bring to pass—because God not only gives dreams; He fulfills them. In this six-week study we will look at Moses’ journey to live out the God-sized dream given to him, exposing the ancient wisdom and truth God offers for every woman with a dream beating in her heart. With timely truth

There's a reason why we don't do outdoor events

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Last week I worked on canvases for Derrick Days here in Corsicana this past weekend. I added a new quote from Dr. Seuss into my collection.  This was going to be the only spring event we did since it was home (we're going to try one more this coming weekend). It's the only outdoor event we ever do, and this weekend was a good example as to why. When we unloaded, Dad wasn't going to get out the weights at first. "I don't know if we'll need them," he said. I said that I thought we need some kind of weights. So we got the flat weights. During set up, some of our stuff was blowing terribly bad. Whole displays were falling over. The tent was blowing up. Dad had to go for the cinder blocks.  The booths across the street had to give up on their tents.  Even with the cinder blocks, we were having to zip tie everything in place and hold down the tents in gusts of wind. Dad was about ready to pack it up and go home. We finally had to take the co

We Are One in the Spirit

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Another throwback video until my turn to teach again next week. Yeah, all these kids are definitely taller than me now. We are One in the Spirit By Peter Scholtes Used by permission. CCLI # 1132191 We are one in the Spirit, We are one in the Lord, We are one in the Spirit, We are one in the Lord, And we pray that our unity Will one day be restored, Chorus: And they’ll know we are Christians By our love, by our love, Yes, they’ll know we are Christians, By our love. We will walk with each other, We will walk hand in hand, We will walk with each other, We will walk hand in hand, And together we’ll spread the news That God is in our land… (chorus) We will work with each other, We will work side by side, We will work with each other, We will work side by side. And we’ll guard each man’s dignity And save each man’s pride… (chorus) All praise to the Father From whom all things come, And all praise to Christ Jesus,

And just like that, softball season has come to an end

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After the Mildred Lady Eagles won district, we really believed they would go far in the playoffs. The first round was this week. The bi-district rounded started Wednesday night in Waco. It rained and poured all day long. My parents and I thought there would be no way they could play. I texted Peyton at one point. The game originally was supposed to play at 6:00 (I think). Then, the game got pushed to 7:30 PM. Peyton said that if the rain was supposed to end at 8:00, they might be able to start at 10:00 and get the game in by midnight. I knew that I would have to drive over there, and I hate to drive in the rain. I really thought the rain was over the roads. We decided to play it safe and stay home. I kept checking with Mom and Dad to make sure this was our plan. About 11 PM, I saw a post that they had played and lost. And I saw the picture above. Peyton (on the right) hit her first high school over-the-fence home run, and I missed it. I was so mad at myself. I couldn't bel

Looking for blog reviewers for Between Us Guys

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NOW AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW! Between Us Guys: Life-Changing Conversations for Dads and Sons By Joel Fitzpatrick Click here to request a copy.   By signing up to receive this book, you are agreeing to: 1. Post a review on your blog or website within  30 days  of receiving the book. 2. Post your review on the New Growth Press website as well as other consumer websites (Amazon, GoodReads, etc.) 3. Share your review via your social media accounts. 4. Email your review link to audra@newgrowthpress.com so that we can share your review via our social media accounts as well.  About the book New book provides fathers with tools to have gospel-centered conversations

Becoming a Whole and Holy Mom

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Part 1 of an Interview with Kristin Funston, Author of More for Mom (Watch for part two on May 9.) For working moms, t here are performance pressures at work, home, and mind-sets that affect a mom’s ability to feel complete and live more closely aligned with God. In More for Mom: Living Your Whole and Holy Life (Abingdon Press) , Kristin Funston encourages women to stop believing the lie that more is needed from them and start living with the truth that more is available for them. She sets forth the beginning steps for moms to reset their spiritual and emotional health, habits and relationship with God. With real-life talk, humor and biblical truths, Kristin Funston helps hard working moms to look at each day and each facet of their life to discover what happens when they believe God has more for them than what they think the world needs from them. And what He has available is a whole and holy life, just waiting to be claimed–a salvation and day-to-day reality co

The changing of a culture starts with those who are living within it.

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What do Jeremiah’s prophesies have to do with our world today?   Jeremiah found himself in a nation known for materialism, economic crisis,  political globalization, and religious plurality. Does any of that sound familiar? As Melissa Spoelstra , author of Dare to Hope: Living Intentionally in an Unstable World (Abingdon Press), writes, “ Jeremiah was referred to as the weeping prophet because he brought a message that didn’t feel very hopeful. God used Jeremiah as a mouthpiece to tell the people how they had gotten off course. Though there were times when Jeremiah experienced depression and discouragement, he still knew where to turn. When he poured out his heart, God reassured and encouraged him. Jeremiah chose to dare to hope based on God’s faithfulness rather than the trials he and his nation experienced.” In the Book of Jeremiah, God calls out to His people, continually asking them to place their hope in Him instead of political alliances, material possessions,

Win a copy of Susie Davis' Dear Daughters

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Scroll down to enter! For the next two weeks, my blog team will be reviewing  Dear Daughters  by Susie Davis, published by  Abingdon Press . Learn more about the book, then enter to win a copy of your own. I'm giving away a book at the end of the tour.   About the book Do you sometimes wonder what you’re supposed to be doing with your life? Do you wish you could find someone a little older who is walking just a few steps ahead who would give you some wisdom and remind you that God is still in control and that everything is going to be okay? Would you like a mentor in your life? Susie Davis understands the importance of having and being a mentor. In  Dear Daughters: Love Letters to the Next Generation , she will help you: Understand God’s will for your life Listen to God’s voice through your daily circumstances Find contentment and peace right where you are Foster friendship and deep connection with other women No matter your season

Navigating Stress in College and Beyond

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Shelby Abbott helps students navigate early adulthood with gospel solutions uniquely applied to everyday struggles Our modern age—saturated with technology, constant cynicism, streamlined digital communication, heavy negativity, relationship status posts, and instant information access—has shaped the way many young people deal with the pressure points of life. With the unique set of pressures students experience in their transition to college, more young adults are struggling with purpose, relationships, failure, community, and isolation than ever before. Author and college ministry leader Shelby Abbott believes that while technology isn’t itself to blame, it forces real issues to surface in the lives of young men and women. Abbott’s new release, Pressure Points: A Guide to Navigating Student Stress (New Growth Press, April 22, 2019) aims to confront many of these struggles, big or small, in light of the gospel. With twenty years of experience in college ministry