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the storm inside – review (giveaway)

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comment on this post for a chance to win a free copy of “the storm inside.” the book releases tuesday, february 11.  i’ll draw a winner from my blog on the same day. 

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if ministry leaders are honest, i believe we would admit that we are some of the best at pretending the storms of life don’t wreak havoc on our hearts and minds.  through ministry expectations and packed serving schedules we can become quite skilled at stuffing the storms in our lives without addressing their real sources.  or maybe it is just me? either way, i am so grateful for the opportunity to preview shelia walsh’s new book the storm inside.

i was immediately captivated by the introduction of the storm inside.  sheila shares about a “beautiful exchange” that took place during a speaking event to women in ministry.  after sharing about how she had been guilty of hiding her darkest feelings behind the veil of ministry, she invited the ministry leaders to write down on a card a burden they no longer wanted to carry.  through what happened that day and her experience of speaking to women all over the globe, she has brought these burdens under the banner of the following ten feelings.  maybe one, two, or many of the words  below represent burdens you also carry.

heartache, disappointment, fear, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, regret, abandonment, shame, insecurity

with each chapter of the storm inside, shelia, through the truth of scripture, takes us on an honest, self-examining journey of these ten feelings.  she is transparent about her own struggles, grounds her words on scripture, and provides you with personal actions steps at the end of each chapter.  i highly recommend this book to any woman and i would love to hear how God speaks to you through these pages.StormInPic_C1

here are just a couple of my take away quotes from the storm inside. (i had a hard time choosing just five, so you will have to read the book to hear all the other amazing truths.)

  • “The greatest defense against the storm of lies that the enemy would use to drain every moment of joy from your life is to surround yourself with the truth of God’s Word.” – Sheila Walsh “The Storm Inside”
  • “We must replace the lies we have believed for the truth of who God says we are.” – Sheila Walsh “The Storm Inside”
  • “When we drag the weight of unforgiveness to the cross and, by the grace and mercy of God, leave it there, then the enemy is at a loss.” – Sheila Walsh “The Storm Inside”
  • “Our own ‘Esther moments’ will come, when the Lord will ask us to step out of what seems to be a place of insignificance and instead stand with courage for the King and His Kingdom.” – Sheila Walsh “The Storm Inside”
  • “A woman of faith holds fast to the truth, even when nothing seems to make sense to her, knowing there her faith stands (and rests) on the finished work of Christ.” – Sheila Walsh “The Storm Inside”

want to take these truths further? click the image below to sign-up to participate in the free webcasts with sheila and special guests.  (past webcasts are also available.)

webcast

don’t forget, simply comment on this post for a chance to win a free copy of “the storm inside.” a winner will be drawn tuesday, february 11.

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In faith

living like we really believe

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Basic RGBrecently i attended an all sons & daughters / tim tommons concert in the area.  during one of the familiar worship songs, tim timmons stopped and challenged us.  he asked, “what if we really, whole heartedly believed the amazing words we were singing? how would our worship be different?”

what a simple, profound thought.  we often worship so flippantly, allowing words to casually fall from our lips before taking time to examine our heart.  my worship the rest of the evening was altered.  i could no longer just sing to be a voice.  with each song, i had to consider what i truly believed about each word i voiced.  more often than going through the motions of the song, i fell silent in prayer.

as we enter the Christmas season, i can’t help but think about applying this same principle.  we will have the opportunity to hear and teach scriptures we have studied countless of times.  carols and worship songs we sing are so familiar we could easily sing the last note without ever truly pondering the truth the tune holds.

so, i ask myself this Christmas: 

 what if i lived like i really believed the miraculous truths of Christmas?  

what if instead of “lip service”, i celebrated Christmas with “life service” grounded in deep belief?

what if, as i taught the lessons of Christmas to children, i could support them with examples of where i have allowed Him to be faithful to me?

my Christmas could be different if:

as i pondered the way our Savior and King entered the world, i could eagerly trust that His ways are not like mine.

i believed beyond the shadow of a doubt that “nothing is impossible with God.” (luke 1:37)

i not only taught children about how an angel told mary, joseph, and the shepherds  “not to be afraid” (luke 1:30, matthew 1:20, luke 2:10), but i lived a fearless life trusting God’s plan.

mary’s song caused me to examine if my soul truly “glorifies the Lord.” (luke 1:47)

like the shepherds, my reason to hurry was to spend time with Jesus. (luke 2:16)

i, like the wisemen, may have some valuable gifts for Jesus this Christmas.  i could lay down some idols and my “precious” time. i could tightly wrap up control and trust it to the One who holds me in the palm of His hand.  and, i could consistently lay my future at my Savior’s feet.

one day at a time this Christmas season, may i live more and more like i believe!

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In confident in CHRIST

extreme Christmas (3of3)

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this is guest post three of three from my dear friend, nancy duggin.  (read post one of three HERE. read post two of three HERE. ) she has such a heart for parents, children, and families as a whole to experience the reality of Jesus in every day life.  i look forward to how she will challenge us all as we prepare to celebrate Christmas 2013. 

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past examples of extreme Christmases from others.

  • One year we began to pray I Timothy 6:18, “Be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.” God led us to give to Lottie Moon the same dollar amount that we spent on all holiday activities and gifts. One of our children wanted to empty his piggy bank, getting a gift for a classmate who had no coat.
  • We begin our conversations about giving before Thanksgiving. It proves to be the perfect time, as we focus on giving thanks and expressing a life of thanksliving. One year God led us to several individuals we were able to bless anomalously. Jesus set the example of giving without expecting anything in return. That is hard for us—hard for our children. However God blesses us with great joy as we see others being blessed by our giving and service. We left bags of groceries on the porch of a family whose dad had lost their job, a Christmas tree and lights at the backdoor of a struggling single mom and spent the afternoon of Christmas Eve visiting those in a nearby nursing home with no family. We had to be intentionally about the giving of these gift, but oh the joy we continue to experience because of our obedience.
  • We needed acts of service because our financial means are adequate; however, limited. We decided to ask God to show us service projects we could do as a family and share the reason for the hope in us. We joined our church in Christmas caroling at the homes of those who’d experienced great tragedy in the previous year, served meals at a local homeless shelter. Each of our children chose some books and toys to leave at the shelter. My wife made a big pot of soup. We took some to a recent widower on our street, spending an evening eating, laughing, and listening to him share about his beloved wife.
  • We were tired of giving gifts that no one really needed, so we agreed to give gifts of ourselves—gifts of time, memory making gifts, or Gifts for Women that they really need. We were sharing of what God had done in our lives over the past year and what we believed He was doing in our lives as we opened His word to read the record of our Savior’s birth. All this sounds wonderful—maybe even a bit “goodie-two-shoes”; however, we knew we needed and wanted to make Christ the center of our celebration—not just talk about doing so.

Jesus was always investing in others. We never read in scripture where he told the disciples to hurry up. His every step was intentional, yet he was ever so sensitive to the needs of those around Him. Do you remember when the woman touched the hem of His garment, in the midst of a large crowd? May we be that sensitive so we might become His hands and feet in our hurting and lost world.

Love, joy, and blessings to each of you this holiday season, as we rejoice and celebrate the birth of our Messiah!

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Nancy Youree Duggin taught public school for 24 years and served on a city school board for four years.  She also is a mother to two and grandmother to three with one on the way. This October she will celebrate 40 years of marriage.  Even with her plate full with family and training teachers, she spends countless hours encouraging and mentoring young moms.  

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In confident in CHRIST

extreme Christmas (2of3)

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 this is guest post two of three from my dear friend, nancy duggin.  (read post one of three HERE.) she has such a heart for parents, children, and families as a whole to experience the reality of Jesus in every day life.  i look forward to how she will challenge us all as we prepare to celebrate Christmas 2013. 

extreme-Christmas-1

The mental image we have of God and of Christmas has everything to do with how we celebrate.  For those who know and love Him, it’s the time to focus on Jesus’ birthday with a heart-felt desire to celebrate Christmas in a way that honors The Messiah—our Messiah.

Throughout history, God has used ordinary, unqualified people through whom He accomplished extreme feats. So I know He can use us, if we are willing.

As we consider experiencing an extreme Christmas filled with more blessings than we could ever imagine, I suggest we begin by decorating our hearts before we decorate our homes and by spreading the fragrance of Christ before any other fragrances. This would be extreme in the eyes of the world and, sadly, in the lives of many Christ followers because a Christ-honoring Christmas may have never been a priority in years past.

How do we decorate our hearts before our homes? I Peter 3:15 tells us “but in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks us to account for the hope that is in us but do it courteously and respectfully. (Amplified Bible) The entire world would experience an extreme Christmas, if believers were truly purposeful in and lived out the hope within them. How would that kind of ‘habit of heart’ change our attitudes about shopping, how we spend our time, and how we guard and measure every word that comes from our mouths this season—No more wishing the season were over, or complaining about gifts to be given, or how crowded the stores are and how expensive everything is.

An extreme Christmas would involve a total refocus for most of us—one that would center on celebrating the birth of the Messiah by giving to and serving others in His name. We need a reality check and a heart check!

After decorating our hearts, let’s ask God to fill us with the desire to spread His wonderful fragrance. “But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere. For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. I Corinthians 2:14-15 (Amplified Bible) Does your heart cry out for Him to spread His fragrance in you, and then into the world through your actions and deeds?

Our extreme Christmas will come from our desire to seek and know God’s heart, from our thirst for Him and our desperation for Him. Consider the verses below. Do they give you insight concerning what He might desire us to give as gifts, to His Son, this season?

Proverbs 11:30 The seeds of a good deeds become a tree of life.

Colossians 2:7 Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.

Titus 2:7 Be an example . . . by doing good works of every kind.

I Timothy 6:18 Be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.

Our extreme Christmas will NOT come from listening to the world’s messages and hype concerning ‘black Friday’ and the need to have all the latest gadgets and fashions. What image will our children have of us? Images based on Titus 2:7 and I Timothy 6:18? or images of us sitting around with the latest technology in our hands, with little attention being given to those whom we say we love, much less serving others in need of the love of Jesus, a love that should come naturally from the overflow of thanksgiving, for all He has done for us.

Only through the power of the Holy Spirit will we experience an extreme Christmas. Being a Christ follower should be the most exciting and extreme lifestyle any of us could ever imagine! Take a moment to praise Him for who He is and thank Him for His steadfast love and His goodness toward you and your family.

Stay tuned for some examples of extreme Christmases of others in past years.

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Nancy Youree Duggin taught public school for 24 years and served on a city school board for four years.  She also is a mother to two and grandmother to three with one on the way. This October she will celebrate 40 years of marriage.  Even with her plate full with family and training teachers, she spends countless hours encouraging and mentoring young moms.  

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In confident in CHRIST

extreme Christmas (1of3)

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 this is guest post one of three from my dear friend, nancy duggin.  she has such a heart for parents, children, and families as a whole to experience the reality of Jesus in every day life.  i look forward to how she will challenge us all as we prepare to celebrate Christmas 2013.

extreme-Christmas-1

Our society, it seems, is all about extremes—extreme makeovers, extreme sports, extreme weight loss, etc. Would you desire to experience an extreme Christmas in your heart, mind, and soul? a Christmas with surprises at every turn? surprises in the form of miracles from Jesus Himself?

Extreme would certainly describe the events leading up to the first Christmas: the “be it unto me” confession of a pregnant virgin, the Infinite pressed into the finite, Joseph not divorcing Mary quietly as tempted, the birth of a king (the King) in a dark, cold, and, most likely, dirty stable.

How might Jesus desire to come into you and bless you this holiday season as He did Mary, and in turn use you to be a blessing to countless others? Pray individually and as a family, for God to reveal to you what gift you can give His Son this Christmas, one even as extreme as Mary’s gift of herself (see Lk 1:38). Ask God to show you how to live and give like Jesus. Pray audacious prayers (like Lk 1:46-55). Ask God to be the difference in you that makes a difference in the life of others—for all eternity—with NO thought of anything in return. God doesn’t need our works, but there are countless individuals all around us who do, works that are the overflow of the love we have for the Christ of Christmas.

In the Old Testament we read about God asking Moses if there was “a limit to His power”. How would you answer that question? Since there is NO limit to His power, how might our Omnipotent God desire for you to see and to be an extreme Christmas.

Stay tuned. (Read post two of three HERE.)

580675_3362700941153_1823353765_nNancy Youree Duggin taught public school for 24 years and served on a city school board for four years.  She also is a mother to two and grandmother to three with one on the way. This October she will celebrate 40 years of marriage.  Even with her plate full with family and training teachers, she spends countless hours encouraging and mentoring young moms.  

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