Last week, I was interviewed by Tom Bump from the Kids Ministry Collective regarding topics such as being a woman in leadership, recruiting men to serve in kidmin, ministry joys and challenges and my new book releasing next month! Take a listen when you can and let me know what you think!
To listen to the podcast, click here.
As a mom of a daughter, I am a huge believer in the strength that girls possess. I have tried to raise my daughter to be a strong, confident young woman. Thankfully, she has many women in her life who model this for her. Likewise, she can also look to the bible for examples of strong women who faced challenges and were deeply loved by God.
A few months ago, I was invited to be part of Glenys Nellist’s blog hop to promote her new book, Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart. I have reviewed one of Glenys’ books before (I loved it – you can review that post here), so I jumped at the chance to get a sneak peek at her newest release.
Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart did not disappoint. Immediately drawn in from the beautifully illustrated cover, I discovered that the book shared stories from more well-known women from the bible (such as Eve, Hannah, Esther and Mary, the mother of Jesus) as well as lesser-known women from the bible (such as Rahab, Miriam, and Deborah).
Each story introduces a woman with a brief adjective, such as “trusting”, “brave”, and “strong”. Her story is told in an engaging, child-friendly way that captures your imagination and leaves you wanting to learn more. In addition, each story includes a bible verse section called “God’s Wonderful Words to You”. Lastly, each story is accompanied by a love letter from God that can be personalized with the name of the little girl reading it. Those letters help each girl see herself in the story and reveals the character of the God who loves her.
At the end of the book is a blank space for little girls to write their own love letter to God. I could only imagine the depth of words that a little girl might write in this space after reading this wonderful book.
If you have a little girl in your life who needs to know (or be reminded of) the love of God toward her, I highly recommend that you grab a copy for her. I think it’ll become one of her most treasured story books.
Zondervan has graciously given me a copy of Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart to give away to one of my readers. To enter to win, email me, telling me what special girl you’d share this book with. All entries should be received by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, June 2nd. The winner will be announced on my blog’s Facebook page on Monday, June 5th.
*Giveaway is open to US residents only. The book cannot mailed to a P.O. box.
You can learn more about Glenys by visiting her website or connecting with her on social media (Facebook or Twitter).
A few months ago, I shared here about my latest project (my first book – you can read that post here.) Now that the manuscript has been submitted (AMEN and HALLELUJAH!), I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned along the way as a first-time author. Here they are in no particular order:
1. A patient editor is a God-send. As a first-time author, I had a lot of questions. A LOT. Brenda, my editor, answered every question and did so graciously and with no judgment.
2. Some things will go undone around the house, such as laundry, meal prep, dusting, grocery shopping, opening mail, etc. There are only 24 hours in a day and you just can’t get it all done. You have to give yourself a little grace…which leads me to point #3.
3. You’ll lean on your family more, especially as deadlines loom. Everyone in my house pitches in on a regular basis but I delegated tasks a lot more as my workload increased. I’m so thankful for them!
4. You’ll say ‘no’ to things more than ever, even if those things are good things. I said ‘no’ to family events, outings with friends, and a few outside projects. It was tough but thankfully, reading Lysa TerKeurst’s book, The Best Yes, a few years ago prepared me for this season of my life.
5. You will doubt yourself and cry…a few times. I cannot recall how many times I cried on my husband’s shoulder and asked him, “What did I say yes to?”; “What was I thinking?”; and”Why did you encourage me to do this?” This project challenged me like no other and made me question my sanity, my skill set, my everything!
6. You will experience supernatural strength. As each deadline neared, I felt excited energy and a sense of being overwhelmed all at the same time. When the clock showed an ungodly early hour, God gave me the strength to finish. I was like the little engine that could – with His strength, not mine.
7. Work within your own rhythms. Find what works for you. I researched the writing habits of some of my favorite authors early on in this process. Some of them wrote early in the morning before their families began their day. Some had a particular writing space where they put their words on paper. I am not a morning person, so that was definitely not going to be my story. In addition, I varied the places where I wrote. Later this week, I hope to post about my writing process in a little more detail. Stay tuned…
8. Being surrounded by a few of your favorite things helps make the writing process more enjoyable. My favorite candle, my favorite coffee, a bowl of peanut M & M’s and my Spotify playlist provided the ambiance for my writing. Perfect.
9. You’ll feel a great sense of relief (and accomplishment) when you click ‘send’ for the final piece of the manuscript. You might even do a happy dance. No explanation needed. 🙂
10. You will develop a greater appreciation for people who write for a living. Really, people who write for a living are my new heroes. It takes a great amount of discipline, creativity and perseverance to push through the book writing process. And for those of you who work a full-time job and write in your spare time, bravo to you!
I’ve learned so much more but these 10 things stand out to me the most. I would also like to share one thing that I was reminded of: I love creating things and infusing my own ideas into a project. One of the challenges that I welcomed for this project was the fact that I’d be creating something from scratch. The ideas shared in the book are some of my best ideas and show my creative side. I can’t wait for you to see the finished book when it’s released in September 2017!
If you’d like to pre-order the book, you can find more details here. Order one for yourself and for anyone you know who wants to share God’s truths in a fun, creative, hands-on way.
Keep the conversation going! What have you learned as an author (either blogs, articles or books)?
A few weeks ago, I attended my very first Children’s Pastors Conference (CPC) in Orlando, Florida. I was invited to lead a few one-on-one coaching sessions (which I absolutely loved!), participate in a Women in Leadership panel and lead a breakout about free and low-cost volunteer appreciation ideas.
Here are a few highlights from that breakout session:
4 P’s of Volunteer Appreciation
Volunteer appreciation should be:
Purposeful
This is the ‘why’ – we should have a purpose or reason for appreciating our volunteers. Knowing the ‘why’ sets the course for the other 3 P’s, so it’s important to establish this first.
Questions to consider:
Personal
This is the ‘what’ – what speaks their love language? What do they like?
Questions to consider:
Plentiful
This is the ‘when’ – show them appreciation regularly!
Question to consider:
Practical
This is the ‘how’ – how will show them you appreciate them?
Question to consider:
Free Volunteer Appreciation Ideas
My breakout attendees shared their favorite free volunteer appreciation ideas (I threw in a few, too). Here are some ideas to get you started:
Low-Cost Appreciation Ideas
My breakout attendees also shared their favorite low-cost volunteer appreciation ideas (I threw in a few here , too). Here are some ideas to get you started:
Appreciating those who’ve said YES to serving doesn’t have to break the bank. A little creativity and heartfelt gratitude go a long, long way.
Find even more ideas on my Volunteer Appreciation Pinterest board. If you’re looking for last-minute Valentine’s Day ideas, check out my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board.
What are some of your favorite free or low-cost volunteer appreciation ideas? Share them with me below!