He Speaks To Me

Five Minute Friday is where gather with my sweet friends
to write our hearts on a page for 5 minutes prompted
by the friend who encourages us to write bravely - Lisa-Jo.

I love this community more than words can express. 
They are my people.

Today is about SONG.

God often uses the lyrics of a song to speak to my heart.

Sometimes it is to reinforce scripture that I have been reading that day. 
Sometimes it coincides with a conversation that I had recently. 
Sometimes it is a word of encouragement for the day.
Sometimes it is about a prayer that I barely whispered to Him.

Some songs speak only in a moment and there are ones that don't let go of me. These songs that grab hold touch something to deep in me. These are usually the ones that bring me to a place of worship when I least expect it and most need it. This place where I lift hands and lower knees all to Him.
Sometimes they break apart the hard and turn me inside out. 
The tears come and I come undone.

This is one of those songs.



I will sing of your strength; 
I will sing aloud of your 
steadfast love in the morning. 
Psalm 59:16

What song is God using to speak to you?

Blessings,

Pay It Forward

Each Sunday I gather a group of girls in a circle

sharing Jesus and loving on them. 

I listen to their hopes and dreams shared bravely

and their prayers lifted with open hands and hearts.

These are my moments to pay it forward.

I look into these beautiful faces bursting with anticipation 

for all God has in store for them 

and pour words of love and encouragement into their hearts.

I tell them...

The most important thing you can 

and will ever do is love God with all you are.

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

all your soul, and all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:5

You are precious, honored, and loved by Him far beyond measure.

Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
Isaiah 43:4

You may get frightened or discouraged along the way, but you need to 

remember that He will be with you to give strength and courage.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! 

Do not be afraid or discouraged. 

 For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

There may be steps along the path that you don't understand,

but trust Him with each one and to look to Him to lead the way. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

You should lift everything up to Him in prayer, find joy in every moment 
of the journey with Him, and give thanks over and over again for it all.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. 
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will 
for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

He prepares the way and has His hand on you.

You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Psalm 139:5

It is important to remember that everything is from Him, through Him, and for Him. 
It is all for His glory. Everything should point to Him.

For from him and through him and for him are all things. 
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36

These are just a few of the truths that I get to speak into their lives. 
Then I am blessed to watch God work in them and through them.

We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
Psalm 78:4

Isn't that really what it's all about anyway?
This legacy of truth we so long to pass on to our children.
We pay forward these words that give life 
to our dreams that God has placed in our hearts. 
All for His glory.

Empowering and encouraging to dream God-sized dreams.
I not only am blessed to do this for my sons in the every day,
but also for these precious girls that God has placed in my life.

That's part of my God-sized dream for sure.

How are you paying it forward?

My friend Holley Gerth invited me to join a group of dreamers that she affectionately calls her God Sized Dream Team. What a blessing to be part of this group. 

We will be gathering each week on Tuesdays at Holley's to encourage each other to dream those God sized dreams.

Won't you join us?

What is your God-sized dream?

Holley had written a love letter to dreamers. Her book You're Made for a God-Sized Dream is full of words of encouragement and will speak to your heart.

Blessings,

10 Must Read Books for Moms

Here are 10 must read books

I recommend for moms.

Etched...Upon My Heart

by Jill Kelly

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe
by Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson

Out of the Spin Cycle

by Jen Hatmaker

Parenting Beyond Your Capacity: Connect Your Family to a Wider Community

by Reggie Joiner & Carey Nieuwhof

Praying Circles Around Your Children

by Mark Batterson

The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity

by Sally Clarkson

Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls

by Gary Thomas

A Mom After God's Own Heart: 10 Ways to Love Your Children

by Elizabeth George

Hope for the Weary Mom

by Brooke McGlothlin & Stacey Thacker

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

by Ann Voskamp

What other books would you add to the list?

Blessings,

Be brave today, friend.

Today I am joining Lisa-Jo and friends for Five Minute Friday.

This is where we come together writing for 5 minutes without editing or overthinking.

I love this community.

Check out what everyone's is sharing on the word BRAVE here.




After a day filled with moments shared with some of the incredible 
women that God has placed in my life, I began to think about what 
a blessing it is to know and be known by them. 
Isn't that one of the things that we all long for? 
To be truly known.

To know means that we have to prioritize relationship over everything else.
To know means that we have to be willing to listen
once we have asked the tough questions.
To know means that we have to love no matter what. No. Matter. What.
To be known means that we bravely take off the mask and be transparent. 
To be known means that we have to stop saying we're fine when we aren't. 
To be known means that we have to share what 
we too often hide deep within our hearts.

That moment when we choose to come out from behind the masks and reveal ourselves...our true selves...can be scary. Frightening for some. Maybe most. Definitely for me. But the reward is so great. Greater than any fear holding you back from it.

You can be that person who shares those crazy thoughts that tumble out of your mouth at a pace that your expressive hands can't keep up with. 
You can say that sometimes you feel like you're failing at this momma thing and so many of the other thoughts and feelings that you couldn't possibly say out loud. Ever. 
But in this place you can and you do.

You can hear "me too" and "I totally get that." There are words of encouragement to be found in that place. There are hands to be held, shoulders to lean into, and hugs to be enveloped in. There are life stories to be told and miracles to be experienced. There is laughter shared that fills the room and tears that gather deep in your soul. There are prayers whispered and those that are boldly proclaimed. 
All in that place.

In that place that begins when we get real.
When we take off our masks.
Be brave today, friend.
Take it off.
Be you.



Blessings,

Orange Keynote Speakers & Their Books

There is such a fantastic lineup of keynote speakers at The Orange Conference this year.

Several of the speakers have written books and I wanted to share a list of some of them here.

Deep & Wide

by Andy Stanley

Love Does

by Bob Goff

The Catalyst Leader

by Brad Lomenick

Purpose Driven Youth Ministry

by Doug Fields

More or Less

by Jeff Shinabarger

Start

by Jon Acuff

Sticky Faith

by Kara Powell

One Question

by Ken Coleman

Unleash!

by Perry Noble

Just Lead!

by Sherry Surratt

Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid's Week

by Sue Miller

Of course I have to include my two favorite books by Reggie Joiner in this list.

Think Orange

by Reggie Joiner

Lead Small

by Reggie Joiner

You can check out the complete list of speakers here.

If you aren't able to make it to Orange this year, you can tune in via live stream to listen to everything from main sessions to live interviews.

Have you read any books by these speakers?

Which ones?

I am looking forward to hearing what each speaker will be sharing with us this year.

Blessings,

Desperate - A MUST READ for Mommas

Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson have written a book - 

Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. 

One to speak to our momma hearts. 

I recommend this book for every momma and not just the ones expecting

or ones with tinies, but mommas in every stage of parenting.

You can read my Desperate Momma story here.

The Kindle version of Desperate is on sale today only for $3.99

and you can get it here. Seriously, go now.

If you've been thinking of starting a book study of Desperate, this week would be a fantastic time to get the books. If you buy five *paperback* copies of Desperate this week (through Friday) you can get the Desperate DVD for FREE! Go HERE (or your favorite store) to get the books! Then just take a picture or scan your receipt and send it to: desperatebook@thomasnelson.com

To celebrate the release of the Desperate DVD, Sarah and Sally are giving away a $100 GC to a maid service, a Yankee candle (winner's choice), a "breathe" custom necklace, 5 books, and a DVD. You can enter at sarahmae.com or itakejoy.com.

 

Friends...believe me when I tell you that this book is simply a gift from these two incredible women. It is a gift you can receive and one to give away as well. Buy one for yourself and get another for your friend. Buy one for every momma in your church or a momma you might encounter through your day.

Blessings,

A Peek Into My Small Group

I have had a few people as me what small group looks like for me in our children's ministry. I lead a small group of girls in third through fifth grade.

Here is a peek into my small group.

We are dismissed from large group time to break out into our small groups. One of my girls will grab our small group bucket which contains our activities and supplies. As we gather in our circle, I will ask how everyone's week was and if anyone has something about it that they would like to share. Now in a group of girls this could take some time, so I usually limit it to just a couple of stories.

I ask everyone to open their Bibles so that we can read our Bible verse together and talk more about it. For example, this past weekend our Bible verse was Proverbs 3:5, so I first asked if Proverbs was in the Old or New Testament. As the girls were looking up the Bible verse, I told them about Solomon and how he asked God for wisdom and that Proverbs was written to share that wisdom. We will then read the verse aloud a few times as not everyone has the same translation and the girls enjoy reading how it is worded in their Bibles. Then I asked the girls what they think it means to trust God with all of their heart. Then I asked the girls if we should only trust God for some things and not others. Then I asked what it means to them when the verse tells us not to depend on our own understanding. We listened to everyone's answers and discussed each of them. We do this on a regular basis with our weekly Bible verses.

At this time we will move on to our activity provided with our curriculum. Sometimes I will add a craft to our activities which the girls can take home as a reminder of what they have learned and a way to share with their families. This past week we made beaded bracelets with a heart on them to remind us of our Bible verse. This activity time is when my girls are most talkative. They share about what is happening in their lives, talk about our Bible story, and really connect with each other. 

I guide the conversation by asking questions, but for the most part I am listening more than talking during this time.

Towards the end of our time together, I ask the girls if they have any prayer requests. We listen as each one shares. I repeat each one and remind the girls to be praying for each other through the week. The girls will also share any answered prayers during this time. Then we pray together. I ask the girls if they would like to pray out loud and explain that no one has to do so. We do "tap a knee" circle praying. Once a girl is done praying, she will tap the knee of the girl beside her. If someone doesn't want to pray aloud, then she will tap the knee of the girl beside her. This goes on until the circle comes back to me and then I will close the prayer.

Most times the girls are released to their families from our small group. If we happen to have time left before pick up, then I usually break out playing cards (Uno is our favorite right now) or blank paper and colored pencils (I get lots of artwork to hang on my fridge this way). We continue our conversations in the extra time.

Although I am a big believer in planning and preparing for each week, there have been times when the Holy Spirit has prompted me to put all plans aside in our time together. This happened once when one of my girls shared that they were being bullied in school. We spent our time in group discussing this issue and I watched these girls encourage and love on each other. You can't plan those moments.

I love these sweet girls and am so very blessed to be part of their lives. They are smart and funny and sassy and so very precious. In this circle, I have watched them grow in their faith, love on each other, and become a tribe.

What does small group look like for you?

Blessings, 

BYOU Magazine - Review & Giveaway

There are just so many reasons that I love this magazine for girls. 
The name alone - Be Your Own You - is fantastic encouragement for girls today.
BYOU Magazine speaks to the hearts of girls ages 8 and older by building self esteem through stories, advice, games, crafts, and so much more. What I love about this magazine is that it isn't just about the celebrity role models. This magazine also shares stories of real girls making a difference in their every day lives.

I especially love the features that are included in every issue. One is the "What is means to me to be your own you" feature which asks girls what that means to them and gives them an opportunity to share a little bit about themselves. I also like the "Ask Cassie" feature written by Cassandra Perkins, a Teen Anti-Bullying Advocate. This is a section where she answers questions from girls about bullying, safety, and other topics. BYOU Magazine is fantastic encouragement for girls today and a wonderful resource for moms.

My friends at BYOU Magazine have graciously offered to give away

a one-year subscription to BYOU to one blessed Saved Sister reader.

You can enter to win below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.