Some great books that I have recently read:

I receive lots of books to review and I must say that it is seldom that I get overly excited about them. That isn't so with these books. One Million Arrows is such a growing experience from the first page to the last.  There is so much wisdom packed into this book that you will definitely want to read it more than once and keep it for future reference.

What He Said is just a brilliant concept. The entire book is made up of words spoken by Jesus Christ. It is such a handy reference tool and I really don't know what I ever did without it. It makes studying easier and simply reading through the book gives you new insight to our Lord and Savior.


One Million Arrows for Families: Join the Vision

Will the world change your children…or will your children change the world?

The recently released book, One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World,casts a vision for parents who want their family to live with purpose, passion, and to be counted among the heroes in the pages of “His Story.”

Using a generous supply of inspiring testimonies of both families and young people worldwide who are currently being used by God in mighty ways, author Julie Ferwerda offers three stages of raising kingdom-minded kids: gather, sharpen, and launch:

Gather up the children—your own, others in your circle of influence and, if possible, broken children who need a family. Sharpen them in the Word, raising them as disciples of Jesus.Launch them into the world, ready to use their God-given gifts, talents, and resources in order to make a difference for the Kingdom.

Interwoven throughout the book is also a call for families to get involved in the care and spiritual development of orphaned children worldwide who are being rescued, discipled, and spiritually trained to be launched back into their own countries with the life-changing Gospel. The inspiration for this call to action came from Julie’s visit to India where she met world changer, Dr. M.A. Thomas.

M.A. Thomas, known as "Papa" to many thousands throughout India, began rescuing orphaned and abandoned children off the streets in the late 70s. In India, it is estimated that there are approximately 80 million orphaned and abandoned children—more than half of the world’s estimated number in one country alone. This troubled M.A. Thomas deeply until one day when he read Psalm 127:3-5, where all children are described as a gift and reward—like arrows in the hands of a mighty man—not just one's own children. He asked God to show him how he might help restore many more children on the streets of India, the "throw-aways" of society, to the earthly and heavenly purposes for which they were intended.

It was then that God gave him the vision of gathering one million orphaned and abandoned children, sharpening them as "arrows for God," and launching them to start one million churches in the 600,000 villages and cities that have never heard the Gospel. He has been faithfully working toward the vision since, through the ministry of Hopegivers International, and today he has launched more than 16,000 orphan-arrows as ambassadors of Christ into India, Nepal, Myanmar, Burma, and he has overseen the planting of 21,000 churches.

Today, M.A. Thomas is convinced that his vision is not just for India. He believes in these last days that God is raising up a generation of young people on every continent and from every walk of life to join Him in His work to fulfill the Great Commission.

One Million Arrows brings that vision to America, engaging families in Papa's universal vision of raising their own children as effective arrows for the Kingdom, and also encourages families to invest in other arrows being shaped and sent as disciples, whether closer to home or through the many discipling orphan ministries worldwide.

Julie’s reminder to parents is that our kids don’t have to grow up in order to make a real difference. The Bible and history bear proof that young people can be doing big things right now to change their communities, their culture, their country, and even the world at large. As parents, we have to raise them to see themselves as created for a special purpose, and to use their talents and passions to make a difference wherever God plants them.

One Million Arrows has received glowing endorsements and reviews from some of the country’s best-known ministry leaders and authors such as Josh McDowell, Franklin Graham, Dennis Rainey, Ron Luce, Thelma Wells, Alvin Reid, Mark Batterson, and Steven McGarvey.

Right now, God is inviting your family to become part of a bigger story—a vision that will engage your hearts to make a radical difference. You can raise your kids to impact their culture, their community, and even their world for Christ. If you want your kids to discover their purpose, if you want them to live with a passion for the Kingdom, if you want your family to go down in His-Story, accept the mission...and leave a mark for eternity.

For more information visit their website: One Million Arrows

Julie Ferwerda is recognized for making the Bible exciting and relevant to everyday life through her writing and speaking. Her articles are featured in many Christian magazines and websites for both adults and teens, and she frequently volunteers her time and talents to international orphan ministry. Learn more at OneMillionArrows.com.

 

What He Said    

What He Said makes it easy for anyone and everyone to access the teachings of Christ. It presents the portion of the Bible where Jesus speaks—The Four Gospels—in an innovative new layout designed specifically for ease of use. Each quote is prominently displayed, in order, along with the supporting chapter/verse text to provide valuable context.

For the devout, it’s the ideal companion to their Bible(s). Small, portable, and perfect for quickly finding favorite quotes and passages. For others, it’s a great reference guide for separating what Christ really taught in the New Testament from a wide spectrum of interpretation. For all, What He Said shines a spotlight on what He said, making His message easy to read, browse, study, and explore.
Bible Version

The foundation of What He Said is the Four Gospels as they appear in The World English Bible (WEB), a modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The WEB is based on the American Standard Version (first published in 1901), the Greek Majority Text (New Testament), and the Hebrew Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Old Testament) and is published without copyright by Rainbow Missions, Inc. This book began with an electronic version of the WEB downloaded from www.ebible.org.

For additional information please visit their website: What He Said

Get Revived Conference 2 Day Special!

One of the many perks I have for being a co-founder of A Woman Inspired - besides getting to chat with awesome, amazing speakers - is that I get to befriend and get to know so many amazing women through our conferences. It never fails. There is always one that deeply blesses my heart and becomes a friend for life.

Let me let you in on a little secret: most of them have attended for free.

We have made it a habit to give away as many scholarships as we can but that is becoming an increasingly difficult task. While our ticket prices have not gone up, the prices we pay for the site, software, hosting, maintenance, and all other aspects of this ministry have. We can no longer afford to give away as many tickets as we used to. That burdens us. I have felt bad about it. We have so many who ask for tickets and now we have to be selective about who we give them to. I don't like that one bit but then again, God never asked us to be the only one blessing others.

I realized during the last conference (Efficient & Creative Life) that there are others who would love to bless someone else with a ticket but they weren't sure how they could do it. I received messages and emails asking me a heartfelt question, "How can I bless someone else?" That woke me up to the realization that we may not have given you all the opportunity to be a part of the process. That is why we have decided to have this special.

For the next two days you can get tickets at a low price so that you can share them with others. You can give them away to friends, sponsor someone in particular, host a giveaway on your blog or social media profiles, or you tell us to give them to whomever requests them via a sponsorship.

If you need more than four tickets let us know. We are happy to give another discount for higher quantities. We are only running for the special for two days since the conference begins in a little over a week and we have a limited amount of tickets left. If you do need extra time then please email us so we can figure something out.

If you need to be sponsored, you can display the following button on your blog and link to A Woman Inspired. This will let others know that you desire to go but require a sponsorship.

If you don't have the emails of the recipients just put whatever you intend to do in the space provided: will email after giveaway; give away as sponsorship; will get email and send it to you, etc.

Thank you for making a difference and please help us spread the word over the next two days.

More about the A Woman Inspired – Get Revived Conference:
takes place: March 15-19 2010

This conference is all about giving you a spiritual dose of adrenaline because we all need it sometimes. Maybe you are concerned about your calling or perhaps you are afraid to begin walking toward what God has for you. Maybe your faith has taken a nose dive and you need to be pointed back in the direction of our Lord, Jesus. Or, it could be that you just need someone to tell you that it is okay that you failed but you need to get back up! It happens to all of us.

This event’s speaker line-up is phenomenal. These are some great women of God, humble enough to serve and strong enough to stand up and proclaim His word to all who are in need of hearing it. This conference is for any woman in need of revival in her spirit.

What you can expect for only $12.95:

• Live sessions, entirely online, with some of the Christian community’s most popular speakers and authors.
• Free access to download and save the MP3’s from all the sessions, as well as all the handouts, chat logs, and/or presentations.
• Participation in real-time question and answer sessions with all of your favorite speakers.
• Lots of downloadable swag as well as entries to win some great prizes!
• The opportunity to make some new life-long friends and experience some fun and fellowship.

Speakers include:
Deidra Hughes, Deidra Hughes.com
Mary Snyder, MaryRSnyder.com
Belinda Bullard, Blessed Heritage
Mandy Young, MandyYoung.com with special guest Candace Cameron Bure
Lisa McKay, The Preacher’s Wife
Kelly Minter, KellyMinter.com
Dena Dyer, DenaDyer.com
Shelly Ballestero, Beauty By God
Marsha Harwood, Marsha’s Musings
Kathy Butryn, The Heart Change Place
Lori MacMath, All You Have to Give
Tiffany Stuart, Tea with Tiffany
Kristen Schiffman, Exemplify Online
Sue Cramer, Praise and Coffee
Joy Trachsel, JoyTrachsel.com
Alisa Wagner, Faith Imagined
Lisa Shaw, Lisa Shaw Ministries
Andrea Mitchell, Under Grace and Over Coffee
Leigh Gray, LeighHargisGray.com
Angela Parsley, Refresh My Soul

Oh yeah... freedom has come!

So for more than a year now we have been a one-car family. That was rough. Anytime the kids had to go to the doctor or I had an OB appointment we had to work out insane plans with my mom-in-love or Ryan's brother so we could borrow a vehicle. They have jobs and go to school so that was a bit tricky. I'm also quite sure that Ryan was a bit worn out with having to do all of the little errands since he had the vehicle from dusk till dawn.

Well, that is all over now.

We have been praying fervently for a vehicle but not just any vehicle; we needed one that would sit 6 people. Our Envoy only seats 5. With Baby B's anticipated birth right around the corner that would have made it impossible for us to all go somewhere as a family... including church.We just couldn't have that now could we?


And like always, God provides!

A couple of weekends ago we had dinner at the home of our dear friends, Susan and Rick. During the course of the night we talked about our need for a vehicle and then within a couple of days Susan emailed to tell me about one that a friend of theirs had for sale for only $3000. That is exactly what we had saved to put towards the purchase of a vehicle. I do not think that is a coincidence. God loves to bless us!

It has a lot of miles and it is older than our Envoy but it is in mint condition.  The guy who owned it runs a maintenance shop so it was well taken care of. All reports on it came out squeaky clean too. I'm excited as I can be. It has been a lonnnnnngggg time since I could just leave in the middle of the day because I need something at the store or just don't feel like being cooped up any longer. I may very well go ride around the block today... just because I can. :)

Hello, baby!

Gevan's first year and our experience with finding out about his dwarfism...

I was twenty-one when I was pregnant with Gevan. Just a few days after his dad and I got married I had an ultrasound and that is when the doctor told me that Gevan's results were irregular. His femur, tibia, humerus, and ulna (arms and leg bones) all measured several weeks behind. My obstetrician immediately suspected dwarfism and set up an appointment for me to see a specialist so that we could be diagnosed and monitored.

The ride home that day is all a blur. My mom had come with me and I remember just crying and taking it out on her. I was really confused and not sure of what to expect. I only knew of one little person and honestly, I didn't even know him that well at the time. All I knew was that the vision I created of what my baby would be like was shattered.

Over the next few days I resigned to self pity and doubt. I loved my baby but I was mad at anyone who got close to me because I was uncertain of what our future would be. I didn't understand why this was happening to us.

It was in that state of mind, and in the bathtub mind you, that I met the love of Jesus. I got saved right there and within minutes my thoughts shifted from "what did I ever do to deserve this punishment" to "God, what did I ever do to deserve this honor?" I realized moments after I called out to Him that Gevan was the same baby I knew and loved before and that this diagnosis didn't change him one bit. What had changed was my vision of him. I had to let that go to embrace who God designed for him to be. That is when the true, abundant joy began. From that moment on I had a peace that I could not explain to anyone. I knew we would be fine.

My due date was November 18, 1996. Gevan has always been punctual so of course, I went into labor right after midnight on November 18th. However, because Gevan also has to be in control of and know all things, he was trying to come out face up (posterior). Because of that he was difficult to deliver and he wasn't actually born until 5am on the morning of the 19th. Yes, that is a long time to be in labor. I know!

 He was 6lbs 14oz and was 17 1/2 inches long. He underwent several tests and it was determined that he had no underlying medical conditions with the exception of the skeletal dysplasia (dwarfism). He simply had short arms and short legs.

He has always been one determined kid. Even though the prenatal specialist we saw prior to his birth had told us he may be developmentally delayed and may not even walk without support, he didn't listen. He sat up right at 4 months and walked at 10 months. He didn't seem to notice that he was "different" and so I didn't tell him otherwise. I had peace about it and I knew his life would be what he made of it. As his mom I just wanted to encourage him to keep pushing.

He started walking and didn't stop. He is soooo cute! That kid has a mind of his own and he accomplishes what he intends to. My fears about his well being became less and less and it was revealed that he his condition was not very likely to cause him any serious medical problems in the future. He was simply going to be small; a little person.

By his first birthday he had just gotten into a size 3-6 months. He wore clothes out he wore them for so long. To others he looked like an infant but when they saw him walking and talking they were shocked. I have to admit I loved that he was so compact at such a fun age. It really made bonding sweet. That is, of course, until he decided he was too old to be in mommy's lap. :)

I write all of this to let others know what it is like for families like ours. We are not without challenges but we are doing pretty good so far. Each of us has a family that is unique and I am willing to share mine with you. I also want to put this out there in case there is another mom out there who might be experiencing what I was back then. There was no internet for me to search on (at least I didn't have it) and I had no other moms to talk to about what I was feeling. So much of the emotion we experience is normal and yet we feel guilty about it. It is simply something we go through and I want to make sure others know they are not alone. Most of all I want others to know just how blessed we are to have our children no matter what diagnosis they are given or that may come in the future.

I also prefer for others to ask questions about Gevan's condition or our situation rather than assume. I am opening this up for questions to anyone who might have one so ask away. Curiosity does not offend me, ignorance does. You can even leave the comment anonymously if you would like.  I would rather educate the world about it than to just sit back and hide in our own little world. -no pun intended :)

Preparing a Nursery for Baby...

So many things are happening lately as a result of the urgency I feel to get ready for Baby B. According to the measurements taken during my last visit, Baby B is a bit on the "large" side. That doesn't surprise me though. My others were bigger than average too. Gevan weighed in at 6lbs 14oz and he is a little person! Then Jacob was a few days early and weighed in at 8lbs 10oz while Brennan was nearly 5 weeks early and weighed in at 8lbs 14.5oz. Who knows what this little boy will weigh.

My doctor will be doing another ultrasound in a week to get an estimated size and weight and then we'll go from there. I already know I won't go past my due date (Doc says so) so either way I only have about 6 1/2 weeks left. Oh the pressure!

I'm scrambling to get things done now.

• his clothes need to be washed and put away
• his bottles and my breast pump need to be sterilized and packed away
• I need to set up "his" spot in our bedroom and personalize it for him
• I need to buy a diaper bag and get it ready for the hospital
• I need to pack my bag for the hospital
• I have to clean, clean, clean my house.. you know like, wipe down walls and stuff

I just feel like I won't be ready. Oh my, has the nesting begun already?

Then there are the emotions that follow. When I started thinking about how to personalize Baby B's space I looked back on photos of the other boy's nurseries. Do I need to tell you that I cried? Oh... I remember when we were preparing for Gevan. I was so young (20). I had no idea what I would do with a baby let alone what he needed. We still weren't sure what kid of issues he would have, if any. Thankfully family stepped in and helped out with ideas and advice.

One thing we did was go all out in his nursery. I had fallen hard for the Paddington Bear set I saw in a local baby store. We just had to have it... and everything that coordinated with it. But we did not stop there. Mark's mom (Mark is my former spouse and Gevan's dad) is a gifted artist and she wanted to paint his nursery to match his theme. So we did... for weeks at a time we painted for hours. Sometimes staying up all night to get it done. I was so thrilled with it.

He had his own pond with a sailboat; a tree complete with squirrels and birds; and he even had a picket fence that went all around his room. We just knew this was the perfect nursery for him.

*forgive the quality of the pics... this is before digital. In fact, I think I used a disposable camera to take these. My how times have changed!

more on that later...

I'm even going to show you Gevan's chunky baby pics. :)   eeeee!

Blogging, Geneaology, and Coupons Oh My!

I have had a great time teaching my online workshops on blog design and graphics and well, it has just opened up a whole world of possibilities.

Amy Stults and I are hoping to bring many more online workshops to you utilizing our GoToWebinar software but we need your help to know what kind of workshops you are looking for. Some of the ideas that were tossed around are:

• Genealogy Workshop
• a Blogging Workshop for Beginners
• Couponing Workshop
• Wordpress Workshop 
• Designing eBooks Workshop

Now, we would teach a couple of these but the rest we would need to find instructors for. Right now we need to see if there is an interest in these topics and if so what do you want to learn in them? Do you have ideas for additional workshops?

If you are interested in being an instructor for a workshop then let us know that too!

Winners announced!

Congratulations!

* I have a few more companies who want me to host a giveaway so be sure to check back in a couple of weeks for those!

• The winner of the Monogrammed Annmarie Cosmetic Bag is Annabelle
• The winner of the Blog Design from Crown Laid Down Designs is Trudie.
• The winner of the Posh Papoose Sling is Emily Q.
• The winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card is Angela-Homegrown Mom.
• The winner of the Christian e-Courses for Women is Joyful.
• The winner of the Loving God, Loving People book is Melissa.
• The winners of the The Homemaker's Journal: Keeping House eBook are: Dianna @SincerelyMe, Untypically Jia, Chelsey, Margie, and So_Amazed.
• The winners of the Momma's Saving Grace Homeschool Planner eBook are: Alisha, Brenna, Dianne, Leslie, and Kimberly (no link).

Please email me by 12pm CST on Wednesday, February 24th to claim your prize. 

Bad Mom, Hormonal Mom

This weekend was full in so many ways. My baby turned 9. I'm pregnant. I cried.

Nine years ago I gave birth to this amazing little boy. He came early but he was 8lbs 14oz and had a head FULL of hair that stuck up everywhere. He is one of a kind. He can make me laugh with just a few words and my does he ever help me to just live in the moment. I began to recall all of his milestones...

It was very emotional. It occurred to me that in a few weeks he will no longer be the "baby" of the family. We will have another baby boy. I felt guilty for that. I don't know why. Then, with all of those emotions flooding in I realized that I am going to be a mom again and wow, does that ever scare me. You would think after three that I would be used to this. I'm not. I always hope and pray that I can be the best mom and good grief, what if I can't? I mess up... even on their birthdays.

I yelled at Brennan on his birthday. Way to go, mom.

I don't even know what I was so upset about. He was helping me paint stuff for the new baby and left the new paintbrushes out to dry without rinsing them. I got so upset that I yelled and ran into my room (I know, how very grown up of me). Then I realized how dumb what I had just done was and called him to come lay by me.

I just held him and told him I was sorry. What else could I do?

He did go on to have an amazing day complete with a new marshmallow shooting bow, lego set, a new shirt and a cookie monster cake with cookie ice cream. He forgave me and never said another word about it. He smiled and laughed all day.  I almost wanted him to be mad at me. I felt horrible for yelling at him. But, as always, he made me happy again and went about enjoying life. I could learn a few things from him.

Sunday he turned 9 years old. He is well advanced (academically) for his age and he still has a head FULL of hair that sticks up everywhere. 

Happy Birthday, Brennan.

No matter how old you get or how many younger siblings you have, you will always be mama's baby. I love you.

*tears*