Share Your Story Saturday #1

Hi friends!

I am part of a brand new linky party called "Share Your Story Saturday"! What a perfect name! Every Saturday you can link up your favorite posts from the past week and share it with people all over the interwebs! We want to hear your story!

I will choose a few favorites to highlight next week during our Share your Story Blog Hop.

Becky at Tales of Beauty for Ashes (host)

Please send Becky an email at talesofbeautyforashes at gmail if you would like to cohost!

I have some awesome co-hosts this week, please stop by and say hello to them:

Heather at It's a Long Story (cohost)

Alecia at Learning to Walk (cohost)

Mary at A Classroom Full of Smiles (cohost)

Susan at MomLoves2Read (cohost)

Terri at Life with the Grothes (cohost)

Jenna at Called Home (cohost)

Joyice at Raising Boys Homeschool (cohost)

Please take a few moments to visit a few blogs and leave a comment letting them know you stopped by!

 

1LW Wednesdays 17: April/May Link Up!

Hi friends!

Yes, I realize that it's Thursday. It's OK...I promise! Life is more important that blogging, always.

I'm still trying to mentally unpack some of the things I heard at Orange last week. You have no idea how busy my brain has been! This conference challenged me as a ministry leader, a person, and a parent. I'm just trying to make sure it all sticks!

One of the things that stuck with me is something that Andy Stanley, Senior Pastor of North Point Ministries in Atlanta said during his keynote session. He was speaking about leadership, and making sure that we are leading by serving, the way Jesus did and this is what he said...

"Don't be fair, be engaged."

Five little words that have rocked my world! Our world seems to revolve around "fair". Everyone gets a participation award so no one feel left out, people sue other people left and right because they didn't get equal treatment. Now, granted, sometimes that is completely justified, but I think "fair" has gotten a little out of control.

What Andy Stanley was trying to say was to not avoid helping someone because "if I help them, then I have to help everyone." He challenged us to reject that notion. 

(source unknown)

I don't want to let the fear of not being able to help everyone keep me from helping someone. It just doesn't make any sense. It's like telling an adopting family at an orphanage that they shouldn't adopt one child because then they would have to adopt them all. It doesn't apply to that situation, so why should it apply to others? If I can help someone now, I should. I may not be able to help the next person, and that is OK too. Andy Stanley used the story from John 5 to illustrate his point. Out of the "crowds" of sick people at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus chose to heal one (at least according to the record). I don't know why He chose that. It certainly wasn't because He wasn't capable of healing them all. Maybe it was so 2000 years later I could hear that story from a new perspective and learn that it is OK to just help one. Who knows?

I had the chance to bless a friend of mine in a small way financially today. I could have gotten caught up up in thinking that I shouldn't bless her because I can't bless everyone, but I didn't. Thank goodness for that. If I had gotten stuck in that thought process I would have not only kept a blessing from her, but I would have missed out on the joy of being the one doing the blessing! Seeing someone happy makes me happy. Getting to bless someone is a blessing in and of itself.

I don't want to miss out on being engaged because I'm stuck at fair.

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Now we want to hear from you!

How have you been living out your One Little Words in the last month?

Go ahead and link us up, but remember to follow the rules! This linky is for 1LW posts only. I love seeing all  of your fun projects, but there are other parties for those! ; )

Things have changed a bit with this link up. Since we've switched to a once a month party, you may not have had a chance to link up for April. Go ahead and link up those posts. This party will be open all month, so as you write 1LW posts in May, come back and link them up too! We'll share our favorites in June!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

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A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!

Be blessed!

Heather

Toddler Box 4: Cutting

Wow, guys! I posted 1LW Wednesday yesterday, and totally forgot that it was actually Thursday! Yikes. This is what happens when I go to work on a different day of the week.

Now that I know what day of the week it is...

It's Toddler Box time!

This one is so easy, and has so many different options for kids at all levels. I had a box like this in my classroom last year, and one of my kiddos loved it! It's great for fine-motor work, and pre-school skill building.

I started out with craft foam.

 I bought a pack of half sheet craft foam at Hobby Lobby for $6. It's going to last us forever! Cut your foam pieces down so they fit into your Toddler Box. Add in some (child safe) scissors, and you're all set!

Get to cutting!

This was Abbey's first time using scissors, so she had a hard time getting the hang of it. She'll figure it out soon! She kept wanting to use the scissors to pull on the foam and tear it, rather than cutting through it.

Getting there...

If your little one is having a hard time maneuvering classic scissors, try some loop scissors. They will help them master the motion of cutting without having to do as much work. 

Why foam and not paper? A few reasons. It's sturdier than paper, which is nice. Abbey can't squish it while she's concentrating on cutting. It also stands up while she holds it, instead of flopping over. It also gives her a bit more resistance than paper would.

Have kids that are already cutting? Make things a bit trickier! This is also a great way to work on cutting/tracing!

Add some lines to your foam and you instantly have a new cutting activity! 

My favorite part of this crafty Toddler Box? No waste! 

All those little pieces that you end up with are perfect for all sorts of fun and games! Use them for mosaics, or sorting, or whatever your little one can come up with!

Learning and recycling? Sweet!

Now, it's Kids Co-op time! Yay!

Welcome to this special outdoor, earth friendly, kid adventure, non-stop projects, and ideas editionof The Kid's Co-op! 

Each week we get together we'll ask YOU to share your favorite kid's activities. We'd love to see a plethora of ideas geared for toddlers to pre-teens. We are looking for activities that are family oriented, fun, unique and educational. Please share your favorite project or blog post below. We will be sharing our favorite post from our own blogs too! {Co-hosted by: The Kid's Co-op Group, Let's Lasso the Moon& Nurture Store}

PS: By linking up you agree that your post and photos are Pinterest friendly. We will be showcasing ideas on our group Pinterest Board. Are following the Kid's Co-op on Facebook? Let's connect!

Be Blessed!

Heather

Toddler Box 3: Pom Poms

Hi friends!

Toddler boxes are back! Yay! The one I have for you today is a go-to in our house. It is so versatile!

Super simple. Pom Poms and pinchers. Pom Poms are available in all sorts of colors at craft stores, and I found the oversize tweezers at my local teaching supply store.

Abbey likes to fill up her tea cups with pom poms, so those usually live in the box, too.

Sometimes we fill them up by color. Sometimes we fill up the cups and use the pinchers to put them back in the box.

Would you like some "punch"?

Another thing Abbey likes to do with these is glue them to paper. It is a great chance for her to work on multi-step projects. She's still working on getting enough glue onto her paper to get them to really stick, but we're getting there.

If your little one is up for more of a challenge, you can have them fill in the circles on bingo-dauber worksheets. 

I find a lot of great ones HERE.

Have any of you made any Toddler Boxes yet? I would love to see them! Link me up in the comments!

Now, it's time for the Kids Co-Op Linky Party!  I am amazed every week at the fantastic ideas in there. Make sure you check them out!

This post is linked up. Come play with me!

1LW Wednesdays #13: In One Day

Hi friends.

Okay, :deep breath: here we go...

In one day, March 22nd, two of my grandparents died within 12 hours of each other.

In one day my parents both lost a parent.

In one day I lost my Gram, who has battled MS and cancer my entire life, and beat it more times than most.

In one day I lost my Grandpa, who's body just couldn't cope with a surgery that was supposed to save his life.

In one day everything changed.

We entered that week knowing that it was going to be rough. My Gram (my dad's mom) had been on hospice for a couple weeks, and took a downward turn on Sunday. Grandpa (my mom's dad) had his surgery scheduled for Monday. It was high risk, but everything pointed to a slow, but successful recovery. 

In one day they were gone.

I don't think anyone would think twice if I was mad at God about this. And you know what...I tried to be. I did. I tried to be mad at God. (who does that??)

It lasted, about, 10 seconds.

It just didn't make any sense. I mean, let's face it, none of this makes sense, but being mad at God didn't make anything feel any better.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked if I really believed that God allowed things to happen in our lives because He has something better for us. I responded, without hesitation, that I absolutely do. I still do.

Is my life better without my grandparents? Are my parent's lives better without their parents? Of course not. But our lives are temporary.

My grandparents are healthy, whole, and with God. Is that better? Yes, and that's permanent.

Could I be mad at God about this? Definitely.

However, I am intentionally choosing to run to Him in my grief. I am clinging to Him because that's the only thing that makes sense, and by doing that my faith and relationship with Him will grow even bigger. Is that better? Yes. Always, yes.

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Alright friends, it's time for you to share your 1LW stories with us this week! 

First, though, I want to announce a little change. 1LW will continue to be a weekly post. You will still here from Chrissy and I. However, the linky party is going to be changing to once a month. If you want to keep posting 1LW posts each week (Lani, I'm looking at you!) do it! Link them all up at the party! We would love to read them! Otherwise, watch for the party on the first Wednesday of each month.

Don't know what a 1LW is? Check out this post.

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

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A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

Easter Book Review

Hello friends!

With Easter coming up, I wanted to do a quick review of some books we've been reading at home. Abbey loves to read, and we have story time every night before bed. I've found books to be a great way to introduce topics to her. 

While I don't have a problem with secular Easter traditions, I want to make sure that the real reason for the day doesn't get lost in all the easter eggs and chocolate. Easter is tricky to explain to an almost 3 year old. Christmas is "easy"...Baby Jesus was born! Easter...not so easy. These three books do a great job of taking things down to Abbey's level.

The Story of Easter: I actually found this one at Target, hidden in there between all the Easter egg books. It is fantastic! Abbey and I just read it before she went down for a nap. She doesn't understand the idea of dying, but she does understand feeling sad and feeling happy. This book talks about how Jesus' friends were sad when He died, and were happy when He was alive again. 

It also explains why we put crosses on steeples, and that Jesus was called the Good Shepherd which is the name of our church. I love that we get to use parts of this book all throughout the week. It really helps things stick.

What Is Easter?: This is another great book. The first few pages talk about all of the activities that surround Easter like egg hunts, and baby chicks, and chocolate bunnies, and asks if they are what Easter is about. Then it talks about Jesus and the fact that He died for us, and that that is what Easter is all about. I like the rhyming and rhythm of this book, but that creates some potential problems. There is some obscure language in this book that may be confusing to little ones, or kids with disabilities. Phrases about Jesus dying on a tree, and how He wants to live inside you may need some extra explanation. They don't seem to be throwing Abbey too badly. Note: We also have  the Christmas version of this book by the same author, and it is fantastic!

The Very First Easter: I just found this one. I love The Beginner's Bible. It does such a great job of making bible stories understandable for little ones while staying true to scripture. This small book is all of the Easter oriented stories that the full Beginner's Bible contains. They include Jesus washing the disciples feet, and the entry into Jerusalem. I'm excited to read this one with Abbey tonight!

How do you teach your toddlers about Easter? I'd love to hear from you!

Now it's time for Kids Co-Op goodness! I looove this linky party. You know the drill. Link up your kids ideas here, and they'll be linked up all over blog-land. I can't wait to see what you've got this week!

1LW Wednesdays #12

Hey friends. I am so glad to be back here today.

I feel like life is getting in the way from my blogging lately. 

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Melissa Barr on Pinterest

Monday night I attended a meeting at church and a friend gave me a pamphlet called  " Names of God".

I think this little pamphlet was filled with some of the most amazing words. 

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite names for our God. 

Besides the most comfortable like, Lord, Father, Daddy I was really moved by this list of names.

Adonai (ah-doe-ni) meaning The Lord, My Great Lord. God is our total authority! How comforting and reassuring is that. 

Elohim (el-o-heem) meaning Creator, The all powerful one. This is how God is referred in Genesis 1:1. Elohim is found over 2300 times in the Bible referring to God! The is amazing and makes you think that He really wanted us to remember this name! 

El Roi (el Roy) meaning The God who sees me. There are no circumstances n our lives that escape His fatherly awareness and care. Did you hear that NO CIRCUMSTANCE. He is always there, always watching, ;always listening, always caring. 

Jehovah-Jireh  (juh-HO-vah JI-rah) meaning The Lord will provide. God will meet all our needs, not what we THINK we need, but our actual needs. He provided His son Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice. We have no reason to doubt Him. 

Jehovah-Shalom (juh-Ho-vah sha-LOME) meaning The Lord is peace. Jesus is our Prince of Peace. God is the only one who can give us a peace that transcends all understanding. 

Do you have a favorite name for God? maybe it's Emmanuel, YHWH, or friend.

what ever it is we are so blessed to have such a loving heavenly father. 

Thanks, Chrissy!

Alright, now it's your turn! Link us up with your 1LW post!

Don't know what a 1LW is? Check out this post.

Looking for a great place to share your other fun stuff? Check out my 1LW blogging partner Chrissy over at Boerman Ramblings!

Haven't picked a word yet? Go ahead! This is not a time sensitive challenge! Pick a word, write about it, and then come tell us!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

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A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

Gathered Thoughts: A Quiet Place

I was so excited to be asked to be a part of the Gathered Thoughts linky party at LoveFeast Table.

Gathered Thoughts is a box set of 365 different quotes meant to bring some inspiration to your day. Maybe you use them at the dinner table. Maybe you use them as writing prompts. It's up to you.

LoveFeast Table chose several "hosts" for this party, and each host found 9 people to pass a Thought on to. I was lucky enough to have mine sent from my dear friend Lani.

Here's what I got:

Within your heart keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go, and shelted so, may  thrive  and grow where doubt and fear are not. Oh, keep a place within your heart, for little dreams to go.
-Louise Driscoll 

I love this quote! My brain went in a million different directions when I read it. I think dreams are so important. I think that they are a gift from God. He wants us to dream big, and he wants us to lift our dreams up to Him. He wants to see us live our dreams!

Some dreams start when we're young. Some are silly (I think those are the best kind), but they're there. Some dreams we outgrow. Some dreams sit for so long that we almost forget about them. Some dreams even come true before we even know they were there!

source unknown

God has his own timing for giving us our dreams and helping us find them. The world loves to tell us that dreams are silly, and that we shouldn't bother, but I don't think that's true. We were created to be dreamers. 

I don't think we need to create that secret place in our heart for our dreams, I think it's been put there for us, full to the brim of dreams waiting to be dreamed. What we need to do, is make sure that we don't forget that that spot is there. We need to make sure that the shouts of the world don't drown out the whispers of the dreams God has given us. God's whispers are so much louder than the world, if we just stop and listen. I think that is what that secret little place is for.

Heather

1LW Wednesday #11

Hi friends!

No big post for you today for 1LW Wednesday. We are experiencing some fantastic weather here in Chicagoland, and I'm being intentional and taking full advantage of it! Abbey and I have been doing all sorts of fun stuff outside! She's taking a nap now, so I'm hoping on here super quick.

I still want to hear what you all have been up to this week, so link up!

Remember, this is a linky party for 1LW posts only. I love all of your arts and crafts, but this isn't the place to share them. Don't know what a 1LW is? Check out this post.

Looking for a great place to share your other fun stuff? Check out my 1LW blogging partner Chrissy over at Boerman Ramblings!

Haven't picked a word yet? Go ahead! This is not a time sensitive challenge! Pick a word, write about it, and then come tell us!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

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A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

Toddler Box 2: Beads

Hi everyone! 

I'm here with another Toddler Box for you, and then on to some Kids Co-Op linky goodness!

I am having so much fun putting these boxes together, and Abbey is having so much fun playing with them (which is, after all, the point!) I can't wait to share more of them!

Here is this weeks addition:

Bead stringing! I love this activity because you can do so much with it, and it can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. It addresses all sorts of skills, and is SO easy to put together. A big tub of beads (I used maybe a third of it) and some pipe cleaners and you are set. 

NOTE: If you have any reason to believe that this activity poses a safety concern to your child, please don't do it, k? Thanks!

Why pipe cleaners you ask? Why not string? I like using pipe cleaners because you don't have to worry about the beads falling off the end! No knots. no nothing!

Abbey loves playing with her beads!

This game is especially fun to play while rocking some serious bed-head, and some new Dora jammers. If you haven't done it, I highly recommend it.

If you can believe it, this is the toned-down version of this morning's bed-head. It was epic.

You can do so many things with this box.

You can work on plain ol' fine motor skills:

You can match colors:

You can match patterns:

This is a new one for Abbey, so I think we'll be working on this one quite a bit.

Or, you can make "snails".

and take them swimming.

It's your choice, really!

Now it's time for Kids Co-Op fun! 

If you're new to the Kids Co-Op linky party, let me explain it a bit to you. This isn't your typical link up. Anything you link up here, will also appear at all of our co-hosts blogs. How cool is that? This week we have almost 60 co-hosts! That's your idea, at almost 60 different sites, with one little link up! Sweet deal.

Make sure to check out some of the awesome activities that get linked up. There is some fantastic stuff in there every week!

Toddler Box 1: Buttons

Hi everyone!

This was originally posted over at Mess For Less last week as a guest post, but I wanted to post it over here for anyone that missed it! I've got a whole series of these coming up...get excited! Make sure you check out some of the co-hosts of the Kids Co-op this week, as well.

I've recently started putting together something for Abbey that I have named Toddler Boxes. They are simple, self-contained activities that Abbey can, for the most part, complete by herself. I'm sharing my first one here with you today!

First of all, I found some great little tote boxes with snap-on lids at Hobby Lobby. They are the perfect size for Abbey, and the stack together perfectly so we can store them where she can reach them. Honestly, finding those boxes was the springboard for the whole Toddler Box idea!

I also found these buttons at Hobby Lobby for $5! Woohoo! 

Much better than trying to collect buttons from the sewing section, and they are nice and chunky with nice, big holes. Yes, I realize it says age 4 and up. If you have any reason to believe that your child would put these in their mouth, maybe wait a while before you try out this activity.

The S'getti String was $3 for 50 yards! Seriously, I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of it! I liked it for this activity because it is narrow and flexible enough to fit through the button holes, but it is sturdy, and doesn't fray.

This picture is sideways and I can't fix it...sorry! Blame Blogger!

Abbey loves her buttons!

The first time we played this, she had a hard time and I heard a lot of  "I can't!", but now she's a pro!

How's that for focus?? Haha!

She is so good about keeping the buttons in the box, or picking them back up if they come out. This box is a LIFESAVER at dinner time!

Now...on to the linky party! Check out our co-hosts, they've got a ton of great stuff today! 

Imprints from Tricia No Time For Flash Cards Train Up a Child Caution! Twins at play Creative Family Fun mamascout Share With A Kid Scribble Doodle and Draw

One Perfect Day Ways2Play Mum of Twins a Toddler and a Teenager Carrots Are Orange Small Types Rainy Day Mum Smiling like Sunshine Dirt and Boogers RainbowsWithinReach

The Mommies Made Me Do It It's A Long Story Reading Confetti B.Inspired, Mama! The Good Long Road PlayDrMom ToddlerApproved Growing A Jeweled Rose

This post is linked up. Come play!

1LW Wednesdays #9

Hello everyone! Chrissy is here with us this week. I have to say, a lot of what she talks about today resonates with me. Hopefully we can all keep each other motivated!

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Hey there again friends.

It's starting to feel like my second home over here! 

How are you doing? How is your 1LW going?

I would say mine is going okay...

I wish I could say great but i have dropped the ball in a few area's

The worst is my time in the Word.

I have not been doing good with this. 

I am really behind on my reading the Bible in 1 year plan. 

Source: google.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

I have to remember to not beat myself up over it. 

It's hard not to though. 

I feel like I am doing better with communication.
I am returning calls, answering emails, and responding to texts more often!

I will be honest when I am having a bad day (due to my crohn's) I ignore all calls and texts.
Sometimes it's hard to muster up anything nice and it's probably better that I don't say anything at all!
I knew you would agree with me.

I am looking forward to this Lenten season.
It's kind of a hot button topic i found out.
I am trying to find the right words to express why we participate in lent.
When I find those words I'll be sure to share them with you!  HA

This week we are memorizing...
E - Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

I cannot believe we are on E already.
My 10 yr old has most of A-D memorized! Yeah!

Well friends, I better run. See you next week! 

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Thanks, Chrissy!

Alright, I want to hear from you!

Remember,this linky party is meant for posts about how you are living out your One Little Word. I love all of your crafts and projects, and I'm sure you are super proud of them, but this isn't the party for those! If you're looking for somewhere to link those up, my parter-in-crime, Chrissy, has a great one on Tuesdays!

Don't know what a One Little Word is? Check out THIS post to find out more. 

Haven't picked a word yet? Go ahead! This is not a time sensitive challenge! Pick a word, write about it, and then come tell us!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

<br /><center><a href="http://itsourlongstory.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p92/heather-kate/th_OLWbutton.jpg" /></a</center><br />
A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!Be blessed!

Introducing...

The Kids Co-Op!

I found this group via Pinterest, and have been lucky enough to join! Every week we will host a linky party for kids activities. If you have something fun for kids...we want to see it! If you link up here, your link will show up at all of our co-hosts sites as well. How cool is that?!
I've also been given the opportunity to contribute to a few of the co-op's Pinterest boards. There is some great stuff being added to these boards on a daily basis, so go check them out!

The Parent Water Cooler
Growing Creative Kids
Lifetime Love of Learning

Make sure you check out this week's co-hosts!

Imprints from Tricia It's A Long Story RainbowsWithinReach Life & Love Expressed Train Up a Child B.Inspired Mama

No Time For Flash Cards My Creative Family Toddler Approved Rainy Day Mum Dirt and Boogers Mum of Twins a Toddler and a Teenager

PlayDrMom The Mommies Made Me Do It Reading Confetti The Good Long Road Ways2Play Smiling like Sunshine

1LW Wednesday #5

Hi Everyone! I can't believe it's already February! I hope you've all had a great first month living out your 1 Little Word!

Chrissy is here to share with you this week...take it away Chrissy!

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Hey friends. I am glad to be back here today.
I have been really enjoying this 1LW thing.

Source: theamateurwriter.com via Ginger on Pinterest

I can honestly say it has kept me accountable so far this year.
For those of you that are new, or the ones who forgot (how could you)
my word for 2012 is WORDS..
If you want to know why i chose this word head {here} 
If you want to see what changes I have already made read {here}

today I wanted to share with you some words that came to a new light for me today...
I am participating in a Bible study with 4 other women and we are studying the book of Matthew.
Today we focused on chapter 5 but mainly the beatitudes...
I found this website that broke down the beatitudes in a way that was more understandable..

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

            We must depend on God’s unconditional love.

2. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Those who are in anguish due to sin, sickness, death, poverty, war, or injustice will find their comfort someday.

3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. (meek meaning humble/gentle)

We must realize our abilities inherited from God and then in doing well for others.

4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

We must work for good relationships with our neighbors to promote peace among   nations.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

We must instill compassion on others and learn to forgive those who have hurt us.

6. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

            We must be pure in our thoughts, acts and deeds. We must do the right thing.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

            We must bring about peace with others, even if they are our enemies.

8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Those who are condemned for the right thing will gain the courage and strength for as long as Christ lives in their hearts.

  I just love how it gives us modern day application.
Having my focus being on Words has had me in THE WORD so much more this year!
I am loving it and love learning all that God has to show me.

thanks for having me friends!

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Thanks, Chrissy! If you guys haven't already, make sure you pop over to Chrissy's blog Boerman Ramblings. I totally stalk love it!

Alright...let's play! I want to hear what you've been up to!

Please link back to this post if you're playing along!

Grab a button:

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A text link is fine too, if you prefer that!
Be blessed!