BLESSINGS TO BE COUNTED & ALL SAINTS {GIVEAWAY}

Continuing to count God's sweet blessings...

2245. My grandparents who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last week.

2246. My parents who celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary this week.

2247. Beautiful examples of love, commitment and last marriage to look up to.

2248. My daughters and mom coming home safely from a National Fine Arts Festival.

2249. Both of my daughters doing absolutely amazing at the festival. I am so proud!

Share something you are praising God. I would love to rejoice with you.

Today I am thrilled to share with you a new faith based movie your family will love.

All Saints is based on the true story of pastor Michael Spurlock (played by John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all.

After trading in his corporate sales career to become a pastor, Michael’s first assignment is All Saints, a quaint country church with a dozen members. It comes with a catch: he has to close the church doors for good and sell the prime piece of land on which it sits. While developers eagerly eye the property and the congregation mourns the inevitable, Michael and his family look forward to moving on to an established church where they can put down roots.

But when the church hesitantly begins welcoming Karen refugees from Burma—former farmers striving for a fresh start in America—Michael feels called to an improbable new mission. Toiling alongside the Karen people, the congregation attempts to turn their fertile land into a working farm to pay the church’s bills and feed its newest people.

All Saints opens in theaters August 25. Make plans to see this inspiring movie with your family. To enter to win 2 Fandango movie tickets to go see All Saints, complete each task in the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Flyby Promotions Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

HUNGRY

You know when you're driving down the road and suddenly you catch a whiff of something delicious? The scent of spicy fajitas from the Mexican restaurant, the garlicy aroma of the Italian restaurant, or the smell of meat from the steakhouse. Suddenly your stomach is growling with hunger. You didn't even realize you were hungry, but now you want food and you want it fast!

What about when we get a little whiff of God's goodness?

Sunday's worship service was so great. The music is incredible and you feel the presence of God. The pastor's sermon is on point and you feel your heart stirred. Then you leave church and nothing changes. It is like smelling the delicious restaurant smells and realizing how hungry you are, but not eating.

Or you go to Bible study and you learn something new about God or the Word. You feel convicted and moved. You become excited. Then you leave Bible study and nothing changes. Again, it is like smelling the delicious restaurant smells, yet not eating.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

Friends, we need to hunger after God. We need to sniff out His incredible aroma, which is all around us, and let ourselves become so hungry. But we can't stop there. We must press on. We must pull up to the table and eat and drink in His goodness. We need to feast on His Word, His goodness, His joy. Don't let His goodness be locked up in the church or Bible study. Carry it with you all day long, everywhere you go. Be hungry.

SHE'S STILL THERE

Growing up we dream. We dream of things we want to do, things we want out of life and who we want to be. We dream big. Then we grow up and life happens. We get busy with bills, jobs, kids, laundry, the every day mundane, and we forget who we are and what we wanted. We forget that little girl. But guess what? She's still there. You may have grown up, but you are never too far from the girl you used to be or the dreams you once had.

When I became a mom, I had this little life to care for. I put my little one ahead of me. I'm a mom. It's what we do. By age 22, my husband and I had 4 little ones. No longer did I have time to paint my nails or read a book, two things I absolutely love to do. I would have clothes that didn't fit and undergarments full of holes, yet when shopping I would quickly pass by the women's department to head to the men's department for my husband or the children's department for my kids. I actually needed things, but guilt crept in. I wasn't taking care of me at all.

Why is it we don't take care of ourselves? Why do we put off what we want or who we are? Why do we forget about us?

In her new book, She's Still There, Chrystal Evans Hurst says:

You, my friend, are carrying precious cargo. You, my friend, have a job to do. It is your responsibility to move through your life well so that you can make it to the destination that represents home for you.

You are that precious cargo. You are important. You are worth taking care of. You are worth fulfilling your dreams. You are working discovering new passions. You are loved. You are accepted. You are valuable.

It's okay to work on your dreams and it's okay to buy yourself new underwear.

Chrystal's message gives you permission to find yourself again and to discover all that God has for you. In She's Still There, Chrystal will help you:
-Recognize hard seasons as refining moments, not defining moments.
-Reject the lie that you'll never move forward.
-Discover practical ways to connect with your God-given next steps.
-Embrace your identity as both a masterpiece and a work in progress.

The book is divided into 6 parts and after each chapter, she gives you reflections for the rescue of the girl within.
1. Fight for Your Life.
2. Look at Your Life.
3. Embrace Your Life.
4. Develop Your Life.
5. Encourage Your Life.
6. Choose Your Life.

She's Still There is a must read for every woman. I don't care if you are 19 and beginning your journey into womanhood and living on your own or if you are 69. Every woman needs this book. We need to understand that the little girl full of hopes and dreams and laughter is still there. She just needs rescued, which is exactly what Chrystal helps us do.

Pick up your copy of She's Still There today. Click HERE.

*Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own. Links on this page may be affiliate links. Thank you for supporting this ministry by using the affiliate links.

COUNTING BLESSINGS

Continuing to count God's sweet blessings...

2240. Air conditioning, it's been HOT.

2241. A slight break in the heat for a couple days.

2242. A weekend getaway just my hubby and I.

2243. God's beautiful creation.

2244. Watching a mama deer watch her twin babies run, jump and play.

Share something you are praising God. I would love to rejoice with you.

TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED

Too often we spend time with God in the morning then close our Bible and walk away. We forget to think about God, pray, meditate on Scripture, or worship the rest of the day. Then, because we continue our day on our own, we begin to feel stressed, anxious or even cranky.

God doesn't just want our morning. He wants our whole day. He wants us. What we need to be doing is to continually go back to God's Word throughout the day. To read a Scripture verse here and there, to talk to God as we go about our day, to sing praises and to give thanks.

One thing that helps is to have a small devotional on hand. Debora M. Coty has a new devotional that is perfect for a quick encouragement. Too Blessed To Be Stressed is 365 days of devotions. Each day has a Scripture verse, short devotion and short prayer. You could do 1 each day while eating a meal, waiting for the shower water heat up, waiting on the coffee pot, while stirring dinner, while vacuuming, in line at the store, in the doctor's waiting room, right before bed, the list is endless. Debora touches on everyday topics like relationships, love, boundaries, hope, brokenness and more.

Too Blessed To Be Stressed is a great devotional to help you stay connected to God throughout the day. Pick up a copy here.

To enter to win a copy of Too Blessed To Be Stressed from FrontGate Media, click HERE.

*Disclosure: This product was given to me in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own. Links on this page may be affiliate links. Thank you for supporting this ministry by using the affiliate links.