THE BLIND {GIVEAWAY}

In 2012 my husband was flipping through the TV and stumbled across a show that caught his attention pretty quickly. Not only did it catch his attention, but it caught mine. Mind you, I very rarely watch TV. I would be perfectly happy to get rid of our TV permanently even. But this show had something that pulled us both in.

Duck Dynasty became a family favorite. A show none of us wanted to miss. With the stylish ladies, backwoods men, respectful kids, and of course, quick witted Uncle Si, we loved everything about this show. But what kept us coming back week after week, what had us loving the Robertson family was their motto: "Faith. Family. Ducks. And in that order."

Every show ended with the family sitting down together for dinner and God was woven throughout their dinner, their conversations, the entire show really. We've loved the Robertson family from day one. That is why we were thrilled when we heard of the new movie, The Blind.

The Blind is the story of Phil and Miss Kay, the Robertson patriarch and matriarch. We follow Phil and Miss Kay from the very beginning. We see life before the dynasty. We see the good, the bad, and the very ugly.

Phil shares never before revealed moments in his life. We see his struggles, his pain, his sin. He is beyond transparent. The truth is, Phil opened up the darkest and most embarrassing times in his life so that we could get a glimpse of the hope he has found in Jesus.

My daughter watched The Blind with me and let's just say there were tears all around. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Whether you are a die-hard Robertson family fan or never heard of them, this is a must see movie.

The Blind comes out TODAY! Make plans now to head to the theater this weekend and watch The Blind. For more info and to find tickets, click HERE.

Giveaway:
To enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card, leave your name and email address in the comments and let me know if you were a Duck Dynasty fan! One winner will be chosen at random and emailed from jenifer@jenifermetzger.org on Tuesday, October 3rd.

Disclaimer:
Many thanks to Tread Lively for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING

I have a love hate relationship with social media. Many days, the scales tip towards hate.

Recently I was talking with a friend about social media. In and of itself, social media isn't bad. Social media can be a wonderful tool for keeping in touch with family and friends across the span of miles, for sharing in our lives, and even for encouraging each other. Social media can certainly be a wonderful, wonderful thing!

Unfortunately, many people use it for bad. People air their dirty laundry, there is nonstop drama, the passive aggressive posts, the bullying, the comparison, the discontentment, the hunger for likes and follows, being robbed of our time, it's awful.

How can we use social media for good and not bad?

In her newest book Who Are You Following, Sadie Robertson Huff says, "I think it's safe to say that anything we are spending up to seven hours a day on is worth looking at closely and considering whether it is leading us to the life we desire."

It is amazing how much time we spend on social media. My phone has this feature where it tells me how much time I spend on it. It can even narrow down what apps I am on the most. When I first discovered how much time I was on my phone, I was shocked! With all I have to do, with all I could be doing, and I am on my phone that many hours a day!

In the summer of 2020, I was struggling a bit so I decided to silence the notifications for all social media on my phone. Those dings and pings have a powerful force that pull me in! By silencing the notifications, I found myself on social media -and my phone- much less.

Guard your heart above all else,

for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:23

While on my phone less, I still battled with what I read and saw and how I felt. By following and friending people, we are allowing them to speak into our lives. We are giving them this right to our life and letting them dictate how we feel. We are being influenced by people behind the mask of a filter instead of by God and His Word.

Sadie says, "Often we don't intend to see the things we see, think about the things we end thinking about, spend the hours we spend, or even buy the things we buy. We just weren't paying attention to who we were following."

I remember one time scrolling through Instagram and coming across a name and face that I had not recalled ever seeing. I then went to look at my list of people I was following and it was so random. I was following accounts for products I didn't use or used once, for people I didn't know, it was crazy. It was time for a massive clean out, and time to be more intentional with who I was following and why I was following them. Sadie also says, "We need to be more intentional about what we are looking for so that we can be intentional about who we begin to follow."

Who Are You Following is so thought-provoking. Sadie has confirmed feelings I've already had and opened my eyes in other areas. Who we follow matters. Who we allow to speak into our lives matter. The way we feel when we come away from social media matters.

This book should be read by everyone! If you have social media, you need to read it. If you are thinking of getting social media, you need to read it. If your child has social media, you need to read it and so do they. Pick up a copy of Who Are You Following and the Who Are You Following Guided Journal today!

RELAXATION, CATCHING UP & A HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY STORIES FOR KIDS GIVEAWAY

Today at Woman to Woman we are talking about disqualifying your husband. Click HERE to join us.



Continuing to count God's sweet blessings...

2165. Safe trip taking my kids to and from their PK Retreat.

2166. The amazing way they love and take care of our PKs, pastor's kids.

2167. Surviving a full 24 hours alone in the quiet of a hotel room. (I don't like being alone!) While I dislike being alone, it was the perfect time to put my feet up and catch up on some work.

2168. Coming back home!

2169. My oldest daughter helping at home so I could take her younger siblings (she is too old to go this year, sad face.)

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

For the last 5 years my family has faithfully watched, and loved, the Robertson family. From the funny antics of the brothers to the adorable kids to the wisdom of Phil and Miss Kay to the craziness of Uncle Si. But the thing we love most about this family is what they stand for (and we are so sad to see the show end). God first, family second. Those priorities are evident in all they do and how they stand up for what they believe in and who they love.

Korie Robertson and her mom Chrys Howard have a brand new children's book out that your kids are going to love! You will too. Happy, Happy, Happy Stories for Kids is told in story form but lets you in on the fun of the Robertson's. As you read each chapter you will get to know the family a little more all the while laughing, but you will also be encouraged with great moral and life lessons.

To enter to win Happy, Happy, Happy Stories for Kids, complete each task in the rafflecopter below.

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Live Original. Be You. Shine.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...

Psalm 139:14

Why do we have such a hard time being who we are, understanding that we are important, shining like the treasure we were created to be when we have this verse? Psalm clearly tells us that we were fearfully and wonderfully made. Hear that friends, wonderfully made. You. You were wonderfully made. A King, THE King of all kings, knit you together exactly the way He wanted you. He loves you, treasures you, wants you, and cherishes you, yet here we are afraid of being who He made us to be.

We let outside influences tell us who they think we need to be. We listen to the media tell us that we need to wear a certain size, have just the right shade of perfectly white teeth, have hair just so, and wear a specific style just to be accepted. Listen close: God accepts you exactly the way you are. He doesn't care if your hair is frizzy, He made it that way. (This frizzy-haired girl is very thankful for this truth.) He doesn't care if your jean size is larger than a 6, if you can't sing, are horrible at DIY projects, have yet to master the perfect messy bun, tell corny jokes or have less than perfect skin. He loves you.

Memorize Psalm 139:14. Write it out several times and post it all over your home. Then, begin to live it out. When the enemy comes in and tells you lies that make you feel like you are not enough, remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Sadie Robertson, the 19 year old daughter of Willie and Korie Robertson, is a modern girl next door. She loves to encourage those around her by living out and sharing her faith. Sadie's message to everyone is simple, yet profound. She tells us to live original. Sadie speaks to the young girl in any heart -teens, moms and grandmas alike. Sadie transparently shares her life on social media, including youtube videos. She began a ministry, also called Live Original, where she travels all over with some of her family and friends for a conference sharing her message. Next month you can find Sadie and her squad with Family Force and Love and the Outcome.

Sadie also has a beautiful line with Dayspring. You will find things like mugs, trinket dishes, notebooks, journals, cards and more with the message to live original, be you and shine.

The Sadie line makes great gifts for girls and women of all ages or a fun treat just for yourself. My daughters saw a box full of Sadie goodies and began calling 'dibs' before I even had a chance to look! We ended up dividing up the goodies fairly. My coffee addicted 18 year old is loving the Hold On Tight Travel Mug and notebooks and 15 year old writer is having a blast with the journal and notepad. Me? I love my Be You trinket dish and Shine cosmetic bag. As with all Dayspring items, these are high quality items at a fair price and everyone will love them. To check out Sadie's full line at Dayspring, click the image below.

Strong & Kind: And Other Important Character Traits Your Child Needs to Succeed {Giveaway}

Parenting is hard. With 4 teenagers I am often wonder if I've done enough as a parent. Have I taught them all the character qualities they need? How will they do when they 'leave the nest'? Is there anything I've missed in teaching them?

My son and I have been having some struggles in our relationship for awhile now. The fears of not parenting him good enough were real. I started praying the Fruits of the Spirit over him {I will share more of this in a blog post soon to come!}. I want my children to have the Fruits of the Spirit, but I can't do this on my own.

Korie Robertson, in her new book Strong and Kind, says, "We need training - but more importantly, we need God. At the end of the day, you have to give your children to God to complete. They belong ultimately to Him. He's the One who created them and the One who knows what is best for them."

That right there tells us exactly what we need to do as parents: give our kids back to God. We have to give them to God and let Him fill the gaps. We have to give them over and trust God to take care of them.

In Strong and Kind, Korie shares how to instill the traits of strength, kindness, self-control, honesty, compassion, patience, joyfulness, loyalty and humility.

Check out what she has to say:

Strong and Kind, available today, is a book every parent should read. To enter to win a copy, complete each task in the rafflecopter below.

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