January Scripture Writing Plan: Wisdom

Happy almost January friends!

As we start a new year scripture writing is a great way to spend

a few minutes each day focusing on what is truly important! 

It's an easy way to spend some time in God's word and with Him. 

There is just something about writing out scripture that seems 

to make the word come alive for me- 

and I'm so thankful it's been a blessing to so many of you as well!

The plan for this coming month is over a topic that I think all of us need more of: WISDOM!

Wisdom is defined in the dictionary as: 

the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise and the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

John Piper defines wisdom as: 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (Proverbs 9:10). The wisdom that leads to life and ultimate joy begins with knowing and fearing God... fearing the Lord means fearing to run away from him. It means fearing to seek refuge, and joy, and hope anywhere other than in God. It means keeping before our eyes what a fearful prospect it is to stop trusting and depending on God to meet our needs. The fear of the Lord is, therefore, the beginning of wisdom not only in the sense that it is the first step in a wise way to live, but also in the sense that all the later characteristics of wisdom flow from the fear of the Lord like a river flows from a spring.

The Bible - specifically Proverbs- is chock full of reminders of what wisdom is.

It's vital that we not only know WHAT it is but that we also study 

what God says about it and then DO IT . 

This month's plan is full of verses from Proverbs that remind us what God has to say about wisdom and being wise- as well as what happens if we are NOT wise! 

You can find a copy of the plan in English and Spanish in the folder HERE.

{Just a reminder, don't try to print the images below or they will be blurry. Be sure to click the link to download a PDF copy!}

You can also find the general plan for January from last year   HERE. 

Christmas Baking 2017

I love to bake. 

It's relaxing and fun for me to make sweet treats for friends and family. 

In fact, I started this blog to post recipes (and there are tons on here). 

I inherited the love of baking from my sweet mama who was an INCREDIBLE cook. 

At Christmas time each year we would spend a weekend making

 tons of treats and it was one of my favorite weekends of the year. 

As I bake now I miss her so but try to remember all the fun times 

with her and now am lucky enough to have my sweet girl join me sometimes. 

This weekend I made a few goodies and thought I would share the recipes in case 

you are looking for some yummy treats to whip up this week. 

Some are super simple and all are super yummy!

Bible FAQ

When I post pictures or Instagram stories that include my Bible 

(I often share my morning devotions on my Instagram stories)

I usually get several questions about my Bible so 

I thought I would share about it in case others are interested too!

The main question I am asked is......

What bible do you use? 

Books I LOVE (& an AWESOME Amazon sale!)

I love books. 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them. 

I seriously wish that I could sit around all the time and read. 

To me that would be a dream come true. 

In case you are looking for some last minute gift ideas, 

I thought I'd share a great book deal along with 
some of my favorite books to give as gifts. 

Amazon Deal:

Until 11:59pm PST on December 14th, use the code BOOKGIFT17 at checkout to 

save $5 on any print book purchase of $15 or more.

Even better is that the code will also work if you want to pre-order a book

 that will come out in 2018! How cool is that? 

5 Word Prayers by Lisa Whittle
(I'm currently doing this devotional book and LOVE it so much!)

The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp
Such a great book!

All in All Journaling Devotional by Sophie Hudson
GREAT gift idea for teen girls!

Gracelaced by Ruth Simons

This book is beautiful and was gifted to me by a sweet friend!

New Morning Mercies by Paul Tripp

New devotional book I asked for from Santa.

Parallel NIV and The Message Bible

(This is my currently Bible and I LOVE it!)

The Jesus Storybook Bible

This is a fabulous bible for little ones and is currently on sale for 57% off!

You can check out all of my recommended books 

(and some other fun gift ideas) on Amazon HERE. 

Note: Thank you so much for shopping through my Amazon affiliate links. If you click through any of my Amazon links and purchase anything at all, 

Amazon sends me a very small amount of their profits (at no additional cost to you) as a thank-you for sending business their way.

Good News: 12-12-17

I love happy stories.

You know- those happy, inspiring, tear producing stories that

remind you there IS good in the world!

{And there IS so much good in the world!}

I LOVE those so very much! 

I love them so much that I seek them out

daily to remind me of the good in people.

Here are a few of my favorites from the past week!

CUTE Gift Ideas with FREE Printable Tags

Buying little gifts for lots of people can quickly add up to lots of $ so I decided to come up with a few cute and inexpensive ideas that won't break Santa's bank! 

This time of year everyone is super crazy busy & hurried so it's nice to have 

a few things wrapped up and ready to give when you realize you need them-

for teachers, co-workers, friends, neighbors, etc.

Last year I posted some CUTE & QUICK CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

for gifts that are great (& inexpensive) to have around during the Christmas season. 

You can find the printables for those items  HERE. 

Below are some new ones for this year I came up with 

that are super easy and super inexpensive!

Idea #1: 

The first idea is an one I'd see on Pinterest and absolutely loved! 

I purchased some super cute Christmas paper plates, napkins, and silverware. 

All of those pictured below were purchased from Walmart. 

Total cost= $5. 

I added a bow and this cute tag and turned it into a super cute, practical gift! 

This would be perfect for a teacher gift!

 You could even add a gift card for a local fast food restaurant! 

Idea #2: 

I purchased some super cute aloe socks and a bottle of red nail polish. 

Both items were purchased at Walmart. 

Total cost (including the box)= $6

 I added the tag and a bow and had another super inexpensive but useful gift! 

Idea #3: 

I purchased a bag of Gingerbread cookie mix, a cookie scoop,

 (If you don't use one- you should! They are the best cookie tool ever!) 

and a gingerbread cookie cutter. 

All items were purchased at Walmart. 

Total cost= $7

I added this little tag and some ribbon to make a cute and useful gift! 

Idea #4: 

I purchased a super yummy holiday smelling candle. 

I got this one at Walmart and y'all it smells AMAZING! 

Total cost= $4

Added this cute tag and a bow

for another super nice, useful, and inexpensive gift! 

Note: 

I printed my tags on white cardstock- sometimes in wallet size and others in 4x6 

but they are all in JPG format so you can print them in any size you'd like!

You can find all of tags from this year and last year in the folder  HERE. 

December Scripture Writing Plan: Names of God

Happy almost December friends!

The new topical plan for this month is one that I so enjoyed 

researching and am so excited to share with you!

Our God is amazing and incredible and mighty!

There is absolutely NO WAY we can fully understand or describe Him. 

We can’t wrap our tiny human brains around all the things He is & does. 

He loves us more than we can ever begin to comprehend. 

God is the Creator of the universe and everything in it. 

This God of ours is Jesus who became flesh AND

also the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. 

He loves us so and longs for us to know Him.

One of the best ways to get to know Him more deeply & intimately

 is to learn some of the many names He is called in scripture. 

These are not mere titles assigned by people but, for the most part, 

His very own descriptions of Himself and as such they reveal aspects of His character.

For the plan this month each day lists two different names of God as well as scriptures 

to explore and learn more about our Savior, Lord, and King. 

My prayer is that we are able to take a few minutes each day to learn

more about Him and His great love for us!

You can find a copy of the plan in English and Spanish in the folder HERE.
{Just a reminder, don't try to print the images below or they will be blurry. Be sure to click the link to download a PDF copy!}

 You can find the December plans from last year in the folder   HERE. 

ESV Illuminated Bible {& a Giveaway!}

I love Bibles and have quite a few but y'all this one- may now be my favorite.

The ESV Illuminated Bible- is absolutely gorgeous and truly beautiful!
It's honestly the most beautiful Bible I have ever seen!
It is breathtaking! 

It places the full ESV text alongside over 500 elegantly hand-lettered gold ink illustrations by renowned artist Dana Tanamachi. It is printed on thick cream-colored paper and the Bible's single-column text setting and wide margins provide generous space for additional notes, prayers, and designs—inviting readers to creatively engage with and reflect on the beauty of God's Word.

The Bible includes: 

• 9-point, Lexicon 
• Black letter text 
• 2-color printing 
• 64 full-page, custom book opener illustrations 
• 50 full-page verse illustrations 
• 250+ hand-lettered margin verses 
• 100+ other illustrations throughout 
• Illustrated by Dana Tanamachi, whose work has been featured by Google, The Wall Street Journal, Random House, USPS, and Target 
• Thick, cream-colored paper 
• Wide margins 
• Single-column, paragraph format 
• Smyth-sewn binding 
• Packaging: Permanent Slipcase

It is simply beautiful. 

Even the case it's in is gorgeous!

This would make an amazing Christmas gift. 

You can purchase the book on Amazon HERE 

and learn more about the bible on the Illuminated Bible website 

www.illuminatedbible.org including how it was made and about the ESV.

Leave a comment below telling me who you would give this to if you won
and you'll be entered to win your very own copy of this gorgeous bible!
Make sure your name is listed and be sure to check back
 on Thanksgiving night when I'll pick a winner and post it!

“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.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Kutless- Alpha/Omega

Kutless is one of those Christian groups that has been around for quite awhile but that I still love as much now as I did when I first started listening to them many years ago! 

They sing both rock AND worship music which is rare in the Christian music industry. 

Their new album, Alpha and Omega is fantastic! 

This album is a collection of rock and worship songs of both original and 

cover tracks that are true to who the band has been for the last 17 years. 

wanted to create a project that would engage the Christian 

community and have the greatest impact and boy did they ever!

 The songs are true to who the band is at their core - rock AND worship. 

ALPHA / OMEGA features a new version of “Strong Tower” 

 (which is one of my all time favorite praise and worship songs!) 

as well as the debut radio single “King of My Heart.” 

You can purchase this awesome album 

(it would make a GREAT Christmas gift)

at lots of retailers, all which are linked  HERE.

.