Here we are on the second day of Christmas. (If you are just joining us, click here to get caught up.) Today, you get to meet a newer member of the Proverbs 31 speaking team, the gracious and gorgeous Lynn Cowell. I loved Lynn from the moment I met her. She is eager, enthusiastic and longs to connect with God, with teens, and also to see moms connect their hearts to their kids.  As a speaker and writer, Lynn loves seeing eyes light up with understanding as she shares truth which leads others to completion in Christ.  Her passion is seeing others “get it” – that spark of something new beginning in another person’s heart, taking them to a place of unconditional love, of significance and of incredible value.

Lynn’s desire is for every person she encounters to “get” that Jesus wants you – He is that into you! Her desire is to help move people to a place where they begin to pursue Jesus for themselves. One way that she does this is through her blog at www.LynnCowell.com.

Lynn is an outdoor enthusiast, enjoying white water rafting, hiking, rugby, softball…anything you can do outside! Her favorite people to do that with are her husband of over 22 years and her three children. They make their home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her favorite way to end the day is settling down with a great story in her favorite Appalachian State sweatshirt.

Lynn, can you share a Christmas tradition your family has enjoyed over the years? Our family loves to go to the mountains and cut down our Christmas tree. It is a very special time when just the five of us begin our Christmas season spending time together in a place we love. It really is one of our highlights. We also love making chocolate covered peanut butter balls. My husband, son, two daughters and I gather in the kitchen and create a peanut butter lover’s (that’s me) dream! Our batch is so big, twice we have burned out our mixer! One year, my husband simply went to the garage, put the mixing tool in his power drill and away he went!

How do you intentionally focus on Christ in the midst of all the flurry of activities that happen in December?

When my kids were small, I purchased a cardboard book with 24 cardboard ornaments. Each one is actually a little book telling part of the Christmas story. Even though my kids are all teens now, I still like to read the little books and each day reflect on the season and His amazing gift!

What are some of your favorite Christmastime foods? Any recipe you might share with us?

When I was growing up, my family had a tradition of having oyster stew for Christmas Eve. Now I really did not like the taste of those gritty little things in my mouth as a kid and I still don’t like them today! So, at my house, I switched to a different seafood soup: She Crab Soup. Now that I live in the South, it is the perfect warm treat that we look forward to! Emeril helps me with this one:

She Crab Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 small onions, grated
• 6 ribs of celery, grated
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon mace
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1 tablespoon Crystal hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pounds crab meat, picked over for cartilage
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Directions

In the top of a double-boiler, melt the butter and flour together. Cook the mixture for 3-4 minutes for a blond roux. Stir in the onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and mace. Cook the vegetables for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Stir in the crab meat and continue simmering for 10-15 minutes. Re-season if necessary. Sprinkle the chopped eggs in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the soup into each bowl. Drizzle the soup with the sherry. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Mmmm…sounds delicious! Now, you are offering a great giveaway to one of our readers. Can you tell us about it?

The gift I am giving is one of my favorite talks “Building a Bridge to Your Child’s Heart”. Christmas time affords us opportunities like no other season to reach out to our child in special ways when their hearts may be especially tender. When you look at your relationship with your child, do you often wish it was more? More open, more honest, more influential? From having three teens, with much trials and errors, I have learned some keys to having a closer relationship with my children that I would love to share with you. I show you:

• How to connect your heart to theirs

• How to relate to a constantly changing generation

• How to be vulnerable without telling it all

• How to safely let go of your child

• How to help them make their faith their own

Thank so much for dropping by, Lynn!!!

Okay gals….leave a comment answering any of the above holiday questions that Lynn shared about, or simply say, “I’m in!” You may just be the winner of this great teaching  CD!

AND NOTE: Weight Loss Wednesday gals– these next two Wednesdays the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway will be running but we”ll still have our own regular WLW post so we can check in. Just scroll past the giveaway post and the WLW one will be beneath it. See you then!!!

Second Day of Christmas Blessings,

Share and Enjoy!

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