6th Day of Christmas Giveaway….with Luann Prater

Thanks for joining us on the 6th Day of Christmas giveaway. We are half-way home! If you are just joining us in our 12 Days of Giveaway goodies, click here to get caught up. You can enter to win the prizes on any of the 12 posts until midnight EST on Sunday, December 13th.

Today you get to meet a woman who truly inspires me to walk more closely with God. Her faith in Him and desire for His will in her life automatically spills over in anything she does. Luann Prater is not only a beautiful woman, her prayers are beautiful too. As our Proverbs 31 speaker team prays for each other via email, my heart is often stirred by the deeply heartfelt and completely creative prayers she sends that are chock full of relevant scripture. When I grow up, I want to be just like her!!! So, on this 6th day of Christmas….meet my godly girlfriend Luann Prater!

 

Luann is a wife, mother of three children, friend of two step-daughters as well as a grandmother.  She runs a small business, is a real estate agent with Keller Williams and is active in her church.  Luann has been with Proverbs 31 ministries for almost 10 years and she is contributing author to the book God’s Purpose for Every Woman, The Reason We Speak, the Proverbs 31 Women’s Magazine and Encouragement for Today email devotions reaching over 300,000 subscribers everyday worldwide.  Luann is also the host of a one-hour live call-in radio show every Saturday called Encouragement Cafe with Luann & Friends, which broadcasts across the nation and online worldwide. She loves life and her zest for living is contagious.  From stained tragedies to the brilliant glow of grace, she allows God to use her life struggles to portray a picture of hope and encouragement to others.

Luann, can you share a tradition your family has enjoyed over the years?

Cinnamon rolls and Stockings.  Years ago I would make the dough from scratch the night before and make homemade Cinn-a-bon-type rolls ready to pop in the oven at daybreak. I must admit that since I discovered Pillsbury Grands, homemade is a memory. We open our presents one at a time individually so we can take it in and see the expression on each face.  After everyone has opened one, I serve a roll and coffee or hot chocolate.  We take our time and laugh, smelling the moment.  When every gift is open and we breathe that big sigh, someone yells, “STOCKINGS!” I don’t know how it happens but we seem to forget about them until that moment.  Then I pass them out and we all dig in.  My favorite part is finding little goodies that mean something special to each person and stuffing it into their special stocking.  The unexpected squeals tells me I hit the mark.  Priceless times.

How do you intentionally focus on Christ during this hectic time of year?

We find an individual or family who might be hurting or in need and as a family try to fill their hearts and needs with the abundance God has provided.  Those are the memories my kids retell and remember. 

 As an adult, what Christmas has stood out the most to you?

I wrote about this in our book God’s Purpose for Every Woman. It was the year we taught my children that they just might be the answer to someone’s prayer.  We packed up all their old clothes and toys one year and loaded all 15 trash bags into the van.  I told them to pray and I would drive.  They were all in grade school and sweetly praying.  They told me where and when to turn. We ended up in a housing development in downtown Indianapolis.  They pointed to a house with two women sitting on the porch.  I shared that the children had been praying for God to lead us to someone who need our extras.  They both began to weep and then called into the house for the others to come to the door.  Half-clothed children began to emerge with no shoes on their feet, no coats, no sweaters, and no pants.  Only the thinnest garments covered their skinny bodies.  My children jumped from the van and formed an assembly line with the other children.  They worked side by side to move the bags into the house.  The women were praising and thanking God for answering prayers.

 Do you have a favorite movie you watch at this time of year?

Without a doubt, It’s A Wonderful Life!  It sums up what life is really about.  Reaching out to others and living not in a vacuum but with boundless, abandoned love, just like our Father did for us.

You are offering a fun giveaway today to one of the gals who leaves a comment. What is it?

I am giving an Encouragement Cafe T-shirt and mug. Your readers can listen to Encouragement Cafe on Saturdays from 2-3 EST. It is a live call-in radio show for women. Log on to www.EncouragementCafe.com or find a station near you that carries it!  Call in and share at 866-348-7884 or leave a comment on the site.

Or, you may want to plan to join us at the Encouragement EXTREME! Event in Greensboro, NC on January 29-30.  Only $119 includes your overnight stay at Embassy Suites, reception snacks Friday night, breakfast & lunch on Saturday and all event materials!  

Thanks for your time today Luann. Better go get that microphone on. Your radio show starts soon. I hope today’s interview will bring you some new listeners!

Okay ladies….. I know it is Saturday and you have places to go, things to do, perhaps even presents to wrap. So let’s mix it up a little today by leaving a simple comment. Let us know your favorite Christmas song or carol. Then, you will be entered in the drawing for Luann’s prize. 

I’ll go first. While my favorite sacred song is What Child is This?, especially verse two, my favorite just-for-fun song has got to be (appropriately for this blog!) the hilarious rendition of The 12 Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser, the men’s a capella a choir of Indiana University. Click here to see it. But don’t forget to come back here and leave your favorite Christmas song (or if you think you might forget, comment first and then click over to see the song).

Merry Musical Blessings,