11th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Lynn Cowell
Christmas Sale: If you’d like info on getting any of my books (tax-free & with no shipping costs!) for you or as a personalized gift for someone, click here.
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Welcome to the 11th Day of Christmas Giveaway!!
Each day, December 1-12th, I am featuring a fellow Proverbs 31 sister and an aspect of Christmas. You’ll get to know her and she, in turn, will offer a fabulous giveaway! Simply leave a comment on her post to be entered in the drawing.
And, one soon-to-be-very-giddy gal who comments on all 12 posts will win the GRAND PRIZE! You may comment on all posts until Monday, December 13th at 5:00 pm EST when the winners will be announced. (to see the grand prize and get caught up on the posts click here)
Now, for our P31 sister of the day, the wonderful Lynn Cowell!
From Lynn’s Heart
Teen Mania…that describes my family! My husband, Greg and I have three teens – Zach, 19, Mariah 16 and Madi 13. When everyone is home, it is one hopping place!
The place we love to be together is in the mountains, visiting my son in college. Hiking, tubing, biking; anything as long as it combines our favorite people in our favorite place! I feel most comfortable there; in my hiking boots, well worn jeans and Appalachian State sweatshirt!
Here’s what put’s the whole experience over the top: starting the day before the rest of the house wakes up, sitting on a porch with a cup of tea, my Bible and journal.
I love soaking in the beauty of God’s creation in the Blue Ridge Mountains. His works are His love language to me and these mountains bring tears to my eyes each and every time I am blessed enough to get there. I keep thinking I’ll get used to this extravagent beauty, but I don’t. What radical love!
Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week – I get to volunteer at Proverbs 31! Taking the requests for our devotions brought back from speaking events, I enter them into our system.It blesses me to think just how many women get to hear God’s word through our devotions.
As the “go to” girl for teens on our speaker team, I will be coordinating our RadRevolution site in January. Here girls go to find out how crazy God is about them and parents go to find content for investing in their daughters.
I also have a passion for speaking to teens through my “Revolutionary Love” conference; designed to lead teens and their moms to finding their completion in Christ!
The True Meaning of Christmas
Like me, you are probably constantly on the lookout for speaking the true meaning of Christmas in your family. Several years ago, our family was relaxing after church when my father-in-law read us an article of a robber who stole “Christmas” . The mother and four children, who were pictured in front of their home, wore their sadness.
My husband scooped up our kids and said we were going to replace this family’s Christmas. We hunted to find the perfect gifts for this dejected family. Upon wrapping them just so, we piled into the car to find the home pictured in the paper. With God as our navigator, it didn’t take long until we found a match.
Oh how I wish I could insert a picture here of the joy and surprise on that mother’s face! Giving truly is better than receiving! It is moments like these that demonstrate to our kid’s Christmas’ true meaning. Love for Jesus is more caught than taught; especially when it comes to our teens.
Lynn’s Giveaway
Do you have a teen girl on your Christmas list that you want to “catch” the truth of Jesus’ revolutionary love? My prize pack is created just for her!
You’ll receive:
~Two “Scenario” novels by Nicole Dell
~A set of six pairs of earrings from Claire’s
~ A cute little photo album
~A travel mani-pedi set
~And a copy of my CD for teens entitled “He is That Into You”.
If that teen girl is your girl, I hope you’ll stop by my blog and sign up to receive my posts each Wednesday. “In the Know” discusses current trends in teen culture as well as brings encouragement as we seek to raise godly children.
Jesus, open our eyes to see the opportunities this Christmas season to show your love rather than tell it. Give us courage to be bold; being your hands and feet to a world that desperately needs to find your radical love!
Amen Lynn!!!
Okay sisters, to be entered to win Lynn’s great teen package, leave a comment telling about a time you witnessed the true meaning of Christmas.
Was it something you or your family did? Or was it a gesture shown to you? And yes, if you are busy today shopping or wrapping or baking, you make simply say “I’m in!”. :-)
Better-to-Give-Than-Receive Blessings,
I am now a married woman with both biological, adopted and foster children. But, eight years ago, I was a single mom with 3 foster children in my care and my then 7 year old son. As I’m sure you can imagine, money was very tight, but our house was filled with Christmas joy anyway. We would admire the houses on our street with Christmas lights on them and sit outside and enjoy the view. Christmas lights for us were not a possiblity. I simply couldn’t afford them and I did not have the ability to hang them. One day, the family and I were coming home for the night and noticed that there were some very bright lights near our little home. A family from my work, took off work early and purchased and hung beautiful white icecicle like likes on our home. My chidren were thrilled and I was blessed. Even when we get together to do a Christmas outreach, we always remember the joy of that season and how much it touched our lives.
The most memorable time when my family experienced the real meaning of Christmas as when our 4 children were small. We were sharing supper at Kentucky Fried Chicken and saw a “home-less looking man” eating alone. My husband invited him to eat with us. We found out that he WAS homeless and just travelling through. It was horribly cold outside and he had no place to sleep that night. My husband made provisions for him to have a place to sleep and a warm shower for the night. My children, now grown, will never forget helping this man and they often wonder what happened to him. We trust that God sent other peopll along his way to help him, too.
I had missed the deadline at church to give to the Vincent De Paul society, who were collecting food and gifts for the poor in our parish. Something made me call the number anyway and coincidentally (I think not) a single mom had called in needing food and gifts. I called a few sisters in Christ and we filled my garage with food and gifts, the embarrassing part is it was all from our overflow, our gift closets and pantries were pretty full.
The man asked if I wanted to come and deliver and I said know, that I needed to remain anonymous for my own experiment in humility. Well, after the items were picked up I recieved a phone call from the society rep who said, “I know you want to remain anonymous but this woman really wants to talk to you.” Knowing that it made her happy, I complied. Oh my goodness, she cried and cried and thanked me and thanked me and I coudln’t help but think of her in her barely furnished apt filled with our extras and how happy it made her and her children were all yelling and happy. You don’t forget something like that. I try to help someone every year.
Letting my granddaughter tell the story of Jesus with our nativity figures before we exchange gifts.
I’m in!!! Thanks for sharing about your life.
Being on the receiving end of the giving is very humbling. We had lost my husband’s brother in an accident in Sept. and our daughter was born to us with a birth defect. Even though we did not have many physical needs, the Lord brought a whole holiday dinner to our door. All the trimmings and some gifts for the children.
Usually we are out every year to go carrolling and bringing some cheer and comfort to shut ins around the Christmas season. Seeing the tears in the eyes of these precious saints is thanks enough for us.
I just love to hear how the little ones love to give to others when they know others don’t there are people who don’t have anything. I can repeat some of the stories mentioned here. God is so good to us, and returns the goodwill when we need to be comforted.
I’m in!! Thank you
I’m in!
I’m in. Thanks for sharing all the inspirational stories.
I love this story!
Thank you for sharing!!!
Merry Christmas, Girls!
Just the other day, my three year old began placing all of his toys underneath our Christmas tree. When I asked him what he was doing, he said, “These are all for the people who don’t have a Christmas.” I pray he will keep that thought in his mind for many years to come.
This year our church is collecting items for some precious people who ride vans to our church from refugee camps – Yes, here in the United States! Many of them come without shoes and jackets and properly fitting clothes. Because my family does not have extra money to spend, my husband and I decided that our children already have more than they need, and we will take what we would have spent on them to buy items for the refugee children.
I would like to share two Christmases. The first is when we were on the giving end. We decided to have a Christmas with no material goods given. In lieu of gifts to each person we would normally give a gift to, we donated something in their name to a charity, and we tried to match it to something they were interested in. For one person, my husband and I donated blood, for another we donated money to our local hospital towards a new cardiac unit (widower of a woman who died of a heart attack). We also donated to Heifer International, Operation Shoebox, Prison Ministries, Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, and others. Each person got a gift card telling what their donation was and why. (I’m sorry to say that not everybody was thrilled with not getting that package to open!) But WE loved knowing that the needy were getting something. (The ones who were the unhappiest were the ones who have the most – what does that say?)
As for the other story, it is one where our family was on the receiving end. My father had been seriously ill out of state for several months and I was driving back and forth spending three to four days a week with him. He died only nine days before Christmas, and as his only child, I had to singlehandedly manage his affairs and funeral in the days leading up to Christmas. With the death following an illness that had lasted the entire fall season, needless to say I had not done shopping, decorating, cards, or baking. But on Christmas Eve, we had a delivery to our door. It was marked from “Mrs. Claus.” It was a large box of very beautifully decorated and delicious sugar cookies addressed to my children. The person who sent them would not be identified, but that gesture was amazing to us. We heard through the grapevine that someone did not want to see my children go through Christmas without cookies. I will never forget how precious those cookies were to me. And the magic that it brought my children to think that Mrs. Claus was looking out for them.
I’m in!
I remember one Christmas a very long time ago delivering gifts to a family where the father was in prison. We pulled up with all of our gifts wrapped and in the trunk. My husband was dressed in a black leather coat and a striking tall black leather hat. As he opened the trunk with the gifts spilling out, children from this very poor home came running out, stopping in their tracks they shouted: “are you Santa Claus?”!
We like to help pack the Christmas baskets for our giving tree families at church. Sometimes we help sort the presents also. The kids also like to buy a present for toys for tots.
I’m in
I’m in …. headed to start a day of baking :)
Thank you Lynn for your heart for teens! I have 2 teens and it’s wonderful to know that there are christians out there making a difference in reaching teens for Christ. I am looking forward to checking out your blog & signing up for your weekly post. Your package you put together will be a wonderful gift to bless a teen girl!
I appreciate all the good ideas in giving to others at Christmas too. We have made an effort to participate in Operation Christmas Child or Angel Tree or in other ways each year also. Thanks for the reminder that we need to show the love of Jesus to those who are hurting.
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in.
This year stands out to me because my youngest child, 11, finally realized that Christmas wasn’t all about him and presents….it was about the Lord. He always knew this but it really sunk in this year. He said, “I just want 1 gift, and want the rest to go toward the church we are helping to build”…..now thats Christmas!!
Last year we tried hard as a family to find ways that we could show love to others. We brainstormed as a family, and one idea from someone was to make cards and take them to a local nursing home. I’ve done that before, but never since I moved to this state and didn’t know which nursing home to choose or how to go about it. We had a family card-making party, though, and my husband arranged the rest. My very shy then-four-year-old daughter cozied right up to the residents and gave out cards and ‘Happy Birthday, Jesus’ stickers.’ It was great to see that she truly got it.
A couple of years ago, I took my Sunday School class to visit some of our shut-ins. We took each of them a gift and sang to them. My totally wonderful husband taped each visit then spliced parts together to show at church. It was a blessing to all of us.
Each year our church ministers to a low income apartment complex. This year, we set out to get the children “adopted” for what could be the only Christmas they will have. We were worried. The economy is rough and we had 136 children to be adopted. EVERY child got a sponsor. Tomorrow, we will hold a big Happy Birthday Jesus party and end by giving those children the only gifts they might receive. God is so Good!