11th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Lynn Cowell
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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,
It truly is more of a blessing to give than to receive. One of my closest friend’s husbands had a heart attack at 57 and just had triple bypass surgery. He is in the hospital and we have been able to run errands for our dear friends, cook, pick his mother up from the airport, clean her home. We truly need nothing for Christmas and this is teaching our young adult son to show Jesus and be a help to someone else rather than always look to be on the receiving end of material gifts. I, like Katie Seest above, would love to know if there are resources or websites for young 20 something sons. I have been meeting and praying with an accountability partner and Lynn your website sounds great for her teenaged daughter.
I’m in!
I’m In!
I love to hear stories about how people open their homes and prime-time family time to share with someone less fortunate or lonely on Christmas. One year an early morning snowstorm changed everyone’s plans and travel was not recommended so “musical chairs Christmas” resulted with people sharing their Christmas dinner with anyone who could walk to their homes. Now that is a Christmas memory!
I’m happy to hear the resources for teens online is growing for parents to access.
Thank you Lynn and RadRevolution.
I’m in!
I’m in.
I’m in
God has been really good to us, providing and protecting me and my two kids. I experrienced the true meaning of Christmas last week when I went shopping for two children on the Angel Tree Ministry at our church. Angel Tree is a ministry that sponsors children who’s parents are in prison and would not otherwise have access to nice gifts at Christmas. The sponsor buys the gift in the name of the incarcerated parent. Well I’m a single mom raising two kids both in their teens and my kids, because of angels that have been placed in their life, are so blessed with things. It was a joy to shop for my angel tree babies, trying to imagine their excitement on Christmas morning when they open their gifts. That was my newest experience of the true meaning of Christmas. Although I’m on a single mom’s budget, God blessed me this year to become a blessing.
I love your ministry, Lynn, and read your blog regularly. Thank you for your heart and for allowing the Lord to use it for His glory.
When I had a double mastectomy two years ago on xmas eve…the outpouring love received by my family and I during a very challenging time was a true witness of God’s love for us through all times. Thanks for introducing us to Lynn with your 12 days of Xmas, I look forward to checking out her site and email as I have a teen daughter at home. Blessings on your day!
My teen would absolutely love this….she loves the Lord and loves to read!!!
I’m in!
Carol,
I am sure you are so proud of your girl and how she serves. I hope you’ll stop by my blog where we connect on lots of topics concerning teens!
Lynn
Christmas is such a special time of the year. We tend to forget the real meaning of Christmas and I hope that my family won’t forget that reason this year.
I celebrate Christmas everyday. Think that is what we should do.
If I would win Lynn’s gift, I would give them to special young ladies at my church.
I’m in.
I’m in
when we asked our 11 year-old son what he wanted for Christmas, he replied, “I’m pretty content right now!”
Organizing the Operation Christmas child at church is one of my favorite things
We try each year to give more than we receive and cast that vision into the hearts of our children. This began for me as a little girl. I remember wrapping lots of gifts for a precious family in need. We even took the whole meal, ham, sides, desserts and the greatest pleasure came when we got to personally deliver it to this families home and place the gifts under their tiny tree. Oh such joy. Merry Christmas.
Rather than exchange gifts in my office this year, we decided to adopt a family in need and we all bought gifts so this family could have a Christmas this year. We took a few minutes together at work and wrapped the gifts. It really was a lot of fun and brought a lot of satisfaction to us. None of us really need anything – but this family did – so it truly was a blessing for us!
Last year was our first Christmas Eve service in our newly formed church so it was very special. We had collected gifts, food and clothing for a single Mom and her two kids……that always makes me feel good. The service was beautiful and the fellowship afterward food for the soul. When we finished at church we headed home for Christmas Eve with our kids and grandkids and our soon to be new son-in-law and his recently widowed Mom. It meanst so much to us that our daughters new “Mom” was going to join us at a time that was so painful for her……her first Christmas without her husband of over 40 years. It was so good for her to get on the floor with our grandkids and play with their toys and I could see how hard it was for her. Our kids got married in May this year and now that sweet lady is a part of my family and we cherish her. I am working my best to try to get her to join us again this year and make it a family tradition.
I have 7 granddaughters….one that is 13, two 12 and one 11, any of which would benefit from your giveaway. Thanks for the chance to win.
Brenda Schiesser
I have 2 precious nieces that are entering their teens! Are there any great resources like this for boys?
One of my favorite memories as a jr.higher was the Christmas my family gave Christmas to a family who had nothing. We did it anonymously which makes it even more special, because the gift is truly from God then, not people. I will never forget that day.
Last year, I didn’t appreciate all of the chocolate lying around. In the wonderful dinner I sat very attentive to the food and tried to be sociable. Best part – everyone did have a lot of fun – with immediate and extended families. Chad prayed that I would be blessed through the time spent preparing, and I did say a prayer in thankfulness over the joy that resulted. I challenged myself to make Christmas Day worshipful last year, and one way we did this was joining hands around the nativity Christmas morning and praying together. That made for a beautiful moment.
I do have a teen girl at home involved in many leadership roles. Thank you for putting together a package designed for teens! Today she is bell ringing. I am very proud of her. I guess it’s doing little things that make Christ alive in us, helping someone to the store entry in the snow, shoveling out a vacationing neighbor while away, carrying extra kettle funds in a handy spot in purse, donating to local charity drives, having a smile always for frustrated store clerks.
I’m in!!