12th Day of Christmas Giveaway with Renee Swope
I can’t believe we’ve come to the end of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!
Remember—-if you have missed commenting on any of the days, you may still catch up through the end of the weekend.
And, one gal who comments on all 12 posts will win the grand prize. (You can scroll down below to day one to see it.)
Comment on any of the 12 posts until midnight EST, Sunday December 11th.
All winners announced Monday, December 12th. Then, on Tuesday, December 13th we’ll have one final giveaway based on a Proverbs 31 devotion I will have running.
Oh….I LOVE Christmas!!!!!!
For our final Proverbs 31 guest, we have my all-time favorite friend (:->), (Ahem….that is the last time I give out my password so a guest can “help me out” and load her own post!) national speaker and co-host of Proverbs 31 Ministries radio show, Renee Swope.
Renee’s passion is to encourage women and help them replace self-doubt with lasting confidence in Christ by showing them how to live in the security of God’s promises every day. She’s author of the best-selling book, “A Confident Heart”, and currently serves as Executive Director and Sr. Editor of Radio and Devotions. Renee is also a contributing writer for Encouragement for Today devotions and www.roomag.com.
BUT her greatest joy and favorite titles are wife to J.J. and mom to Joshua (16), Andrew (14) and Aster (3) who they adopted from Ethiopia two years ago.
Renee has a short video message for us about the importance of giving ourselves the gift of grace and receiving God’s gift of rest.
Don’t miss her encouragement!
It is about how God came to us so that we could come to Him- and find rest in His presence, His plans and His promises – at Christmas and all throughout the year!
Renee’s Christmas Give-away
- 3 Copies of her book (for you & two friends)
- 3 Sets of Confident Heart conference calls (optional)
- $10 Starbucks gift card
- Godiva Chocolate Bar
Renee is hosting a FREE online Bible/Book study of A Confident Heart starting January 16th on her website/blog. To find out more and consider being part of it, click here. To hear more from Renee, find some great FREE resources and read a Christmas prayer that will help you prepare your heart from Christmas, visit her website/blog at www.ReneeSwope.com.
OKAY—for our last question: Based on Renee’s message, where do YOU need to give yourself some grace at Christmas?
Me? The infamous full-color, photo-laden, annual Christmas letter.
I have been giving myself grace for four years now on that one. With Facebook and my blog, most of the nearly 100 people that I sent the letter to already know what we’d been up to all year.
So, with that one grace-filled decision, I saved SEVERAL hours time, a lot of stress and envelope-stuffing, and about $75.
And you?
Have a WONDERFUL, grace-filled weekend!
Thank you, Renee!
I know that I was suppose to watch that video….I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed and really hard on myself the past couple of weeks. I will be giving myself some Grace this Christmas. I will Rest in His Plans, I will receive the gift of His presence, and His gift of His promises. You were so one when you said Gods word give hope! I rest in that hope! Merry CHRISTmas!!
I love reading your comments. I’m praying for each of you today!!
I have scaled back giving gifts to just parents and nieces and nephews 12 and under. Our kids (6) each get gifts totaling under $100. and I do not go crazy decorating but it looks festive by thoughtfully placed candels and decorations.
Christmas cards and baking.
I have learned many things from “Untangling Christmas” trying to enjoy the season in lieu of the season controlling me to be crazy….
Not just at Christmas, but year long… grace to realize that I can’t do it all, and God doesn’t expect me to. Just got finished reading Renee’s book and I so enjoyed it. thanks!
I would say that it is probably Christmas baking that I need to extend grace to myself about.
I need to give myself the opportunity to not do it all–I sometimes feel I have to do everything!
Grace to be the woman of God He wants me to be. Letting His purpose flow in and through me. Not get tangled in the world’s idea of what Christmas is all about. God Bless you God loving women!!
this year i’m saying it’s ok to say no when i feel overbooked and i’m not going crazy buying gits that will sit in a cupboard collecting dust. along with the gift i give my children i will give a christmas memory from when they were younger.
Thanks for a wonderful message, Renee. I bring my stress upon myself, but I’m finally learning to rest in God and his timing of what gets done. I decorated less this year. Over the past few years I send only a few cards and very little baking. I still want and need God’s grace in my life, so I will stay in touch with Him so I can hear, His small quiet voice speak to me.
I have been through so much the last few months. I’m trying so hard to get back where I need to be with God. need some encouragement.
Christmas has been very difficult for me over the past 9 years….with my father’s passing……I’m a single mom and the burden of 3 children alone has been very difficult. and, very rewarding…..I need to rely on the Lord’s Grace Always…I tend to get angry and upset because I feel pressured to do more….and then guilty if I don’t do more….
I need to lighten up about trying to get “everything right”
Not feeling like every tradition has to be completed every single year. Some years are busier than others and I have to let myself adjust accordingly.
grace in the giving area. I have a giving heart and want to give to everyone.
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
Grace,Grace,Grace with less presents under the Christmas tree
I can’t be everywhere at once. I finally had to relax and say…I’ll be there when I can and not worry about meeting everyone’s expectations. I found peace, I was able to relax and enjoy Christmas for what it is.
Thinking I have to do a lot of baking.
I need to give myself Grace on trying not to fix everyone’s problems. Christmas is a joyous time for me but also a stressful time. If I don’t go to this family function but I go to a family function on the other side, I feel guilty. I need to learn to relax and let it go. I’m tired of the guilty feeling…..it never goes away.
Merry Christmas everyone!
being content and not having to “spend” a bunch of money this Christmas, primarily because we can’t. My husband has been unemployed the last year and we are looking to move in the next month. So we are having to save money, rather than spend money. Now we did get gifts for the kids, but not all that we wanted. So I need God’s grace to help me realize that it is okay we only did a few things, rather than all that we wanted. I pray that this will be a Christmas of drawing nearer to each other and realizing the importance of Jesus……..
Love your book, love your sharing. I am looking forward to doing the lesson with you after doing with Melissa. It is so rich and if I could put it all to use I’d have it made. So I will give myself grace to fail forward everyday if I can!! Truly an amazing book and journey. Thanks and have a blessed Christmas!!
Baking homemade cookies and bread for the neighbors. I never know which neighbor to stop at, so I bake for everyone I am a friend or an acquaintance of and it gets overhwhelming really fast.
I need to stay in the spirit as I do not have the finances to buy the gifts I would like for everyone…I need to keep focused on the real reason!
The grace I am giving myself? Is just to not be concerned with food, presents, guest, that God will work it out and provide. To not have to be at every event or place i am invited too. To rest in Jesus.