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!

483 Comments

  1. My Husband is in Africa and won’t be here for Christmas. He always hets all the presents and wraps all of them. I have to realize that I might not be able to do it all like he does, since I am by myself with 4 kids.

  2. Honestly, I’m not giving myself any grace (so far) and after reading this post I’m realizing that needs to change.

  3. I need to give myself some grace in the area of Christmas baking. I used to do tons of different kinds of cookies, breads, etc. and I’d struggle to get all the ingredients, find the time to do all the baking, and then there’s the cleanup! Although I love doing it, I just dont have the energy this year. We are planning 1 day of making cookies with cousins instead, and plan to have the kids do most of the work too.

  4. I need to give myself grace in my relationship with my sister. God will work it out for us, and I believe we will have a great Christmas together.

  5. Hi Renee & Merry Christmas!
    I work full time & would love to do it all but its just not possible. I stress every year over what to buy for people. I know I should’nt but I like to get something that each person will like & get use out of. I think I’m going to have to skip the cards this year as I just don’t have enough time. I’m praying that it will all come together soon!

    Blessings,
    Janet W.

  6. I am going to enjoy and bask in the beauty of being with family and listening to Christmas music that draws me closer to Jesus :) My oldest son and his wife are going out west for Christmas but will be with us for New Year’s. My two college aged “offspring” will be home for Christmas. I am looking forward to talking, playing and laughing together.

  7. I quit sending Christmas cards several years ago. What a relief! I don’t stress over decorations either. What gets put up is what I go with. Fewer decorations going up mean less to mess with later! I enjoy the simpler look as well. After all, it is all about Him!

  8. Thank you for your message on grace. I’ve need to remind myself that “His grace is sufficient” as I’ve been struggling with illness for a few months now. May God bless you.

  9. Thank you Renee for your words on grace and unwrapping the gift of His presence this Christmas season. We just moved in November and are still unpacking, so, I receive grace in not getting all the Christmas decorations out. It’s Jesus & His Presence that is most important.
    Christmas Blessings! Jodie

  10. I loved the realization that Mary “wrapped”Jesus as a gift to the world….to Me in particular.I need the grace to permit myself not to try to be perfect.. Only to do my best with the help of God

  11. I always stress over our Christmas Eve meal. That is the only part of that evening that I don’t love. The rest is so much fun and such sweet family worship. I need to keep it simple so we can focus on what is important.

  12. Giving myself GRACE of my time to my grandmother inlaw. We lost our grandfather last Christmas, and spending alot of time with her and doing alot for her. Sometimes I catch myself wanting to get a little overwhelmed. But then I allow God’s Grace to cover me. Thank you for a wonderful message, Renee.

  13. We moved to Charlotte this past May from Michigan. I am realizing after much reflection and time in my devotions that family won’t mind that (as we can’t afford the trip home this Christmas) we aren’t sending huge boxes of gifts for every single family member. I am giving myself grace in the presents area. In stead of “going all out” as in years past, it’s time to take a step back and honor the ‘Reason for the Season’ not only within my new family here in Charlotte, but also extend that message back home. Time saved, stress saved, and peace & joy gained!

  14. Grace in sending Christmas cards to everyone. It seems that no matter how hard I try, I always forget someone on the list and then end up getting one from them. Then I feel guilty if I send them one after I have received theirs.

  15. Wow. There are so many areas I need to allow myself grace during this holiday season. We are running on an even tighter budget, so I feel even more pinched than I normally do. I think my biggest issue is learning not to compare myself to others… do what I can do, and let the rest go! I have really enjoyed this series. It’s been so neat to hear from the different ladies about their holiday traditions! I am so grateful for you all!

  16. We look to the Lord’s Grace this Christmas as we will gather without our adult son, who died in June. We are going to a daughter’s in place of Christmas this year at our home. I trust Him. I love Him with all my heart. Our son is having the best Christmas of all in His presence.
    lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net

  17. I need grace in knowing that my home does not have to be spotless to have people come over and share the gift of Christmas. Thanks so much Renee!

    Karen B

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