30 Days Give Thanks: Day 13

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Cozy Socks. Yes I thank God for these cozy socks I have some them in my socks drawer.

So often I forget to thank God for these little things in my life.

Little things matter.
Little things count.

30 Days Give Thanks: Day 12

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Today I am so thankful for a blessing to stay at home with my family.

And at the same time, I am so thankful for an opportunity to serve from home with those who are serving on the field bringing the Good News to the people in the language they understand best in their hearts.

Britta Lafont: Prodigal Conffesions

I met Britta Lafont back in August 2014 when I attended Declare Conference (by the way, it is an awesome blogging conference for women, check it out and plan to attend next year!). She is an amazing lady and very sweet since the first day I met her at a display table. We had great sharing time. I love hearing her heart for those who have not yet heard the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Meeting her at that conference was not a coincidence.

At the last day, she asked me if I would like to read her new e-book and I said YES! 🙂 I am so glad she asked because her new e-book, Prodigal Confessions, has blessed me so much.

We are familiar with the story of Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. In this book, Britta shared her testimony of being a prodigal daughter and how God led her back to his own heart. This e-book is full of encouragements and God’s words for us who has been running away from our heavenly Father, that He himself wants us to know that He is waiting with wide arms open. She shares 10 principles that lead us back to the Father. They are not just principles, they are God’s ways.

God planted the Gospel Story in our hearts. We want problems fixed. We look for the hero. We desire forgiveness and mended relationships. When we don’t experience this in movies, books, or real life, we tend to feel a lack of closure because it is deep in our spiritual DNA to crave reconciliation. Especially in real life, we don’t like loose ends. –Prodigal Confessions: 10 Principles that Lead Us Back to the Father

I would love you all to get to know a little bit about my friend, Britta:

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Britta is a sojourner. She was a military kid and is a military wife, now living in the high desert of Arizona and far, far from her New Orleans family. She happily homeschools and one of her favorite hobbies is snuggling on the couch reading history and literature with 12-year-old Gracie and 10-year-old Josh. Britta and her husband Scott recently celebrated their 20th Anniversary. Britta writes about the intersection of God’s Word and her world at Britta Lafont ~ Everyday Holiness.

And I asked her why she wrote this book, and here her answer to me:

My mom always talked in scripture to me. Little snippets, here and there, of the Word. And those seeds went down, deep into my heart. I don’t remember a time when Jesus was not my friend.

But growing up in a military family was not smooth and easy. Daddy was tough. Money was tight. We were sojourners, on the move, always the outsiders. We clung together and fell apart.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, I lost the sense that God was on my side. So I served myself and I felt alone. I made choices that made my life harder. My rebellious heart ran wild even under the cover of the good grades and the outgoing personality of a “nice girl”.

Looking back, my worldview was upside down. I didn’t know who God was or who I was to Him. Every difficult part of my life confused my understanding of Him more.

My marriage was the most painful piece of the puzzle. But “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Prov 27:17). This sharpening finally forced me to cultivate the seeds of scripture that had been sown so deeply in my heart, so many years ago. I became a student of God’s Word. There was purpose in my pain.

By far, motherhood was the best thing for me. In trying to teach my kids about the Lord…I experienced Him (the Living Water, the Bread of Life, the Redeemer). I learned that though the Father’s standards are high, He stoops down to lift us up.

I have always loved words. So much so, that I majored in English in college. But I didn’t start really writing much till I began my blog a few years ago.

I was hoping to reach other women who were too tired after work to go to Bible study, because I knew how that felt. I wrote for the moms whose kids were eaten up with separation anxiety, because that was what kept me from Christian fellowship, for a time. And I wrote for women who looked in the mirror and didn’t like what they saw, because that was me, too.

But in writing about The Word, all those little words came together to tell me big truths. And blog posts weren’t always long enough to share the message well. Some of my life lessons have come together in my first eBook, Prodigal Confessions: 10 Principles That Lead Us Back to the Father.

And her book is now on Amazon with special prize for Kindle is only $2.99!

Prodigal Confenssions by Britta Lafont is now available on Amazon!

Get connected with Britta:
@Britta Lafont, Writer on Facebook
@BrittaLafont on Twitter
@brittalouise on Pinterest
@brittalafont on Instagram

30 Days Give Thanks: Day 11

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Day 11. I thank God for time. Time keeps moving. Time changes. Time proves our God stays forever. He remains unchanging. He is faithful.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again. (‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭1-15‬ NLT)

30 Days Give Thanks: Day 10

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Day 10 – I am thanking God for all of my friends I have met in real life and online. No matter where you are right now, My Friends, you color my days in different ways!

I treasure our friendship, Thank you for being my friends!