Freebie Friday: Free Desktop Wallpapers

Sometimes it's just great to have a cute, patterned desktop wallpaper with a Bible verse on it.

Here are two I'm using right now and wanted to share them with you! :)

Happy Friday!

<3 Sydnee

Click on the photos below to download the large version of the desktop wallpaper.

Ephesians 6:7-8

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

How I Study the Bible

There are several devotionals out there, Bible Study plans, online, printed and even on your iPhone these days. But which one do you choose to go with? And which one will be most manageable to stick to for a whole year?

Here's what I have found that works really well for me. And if you haven't really been reading regularly and want to, I hope this post will motivate and encourage you to make it a daily priority.

Before reading the Bible, I always say a short, simple and sweet prayer, asking for God to help me understand His Word so that I may internalize it, remember it and be able to accurately explain it to someone else. I ask for His wisdom, and that the time I spend in the Word would be free from distractions.

Then I open my Bible and start reading!

Last year, I went pretty general and just chose a book in the Bible and stuck to reading it until I finished it. But before I began reading the book I chose, I would familiarize myself with the background of the text, the time it fell in relation to Jesus' time on earth, the culture and current issues that were popular in society, and the overall themes of the book. I find the ESV Study Bible very helpful in filling in these gaps. It'll provide you with a short amount of commentary that covers each of those things I listed. I find it very helpful to understand what's going on in the lives of those I'm reading about before I just plunge into the Scripture. :)

Basically from there, I just read however much I wanted each time. Sometimes it was a chapter, sometimes it was only 10 verses, and sometimes it was several chapters. It's up to you. But through the entire time of reading, I would pause on certain verses and underline them, write in the margins, read some commentary to really understand what a verse was saying, and sometimes I would stop and pray the Scripture I was reading. The point is not to cover a lot of ground and "finish a book" like you would for a school project, but to really mull over and wrestle with the text. If you understand it, you'll remember it. So really try to see what it's saying, don't just skim. You'll be amazed at what the Lord will show you–even in the texts that seem mundane or repetitive. There is a reason why all of it is in there for us to read today.

Another plan that I am going through again this year is The Chronological Bible. Mine is the NIV/1984 version. (Be careful about NIV versions. Make sure that if you ever get NIV that it's the 1984 year and not 2011+. The newest version is not true to the original language and meaning.) It may be best if you print out a Chronological Bible Study plan from online and just read through it in the ESV Study Bible.

What I love about the Chronological Bible is that the books are not arranged in canonical order (like how they are arranged in standard Bibles), but instead are arranged in chronological order, according to the time that these events happened in real life. We don't know for sure if all of the books are in chrono order the way they have them (like Job), but it's a pretty good set up for helping you really understand and read the Bible through as more of a story. Through this set up, you can more easily make connections and see how God has woven in central themes of love, light, sacrifice, etc. throughout the book consistently. You begin to recognize the foreshadowing of Christ's coming all throughout the Old Testament, and you begin to realize why certain things happened. It's really, truly amazing to read it this way.

My first time reading through the Bible was through the Chrono Bible, so I wanted to do it again this year. And I'm loving it even more this time around! I love how the plan is separated. It takes about 10-15 min to read each day's text, which is manageable for busy people and people who are just starting out. ;)

This year I am also reading a little commentary alongside in the ESV, and reading some John Piper sermons in alignment with the prescribed passages. I highly recommend this! It'll just help God's Story all come together even more for you.

So there you have it! That's how I study it. Not sure if it's the right way or the best way, but it sure does help me to understand God's Word, stay disciplined in reading it everyday and brings me closer to Him, which are all things that I need.

My Story!

So this is me.

For 11 years I was my parents' only child. I was always super close with them, and we did EVERYTHING together. Then along came my cute baby brother and my sweet baby sister, and we still did EVERYTHING together. I learned how to take care of them, I even named my sister, and I think this is how I really started to learn first-hand the importance of being selfless and caring for other people. (I wasn't great at it, but I've been figuring it out ever since =D).

At the age of 12, I came to Christ. I don't have a super-interesting testimony, no moving "prodigal son" type of story. I actually was just a very anxious kid, and I remember 7th grade being a very overwhelming time for me. I was so worried about having no friends and passing pre-algebra. :)

One evening, everything came crashing down emotionally for me in my 7th grade mind, not having any friends, not having the "right" binder that would supposedly help me get better at pre-algebra, etc. It was really stupid when I think back on it, but I guess when you're that age, little things are big things. :) In the middle of my anxiety freak-out, my dad scooped me up and shared with me wonderful news of Jesus Christ and Him coming to save me. I don't remember exactly what he told me, but I knew that I needed Jesus in my life and I had felt emptiness for a long time.

I had heard about Him in church, but it always was a little over my head. But the Lord had been working on me–ever since I started taking piano lessons. And we ended up going to the church that my piano teacher went to. I remember getting baptized at Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church in Allen, TX Dec. 12, 2003. It is such a great memory for me.

Life changed for me drastically. I remember my mom even saying that my eyes looked "lighter, happier" than they used to. I had a different outlook on life. I had hope and best of all, I had Jesus. And nothing was ever that bad anymore. I started making more friends and I would try my best to share Jesus with them, but I didn't really know how to. No one ever taught me.

And that's kind of where my spiritual journey stayed for a while. I didn't go to any kind of Sunday School at the time. I was so shy, and didn't like to leave my parents at all. And maybe my parents told me this and I just never quite understood, but I don't really remember anyone telling me the importance of spending time in the Bible everyday, how to read the Bible or where to even start, how to pray privately or out loud, how to share the Gospel correctly, or any kind of definite spiritual disciplines. (This is why today I strive to help newer Christians specifically know that these things are important and this is also why I have this blog and my Etsy.)

I got distracted somewhere between 7th grade and high school. First it was really nerdy things, like web design. At 12- and 13-years-old I taught myself how to make websites from scratch using Microsoft FrontPage, reading all kinds of tutorials on HTML and CSS (and my dad also helped me with a lot of this because he knows HTML really well). I also taught myself Photoshop, Corel Draw, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, and animation. (So funny to see where I am now and how God used this). I had this website called, "Sparklerules.com." =P

I had hundreds of hits a day. I had a prayer chain, and people from all over the world would send me prayer requests and each night I would pray for them in the best way I knew how. I kept a running list and would print it out each week. I made graphics for people and offered tutorials on how they could make their own sites.

Then high school rolled around, and I immediately figured out web design was not "cool." I went to high school at the time when Jessica Simpson was an icon and it was supposedly attractive for girls to be "dumb." So I let smart things go, and got all obsessed with being in the cool crowd, shopping and all things materialistic.

But God knew that was not a good idea for me. So he moved me from all the Dallas malls and bad influences by moving my family to Tennessee. I remember feeling like it was the end of the world for me, leaving my friends and all. But it ended up being the best thing.

Of course, I found my fair share of trouble in Tennessee too. My focus wasn't on God, but boys and friends. I was heavily influenced by the media and felt like I had to have a boyfriend. So I went from one to the next, treating them horribly and only caring about myself and my status. The entire time throughout high school though, I felt God tugging at my heart, and He protected me from the crowd that drank alcohol, did drugs and slept around. I never abandoned my morals on any of those things, and despite my superficial mindset at the time, I was still very cautious. My parents raised me to be a good girl and made it very clear how dangerous it was to be a part of that kind of crowd. I was a people-pleaser, and I especially wanted my parents to be proud of me. That was very important to me. But I never really thought about "pleasing God." I don't think I understood that concept completely.

Senior year of high school, my whole world kind of fell apart when the guy I had dated for over a year broke up with me. I remember I really liked him, but I think what I liked more than anything was the status I thought he gave me. He was on the football team, everybody liked him and I guess I had a lot of pride in that. But, I needed all my pride and everything that was important to me that was distracting me from God in order for me to completely come back to Him. When that happened, I started a habit of praying each night for a really long time, and reading Proverbs and Psalms over and over because I knew that I needed wisdom, help and healing. But even then, the rest of the Bible was this big, huge unknown book that I didn't even attempt to crack open and read outside of church. It was so thick–it was overwhelming, and I had no idea what to read first.

In addition to all of that, God also helped me to figure out what I wanted to do as a career that year: advertising, graphic design, writing – something media related. I had the opportunity to write for the school paper and serve as their photographer. It was a blast and I got to have some good conversations about Jesus with a few of the lost kids in that class.

Things got clearer for me spiritually when my family and I started going to Bellevue. I started to understand what the Christian life was about, and Bro. Steve Gaines taught it in such a way that I could really apply His Word to my life. We became members there right before I went to college. And at that time, I was all signed up to go to Baylor in Waco, TX. But God had other plans.

I don't know if Bro. Steve usually does this, but he took the time to personally visit our house and welcome us as new members to Bellevue. And he encouraged me to go to Union University. And basically because our Pastor told us to go there, I wanted to go there because I thought he had it all together! :)

So I did. I went to Union, and there I met two of my bridesmaids and the sweetest friends, and even my husband. Of course, I didn't know that at the time. Freshman year was a busy year for me. I joined Kappa Delta Sorority, reluctantly at first, only for it to be one of the greatest experiences I had in college because I met some of the greatest girls and it's there that I began to dabble in leadership, as well as t-shirt and graphic design. It also got me out of my comfort zone, gave me more confidence and I did things I thought I'd never do (like be on a stomp crew, for example!).

But because Union was a small campus, sororities and fraternities seemed to rule, run and section off the campus. (I hear that that's not what it was like on the independent side, but I only knew my side of things. :)) Everyone had labels and I didn't like that too much. And it also meant that everyone knew everyone. And because it was a Christian college, it just seemed like everyone was looking for their wife or husband right off the bat. I remember thinking it was so weird, and marriage was not even on my mind. I hadn't yet figured out how to process that idea yet. I was too excited about just being in college and studying advertising.

By the end of the first year of college though, I had grown tired of the way people were at Union and how small Jackson was, AND I missed my family A LOT. I would go home several weekends in a row because I wanted to be with them. I finally decided that it was best for me to go to school at the U of M so that I could be with them and also attend Bellevue.

This is when I really began to grow. I used the leadership skills I had learned from Union and put it to good use at my new school. I got really involved in media and journalism clubs, decided against being involved in a secular school's sorority, and focused on studies, family and Jesus. I made a habit of reading my Bible every night, and it was through Bellevue's "Chronological Bible Study" that I first read through the entire Bible in a year. I even had the opportunity to intern in the Communications office there and learned SO MUCH about how a church functions, and the importance of church communications. It was there that I really started developing what I wanted to do with my life after graduating college.

As I grew spiritually, God started putting me in situations where I had the opportunity to share my faith with unbelievers. I made opportunities for myself to have the topic come up more naturally with those I was in class with by covering my planner covers in encouraging Bible verses, writing verses on my hand and making it very clear on Facebook that I was a Christian. Through that, I had a lot of unique opportunities to talk with people about Jesus and plant seeds, and even through a complicated situation at the time, was able to help someone older than me come to Christ.

At the end of my junior year of college, through a very random, but God-ordained series of events, began talking to and eventually dating Ben (my husband now) who was living in Fort Worth at the time. Through months and months of skyping, phone calls, letters, roadtrips halfway and all the way, we dated and fell in love! And through our relationship I grew even more in my faith. Ben was the most encouraging, godliest guy I had ever known in my entire life. I kept wondering if he was really real, but each day he never changed, just got better! It was so surreal. (It still feels like that now!!) I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. :)

I had to wait a while before I met Ben, but God truly blessed me with the best husband in the world and I didn't do anything to deserve him. He loves Jesus and has a perspective on life that we all should have. I look up to him and want to be like him. And on top of all that, he's funny, understanding, thoughtful, romantic, protective and SMART, so so smart. And he's CREATIVE, and everyday is an adventure with him. I'm so thankful that I am the one that got to marry him on that beautiful last day of summer, Sept. 21, 2012 on a ranch at sunset in Texas. Our wedding was small but perfect. And we even had Mexican food and sweet tea (my favorite.) ;)

Stepping out on faith, I moved to the unknown world of Fort Worth to live in Seminary housing. God blessed me with my dream job of working as a Full time Graphic Designer at a Bible-believing, Jesus-focused church. And He even blessed us with a stray chihuahua to be our pet (I have always wanted a chihuahua)! And now, we even get to work together. I really don't know if it gets any better than this. :)

So those of you who are younger, I want to encourage you with this: GOD HAS SUCH AN AMAZING PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. You just wait!

And for those of you that know me know that I didn't do anything to deserve all these blessings.

I'm so thankful that God has been so patient with me and still is. Each day, I learn more and more about how wonderful He really is and how undeserving I am of His love. I just hope and pray that he'll use me somehow, even if it's just in a really small way. 

10 Promises to Overcomers

Happy Freebie Friday!

I was reading through Revelation in my ESV Study Bible, and stumbled upon a quick reference chart that depicts 10 Promises to Overcomers. I decided to put it to a quick, fun design for you to print out and have as a helpful reference!

Click here to download.

If you are looking for a good Bible to study with, I definitely recommend the ESV Study Bible. It's so helpful and breaks down all the verses you might have trouble with, and includes John Piper's sermons and countless resources and charts for you to better understand God's Word. What I love about the ESV Study Bible is that it has an online version, that allows you to record all your notes, digital highlighting and you can open it up from any device, whether on the ESV app or on any computer when you log in to your account!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Your Spiritual Diagnosis

I could be the only one that does this, but I have the WebMD app. It can be dangerous. If I feel any kind of cold, headache, you name it coming on, I immediately go to the app and use their symptom checker. I diagnose myself with all kinds of crazy issues and my husband thinks I'm ridiculous. :)

And sometimes that symptom checker works really well, but most of the time it doesn't really have that accurate of results...they're pretty broad and list hundreds of possible cases you might have. You could be achy and have a headache with all kinds of diseases and sicknesses, but you can't always pinpoint what's actually wrong with you.

BUT, did you know that you can accurately pinpoint your closeness to God? Are you feeling spiritually dry and you don't know why? Give yourself this spiritual diagnosis and see where you're at in your relationship with Him:

1. Do you spend time in the Word each day for a quality amount of time? Do you make it top priority?
2. Do you spend time in prayer with God each day, throughout the day? Do you make prayer to Him a top priority?
3. Do you thank God each day for His Son, whom He sacrificed so that you could have a personal relationship with a perfect God, even though you're still a sinner?
4. Do you recognize the blessings that God gives you and thank Him for it?
5. Do you feel instant conviction when you sin?
6. Do you ask God for forgiveness of your sin?
7. Do you ask forgiveness from others you've sinned against before asking for forgiveness from God?
8. Do you desire to love your enemies?
9. Do you desire to talk about Jesus without being ashamed or guarded?
10. Do you enjoy worshiping with your church family?
11. Do you tithe at least 10 percent of your income to the Lord each time you are paid?
12. Do you desire to serve the Lord in your church?
13. Is your attitude positive and uplifting toward others?
14. Are you dependent more upon God than you are on yourself?
15. Do you have a genuine love for God's people?
16. Do you trust God's will for your life?
17. Do you have a desire to share the Gospel?

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, then it shows what areas of your spiritual relationship with God that are lacking. Pray about these things, and ask God to help you in these areas so that you can be a more mature and equipped believer. A Christian's whole life purpose is to serve God. That's the agreement you made when you chose to become a Christian. It is a privilege to serve Christ.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24

Praying that you have a strong relationship with Him,

Free Prayer Card Giveaway!

SydneePeacock Pink Chevron Prayer Cards!

:: SYDNEEPEACOCK PRAYER CARD GIVEAWAY::

Looking for a fun, fashionable and helpful way to help you pray Scripture? 

Look no further then these quality printed and designed Prayer Cards! 

And I'm giving a 10-pack of Prayer Cards away FOR FREE!

There's two ways you can win these cards!

1) LIKE the SydneePeacock Facebook Page, SHARE the picture on your page, and COMMENT "shared" underneath the picture to be entered for a chance to win.

2) FOLLOW SydneePeacock on Twitter, RETWEET @sydneepeacock this post, and tweet something along the lines of "Yay for FREE prayer cards!" to be entered for a chance to win.

The WINNER will be announced this FRIDAY MORNING (Jan. 17)!

Learn more about SydneePeacock Prayer Cards here.

Making Time for Your Best Friend

Being silly is what we do. #matchingjackets #bonnieclyde #dannyandsandy #benandsydnee

In the midst of this crazy life, you need to make sure that you guard and protect your time with your husband. I feel like I keep seeing married couples who don't really mind being away from each other all the time. Now it may just be that they let on like they don't care or they really just don't value spending lots of time together.

I feel like I'm often alone on this topic. Maybe it's because Ben and I dated long distance and never had a normal dating period of time before we got married. I'm not sure. But still, I'm pretty sure that wanting to hang out with your husband a lot is a good thing. :)

For us, life can get REALLY busy really fast. With both of us being in ministry, we have to give the majority of our time to other people. Being a graphic designer, I'm more behind the scenes, but Ben is on the front lines when it comes to ministry. He's teaching kids, interacting with them, going to all the youth events – all in attempt to win more young people to Christ. And I 100% support him in that. I try to be right there alongside him when I can, but there are times when I can't because I also have my job to do.

Working at the same church, Ben and I have the privilege of going to work together 5 days out of the 6 day work week. It's GREAT. We share a desk. We collaborate over ideas, agree to disagree on design techniques, teach each other new things (because he's also a graphic designer), and go to lunch together. And while that may seem like a lot of time, we STILL want more. But just time to focus on each other–not to be preoccupied with other things. Ben's my best friend and we just love being together. And I think that's a very good thing. :)

But I also do believe in a space too, but not too much. We need (ideally) an hour or so to spend completely alone with the Lord first and foremost. But for me, if I have too much space all day or all week, I fall into my old habits of being completely independent. And I don't like being that way, and I know I'm not supposed to. Ben and I have also noticed that when we are away from each other for too long, we start getting in arguments all because we're frustrated that we couldn't be with each other more. It's really quite ridiculous. So our best option, most of the time, is to just stick together. We're a pair! We don't like to be separated. :)

So with that being said, go make time for your husband (if you have one) and have FUN! And enjoy that time while you can because life is just SO short! So be sweet and love each other. :)

Your Words Can Have Eternal Consequences

Have you ever gotten stuck behind a driver who had a bumper sticker on their car that was bashing a political figure? Or maybe you've seen someone negatively rant or post degrading pictures of/about a celebrity, political figure, or someone you know personally on Facebook, Twitter, a blog, etc.? I've noticed that a lot of people get generally annoyed by these comments on a day-to-day basis. 

But let's get a little more personal. Maybe there is someone in your class, neighborhood, church, school that you particularly do not like, and choose to complain and talk negatively about them with your closest friends, family...or just everyone?

I know that girls, especially, have a tendency to talk about others. We're interested in people's lives, relationships, and we just seem to talk to and about people all the time. We don't always talk about others badly, maybe most of the time it's good. But I've noticed throughout life that this is just something ladies seem to gravitate toward in conversation.

If you are or someone else is a Christian, and you/they are talking negatively about others (regardless of whether or not the people you are talking about are Christians) I must tell you that it is not okay. Even if you're talking about others with those you are close to, or with those in your family, it is not okay.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

Paul, the author of Ephesians, advises us to only speak that of which is good for building others up so that those who hear it will be encouraged by what you're saying and your integrity. Because Christians represent Christ, on a broader scale we should embody the the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so that we may win more people to Christ just by our conduct.

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:12

This can be a struggle for all of us at times, especially if we have been wronged or hurt by someone or if they hurt someone we love. Pray to Jesus about this if you're struggling with this. Ask Him that He would help you to have this kind of mindset and heart-attitude:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Colossians 3:12-13

Loving the Helpless

"Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the LORD;
exult before him!
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation."
Psalm 68:4-6

Surely I'm not the only one who is noticing the increase in various types of media covering world causes, great needs and promoting "doing good."

I think it's because people like to get behind a cause; because it feels "good" to help somebody. So people from all walks of life are going to soup kitchens, giving money to the homeless guy on the corner, giving their time to tutor kids and more. We see all these marathons raising money for cancer patients and people with incurable diseases. We see it all the time.

But as Christians, we must remember that we have something even BETTER to offer than money or food.

I'm not saying to not give to those in need, because I think it's a great thing. I just want to challenge us to go a little further.

The video above was really inspiring to me. Pastor Lee of Kindred Image is a great example of how we should be caring for the needy, and specifically in his case – the fatherless, the orphan.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:26-27

What I love about Pastor Lee's vision and what he's doing for these orphans is that he's not only caring and providing for them, but he's trusting God to provide, and leaning on His wisdom to care for these children. And more than that, he's helping kids that were either destined to die or live a life of prostitution and emotional heartbreak, with a Christian mindset. He's sharing the Gospel with these kids, he's teaching them about Jesus and the salvation we have in Him, and he's a living example of God's love and adoption. You can read more about this ministry and Pastor Lee's story here.

'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.' (Jesus said this to the woman at the well.)
John 4:14

When I saw that video, I was reminded that whenever we're helping the poor, fatherless or widows, we need to not only be meeting their physical needs, but the ultimate need of their soul primarily. What help are we if we only give them temporary relief from their situation? If we tell them about Jesus, we're sharing with them the GOOD NEWS of eternal relief from the struggles of life, hope for the future, and purpose for their lives.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20

So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you're helping another, don't forget to ask if they have Jesus, and just maybe you will have the chance to bring the light of the Gospel into someone's very dark world! :)

Oh, and one more thing. My husband, Ben, has instilled this point of view in me, which is this: whenever you have the chance to lead someone to Christ, if you are able, you should take the responsibility to disciple that person to lead a life that is in line with Scripture. That means teaching them the importance of immediate baptism, a quiet time (spending time in God's Word everyday), memorizing Scripture, praying to Jesus and how to go about sharing their faith with other lost people!

(Don't forget that new Christians don't just fall into how they're supposed to live. They have to be taught spiritual disciplines or they will never grow into a mature believer. So the goal here is to not just make disciples, but to help them grow into mature believers who go and make more!)

May you be praying for the helpless and unloved, and for opportunities to make the ultimate difference in their lives,

16 Free Beth Moore Books!

This is SO exciting! Beth Moore is allowing us to download 16 of her most well-known books for FREE! I just wanted to share this with you because she is one of my favorite speakers/authors. She has such great insight into the Word of God and has an incredible testimony. If you're looking for some good books to read, I'm sure all of these are great. I have yet to read them all myself!

These downloads will be available until Jan. 10, which is THIS Friday, so get them while you still can! These can be downloaded through Amazon or iTunes. If you have an iPad like me, you can download the Kindle app for free and be able to access all of her books there.

• When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the age of Seduction     Amazon | iTunes
• A Heart Like His: Intimate Reflections on the Life of David      Amazon | iTunes
• Believing God     Amazon | iTunes
• Believing God: Growing Your Faith All Year Long     Amazon | iTunes
• Breaking Free     Amazon | iTunes
• Breaking Free Day by Day     Amazon | iTunes
• Feathers from My Nest: A Mother's Reflections     Amazon | iTunes
• Further Still     Amazon | iTunes
• Jesus, the One and Only     Amazon | iTunes
• Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds     Amazon | iTunes
• **Praying God's Word Day by Day     Amazon | iTunes
• The Beloved Disciple     Amazon | iTunes
• Things Pondered: From the Heart of a Lesser Woman     Amazon | iTunes
• **To Live is Christ: Joining Paul's Journey of Faith     Amazon | iTunes

And two Spanish translated books:  Creerle A DIOS and Jesus, Solo Jesus.

This makes me want to write a book or two! :)
Happy reading!

Memorizing Scripture

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:8

When I was an undergraduate in college, I lived at home with my family–my mom, dad, and little brother, Sean, and sister, Summer. I am about 12 years older than my siblings, so they were about 7- or 8-years-old around that time. One of my favorite and most encouraging memories was hearing them memorize Bible verses for their Sunday School class all throughout the week.

They were SO good at it, and at the end of every semester, they'd get the highest awards for memorizing hundreds of verses in both the NIV(1984) and KJV versions. And it was then that I really started to realize the importance of memorizing Scripture.

There's something about memorizing God's word that does something to you. Maybe you've heard of this verse:

I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

It really is true. You don't just forget His Word once you memorize it. It stays with you because you've "stored it up in your heart." And just when you need to hear something from Him, in the perfect moment, a verse you memorized pops up! It's encouraging, and it proves that God's Word is alive and at work within us! Not only that, but it may be exactly what someone you're talking to needs to hear.

Because memorizing Scripture is so important, I have taken time to design small packs of cards for specifically for women and girls so they can do JUST that!

I have several sets designed that have 25 cards each (different patterns available) and on the back of each, it is blank for you to write your verse on. **It is said that if you write something down, that's the equivalent of reading it 11 times and you're more likely to remember it!**

And sure–you could write them down on a plain sheet of paper, but if you're anything like me, you love pretty colors, trendy patterns and thick paper that will more than survive the jostling of your purse as you move from place to place throughout the day. You can order these cards here.

I also, upon numerous requests, just created a pack of 50 prayer cards pre-made in one set. This set is called "All About Jesus" (because it is!). Each card in the set is a different neon color, and each has a different verse (those of which I handpicked) to memorize. There are THOUSANDS of verses to memorize in the Bible, and it was tough to just stop at 50, but I made these to help you get started on memorizing! You can check these cards out here.

So, what are you waiting for? Go memorize some Scripture! :)

Freebie Download!

We all love free downloads!

Make it a daily routine to PRAY specific scripture for your life, for the lives of loved ones, strangers, and your country this year! This will strengthen your prayer life, bless those around you and yourself as well. Make 2014 a year that is focused on Christ and do all for the glory of God!

This is a 8.5 x 11 inches poster. Print this out and hang it on your fridge, tape it to your bathroom mirror, fold it up and stick it in your Bible, give to your friends, etc! (When printing, please select "scale to fit" in your printing settings.)

All scripture is word for word from the ESV Bible. This is not to replace your daily Bible reading. Enjoy! :)

Click to download your free poster!

New Year, New Plans!

The New Year is upon us and we are all feeling an extra BOOST of energy to make big plans, challenging goals, get our life in order and attempt to establish new habits that we think will make our lives better.

I'm feeling the excitement, too! My husband, Ben, and I have made all kinds of goals...working out, eating healthy, saving for a house of our own, etc! And it is SO easy to get so excited about all of these new ambitions that we can easily forget to consult with the Creator of the Universe: GOD! What does HE want us to do?

As we go into this New Year, yes it's important to establish goals and plans. But as Christians, we are to prayerfully go about making these decisions.

Before I even began making a goal list, I spent about two or three hours in prayer, just asking what God would have me do this year, that He would give me peace about different decisions, etc. I'm not saying you have to spend that much time, but it certainly doesn't hurt. :)

In the silence of just being in God's presence and Word, you begin to develop peace about certain things, and new God-honoring goals you would've never thought of on your own come into your mind. Write those down!

Anything that is good and beneficial to your walk with Christ, aligns with His Word and glorifies God is FROM God. A few things He placed on my heart was to (1) join an exercise class and befriend a lost person and share Jesus with them and (2) Be a sponsor for one of the youth trips at my church this summer.

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

On the topic of planning, I invite you to check out my Etsy shop. I have a $2 calendar download that is designed with gold dots, beautiful script and functional in serving as your everyday planning calendar! You get 12 pages for each month. And best of all, each month has a different encouraging Bible verse from the ESV Bible. The picture above is an example of the calendar being used.

Happy planning and goal setting!!

Your Most Important Conversation of the Day

Did you know that your most important conversation of the day is the one you have with Jesus? It's also known as prayer. And you shouldn't do it just once in the morning–it should be a continual conversation all day long!

Do you feel distant from Him? Do you want Him to be the most important person in your life? One of the best ways to measure whether or not your walk with God is flourishing is the amount of time you actually spend talking to Him daily. So...PRAY. :)

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:16-18

God has placed upon my heart a passion to design biblical tools to help you in your prayer life.

Today I would like to showcase my Prayer Cards. If you visit my Etsy, you will see several different Prayer Cards I designed to help girls and women alike to pray Scripture, just as Jesus has led in example in the Bible.

Right now, there are two different packs I offer: Praying God's Word for Your Life and Praying God's Word for Your Husband. Please check them out and start PRAYING!

Have a wonderful day, and may you make prayer a priority today and everyday!