Part of Our Family

There are tons of benefits for children who are sponsored through Compassion International.  Food. Clean water. Medical care. Education. A Bible in his or her own language. Life-skills training. Opportunities to hear the gospel.

And it only costs me $38 each month. That’s only $1.26 per day. That’s a Coke at the gas station. Or flipping the lights off when you leave a room. Or only buying a sandwich at lunch and deciding against the fries. It’s the change in the ashtray in my car or on my husband’s dresser. For me, $1.26 a day isn’t really even a sacrifice.

But for Bob and Gloria, $1.26 per day is huge. The average monthly income for a family in their communities is around $20 per month. So $38 each month makes a huge impact.

And the things that Bob and Gloria get as a result—the things that are so ordinary to us that we don’t even think about them—to Bob and Gloria, those things are important. Life-changing. Soul-saving.

The biggest benefit for me, though, is the relationship that I have built with Bob and Gloria over the last few years. We’ve written letters and learned more about each other, our families, where we live. We pray for each other and encourage one another.

In her latest letter, Gloria wrote, "I call you my father and mother because you care for me so much."

She’s right. We do! These are not just faceless children on the other side of the world. Bob and Gloria are part of our family.

There are many children who don’t have sponsors yet. Would you take a few minutes and pray for some of the “waiting children”? Look at their faces and see their needs.

• Ask God to provide a sponsor who will faithfully pray for and encourage each child.
• Thank God that through Compassion, each of these children will hear the Good News of Jesus. Pray that each child’s heart will be tender to the gospel and that they will repent and believe.
• Pray that God would grow a love for His Word in the heart of each child. Pray that their love for Scripture will affect the way they live.
• Ask God to help them honor their parents in everything they do. Pray they will complete their responsibilities at home and school with joy.

Our goal this month is to find sponsors for at least 3,108 children. This is a God-sized goal! Will you help spread the word?

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Click on over if you want to join in the fun!

What are you currently reading? The Key on the Quilt by Stephanie Grace Whitson. Not far enough along to say much, but I love the premise!

What did you recently finish reading? Finished The Reunion by Dan Walsh yesterday. I think Dan Walsh can now go on the favorites list. :)

What do you think you'll read next? I'm waiting on a few books to arrive for upcoming blog tours, so I think I'm going to dive into Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley while I wait.

Teaser Tuesday | Love's Reckoning

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by MizB on her blog Should Be Reading. Hop over for details or to link up!

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Featuring a long-awaited September release: Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz. If you haven't read Laura Frantz's novels, they are MUST READS!

How did one put such heartache into words? All the Scriptures she'd hidden in her heart now seemed to leave her. She couldn't recall them, couldn't pray. In a word, she felt forsaken. (p 308)

Love's Reckoning
by Laura Frantz

The Priest with Dirty Clothes by R.C. Sproul

The Priest with Dirty Clothes
Written by R.C. Sproul
Illustrated by Justin Gerard
Children's Parable
Available February 2011
Reformation Trust
45 pages

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About the Book
In this new edition of his classic story, The Priest with Dirty Clothes, Dr. R.C. Sproul continues his project of illustrating theological concepts for children. In this book, he teaches the concept of imputation, which lies at the heart of the important biblical doctrine of justification.

Using the story of Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 3:1–5) as his jumping-off point, Dr. Sproul weaves a classic tale about a young priest who is invited to preach his first sermon before the king and his court. But on his way to the palace, he falls from his horse, getting his clothes hopelessly muddy. Jonathan finds that he needs powerful help if he is to stand before the king. This edition of The Priest with Dirty Clothes includes all-new illustrations by Justin Gerard and a new “For the Parents” section to help them bring out the truths of the book for their children.

My Thoughts
I'm never surprised when I read a children's book published by Reformation Trust. I know I can count on reading a biblically-based story that will help explain deep theological truths in simple, easy-to-understand ways. The Priest with Dirty Clothes was no exception. Dr. Sproul uses a simple story about a young priest who needs clean clothes in order to complete his task of preaching before the king to teach children about how Jesus makes our hearts clean before God. The story is based on a passage in Zechariah 3, and I appreciated how the author included that information in a letter to parents at the beginning of the book and then the Scripture on the first page of the story. It was the perfect way to begin. There are several pages of questions and Bible verses at the end of the story for adults to use in order to help children understand the deep truths explained in the story. The pictures are wonderfully illustrated as well, adding to the beauty of the story. I highly recommend! [5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from Reformation Trust in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author
Dr. R.C. Sproul is the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education ministry located near Orlando, Florida. His teaching can be heard on the program Renewing Your Mind, which is broadcast on hundreds of radio outlets in the United States and in 40 countries worldwide. He is the executive editor of Tabletalk magazine and general editor of The Reformation Study Bible, and the author of more than seventy books and scores of articles for national evangelical publications. Dr. Sproul also serves as president of Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies and Reformation Bible College. He currently serves as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's in Sanford, FL.

Review Copy Cleanup Wrap-up

The Review Copy Cleanup was an AWESOME challenge, and I'm so glad I decided to join in the fun! It's easy to get to those review books that have hard and fast deadlines, but sometimes my get-to-it-when-you-can stack gets out of control. My goal was to read 15 review books, and I finished the last one on August 31—just in the nick of time. :)

Love Finds You in Mackinac Island by Melanie Dobson
Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon
Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble
The Scent of Rain by Kristin Billerbeck
Starring Me by Krista Mcgee
Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury

 A Texan's Honor by Shelley Gray

Always the Designer, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker 

Firestorm by Lisa Tawn Bergren

With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin

Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin

 Total Home Makeover by Renee Metzler
Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney

Proof by Jordyn Redwood

Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz

Reading so many books in one month made it a little tricky to stay on top of the reviews, BUT I somehow managed to write reviews for all FIFTEEN. (If the title isn't linked, I'll be posting the review within the next few weeks.)

I also had a few reviews that I needed to finish up and post (or update), and I wrote all EIGHT that I hoped to! Yay! I'm telling you, I was behind!

 

 After All by Deborah Raney

Cherry Blossom Capers by Gina Conroy, Frances Devine, Cara Putman, Lynette Sowell

Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
False Pretenses by Kathy Herman
Dangerous Mercy by Kathy Herman

Bombus the Bumblebee by Elsie Larson

The Priest with the Dirty Clothes by R.C. Sproul, Jr.

So . . . I'd say this challenge went pretty well! Can't wait until next time!

Month in Review | August 2012

Wow! This has been a busy month—at work and home, and reading has been no exception! Here's a quick glance of everything I've accomplished this month book and blog-wise. :)

Books Read [16]

Favorites This Month?
This has probably been the best reading month I've had in a long while. It seemed like every book I read was just so wonderful! So . . . there's no way I can choose a favorite. Not gonna do it! I gave 8 5-star ratings and 6 4-star ratings if that tells you anything! :) This month's 5-star books are: Love Finds You in Mackinac Island; Lethal Legacy; Coming Home; Always the Designer, Never the Bride; With Every Letter; Thunder and Rain; Proof; and Love's Reckoning.

Reviews Posted [15]

• Love Finds You in Mackinac Island by Melanie Dobson (Litfuse Tour)
• Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon (Revell Tour)
• Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble (Litfuse Tour)
• The Scent of Rain by Kristin Billerbeck
• Starring Me by Krista Mcgee
• After All by Deborah Raney
• Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury
• Always the Designer, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker
• Total Home Makeover by Renee Metzler (Blog Tour)
• Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney (Revell Tour)
• A Texan's Honor by Shelley Gray
• Firestorm by Lisa Tawn Bergren
• The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
• False Pretenses by Kathy Herman
• Dangerous Mercy by Kathy Herman

Blogside Chats

• Nora St. Laurent of The Book Club Network
• Keli Gwyn
• Catherine Richmond

Giveaways
Thanks to the authors and publishers who sponsored these giveaways!

• A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California - Lindy E
• After All - Melanie
• Total Home Makeover - Kelly B

Update on Reading Challenges

• 2012 Goodreads Challenge - 86 / 113 books
• 100+ Books in a Year - 86 books
• 2012 Ebook Challenge - 17 / 25 books
• New Authors Challenge - 37 / 50 authors *Completed and increased goal in May*
• 2nds Challenge 2012 - 24 / 20 books *Completed 2nd goal in August*
• Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2012 - 6 / 12 months (8 books)
• What Are You Reading? Challenge - 27 / 50 states
• 50 States Challenge - 27 / 50 states
• 2012 Christian Suspense Reading Challenge - 17 / 15 books *Completed in August
• 2012 Christian Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - 35 / 24 books *Completed in May*

Other Noteworthy Posts / Happenings

• I took on the Reading Copy Cleanup Challenge this month. I finished strong and will post my wrap-up tomorrow.
• I also took part in the Bout of Books 5.0 Read-a-thon. This was my first read-a-thon, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'll definitely do more in the future! (Here's my wrap-up post.)
• Earlier this week I featured a new book that I'm super excited about: Love Thy Rival by Chad Gibbs. Be sure to check it out if you missed it!
• I also hit 100 GFC followers. Thank you so much to all who follow. It means a lot to know that people are out there reading my little blog!

Next Month
I thought it might be a nice addition to this monthly update to give you a peek at what's coming up this month.

• September is Blog Month for Compassion. I love this ministry and will be posting several times throughout the month! I posted my first post earlier today.
• Book Blogger Appreciation Month is September 10-14. I've never taken part before but thought it would be fun!
• I'm thinking about joining up for another read-a-thon this month, but no promises!
• Jody Hedlund will be guest posting on September 12 as part of her blog tour to celebrate the release of Unending Devotion. :)
• AND . . . I'm posting reviews for 7 blog tours during the month so keep an eye out for those reviews!!

Well . . . that's quite a bit! Doing the read-a-thon and the Review Copy Cleanup really boosted my reading for the month. And I enjoyed chatting with some other bloggers as well! What did you do last month? Anything fun going on this month?

Blog Month for Compassion!

It seems like there's always so much going on, but I'm SUPER excited to let you know about a blog event I'll be participating in this month.

September is Blog Month for Compassion!!!

I'll be posting several times this month to share about the work that Compassion International is doing around the world to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. I'm so excited to share what this incredible ministry is doing!!

Before we get started with the weekly blogging assignments for this month, though, I want to share how my family is involved with Compassion. We have the privilege of sponsoring two precious children through the ministry of Compassion.

I began sponsoring seven-year-old Gloria in February of 2007 when the company I worked for took a group of people to visit Compassion in Uganda. The team planned to visit several Compassion projects, so I chose Gloria's sponsorship packet from a group of children that the team would have the opportunity to meet in person. I packed a pink backpack with gifts, toys, and a picture and letter introducing myself and committed to find $38 per month in my budget to provide the basics for Gloria. A friend from work presented Gloria with the gifts I sent, met her grandmother, visited her home, and took tons of precious pictures of their time together. Gloria will be 13 this fall, and our relationship has grown by leaps and bounds in that time!

In October 2008, I decided that I should begin sponsoring a second child. I had recently been given a small raise at work and wanted to do something useful with some of the extra money each month. What better way than to sponsor a child living in poverty?! I began scouring the faces of children without a sponsor on the Compassion website. I wanted to find an older child, one who would graduate from the program in a few years, someone who might not be as likely to get a sponsor. When I saw Bob's face, I knew I had found my next "child." He was 15 at the time and looked so sad—shoulders slumped, no smile on his face, and eyes that just seemed hopeless. I began sending $38 each month to sponsor Bob (also from Uganda). Over the years we have exchanged many letters, and I have seen Christ transform his life. The pictures that we receive once or twice a year reveal change as well. He has grown so much and has the biggest smile. But the biggest change is in his eyes—his smile reaches his eyes and joy shines from within.

This is the ministry of Compassion. They are the real deal. It's easy to see from the letters and pictures we receive from our children. Please, please consider being part of this awesome ministry!

There are a couple of ways that YOU can participate this month . . .

Become a Compassion blogger! Basically, just sign up through the link on the right sidebar, and you'll receive blogging assignments. You can choose to post or not.

Sponsor a child! If you've been considering child sponsorship but haven't taken the plunge OR if Compassion is totally new to you, I hope you'll think about committing to child sponsorship this month. I'll be sharing more about this throughout the month.

Spread the word! Would you consider sharing the links to my posts with your friends? The goal is to find sponsors for 3,108 children this month, and we need all the help we can get in getting the word out!

Disclosure: Prizes and giveaways will be held throughout the month for bloggers who participate in this month-long blog fest. Additionally, the person who brings in the most sponsors will have the opportunity to join a Compassion Blogger trip in 2013. My motivation in sharing about Compassion does not come from the possibility of winning a prize. Instead, it comes from the hope that people will learn about this incredible ministry, that many children will be released from poverty in Jesus' name, and ultimately that God would be glorified in all nations!