Family Blog

Investing Time In Our Children's Interests

1/7/2012

Today I spent 15 minutes and $5.00, and made a world of difference in two darling girl's lives.

When my daughter and her friend get together they are so creative. They usually plan for days what they are going to do before their play dates. Today, they created a gift shop and beauty salon. They've been planning this one for weeks, making signs, jewelry, hair accessories, and craft items to be ready for their shop. They were so excited when I accepted their invitation to browse their store, and even more excited when I purchased several of their adorable "handcrafted" items.

Soon after, my husband and sons followed me, bringing their wallets, mostly buying the delicious treats (Kool-Aid and Jello) the girls were selling.

After the boys left, I got my nails done at their salon while watching them design and make my beautiful feathered headband, that I will definitely wear! :)

After I checked out and paid for my items, my daughter and her friend expressed how nice it was that we came to their shop. They spend a lot of time preparing for these kind of things, so they were glad we weren't too busy to take the time to come.

I never want to miss an opportunity to do as Jesus did and take the time to make a child feel important. I believe my daughter and her friend will always remember that my husband and I took that time to invest in their interests. And hopefully it will have a positive impact on their lives.

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
—Matthew 19:13-14

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Books & Gift Cards Giveaway Winner Is...

12/31/2011

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I want to thank everyone who entered my book promo giveaway. Thank you for helping promote my book to help restore families. Because of you I was able to donate copies of my book to SRL Ministries in Switzerland for their conference in January. Thank you very much for your support! Families will be blessed thanks to you!

Now for the winner of this great gift package of books and gift cards:

And the winner is....

Rose Blackard

Congratulations, Rose! I will be contacting you shortly.

If you would like to order any of the books in the giveaway, follow these links:

Make Your Life Worth Living - Serge Roux-Levrat
How to Enjoy An Abundant Health - Serge Roux-Levrat
Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs - Warren Baldwin
The Father's Love - Dave Moore

If you would like to order my book, it's still on sale until January 1st. It's only $8.94 for paperback and $2.99 for kindle. After January 1st it will be $14.99 for paperback and $5.99 for kindle.

Thank you again for supporting marriages!
I pray you all have a very blessed New Year in Christ!

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Christmas Giveaway Winners Announced

12/9/2011

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Christmas Book Giveaway Winners Are...

Penny Zeller's book: 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference

Winner: Karen Lyons

Deborah McCarragher's book: Mission Possible – Spiritual Covering

Winner of paperback: Mary Pacheco

Winner of Ebook: Dennis Krall

Misty Gatlin's book: The Real You: Daily Readings for Daughters of the King

Winner: Deborah Bateman

Thanks to everyone who entered. If you didn't win, you can click on the titles to
purchase these great inspirational books!

**Please follow this link to read my NEW promo to help 100 marriages by the end of year.I'll be giving away 4 books, an AMC gift card, and a Starbucks gift card!

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NEW PROMO + Book & Gift Cards GIVEAWAY!

12/8/2011

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I was talking to a friend recently. She went to her pediatrician and asked for advice on raising her children. Her pediatrician looked at her in all seriousness and asked, "Do you want your kids not to be messed up? Do you want them to turn out good?"

"Of course," she replied. So he proceeded, "You and your husband act like you have the best relationship in front of your children, no matter what. After you put your kids to bed, then let it out. But don't let them see it."

Then he laughed and said, "Don't ask me how to have a good marriage, though, I'm divorced."

I love this man's honesty. Though I wouldn't recommend his advice on faking it, I do agree that a loving marriage will have a significant positive impact on our children.

So with the Lord's leading, my mission this Christmas is to help strengthen marriages through my book "You Can Have a Happy Family."

In "You Can Have a Happy Family," I don't show you how to FAKE a happy marriage. I show you how to HAVE a happy marriage.

From now until the end of the year, I put the cheapest price that my publisher will allow on both the Kindle and Paperback versions of my book. The book will go up to the price it is in stores ($14.99) on January 1, 2012.

My GOAL is to sell 100 COPIES by the end of 2011 to give families the Biblical tools they need to HAVE the marriage God desires. I also plan to donate 10 copies to SRL Ministries in Switzerland to distribute at their upcoming conference in January.

This is where I need your help! You can help families thrive in the new year by sharing this post on your social and media networks, and/or buying copies of "You Can Have A Happy Family" to give as gifts for Christmas. You can also give the kindle version as a gift and email it to your family and friends.

Leave a comment below that you are posting this promo on your social networks and I'll enter your name into a drawing for a chance to WIN a great gift package of books and gift cards!! You get TWO ENTRIES into the drawing if you BUY my book (you must let me know in your comment).

Winner Package includes:

Paperback signed copy of "How To Enjoy An Abundant Health" by Serge Roux-Levrat
Hardcover signed copy of "Make Your Life Worth Living" by Serge Roux-Levrat
Hardcover signed copy of "The Father's Love" by Dave Moore
Paperback copy of "Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks" by Warren Baldwin
$15 AMC movie Gift Card
$15 Starbucks Gift Card


*The winner will be announced on this blog on December 31st!

Paperback version (on the left) is only $8.94 (Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25).

Ebook version (on the right) is only $2.99.

You can also buy copies directly from me through the "Buy Now" tab below. The more books you buy, the lower the price is per book. S&H is already included in the price for U.S. residents. An additional charge will be added for all other countries.

Follow this link to see what readers are saying about "You Can Have a Happy Family."

Please use the Twitter and Facebook tabs below to help spread the word. I need your help to make this 100 copy goal by December 31, 2011!

Don't forget to LEAVE A COMMENT to enter to WIN the GIFT PACKAGE.

Thank you and God bless you for supporting godly marriages!

"Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
—Mark 10:9

46 Comments

Christmas Book Giveaway - Misty Gatlin

12/7/2011

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Christmas Book Giveaways!!!

I am posting marriage and family book giveaways this week. You still have time to enter the last two giveaways. Follow these links to enter: 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference by Penny Zeller, and Mission Possible – Spiritual Covering (Believing for your husband's salvation) by Deborah McCarragher. All winners will be announced on Saturday, December 10th.

Today's giveaway is for Misty Gatlin's devotional book: The Real You: Daily Readings for Daughters of the King

This book is great for teenage girls, but I was blessed by it as well. I think we all need to be reminded often how beautiful we are in the eyes of the Lord. Misty did an excellent job comparing how God sees us as opposed to the world's view of beauty.

The Real You: Daily Readings for Daughters of the King

(CreateSpace)

Captivating and eye opening, this short study equips the reader with confidence in who she is and who she was created to be. Young women today struggle with self-image in almost every area of life. Through real, relatable stories and scriptures to strengthen confidence, this 14-day study is great to do alone or in a small group setting.

Misty Gatlin is a Christian writer, teacher, youth leader, and public speaker. Her passion is to help young adults find confidence in their own identity in Christ. Misty is a member of Milestone Church in Keller, TX. She and her husband, Eric, have been married for 10 years and have two children. You can learn more about Misty, her books, her speaking, and read her blog at: www.mistygatlin.com

You can also follow Misty at:
Twitter @mistygatlin
Facebook Misty Gatlin (Author)

**To enter to win The Real You: Daily Readings for Daughters of the King leave a comment below and include your email address. For an ADDITIONAL ENTRY into the drawing, let me know that you "LIKE" Misty's Facebook page. The winner will be announced December 10th.

**This giveaway is only open to those who reside in the U.S.

7 Comments

Christmas Book Giveaway - Author Deborah McCarragher

12/4/2011

7 Comments

Christmas Book Giveaways!!!

For the next week I will be posting marriage and family book giveaways! You still have time to enter the last giveaway 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Differenceby Penny Zeller. Follow this link to enter. All winners will be announced on Saturday, December 10th.

Today's giveaway is from author Deborah McCarragher. She is giving away a paperback AND an ebook copy of her inspiring book: Mission Possible – Spiritual Covering (Believing for your husband's salvation).

This is a must have, not only if your spouse isn't saved, but also if they are saved and don't have the same desire to serve Christ as you do.I loved this quote from Deborah, "Divorce for me was NOT an option. I often said, 'I am getting a new husband with the same man - GOD has promised me that.'"

MISSION POSSIBLE – Spiritual Covering

(Alabaster Box Publishing)

This book is a powerful tool for any woman who is married to a man who does not share her passion for Jesus. Everyone has at least ONE friend who needs this book! In Mission Possible you will:

-- Discover how to believe with radical faith for your spouse’s salvation.
-- Learn the secret to “staying the course” while you wait for your promise.
-- Find out why many women don’t like to share their “secret sorrow”.
-- Overcome your own fears and doubts about your husband’s future with God.
-- Join other women in the knowledge that God has a perfect plan of unity for you and your spouse.

“ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy… …For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband whether you will save your wife?”
1 Corinthians 7:14, 16

Author Deborah McCarragher had a desire to publish her first book, MISSION POSSIBLE – Spiritual Covering for years, but it literally “sat on a spiritual shelf” until God released her to have it printed in late 2007. It has since been revised and re-released in 2009. The book addresses the struggles and difficulty of a marriage when one spouse finds the Lord
first. Being unequally yoked after you are married presents a unique situation.

Deborah’s mission is to encourage women through scripture to believe in God’s Word to transform their husbands and by challenging women to minister to their spouses in a way that glorifies God. The author’s candid approach makes this book an easy read, and compels the reader to join her in her quest to reach her husband for Christ. Alabaster Box Publishing’s motto is: Books to stir your mind & stretch your Soul!

Deborah began her journey of creative writing soon after coming to know Jesus as her personal savior in 1989. She uses her spiritual gifts of encouragement and teaching in her home church. She also enjoys in-depth bible study in her personal time, and is a small business owner of over twenty years. Her love of the Holy scripture and bible study are evident in her poetry and literary works. She and her husband attend Hibernia Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs, and reside in Fleming Island, Florida.

Her primary goal is to share her personal testimony with others while bringing hope and practical help through her books.

You can follow Deborah at:
Blog http://www.Godmissionpossible.blogspot.com
Twitter http://www.Twitter.com/debitsdeb
Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/Godmissionpossible

**To enter to win MISSION POSSIBLE – Spiritual Covering leave a comment below and include your email address. For an additional entry into the drawing, follow ("LIKE") Deborah's Facebook page. Let me know that you're following Deborah's Facebook page in your comment. The first winner will receive the paperback copy (U.S residents only). The second winner will receive an ebook copy (open to all). All winners will be announced December 10th.

Come back on Wednesday (12/7) to enter to win Misty Gatlin's bookThe Real You: Daily Readings for Daughters of the King. Great devotional to give your teenage daughters for Christmas!

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Christmas Book Giveaway - Author Penny Zeller

11/30/2011

19 Comments

Christmas Book Giveaways!!!

For the next week I will be posting marriage and family book giveaways! All winners will be announced on Saturday, December 10th.

Today's giveaway is from multi-published author, Penny Zeller. She is giving away a copy of her wonderful book: 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference. What better time than Christmas to teach our families to serve others!

77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference

(Beacon Hill Press)

Serving others - loving them the way we love ourselves - is the heartbeat of the Christian faith. As parents, we want to instill this virtue in our children, but simply telling our kids to love their neighbors isn't enough - they need to see and experience love in action.

Packed with 77 suggestions and activities designed to serve the different needs of people in your community, this fun and insightful book will help you cultivate love and compassion in your kids as you discover ways your family can make the world a better place by impacting the lives of others.

This practical and easy-to-use book includes:
Creative activities that can be adapted to fit your unique family

Service ideas for a variety of budgets

Bible verses to help children connect God's truth to their lives

Interactive discussion questions to help your family understand the importance of each activity and correlate it to God's Word.

Penny Zeller is the author of several books and numerous magazine articles. She is also the author of the blog "A Day in the Life of a Wife, Mom, and Author" www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com where she also provides weekly doses of humor, along with movie reviews from a Christian worldview, and interviews with some of her favorite author friends.

Penny is an active volunteer in her community, devoting her time to assisting and nurturing women and children into a closer relationship with Christ. Her passion is to use the gift of the written word that God has given her to glorify Him and to benefit His kingdom.

Penny is the author of 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference, Hollyhocks, and The Decision. Hailee is Penny’s latest book, which began with McKenzie and Kaydie in the Montana Skies Historical Romance Series.

When she's not writing, Penny enjoys spending time with her family and camping, hiking, canoeing, and playing volleyball.

Penny loves to hear from her readers at her website, www.pennyzeller.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennyzellerbooks

**To enter to win 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference leave a comment below and include your email address. For an additional entry into the drawing, follow ("LIKE") Penny's Facebook page. Let me know that you're following Penny's Facebook page in your comment. The winner will be announced December 10th.

**This giveaway is only open to those who reside in the U.S.

Come back on Sunday (12/4) to enter to win Deborah McCarragher's book Mission Possible - Believing for your husband's salvation.

19 Comments

Are You Stressed Out???

11/23/2011

3 Comments

Does this look like your to-do list? Are you stressed out trying to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas?

My husband and I decided to have Thanksgiving at our house this year and invite both our families. A few weeks ago we made the crazy decision to rush and turn our basement into a family room so we would have enough room to fit everyone.

Whenever we do a project we always end up doing more than we anticipate. I tend to get off track by adding more projects along the way, and then get overwhelmed as my to-do list continues to grow.

As my husband and I were working day and night trying to finish our family room, I decided since I was painting cabinets for the basement, I might as well paint my island in my kitchen and a cabinet in my hall. And since I emptied my island and cabinet, I decided to empty and clean out my china cabinet and desk, and remove them from the kitchen to make more room for guests. Because I removed my desk and china cabinet, it left my wall bare, so I had to buy wall decor. Since I was decorating my walls, I thought I might as well decorate for Christmas. Since I was decorating for Christmas, I decided to put up our tree. Since I put up our tree, I thought I should get a tree for our new family room and decorate it as well. My to-do list grew as I continued to add on more projects.

As I was running a table at a mom to mom sale last weekend, stressed out thinking about my ever-growing to-do list, I noticed a woman selling at a table across from me crying. The director of the sale told me that the woman had a c-section a week ago, and her baby was born prematurely at 27 weeks. She had to leave the sale early because her baby was having emergency heart surgery that day.

I noticed she was at the sale alone with her two toddlers, so I offered to help and carry her items to her car. After talking to her, I found out that her husband was in the hospital as well. The Lord brought my attention to the fact that no mother would work a mom to mom sale alone with two toddlers only a week after having a c-section, on top of having a premature baby and a husband in the hospital, unless she desperately needed money.

After praying with her and giving her what I had from the sale, I sat down and thought about all the stupid things I had been worrying about the past few weeks. None of that mattered after seeing this woman hurting so deeply. God humbled me as my heart broke for her and her family.

Now, I could care less if my to-do list gets done for Thanksgiving or not. I just want to praise God that I get to spend the holidays with my loved ones.

I encourage you to do the same. Don't let your to-do list steal your time away from your family. Enjoy each day you have with them. Be thankful that you get to spend another holiday with the ones you love.

I pray you have a blessed, anxiety-free Thanksgiving!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

--Philippians 4:6-7

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Training Our Children

11/8/2011

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Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual
gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

—Proverbs 22:6, AMP

Training our children in the way they should go seems to be an overwhelming task. Yet I have learned it doesn’t have to be. I strongly believe that we train our children by how we live our lives. When we love God and follow Him daily, our children will benefit. Our lives have the greatest impact on our children. They follow what they see in us—the good and the bad.

We have to ask ourselves, do our children see us practicing what we preach? Are we the same at home as we are in front of those we want to impress? Do our children see us being kind, loving, and merciful to others in church, but act the opposite way at home? I believe this is the main reason many high school graduates fall away from the church. Parents are not being godly examples at home.

As I was once asking God to show me how I could help and bless others, I felt Him tell me to bless my children. Whenever I heard a preacher preach on being a blessing to others, and giving ourselves to serve others, and building others up, I didn’t relate it to my children. God showed me that the home is where it starts. Why would God want me to serve Him in ministry helping others when I was not ministering to my own family? One of the qualifications for ministry is to treat and manage our families well.

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

—1 Timothy 3:4-5

Paul was speaking about the overseer of a church. However, I believe it applies to anyone in Christ. God will not call us to step out in ministry without first teaching us how to treat and manage our families. Some Christians ignore this to step out and serve, but they hurt their families in the process.

When we are in ministry helping others, we feel good about ourselves. It’s humbling, however, when you are called to bless and serve your children. And I don’t mean in the literal sense. No one praises you for being a blessing to your children, because your children most likely won’t realize it until they are grown.

When asked if there was anything missing from childhood that people gave their children, one woman replied, “My parents were awesome! I want to be just like them!” That is what I want every one of my children to say when they are grown.

Many of those surveyed said they needed their parents to model a relationship with Christ. When we consistently live our lives for Christ, our children will likely follow. If they do end up rebellious and choose not to follow Christ, at least we have done what we could to show them the way. They will have that foundation to come back to when they find out the world’s way doesn’t work. They will see by our lives that Jesus is the only way.

If your children are grown and you haven’t allowed God to work in you, you can start right now. You can be a witness to them. They will see the changes God brings about in your life as you follow Jesus with an undivided heart. It is never too late for God to turn things around in your family. He is more than able.

*This message was taken from my book You Can Have a Happy Family.

My blog (Sharing Truths), Proverbs and Wisdom, and Follow 4 Bible Study are joining together in the 31 Days of Prayer movement for the month of November. Will you join us this week by praying for children? Click on the tab below to grab a prayer button to add to your website.

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Book Giveaways!!

10/30/2011

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THIS DRAWING HAS ENDED! WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED AT: http://www.sharingtruths.com/?p=317

To celebrate my other blog's one year anniversary (sharingtruths.com), I and six other authors are giving away a total of seven books! Every day last week, I featured a different author and giveaway. You still have until 11 pm Eastern time on Sunday (10/30) to enter to win these inspiring books. I will be announcing the winner on Monday morning (10/31) at sharingtruths.com.

Click on the links below to enter each giveaway. Just comment on the blog of the book/books you want to enter to win.

Click here to go to Monday's giveaway: TWO for ONE winner – My book “You Can Have a Happy Family,” and Warren Baldwin’s book “Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs”

Click here to go to Tuesday 's giveaway: Chuck Balsamo’s book “Make Me A Legend”

Click here to go to Wednesday's giveaway: Penny Zeller’s book “Hailee”

Click here to go to Thursday's giveaway: Dr. Gary & Norma Smalley’s book “4 Days to a Forever Marriage”

Click here to go to Friday's giveaway: Deborah Bateman’s book “The Book of Ruth – A Story of Love and Redemption”

Click here to go to Saturday's giveaway: Dave Moore's book “The Father's Love”

Spread the word! God bless!

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Amanda Beth

Thanks for stopping by my site! Welcome to my "Enjoying Your Family" blog!

I'm a wife of 16 years, mother of four children (ages 3 to 11), and author of "YOU CAN HAVE A HAPPY FAMILY - Steps to Enjoying Your Marriage and Children"
and
"THE LOVE WALK: A 15-Week Devotional on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8"

I also author another blog on spiritual growth every Monday at SharingTruths.com, and I am a weekly guest contributor every Sunday at Christian Blessings .

God has blessed me, my marriage and my family in more ways than I could ever imagine. I am so honored to give my life to Christ and share His Word wherever God sends me.

"Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed."
Psalm 112:1-2

Christmas Book Giveaways!!!

Amanda Beth

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