And the Winner Is....

Congratulations go out to my good friend, Jessie, who is the winner of my blog give-away! Up for grabs was a year subscription to an AMAZING children's ministry magazine, K Magazine. Jessie will be getting her first issue in the mail soon, and I just KNOW she is going to LOVE it!

And for all of you sitting there reading this looking very forlorn about the fact that your name was not drawn, fear not! You, too, can have your very own subscription to K Magazine just by heading over to the KidzMatter site and signing up. The cost is less than $20 a year, and it is the BEST investment you will ever make in your children's ministry!

Thanks to all who joined in the fun! I can't wait to hold another giveaway!

K Magazine Review and Blog Giveaway Time!!

Children's ministry is something I am very passionate about. God called me to this ministry many years ago, but it has only been in the last two years that I have actually submitted to that calling and begun working as a children's minister. For awhile, I just sort of went on what I knew - things I had been taught as a child and things I had seen other children's ministers teach. But there came a point last year where I knew I was becoming stagnant in my children's church. I knew I needed to go beyond what I already knew, beyond my own thinking, and branch out to see what other resources and ideas were available.

A dear friend of mine, Larry (who happens to be the youth pastor at my church), suggested that I purchase a subscription to a children's ministry magazine. He told me about the magazines he gets that are geared for youth ministry, and thought I might benefit from something similar. So I looked online to see what was out there. There are so many things that one can find online that it can actually be a little overwhelming. Adding that to the fact that many of the ideas people are using are out of date and not nearly as effective for this generation of children, after all that searching, I didn't really come up with much. Then I looked for children's ministry magazines. There are only a hand full out there, and they each cost roughly $20 for a yearly subscription. I couldn't afford to get them all, so I had to pick.

The magazine that stuck out the most was called K Magazine, and is put out by Kidz Matter. I will admit, the title didn't look that interesting. But the more I thought about it and looked at some of the things they had in this thing, the more sure I was that this was the one I needed. It wasn't until I got my first issue that I was ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN this was the magazine that was going to provide me with the resources I needed to move me forward in children's ministry.

The theme of my first issue was "Leadership." That was something I had been trying to get some direction on, but didn't really know where to start. The articles were so helpful, and I have read most of them several times. I have plans to pass that issue on to others working in children's ministry in my church, but so far I can't come to part with it. I just keep picking it up and re-reading it!

The article that I enjoyed the most was titled "Full Steam Ahead," and was written by Tina Houser. Mrs. Houser talks about the power of momentum in your children's ministry, and how to go about fueling that momentum so that it is like a train that can't be stopped. She showed the importance of declaring your vision and sticking with it, jumping right into things rather than slowly getting into the race, and pouncing on opportunities that land in your lap. Being a step ahead of the game helps you to keep moving, instead of just coasting along in your ministry. She shows how to multiply your effectiveness by increasing your mass (people who work in children's ministry with you), how to set up wins for your team, the importance of plowing through obstacles that stand in your way, how to go public with what you are doing with your group, and the necessity of continually evaluating what and how you are doing. She hit the nail right on the head with that lesson on momentum.

Each issue is packed with so many great articles, it is hard to put the magazine down once I get started reading! And the articles are written by very experienced children's ministers such as Tina Houser, Roger Fields, Ryan Frank, Jim Wideman, Greg Baird, and so many more! You get great articles from experts in the field of children's ministry, ideas for ways to add some excitement to your lessons, decor, and overall ministry, encouragement for when you feel like things aren't going just right or like you're not making a difference, and loads of information on curriculum and products out there just for you! I am looking forward to the next issue, because the theme is "Creativity in Ministry." I need all the help I can get in that area! It's going to be a great issue!

If you want to check out this AMAZING magazine, along with plenty of other children's ministry resources, take a look at their web site! Or you can give these lovely people a call toll free at 877-568-2437. You will get to talk to an actual PERSON, and they are all very friendly! For $19.95, you get six completely PACKED issues!

BUT, I am so EXCITED to tell you that I am GIVING AWAY a full year subscription for my blog giveaway today! The good folks at Kidz Matter have graciously provided me with this prize, and one of my followers is going to win it! You are definitely going to want this prize! I promise!!

Here's how to enter. First, you MUST be a follower on my blog. So if you haven't clicked the "Join This Site" button on the right, go do that now. GO! GO! GO!! If you are a follower through another site, such as Google Reader, you need to leave me a comment and let me know. Everyone who FOLLOWS my blog gets entered automatically! YAY!!

If you would like to have an additional entry, here's what to do. Leave me a comment telling me why you want to win this prize, and/or if you would keep it or give it to someone else. Hey, I know all of you lovely people aren't children's ministers like me, and might not actually use something like this. But remember, kids ministry is a HUGE thing to God, and you could definitely pass this on to whomever has the privilege of being in charge of this ministry in your church! So whether you keep it or give it away matters not. You still REALLY want to win this!!

And for one more additional entry, post a link to this blog post on Facebook or Twitter telling all your friends about my prize giveaway! Then you need to come back here and leave me a comment letting me know where you posted the link. 

Be sure to leave me your e-mail address in your comment, so I can contact you if your name is drawn.

So there you have it. You have three ways to enter. The contest will run until Monday, November 14, so you all will have plenty of time to enter.

This magazine has been so helpful to me in my children's ministry, and I just can't WAIT to give away a subscription to one of you!! And if you just can't wait until Monday, or if you want to go purchase a copy for someone else, head on over there to the Kidz Matter website and pick up a subscription. You will NOT be sorry!!

*And a BIG THANK YOU to Hip Homeschool Moms for letting me post my giveaway to their site!! Go check them out!

Lovable Labels BlogHer’ 11 Getaway Contest: My Greatest Accomplishment

All throughout my high school years, I dreamed of becoming an author of some great piece of literature. Creative writing was my favorite subject, and I had great plans to head off to college right after graduation to pursue a degree in English Literature. I could imagine myself in the future looking at my book on a shelf in a book store with people gathered around waiting to purchase it, because it was one of those books that was on the “must read” list of classic works. Much to my surprise, that was not the path in which God led me.

A few weeks before my high school graduation was to take place, God showed me that His plan for my future was not to include college, but that He wanted me to get a job and prepare for the day when I would have children of my own. He showed me that His plan was for me to have the greatest job in the world – that of a stay-at-home mom. So when high school was no more, I passed up my dream of becoming a writer and I went to work.

Soon, I met a guy who thought I was pretty great, and I thought the same of him, so we married. A few years later, I became pregnant with our first baby, so, following the plan God gave me years before, I quit my job and planned to stay home with this new little one. Little did I realize that this was to be the hardest job I had ever tried to tackle.

Four babies later, our house is full to the brim. Being a stay-at-home mom is still the hardest job I have ever worked. Add to that the fact that God told me that I was to homeschool my kiddos, and my days are non-stop, go, go, go. We stay busy doing all sorts of great things together, and I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. Still, I have never forgotten my love for writing.

Two years ago, being very upset after working in my garden and finding my tomatoes had nearly all been eaten by a green-horned tomato worm, I started my blog simply because I needed a place to rant over this horrible creature that was destroying my hard work. From that rant, I started writing every few days, and I soon remembered how much I enjoyed sitting down with just my thoughts. I began writing more and more, and, with every blog post I typed, my creative juices began flowing faster and faster.

So last year, on a whim really, I decided to take a chance and send in one of my blog posts to a magazine and just see where it took me. Much to my absolute surprise, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine wrote me back the next day to tell me they would like to publish my work. I was thrilled! So I began sending in more articles to different magazines, many of which have accepted my work. And just last week, The Homeschool Handbook Magazine printed my article first in their magazine! It has been a steady stream of things I have written being accepted for print in some really great magazines!

What occurred to me is this. All those years ago, when God told me to stay home with my children and be a great mommy to them, I thought I was giving up my dream of writing. For nearly ten years, I faithfully obeyed what He had called me to do. And now, not only do I have four great kids that I love being home with, God has brought me back around to my other love. He has allowed me to have back the dream I once held. And not only has He given me back the dream He had once asked of me, He has blessed my writing and allowed it to reach many, many people.

What I have learned is that, every time I am faithful in the things God asks of me, He returns it to me one-hundred fold. During this last year, God has closed doors I thought would always be open, and He has opened more doors that I ever could have imagined. I have no education beyond high-school. I have no degrees or any other schooling. But I have what God has given me. He has given me something to say, and I say it. He gives me words, and I speak them. I speak them loud. I speak them boldly. And through my writing, I am accomplishing great things for His sake. 

~ This blog post was written as part of a contest through Lovable Labels. Be sure to go and check them out!