Kristi Woods

Encouraging Women to Walk Deeper with God

Are You Praying These Powerful Prayers Over Your Kids?

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Pink Flowers with words above
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Do you offer powerful prayers over your kids? When set before the Almighty, rest assured. Prayer remains a mighty weapon in the battle against evil.

But what if we flounder? Sometimes I find myself groping in the dark for words, direction, or Scripture.

I simply don’t know what to pray.

Prayer books (books containing prayers repeatable by readers) slide in as a helpful tool. I use them. What about you? Today’s review covers two.

The good news for those of us searching for powerful prayers? Both reads focus solely on words and topics for parents to pray over kids. And the couple authoring these two? They’re gems.

“Stranger “Danger”: How My Story Intersects with These Prayer Books

Allow me to give a little backstory first.

In 2015, I attended She Speaks, a Proverbs 31 Ministry conference for Christian women writers and speakers. Attendees flooded a Facebook group, listing flight numbers, days, and times in hopes of finding cost-share “buddies” for cab travels from the airport to the venue. (Conference costs add up fast!)

Two women flying in from different parts of the country were scheduled to land at similar times as me. Enter sweet Joanna Teigen and beautiful Grace. The three of us connected and shared the fare.

(As a mother, I’d be screeching “stranger danger!” right about now. After all, we met online. But this story unfolded in a beautiful way. I found a lasting friendship in these strangers named Grace and Joanna. I thank my Father for them.)

As we conversed, Joanna humbly mentioned writing a book. No fanfare. No “ta-da.” Just the fact that she wrote something on prayer. And that was it.

Favorite Prayer Books

It took a bit to add two and two, but when I did….viola! I realized this cab buddy authored one of my all-time favorite prayer books, a tool I found due to a review just like this one.

My mouth dropped.

Beside me sat one of my favorite authors, and I hadn’t a clue!

I giggle about how goofy I reacted (even if none of it showed on the outside), because Joanna is about as humble and genuine as they come. I love this woman and the spark she has for Christ. She and her husband, Rob, create practical tools to help parents and marrieds sit at the feet of Jesus.

They walk the talk.

I share this backstory so you’ll know my “friendship status” with Joanna. A bit of bias rests here. But I assure you, I’d give these books 5 stars–even without the friendship.

Two books with "Book Review" written above

Prayer Books as Powerful Tools

Both Powerful Prayers for Your Son and Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter enable readers to petition God for every part of our their child’s life.

These two books include prayers covering areas from salvation and pride, friendships, rejection, discontentedness, addiction, dating, and purity–and many more. Rob and Joanna invite us to use them as our own. I love that they list applicable scriptures as well.

(There’s power in God’s Word!)

The topics range wide, covering even hidden heart issues and ones we, as parents, may not consider such as the need for peace or giving.

These books are not surface-level prayer tools, they dive deep into the heart of matters. Thank you, Rob and Joanna, for arming us with these powerhouse prayers and Bible verses.

But prayers and scriptures aren’t the only gems found in these tools. Check out the “Prayer Story” portions. These words from other moms and dads encourage and put a real-life face on parenting and spiritual petition needs.

Threaded throughout we also find helpful insight from Rob and Joanna.

So go ahead, grab your copy of each of these books. Give them to new moms or consider one as a “graduation” gift for the parents. They fit a range of ages. After all, we’re never too young or old for prayer.

Find Powerful Prayers for Your Son/Daughter Here:

  • Christianbook.com (fantastic price as of the writing of this post)
735429: Powerful Prayers for Your Daughter: Praying for Every Part of Her LifePowerful Prayers for Your Daughter: Praying for Every Part of Her Life
735436: Powerful Prayers for Your Son: Praying for Every Part of His LifePowerful Prayers for Your Son: Praying for Every Part of His Life

The publisher supplied a free copy of these books in exchange for my honest review.

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Do You Love a Good Children’s Bible? Giveaway!

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The Beginner's Bible

Do you love a good children’s Bible?

 

As we head toward December, look for giving opportunities–gifts for you. Starting today and during several Tuesdays in December, readers will find FREE faith-bolstering items here at KristiWoods.net.

What’s not to love about giving during the giving season?

Grab these FREE goodies for personal, mentoring, or gifting use.

In addition, you’ll find gift-giving ideas for a Christmas that sizzles with faith, ideas to encourage recepients in their walk with Jesus. And even though some of the links to those products are affiliates and I may receive compensation if you puchase them, it won’t cost you an extra penny. 

 

When our kids were young, I bought them several age-appropriate Bibles. No two were the same.

One of the most-used versions we set dove into regularly was The Beginner’s Bible. The kids loved it. Me too! And that was fifteen years ago.

We scoured and studied its pages at night as they slid under the covers and prepared for a good night’s sleep. We read it during the day sometimes as well. And the part I loved most is when I’d catch glimpse of one of the kids carting it around the house–usually Beka– then plopping on the sofa to flip through the pages and study the scenes.

 

Why did we love The Beginner’s Bible?

  1. Its hard back holds up to eager hands.
    The hard cover simply worked best for our crew of little fingers, kids eager to flip through pages and carry around their Bible. It’s solid for young hands.
  2. The Beginner’s Bible contains attractive pages bursting with color. 
    Sure, black and white paints a picture, but there’s something about color that lights up the page…and draws a reader. Even if your kids don’t yet read, they’ll capture insight into the Bible story simply by studying the picture.
  3. Both Old and New Testament stories find their way into this Bible.
    From stories about creation and Elisha in the Old Testament to a New Testament filled with Jesus, this children’s Bible covers stories and people threaded throughout time.
  4. It contains references to the Bible passages.
    As a new Christian, I appreciated that The Beginner’s Bible included passage references for each story. This helpful feature allows opportunity to read the portion in an adult Bible before exploring it with the kids. (The children’s stories are not word-for-word translations. They are stories, snippets of that passage.) And sometimes reading the actual verses helps adults better understand the complete picture and prepares them for questions children ask.
  5. The Beginner’s Bible is a great choice for beginning readers. 
    Young readers will call this one their own. Hence, the name “The Beginner’s Bible.” The words prove friendly for youngsters. A dictionary at the back of the Bible helps with unfamiliar ones. And if its reading level proves too high for your reader? Consider it an open opportunity for an adult to read to the child. Call it a win/win.

 

It's a #Christmas #Giveaway at KristiWoods.net. Stop by for your opportunity to win (1) of (2) copies of The Beginner's Bible. Click To Tweet

 

The Beginner's Bible coverIf you’re in the market this Christmas season to give a gift to a youngster, ages 4-8, considerThe Beginner’s Bible. 

 

Today’s good news?

 

I’m giving away two copies of a brand new, 2005 version The Beginner’s Bible! (1 each to TWO different winners.)

 

Just in time for Christmas. (Never fear, if you don’t win, check out the link below to purchase The Beginner’s Bible. There are so.many.options.)

750136: The Beginner"s Bible, New and Updated Edition 2016The Beginner’s Bible, New and Updated Edition 2016
By Zondervan

Giveaway Specifics:

  1. Ages 18+ to enter.
  2. US addresses only, please.
  3. Void where prohibited.
  4. No purchase necessary.
  5. To enter:
    * Comment below for 1 entry (max 1x)
    * Subscribe to KristiWoods.net for 2 entries (comment below that you’ve subscribed – max 1x)
    * Pin a graphic to Pinterest for 1 entry (leave a comment below letting us know, max 1x)
    * Tweet the above tweet for 1 entry (max 1x, comment below that you’ve tweeted)
    This giveaway is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with Pinterest or Twitter.
  6. Contest closes on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 6pm, central time.
  7. My teens will help me pull a name out of a bowl–we’re real high-tech! Winner to be emailed (so make certain to leave your email address when prompted while commenting) and announced in the Tuesday, Dec. 4 post.
  8. Packages will be mailed via USPS media mail.

 

Both copies of The Beginner’s Bible were provided, free of charge, from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Linking with other Jesus lovers and writers here: #heartencouragementThursday,#faithonfire

To Open or Not Open the Door

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White background with picture of weathered, green doors opening and the words, To Open of Not Open the Door written below it in black.

To Open or Not Open the Door

Halloween is coming. Christian, what is your approach to the night? Do you open the door or not? When our kids were little, that question swirled. I knew I didn’t want to celebrate darkness, but “hiding” didn’t seem right, either–although we tried it a time or two! So what’s a parent to do?
Our friends at Living Our Priorities shared recently about their “Light party.” What a neat idea! After reading their description, I knew our family here at KristiWoods.net might find interest–so those Christian parents and friends wrestling with Halloween have an alternative solution. And gosh, these light parties make so.much.sense! So friends, please welcome guest blogger, Timberley from Living Our Priorities.

 

Be quiet, keep the lights out, and act like nobody is home. We don’t want anyone to think we’re at home.
That was our typical conversation every October 31! Does this sound familiar to anyone?

My Halloween Memories

I was raised in a loving Christian home. In fact, a bi-racial Christian home, which made attending school in those days, let’s just say…uncomfortable.

We were called Oreo cookies and found it difficult to make friends.

Not to mention, going to school the day after Halloween, was no walk in the park. The kids on the block would make fun of us for not opening the door.

However, my most embarrassing memory as a kid was the night my mom posted a note on the door that said…“No candy here. Jesus is your treat.”

Can we say total embarrassment for any kid going back to school the next day?

The funny thing is, I didn’t think much about it until I got older and had a family of my own. I did what most of us do, repeat what we did growing up.

Halloween with My Kids

Yes, that meant we didn’t celebrate Halloween either. We kept the lights off, told our kids to be quiet and acted like nobody was home.

Once in a while, we would attend a harvest festival at church, but we would leave the house early in order to limit the risk of someone knocking on our door.

That worked for a few years. Then our kids got older, and started to ask questions. They wanted to know why we didn’t open the door, and why we had to act like we weren’t home?

Explaining this to our son was easy, he simply said…o.k. Then he told us all he wanted was the candy anyway. Gotta love his honesty!

Our daughter on the other, she wasn’t so simple. She needed to know the details as to why Christians didn’t participate on Halloween.

One afternoon I sat her down at the computer to look up the history of Halloween. I remember sitting next to her and tears rolling down her face as she said, “Mommy, I didn’t know.”

I told her there was no need to be upset. Understanding why we don’t do something gives us better clarity to know how we should do something.

My Halloween Conviction

And it was that conversation that convicted me to my core.

At that moment I knew that hiding out was not what we should be doing. Let me clarify, hiding out was something I knew MY FAMILY should NOT be doing!

I know this is a controversial subject. And I’m not going to debate who is right or wrong on how one chooses to honor God on Halloween.

I simply want to share the internal struggle I had. Just in case there’s someone else like me, who feels a nudging in their spirit to respond differently on Halloween.

What Is God Asking Of Me On Halloween?

That conversation with my daughter caused me to seek God as to how our family should respond to Halloween.

Hiding for some reason, just didn’t resonate with my spirit. As I grew in my PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus, the more I felt convicted that hiding did not reflect His love.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16 (NLT)

Since I didn’t know exactly what to do, I allowed that conviction to lead me to dig a little deeper. I began to study the History of Halloween, and turn to God’s Word to see what He says.

Needless to say, God placed it on our heart’s very clearly, that we are to be the LIGHT. And I realized our light only shines in the dark.

Therefore, we cannot shine God’s light to the world, if we hide in the dark.

 

...we cannot shine God’s light to the world, if we hide in the dark. - Timberley of @livepriorities Click To Tweet

 

Light Party

It was that revelation that was the catalyst to hosting an annual Light Party!

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” ~ Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)

For the last 6 years, we have hosted a Light Party on Halloween; intentionally shining God’s light on the darkest night of the year.

I have to admit, we kind of kept it to ourselves the first couple years.

That’s because the one thing I’ve noticed is how unloving Christians can be on Halloween. Condemning one another for how they feel God has led them.

However, over the years, as more friends and family found out what we were doing, it opened the door for us to share what we studied and what God showed us through His word.

To our surprise, instead of condemning us, people began to share their conviction to come out of the dark from hiding and be the light in their neighborhoods.

 

Door with Matthew 5:14 written in a white rectangle beside side.

 

Ending With Love

Friends, no matter where God has led you on Halloween, let’s do our best to not condemn one another, based on our own personal convictions.

Romans chapter 14 tells us that it’s a sin when we do anything that is the opposite of our own personal conviction. So if it is your conviction to stay home, to pray and not answer the door, praise God, you should do that.

If you’re convicted to let God’s light shine among the people, do that.

However God directs each of us to respond on Halloween, we should do just that. When we walk in His will for our lives, we will ultimately lead others to Him.

So, should you open the door on Halloween? My answer to you would be; what is God telling you to do?

PS…If you’re struggling with whether or not to open your door on Halloween, or how to respond to Halloween as a Christian, then I invite you to join me over at Living Our Priorities to read: Why We Host A Light Party And How You Can Too! You will be able to read the details of my study and how we host a light party.

 

Giveaway Update ~

We have a winner of last week’s book giveaway. Marissa K., congratulations! You’re the winner. Check your inbox, Marissa, for further instructions. 😉

 

About ~

 Timberley and her husband, André, do life together as a husband and wife team who raise a family, serve as bi-vocational pastors, and help others find the balance in life through their blog Living Our Priorities.
Like many people, they found themselves frustrated trying to find balance with their faith, family, and work. That’s when they discovered the priorities of God. Once they purposed to live by them, it not only changed their marriage, it changed their life! Now they find great joy inspiring others to live within the priorities of God.

 

Linking up with other Jesus writers and lovers here: #heartencouragementThursday& #faithonfire.