FaithGirlz Backpack Bible – Review

December 1, 2017 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

Bible

Being a mother of two incredible girls, I knew that I wanted to check out this Bible, FaithGirlz Follow Your Heart Backpack Bible. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up to review this Bible. Obviously, I knew that it was the Bible, but I wasn’t certain how they were adapting it for young girls.

This Bible is specifically geared for girls ages 10 and up. It allows girls to have a Bible that impresses upon them their importance to God and how their beauty comes from within. I love this message, as a woman and mother, because too often society is pushing girls to look a certain way or wear a specific label. We are all created in God’s image and therefore beautiful.

Nestled inside this adorable pink leather cover with the stitched heart are a few select colorful pages for girls to enjoy. These pages focus on inner beauty, friendship, and how to begin a relationship with God. In addition, there is also an idea of how to make their own talk to God journal. It gets girls to communicate their thoughts and feelings to God.

I would recommend this Bible. It allows girls to get into the Word and satisfy their hunger for the Word. It would make a great gift.

Listen, Love, Repeat

November 18, 2016November 18, 2016 / jamywhitaker / 1 Comment

I know it has been awhile since I have written, but a lot has changed over the past year. Not only am I working, but I have gone back to school to get my teaching license. All the craziness aside, I have a wonder book that I simply had to take the time to tell you about, Listen, Love, Repeat by Karen Ehman.

I have had the privilege to not only read her other books but also meet her a few years ago at She Speaks when I was working with Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study. I am drawn to her books because the reader can relate to her and this one is no exception. Karen is real and engaging. It is like sitting down to coffee with a friend.

Listen, Love, Repeat is about taking the time to get outside of ourselves and listen to others and then love on them. I like the way Karen puts it – “a heart drop”. This is when you get to peek into another person’s heart. However, you can’t stop at just looking, you must be sure to listen. One of my favorite quotes sums up this point, “Living our lives prayerfully, preparedly, purposely, and perceptively will help us to tune our ears to the heart drops of others, so we can respond to their deepest needs in a meaningful, Spirit-centered way” (p. 30).

Each chapter is the book has practical tips and ideas of ways to apply the principles to your life. There is also a prayer at the end of the chapters. In addition, Karen has included bonus material at the end of the book – memory verses, quotes, recipes, and gift tags.

This is not just an incredible book, but there is also a DVD Bible Study. You will be able to gather your friends together as Karen guides you through the book week-by-week. For more information and to preorder the book visit Karen’s website, www.listenloverepeatbook.com/." rel="nofollow">http://www.listenloverepeatbook.com/. I highly recommend you purchase the book as well as DVD study. In fact, it is so good that I am giving away a copy of Listen, Love, Repeat on my blog. To enter, simply share a way you can value others this holiday season in the comment section. I will announce the winner next week.

Forgive It or Forget It

December 7, 2015 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

Forgive as the Lord forgave you

Colossians 3:13 NIV

One of my all-time favorite places on earth would have to be the beach. To stand on the shoreline and just try to take in the vastness of it is overwhelming. The same is true of God’s love. When we go deeper into God’s love we find out that true peace in our lives comes only through forgiveness.

The Lord’s Prayer spells this out for us,

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

There is not one of us out there that doesn’t want God to forgive us. In fact, when someone else hurts us, human nature tells us to not let go of it. This is only on the surface, just like the ocean or God’s love. We must go deeper to discover why forgiveness is necessary…

This is a portion of an article that I have featured on Encouragement Café and Crosswalk today. I would love for you to read and then come back and share your thoughts and something you are holding on to in the comment section.

If you read my devotion on Encouragement Café or Crosswalk and are here for the first time, Welcome. Feel free to look at the “About Me” page to learn more about me and then share something about yourself in the comment section. I would love to get to know my readers better.

Quieting the Chatter

November 18, 2015 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

With five children it is no surprise that our house is constantly filled with a buzz of noise and activity. This is not a bad thing, by any means. However, between the silly songs Maddy makes up, the Star Wars battles between the boys, Nintendo games and music playing there is always noise, especially at dinnertime or when we are in the car.

It seems like when the seven of us are in a smaller area, the noise level intensifies. As I am sure those of you who have been around children know, they want to be certain that they are heard and want to share what comes to their minds; therefore, taking turns while talking doesn’t always happen easily.

This is a portion of an article that I have featured on Encouragement Café and Crosswalk today. I would love for you to read and then come back and share your thoughts and something you are holding on to in the comment section.

If you read my devotion on Encouragement Café or Crosswalk and are here for the first time, Welcome. Feel free to look at the “About Me” page to learn more about me and then share something about yourself in the comment section. I would love to get to know my readers better.

Life on the Tight Rope

October 28, 2015October 27, 2015 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

“Holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.” Philippians 2:16 NAS

Hello, my name is Jamy and I am a mult-tasker. I’ve been this way as long as I can remember. I find it difficult, of not impossible, to focus on only one task at a time. For example, if I’m cooking dinner, I’m also writing a grocery list, unloading/loading the dishwasher, setting the table, checking homework and signing permission slips. In many instances this is a blessing. I can accomplish many things in a given period of time. However, I must let you in on a secret.
It’s exhausting!

Loving Your Frame

September 23, 2015 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13 NIV

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love looking at picture frames. I can’t get over the wide assortment, everything from plain to very ornate.

What amazes me is not that there are so many choices, but that the various styles can fit the picture. In some cases, you want to showcase the artwork or picture, so you don’t want a fancy or ornate frame that would draw the viewer’s attention away from the art. However, there are other instances that an ornate frame is exactly what is needed.

Fall Is In Full Swing

August 19, 2015 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

You can tell that school is back in session simply by looking around my home. Flip flops have been exchanged for tennis shoes. Backpacks, assignments and supplies can be seen throughout the living room.

The summer went entirely too fast, but I love the idea of starting fresh each school year. The blank notebooks and sharpened pencils eagerly awaiting the possibilities that this year holds.

You may not be going back to school or have children to get ready, but it is also a great time to be thinking about a new Bible study to dive into. We each are to be students of the Word. But, how to you determine what study to select?

It can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to begin. The endless lists on a google search or rows of titles on the shelf can leave you confused. I completely understand. However, there is a very simple solution.

The Bible Study Expo is a fabulous time to not only see a selection of new studies, but also hear directly from the authors. Marnie Swedberg does an incredible job of compiling a group of studies that reach a variety of women. The authors graciously give of their time to talk about their particular study. This enables you to find out what study will work for you or your women’s group.

The Bible Study Expo will be Thursday, August 20th from 2 – 5 EST. There are also giveaways throughout the event, so be certain to go to the website today and register. Then, schedule some time tomorrow to return to hear more about these new studies.

Starting Fresh

August 5, 2015August 4, 2015 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but I am wondering what happened to the summer. It seems like only yesterday the kids were coming home from their last day of school and here they are back in school. I have to admit, I love the kids being home and able to spend time with them. However, there is just something about getting ready to go back to school that I love. In fact, I have always enjoyed this time. I love the new school supplies and the anticipation of what lies ahead in the coming year — the new experiences and lessons to learn. Sometimes I think we lose that excitement and anticipation of what lies around the bend. As adults, we seem to dread the unknown and fear change. I have decided that although I don’t see any more schooling in my future, I am not going to stop learning. God’s Word is chalked full of so much knowledge that I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. I have decided to be intentional about being a student of His Word. Just as my kids are spending time learning and expanding their knowledge base, so will I with God’s Word. I would highly recommend if you are not currently in some sort of Bible study, whether individual or group, online or in person, to become involved in one. I would be more than happy to recommend a study to you. Just let me know. God has so much in store for each one of us. We simply need to find out what He wants for us. The only way we can effectively do that is by meeting Him daily in His Word and through prayer and then listening for His still small voice to guide us each and every day. Look at the start of a new school year as a fresh beginning, whether you are in school or not, and take the opportunity to start fresh with your relationship with God.

Identity Crisis

August 3, 2015August 3, 2015 / jamywhitaker / 1 Comment

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13 NIV

Everyday we are bombarded with images of what we are supposed to look like and how we are supposed to act. If we aren’t careful, we can be swept into the societal belief that our worth is based on our outward appearance. When we give into this notion, we are letting society construct our identity. The real question we need to ask ourselves is where does our identity come from?

Satan knows exactly how and where to attack each one of us. He knows where we are vulnerable. Even back in the garden of Eden, he used lies and doubt to tempt Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. And he is still using the same tactics today. As Christians, we need to learn to recognize the lies and replace them with God’s truth. Satan wants us to focus on our flaws and feelings of inadequacy, and then exhaust ourselves trying to hide them…

Healthier You – Book Review

July 30, 2015 / jamywhitaker / Leave a comment

With the start of school right around the corner, it is the perfect time to start fresh – spiritually, mentally and physically. If you are like me and struggle with being healthy in any of those areas, then Katie Farrell’s book, Devotions for a Healthier You, is just what the doctor ordered.

It contains 71 days of devotions. Each day there is a key verse, short devotional and prayer. These are great for anyone whose schedule is maxed out. It doesn’t take any time at all, but you enter you day filled with scripture and inspiration. Peppered throughout the 71 days, there are also dashes of inspiration and some yummy recipes, complete with mouth-watering pictures.

Katie also includes four additional things to get you off on the right foot.

10 Steps to a Healthier You: concise and practical
Prayers for Health: short prayers focused around a particular scripture
Identity Scriptures: directed at our true identity in Christ, these are essential for changing from the inside out
One Week Meal Plan: complete with grocery list and recipes

Healthier You is filled with wonderful tips and suggestions without being overwhelming. Beautiful photographs round out this book, which is certain to be a reference on my bookshelf. I encourage you to pick a copy for yourself or a friend.

Jamy Whitaker

Threads of the Heart