Oh Joy, Giveaways! November 8 - 14

Wild Wednesday - Week 10 (on Saturday) - Heavenly Handbag Giveaway!

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." Proverbs 3:5 - 8

Wild faith women confront fear with truth. So states the title of Chapter 10 in Debbie Alsdorf's book, A Different Kind of Wild. I admit, my usual M.O. is to lean on my own understanding rather than trust the Lord. Yeah, I hear you groaning. You understand.

Somewhere along the way, I started to believe I could give God a helping hand by figuring some things out on my own. And, you know what? That always back fires on me. Rather than figuring it out on my own, I need to be trusting the Lord.

Debbie asks, "What if leaning on your own understanding is the very thing that keeps tripping you up with discouragement, distraction, and fear? What if your own understanding is still skewed from past hurt, dysfunction, and emotional baggage? What if your won understanding is unspiritual?" (p. 146)

So, let me ask you, how often do you lean on your own understanding?

Debbie defines "lean" and "understanding" for use (see p. 147):

Lean: to rely on for help or support, to rest your weight upon

Understanding: perception, comprehension, thinking capacity, or feeling

We must line up our thinking with the Word of God and apply it to our daily living. How do we do this? By focusing our mind on God and His ways. Not relying on our own feelings.

I hope you will trust in the Lord today and stop leaning on your own understanding. I'm going to be doing the same.

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Wild Wednesday Giveaway!

Win your choice handbag from Handbag Heaven!

If I could win, I would choose this Giraffe Print Hobo.

Women of Wild Faith need a wild handbag!

Open to USA & Canada

Ends November 21

Enter to win by visiting Handbag Heaven and telling me in a comment below which handbag you would choose if you are the winner. I recommend the animal print handbags for Fall.

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Next time you're in Hawaii . . .

. . . I encourage you to have a sleep at the Park Shore Hotel, Waikiki.

After a 10 hour plus flight from Sydney (add in the time from Brisbane to Sydney and crossing the International Date Line), I was so happy to set foot inside a clean, safe, welcoming room for a good sleep. It made it a lot easier to not think about the fact that my luggage didn't arrive with me. Alas, it was stranded in Sydney, and catching the next flight to Honolulu.

The staff at Park Shore Hotel were very friendly. Assisting me with where to shop for what I needed to tide me over until my luggage arrived (it never arrived . . . at least not at the hotel). And, calling me a taxi in the very early morning when my previous travel arrangements did not come through. Thanks for helping me not miss my flight!

The Park Shore Hotel is in a wonderful location. Just steps away from the Waikiki beach and directly across the road from the zoo. Since I was only there for one night, a lay-over, I did not have time to visit the zoo or sink my toes into the sand on Waikiki.

To my delight, a Starbucks and a Subway are right outside the entrance to Park Shore Hotel. As well as one of the infamous ABC Shops dotting the Hawaiian shores. The bus stop is also nearby and costs only $2 to go wherever you like for the day (keep your ticket). Just be sure to have one dollar bills or small change on you. They don't make change. I know. The smallest bill I had was a five. The driver asked the other passengers if they had anything smaller. Thankfully, a kind, young German couple helped me out. I gave them my five and they gave me five ones. Danke Shon!

With its fantastic service and terrific location, I would like to make the Park Shore Hotel my regular stop whenever I have a lay-over in Honolulu. Oh, did I mention, they have a pool AND a magnificent view of Diamond Head? Yep. They do! One more thing...their current Fall rates are $89 per night!

Hawaii Hotel Round-up:

My personal favorite - Park Shore Hotel

$85/day Kid's Camp - Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort and Spa

Dolphin Quest Program - Kahala Hotel and Resort

Condo-Style - Grand Waikiki by Hilton Grand Vacations Club

Playground Pool - Sheraton Waikiki

Waterfall Pools & Basketball Hoop - Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club

The Largest Resort in Hawaii - Hilton Hawaiian Village

Private Beach Bungalow - Ke Ike Beach Bungalows

Helicopter Rides & Sunset Horseback Riding - Turtle Bay Resort

Most Romantic & Most Expensive - Halekulani

This is a TravelingMom dedicated post.

Joyful!

Visit Extravagant Grace to add this lovely verse to your blog.

Holiday Happenings

I just love all the creative Holiday crafting going on! Are you doing anything at your blog? Let me know and I'll link you up here and help spread the word.

Skip to my Lou is hosting a Handmade Gift Guide, including tutorials! Head on over to Skip to my Lou and grab the button for your blog. You don't want to miss out on all the fun!

O2: Breathing New Life Into Faith by Richard Dahlstrom

The winners will be announced 10/26.

About the book:
Your physical body needs oxygen in order to survive. Inhale, exhale ... one leads naturally to the other. Inhale too long and you feel as if your lungs will burst. Exhale too long and you get light-headed.

The same rhythm is essential in the life of faith. You inhale life-giving strength from God through things like prayer, study, solitude, and silence. You exhale generosity, hospitality, and service to the poor. If you try to do one without the other, you wont' last very long.

This fresh perspective on the classic disciplines of the faith will empower you to process the oxygen of the Spirit. Discover how you can develop a balanced spirituality that reflects the life of Jesus and keeps your faith growing stronger. Read an excerpt.

About Richard:

Richard Dahlstrom is Senior Pastor of Bethany Community Church in Seattle, WA, in the heart of the city, among university students, young professionals, families, the homeless, and the elderly. He is also a popular teacher in North America and Europe for the Capernwray Missionary Fellowship of Torchbearers. He holds a M.Div. from Talbot Theological Seminary. Find out more about Richard at: http://raincitypastor.blogspot.com/

Watch Pastor Richard talk about O2 here in a short video!

Download the Study Guide (great group book for small group study!)

Check out the book blog tour here!

Oh Joy, Giveaways! November 1 - 7

Wild Wednesday - Week 9

Are you facing a crisis today? Daily we are faced with some kind of crisis - large & small. Last week, my husband and I wondered how we would pay for rent, and where groceries would be coming from. This week, my own personal crisis is not despairing that my husband is not well enough to return to work yet. It's been more than two years.

A woman of wild faith stands firm in crisis, meaning she doesn't despair when circumstances seem impossible. She focuses on truth and knows that God gives His grace to handle any crisis. Many times the Lord has used the Casting Crowns Song, The Voice of Truth, to remind me of where my focus is and where it should be.

In her book, A Different Kind of Wild, Debbie Alsdorf says, "Most women are vulnerable to the things that distract us from turning to God. These are things such as:

- Doubt --- questioning God's Word and his goodness

- Discouragement --- looking at your problems rather than at God

- Diversion --- seeing the wrong thins as attractive

- Defeat --- feeling like a failure, sometimes so much so that we see no use in trying

- Delay --- putting off doing something so that what God has called us to do or what we wanted to accomplish never gets done." (p. 135)

Dear One, beware of the 5 D's ! The Enemy uses them ever so cleverly and usually subtly.

Let's fix our eyes and our hearts on Jesus today!

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise."

Psalm 57:7

Reminder: There is still time to enter the Wild Wednesday Giveaways!

Carolyn's Kitchen Apron

True Kiss Clothing Top