On the 10th Day of Christmas…Give Away with Wendy Pope

*Give Away has Ended*

Welcome to day ten of the 12 Days of CHRISTmas giveaway!!! There are holiday ideas, easy recipes and both practical and pampering prizes to win. Best of all, each day you will meet one of my fellow “sistas” from the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaking team. Get to know them and their wonderful resources including books and teaching cd’s. Why, you might even just discover the speaker you have been looking for to appear at your next event.

So get in the holiday spirit. Tune in each day. Hop on and leave a comment. The more you leave, the better your chances of winning. The 12 daily winners will be announced on Saturday, the 13th day of December so comment on all 12 posts if you can! 

Oh, am I excited today to have you meet my friend Wendy Pope. She is a wife, mother, speaker, author and awesome daughter of the King!!! She has a passion for the Bible that is evident in everything she does. In fact, her give away today is all about the Bible!!! But, before we get to that wonderful give away and today’s Christmas comment question, meet my friend Wendy!!! Here she is in her own words…….

I am Wendy Barnette Pope. In 1991, I married the man of my dreams, Scott. Together, with the Lord’s help, are raising two amazing children. My daughter, a horseback riding book worm and a son, a bulldozing, dirt loving bundle of energy makes our home a very lively place.

I am woman who loves home, work, and ministry however many times falls short of finding a happy balance. The Lord blessed me through the early years of motherhood to be at home with my children then later called me into ministry. My life, as chaotic as it might get sometimes, is fulfillment of scripture. The Lord has truly blessed me far more than I could have dreamed or imagined. There are days we I feel the need to pinch myself, not because I have material wealth or success as the defined by the world but because God, the Creator of heaven and earth allows me to be an active part of His story. It is the passion of my life to live Christ out loud in everything I say and do. He is so good and so faithful to His creation that I simply must proclaim His greatness.

Now for our interview:

·      Wendy, tell us what is in store for the Pope household during this fun season.

            Christmas happens right here for us.  Both my family and Scott’s family are local so there is no traveling.  (Thank the Lord)  Christmas Eve we will celebrate with my side of the family.  After we spend the morning and some relaxing at home Christmas Day we celebrate with his family.

·      You have a passion for getting women into God’s word. How can Christmas be a perfect time to accomplish this?

            Christmas is a great time to make the commitment to spend time in God’s Word every day in upcoming year.  Celebrate Jesus’ birth throughout the year.  His gift of love goes on through us each day.

·      What is your favorite holiday activity or tradition?

Well, I would say my husband reading the Christmas story from the family Bible at his mom’s house on Christmas Day with the whole family listening. Also, reading the children’s book, The Best Thing about Christmas to my children on Christmas Eve. (They are 8 and 10.)

In addition, the time of rest and conversation with Scott after the rush of opening presents on Christmas morning.  (Usually snuggling under the covers while the kids play with all their new things.)

I also love watching my children proudly carry their Samaritan Purse shoe boxes into church and knowing they understand what their gift means.

·      What is your greatest hope for the New Year to come?

For the over 900 people who purchased a Chronological Bible from P31 and committed to read through God’s Word in 2009 reach their goal as well as allow the Lord to use His Word to transform their lives. I wrote a devotional that challenged women to read the Bible through with me in 2009. I have had over 600 people commit to doing just that and it is so exciting!!! You can read about this awesome work God did here.

Thank you Wendy for dropping by to chat with us!!!

My pleasure! Merry Christmas!

Now for our idea of the day and give away: Wendy mentioned reading as one of her favorite holiday activities. So we’ll focus on that today. Start thinking about this: what is your favorite Christmas book or story? Or, if you can’t think of one off the top of your head, what is your favorite part of the Christmas story from the Bible?

Oh I am so with Wendy on loving reading at the holidays!!! My mother started a tradition of giving my kids a new nativity story book each year for Christmas Eve. We soon had a huge basket full of these keepsake books. We have added a few more of our favorites to this collection. Here are a few of our most treasured:

• The Small One by Alex Walsh and Jesse Clay  This is the sweet story of a too small donkey who is no longer of use to his master. The young son of the family is ordered to take Small One to town to sell him and fetch one piece of silver. But alas, no one wants such a small, old animal except the village tanner. Soon the small donkey is willing to give up his life so that the boy can obey his father. Just then, they encounter a man who is in need of just such a gentle animal to carry his pregnant wife to Bethlehem. So the humble donkey is given the great honor of carrying the Christ-Child while He is still in Mary’s womb. It illustrates the proverb, “Before honor is humility” Our kid’s favorite from their younger days!!!
• Buddy Bow Wow An antique replica of a book written during the great depression. It is about an honest, poor paperboy who finds a wallet full of money and decides to do the right thing. As a result, his entire family is blessed. A sweet and endearing tale. Unfortunately, I think it is no longer in print.

• The Red Suit Diaries by Ed Butchart   Tom Brokaw said it best about the author: This Santa “can only be described as the real thing.” With warmth, humor, and wonder, Ed Butchart shares his stories as a professional Santa Claus in The Red Suit Diaries. Deftly combining his Santa persona with his passion for God, Butchart reveals himself as a once-hardened Marine who found Jesus and began to serve others in unusual ways. Readers who open The Red Suit Diaries will find themselves transfixed-from Santa’s day job refurbishing medical equipment for the disabled, to the sweetest of secrets whispered in Santa’s ear and written in letters, and the story of how he unknowingly found “Mrs. Claus.” Woven throughout is a faith-and a joy of giving-that energizes Butchart’s mission to spread love to all kinds of children and adults. This fun-spirited, inspirational read will delight collectors of Christmas books and anyone who’s a child at heart. (And we especially love this book at our house since all three of our children crafted letters to Santa that serve as openings for three of the chapters in this heartwarming new classic.)

Now for Wendy’s give away: This Bible-loving gal has graciously offered to give away a copy of the wonderful chronological Bible in the New Living Translation that she will be reading along with 600 other women in 2009. If you want to join Wendy, (and me!) in reading the entire Bible too, she should have a Wordly Wise button up on her blog soon where we can all connect and encourage each other as we read God’s word.

Now, if you want a chance to win this Bible for yourself, tell us, what is a Christmas book, holiday story or part of Jesus’ birth from the Bible that you simply love?

Sweet Story-telling Blessings,

Karen