2nd Day of Christmas Giveaway with Lisa Whittle

Welcome to the 2nd Day of Christmas Giveaway!!

Each day, December 1-12th, I am featuring a fellow Proverbs 31 sister and an aspect of Christmas. You’ll get to know her and she, in turn, will offer a fabulous giveaway! Simply leave a comment on her post to be entered in the drawing.

And, one soon-to-be-very-giddy gal who comments on all 12 posts will win the GRAND PRIZEYou may comment on all posts until Monday, December 13th when the winners will be announced. (to see the grand prize and get caught up on the posts click here)

Now, for day two….here is Lisa Whittle!!

Lisa Whittle is an author, communicator, and ministry leader who lives in North Carolina.  A former pastor’s daughter, Lisa has a passion for speaking bold truth to the church.  Her books include: The 7 Hardest Things God Asks A Woman to Do (2006), and Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women (2008).

Lisa’s highly anticipated first solo female-authored Barna book will include new research on women in the church and will release in May 2011.  (And as I type, she is recording at Family Life Today on the topic of her first book!)

Lisa coordinates the P31 She Seeks Ministry to 20-somethings, contributes to various publications, and travels with a message of authentic faith, driven to represent Jesus well.  Her family is her greatest love, outside of Him.

Lisa’s other loves include:  cool photography, people who can make her laugh, and salt and vinegar chips.  She has an addiction to cute shoes and The Food Network.  To read other interesting things about Lisa, check out her site at www.lisawhittle.com.

My most memorable Christmas:

The Whittle Family :-)

One Christmas, my husband and children and I all sat by the tree and with candles lighting the room, we each chose our favorite ornament and talked about why it was our favorite.

My middle son was only about 7 at the time, and there were many favorite ornaments I imagined him choosing: his cool Power Ranger one…the funny Scooby Doo one his grandmother had gotten him…or the crazy-looking reindeer one he’d made in class.  But when it came time for him to share, he walked over to the tree and thoughtfully made his selection.

He held out his hand to expose his favorite ornament: a rugged looking cross with the words etched across the top, very simply: JESUS.  As he looked up, his eyes were filled with tears and his lip quivered, but he had no words.  None were needed, as the reason for his selection was clear to all of us: just months before he had made a decision to accept Christ into his heart, and his ornament choice reflected the gratitude he had for his newly personal Savior.

I’ll never forget the importance of that moment or his decision.  It was a Christmas memory I’ll forever hold in my heart, and it reminded me of why it’s so crucial to make Jesus the center of our home.

Now for Lisa’s giveaway. She says:

I think I’ve got a great one! :)  I’m giving away BOTH of my books plus an adorable lunch tote in a beautiful green and cream and chocolate brown. It includes a container with a lid (in a separate bottom compartment), 3 divider inserts, and is made of lead-free, vinyl-free fabric and is water-resistant.  It insulates hot and cold food for up to 4 hours and would be PERFECT to monogram for a gift or for yourself. :)

Okay ladies…to be entered to win Lisa’s prize tell us your most memorable Christmas, or simply say “I’m in!”. And if you haven’t commented on all the days so far, click around and get caught up. You may just win the Grand Prize!!!

Memory-making Blessings,


244 Comments

  1. Raised in an orphanage, I had been estranged from my biological father most of my life. As a young adult, I began to get to know him through the occasions that he would drop by on his way to somewhere. The winter of 1994, he was suddenly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given just 8 weeks to live. Christmas was near, so my brother and I knew that this year had to be special. We decided to have two gold hearts made, each cut uniquely in half. One of the halves of each heart would bear the name “Dad” and be adorned with his genuine birthstone, one half of a heart would bear my brother’s name along with his birthstone, while a fourth half would bear my name and my birthstone. We purchased three matching gold chains. On each of my brother’s and my chain, we hung a half of a heart that read, “Dad”. The matching halves that bore my brother’s and my name were hung on the chain to be given to our father. We place all three chains in a single gift box to be presented to our father.

    That Christmas, my father’s last Christmas, he had become very thin and frail. Only fifty-four years old, he looked to be more than seventy. My mother and loving adoptive dad, hosted my father as their guest in the family home for the few days of Christmas. That Christmas Eve, we videotaped my biological father, as he gathered his children and grandchildren around and told the story of the first Christmas. Christmas morning, my brother and I gathered around our father and watched as he opened our gift. As we each put on our matching chains, we promised that our hearts would be made whole when we would meet again. There was much joy, and certainly, many tears. Bittersweet, it was my most memorable Christmas.

    My father passed seven weeks later, just before Valentine’s day. We buried him wearing his necklace. He had lived two weeks longer than his prognosis.

  2. My ornaments that remind me of the reason for Christmas are my most precious. Thank you for sharing with us. Fabulous prize! Merry Christmas!

  3. My most memorable Christmas was in 2003. My youngest son was 14 months old, and had yet to learn to walk. Right after opening presents, with wrapping paper all over the floor, and our extended family there to watch, he walked right across the living room. He’s still a little showboat!

  4. Six years ago, my daughter celebrated Christmas without her husband, as he was in the army in Korea. He came home for New Years, so that they could give us one of our greatest blessings, our grandson, Daniel.

  5. My most memorable CHRISTmas was right after my husband’s Mom passed away. We were dating at the time. They were not going to decorate or anything. So I took it upon myself to put up a little table top tree, bake some cookies and I pulled a recipe out from my husband’s Mom’s recipe file and made them a dinner. They were both overwhelmed with joy for the “trouble” I had gone to. It really was no trouble at all.

    jenbrandes(at)frontiernet(dot)net

  6. that is so hard to do as I already said my family was always fighting, and walking out on the holidays. Just not to fight with each other..be together just one Christmas. Now to late parents are passed away, and sister and still fight.

  7. My most memorable Christmas was one when my grandparents were still alive. They had 48 grandkids, so we usually only got a piece of fruit for Christmas. But one Christmas, my grandma made all of the girls beaded necklaces. It was a very special year, not just because we got a gift, but because it was hand made from her heart.

  8. I don’t think I can pinpoint just one because they are all so special. Someone or something has always made the day magical. I grew up in a little house with 9 people and even though we did not get a lot of gifts, my Mom always made Christmas special. My Mom passed away in October of this year so this will be our first year without her being physically here. I miss her but know her spirit will surround us all.

  9. I think my most memorable Christmas so far, was last Christmas. My Dad had been admitted to the hospital on March 3rd of that year, and Doctor’s told us he was never coming home. Best case, he would be moved to a nursing home. After 8 months in the hospital, on October 31st, we brought my 84 year old dad back home. Last Christmas, as all my family celebrated together, to see the gift of my Daddy sitting at the head of the table, in “his spot” remains the dearest of memories.

    So thankful for the presence of my Heavenly Father’s place at our “tables” every day throughout the year,
    Joy

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