12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2017) – Day One
My 11th Annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways for 2018 starts HERE.
Welcome to my 10th annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2017)!
A decade ago I had a little holiday idea. I asked 12 friends to join me for 12 days of Christmas giveaways here on my blog. Each of them shared a favorite recipe, memory, gift idea, decorating tip, or something else that would help my readers during the holiday hustle. They’d also give away a prize package and readers could enter to win by leaving a comment. The series was an instant hit. And it was the first time during my year of blogging that a post got over 100 comments.
Today kicks off our tenth year of this oh-so-fun series. You are gonna love meeting the 12 friends joining us this year and entering to win their prizes. And…..
THIS YEAR THERE IS ALSO A GRAND PRIZE!!!
One of you WHO COMMENTS ON ALL TWELVE POSTS AND ALSO SHARES ABOUT THE SERIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA will win a grand prize from me, pictured here.
This grand prize is worth over $115 and includes:
* A gorgeous notetaking Bible in the CSB version. It has wide margins not only for notetaking but for the person who likes to also illustrate verses in the Bible.
* A set of 10 of my favorite erasable pens from Frixion. No worries if you goof. You can erase them!
* The DVD and study guide for Twelve More Women of the Bible. This is a series by myself, Lisa Harper, Bianca Olthoff, Courtney Joseph, Chrystal Evans Hurst, and Margaret Feinberg. It covers 12 women in the Bible including Deborah, Priscilla, the bent over woman, Ruth, Esther, the woman with the issue of blood, the Shulamite woman, and the woman in Proverbs 31. Each week has a video teaching from one of the contributors and a section of the study guide to complete as you dive into the Bible’s teaching on these women.
*And a $25 gift card to Amazon!
REMEMBER: in order to win the grand prize, you must leave a comment on all 12 posts. You can find them linked at the bottom of this post.
OK, let’s get started with our first day’s guest, Jodie Berndt!
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A Year of Prayer
Every December, I spend some time thinking about each one of my children. I ask God to open my eyes to what they might need (socially, spiritually, physically, emotionally), or what he might want to do in their lives. And then I keep a lookout for a Bible verse that addresses that need, and I make that my Christmas Prayer—one I will give to each child and pray through the whole coming year.
Here’s one example.
Our son Robbie is an athlete. You’d think that’s a plus (and it is), but back when he was in kindergarten, we discovered that he could hit anything—a baseball or a classmate—with surprising dexterity. Things like wisdom and self-control seemed to be hopelessly absent from his character and, after a series of depressing parent-teacher conferences, I was ready to buy the boy his first pack of cigarettes and put him out on the street corner, since I figured he’d wind up there, anyway.
That was the year I turned to Proverbs 23:23-24. Here’s what I prayed: Help Robbie to get wisdom, discipline, and understanding. Let him be the righteous man who brings joy to his parents, the wise son in whom we delight.
As the months went by, we began to notice little changes (Robbie’s sisters, for example, stopped flinching when he walked by), but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw on the next teacher’s report. Reading upside down, I could see what looked like a big, fat “zero” right next to the word “Behavior.” I wanted to cry. But then the teacher flipped the paper around. “I gave him an O for Outstanding,” she said. “I don’t know what you’ve done, but he’s really become a bright spot in the class.”
We hadn’t done anything.
But God had.
And while it hasn’t been a spotless journey from anger to self-control (a few of our friends still love to tell the story of when Robbie got ejected from a lacrosse game as a nine-year-old), it has been an incredible one. Today, as a college student, Robbie has truly become a righteous man who brings joy to his parents. And it’s not because of anything we did (I was the one with the cigarette plan, remember?). It is all because of God’s faithfulness.
Read more about “The Year of Prayer” in Jodie Berndt’s new book, Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children, which comes with a free Study Guide available here.
Day One Giveaway
For the 12 Days of Christmas series, I am giving away my three books on Praying the Scriptures, including my newest release, Praying the Scriptures for your Adult Children. Leave a comment below and let us know which one you would like to read most.
Jodie Berndt is the author of several books, including Praying the Scriptures for Your Children, Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens, and Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children. A speaker and Bible teacher, Jodie encourages readers to pursue joy, celebrate grace, and live on purpose. Find her writing at JodieBerndt.com, and follow her on Instagram @Jodie_Berndt, Twitter @JodieBerndt, and on Facebook. Jodie and her husband, Robert, have four grown children and two sons-in-law.
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12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Rules
- You can comment on all 12 days (once per person) up until midnight Pacific time, Sunday, December 17.
- U.S. Addresses only please.
- One daily winner will be chosen from each day’s comments and all winners (including Grand Prize) will be announced on Wednesday, December 20.
- Share the giveaway with your friends and followers using the share buttons below.
- If you’re not already subscribed, click here and receive an email notification each day of our series.
If you’re just joining us, you can catch up here:
Day 1 with Jodie Berndt (comment below).
Day 10 with September McCarthy
