**UPDATE**
Congratulations to the winners of the birthday drawing! Your names are posted below. Watch your inbox for an email from Living Proof later today so that we can get you your gift!
BONUS: The wonderful people at AMG Publishers have extended a 50% discount to any of you who would like to order a Key Word Study Bible! Click here to get more information, or to order your Bible. AMG Publishers
Winners:
#523 – Carole Germain #4348 – Karen Quinn
#2282 – Merissa G. #4399 – Anna Bunch
#2321 – Marilyn Riley #4430 – Nancy Beeey
#2756 – Merissa Ury #4813 – Myrlene Darnell
#2876 – Beth Longar #5648 – Nan Smith
#3937 – Dani Turner #5798 – Rachel C.
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A few nights ago I walked my buck wild new puppy around my neighborhood, watched the sun sink deep down into the horizon, and then settled in back at home. I flipped on my favorite season of the West Wing and I ate an entire bag of tortilla chips and ¾ a jar of my favorite salsa for dinner. What is it they say again? The apple does not fall far from the tree. Or something like that?
You see when we were growing up Mom would throw us kids in the back of Brontosaurus the station wagon and haul us halfway across the city to her old favorite Tex-Mex joint. She ordered a pint of salsa and a gigantic grease-stained brown paper bag of tortilla chips for take-out and she would eat all of this and only this for her dinner. Her own dinner. I can’t remember what we kids even ate, or if she fed us at all. I’m only kidding about that last part.
My mom was born at high noon in a fierce thunderstorm, my grandfather said. Her presence still shifts the atmosphere. A few weeks ago Mom left for a week in the hill country for a time of writing and solitude. The second she got back home, I loaded up my stuff and headed out to spend a night with she and my Dad. You see, for me, going to hang out with my parents isn’t really like going to hang out with the parents. Far from duty, it’s one of my favorite things to do. We caught up on all the life stuff that night. And then in the morning we drank our coffee in our pajamas and by 8:30 a.m. at the latest we had already covered topics such as the theology in Ephesians, the New Testament canon, the Holy Spirit’s role in the interpretation of Scripture, and the Festal Letter of Athanasius.
I have to say, this woman utterly dazzles me. She is the sweetest in the land. She is gracious and sanguine and loving and kind, no doubt, but she is serious and intense and focused and courageous. She has opinions and perspective and boldness and wisdom from the ground like no other. For all her awesomeness she is not self-righteous or squeamish, and God knows I have pushed her limits.
Mom is deeply committed to our family and I’ve always known that full well but I’ve also seen that she’s preoccupied with something a whole lot bigger than us. Probably the most important thing I have learned from her is that being caught up in Jesus and what He is doing in the world is everything. It is the ultimate priority and a family committed to His work in the world will get the privilege of making sacrifices together.
Over the past few years in my own journey I found myself in an unknown place, a place where a heart could break deeper and wider and in more directions than I could have imagined possible. Mom has walked alongside me on this road further than any human could be expected to walk with another. She would have had good reasons to just sit out a while and catch her breath. But she never left my side. The road has been bumpy but also tedious and repetitive. When the landscape didn’t seem to change for a long, long time, she kept plodding along with me, carrying my burdens and helping me shoulder the grief that felt too much to bear.
Mom is tender and she is strong and she is not afraid to look pain and grief and loss dead in the eye. Even more, she is daring enough to hope against hope. To see in others, even me, the beginnings of life and growth and health and wholeness where others might only see brokenness and death. She has shined the light of Jesus on me more times than I can count.
She can fry a chicken and whip up mashed potatoes and gravy with the best of the Southern cooks. Her pleasures are simple: the reading of books, sitting on the front porch, walking her dogs in the woods, eating dinner with my Dad, playing games on the floor with her grandkids, and drinking tea with Amanda and me. But make no mistake she is wicked smart and complex and multifaceted. She is so much more than even the best caricature of her could ever hope to be.
I love her.
Yes, I love her. If one photo could capture the light and color she brings to my world, this is it:
It is my joy and honor to be her daughter and also to work for her at Living Proof. This blog giveaway is just one of many ways I celebrate her beautiful life today. The first three gifts are from Living Proof and the last two gifts are personal gifts from me.
First and foremost, we are giving away eight Key Word Study Bibles. My mom gave me one of these Bibles many years ago. It was one of the first Bibles I ever really remember being excited about. It helped me become familiar with various Greek and Hebrew words before I ever took a Greek or Hebrew reading class. Every time I read it I was reminded that the Scriptures we hold in our hands in English are a translation. Remembering this often is a good thing and will take a person a long way in the study of the Bible, I think.
![IMG_2993[4]](https://blog.lproof.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_29934.jpg)
Second, we are giving away an assortment of several pounds of favorite Houston coffee beans. My mom is a serious coffee drinker, so this is just an obvious addition. This package will include but not be limited to one of my current favorites:
Third, we are giving away an arrangement of fresh flowers Mom loves. And, really, who wouldn’t like these?
Fourth, we are giving away a crossbody saddlebag. Mom and I both carry versions of this crossbody bag over and over again until one breaks and we have to buy another one.
Fifth and finally, we are giving away a small bottle of Flowerbomb. Mom wears lots of different perfumes, but she most often travels with this one.
So, if you’re interested in our giveaway please do pop on and say “Happy Birthday” and show Mom some love. Your comment becomes your entry into our random drawing. Comments will officially close 24 hours after the post is published, and please only one comment per person. The names of our winners will be posted at the top of this post at some point on Thursday.
I hope you all are happy and well.
And, Mom, I love you!
The best is yet to come,
Melissa
HAPPY birthday, Beth. May showers of blessings flow your way today and everyday.
Happy Birthday, Beth. I love what your daughter had to say about you. And I love the energy and enthusiasm you bring to Bible study. You bring such depth of knowledge to Bible study in such a warm and comfortable way – you are uniques, but you already know that, being the discerning person that you are. Thanks for all you do to help others in their walk with the Lord!
Blessings and Hugs,
Nancy
Happy Birthday, Beth Moore! Grateful for your life today and always!!
Happy Birthday dear Beth!! So blessed by your studies and your full out love of Jesus and His people. Praying God pours blessings all over you.
Debbie xoxo
Happy Birthday, Beth! Thank you for inspiring me to memorize scripture. Blessings to your entire family!!!
Happy birthday!
Happy Happy Birthday Beth! What a lovely day today in that we get to celebrate YOU and the blessing you are to us.
Happy Birthday dear Beth! Love you and can’t wait to see you at Siesta Recall party!
Happy Day! Xo
Happy Birthday Dear Beth!! God used you to teach me to believe Him. For that I am forever grateful. This post is a most beautiful tribute by your daughter. I thank God for you and I pray for you and your beautiful family quite often.
Happy Birthday, Beth! May you be blessed, just as you so richly bless others!
Happy birthday to one of gods finest! So grateful to be under your teaching-
Happy Birthday Beth! We are so thankful for you!! You are an amazing teacher of the Word and I have loved the many times I’ve gotten to listen and learn about our Lord in a new and deeper way from you. Thankful for the ways you push us deeper in our relationships with the Lord! I’m starting the Breaking Free study with my community group and I’m so excited! Thank you for loving Jesus fiercely and being faithful and obedient to His Word. We celebrate you today! Happy Birthday Beth!!!
Happy Birthday to you, Beth! May your day be filled with happy moments, and may you see God’s fingerprints all around you! Thank you for teaching me to love the Word and love Jesus more! ♥
A glorious Happy Birthday to you Beth! You have blessed me with your joy in our Lord for a number of years now and I’m sure you will continue to do so for many years to come. May the Lord bless you and keep you and your family always…..
Thank you for your example of faithfulness
Susan
Happy Birthday Beth! You have been such a blessing in my life over many years. I love to study God’s word with you. I hope have a blessed birthday and know you are loved by so many.
Happy Birthday Beth! You have touched so many lives. I’m so glad you were born. Thank you for impacting mine.
Happy Birthday Beth !! What a true blessing you are.
Happiest of birthdays, Beth! I’ve been privileged to participate in so many of your studies! I just finished watching your lesson to the Passion 2013 audience on The Table and The Cup. I’ll never forget the Living Proof Live event I attended in OKC years ago. All moments where you were the catalyst that God used to light a renewed fire in me for digging into the Word. May you be blessed today on your birthday, but even more so every day as you continue to minister to the audience God has given you.
Happy Birthday Beth! You have been such a blessing to so many of us and we thank God for you.
Happy Birthday, Beth! You have been and continue to be, a blessing in my life as I study God’s Word with you! Thank you for serving our Lord!
Your sister in Christ,
Vonette Olona
I remember my first Beth Moore study, Daniel. This Bible study made the Bible become alive for me! History and the Bible intertwine together to jump in my heart. Happy Birthday Miss Beth! I hope you have a blessed day! I am so blessed by your videos, blog spot, and studies! Karen
Happy Birthday! !
Happy birthday Beth! even though we’ve never met, you feel like a good friend and have had a huge impact on my spiritual growth. Thank you for loving the Bible and other women and sharing the gifts God has given you to encourage study others to know Him better!
Love,
Ruth
What an amazing tribute! Happy Birthday Beth!
Happy Birthday Beth! What a blessing you are to so many!
Happy day of birth!! Your studies have taught me to love the Word and learn it for myself.
Happy birthday Beth!! Blessings on your day and coming year. You are inspiring and fresh every time I hear you open the word. You have an amazing way of bringing the word to life, and of encouraging women to get into the word and connect with God and each other. Thank you for following God’s lead in your life. Monica
Happy Birthday Beth! I still remember the first Bible study of yours I went to. Daniel. Before I went I was skeptical as most Bible studies for women I had been to at that point were fluffy. You were NOT fluffy. It was solid and true, refreshing and a time of reconnecting with God’s Word as a necessity in my life. Glory to God for all the ways He is using you on this earth. 🙂
Happy Birthday sweet siesta mama! Love sharing June birthday month with you! So thankful for you and your family!
Love you and pray for you and your family daily!
~Dana
I am so incredibly thankful for your obedience to the call God has placed on your life! I am absolutely blessed to be one of thousands upon thousands to dig more deeply into the truth of God’s Word because your passion stirs and encourages us and the Holy Spirit leads us to do so. Thank you! May this birthday be one you giggle about when you remember it. I pray your pockets will be so full of blessing that they will spill out all over and around you!! HaPpY hApPY BiRThDaY tO YOU, precious daughter of the Most High God!!!
Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, Beth! Thank you for your commitment to God’s word and for helping the rest of us grow in our love of the Lord. May God continue to bless you, your family, and Living Proof.
Happy Birthday,Beth!! I hope you have had a wonderful birthday!! Please know how much I respect your walk with Christ. You have been such an inspiration to me and countless others with your willingness to be real! I so appreciate that! May God continue to bless your ministry!
happiest of birthdays!!!
I had the awesome pleasure of singing “happy birthday” to you this past weekend along with my best friend and around 10000 other sisters in Christ in Tampa. What a blessed weekend we had together! The Holy Spirit was so very present in that room that it was undeniable! Thank you so much for your graciousness and kindness with which you minister to so many different women from so many different places in life. I was one of the many women who stood up for prayer for chronic illness and though it was very hard to do, it will remain with me a very long time. I wish you the happiest of birthdays and hope it was a day spent with beloved family and long walks with the dogs in your beautiful woods!
Praying God’s richest blessings on you in the coming year, dear Beth! I love you and thank God so much for you! I, too, love Jesus, His Word, the Body of Christ, family and Tex-Mex!! Keep shining, beautiful Sister!! ❤️
Beth – Happy, Happy Birthday. I sure did enjoy seeing you in Tampa this past weekend and getting the opportunity to sing Happy Birthday to you, along with 7000 other people. Your word to the Tampa Bay area was timely, and spot on for me right now. Thank you for your laughter, your love, your vulnerability, your transparency and most importantly for your love of the scriptures. I pray you get you some good ole Tex Mex for your birthday and that you are surrounded by the love of family and friends.
God Bless,
Barbra
Happy, happy birthday, Beth! So thankful for your ministry! I have been traveling a parallel path with you as the Lord reveals more of Himself to this conservative evangelical girl through His precious charismata. Blessings
Happy, happy birthday, Beth! Your studies have helped me grow in my faith like no other. Thank you for your diligence in studying the Word and sharing it. Blessings to you in the coming year.
Happy Birthday Beth! I feel like I know you even though I’ve never met you. After reading what your daughter has to say about you I feel like I know you even more, and look forward to a time we might be able to meet in person. I hope your birthday is filled with fun and love and all the things you enjoy most. I pray that God will continue to bless your ministry and use you as His Light to so many people. Praise Him for not only giving you physical birth, but Spiritual birth as well. Many of us have benefitted from your obedience. Blessings on your birthday, dear sister!
in Jesus,
Katie Cole
Karuizawa, Japan
Happy Birthday Beth! I wanted to let you know what a blessing you are to me because of the wisdom God has given you. Your bible studies and words that you blog every day fill me with encouragement and excitement to want to study God’s word even more. I pray that God continues his work through you and may you have many more birthdays!! Your sister loved by God, Linda
Happy Birthday to my ldf (long distance friend) that brought me out of the stay-at-home mom loneliness, filled my life with original Greek and Hebrew words, definitions and explanations I didn’t know would rock my world and whose passion for Christ has overflowed and spilled on to me. Through you, the Lord has ignited such a desire to know more and understand more. Thank you! May you feel richly blessed by the Redeemer, and enjoy the loving arms of your precious family as they shower you with love and hugs 🙂
Oh dear Beth, I wish you a very happy and blessed birthday!!! I personally have been blessed by your ministry!!! In 2010 I had the privilege of sitting under your ministry with my mom in Spokane, Washington!!!! Thank you for letting God use you!!!
Happy Birthday Beth Moore!!! You are so wonderfully used by God!!
Happy birthday, dearest Beth! There are no words to express what you have meant to me, and how much you’ve impacted my life. You are the sister I’ve never met – but hope to someday! You are so very, very loved.
“Her presence still shifts the atmosphere.” SO true. Beth, just your picture and short Video at last evening’s Toronto LPL rally was enough to “shift the atmosphere” way up here!! Praising our God for His gift of you and your gift of helping so many grasp more of His scandalous love and fall in love with Jesus in and through the Word! Happy Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday Beth. You and I share the same month and year to celebrate our birthdays. We also share the blessing of amazing Godly daughters. What a wonderful blog Melissa wrote. May God grant both of you, and Amanda, the desires of your hearts!! Celebrate life!
Happy Birthday, Dear Beth.
Beth is my firstborn’s middle name and I love it for so many reasons, including you!!
A billion birthday blessings to you….I am so gratefulI to join the throngs that are blessed partakers of the overflow of your beautiful walk with our Savior. Enjoy your special day surrounded by those you love!
Happy Birthday Beth!
Happy Birthday and wish you many blessings!
Happy,happy birthday, Beth. Many blessings and love to you!
Happy Blessed Birthday! Family is such a precious blessing and always growing and changing. Thanks you for sharing all the joys and heartaches of your journey. It’s a mirror of many of our own lives.
I hope sometime we can meet your Mother, Beth. Maybe a special video of you two enjoying a cup of that coffee and posting it on your blog?