Update: Ladies! Your group pictures (and a TON of other great pictures) are up on the flikr website for you to enjoy and download. If I could have I would have posted all of them here, but this is so fun as well! Click here and enjoy!

Happy Monday, ladies! I don’t know how many of you have the day off thanks to MLK, but either way I hope your week is off to a wonderful start. Contrary to our weather all day Saturday, we woke up to a very foggy Houston this morning. To me, it feels very melancholy. We also hope and pray that all 480 of you that made the trek to Houston, made it back to your homes and families safely and soundly!

Didn’t we have a fun weekend together? I submit that indeed, we did.

Just last night I hopped on Instagram and Twitter to filter through our hashtag for the weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see tweets still being thrown up! It was so fun to hear from so many of you. (If you wanted to take a look, just search #SSMCT2014)

The weekend started on Friday when Jenn and I went up the HFBC to get everything set up early. We are so grateful to the church for giving us this extra time because it would have been nearly impossible to have everything done if we only had Saturday morning, which is always crazy anyway! On Friday we were even greeted by our first Siesta, Linda, from Colorado! She offered to help so we put her hands to work as well. Thank you, Linda!

Actually, I take that back, we were greeted by our first Siesta on Thursday who rolled into the office parking lot in her motor home bearing a sweet gift and her entire family. By the time Sarah and her family arrived that day from Washington, I had already left the office so I didn’t get to say hello, but I have no doubt my coworkers took care of her and greeted her warmly.

Anyway, back to Friday, once Jenn and I felt confident that most things were ready to go, we loaded up and headed back to the office just in time to say a quick hello to Travis and Angela before Beth whisked them away for the night. This is how we left the church that day; all we needed was some ladies to fill those chairs and a Bible teacher to come teach us about our memory.

And then I went home and promptly washed my face, put on my pj’s, popped in a movie and called it a day.

Saturday morning came quick for all of us, but the day was finally here! Woohoo! I mean, let’s be honest, did anybody sleep well Friday night? I think we were all really anxious, and by anxious I mean excited!

Once I arrived Saturday morning I wasn’t at all surprised to see the line of ladies leading to the children’s area ready to check-in! We tried to efficiently get everyone through the registration line quickly so you could move onto more important things like making your coffee and meeting internet friends in real life for the first time. Oh, and take all manner of pictures!

Once 9:00 rolled around Beth gave us a warm welcome and then Travis kicked us off with some praise and worship.  And from the minute we began there was a sense of freedom and celebration in the room, and rightfully so! Memorizing 24 scriptures is worth celebrating! Besides the fact that all weekend we were face to face instead of screen to screen, I loved that we could say “Siesta” or “Siesta Mama” all weekend long without having to explain that term of endearment. Can we get an amen? Does anybody else look at you like you’re crazy when you say siesta, and you aren’t talking about a nap? Makes me laugh every time.

After worship we dug into the word and learned all about our MEMORY. And more specifically, how the Lord renews our mind with scripture memory. Here was our acrostic:

Memory is an inestimable gift.
Erasing memories may seem the goal, but reframing is what heals the mind.
Memory is the driving force of all relationship.
Ordered thoughts are most accurately remembered.
Remembering is to revival what forgetting is to rebellion.
You have the power to put good into another person’s memories.

Each point made was so profound, but I’m partial to “Y”. I so want to put good into another person’s memories. Let it be, Lord! Kindness goes so far.

Among the teaching and worship, we had a group picture time by our fantastic man-made Siesta tree! What you ladies didn’t see before the picture was the tree that had blown over. It was a sad sight to see but I’m more frustrated I didn’t get a picture because it was slightly humorous assuming all was well, and it was.

After our group picture we had the best hour and a half eating lunch together because HELLO CALIFORNIA WEATHER! It could not have been more beautiful outside. Thank you, Lord!

We wrapped up the last session by reciting our scriptures to those sitting around us and then we experienced a powerful prayer time that I won’t soon forget. At the end Travis led us in Amazing Grace and I recorded everyone singing, because it was heavenly. You girls came for Jesus and you got some Jesus, with an added bonus of laughter, celebration, door prizes and giveaways thrown in as well!

We said our goodbyes, prayed our way out of there and hope you all treated yourself to some tex-mex. Thank you for being such a fun group and thank you for letting us serve you. We really do love you and without your participation, SSMT simply would not exist!

We may or may not have snuck in a few pictures because by the end of the day we were giddy tired and realized that Nancy and Sherry were twins. Perfect.

Most of the staff had left by this point, but seven of us sat down for about 20 minutes and laughed a bit before we parted ways. Including those who had already driven away, there isn’t anyone else I’d rather serve with. These ladies work hard and have fun. We were tired but so full.

Real smiles.

May Christ make himself more real to you in 2014 than He did in 2013. And may your memories be run over by revelations of Jesus and GOOD THINGS! We’d love to hear why the Lord brought you to Houston this weekend and what He taught you.

We love y’all dearly.

Houston Area Ladies! It’s that time of year when we’re beside ourselves with joy  to invite you to our January-March Tuesday night Bible study! God has blessed us with favor to meet as a very diverse community of women from every background and denomination at the central location of Houston’s First Baptist Church on 7401 Katy Freeway. We love Pastor Gregg and Kelly Matte so much and we do not take this privilege lightly.

We launch our brand new 7-session series on Tuesday January 21st at 6:30 in the main auditorium. We hope to see many familiar faces but we also hope to serve hundreds of women who are new to the study of Scripture and haven’t quite awakened to the love of Jesus Christ. If you’ve been with us before, come again! And this time, bring somebody brand new! Somebody less-discipled! We’re hoping that this series will blow fresh air into the lungs of seasoned believers but also lend itself well to women who have very little background in the Bible. Pray that for us and with us!

The name God placed on my heart for this 7 week series is Breath: The Life of God in Us. Our goal through the series will be to spotlight places in Scripture where the Spirit of God quickens the lives of people like us, empowering and invigorating individuals to do in Jesus’ Name what cannot be done by human flesh and blood alone.

If you’re weary and worn out, we pray God will use this series to put iron in your soul. If you’re weak and defeated, we pray God will use this series to infuse you with a strength wholly beyond you. If you’ve never had the faith to believe, we pray God will pour His Spirit out on you and bring you to new life in Christ: the life you were placed on this planet to live. If you’ve felt for years like God has called you to some kind of purpose but you have no idea what, we’re praying He might use this series to fill you with insight and direction. If you’ve been a believer for decades but it’s been a while since you’ve felt the fire of Christ in your bones, we pray God will use this series to revive you.

We are believing God to reveal Himself powerfully to us and we don’t want to miss anything He desires throughout these 7 weeks. I’m asking Him to pour out His Spirit on me in 2014 in ways that exceed what He’s done in the past. Maybe you’re asking Him the same kind of thing. Let’s go make ourselves available to Him corporately through worship and the study of Scripture for these 7 Tuesday nights and see what He’d invest in us to make our 2014 vastly glorifying to His Name.

All women are welcome, including those with very different beliefs or those who have little interest in spiritual things. If you are willing to come, we are anxious to welcome you and serve you and, because we know God to be faithful to His Word, we believe wholeheartedly that your time will not be wasted.

Needless to say, there’s no cost to attend. I wish we could offer childcare but it is just impossible for us to pull off on Tuesday nights. Carpool if you have several friends coming but, also, don’t hesitate to come alone. We never know how many to anticipate but we certainly hope to anticipate you. You could not be more welcome. Come and see.

For more information and many of your questions answered, click here to visit our Houston Connection page .

If you’re in the Houston area but unable to join us or you’re from other places around the country and globe, please say a prayer for us! We want so much to bring glory to Christ, to be used by Him to extend the outreach of His powerful hand, and to serve women in His merciful Name. If you happen to be in the city on one of these Tuesday nights, go grab some Tex-Mex for supper then come worship and study with us! We’d be thrilled to have you. Dearest love to you and I hope to see you soon!

Yesterday we closed the ministry down for the morning to attend the funeral of a dear friend that passed away suddenly last week. Our dear Beth participated in the service and honored both Louie and his family. Out of everyone there, I can say I probably knew Louie the least, but did have the fun privilege to help plant Bayou City Fellowship alongside he and his beautiful wife, Vicky, who we all adore. If it was said once, it was said a thousands times that Louie was funny, and found himself in some precarious situations, but more importantly, he laughed at himself. He took life seriously when necessary, and lightly when appropriate. I have heard a few of those “Louie stories” and I found myself doubled over at them. In the midst of despair, it’s a sweet thing to be able to laugh at the funny memories. (While memories and laughs are a gift, I know many hard days are ahead for this sweet family. If they, Vicky, Catha and Crista come to mind, your prayers would be appreciated and received!)

Life is hard and if we take ourselves too seriously and can’t even find the humility to laugh at our awkward moments, then we really aren’t living. Besides not being devoted to Jesus, the saddest thing someone could say about me is that I lived life stingy and hard hearted, not being able to laugh at the funny and embarrassing moments that make up one’s character. Oh, the tragedy! I think this is mainly due to the fact that laughing is one of my love languages.

I learned this pretty early on because I like to think I am the leader of the pack when it comes to the awkward ministry. I have the radar to find the most awkward and interesting situations, and if you knew me in real life, you could attest to this.

In fact, a couple weeks ago I had just arrived home from work and in the hour of downtime I had before I needed to leave again, I sat on the couch to rest my eyes for a minute.

I happen to have the perfect view of each and every sunset from my balcony, so as I was laying on there in my half-awake state going in and out of consciousness, I could see that the sunset was getting better and better by the minute. I think you know by now that I’m a sucker for sunsets. The other day my dad asked why I never get pictures of the sunrise, and it’s simply because I can’t see them. Big bummer.

Anyway, as I could see the sun flare getting better and better over my apartment building, I knew my window of opportunity to get a good picture was growing strangely dim.

So I grabbed my phone, hopped off the couch and ran to my balcony.

And then this happened.

Yes ma’am. That is my balcony screen door laying horizontally. I ran smack into it and knocked it completely over.

I’m still a little stunned and confused by the entire situation, but it happened.

I could hardly stand up for laughing so hard all the while wondering who anonymously witnessed the catastrophe and how in the world my roommate was still napping in her room among all the ruckus? With what little dignity I had left, determination kicked in and at the last minute I was able to capture this.

Though I’ve seen better, I’d say it was worth it. And I was humbled to say the least.

Listen, I know I made a complete fool of myself, but instead of acting like I have my life together (BECAUSE NEWS FLASH TO THE INTERNET, I DO NOT) I posted it on the World Wide Web. Because somebody needed to laugh that day; even if it was at the expense of someone else. A bruised toe and a humbling never killed anybody.

And let’s be real, somebody needed to see that a picture doesn’t always paint the entire story. I could have showed you the sunset and explained how beautiful and perfect life is, but that would have been a total lie.

For the sake of all things sane and normal, can we learn to laugh at and tell on ourselves in those awkward and unexpected instances? Because I’ve heard it said that, “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” Henry Ward Beecher

Lord, grant to each of us a sense of humor!

And all the people said amen.

Yesterday at church my pastor ended his sermon with one simple point: Be Present.

About a month before that at a Christmas party, my friend had written on her chalkboard wall: Be Present.

A couple of weeks before that Christmas party, right after Thanksgiving, I wrote a post titled: Be Present.

In the hustle and bustle of all things Christmas and giveaways and recipes on our blog, I put that particular post on hold. Beth and I often comment to each other that posts are like gold to us, so since we had a lot going on, it was best that I left that post for a different day. Today feels like that day.

You see, I have a picture saved on my iPhone camera roll that simply states, “Be Present”. For a long time it was saved as my home screen. It served as a reminder to be present wherever I was when I picked up my phone to peruse twitter or facebook in the moment instead of engaging with the friends right in front of my face. To get off my dang phone, if you will.

Lately I’ve had the urge to travel. I’m equal parts homebody and sanguine, if that even makes sense, but I’ve been dreaming of all the places I hope to visit one day, whether it be sooner or later. Traveling is not only thrilling because you get to see different wonders of the world, but also because it’s neat to witness different cultures and the way people live. It’s fascinating, really. However, I have what we would all refer to as a job, and responsibilities and limited funds, so mostly I wish and hope and dream. Being an adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, right?

The day after Thanksgiving, we always join some of our best friends out in the country for a day of skeet shooting and relaxing. It’s one of my favorite traditions. Each year, I’m more stunned by the beauty of autumn. Instead of using your imagination, allow me to give you a peak into the picture I’m trying to paint.

Beauty at its finest.

Houstonians actually received a bit of a gift when autumn showed up in Houston, albeit late, but leaving the trees colorful and enchanting. I was so shocked that I surveyed my coworkers because I didn’t know if I was just coming alive to nature this year or if it did seem a bit unusual, and most agreed it was an unusual change of colors and that made me feel better about myself.

This is what I’m talking about.

I know you people up north are probably laughing at this lone tree, but none of us were complaining!

The truth is, a lot of us get more screen time than we do nature time. We (read: I) am very guilty of that here, where we are not blessed with rolling hills, blankets of snow, mountains and white sandy beaches. Houston, to put it frankly, is not so easy on the eyes. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate beauty that is around me, to be present where I’m planted, even in the urge to travel and see different beauty.

The truth is, it’s necessary to have a change of scenery every now and then. A change of season. We can get stuck in the mundane day-to-day tasks that the beauty around us starts to fade leaving us to look at our screens and computers for a rush.

I think that’s part of my travel bug as of late. As far as vacation is concerned, it’s been about a year a half since I spent a significant amount of time away from Houston just resting, so I’m sensing the need for change.

My struggle isn’t necessarily confined to my surroundings though, sometimes my struggle is being present in the season the Lord has me planted in. Because life is at our fingertips via our smart phone, it’s easy to get restless, bored, discontent, angry, impatient, jealous or antsy. We may think the Lord is moving far too slow, when He’s really telling us to slow down. Life doesn’t begin in the next season, or the next milestone, or the next job, or the next relationship, life is happening now, whether you’re looking for it or not.

None of us know what the next season holds in our lives. Seasons in our lives, though they do come and go, aren’t as predictable as the seasons in our weather patterns. I don’t know what the Lord is saying to you, but I know without a doubt He’s telling me to enjoy and be present in my season. That He would be present in my presence, so as to change me. That I would approach Him confidently proclaiming who He is instead of always asking for something. After all, He’s always provided everything I need. To not get wrapped up and entangled in the disappointment, the fear, the joys, the sorrows; to feel those and to experience those emotions as they come, yes, but to be present, to know truth and to be aware but not pining for what’s ahead.

Recently I read in one of my devotionals that for the waters to reflect the glory of God, they have to be still. I’m a very visual person and fortunately, days before that when I was out in the country I happened to witness just that. The lake was completely still and it mirrored the clouds and trees perfectly. It was a beautiful reflection, times two.

I think we could all learn a thing or two from that, because maybe it’s the same for us. Whatever season we find ourselves in, maybe if we were still long enough to take in and try and hear all the Lord was trying to whisper to us in the here and now, maybe we’d be able to reflect His glory a little more instead of fighting it. Oh, that we would let our lives be a refelction of His love. It’s hard, yes, but it’s possible. And then when that change in season does come, whenever it shows up, we praise God for it. Because a change in season, however it comes, is something to be praised.

May I challenge us all to be more present in 2014? Because maybe, just maybe, He has a gift for us in the present. Maybe the gift is more of Himself. And as sure as the sun rises, my sister, He will be faithful.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Psalm 23: 1-3, 6

My beloved sisters,

I am so blessed to ring in a new year with you and to anticipate God’s goodness and faithfulness in the coming 12 months. Let’s allow 2014 to be more than the next number on a calendar. Let’s deliberately enter into a fresh season and invite Jesus to do something brand new in us and thank Him in advance for what He has planned. His ways are always right. Always fitting. Without having a clue what is ahead in 2014, you can have unshakable confidence that your God will be good to you. He holds you securely in the palm of His hand.

I am deeply thankful for you this day and all you mean to His Kingdom. You are staunch servants. Mighty, mighty women of God.  I am amazed by all you do in His Name and for the beauty and creativity of His holy calling displayed and parceled among you. You sharpen me and keep me running my race at full speed toward the one and only goal worth setting: the finish line where Jesus stands, urging us forward and waiting to welcome us home.

I have a simple truth on my heart this new year but it is washing over my soul like a waterfall.

I want to obey God.

In mid-November of 2012, God dropped a word so convicting on my heart through another teacher’s lesson that my face instantly burned. You’ve had those times, too, when you look around the room sheepishly to see if everyone is glaring at you, hoping you got it so that the congregation can all move on to the next point. This was the word:

Stop sowing over and over in the exact same field.

 I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t ask for it. I was happy where I was. Like many of you, I like things to stay the same. I loved my circle of relationships and the familiar places I got to serve. I’ve never lost a passion for those places and have often wept with thanksgiving to God for the privilege of walking through some of the same doors again and again. I have a history of long relationships and staying put and that’s how I like things. But I knew God was talking to me. It burned like a branding iron.

Every single day for nearly 14 months, that same word has reverberated in my soul and troubled my feet.

I have made some strides and taken some steps. The Living Proof Live event team and I felt the urging of the Holy Spirit almost simultaneously to continue to do what we’ve been doing – calling people to worship and the Word – but to become very proactive about reaching the lost and the less-discipled. You will hear us become vocal about this initiative in the coming months leading up to our new LPL calendar year that launches in April. We are passionate to still serve women who know Christ well but we’re also hoping they will join us shoulder-to-shoulder in the accelerated outreach effort that God is blazing in our souls. We are praying earnestly that women will come bringing the lost and the searching and the broken and the untaught. A dying world surrounds us. One that Jesus loves. One that He died and rose again to redeem.

The process of change is not simple. It takes forethought and prayerful preparation. We are, for instance, deliberating on ways to make tickets available because we know that lost people aren’t prone to buy tickets to Christian events. We’re trusting God to show us what to do and how to do it. The free ebooks that we’re putting out for the first 10 days of January are part of this initiative. We’re very aware that, when it comes to reaching the unreached, free is key.

So strides have been made but they are only first steps.

I shared with you the date in 2012 that this word came to me so that, if you needed it, you’d have some assurance that I’m not knee jerking or reacting impulsively. I have had all these months to pray and study and listen to Jesus and ponder His leadership.

Fast forward 12 months exactly to the most recent November. A year after hearing from God so clearly about sowing further than the field that I’d loved and served in for so long, I had a very disturbing dream. I can count the significant dreams I’ve had through the decades on one hand so I’m not prone to look for messages in my sleep to keep from having to actually pray and read the Bible. That God can speak through dreams is clear in our own Bibles, of course, but for many of us it is unusual. I don’t feel the release right now to describe the dream though I may someday. What I do feel is a strong compelling to share with you what I knew beyond a doubt it meant. I believe that I can either be obedient to God in the faith walk He is setting before me or He will take my voice. I do not feel that it was a rebuke. I felt that it was a warning.

I was saved in childhood but I was 18 years old the first time I ever had a vivid encounter with God and it accompanied my calling. Christ has been so merciful to remain with me through harrowing ups and downs, fears and failings, and flaws and frailties. Good grief, what grace He has poured on my life. What forgiveness flows from His wounds on the cross. I’ve been so foolish at times and learned many things the hard way but I am not new to the believing walk. I don’t look to the air for my words from God. I look to the Scriptures. It is my daily bread. I want revelation any way Jesus wants to give it but I’ve been around long enough to know that, if it is unrecognizable in His Word, it is not of Him.

38 years have come and gone since that day I received my calling.

And I have rarely – if ever – received clearer orders from God.

I share this with you because I love and esteem you so much and want you to know that I haven’t lost my footing or had a dramatic change in my theology as I tread into a wider perimeter than I’ve served before. I say this to you before I have a single invitation on the docket that is out of the ordinary. I’m not manipulating you in advance of announcing some big plan to you. No such plan exists. No such invitations have yet come that I know of. But when they do, I will take them prayerfully before God and if He says go, Sister, I’m going to go. I must.

For lack of a better way to say it, I am not picking up and moving across the fence. I think this is more about dismantling a fence anyway. I’m not leaving Living Proof Ministries. I’m not departing from our mission statement of many years: to encourage people toward knowing and loving the Lord Jesus Christ through the study of His Word. I’m by no means leaving my beloved church, Bayou City Fellowship. I’m not saying goodbye to the blog or this community. On the contrary, we have an active year before us and summer Bible study right around the corner. I hope to enjoy many more years of fruitful friendship and partnership with LifeWay through in-depth Bible studies and Living Proof Live events. They have been so gracious and willing to exceed denominational boundaries. I praise God for them.

We must all be willing to exceed denominational boundaries. Revival is at stake. Nearsightedness will trip us and disunity will slay us in the perilous days to come. We can prioritize our denominations over the Scriptures if we want to but we will shrivel up and die on the vine if we do.

We who are called to teach must teach the Scriptures even if – and especially when – they differ from our long-held stance. That we will answer for.

These are days for bravery.

To avail ourselves to the Holy Spirit and a fresh work of Christ in our midst, our healthy fear of God must far exceed our fear of man. I say this with tremendous love. Those who refuse to rock the boat when Jesus is tossing the waves in their faces will never know the thrill of the water beneath their feet.

For without faith it is impossible to please Him. Hebrews 11:6

Change is on the horizon and certainly not only where I live and serve. The winds of the Holy Spirit are picking up. We can dig our feet in the ground and demand to stay right where we are. We can toil to maintain things just as they have been for years. And we can be left out of a coming awakening that could one day be recorded in the annals of Christian history.

We can throw our boundaries up at God, keep stacking our divisive bricks, and insist that He obey us.

Or we can obey Him.

God help me, that’s what I want to do. I am too old anymore to let the bullies boss me. And I am too young to quit.

Out of the stunning grace of God, I have had the joy of serving among some of the most well-discipled women in the Bible belt. Many of them take notes each week as their pastors preach. They listen to podcasts in their cars on the way to work. They serve their local congregations, feed the poor, and minister to the sick. Many of them have done every Bible study on the market by every teacher available. They keep their faces in the Scriptures. They memorize and evangelize and sacrifice. They are warriors. I’m not worthy of them but I so dearly love them. I have no words to convey how honored I am to have served among them and I deeply hope to serve among them still. But to serve them only – or even primarily – lacks stewardship. God is telling me to get my ear pressed to the ground for opportunities to serve in environments where women are less commonly studying the Bible in-depth. Some of those places may look very different from those I’ve visited before. I make this promise. I will hold tight to the Word and seek with everything in me to teach it soundly. I will hold onto Jesus as the love of my life. I will pray hard and you’ll never waste a prayer on me.

The days are short. The times, urgent. For all of us.

Need is a part of what steers a call.

I have no idea what the future holds. I have no idea where God will send me or if those places will seem different to many of you. But this I do know: if I do not tell Him wholeheartedly that I am willing to go anywhere He leads and serve anyone He says, He is going to do His good pleasure anyway. And without me.

I have to go with Jesus on this or my soul will collect an inch of dust on the lifeless, wooden altar of safety and sameness.

Thank you for your patience. You have been so gracious to bear with me through this lengthy letter. When all is said and done, I pray with my whole heart that this post will turn out to have been more than just about me. That’s so nauseating. I could have done that at home by myself and saved you the time. But maybe God wants to say something similar to someone else.  Maybe it’s time for your next step, too, even if you have no idea where your foot is going to land.

Maybe you’ve been raised to keep your faith to yourself…and it’s time to start sharing it.

Maybe you’ve studied and studied for years…and it’s time for you to get up and teach.

Maybe you’ve been mentored so well that you know it all by heart…and it’s time for you to mentor others.

Maybe you’ve been the focal point of much compassionate ministry and you thank God for it…but it’s time now to pay it forward and minister to others.

Maybe you’ve been breaking free for 10 years…and it’s time for you to live free and show somebody how it’s done.

Maybe all our risk-free living is not really living.

And maybe I’ve missed it. But I am about to take that chance.

Towards the very beginning of this year Beth mentioned doing something one day that she’d had the desire to do, give away her books for free.

Well, today on December 31st, the last day of 2013, that dream is coming true!

B&H Publishing Group  made available a selection of her books until January 10th, 2014 for free on any e-reader! No money to you whatsoever! The only requirement is that you indeed, own an e-reader of some sort, whether it be a nook, kindle or an iBook. (However, if you don’t have an e-reader, you can also download the Kindle app on your smartphone.)

B&H posted a blog with all of the details so to keep from being reduntant, but to help spread the word, I am linking to it here!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS!!! (The best way to find the books is to search “Beth Moore” in your e-reader and her books will pop up.)

This is a screenshot of what it would look like on Amazon. (You might need to click on the picture to enlarge it, but you should see $0.00 next to the “Kindle Edition”.)

As we begin a new year tomorrow, I can’t imagine a better time for you to grab a book and let God do a fresh work in you.

For fun and to help spread the word since she was so ecstatic, Beth sent out a few tweets! In case you’re not on twitter, I thought I’d screen shot them and share them with with you so you can join in on her excitement.

We love y’all and wish each of you a Happy New Year! Enjoy your new books!

GRACE from LPV on Vimeo.

My beloved sisters, my dear and very gifted friend Stephen Proctor took the grace writing I did for the simulcast and set it to music by Tony Anderson with images that animate it with fresh life. I pray that somebody who needs grace for Christmas more than any gift that could be wrapped in paper and tied with a bow will stand under this spout and be drenched in Jesus. That first Christmas morning, grace deeper than the floor of the oceans and higher than the heavens came wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth…And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. John 1:14,16 NKJV

You are so loved here at Living Proof. Merry, merry Christmas, my dear loved ones.

*Fair Warning: This is THE longest post of all time, but I promise you it’s worth it. Read it in segments if that helps!

Every year around the holidays I get the pleasure of listening to my coworkers discuss their signature recipes for their own family gatherings. I’m continually put to shame because, let’s be real, yours truly doesn’t cook.

(Actually, it’s not that I don’t like cooking, it’s just that I haven’t had many occasion to cook for. Cooking for one is pretty lame and as a single girl, I’m fairly content with a bowl of cereal each night. Don’t be fooled though, when my time comes, I will have no problem asking for the cooking anointing.)

About a week ago Beth came up with this brilliant idea to collect recipes from our co-workers to share with you, our beloved Siestas. While you won’t see one from me (Lindsee) on here, you will get a taste (pun intended) of some of our favorite holiday recipes. Eleven of our fourteen coworkers, including Beth, submitted their favorite family recipes and we are so delighted to share them all with you. (I’m also going to attempt to briefly explain to you what each of them do at LPM, which you may or may not find interesting, because sometimes it’s fun to picture who is serving you.) They are not necessarily all “Christmas Day” recipes, but more so holiday recipes, some you can use all year long, some are fun for New Years Eve, and a few are meant to be eaten on Christmas morning.

They also range from side dishes, to appetizers, to drinks and desserts! What’s not to love? To make it a bit more reader friendly and easy on the eyes, I’ve written out each recipe on a virtual recipe card and if you click on it, you can print out the card itself instead of having to always refer to this blog post. However, now that we all live in the land of smart phones, it is just as easy to bookmark this page in your websites for quick and easy access.

(But seriously, is the card not adorable? I printed them each at a fun website called Skip To My Lou. You should check it out. Adorable.)

The ONLY recipe you won’t find in a card is our Siesta Mama’s. Naturally, she wanted to bless you all with her dressing recipe and unfortunately, it won’t fit on the card. But that’s okay because she even has a visual for you all. If you want to print hers out (at the bottom), simply copy and paste her portion into a word document and you’re good to go!

You’ll see that some recipes have two cards because it requires the main dish and an icing or topping.

Here is a list of categories and titles of our favorite dishes:

Appetizers:
Blue Cheese Balls or Spread

Side Dishes:
Cornbread Muffins
Sweet potato Soufflé (Two recipe cards)
(Roughly) My Nanny’s Cornbread Dressing (This is the only recipe out of order and you’ll see it at the end of this post.)

Main Course:
Christmas Brunch Casserole

Dessert:
Chocolate Drops
Flaky Peanut Butter Brittle
Missy B’s Canadian Sugar Cookies (Two recipe cards)
Best Friend Cookies

Drinks:
Egg Nog

Snacks:
Christmas Mix

Susan is our resident chef at LPM. But aside from being our resident chef, she works in our correspondence department doing general email correspondence. Also, Susan is our resident counselor. Everyone here wants a piece of her wisdom. Grin.

Our beloved Diane heads up our resource department. If you’ve had an issue with a Bible study order, a scratched DVD or just had a general question about a product, you may very likely have spoken to her on the phone. She also loves animals more than anyone I know. We love her!

Sabrina directs what we refer to as Living Proof Ministries. She runs our ministry with godly business sense she gained from her time in the corporate world and keeps things in order. Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you everything she does because I simply do not know, but I know she works hard! We’re grateful for her leadership in so many areas.

Sherry has one of the sweetest hearts and gentle souls you’ll ever meet and we only get to see her two days a week since she’s a busy young mama of two boys. You’re going to laugh when I tell you I THINK she works and helps out in our resource/accounting department. (But I’m going to double check on that. I’d hate to lead you astray.)

If you’ve ever written and sent a letter to our dear Beth at LPM, you’ve most likely heard from the encouraging Nancy Mattingly. She works in our snail mail correspondence department. To know Nancy is to love her. I bet you’d agree if you’ve ever received a letter from her! Not to mention she gives the world’s best back scratches and massages. It’s truly a ministry.

I’m lucky because I get to share an office with Jennifer Hamm twice a week. I’m far from being a mama, but when I grow up I want to parent just like her and Sherry. They bless me so! Jennifer heads up all of our events, not the least of which is Tuesday Night Bible study. No small feat. And she rocks it. She is also the woman behind all things SSMT Celebration, which might bless you!

Oh, KMac. We have two Kimberly’s on staff, which is how this Kimberly adopted the name KMac. KMac is Beth’s personal assistant and the best of the best. One of the most efficient and humble people I’ve ever had the chance to meet. Plus, her laugh is loud and contagious. (And not the obnoxious loud, but the good loud.)

You may have heard a few Johnnie stories in the past because she and Beth raised their children together. Also, she is hilarious! Johnnie also works in our correspondence department, but more specifically, she answers your questions about certain books or Bible studies and she also would be the one to send you replies or the commissioning from the LPL conferences. For this recipe card, instead of listing the ingredients in one section and the process in another section, it is listed out by steps (Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3), so your best bet is to follow the steps. I hope it’s not too confusing!

You see Evangeline, but we refer to her as Vangie, or, our resident diva. And we’ve never loved anybody more than we’ve love Vangie. Not to mention she can pray the house down, and I mean it when I say it. She is a gift and a warrior! Vangie works in our resource department heading up our volunteers and packaging. So if you’ve ever received a product from LPM wrapped in pink tissue paper, you have Vangie to thank!

Kimberly Meyer is everyone’s best friend. You may be grinning, but I’m not kidding. She could talk to a tree (and I mean that in the most endearing way possible), which is why she is our LPM admin and properties manager. Kimberly answers our phones and speaks to every single person that calls…all day long. She is also our prayer chaplain. My favorite thing about Kimberly is that after talking with a lady for a solid 20 minutes and praying over them, she’ll explain to them that we really can’t give counseling here at LPM but she’s so happy to give them a number of another ministry that they could call for further assistance. Oh, and if LPM needed a cheerleader, she’s our girl. Most likely, if you’ve ever called LPM, you’ve heard sweet Kimberly’s voice. We’re grateful for her joyful spirit! It’s contagious.

And lastly but certainly not least, a recipe and a note from Beth herself, which is far better than any introduction I could give you. But just in case you’re unaware, Beth is our resident Bible study teacher, fearless leader, brilliant author and amazing boss. Needless to say, we love her so, so much.

(Roughly) My Nanny’s Cornbread Dressing

I say roughly, Sisters, because none of the women in my family have ever wanted anyone else in the kitchen. My sisters and I were not taught to cook at our mother or grandmother’s knee like some of you were. We were told to play outside or someone was “gonna to cut a switch.” I write these words with delight, not spite. If I’d had five children under one roof, I would have threatened the same thing. My brothers and sisters and I have each figured out our cornbread dressing recipes based on taste. Below is the closest I’ve come in my kitchen to my mother, Aletha’s, and grandmother, Minnie Ola’s, recipes. The only reason I’m braving this recipe is because young cooks ask constantly for dressing recipes and hardly anyone coughs one up because no one has it written down. So, please, at least give me an “B+” for effort here because your blog mama loves you and she’s willing to give it a happy shot. I don’t stuff my turkey with this. I bake it separately but you can certainly use this for stuffing. Just Google the variance in preparation. This recipe will make far more than you can stuff into a turkey. If you have a smaller family, half it and you’ll have plenty.

Ingredients:
4 pieces of bacon, fried crispy for the bacon grease alone. Eat the bacon while no one is looking and save the fat for this recipe.

Two batches of baked cornbread

4 baked biscuits. I do not know why. Because my grandmother used them and so did my mom. That’s why. The cheap Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits in the can work great. That’s what I use every time.

3 pieces of plain white toast

1 cup of butter

2 chopped onions

½ cup or so of chopped celery (To your taste. I use a bit more because I like celery.)

Salt, pepper, and sage to taste

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 eggs

Instructions:
*Fry bacon in an iron skillet if you have one and remove the bacon. If you fry them in a regular pan, just pour the drippings into your baking dish.

*Mix up a double batch of cornbread according to the recipe on the back of any bag of cornmeal. (I always substitute the vegetable oil in a cornbread recipe for an equal amount of Crisco shortening because the shortening makes it so much lighter and fluffier.) We want it light and fluffy!!

*Pour the batter into a nice, hot skillet with the bacon grease in it and bake until it is done all the way in the middle. (I’m feeling compulsive like I need to say stuff like, “Don’t let your grease catch on fire!” But I am going to assume many of you have some basic kitchen experience.) You’ll know it’s done when a sharp knife should come out clean from the center. (Don’t cut yourself on the knife. Stop it, Beth.)

*Bake about 4 biscuits according to directions. The cheap Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits in the can are perfect. (I do not know why. Because my Nanny did and my mother did, that’s why.) It’s awkward to just bake 4 so go ahead and bake the whole can and eat what’s left with your bacon.

*Toast about 3 pieces of white bread.

(A friend of mine uses the equivalent of crumbled white French bread instead of biscuits and toast. It’s the same general idea: cornbread dressing usually includes some regular bread.)

*Crumble up the cooled cornbread, baked biscuits, and toast together.

Note: I do all the above on the evening before if I’m doing a noon meal or too many dishes are competing for oven space.

If you are roasting a turkey (which is optimum for great dressing), reserve a cup of the drippings for the dressing and the rest, of course, for your gravy. (Make sure the turkey is completely done before you remove drippings.) I put my drippings in a gravy separator cup like this so that the drippings will separate from the fat.

If you can’t find a measuring cup with a low spout like this, put a regular measuring cup of drippings in the refrigerator and the top layer of fat will congeal as it gets cold. You can then spoon it or scrape it off. Keep all turkey drippings in the refrigerator if you are not using them right away.

*Saute 2 chopped onions and a ½ cup (or more, to taste) chopped celery in a cup of butter. (This is not the recipe for heart health. You can eat the rest of your celery for the rest of the week if you have to.) Pour the mixture into a very large bowl with all the crumbled breads in it.

This is where you start doing it by feel and taste:
*Add salt and pepper and sage. Remember that the sage is the primary flavor that makes cornbread dressing distinct but it can certainly be overdone. Start with a tablespoon, taste the mixture and add from there to suit your taste. Add 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning. Add 4 cups of canned chicken broth and the cup of reserved turkey drippings. If needed, keep adding more chicken broth little by little until the mixture is just a bit wetter than you like your dressing. It will dry out some as it bakes but, if you get it too soupy, the dressing will turn out too wet. You want the consistency to be fairly dense without being dry.

*After the above mixture suits your taste, stir in 2 beaten raw eggs. (Don’t taste it after the raw eggs are added unless you are really brave.)

*Put in a large greased baking dish and bake for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. After an hour, I start touching the top of mine with my fingertips and when it’s pretty solid, I consider it done. Don’t let it get too brown on top or it will be too brickish.

I like to put a tablespoonful of baked dressing into my gravy as I make it but that’s just me. I’m not a giblet person so I give the gravy a little added texture with this little addition.

Serve with lots of cranberry sauce and, if it’s good, talk about it a lot during the meal because you earned the affirmation even if you have to give it to yourself.

Good grief, I love y’all.

And with that, we’ll call it a post and hit publish.

Be filled and be blessed!

P.S. I meant to say earlier, but by all means, if there is a recipe you’re dying to share, feel free to do so in the comments!

* P.S. I have some fun news! If you’re wondering why the LPM blog looks a little different, it’s because we got a makeover and it went live today! Don’t you love it? We sure do! Sometimes we all just need a little makeover to change our attitude, agreed? I feel like the blog did just that today! Woohoo! Thank you so much to our friends at AdWhite for all your help and expertise! We’re so grateful!

Good Monday morning to you, ladies! I don’t know about you, but I had a whirlwind of a weekend. When my alarm went off this morning the only coherent thought I had was, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…get out of bed. Not only did my eyes struggle to see the morning hour, but I was so warm that the thought of peeking my toes outside of my covers with the chill in the air made me want to cry. But I did it! I had no choice; becauase after all, being an adult requires responsibility and well, work. And I hope to keep my job. Grin.

Anyway, I made it here and happy and now I’m even happier to announce our Stocking Stuffer Giveaway Winners!

I’ve never desired to leave you guys in such suspense, but part of my weekend excitement was that my little brother graduated from Texas A&M (Gig ‘Em!) and by the time I got home late Friday night, I had no brain power left to even look at my computer. (In fact, I felt slightly inadequate to keep writing anything after reading through the dissertation titles of the PHD students graduating. Whoa. I’m still thinking about how smart some people are and how I’ll never understand certain sentences or words.) Mind you, that was all AFTER our LPM Christmas party on Thursday that sucks every ounce of energy out of every staff member. So, here we are! Hey, the longer the wait the sweeter the gift, right?

Without further ado here are our lucky 12 (and random) winners thanks to random.org…

Stocking Winners

1) Michele
2) Melissa Holgate
3) Barbara Mackey-Zeigler
4) Sharon
5) Kim Morgan
6) Carol Comey
7) Sarah Tolson
8) Beverly Toney
9) Ginger Golembiewski
10) Courtney Beth Burnside

Cookbook Winners

1) Christiana Billingsly
2) Tiffany Fling
3) Toni Rahm

Congrats, ladies! You should be receiving an email from me (Lindsee) ASAP so I can retrieve your mailing address!

And just for fun, I’ll leave you with this one special picture from our Volunteer Brunch on Thursday morning. Needless to say, we had a few laughs. (For the record, sometimes you let a picture speak for itself, which is exactly what I’m going to to do here.)

Oh, and here is Sabrina and Beth, they happened to be matchy-matchy at our Christmas party and it was cute! We attempted a staff picture, but as Melissa put it so kindly, it will die with us.

We love y’all so much! Be expecting some super fun things on the blog this week. Hopefully as soon as tomorrow (Tuesday), but for sure Wednesday!