And the winners are...

And the winners of the Jesus Storybook Bible are:

Kristal and Krista.  Congratulations!  I'll be in touch to get those to you asap:)

Kristal -This Bible looks great! We were planning on buying Maja a Bible for Christmas, but haven't gotten it yet! And of course, Callie would enjoy hearing stories with her big sister :)

Krista - This book looks beautiful! I was just at the Christian book store the other night looking for a bible for Lauren as a Christmas gift. This one looks perfect. Thanks for mentioning it :)

I used www.random.org to choose the winners, which was just as well, because after I read all of the comments, I wanted to give all of you a bible:)

If you didn't win and would still love to own a copy or purchase one as a gift, you can do so here.  It would make a great Christmas gift :)

And don't worry!  If you didn't win this time, I've got another giveaway planned for the New Year - from Dr. Ellis Jones at Better World Shopper.  Fun!

Jesus Storybook Bible - a review and a giveaway!

These days I am loving reading to my four year old at bedtime.  (I'm embarrassed to say that that hasn't always been the case...sometimes I feel like I have nothing left by the end of the day!).

Over the last little while, I have heard raving reviews about the Jesus Storybook Bible.  I had been looking for a bible for Beth and am so glad I got my hands on this one.  It has really revived our bedtime routine.  Yay!

It's beautifully written.

I love the illustrations.

So bright and colourful!

I had really wanted something for Beth to help her really understand the central message of scripture, and to read with her at bedtime.

Here's how the Storybook Bible is described on the website:

Written for children ages four and up, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the one story underneath all the stories of the Bible and points to the birth of a child, the Rescuer, Jesus. Complete with 44 Bible stories, The Jesus Storybook Bible paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus and invites children to see that he is not only at the center of God’s great story of redemption—he is at the center of their story too. Children and adults alike will be captivated by the beautifully written narrative and the original and unique illustrations by accomplished artist Jago. Lloyd-Jones’ powerful gift of storytelling draws the reader into the greatest adventure of all time in an exciting page-turner that kids (and adults) find hard to put down.


Sally Lloyd-Jones is a leading writer of inspirational books for children and is an expert at conveying biblical truth to young children. She is the author of three bestselling children’s Bibles, including the Gold Book Award-winning Baby’s First Bible and, most recently, the Moonbeam Award Winner The Jesus Storybook Bible. She has written many picture books for children, including Handbag Friends, Time to Say Goodnight, and the critically acclaimed How to Be a Baby: By Me, the Big Sister. 

On a whim, I contacted the publishers at Zondervan and they provided me with 2 bibles to giveaway on my blog!  Just in time for Christmas.

To be entered in the draw, just leave a comment with your name below.  Let me know who you would love to read/give this book to :)

You have until next Friday, December 9th, at midnight, to enter, and you can only enter once. The winners will be chosen randomly. I'll announce the winners the next day, so be sure to check back then.

I'll post the two winners on Saturday December 10th.

Best of luck!

What's Your Story?

Have any of you read Donald Miller's latest book 'A Million Miles in a Thousand Years'?  It is a fantastic book! One of my all time favourites.  If you're looking for a challenging and inspiring book to read, you'll want to pick this one up.  This little clip gives you a taste of what the book is like. It just got released today into paperback :)

My fall reading list

"You are the same today you’ll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read" 
- Charlie Jones


I love reading and it's common for me to be reading two or three (or more) books at a time.  It's funny, I often look back and remember a season of life based on what I read during it.  Here's what I have on the go this fall.  I'll let you know what I think of them once I am done :-)

Here's my ever growing wish list to read in 2011...It's really random and kind of all over the place (don't say I didn't warn you!).  Please note that I am not recommending all of these books - just reading them.  I'll let you know that ones that I love and why!

Same Kind of different as Me - by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

The Happiness Project - by Gretchen Rubin
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - by Anne Lamont

Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far - by Amy Grant

The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader's Guide for Building Inner Excellence  - by Richard L. Daft

I'd love to hear - what are you reading this fall?

Bittersweet Giveaway Results

Thanks for all of the great reading ideas......I've added them to my list!

As far as the winner of the giveaway goes - huge conrats to LAUREN!  You'll be receiving a signed copy of Bittersweet in the mail :-)

Thanks girls for participating!

p.s.  I know this seems really rigged - with Lauren being my sister and all.....but honestly, it's not - Grace is my witness!

Bittersweet Review (and giveaway from my favourite author)

Last summer I read Shauna Niequist's first book, Cold Tangerines.

I literally stumbled across Cold Tangerines.

I loved it and probably drove my family and friends nuts talking about how much I loved it.  I loved the content and the idea of living life with a heart full of celebration and of finding the sacred in the ordinary.  But much more than that, I just loved the way Shauna writes.  I felt like I was having a rich conversation with her over a cup of coffee and I savoured her authenticity.

I have found books about faith to be a bit cheezy at times (sorry - just being honest), but this book was a breath of fresh air.  Shauna's courage to tell her story and to invite her readers into her deepest joys and struggles completely inspired, challenged and changed me.  She gave me a glimpse of the kind of friend and person and spouse that I want to be.  After reading her book, I felt more alive and passionate about living a life that is rich with meaning, depth, vulnerability and beauty.  Needless to say, when I heard about her second book being released in August 2010, I pre-ordered it through Amazon.  Her second book is called Bittersweet and it did not disappoint.

My favourite kind of books are the kind that you can't put down and you think about while you're not consumed with reading it.  Bittersweet was for sure that for me.  I couldn't put it down and at the same time was trying to savour it and read it slowly because I didn't want it to end.  Ever had that kind of experience before?  Bittersweet is a fantastic collection of short stories about death and rebirth, hope, redemption and about the bigger story that God is writing in all of our lives.  Beautiful.

Want to hear the coolest part?  Shauna has agreed to give away a signed copy of Bittersweet to one of my friends!  To qualify, all you have to do is comment on this post before midnight on Sunday October 24th.  Just leave your name and the title of one of your all time favourite books.  The winner will be randomly selected and I'll announce the winner first thing on Monday morning.  I'll then contact you privately, get your mailing address and Shauna will send you a signed copy!

I don't think I could choose a favourite chapter in Bittersweet, but I especially loved the one entitled  "things I don't do". That chapter freed me from gardening.  Literally.  I have hated gardening ever since I can remember and I'm terrible at it, but always felt guilty about it.  Not any more.  I am okay with admitting that it is not my strength and have given myself permission to put gardening on my "to don't" list.  Thanks Shauna :-)

p.s.  you can check out Shauna's website at www.shaunaniequist.com