Three Surprises!

Yes, life has been full of surprises lately, beginning with an overnight stay at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport when my connecting flight to Colorado Springs was cancelled. It was quite an experience. I had checked in my coat and scarf and had nothing to cover myself with as I lay on the airline-provided floor mat, but the Lord provided a fleece hoodie through the kindness of a fellow stranded passenger, and I felt His presence and protection as the night passed. I also got a lesson on posting photos through my Blackberry onto Facebook and had fun sharing all the craziness with my FB friends.
































I ended up flying from Detroit to Minneapolis to Houston to finally fly to Colorado Springs, and after all that, I have to say it was well worth the effort. The National Day of Prayer Conference was excellent, as expected, and I was blown away by the response I received from the sessions I taught. Thank you to all who prayed for me.

Photos are of Mrs. Shirley Dobson; me and Jean Truty; two of my favorite NDP ladies: Lisa Crump and Sue Stoltz; and the glorious view from the Focus on the Family Headquarters that houses the NDP offices. Tony Perkins and Wil Graham were both great in their own unique ways as they presented in the general sessions and John Egan and company did a phenomenal job with the worship. There was much going on, but with my travel woes and being a presenter, I feel like I missed quite a bit this year--especially disappointed to miss the Focus on the Family chapel service, but all was well and good.

After waiting all day for a flight that was cancelled, I stood in line for an hour to get rebooked. As I waited my hand kept going, of its own volition, to my hip in a very attitudinal way. Each time I noticed it I slapped it down and told myself I wasn't allowed to get an attitude! I was going to speak at a prayer conference for goodness sake! It was funny, and I felt victorious that I didn't cave in to the emotions that attempted to overwhelm and distract me. Praise God for that.

Surprise 2: It's official! Christian 101 is now available to the public. I can hardly believe it.

My family and I have been using this for our devotions, and the kids have been enjoying it. I wrote this to help new believers and youth get grounded in the fundamentals of the Christian faith and develop the habit of pulling out their Bibles, having daily prayer times and journaling.

And, Surprise 3 (drum roll please)...on the very same day, today, The Eight Days of Christmas is now available as well. You haven't heard much about this project, so I'll add the copy from the back of the book that tells more about it.

A new approach to the advent of every child's favorite holiday.

The Eight Days of Christmas is a unique, interactive resource that brings Christianity into your Christmas season.

One-by-one, beginning December 18 and ending on Christmas Day, parents introduce pieces of the nativity and share with their children, preschoolers to teens, different characters and aspects of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Lessons taught by wise men, shepherds, angels and more include obedience, trust, loyalty, listening, giving, worship and compassion.

Age-appropriate discussion and prayer points will engage your children's thoughts and spriits and promote holiday conversations that go beyond tinsel, cookies and wish lists. You will be delighted as youre entire family discovers spiritual truths in the ancient Christmas story that are still so applicable to current-day Christian living.

As each new piece is added to the nativity display, anticipation builds for the arrival of Jesus on Christmas Day. Easily transferable from a home setting to Sunday School and Christian education classrooms, The Eight Days of Christmas promises to become a holiday tradition, one that will be a new experience each year you choose to journey through its pages.

Well, my friends, that is certainly enough for now. I do have one more surprise, a sympathy resource that will be available soon. As always, resources are available directly at the Affirming Faith website www.affirmingfaith.com.

Thanks for reading, and may you be blessed with a wonderful harvest season, in the name of our lovely Savior, Jesus Christ.