Giving & Teaching for Love

I just added a link to follow Come Have a Peace on FACEBOOK or to follow on TWITTER.    I've been resisting ... ;) but maybe this will be a great tool for encouragement. I pray so. :)     You are invited to join me there, friends.  There is also a new button to share a post on Facebook or via Twitter.  If ever you want to pass on words you read here, I would be honored.

I lost something last week and have been searching for it everyday to no avail.  In the midst of all of my searching, I have discovered a lot of things in the "corners" of my closets and rooms that I do not use and do not need.

This Sunday our church is taking part in the "Corners of Your Field" project. Just like farmers like Boaz in the Old Testament, we are intentionally taking our excess and donating it to our Knox Area Rescue Mission as stock in their 2nd hand stores, so the poor may benefit from what we find in our own "corners."  Have you checked your corners? Giving out of our abundance is a great way to do something for love of God and love of people.


Have you ever had God give you an opportunity you felt too small to accept, yet you loved it and thanked Him for it? It has been like that for me in writing with 5 other women on the Scripture Dig website. The other five ladies (Teri Lynne, Sandra, Kristi, Stephanie, Kathy) are truly lovers of God and of His Word. They write out of that love. Today I want to share with you about Kathy's most recent book that is a labor of her love. It's a practical and realistic answer to the things in life that shake us and sometimes shake our faith.


My Scripture Dig sister, Kathy Howard, is a Bible study author and speaker who has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years. She’s taught a wide range of topics to an even wider range of students – everything from basic Bible stories at a middle school to teacher training for church leaders. Kathy particularly enjoys speaking at women’s events and retreats to encourage them in their faith. She has a Masters in Christian Education and serves on a church staff in West Texas.


Kathy and her husband have three children and one son-in-law. When the family gets together there are also four dogs in the mix. Kathy writes to have something to do while drinking coffee. :)  You can find out more about her Bible studies and speaking ministry and get discipleship tools and leader helps at her website: www.kathyhoward.org. Kathy will be teaching a session at our church's women's retreat on April 8 & 9 in Pigeon Forge, TN. Email me if you'd like more info.:)  You can come!!


Unshakeable Faith, Kathy's new 8-session Bible study for women, has just been released and helps readers apply 8 key “faith traits” found in the life of Peter so they can weather the harshest storms of life. It's written about "real applications," with examples from the lives of "real women." I feel like this is a very timely study for the lives of women today. Many of us deal with circumstances like life-threatening illness, divorce, death of a child, and financial hardship. Kathy has seen her own friends face these life shaking events and emerge with a stronger faith. She also juggles the everyday things of life – work, family, ministry, and home life – without too much difficulty. But sometimes, even in just a small crisis, Kathy's self-sufficiency is shaken. She asked herself, "Would I stand firm in really hard times or would these trials knock me flat?" She began to ask God to show her how her faith could be prepared.


Unshakeable focuses on the life of Peter and what made the difference in his faith. Unshakeable Faith looks closely at Peter’s life and teachings to discover the key characteristics God built into his faith that helped him stand firm. Kathy says, "Unshakeable Faith not only leads readers into learning God’s Word, but it also purposefully helps readers apply it." 


In addition to each week’s application section, there is a “Faith Shaker” story about real women who have faced a life trial with which many readers will relate. Readers get to see how their faith keeps them standing firm. A strong faith in Jesus Christ does work in real life!



You can get a copy of Unshakeable Faith at many bookstores or here.


Just like when the woman did the "Beautiful Thing" out of love, when we do beautiful things for love, God is glorified! I'm looking forward to giving the Corners of My Field to my local mission this Sunday, and I'm looking forward to working through Kathy's new book, Unshakeable Faith.

Tomorrow, I want you to be so encouraged and blessed by the story of one mother's beautiful act of love. The picture of her love will linger with you and encourage you this weekend and beyond.