In order to celebrate my first listing, I am going to host a giveaway of TWO Bible verse canvas pieces. My pastor has been teaching us about encouragement from Romans, and I was pondering how I could better encourage others through this crafting I like to do. I often give crafts away as gifts, but I wanted to specifically tie this giveaway into a way to both recognize and give encouragement.
SO, leave a comment below and let me know about someone you know who is a great encourager. Share with us all how that person encourages you or others and the impact they have had on others. IF your comment is randomly selected, you and the person you are sharing as an encourager will each receive a handmade scripture canvas.
For you, an 8 by 10 inch canvas of I Peter 5:7 in saddle brown with black lettering:
For the encourager you mention, an 8 by 10 canvas of I Corinthians 13:13 in classic gray with white lettering:
Rules:
1. You don't have to follow me on my blog or Facebook. If you like the blog and want to do so, that is great, but it isn't required.
2. You and your encourager example must live in the United States in order to qualify for the giveaways (shipping reasons). You must know your encourager's address info if you win so I can ship to them too!
3. The contest will last through Wed., March 7th at noon, PST.
4. Only one entry per person.
5. The winner will be randomly selected by number.
6. If you win, you will be contacted for shipping information. If you anonymously comment or are a "no-reply" blogger, make sure I have your name and e-mail! If I have no way to contact you, I will have to pick another winner. Super sad!
7. Be encouraged in the body of Christ and how we can show practical love to one another by all the examples you can read in the comments! Enjoy!
Thank you for the opportunity. My encourager is my best friend, Katie. She encourages me by being "strong and courageous". It's not even a direct encouragement like "oh, you look pretty today" it's so much deeper than that. Her husband has been going through chemo treaments the past 3 months and she is about to have her third little boy in April. She encourages me because I consistantly see her faith and positive attitude every day. I know I would be a basketcase if I was in her situation, but she just smiles and trusts that everything is going to be fine. That how she encourages me...by a living example.
ReplyDeleteMy encourager is my accountability partner, Beth. She is there to spur me on, prod me and rejoice with me!
ReplyDeleteMy encourager is my good friend Darcy Bonds. We became friends in high school. I had just moved from out of state and she immediately befriended me. Over the years we have stayed close and I know I can always count on her to lend a listening ear. It was Darcy who prayed for me, called me, and sent me tapes of sermons in the mail during the years before I was a Chrisrian. She never gave up on me and served as an excellent witness for Christ!
ReplyDeleteMy friend Rebecca is my encourager. I met Rebecca at a group event from my church, we met and then kept in contact on facebook. Then three years later we became good friends. She lifted me up when I was walking thru one of the hardest trials I have ever had to encounter. I felt alone and isolated from God. When talking with her and others at the time, I realized it was me and in fact I wasn’t even saved. During that time I gave my life to Christ and Rebecca took me thru partners at our church. She has encouraged me thru my brightest and darkest days, from the birth of my son to the death of my brother, to everyday things. She bought me a book Feminine Appeal and we are going to go read it together and talk about it. We might not see each other every day but I always get encouraging text messages and phone calls from her. Rebecca is a huge encourager to me, not only does she talk the talk but she walks the walk with how a Christian woman should compose herself. I look up to her and I admire her. Not only is she an amazing friend she is an amazing mom and wife. Rebecca, in my eyes, is what a Godly wife should be. God truly blessed me with such an amazing friend who encourages and lifts me up. Sometimes I might not like what she has to say, but as my accountability partner her main focus is making sure that I am obeying God’s word and she will be the first to call me out if I am wrong. A friend who is not afraid to call you out, love you, lift you up all for the glory of God…. She is truly one the biggest blessings in my life. I thank God for her. Rebecca is the biggest blessing and encourager in my life.
ReplyDeleteOh, how fun this is!
ReplyDeleteMy encourager is my Aunt Kathy.
From a very early age I admired Aunt Kathy. Mostly because I thought she was beautiful & fun :) But as I grew older- I learned more of her relationship and constant steadfast-ness for Christ. I don't know anyone else who has gone through the amount of heartache that Aunt Kathy has- enough for any "normal" person to give up all hope. But she has always, always trusted God and held Him close. And although we don't talk as much as I'd like and I see her once every few years- she's always there in my heart and mind- as a true follower of Christ. Someone that I gain encouragement from.
I don't know if she even understands how much she encourages me (and probably others!)
Thank the Lord for these people!
Chiara! You are my encourager! I am so thankful for the time we had as accountability partners. I was encouraged to stay in the word, grow in godliness and as a wife, become a better mama and lead in ministry! Love the signs!
ReplyDeleteYou made my day, Jenny. Love you, and miss you terribly. I told Ryan we need to sit down and plan a date to visit you in LA.
DeleteWhat a great give-a-way!!!
ReplyDeleteMy encourager is my dear friend Hally! We became friends through church years ago, but our friendship grew as we both entered motherhood within 2 months of each other. She encourages me in so many ways! Hally, is quick to encourage, point out the good and spur me on. She knows me well enough to point out my wrong in situations, to understand my heart and to direct me back to God's Word. She is so very creative and just watching her as a mom, I want to sit back and take notes! I am always amazed at how well she explains the world to her kids and directs them back to God's greatness in all things.
Though Hally is 700 miles away from me, she is the one I turn to when I need encouragement, the real kind of encouragement... she will never say what she thinks I want to hear, instead, she always gives me the truth and get a good kick in the pants : )
-Kelly
My encourager and spiritual mom/mentor is Barbara Cucchissi. I adore how she seeks to glorify God in every thing she does. My life is different because of her.
ReplyDeleteMy encourager is Jennifer. She is a dear friend and sister in Christ! Spurring me on to be a godly wife, and a godly woman.
ReplyDeleteMy encourager is my best buddy Beth P!! She always gives great biblical advise and always knows when I need a good smack down! She can quote scripture like the best of em and always points out something from the last weekends sermon that's very useful!! She awsome!!
ReplyDeleteLisa sclimenti
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ReplyDeleteBesides my hubby, I have 2 awesome encouragers in my life! My sister, Krysten and my dear friend, Morgan. Krysten is always there to encourage me as a wife, mom, and child of God. She loves me enough to correct me and call me out when I'm in sin, and this is the most encouraging thing of all. Morgan constantly encourages me through hand-written notes, text messages, or phone calls. Whether it's just to say she is praying for me, or to encourage me in a specific way, her words and friendship always spur me on to run hard after my Savior. If I am the winner, I will give one canvas to Morgan and one to Krysten. =)
ReplyDeleteWell....I didn't respond at first because my husband is my #1 encouraged & I didn't want to take the scripture art away from any ladies if I was chosen! But the truth is, God sent me Jim for a reason. He can tell me the truth in a loving way and somehow spur me toward change without hurting my feelings. Meanwhile, he tells others I'm great - LOL - a real bonus :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle Skidmore
My encourager is my mom. I have so much enjoyed having moved back to be near family and have the relationship with my mom. Every wednesday we get together with the kids and hang out and talk about life. She is always there to spur me on in my marriage, mothering and my relationship with the Lord. She is the most awesome lady. I am truly blessed to have her as my mother and wonderful friend.
ReplyDeleteJill Doswald
Amy S. I'm so thankful she invited me to Compass Bible Church and has encouraged me and has pointed me to the scripture many many times over the years!
ReplyDeleteBrandi O'Neal
My first instinct is to say that my husband is my biggest encourager - there isno one who knows me better and sees when I need encouragement most (even if I don't recognize it); but I figure that's not cheating since we're in the same house ;)
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm going to go with my friend Beth. No matter where we are in the world, she is always there when I need her most and is always there with godly wisdom, even when I don't want to hear it. She is bold in her faith and doesn't back down when I'm resisting. She is constant in my life and God has blessed her with the ability to say the right thing when I need it most. When we moved to Arizona, she was the first person (besides family) to come and visit us and it was exactly what I needed when I was feeling lonely and homesick. She is a very strong young woman, eager to help and consistently considering what would glorify God most in our friendship and in all other aspects of her life. She's encouraging to me when she gives me encouragment and she's encouraging when she comes to me looking for it - there's a lot of beauty in that.
I would have to say my 18 year old daugher, Ashley, is my encourager (and of course my hubby is too!). She amazes me that in this day and age, she is not afraid to be herself, think for herself...not follow the crowd so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI learned over the weekend that one of the best friends I ever had (we'd been friends since high school) passed away. The sad part was that he didn't share with me that he was sick and his time was coming to an end. I cried all weekend...feeling like a failure as a friend...and my daughter said, mom...this is why he didn't tell you. He didn't want to see you sad, didn't want to say good-bye or see you hurt.
Ash is also a breath of fresh air compared to other teens her age...she has such a positive and goofy outlook on life...always reminding me that God is truly in control! She brings such joy to me and my husband and also to her younger siblings...and she's an incredible role model.
She is about to embark on college in the fall about three hours away and has already asked if we can set up a certain day/night to have a skype date once a week...saying that it would be so much better to talk 'face to face' than on the phone so we can encourage and support each other from a distance.
Thanks for a fun giveaway and for your incredible blog....God is working through your blog whether you realize it or not and we appreciate it!
Julie
I have so many encouraging people in my life! Hubby first, praise God for that, but I don't think he'll mind if I say that most recently, my best encourager has been Alicia Voss. She's fantastic. Mostly because she says it like it is, tells me when I'm wrong, tells me when I'm ridiculous, and makes sure my focus is always on God's agenda instead of my own. She cares more about my standing before a holy God than she does about our friendship being cozy and full of superficial stuff. I love that.
ReplyDeleteBeth Paulson
My encourager is my accountability partner, Megan. We have been doing accountability together for three and half years and I have grown SO much in my faith due to her frequent encouragement. She is not only good at encouraging me with texts, facebook messages and hand-written cards. Megan has encouraged me by showing up at my door with a meal when I've had sick kids. She has offered to meet me at the hospital when one of my kids was admitted. Megan is the BEST encourager and I am blessed to have her in my life.
ReplyDeleteBeth Lauder
dan.bethlauder@cox.net
Beth...I love you! Thanks for encouraging me by writing these things!
DeleteMy first encourager is first and foremost God. I am so encouraged by what He does in and through all those around me! Next would be my husband of course. Then our amazing church family! And I mean AMAZING! But as far as girlfriends my friend's Jen and Katie spur me on and always are truthful no matter what!
ReplyDeleteMy encourager is Pastor Mike Elliot. Through a variety of circumstances in life, he has constantly (week after week) encouraged me and the men at Compass Bible Church to live out our godly responsibilities through the teaching and encouragement of Scripture.
ReplyDeleteHe has encouraged and counseled me through very difficult and painful trials, and spurred me on to deny myself and take up my cross to lead my family and love my wife as Christ loved the church. Through his thoughtful and biblical guidance, he has pointed me to a better way--the best way--God's way--the Way, the Truth and the Life that can only come through the Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that this note is an encouragement to him as a "thank you" for what he has done and continues to do under God's guidance, and an encouragement to those who read this.
Praise the Lord for Pastor Elliott.
My encourager is my dear friend Lisa Hof. She has been a friend to me for 6 years, and continues to help me grow to be a better friend, sister, mom and wife - but most importantly a better child of God. She continues to keep me accountable about my time in his word and my walk in Christ. She is a true friend that prays for me daily and is the encourager with "skin on" that God has sent into my life!
ReplyDeleteMy encourager I met many years ago when I was in Jr. High and was a stage-hand in Community Theater and he was Mr. Cratchet. He made an impact with his kind spirit and genuine concern for others. I cannot say I knew him well, but he made enough of an impact that I remembered his name.
ReplyDeleteMany years later I saw him at CBC and because of my fond recollection of him I was encouraged to talk to him at a men's conference. After some greetings I will never forget what he asked me next: "What is your testimony?”. I know I answered his question that day, probably convincingly, but what he did not know was that was the most encouraging thing he could have asked me.
It started a process of me examining my heart to know if I was really a child of God. The Holy Spirit was working on my heart and encouraging me to get right with God and reminding me of this from many sources. I tried to reconcile my life of sin against my desire to be considered a Christian and my pride that considered 'time served' as a Christian to be more important than genuine repentance and faith in Jesus.
God was not done using my encourager Chip Paschal in my life and I was excited when Chip and Chris would be our mentor couple in Thrive. I remembered our meeting at the men's conference and so as I was still trying to reconcile my testimony so I asked Chip to meet with me before Thrive. I shared with him what I thought my testimony was and I must have been convincing again. He did encourage me to listen to the Sermon series 'Almost a Christian' and 'But I've Always Been a Christian' which I did. These sermons stirred my heart up more and did not do much to appease my pride but in retrospect were the exact encouragement I needed.
Chip and I met once or twice more but it was not until the baptism service (which Chip was baptized at) that my pride was broken and I knew that I had not repented of my sins. In the middle or the baptisms ceremony I got up and found Chip in the lobby and we prayed. In that prayer I agreed with God that I was a responsible for my sins and I surrendered my life unconditionally to Jesus. I will never forget the analogy Chip prayed with me in that God is like a mighty rushing river and that we as small vessels can bring nothing to the river that will add anything to it, but God has ample to cleanse and to fill us. I know later he said that he butchered this quote but it was the encouragement I needed to know that I could come to God as an empty vessel and I trust that God would fill me and make me a new creation.
Even before Chip was regenerate, God used him as an encouragement many years ago. This encouragement was repeated at the men's conference as a simple question, and continues today as our Thrive mentor. Chip's love for Christ and love for others is a daily encouragement and I pray that God will use me to be encouragement to others as he has done in my life.
I am encouraged by so many women that I attend church with it would be painful to actually choose one as my encourager - so if I can choose one that has encouraged me most recently. I met Kelly Sawyer on a weekend retreat, as we were roomies. We had good talks and then Facebook friends. Kelly's husband was going through some severe health issues, and I watched all her posts and thought wow what a woman. How is she doing this, being a mother and a wife and still providing godly support to so many women. I recognized some areas I needed to work on as a wife and got to speak with Kelly about this on a day that only God could have arranged. I think the most valuable advice I have ever been given was supplied by her "sometimes you have to back away to allow your husband to lead so that God can use him the way He intends." I have taken that advice to heart and realized, even if my husband doesn't do it the way I would that God is using him and who am I to not allow that. I am continually working on my role as a godly wife to my husband and with women like Kelly in our church to look to as positive role models, I am truly encouraged.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest encourager has been Katy McCrory. I am so thankful for her friendship! The last two years have been the most difficult I've ever endured, both physically and spiritually. Katy is intentional about making sure we get together and when I talk to her about my life, she constantly asks me about my prayer life and what I am thankful for. I receive random texts from her often just asking me what I'm thankful for today :) It helps refocus my mind from the complaints I have in this life and helps me remember all the blessings I have. Thanks Katy and thank you Chiara for the fun blog assignment :)
ReplyDelete-Rebecca Millsap
There are 2 people who come to mind when I think of encouraging - both in my life and in others....
ReplyDeleteThe first is my sister, Christa. She is such a godly woman and has been for many many years and because of her great love for God, she comes alongside so many to bring them up in obedience to Him. She has been so gracious to have so many conversations with me over the years - conversations that are so difficult and there are so many tears shed (on my part of course) yet she loves me anyways and she always points me to the Word and spurs me on to obey more and press on toward that goal. I love her so very much!
The second woman is an amazing friend that God has not just brought through my life, but dug a hole and planted her here with deep roots that I may not ever be able to get rid of her! LOL! (not that I would ever want to!!!!) Her friendship came at a time that I needed a kindred spirit - someone I could trust and feel at ease around. She loves God and always seeks to grow in her obedience and encourages me always to do the same! She is someone who is not intimidated to speak the truth and when she does, it is wrapped in so much love that I just know what she's saying can be trusted. She spurs me on because she believes in me and she walks through life with me and I love her so dearly for that. She is someone who can finish my sentences and always make me laugh (even if it's a text entirely of emoticons!). She is one of those people who I think about and PRAISE GOD for always. She is Beth Paulson.
I would be hononerd to give each of these ladies the prize if I win.
My mother is my encourager! She is positive and helps people focus on Christ and not their circumstances.
ReplyDeletefamily74014 at gmail dot com