Baby Shower

Patti hosted the sweetest baby shower for a precious friend of hers, Antonina. Isn't that a beautiful name? Patti and Rodrick have been getting setttled into their new home, so we had the shower at our house.

Patti made a delicious Mocha Punch, served hot tea, petit fors and the cutest cookies I've ever seen. We wrote out blessings on a little card and tied it to the feather tree. Patti asked me to bring a devotion, so I spoke on "8 Ways to Love Your Children." We even played a cute little game. I love showers like that, so personable.

It was a sweet shower for a sweet mom to be!

Ready for Spring!

I'm ready for Spring. I'm just wondering which will come first, a snow or a dirt storm. We will see. :)

My Irish Roots!

Recently I interviewed my great aunt and found out some interesting information about my Great Grandfather, Patrick Moran.

He traveled from Ireland with his parents and his younger sister. They made their home in Johnstown, PA. The famous Johnstown flood wiped out the entire town. My great grandfather and his sister ran to the top of a hill and survived the flood. The parents did not survive. The brother and sister were sent to an orphanage in New York City. When Patrick turned 18, he attended Columbia University. His sister ended up marrying and living in New York. Patrick wanted to travel and the story I got was, he flew a plane to West Texas and crashed in the Pecos area. He liked it out here and decided to stay. He met and married my great grandmother. Her family were ranchers in the Pecos area.

I was told, but not sure yet, that my great grandfather was the one who started the Pecos newspaper. He was a journalist.

My great grandmother passed away and my grandmother helped raise her two siblings at a young age. They eventually moved to the Winters area where he was a journalist for the Abilene paper.

My great grandfather was killed in a car accident between Coleman and Winters.

All that to say, I have some Irish in me. The red hair is an Irish trait which my brother and son have. I have some red in my hair but my blonde keeps covering it up. Do green eyes count, too? :) I do have my green on today!

Kathy Howard Interview

Beverly: Many people in today’s culture don’t believe truth exists, that at best it’s relative. Why does the title of your new Bible study imply just the opposite?

Kathy: The desire to be our own boss and decide truth for ourselves comes from our flawed human nature. But, we can’t wish away absolute truth simply because we may not like it. If an all-powerful, Creator God exists – and there is plenty of evidence, including scientific evidence to support His existence – then He has the absolute right to decide absolute truth. The wonderful thing is we can know this truth and we can know God. God has revealed His truth about life, faith, and eternity to us in the Bible.

Beverly: What compelled you to write a book on this subject?

Kathy: It was simple need. God was sending people to our church who had never studied the Bible before. They wanted to know about Jesus and Christianity but they were starting at square one. I researched the available materials and even used some. However after teaching a couple of groups of spiritual seekers I realized the material was insufficient for their needs. It did not answer all their questions. It did not take them far enough or challenge them to make a decision for Christ. So, I began to write to fill the need.

Beverly: What is the main theme or point that you want readers to walk away with?

Kathy: The sole purpose of this book is to guide people into a relationship with Jesus. Every individual needs to be reconciled to God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We were created by God and for God. This life is incomplete without Him and eternity hangs in the balance.

Beverly: What makes your book different than other books similar to yours that are in circulation today?

Kathy: God’s Truth Revealed is grounded in Scripture. Instead of using questions about faith and life to determine the course of the book, GTR uses God’s story from Creation to the beginning of the Church to clearly and systematically present the Gospel. In doing so, the questions about life are also answered.

God’s Truth Revealed understands that faith in God is not illogical. The study provides historical evidence and facts to support creation, the reliability of the Bible, and the life of Jesus. In fact, the first lesson explores the existence of God and the meaning of faith. I am certainly not an expert in apologetics or science but the book is filled with facts and information from people who are.

Each session also includes the story of a real person’s spiritual journey. For instance, in the first session we meet Victor who was raised by an atheist father. Even though he grew up being told there is no God he always sensed there was something greater than this physical life. We hear all about Victor’s searching and spiritual journey and how He ultimately found Jesus. We also meet Greg who grew up in the church but didn’t know Jesus until he was an adult. And there’s Karen who lived for years with her husband in the spiritual darkness of a nudist camp until God’s light found her.

All these stories emphasize that each person’s spiritual journey is unique. God’s truth is the same, but He finds each of us where we are and then draws us to where He is.

Beverly: Tell me a little more about yourself, your writing and ministry.

Kathy: I’ve been married for 26 years. We have three children and one wonderful son-in-law. My husband’s job has moved us five times. Currently, I am on staff at our church in West Texas. I have a passion for studying and teaching God’s Word, which I have been doing for twenty years. A number of years ago God led me to better equip myself for His calling. I enrolled in seminary and graduated in 2004 with a Masters in Religious Education and a certificate in Women’s Ministry.

My first Bible study, Before His Throne, was released in January 2008. This in-depth study explores the book of Malachi to discover the joy and blessing of fearing God. I also have a third study in the works that’s due to be released early in 2011.

Brief Bio:

Kathy Howard, a Bible study author and speaker, 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 from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary 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. Find out about her Bible studies and speaking ministry and get discipleship and leader helps at her website: www.kathyhoward.org. Find out more about God’s Truth Revealed at www.godstruthrevealed.org

Ready to Grow!

Last Sunday morning I drove to First Baptist Church in Andrews, Texas. I had been invited to speak to their ladies. The women's ministry was kicking off a new season and the theme was Ready to Grow. Everything was decorated with beautiful Spring flowers. The ladies brought their favorite salad dish. Everything looked beautiful!

I really enjoyed speaking to them on the benefits of women's ministry and what to expect and not expect. I tied it into the gardening theme. Since my idea of gardening is going to Lowe's with my husband to pick out the yearly geraniums, it was a stretch! But I think it worked. :)

All of the ladies at First Baptist of Andrews were so precious. I loved meeting them and visiting with them. Blessings on your new season of Women's Ministry!

Daddy, Do You Love Me?( Workshop)

Last Thursday, I flew to Corpus Christi for a girl's conference called, "It's a Girl Thing." The conference began on Friday night with a band and Debra Scott-Brown. What an amazing story she had. Then the keynote speaker for the weekend was, Victorya Rogers.

My workshop was on Saturday. I did three; two for middle school girls and one for high school girls. What precious girls came to each session. The workshops were small, so I got to visit with each one more than I could have if they were huge classes. My heart broke as I listened to some of the stories of girls wondering why their dads do the things they do. My goal was to show them that they didn't have to be a statistic because they don't have a father to protect them. They have a Heavenly Daddy and He will take care of them and give them the comfort they need. How would I know this? Because, I lived that story and I would hate to think where I would be today if I hadn't put all my trust in my Savior to care for me and to give me the wisdom I would need to make it as a teen girl without too many scars.

The staff of "It's a Girl Thing" do a tremendous job in organizing and providing the tools that young girls need. I love their mission statement:

"To encourage teenage girls to become virtuous young women in a world that doesn't always care about moral and ethical standards."

Thank you to Sarah and her team for all that you do!

*This is the view outside of my hotel room.
*This is the lecture hall that I did my workshop in at Del Mar College.

I wish I would have thought to take a picture of the girls, they were precious!