A Happy Fall Y'all Giveaway- Day 5!

***12:00 AM- November 14, 2009- Comments are now closed***


Drum roll please.............................the winner of Lord, I Need Grace to Make it Today by Kay Arthur is................................Victoria from Let the Son Shine!!!!!

Congrats Victoria!!! Contact me within the next 48 hours here with your address and I will get your signed copy of Lord, I Need Grace to Make it Today on its way to you!!! May you come to see His grace in a whole new light and may that freedom energize you to do the work God has called you to do!!!

Are you ready for today's Happy Fall Y'all Giveaway treasure? I am BEYOND excited about this giveaway. When Susan from Susan Designs sent me the picture of this treasure, that she handmade especially for one you gals by the way, I was floored on SO many levels by the beauty of it AND the message behind it. As I sat and stared at the picture of her creation tears streamed down my cheeks because in her creation, I think, she has captured so many of our stories- having once been slaves to sin but now living in the freedom Christ hung on that cross to freely give to us. This is a treasure inside a treasure and you are going to LOVE it!!!

Today I will be giving to one of you….well….um….well…. I’m not gonna tell you or show you just quite yet. *Smile* First, I want you to read some of Susan’s story.

Susan and I went to high school together. I think it's fair to say that neither of us were living our lives for the Lord back then. But, praise the Him... much water has passed underneath our bridges and God has chosen to bless both our lives more than we deserved. I have been so excited to talk with Susan and hear how the Lord has blessed her and her husband Chris. It has been a true joy to see her excitement for our Savior and her willingness to serve Him with all her heart.

Several months back I asked Susan to share her story with my readers- today, I’m only going to share with you a few snippets from it, but you are more than welcome to read her story in its entirety here.

Susan says,…
“I grew up going to church every Sunday. When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I accepted Christ and was baptized. I’m not sure I really understood what was happening, but I did know that Jesus had died for the bad things I had done and would do. As I grew older, church became somewhere I went because that’s what I was supposed to do. I still believed in God and what Jesus had done for me, but I thought I could live how I wanted, and then come back to Jesus in my own time.

While I was in college, I never went regularly to church except for when I came home on the weekends. After college, I moved to the Outer Banks, and married my husband, Chris. We never attended a church regularly there either. I was good at talking about it though!

It’s not that I didn’t believe in God anymore—it’s just that, that’s all I did! I believed there was a God. He made us, He loves us. For a while, I thought that was good enough. But something inside me was just not right. I felt guilty. This lingering guilt would not go away. I’d go out with my friends, have fun, feel guilty, and then go out and do the same thing the next weekend. God was working on me. He was weighing on my heart, convicting me of my sins. I just kept pushing Him further and further away. My pride and independence was more important to me than God.

I had drifted away from God, and I was now feeling the effects. God never left me, but I left Him- halfway promising to come back after I’d done what I wanted to do. All the while, I knew the consequences of choosing my own will. I was being selfish, choosing the world over Him. It was easier for me and more fun.

On May 27, 2007 we were both baptized, Chris for the first time, me for the second. This time I understood, we both understood. It was an awesome feeling. My heart was running over. I made the commitment, and this time I wasn’t afraid. I was excited! I finally knew what it meant to be FREE. It’s not always easy. In fact, Jesus promised a life lived for Him would be difficult, but the rewards are immeasurable! My life is not always a fairy tale, but I take great comfort in knowing how my story will end.”

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be FREE INDEED.”
John 8:36, NKJV (emphasis added)

Oh precious ones, in Christ is FREEDOM. Freedom from the bondage of sin; freedom from those past mistakes that weigh us down. In Christ there is freedom to be and do ALL that God has called us to. FREEDOM. FREEDOM.

In Christ, we are FREE INDEED!!!!!

Today, I am offering you these- a pair of handmade earrings from Susan Designs that say, “FREE INDEED”. May you wear them with great pride, knowing that in Him, YOU ARE FREE INDEED!!!!

You can enter to win today's treasure by...

1. Leaving a comment on this post= 1 entry.

2. Connecting with By His Grace Ministry by subscribing to receive us in your email inbox. You can do this by entering your email address in the box under the "Let's Connect" heading in the sidebar to your right. Once you have entered your email address click on the "subscribe" button. You will receive an email asking you to activate your subscription. Activate your subscription, then come back and tell us you are subscribed= 1 entry.

3. Connecting with us through Networked Blogs on Facebook and letting us know you did by leaving a comment on this post. You will find this in the sidebar to your right= 1 entry.

4. Connecting with us as a BHG Friend and letting us know you did by leaving a comment on this post. You will also find this in the sidebar to your right= 1 entry.

5. Placing our button, which can be found in the sidebar to your right, on your blog and letting us know you did by leaving a comment on this post= 1 entry.

6. Linking to this post on your blog and letting us know you did by leaving a comment on this post= 1 entry.

There you have it my friends, 6 ways you can enter to receive a pair of handmade earrings from Susan Designs.

***If you are already a subscriber, already follow us through Networked Blogs on Facebook, have already connected with us as a BHG friend, and have already placed our button on your site, leave us a comment letting us know each of those things and you will be entered into the giveaway accordingly.

***Entries will be received up until midnight tonight, Eastern Standard Time, November 13, 2009. The winner of a pair of handmade earrings from Susan Designs will be selected at random and announced November 14, 2009. Giveaway is open to those in the US and Canada only.

***Please make sure to leave your name and an email address with your comments so that I am able to contact you if you are the winner. Winners will have 48 hours from the time of the post announcing the winner to respond; otherwise another name will be selected at random.

I do hope you have enjoyed our Happy Fall Y’all Giveaway!! It has been a delight!!! Please visit with us again real soon. Blessings to you all. And remember, in Christ…YOU ARE FREE INDEED!!!!

Happy Fall Y'all!!