Marilynn Dawson's Blog, page 2

"The Poor Man's Budget" A 5 week course learning to live within your means

"The Poor Man's Budget" is ready for content review and editing.

This 5 week course comes complete with worksheets that the instructor or student may freely photocopy as needed.

Each session features a Scripture verse related to finances and provision. From time to time, illustrations from the author's life are used to help the instructor both grasp and impart needed information to the students.

Student workbooks keep most of the worksheets in one place, reducing the need for photocopying but not eliminating it due to how some sheets become the basis for others later on.

Contingencies are suggested to those instructors holding classes where no access to the Internet is possible for certain sessions.

This course is primarily aimed at people living in Canada and the USA, but can be easily adapted to other countries where financial disparity tends to mix with consumerism, debt, and discontent. Two major themes throughout the course can be lumped into two terms: "Needs Versus Wants" and "Found Money".

Week Three takes the class out on three field trips during the discussion on grocery budgeting. A session on getting out of debt encourages the instructor to bring in a guest speaker. Use of white board to illustrate various concepts or show how to fill out forms is also encouraged.

So I'm looking for a small handful of people to help with pre-publication reviews and feedback.�� Ideally, they will already work with people who are in difficult times financially, or working with people who are struggling to get a handle on their financial situation regardless of their lot in life.�� If you are such a person, or know of such a person, get them in touch with me.

Welcome to the August 2015 Edition of Songdove Books Newsletter!

The final full week of August already! I know many of you are wondering where the summer went, thinking you may have caught a glimpse of it in the corner of your eye as it whizzed past. In my corner of the world, it was a hot, dry summer with more than its fair share of forest fires and cracked earth! However, in spite of the heat, it was an adventurous summer as well. Those of you staying up with my monthly newsletters will have learned about July's adventures already.

The adventures for August were closer to home, but prompted me to write about the joys and challenges of setting up my grown kids to make names for themselves in their own particular niches in life. (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/08/15/when-enabling-others-is-a-good-thing/) Those efforts are ongoing as we speak, but they began in earnest this summer.


BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

Things stayed quiet on the book front until this very week when I launched a two month book bundle good from now through to October 31st. The way the savings go, its as if you are getting two books in the bundle for FREE! Due to how various retailers around the 'net have priced my books, this is more true than you might realize! Get all the details here:
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/08/24/back-to-school-bundle-for-the-entire-family/

Month Five prayer cards for "A Year in Prayer With Jesus" are now completely scheduled through to September 10th. That means I have to get my own tail and complete more months in the prayer card series. It's been hard to concentrate on all the copy and pasting required to turn the book into this series with the weather being so hot this summer. But I will get this series of prayer cards completed. I promise!

These prayer cards will not be shared on LinkedIn any longer, as I can't force LinkedIn to accept both an image and a courtesy link via hootesuite, without the courtesy link taking over. The focus is not to be the link, but the image. So LinkedIn is now axed from seeing these cards.

When Month 6 is completed, Months 1 - 3 will go on sale at 25% off. All decks, whether 30 days or 31 days, sell for $20 each and are useable as desktop backgrounds, in your screensaver app (randomly), or printed at 300 DPI on your colour printer. You may purchase one copy for home, a second work, another for your office at church, etc. If you have a Bible study group you wish to purchase for, contact me and we'll discuss special pricing.

Month One: https://gumroad.com/l/PC-YPWJ
Month Two: https://gumroad.com/l/PC2-YPWJ
Month Three: https://gum.co/PC3-YPWJ
Month Four: https://gumroad.com/l/PC4-YPWJ
Month Five: https://gumroad.com/l/PC5-YPWJ


Another Book Project!

Efforts on my daughter's books are coming along, particularly one we are doing together where she will be listed as co-author in order to ensure that I have my facts straight and effective sources quoted. This book is entitled, "Horsemanship According to Xenophon" and will not only feature the translated work as done by Morris H. Morgan in 1893, but include many of Morris's own translation notes. Ashley and I are huge lovers of history, so with so many of Morris's notes giving historical context either for Xenophon's comments or Morris's own translations at times, the historical value was too great to pass up! A cover for this book still has to be drafted, but the interior is so far coming along nicely. This will be the equivalent to a softcover coffee-table book due to its size and the full-colour interior. Many of the images in the book feature both Ashley and her horse, Bella Svanna.

Our goal for this book is to bring Xenophon's writings into the modern day first as Morris saw them in 1893 and then as we see and interpret them now. Our presentation will draw from Ashley's 9+ years of experience around horses both caring for and riding them English-style, as well as quotes and references to manuals, guides and other sources showing the modern adaptation, interpretation and execution of many of Xenophon's admonitions from 350BC.

Due to his various references to how the Persians handled equestrian concerns, an additional writer's influence from 1350BC in the country of Mitanni is included in Chapter 4. This is important to note as Mitanni was overtaken by the Hittite Empire; yes, that same empire that was driven out of Canaan when Israel moved in. In turn, the Hittite Empire was overtaken by the Persian Empire against whom Xenophon joined the Greek army to fight long before he began writing. Many authoritative references to Xenophon's works state that there doesn't exist any writings related to the care, feeding and training of the horse that survived prior to Xenophon's book. I'd say 5 cuniform tablets from the ancient Hittite region certainly qualify as prior writings!

So if you are into horses and into history, you'll want to stay tuned on the progress of this book!


News Related to the Songdove Books Affiliate Program

Have you signed up as a Songdove Books Affiliate yet? (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/become-a-songdove-books-affiliate/) I know some of you like to share my books with your online friends from time to time, so why not get 20% kickback for your trouble?

Click2Sell and JVZoo only offer this percentage on my two e-courses, however the recent additions this summer of Gumroad and Payhip also let you earn this percentage on sales of my books too!

Check out this link on my site for more information(http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/become-a-songdove-books-affiliate/). Help me get word out about my books and e-courses, and get paid for every sale made from your efforts!

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Wrap-up

I'll close off today with encouragement to check the blog links below. I've been saying that a lot in recent newsletters, but the truth is, that these newsletters have been coming out shortly after major thoughts have already been written. Being one for efficiency, why write them twice, right? My blog has been quite varied this summer ranging from devotonal thoughts to family life to at least one all-out rant! I actually do rant occasionally. Remember that I process things through my fingers on this keyboard. That means when God is speaking, I process via writing, when I'm puzzling something out I'll process via writing, when an issue grates on me too strong I'll resort to writing about it to get it out of my system for awhile, etc. So my blog is a reflection of these various types of writing this summer. If you haven't stopped by in awhile, you'll want to click one of the posts below and then look at the left-hand sidebar near the top to see recent blog posts. Alternatively, you can click the site banner to go to the home page and scroll down to see the variety of blog posts this summer produced.

Feel free to share any posts that resonate with you too. Each posting has a row of share buttons across the bottom to help you do that. It's a shorter newsletter this month, but we are heading into the Fall season now, so who knows what's in store as we move forward.


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View past newsletters. http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/past-newsletters/
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Latest Content on the Songdove Musings Blog:


Relationship with God: Which One Do You Most Identify With?
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/08/26/relationship-with-god/

My blogging lately has not followed my personal devotions. The first chapter of Joshua had already been written about at length earlier in June long before I'd even finished the book of Deuteronomy. I confess that today, my thoughts are not in the book of Joshua either. Instead, my thoughts are straying toward the concept of how we approach God ���



"Back to School Bundle for the Entire Family!"
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/08/24/back-to-school-bundle-for-the-entire-family/

Yes, it IS that time of year again! For some, classes are already in session. For others, classes are due to resume following Labour Day in September. Regardless of when children and teachers are returning to the classroom, its hard not to observe all the sales going on in the stores right now! Paper, pencils, rulers, backpacks, calculators, cellphones and ���



The Cyclist, The Motorist, and the Law! A Rant!
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/08/20/the-cyclist-the-motorist-and-the-law-a-rant/

It happened again! This time while taking my daughter to work at 6:15am! Yet another cyclist thought that a) they were in their right to be on the vehicular side of the bike lane's white line, and b) in their right to be riding tandem with the cyclist who was obeying the law and staying in the center of their ���

Today I began reading the book of Joshua.

The first chapter of Joshua had been written about earlier in June of this year because verses from it had been used during a prayer warrior gathering above my city. I was preparing to write again about this chapter, and about a particular angle from a certain verse, even having grabbed a few verses that point to that very thought from elsewhere in the both the Old and New Testament. However, after scanning the blog article I'd written on June 10th, I realized that I don't need to write anything further, other than to share more verses than even those I had referenced in that original article.

The original blog post can be found here: http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/06/10/obedience-a-many-splendored-thing/

The additional Scriptures can be found following the verse they relate to specifically, which is:

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

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Psalms 1:1-6 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

James 1:21-25 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

As you'll see by the number of blog posts already written about this subject, it is one that lays on my heart often, and that I keep running into periodically.

Songdove Books Newsletter: July 2015 Victory Edition!

Welcome to the Victory Edition of Songdove Books Newsletter!

VICTORY!!!

That was the theme of this month! My health was reasonably well. My finances were the lowest for the 2015 year to date. I turned into a living stop light for several days, and yet, the month feels like a success!

Victory #1: I successfully drove a horse 1.5hrs to and from a schooling show the weekend of July 12th!
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/07/13/some-pretty-tasty-and-rather-exciting-equine-crow-is-this-the-second-time-ive-eaten-it-now/

Victory #2: My daughter and her horse won two ribbons at the schooling show that weekend!

Victory #3: Her horse trailored for me in under 2 minutes as we got ready to come home! Apparently that is considered a compliment in the horse world.

Victory #4: Month 5 of Prayer Cards from "A Year in Prayer With Jesus" was completed!
https://gumroad.com/l/PC5-YPWJ

Victory #5: Another copy of "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate" sold!
http://smarturl.it/MLBB

Victory #6: Gumroad and Payhip added affiiliate systems to their storefronts, bringing the total number of affiliate systems available to Songdove Books Affiliates, to FOUR!
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/become-a-songdove-books-affiliate/

Now naturally, not all these events took place in the order in which I counted them, but order isn't important. The fact remains that in spite of how some aspects of July went, there are things to be happy about and rejoice over, and its important to make sure we dwell on the positives to a) keep our spirits up, b) reassure ourselves that with God's help, anything is possible, c) keep moving forward and d) get our minds off things that will drag us down. Have I mentioned that I learned how to write run-on sentences from the Apostle Paul himself?? It seems he learned from the Prophet Isaiah!


Prayer Cards From "A Year in Prayer With Jesus"

As mentioned in the victory list above, Month Five in the Prayer Cards From "A Year in Prayer With Jesus" is now available for purchase and download from Gumroad.com. Almost half way through the undated year now with these cards, and they are being shared in their low-res form on Facebook, Twitter, and my author profile on G+. Everytime I think I've solved the link vs image issue on LinkedIn, it reverts back to the link getting the focus! The next test will involve double-entry via hootesuite's system. If that works, great, if it doesn't. . . I will have to stop trying to share the prayer cards via LinkedIn.

When Month 6 is completed, Months 1 - 3 will go on sale at 25% off. All decks, whether 30 days or 31 days, sell for $20 each and are useable as desktop backgrounds, in your screensaver app (randomly), or printed at 300 DPI on your colour printer. You may purchase one copy for home, a second work, another for your office at church, etc. If you have a Bible study group you wish to purchase for, contact me and we'll discuss special pricing.

Month One: https://gumroad.com/l/PC-YPWJ
Month Two: https://gumroad.com/l/PC2-YPWJ
Month Three: https://gum.co/PC3-YPWJ
Month Four: https://gumroad.com/l/PC4-YPWJ
Month Five: https://gumroad.com/l/PC5-YPWJ

Graduation season is now over
and well over 30 graduates received copies of my book, "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate". (http://smarturl.it/MLBB) I was so thrilled to see the books fly off the Amazon virtual shelves this Spring! One day 12 books sold all at once, leading me to wonder if a youth group somewhere decided to bless their graduates this year with copies of this book!

This book may be purchased at any time of year however, so if you have a graduate heading off to college, be sure to arm them with a copy along with other resources such as those provided by Alliance Defence Fund and Focus on the Family. Post-secondary education isn't what it used to be and the religiously-tolerated landscape has changed sharply in recent years. "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate" can help keep them on the right track.


"Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey"

Just a reminder that "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey" continues to be available in a wide variety of online locations including Amazon in paperback. PDF versions are available at just as many places online. This series of 6 volumes and a Leader's Guide takes the reader through my journey of healing and restoration back in 2007/08, offering resources and questions to help the reader along in their own journey.

If you are an Amazon Prime member, these books qualify for the free shipping if you meet the minimum purchase requirements. In addition, using the Amazon Smile links via my website will allow you to support your favourite charity when completing your purchase. You'll find all my books in the Amazon Smile page set up on my site (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/smile/), so feel free to purchase as many as you wish, knowing that a portion of your completed sale will go toward the charity you picked when first visiting Amazon Smile.


News Related to the Songdove Books Affiliate Program

Have you signed up as a Songdove Books Affiliate yet? I know some of you like to share my books with your online friends from time to time, so why not get 20% kickback for your trouble?

Click2Sell and JVZoo only offer this percentage on my two e-courses, however the recent additions this month of Gumroad and Payhip also let you earn this percentage on sales of my books too!

Check out this link on my site for more information. (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/become-a-songdove-books-affiliate/)�� Help me get word out about my books and e-courses, and get paid for every sale made from your efforts!

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Wrap-up

You'll notice the "recent blog posts" section at the end of this newsletter is quite varied this time 'round. When I first began my blog in early 2013, my very first post introduced myself and the fact that at times, content would be random. The month of July has certainly lived up to that from comparing small-cash earnings sites to a discussion about a plant, to a blog post about the July 12th weekend all while continuing to blog about chapters of Scripture as verses in them jump out at me on my journey through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Only the three latest posts are shown below. But feel free to browse the top left sidebar as well to catch up on all that's been written this month.

July has definitely felt like a crazy month! I don't know what August has in store, but I do ask for continued prayer for my finances. 2015 went very well in the first half, but income has slowed down considerably as of July. I have more energy now and mental/emotional health is holding steadier as well. So I am getting generally busier as a result and not paying for it half as often. So pray for the work to come in, or for residual income to kick in from sales of my books, e-courses, cafepress offerings, etc.

You're welcome to join me over at Cashcrate (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/07/17/cashcrate-versus-swagbucks/) as well and get paid a little to share your opinions with companies asking for them. I haven't had time every single day to put into it, but whenever I do, I earn anywhere from a few cents to a couple dollars within one hour of sitting down to the site. I'm almost at $10 and would be higher if I remembered to check in every day.

So here's to ending an otherwise victorious month, and praying for more victories going into the remainder of the summer!


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View past newsletters. http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/past-newsletters/

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Latest Content on the Songdove Musings Blog:
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Deuteronomy 15: Has Earth Entered the "Year of Release"?
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/07/26/deuteronomy-15-has-earth-entered-the-year-of-release/

(So I actually read this chapter several days ago, but Deuteronomy 15 came back to "haunt" me in a big way today!) Every now and then, I hear a sermon that tweaks something in my heart and mind, and I have no choice but to ponder, think about and generally process it. Most times, this processing happens largely between the ���

Another Dive into the World of Natural Health! Even our Animals are Included This Time!
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/07/25/another-dive-into-the-world-of-natural-health-even-our-animals-are-included-this-time/

Another random post to my blog! This one is health-related this time, as opposed to financial like the last one. While most of what I write is indeed devotional in some manner, or issues-related as they relate to life as the Bride of Christ in today's world, occasionally something other than that will be written, such as one of two ���

CashCrate Versus Swagbucks!
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/07/17/cashcrate-versus-swagbucks/

Back in 2013, while looking for low-stress ways to attempt making an income while trying to begin recovery from adrenal fatigue, I ran across the elusive promise that income could be made by completing surveys for various companies online. I would quickly discover that most companies don't want to hear from me! While delving into this, I'd joined a site ���

Welcome to the June 2015 Celebration Edition of Songdove Books Newsletter!

Welcome to the edition that generally heralds two major national holidays! One of them sees a host of normally reserved people suddenly break out in red and white, bbq block parties, multicultural celebrations across the nation and fireworks displays by certified pyrotechnic teams. The other holiday sees typically patriotic people putting on the red, white and blue, taking off to baseball games, breaking out the bbq and engaging in backyard fireworks displays for themselves and the rest of the street. At both holidays flags are flown, worn, draped, hung, displayed as cakes, artwork, fruit trays and anything else that can be decorated in the national colours.

I think by now, most of my readers know which two holidays I'm talking about, and they both take place next week! I'm referring to Canada Day on July 1st when Canada celebrates it's 148th birthday, and Independence Day on July 4th, when the United States celebrates it's independence from the Crown of England.

To citizens of both countries, I wish you joyful, sober merry-making, and a time when you are able to gather with friends and family to remember the best of what both countries have to offer, giving thanks to God for granting us the mercies He has over the years and seeking His guidance going into another year as a nation.

These days, national leaders are more in need of God's wisdom, discernment, insight and foresight than ever before! To my Canadian readers, remember that your Prime Minister is a fellow believer in Christ and is deeply in need of your prayers for God's wisdom to permeate his decisions. He isn't a perfect leader, but no nation on the planet is able to make that claim. Pray for your brother in Christ and for his family, that they will seek God in all they do. Give thanks to God that our Prime Minister unequivocally stands by Israel when almost every other nation is against them. In making this stand, our national leader has ensured God's blessings on our own land no matter what mistakes you may have trouble forgiving him for.

To my US readers, I am seeing quite a bit of dismay at the things your federal government has been doing, and there is much discontent with your President in many circles of society. Scripture commands us to pray for our leaders, and I urge you to pray for your President like never before! Bombard heaven's gates to have God turn his head in the directions God wants him to go as Proverbs says God does. Scripture says if we pray for our leaders, that we will invite God's blessings over our own lives and families. So while it's currently quite popular to dump on Obama and his surrounding leadership, may I instead ask as we approach July 4th this year, that you take time to intercede, to repent on behalf of your nation and government, and seek God's face on behalf of those who lead your nation. Stand in the gap and pray for wisdom, for guidance, for discernment, for insight for foresight, both for yourselves at home and for your government at all levels. Examine your life, your hidden thoughts and hidden convictions, and seek God's cleansing and restoration for yourself, your family, your church and your community. It is only as people allow God to move through the dark recesses of their individual lives that entire communities and even entire nations can be changed. Gather in your prayer groups this July and fall on your knees before the only God who will hear and take action on your behalf. May July 4th 2015 be known as the date when American fell to it's knees in humble repentance, and rescued a nation on the brink of disaster.

To those who live overseas, as you scan the news online or flip the channels on your television set, it is clear that there is trouble brewing worldwide at this time. Unrest has taken over major areas of the globe as governments and religious groups try to crack down on those who do not follow their creeds. As these scenes cross your screen, reach out a hand toward that screen and pray over those going through these troubling times. Pray for comfort for those losing family members, pastors, and community leaders. Pray for those committing such crimes and claim their souls for the Kingdom of God outloud so that they are unable to die until they have made Christ Lord. Pray that the Holy Spirit will invade troublesome governments and tight-fisted regimes, that in these last days the name of the Lord will be lifted up. Pray for peace, wisdom, guidance, discernment, insight and foresight for the governments and leaders at all levels right where you live.

Yes, this is a call to prayer. This is a call to self-examination. This is a call to surrender to the cleansing fire of the Holy Spirit so that you are free to do battle in the heavenly realms on behalf of those who can't. This is a time for the army of Christ to stand up and be counted! Nation after nation is falling prey to the forceful voices of sin demanding that their sin be legalized, accepted, respected, and not only tolerated but engaged by those who these voices know right well will not do so. Christians in "free" countries are being dragged through courts and heavily penalized for standing up for their beliefs where once they used to be free to do so.

Darkness is falling across the globe as we enter the wee hours before morning when Christ will return for His Church, the Bride of Christ. The birth pangs as of a mother in labour according to Matthew 24, are upon us and getting closer and closer together. The frequency of these pangs are causing some to think we have entered the Tribulation period, although Christ said these were only precursors to that time. Even as precursors however, they are catching people off-guard. They are creating panic and heartbreak and even the earth is not immune. The saying goes that it's always darkest before dawn. However it is also said that one small candle can light an entire room when that room is darkened.

We live in dark days that are only going to get darker and more troublesome before the great and terrible Day of the Lord comes. The enemy of our souls knows his time is short and he has begun his offensive. Christ when looking out across time to this period says Himself, will He find faith on the earth when He returns? Indeed, will He? Only you and I can answer that question for ourselves and for those we love. Only we can engage in intercessory prayer for those God places on our hearts. Only we can ensure our own hearts and minds and our own outward daily walk is upright and clean before the Father. Only we can ensure that our Robes of Righteousness have been washed by the Word so that Christ can present us blameless to the Father.

Remember that your heart-felt prayers are powerful! Not because of what you say, but because of Who is listening! Lastly, remember Psalm 91. . . Read it before you go to bed tonight, and read it often in the days to come. Create a poster and copy and paste the passage into it, print it and post it on your kitchen or living room wall for all to see as the days get darker. If you were tried in a court of law, would there be enough evidence to brand you a Child of the King? Take time this coming week of celebration, to make sure you will be celebrating your citizenship in Heaven.

Seasonal News

June was marked by one major word for this author this year. . . GRADUATION!!! As a soundtech at my church, I do events at various times of the year. This month I did three graduation ceremonies, one for a nursing school and two high school graduation ceremonies. These were followed by a middle school awards night. Amongst all that were two funerals, which were graduations of a sort all their own. I'm not sure where one graduated to, but the other for sure graduated into Heaven. Two copies of "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate" (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/mlbb-2/) sold this month as well, bringing the final total to somewhere around 33 books being given to grads this year. It is my prayer that this little book blesses each and every graduate receiving it, long into their young adult years and beyond.

Prayer Cards From "A Year in Prayer With Jesus"

"A Year in Prayer With Jesus" prayer cards continued, with month's three and four added to the list over at gumroad.com. I need to schedule month four into hootesuite but finally have the picture versus link figured out. Now the focus is where it should be, which is on each prayer card every five minutes from 7am Pacific time to 7:30am PST. These are being shared via �� ��
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Marilynn.Dawson.Author),
Twitter (https://twitter.com/songdoveMD),
LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynndawsonauthor),
and my author profile on G+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/115008188392416387848/115008188392416387848). (although twitter users must click the FB link to see the images). I've begun work on month five, but as you can imagine, life has been busy and I have either been too exhausted, or had other things to keep track of.

Month One: https://gumroad.com/l/PC-YPWJ
Month Two: https://gumroad.com/l/PC2-YPWJ
Month Three: https://gum.co/PC3-YPWJ
Month Four: https://gumroad.com/l/PC4-YPWJ

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Wrap-up

It's interesting as I look back over the past month, that subjects God's had me writing about on my blog tie in so closely with what I felt I had to write in this newsletter tonight. Obedience, Gratitude, reverence for God's Word, guarding our heart, and remembering the nature of God Himself. I would strongly urge, if you don't already follow my blog as sporadic as it is, that you take time to read the blog posts shared at the end of this newsletter this month. Some of the posts below contain links to other posts because it made more sense to share previous blog post links than to write everything out all over again.

So grab a cold tall iced tea and plate of your favourite summer snacks, and take time to read through these articles. In light of all that is going on in the world, the Church around the globe, and in our very own lives, these thoughts are timely and challenging.

One more article that isn't below, but that I pray encourages many of you, will be seen in the sidebar of any article you click on. "I am thy part and thine inheritance". Take a gander at that one as well. You won't regret it.

May God go with you into the coming week.

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View past newsletters. http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/past-newsletters/

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Latest Content on the Songdove Musings Blog:

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Deuteronomy 4: Of Words, Hearts and the Nature of God
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/06/24/deuteronomy-4-of-words-hearts-and-the-nature-of-god/

As I read through the Bible again, one chapter per day, I now come to the book of Deuteronomy and when it comes to firsts, the fifth book of the Torah does not disappoint. Chapter four brings with it not one, not two, but three admonishments that we see sprinkled throughout Scripture and are more likely to recognize from other ���

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Gratitude - A Many-Splendored Thing!
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/06/21/gratitude-a-many-splendored-thing/

What is "Gratitude"? According to dictionary.com: Gratitude is "the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful". According to Collins English Dictionary: Gratitude is "a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation, as for gifts or favours". When I look up the word in Nave's Bible Dictionary, I am told to look at the word Thankfulness. Gratitude then, is a form of ���

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Obedience: A Many-Splendored Thing!
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/06/10/obedience-a-many-splendored-thing/

Anyone who has followed my blog long enough, will know that I have written at various times about how obedience shows the Triune God that we love Him! Blog posts such as: Genesis 22: Obedience Leads to Blessings: Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto ���

Welcome to the May 2015 Graduation Edition of Songdove Books Newsletter!

Anyone know where May took off to??? As I write this, the calendar says May 27th and June 1st is on Monday! So I'm sitting here realizing it's time for yet another monthly newsletter. . . Could have sworn I wrote one just a couple weeks ago. . .

One thing's for sure, May's focus has been GRADUATION!


Seasonal News

The biggest event of the month was probably the discovery of 26 copies of "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate" flying off the Amazon shelves (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/099168334X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=099168334X&linkCode=as2&tag=becothebridof-20)! That brings the total paperback copies of this book sold to 31 this year!

31 graduates will receive this from loved ones in their life seeking to offer unspoken assistance as they cross the stage from school into the big wide world! I've been told this is a great book to send kids off to college with too.


Prayer Cards From "A Year in Prayer With Jesus"

The second event to have me both relieved and excited about, is that the prayer cards for "A Year in Prayer With Jesus" have resumed production now that I have more hard drive space, and I was able to schedule month two, and both start AND complete month three, complete with scheduling in hootesuite! All three months are now available as hi-res downloadable printables on gumroad.com. Month four is now in the works and when that's done, I'll be a solid third of the way through! It really is a relief to be working on this project again!

The remainder of Month Two and Month three begin resumed daily morning postings on June 1st. You'll be able to catch them every five minutes starting at 7am via my author page via:

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Marilynn.Dawson.Author),
Twitter (https://twitter.com/songdoveMD),
LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynndawsonauthor),
and my author profile on G+ (https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/115008188392416387848/115008188392416387848).��

Those versions of the prayer cards however, are only 72dpi (web quality) and not very suitable for printing. You can however, share them as far and wide online as you wish, if you so choose. Just keep the cards intact for copyright reasons.

The $20 price of each printable deck over at gumroad works out to less than 20 cents per hi-res image. While many graphics artists will scream at so little per image, this is my attempt to make printing them more affordable for you, as ink and paper aren't cheap either.

Month One: https://gumroad.com/l/PC-YPWJMonth Two: https://gumroad.com/l/PC2-YPWJMonth Three: https://gum.co/PC3-YPWJ

Promotional News

Locations online where Songdove Books may be found grew again this month. All four ebooks can now be purchased from Best Indie Book Store (http://bestindiebookstore.com/hot/authors/marilynn-dawson/). Needless to say, if you haven't already, you'll want to review the Songdove Books Presents: list of where to buy around the world to see if you favourite store is there yet or not.

The list is both growing and shrinking, as a UK site removed their ebook section this year as well.

I won't bore you by listing all the current locations in this newsletter, just click over to the site to peruse at your convenience.

http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/where-to-buy-around-the-world/


Wrap-up

As usual, God's provisions never cease to amaze me. I have wrapped up the "heavy lifting" for a client's website and brand new social media presence and am now handling things back on a maintenance basis. That client almost single-handedly covered my desired monthly earnings for most of 2015 so far. As that began winding down, soundtech events at my church began picking up! Several events in April and May combined with an unknown donor's gift back in April, have ensured things keep rolling in this house. Funerals, concerts, a wedding. . . A sound tech never knows what they'll be doing next around my church. June will see me doing three graduation ceremonies as well.

The large number of grad gift sales this Spring has meant I'll be due for my first Createspace royalty cheque come the end of June as well! Since first publishing in 2012, this is a BIG deal! I've sold books via other outlets over the past few years, but Createspace has a very large minimum amount before they will cut you a cheque, so I'm thrilled to be getting my first cheque from them at the end of June!

Createspace isn't the only one to be sending me a cheque either. I am looking forward to getting my first payout from Hubpages.com (http://hubpages.com/profile/Marilynn+Dawson") at the end of this month as well! I haven't had as much time to engage in freelance writing this year, so it's great to see the writing I have done start to pay off. So much of my writing isn't designed to earn a penny and appears on my blog, my facebook and LinkedIn notes areas, or even my private profile notes. But whenever it's possible to use my gifting not merely to share, but to put milk in the fridge too, that's a big deal!

For those who might be wondering, my health has improved to a point and plateaued there for much of 2015. I do get setbacks every now and then, and my mornings the week of this newsletter have been "dragging" physically, mentally and emotionally. I don't know if it's the heat already, as the Okanagan is already spending more time in the mid to high 20's (celcius), or if it's sleep issues, as I get interrupted every morning to take my daughter to work, or if it's just my body's response to being busier and me not finding the new boundaries yet. It's great to generally have more energy to do stuff, because that allows me to be more productive around the house, take on more work, etc. Just pray I'm not overdoing it and that I'll discover where my boundaries are at this stage of healing and not cross them till I'm ready to.

Blog posts continue as I go through the Bible from front to back in my personal devotions. An interesting thought came to me as I read Numbers 18 a few days ago. You'll want to read that. So often we think God's holding out on us when He chooses not to bless us with things or situations or circumstances that we feel we've done our part to receive. There might be a higher reason why those things have apparently been denied. Read on to discover how all this played out in my personal devotions.


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View past newsletters. http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/past-newsletters/


Latest Content on the Songdove Musings Blog:


Numbers 18: . . . I am thy part and thine inheritance. . .

Numbers 18:20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. During a time when, as Israel was stumbling quite badly getting into the groove of all God had just handed down to them in ���

Read more.http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/05/19/numbers-18-i-am-thy-part-and-thine-inheritance/


Numbers 12: Murmuring and Railing Against God's Anointed!

Not all firsts mentioned in the Torah were beneficial firsts. There was the first murder in Genesis, the first turning away to another god in Exodus, the first act of strange fire in Leviticus, and now the first act of openly railing against one of God's anointed here in Numbers. Each of these unfortunate firsts carried with them drastic consequences. ���

Read more.http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/05/08/numbers-12-murmuring-and-railing-against-gods-anointed/


Leviticus 25 and the Subject of Redemption (kinsman redeemer)

For everything there is a purpose, and a time and season under the heaven. This is a slight paraphrase to a well-known passage out of Ecclesiastes, and a nod to the song popular back in the late 60's/early '70's, Turn Turn Turn. I bring this up today, because of having landed in Leviticus 25. Leviticus 25 is one of those ���

Read more.http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/04/17/leviticus-25-and-the-subject-of-redemption-kinsman-redeemer/

Two Announcements tonight - Vendor Updates:

Thanks to changes taking place at a couple of the online locations where Songdove Books are sold, the following online retailers have recieved updates as of tonight:

1) Songdove Books over at storenvy.com: http://songdovebooks.storenvy.com/ has received a facelift.

The first change, is that the pens will no longer be offered for sale.  The vendor I was using doesn't keep the designs in stock if they don't sell, and I haven't sold a single pen, so no more pens for sale.

The second change at http://songdovebooks.storenvy.com/ is an update to how the book listings appear.  I've changed the graphics from the digital covers or bookmarks, to photos of the actual books themselves.

The third change at storenvy has been the ability to now offer digital as well as physical goods within the same listing!  So now you can click on the book you want and decide if you want it in paperback, PDF, epub, or mobi formats as they are available!

2) Songdove Books over at New Christian Books http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/new-christian-books/ experienced a major behind-the-scenes update, as the links had all gone dead!  It's a little difficult to send sales to this site when the links won't go where they should.  So a major portion of this evening was spent updating ALL the links on this page so that they point to each book, or version of the book over at New Christian Books' website.  As they don't offer a single page for all my books to appear on, it's been necessary to maintain this page on my own site.  It's a tedious task to update this list, so I apologize to everyone trying to click on individual links over the past few months.

Grad season is quickly approaching as we are now in the month of April.  Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate is available in paperback and PDF at both of the above sites.

Welcome to the Passion Week edition of Songdove Books Newsletter!

The end of another month already!  As I begin writing this, it's Saturday night, the eve before Palm Sunday on the Christian Calendar.  Thoughts turn to Passion Week, Passover, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.  How do you celebrate this coming week? 

In our house, we began celebrating a Christian and somewhat shortened version of Passover when my kids were small.  I'd intended to add to it as they got older, but the book I'd borrowed moved away and I can no longer remember the title.  The intention however, has not diminished.  There are so many correlations between that first Passover and what Christ came to do for us, that engaging in this bit of ceremony and feast reminds us every year, of why Christ came and what He came to do.  There is even a part of the Messianic ceremony at the end of the feast, that celebrates Christ rising from the dead.  Is my household Messianic? No, but we do recognize the Jewish nature of our Lord and Saviour, and show our respect for that with this celebration.  This week's shopping trip will partly be spent on the fixings for that special meal.

Many people engage in special Scripture readings throughout Passion Week, and I received a package in the mail from the Canadian Bible Society containing a card with a list of Scriptures and suggested prayers at various points throughout the coming week.  They included Easter greeting cards as well.  I was a bit surprised by that.  Who do you know that hands out Easter-themed greeting cards??!!  No one I know. . . but as it turns out, only one of them was truly themed around the Resurrection, leaving the others to be used as nice note cards for the future.

I always look forward to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.  To me, these days and their significance are why Christmas happened.  For many churches, my own included, this weekend unfortunately tends to take a back seat to the amount of effort, build-up toward, and focus of this Christian holiday.  For myself, that's backwards.  As exciting and glittery as Christmas tends to be (never mind that first Christmas was anything but), the very fact that we have been granted entrance into the Holy of Holies through the shed Blood of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary, should be enough to get every born-again Christian more than willing to make the most of next weekend. 

When God was impressing on me the nature of the Bride of Christ, and how the Church should be longing for reunion with their Heavenly Bridegroom, a poem came to me that my Pastor shared that Easter:

Bride Price
Copyright 2010 Marilynn Dawson

Eyes of love
Closed in pain
Opened to gaze on you

Arms outstretched
Nails pierced
Eyebrows stained for you

Blood and water
Broken heart
Such love poured out to you

Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
Has He captured you?

Cup of wine
Piece of bread
A speech to those He loves

Garden prayer
Romans stare
Lashes thorns and Cross

Veil Torn
Empty tomb
Christ rising in the air

Bridal price
Father's smile
A promise to return

Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
Has He captured you?

Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
The price He paid for you?

Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
The love for which He died?

Do you see it?
Do you feel it?
His Love His Church His Bride?

What do you do in your household to bring solid focus and celebration of all Christ came to do for us during this time on the Calendar? 

 
Grad Season is Approaching!

Grad season is not quite upon us yet, but will be gearing up over the course of April until it reaches full force in May with graduation ceremonies taking place one after the other until the end of July, depending on where you live in the world.  But already,  a copy of "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate" (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/mlbb-2/) sold to someone in Denver Colorado just this past week.

If you are looking for an affordable grad gift under $20, then you'll want to head to my website (linked above) where you can get it for just $10, and $7 shipping and handling.  On Amazon (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/099168334X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=099168334X&linkCode=as2&tag=becothebridof-20) and other locations, the paperback runs for $12 or less, depending on vender store-wide sales and discounts.  So at times, you may even get it for cheaper at those locations than what I sell it for myself.

If you are wanting to buy it in bulk for your youth group, or for your young adults group heading off to college, contact me to find out more precise shipping for a bulk order to your location.


Spending Time in Prayer with the Lover of Your Soul

There hasn't been much feedback on the first 50 days of 2015 where I shared prayer card images from "A Year in Prayer With Jesus".  All efforts have halted on that project due to hard drive limitations.  The first month's worth of cards is available on gumroad.com for $20 (https://gumroad.com/songdove) as a downloadable set of high-quality printables.  Eventually, I hope to have the entire book in prayer card format. 

This coming Easter Weekend is actually a great time to begin your own year in prayer with Jesus.  The book in paperback can be purchased online for $25.50 (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/a-year-in-prayer-with-jesus/) or as an ebook for $9.99.  The ebook displays best on a laptop or computer screen, as some ebook readers struggle with the large size of the main part of the book.  Because of areas after each prayer point where you can write in your own thoughts, my recommendation is to have the book in print anyway.

This is an undated book so that Day One can begin literally on any calendar date of the year!

Check out this video (http://youtu.be/q2DhnE5f7QU?list=PLsfmoQFz615pJIdjL-3_429_cSbSNQkXA) to get a feel for how to engage with The Lord's Prayer at a deeper level this year.

 
Dressed for Eternity

Resurrection Sunday would be a great time to dive into the book, "Dressed for Eternity" as well.  Available as an ebook at $9.99 (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=K1omJoJt2ZE&subid=&offerid=327977.1&type=10&tmpid=8432&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%252Fw%252Fdressed-for-eternity-marilynn-dawson%252F1118043661%253Fean%253D2940148258858%2526itm%253D1%2526usri%253D2940148258858), or in full-colour paperback for $36.00 from me (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/store/) and more from other online locations, this book takes you through a detailed discussion of Aaron's Breastplate, the New Jerusalem foundations, the priestly clothing, the annointing oil's composition, jewelry in Exekiel, and so much more!  Learn how God adorns His Bride in the Scriptures as you prepare yourself for being united with Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Celestial Bridegroom coming for His Bride.


Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey

My own journey learning how to live life as the Bride of Christ began in 2007, and I've captured a fair bit of the bootcamp portion of this journey in my series, "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey".  So many lessons, discoveries, revelations, and challenges. . . The volumes in this series are all sold individually anywhere they are found online from my website (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/store/) to Amazon (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/smile/) and other online locations.  Because they have questions and places for notes, I recommend getting the paperback version.  The entire series, including a Leader's Guide, costs roughly $56 before shipping and handling, depending on where you shop.

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Wrap-up

March didn't see any special promotions going on.  No contests took place.  It was a quiet month on the book front in general.  Not so quiet on the blog however, as you'll see in the blog snippets below.  I pray that God meets you this Sunday, and this coming week in an extra special way.  May you see Christ's sacrifice for your sins in a whole new light and be struck once again with the impact of what He did for you.

 
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View past newsletters.http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/past-newsletters/

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Starting March 12th, Page Admins will have slightly more accurate like-counts!

https://www.facebook.com/business/news/page-likes-update   This is great news for everyone here who actively wants to stay informed of everything going on in my writing world! 

The problem works like this:  People engage in "like fests" where they run around "liking" as many pages as they can, thinking it will boost visibility of those pages for their owners.  You can actually pay people on Fiver, Gigbucks and other freelance sites to get you 1000 likes or 5000 likes. 

What this does in actuality, is HURT the page owner's ability to reach the fans who honestly clicked "like" because they truly enjoy the page admin's content. 

Artificially-inflated like counts can also occur when FB users deactivate their accounts or their account is memorialized because they died.  Up until recently, those page likes did not get removed, creating bloat that had the same negative impact on content getting to fans. 

The more like bloat on a page, the less likely content will be seen by those who care.  FB is taking steps to assist page owners with this problem by removing likes from deactivated and memorialized accounts.  THIS IS  A GOOD THING!!!  Many people forget about the pages they've liked when they go to deactivate their personal profile.  So this will help keep like counts a bit more accurate for page admins and help just a little bit more in ensuring that those of you who WANT to see content, will actually see it.

In the meantime, don't forget about the pages feed in the left-hand sidebar of your personal profile's newsfeed. (the view you get when you click 'home'.  While that feed can't be sorted unfortunately, spending a few minutes on it every day will help pages you've liked get their content to you more easily.  The more you interact, the more often that content will begin showing up directly on your wall as well.

I created a short video to help people discover and use this feature:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edZwJYwiPF4&list=PLsfmoQFz615rP2RFiCW-ZOO6-zkcK_9UL

There isn't much we can do yet about inactive fans who engaged in "like fests" with no intention of keeping up with the page, but FB's move will help.

Songdove Books Newsletter - February 2015

Welcome to the February edition of Songdove Books Newsletter!

First off, let me welcome all the new faces since January!  Songdove Books held an impromptu Valentine's Week Giveaway February 7th to the 14th, with one special name picked randomly on the 14th to win an ePub version of "Dressed for Eternity".  Any entrants that granted me their email address, were added to the monthly newsletter.  As usual, if you don't wish to receive this newsletter, you are free to unsubscribe at the bottom of the newsletter.  New subscribers are given the opportunity to receive my ebook, "Practical Thoughts on Becoming an Author" for free as a thankyou for signing up for this newsletter.  The coupon code for Smashwords is in the welcome email itself.

Second, let me say a HUGE THANKYOU to everyone praying for my financial situation!!!  January and February have seen more income come in than I've had for most of the past 6 months!  The prayer now is to have that continue into the coming year and beyond.  The great thing about the current income is that it only takes a few hours to meet my desired daily minimum or more, and I can call my own hours.  So needless to say, I'm feeling very blessed and filled with thankfulness and gratitude for how God is providing right now!


Love Month Promotion

As mentioned above, we held an impromptu Valentine's Week Giveaway for an ePub copy of "Dressed for Eternity".

Each day for 7 days, excerpts, a video and a slideshare presentation were shared.  You can find the slideshare presentation in the blog post link here (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/2015/02/13/welcome-to-the-valentines-week-giveaway-for-dressed-for-eternity-day-seven/).  Clicking that blog post will show you more of the week's postings as well in the lefthand sidebar of the site.

The paperback version of the book generally sells for anywhere from $49 - $68 at online retailers.  However, if you order directly from me (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/store/) or New Christian Books (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/new-christian-books/), you get the paperback for $36.00, roughly $20 off the regular retail price.  The ebook sells for $9.99 at the various online retailers carrying it.


Make a New Habit for Lent and Beyond!

If you're looking for a new way to spend your quiet time this year, let me suggest picking up your own copy of "A Year in Prayer With Jesus" whether in paperback, PDF, mobi or epub formats.

This is an undated book so that Day One can begin literally on any calendar date of the year!

Check out this video (http://youtu.be/q2DhnE5f7QU?list=PLsfmoQFz615pJIdjL-3_429_cSbSNQkXA) to get a feel for how to engage with The Lord's Prayer at a deeper level this year.

 
Grad Season is Approaching!

In just three month's time, another big milestone is going to be upon us!  Graduation season!!!  Why not consider beating the rush, and getting one or more copies of "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate" now instead of later?  It goes for roughly $12.00 at most online retailers.  Eight graduates received it as gifts last year.

BECOME A SONGDOVE BOOKS AFFILIATE!!!

Had to share this with my newsletter readers!  I just had a student recently take the course through their own JVZoo affiliate link.  When I paid them their commission, they were surprised, and sent me this gorgeous handmade bookmark!  This student is an author as well, and she makes these bookmarks to sell on her website.  Her husband recently made her raise the price from $3.00 to $4.50!  If you want one, let me know and I'll get you in touch with her!

The Songdove Books Affiliate Program, which is aimed at getting word out about the two e-coourses that are offered through the website, now includes both the Click2Sell affiliate network, and the JVZoo Affiliate Network.  Earn $3.50 per sale of either course sold through your own affiliate-tracked link.  I've begun a separate newsletter for Songdove Books Affiliates and waiting for those currently signed on, to add their names to this newsletter (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/sign-up-for-the-sap-newsletter/) so I can start keeping them in touch every month just as I keep you in touch with all that goes on in the world of Songdove Books.  So if you want to get in on the act and help me promote these two e-courses, go to the affiliate program page here (http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/become-a-songdove-books-affiliate/), pick your preferred network, then grab the related links and media to help you get started.

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Wrap-up

We've reached the end of "the love month", and now we look forward to St. Patrick's Day in March, and on to Resurrection Sunday in April.  We are on our way, entering the month leading up to Christ's betrothal of the Church, otherwise known as The Last Supper.

Did you tell Christ you love Him this month?  Did He get a valentine's gift from you?  How did you go about showing Him that more than anyone or anything else around you, He has your heart?

For myself, I decided to make an adjustment to how I go about my days.  Due to my health being what it is, I endeavour to ensure that I get in 8hrs of sleep every night.  This generally means starting my day by 8:30am or 9am depending on how well I slept the night before and how many times my sleep was interrupted either by washroom stops, or the kids getting up and around to begin their day.  My son begins his day around 5am and my daughter begins her day 45 minutes later.  She wakes me up to drive her to work, and then I come home to return to bed for another hour or two so that I can add up 8 actual hours of sleep.  Nights when I'm dead to the world will see me begin my day by 8am, but those night's don't come often enough.

So the adjustment I chose to make, was that when I turn my computer on and take my morning natural antihistamine, instead of opening my browser and checking messages and such right away, I will also open e-Sword, and engage in morning quiet time with just me and the Lover of my soul, Jesus Christ.  I'll spend some quiet time in gratitude and prayer and just "being" in His presence, then turn to e-Sword to ready the next chapter as I go through the Bible again from beginning to end.  I read Exodus chapter 31 today.

The danger of making my devotional time first thing in the morning, is that if I journal/blog about what I read, it can be an hour or more before I get to my work for the day. . . and that includes making time for breakfast too.  It's a good thing I can work in my PJ's, because I can push off "washing up" till I have to go out, allowing me to be more productive right after my devotional/breakfast time than I otherwise might be.

I began this change when I realized that for now, that time of day is relatively unchanging for me.  It is a time of day that I can set aside and engage with God on a more regular basis than if I waited for a more ideal time later on.  I believe in giving God a portion of the most productive part of my day, unfortunately, that equals times of day when everyone else wants a piece of me too!

Mornings  honestly aren't the best time mentally or physically, and sometimes that translates into emotionally either, but mornings are currently the only regular time of day I can offer.  God appears to be honouring this sacrifice too, and doesn't seem to mind holding me as I wake up in His presence.  Usually by the time clients begin calling me, at least my devotional time is largely wrapped up, whether or not I've had breakfast yet.

So I'm doing what I can regarding the needed rest my body requires, engaging in the newfound time frame for deliberately setting time aside with God rather than fitting it in whereever I can, and engaging in techsupport for my day job's clientelle as well!  God is bringing in the work, and whether that is a result of all of your prayers on my behalf, or whether God is honouring my desire to spend time with Him regardless of my mental/emotional/physical state at the time, either way, work is coming in and I am incredibly grateful!

We show God we love Him by choosing to spend time with Him, by following Christ's example to set ourselves apart every day to be just with Him alone, and by our obedience to His commands as He directs in John 14.

Have you made changes to show God your love for Him?  Care to share?

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