Joanne... and a GIVEAWAY!

On the morning of January 11th, I was gearing up to give a quick little talk to my MOPS group about the importance of hiding God's Word in your heart, and instilling that value in your kids.

About the time I was stepping up to the front to share, my friend Joanne's daughter discovered her mom, unresponsive next to the treadmill she'd been using. It was quickly determined that she'd suffered a stroke.

I won't go into all the details here, because if you're reading my blog, you most likely have kept up to date via my Facebook updates or Joanne's blog. If you're new to Joanne's situation, I ask you to PRAY! Please pray for my friend. Here's where you can read updates and learn about how to help:

Joanne's blog (which her husband, Toben, is updating frequently)

Follow Toben on Twitter

Kristen's blog (Joanne's sister)

But as of yesterday, there is great news. I mean, GREAT news! She has begun to waken from her coma and the MRI showed healthy brain activity on the left side. Praise God! For more details, read Joanne's blog.

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around what has happened to Joanne and what her family - including her two little girls - are having to cope with. Joanne taught me so much prior to her stroke, but I've learned so many great things during her stillness. I can't wait to tell her when she wakes up.

The biggest thing that I've thought about during Joanne's journey is her love of Scripture. My girl Joanne LOVES the Word. And what's awesome is that she has passed that love down to her girls. When tragedy struck that day, nearly two weeks ago, her girls knew where to turn. Immediately her family claimed Psalm 46 for her life.

Joanne has been diligent in memorizing Scripture with her girls. In November, they completed memorizing all of Psalm 91. At the end of the video, Joanne turns to her girls and tells them how proud she is of them, and that God is proud of them too. She sums up the Psalm by reminding them that we need to call on Him when we're in trouble (v. 15). How AWESOME is it that they had this verse hidden in their hearts when their world crumbled around them? They knew that they would find refuge under His wings. I get teary thinking about it.

So, remember at the beginning when I said that I was getting ready to talk to my MOPS group? Well! How timely that I would share a little story with them about memorizing Scripture, because little did I know that it would consume my next two weeks, thanks to Joanne.

I shared with my MOPS group that Addie had been to the doctor the week before to get her 5-year immunizations. She was scared. On the way to the doctor, I saw the fear on her face and turned on some music to distract her. The CD that played was Seeds of Courage. The song that played was "Do Not Be Anxious" based on Philippians 4:6-7.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

She asked me about the word anxious. I explained that anxious means to worry, so the song is telling us that we don't need to worry about anything, but pray about it instead! Each time the song ended, she asked me to play it again. A glimpse in my rear view mirror told me that she was thinking hard about this song.

When we got to the doctor, she sat on my lap awaiting her shots. She was smiling - yes, smiling! - ear to ear. She got the first shot... she didn't wince. The second shot... not a blink. The third shot... she didn't even flinch. The fourth shot... she was STILL smiling.

The nurse was as stunned as I was! I asked her what her secret was, about how she was so brave. What did she say? "I prayed about it!"

So here's what I want to give away: A "Seeds of Courage" CD!

Here's what I love about the "Seeds" CDs: the lyrics to the songs are solely Scripture! The music is easy to listen to, the songs are catchy and you don't mind putting songs on repeat! Each CD comes with TWO CDs - one for you to keep and one to give to a friend. I haven't given away my "friend" portion yet, and want YOU to have it!

I admit it: memorizing Scripture is hard for me. Most of the Scripture I know by heart is the result of memorizing it in the form of a song. I'm thrilled that my kids love these songs and are hiding God's word in their hearts as Psalm 119:11 instructs us to do.

So, do you want this CD? Just leave a comment on this post. I'll draw a name on Friday and pop it in the mail to you!

(Can't wait and want it NOW? Visit Seeds Family Worship to get your own!)

And most importantly, please keep praying for my friend Joanne. God hears our prayers, people!