More Christmas Gift Ideas! New devo’ by Liz Curtis Higgs and Beautiful Custom-Made Mirrors! (Part 2 of 4)
Friends! Oh, each week leading up to Christmas gets better and this week I’ve got TWO gift ideas just for you!
Liz Curtis Higgs’ newest book, 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path would make a spectacular gift for your friends or family. The book’s jacket gives us a teaser saying it’s “A daily devotional and small group Bible study gift book brimming with encouragement.” You can take that to the bank a la Lizzie…
Each of Liz’s thirty-seven books, upon launch, is my current favorite du jour, but this one, call me crazy, is really, really, special—in a bizarre-o way. Most of you know Liz was diagnosed with cancer this past summer. She had completed the manuscript for this book prior to her diagnosis.
When you read 31 Verses, it is uncanny how the Lord went before Liz, as if preparing her for what was ahead. Each chapter gives me chills, especially “Tomorrow, Tomorrow.”
In true Lizzie fashion, Liz dissects these verses, word by word and phrase by phrase, showing us different translations of the Bible which are eye-opening. I’ve highlighted and dog-eared many a page.
The verse in this chapter?
Liz reminds us, “A thousand years after Solomon wrote this verse in Proverbs, Jesus offed the same wisdom:
While statistics can scare us silly, Liz, a lovely ambassador for hope, tells us point blank, “I am not a woman without hope.” In the wake of chemo’ and radiation, Liz will be boldly speaking about “Endless Hope” in her talks for Prison Fellowship events, pointing us to the One who promises hope:
Each chapter concludes with a fun little activity called, “One Minute, One Step.” It’s a suggestion to help you grab onto the concept of the Scripture verse Liz has just written about. These are easy and make you say, “Huh, why haven’t I thought of that before?”
At the end of the book are 2-3 Bible study questions per chapter which you can do on your own, or with your Bible study group or Small Group. They’re thought provoking and rich with application.
I could never choose a favorite chapter, but I can give you one more peek into one more chapter because I have yet another special gift idea for you which relates directly to this verse!
This comes from the chapter called “Looking Glass” and the verse Liz helps us with is Proverbs 27:19,
Each chapter also concludes with a prayer and the one from this chapter is the perfect lead in to our next gift idea:
Amen.
So, while we’re talking about our appearance, allow me to introduce you to a darling, young entrepreneur by the name of Nicole Tarpoff. She is creating custom designed mirrors in all sizes and colors.
For an early Christmas gift, Gordy, Lauren and Lauren’s Mom, Pam, presented John Jr., and Diana with a gift during Thanksgiving. They’d given Nicole a picture of our granddaughter (Well, ok, their niece, too. LOL), Claire Elizabeth. Nicole prayed for Claire while she made this mirror and included a personal prayer especially for her on the back of the mirror.
Nicole started her ministry by saying, “An object that the enemy once used for destruction in my life is the very same object that the Lord is using to birth a ministry.”
She adds, “Every mirror is prayerfully designed to be a piece that shifts the atmosphere in the room. These pieces are to serve as a reminder we’re called to reflect Him. We were made for love, we were created to serve, and we were designed to bring Him glory. But it starts here. It starts by us boldly claiming who we are in Him, declaring over ourselves the very truths that He has spoken over us from the beginning. This is more than mirrors, it’s a movement.” AMEN
Here’s our little Claire when she received her mirror:
Here’s a snippet of the prayer Nicole wrote out for Claire (…and may I add there were several tears flowing down all of our cheeks during the reading.)
I recently heard Andy Stanley talking about when people do something nice for your children (or grandchildren in this case)…You discover it brings you honor and you never forget it. It blesses your socks off and warms your heart. It’s the BEST. Who are you thinking about who could be blessed by one of these mirrors?
If you’d like to contact Nicole about making a mirror for your daughter or granddaughter or niece, her email is: Nicole.tarpoff@uky.edu She’s also on Instagram under her name and you may direct message her @nicoletarpoff.
May you and your families savor the wonder of this Christmas season.
‘Til next time!