A Review of Logos Bible Software {& a discount!}

May 16, 2012 By

I’ve been writing my whole life.

In grad school, I used to lay on the floor of my apartment with a textbook on one side, and dictionary on the other. There was a huge difference between the reading level of my undergrad courses, and what I was sloshing through the first few weeks of my master’s program. In the beginning, I had to stop reading my text nearly every paragraph just to look up words and try to make what I was reading make sense!

When I wrote papers (lo, there were many), I could often be found buried under reference books, research papers, magazines, and various translations of the Bible.

No more!

#SurprisedByLife

You may have heard me raving about Logos Bible Software on Twitter and Facebook for the last few months. I simply can’t say enough about how much I love it. LOVE. IT. My only regret is that I didn’t get it sooner. Seriously, do grad students even go to the library anymore when they need to research a paper?

Here’s why I love it…

As a writer, it gives me all of the Bible study tools and resources I need to ensure biblically accurate writing for you here at Surprised By Life, and in all of my future books.

As a Christian woman who is deeply intrigued by theology, it provides me with depth, and the ability to get my questions answered quickly and reliably.

As a boy mom, it gives me fast access to material for my daily Warrior Prayers.

As a blogger, it gives me confidence when I hit “publish.”

  • It’s very user friendly and easy to navigate (important when you’re a busy mom with only so much time to spend on the computer)
  • The graphics are beautiful (great for visual learners…I can see myself incorporating Logos Bible Software into our homeschooling in later years too. What an amazing tool!)
  • I have it on my Mac, my iPhone, and my iPad. So even when I’m on the go, I can be in the know. Of course it’s available for PCs too.
  • There are tons of incredibly helpful tutorials on the Logos website. So anytime I have a question about how something works, I can go there to find answers.
  • Really, I could go on and on…

So in celebration of my new love for all things Logos, I’m thrilled to tell you that you can get your own Bible software for a 15% discount! When you check out, just use the code “BASE15″ to get 15% off of any base package they offer! There’s a software package to meet any need, so go check them out!

And one more thing?

Logos is behind the brand new Faithlife Women conference, coming to Dallas, Texas September 6-8, 2012. 

From the website:

“It’s a conference for women like you looking for ways to apply the Bible to every aspect of life. Logos Bible Software has brought Christian women from across the nation to speak on issues such as love, communication, and health—and what God says about them.”

Sounds great, right? If you’re in the Dallas area, get yourself there. Registration is only $79, and fantastic speakers await you! Some I would love to see include Leslie Vernick, Elyse Fitzpatrick, and Angela Thomas, but there are so many more.

There’s really so much good happening through the Logos Bible Software ministries right now friends. I’m so glad to call them friends, so go ahead check them out for yourself today!

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No more blogging formulas, ok?

May 4, 2012 By

Give up.

Right now. Right this minute.

Just say no to blogging formulas for success.

#SurprisedByLife

Instead of striving for some formula that will make you a blogging/writing success, try these tips:

1. Be faithful to what God has called you to write…nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

This requires that you actually spend time getting to know God’s plan for your writing. I took three months off this year to pursue God’s plan for my writing. It was worth every hit I took to the online stats to finally feel at peace with this space.

2. As you’re faithfully writing/blogging what God calls you to, allow Him to bring you HIS dreams for your writing/blogging.

When I finally embraced God’s vision for my life, finally realized that what I already had was more than enough for me, He started bringing me HIS dreams for my writing life. It took me three years of blogging to get my heart right. Three years of painful losing, hurtful comparing, and meaningless striving. I quit!

(I mean that in my best “take this job and shove it” voice).

I’m done friends. I’m throwing all of the “she said do this,” and “I have to do this to succeed” right out my front door with my best obnoxious girlie throw. And I’m refusing to let them back into my home and my heart.

From now on, and with all of my heart, I only want what God wants for this space. I just want His dreams for me. He knows my heart and He knows yours. Trust His dreams for you friend…they’re better than yours could ever be.

**This doesn’t mean I don’t listen to voices of wisdom, just that I’m committing to walk in the path God has chosen for me, not for everyone else. Go and do likewise.

3. Jeff Goins says it best. Declutter. Do what you do best. Just write. 

(For more on this subject go buy his brand new book, You Are a Writer.) The best part about just writing is that I’m no longer obnoxiously tuned in to what everyone else is writing. I subscribe to a few (and I mean less than five) blogs, slashed the number of people I follow on Twitter to those I truly want to hear from, and unliked pages on Facebook that consistently make me feel disappointed with my own success. I hope and pray I didn’t offend anyone in the process, that wasn’t my heart or intention. But for my own sanity and the health of my heart and home, it had to be done.

OK…here’s the kicker. The ONE THING you can do as a blogger to be successful  EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

4. Follow the life-giving rules for relationships that are found in the Bible. 

Treat others the way you want to be treated…

Consider others more important than yourself…

Serve…

Be the last and not the first…

Place a guard over your mouth…

And so on.

Quit striving and do what’s right. Follow God’s leading for your writing and let go of expectations of grandeur.

Then you’ll be a success.

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I was inspired to write this when I read Tell Your Story on the Allume blog. I highly recommend that you head over and read it too.

 

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how to really change a life

October 6, 2011 By

I lost a piece of my voice when I lost my baby. Where my words were once strong and true here, now I feel a bit lost at sea.

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A good friend, one of those who really speaks the truth in love, told me that an article I wanted to post here recently, but didn’t, might take my blog in a direction I didn’t want it to go. She was right (I love friends like that). But it left me to wonder…what direction do I want this blog to take?

I’ve wandered down the road of photography. Meandered a bit on the art (and heart) of writing. Stopped to rest on the side of raising boys. And slept a night or two in the house of homeschooling. But my heart always comes back to change.

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I took it away for a few months when I moved from Blogger to WordPress. Left just my name and a picture that was pretty, but wasn’t me. Then I realized that I missed the change (and hated the picture), so I brought it back. For I truly am a life in need of change.

A counselor. Seven long, hard years and a BS in Psychology and an MA in Counseling to show for it. Not to mention years of study on the theology of the heart, the theology of man and his God. I’ve known since I was a young teenager that I wanted to help people change. It’s who I am. Who I was made to be.

And how do I believe change happens?

With a pinch of Ezekiel 36:26, a dash of Hebrews 4:12, and the choice to walk in obedience.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” ~Ezekiel 36:26

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” ~Hebrews 4:12

But what does all of that mean? Consider this from my “about me” page:

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Change has been defined as “to make…something…different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone.” Isn’t that a brilliant picture of what the truth of God’s Word does in the heart of the Believer?  When our hearts intersect with the living and active Word of God we are not left the same.

Many of us long for this change.  We know that God’s Word is true, but don’t know how to apply this truth to our lives in a practical way…a way filled with love, grace, obedience and joy.  We believe the Gospel. We’ve put our faith in salvation through faith alone, but living out the Gospel day-by-day, hour-by-hour, second-by-second…we don’t even know where to start.

A Life in Need of Change is a place where God’s Truth meets everyday life.  A place of refuge from the storm.  A place where women can come to find hope for change and help from God’s Word.

Offering hope for change to the hearts of women.

My heart is that the women who linger on these pages would leave filled, challenged and hungry for more.  I post often on the topics of Beautiful, Biblical Womanhood, Shepherding (parenting) children, Relationships and how today’s woman often finds herself Duped, Deceived & Disappointed. Woven throughout is a desire to seek the truth of God’s Word and apply it to every situation a woman can encounter.

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I was with a group of people recently…people who profess Christianity, but don’t show the telltale signs of change from the loving hands of the Holy Spirit. It breaks my heart every time. A pastor once asked me what was wrong with the church (at large, not our specific church) today. My answer? We do a great job of sharing the Gospel and getting folks into the church, but then we leave them! We don’t do a good job of helping them live out the Gospel in their daily lives. I didn’t know at the time that this question was designed to bring to light a person’s spiritual gifts. But it’s a very telling description of mine.

I’m a life in need of change. I need the loving kindness of my Savior as much, if not more, than anyone else. I sin. I make bad choices. Sometimes I don’t want to hear from God…don’t want to trust Him, believe Him, or even love Him. I’m just like you. But I want to help you change, and I believe the Lord can use my broken places, and the healing He brings, to help heal yours.

Let’s walk out this change together.

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If you would like to join me in the journey toward change, click to have your posts delivered by email, subscribe in a reader, or have A Life in Need of Change delivered right to your Amazon Kindle! To be one of the first to know when my next books arrive, join my Writer Friends email list!

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