I’m anxious to be able to share with you two books that contain my stories. They are in a series published by Guideposts Books titled Extraordinary Answers to Prayer.
Book 10 is Praying Together. It contains my story titled Wheels for Gabriel which tells about how my family and friends as well as perfect strangers gathered around us and prayed for provision for Gabriel’s first wheelchair.
Book 11 is In Times of Change. In this book I share my favorite story titled The Dance of Faith where my prayers were answered during a trying time as Gabe moved into the scary junior high school years.
Guideposts is releasing these books each month over the next twelve months. I should have them available on my website by late fall 2011. Come visit my website for updates on when they are available.
In the meantime, the other books in the series make wonderful gifts. They can be purchased at the Guideposts Books website
https://www.shopguideposts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=15401&catalogId=16903&parentCategoryId=150388&categoryId=320591
My feet are killing me tonight but my heart is full.
We spent the last two days at the Northwest Ministry Conference at Overlake Church in Redmond, WA. It was a great chance to see all the ways God is reaching out using the hands of His people.
www.ministryconference.org
Once again, it was a successful venture for our nonprofit organization, Gabriel’s Foundation of HOPE. We had a booth where we shared our desire to help families who deal with disability by encouraging them to overcome and persevere.
This year we focused on promoting Gabe’s speaking availability. I think we’ll see more churches and camps inviting him to share his C.L.E.A.R. message.
The Cover of Gabe's New Book
We also revealed the cover of his new book.
I’m co-authoring it with him and we are both excited to share his story.
I can’t believe he is going to be twenty-one years old next week. We’ve been on a wild ride together in our journey through life.
My Message is C.L.E.A.R. – Hope and Strength in the Face of Life’s Greatest Adversities will be published by Winepress Publishing later this year.
Now it is time to follow up with all the incredible people we met so we can continue in the ministry that has been Steve’s dream for a long time.
Next year I’ll be promoting my book too!
Come back and learn about all the exciting things happening in my life.
God Bless Your Heart.
Exciting News!
The Caregivers’ Devotions to Go! is now available in the KINDLE format at Amazon.com
www.Amazon.com and type in Gigi Murfitt in the search. SO fun!
The mile-high city of Denver is cold tonight. I’m here for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild Writing for the Soul Conference.
The sky is midnight blue with the half-moon lighting the way. God’s handiwork is evident all around me.
I had dinner with my college roommate Denise and her husband Tucker. I love catching up with good friends. It is amazing how people come into your lives and although you have not see them for a long time, you pick up right where you left off so many moons ago.
God is like that with us. Even if we don’t pray or read our Bible to communicate with Him for a long time, He’s right there ready to pick up where we left off. He reaches his Hand and picks us right up saying, “So glad to see you. I’ve missed you.”
I pray you’ll take His hand tonight and let Him guide your way.
God has moved in my heart these past two days. This is a powerful time to share with other people whose heart beats to the rhythym of words on a page as they seek to touch lives and share the incredible message of Jesus across the nations.
I’m going to blog my thoughts from a few of the sessions. But for now I’m going to let my oxygen deprived brain sleep so I will be well rested tomorrow.
Rest well my friend. And praise His Holy name while you are at it. I leave you with a Psalm of praise to ponder with praise….
God Bless Your Heart,
Gigi
Psalm 138
A Psalm of David.
I will praise You with my whole heart;
Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.
It feels like the train is finally moving out of the station headed toward more speaking opportunities for our son Gabe. With that I’ve been focused on helping him book the speaking engagements and creating marketing materials. It is an exciting time to watch God move in our lives.
But the reality of it means my writing time has moved down on the priority list. So I’m taking ten days next week to get that train moving too.
I’m headed to the Jerry B. Jenkin’s Christian Writer’s Guild Conference – Write for the Soul in Denver. Then I get to spend some time at my sister’s house in Montana.
I hope and pray that whatever season you find yourself in
- Waiting to figure out your priorities? – haven’t bought your train ticket yet?
- Waiting for God to make a move? – Sitting at the station waiting for the train?
- On the train and pulling out? – Good for you, you are moving forward.
- Traveling down the path God created for you? – I’m so excited for you and can’t wait until I’m there.
- Changing trains? – I pray God will show you the next station on your journey.
I think I can….I think I can….I think I can…. is the montra I’ve been repeating as I face the completion of these two books I’ve been working on for all too long.
God keeps whispering new ideas in my ear. While I listen closely, I’m working on some other things in my life too.
God bless your journey on whatever track God has you riding.
Gigi
Happy New Year!
I was praying for you today.
I was wondering what you are doing to prepare for a new year?
This morning I worked through a devotional in The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie. I picked it up where I had left off sometime last year.
And as God always seems to do, His timing is perfect.
This devotion encouraged me to clear the path to make way for God to work in my life. What a great thing to mediate on at the start of a new year.
Yesterday I watched a video of a one-hundred car pileup near Fargo, ND. There were cars strewn across the freeway making it nearly impossible to navigate forward. Everyone was stuck until the path was cleared.
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/30/100-car-pileup-in-north-dakota-blizzard-video/
So I asked myself, what is stuck on the pathway to forward movement in my life?
Do I need to call a tow truck to get rid of some broken down obstacles on my path?
Is unforgiveness or bitterness in the way?
Are unhealthy habits keeping my tires spinning instead of taking me where I need to go?
How do I get the plow to clear the road and make it an easier journey?
One word: Repentance
Repentance clears the path for God to move in my life.
Much like the snow plow clears the snow and ice off the road making it passable.
Much like the tow truck removes the broken down cars that prevent forward movement on the highway.
So I seek to turn away from anything opposed to God.
I’d like to start off 2011 with a clear path for God to work in my life.
How about you?
God Bless your heart with a clear path.
Gigi
https://gigimurfitt.com/
The One Year Book of Hope is written by Nancy Guthrie. Here is the book description found on Amazon.com: This book is for anyone who has been hurt in life and would benefit from a hope filled daily companion. http://www.amazon.com/One-Year-Book-Hope-Books/dp/1414301332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293907027&sr=8-1
I love to read.
One of my favorite authors has become a friend. Karen Kingsbury spoke at our church’s women’s quarterly breakfast six years ago. She related the story of how her writing career blossomed and how God moved in her life to make it happen.
I immediately connected with Karen as a wife, a daughter, a sister and a writer. Most of all I related to her as a fellow daughter of the Most High God!
At that time I only had a dream of ever being published. Karen gave me hope that day. I bought a couple books at the breakfast and immediately became a fan.
In these six years I’ve also read every book Karen has written – some of them twice! I’ve fallen in love with the characters in her books — the Baxter family — through the Redemption, First Born, Sunrise, and Above the Line series of books. Now I can’t wait for the Bailey Flanigan series.
Over the years Karen has blessed me and my family in many ways. She’s always encouraging me about my writing. Now, seven years later I can say that God answered my prayer for publishing a book. My Caregivers’ Devotions to Go book was the first in what will hopefully be many books.
 |
| Steve, me and Karen Kingsbury at the Write for the Soul Conference |
The most recent Karen Kingsbury book I read is titled Unlocked. Karen does an amazing job covering the life of Holden Harris, a young teenager with Autism. She also touches on the subject that is hitting the media often these days — bullying.
I found myself crying several times while reading this book because I understand the world of living with a disability through my son Gabe. Although Gabe was fortunate to not be constantly bullied, I do understand that bullying happens every day in schools and has been an issue for a long time.
If you’re looking for something to put on your Christmas wish list, I hope it will be this book. I know you too will fall in love with Karen’s writing and the way she handles real life issues with truth and grace.
So let me introduce you to Karen through her latest book: Unlocked. Can I challenge you to purchase an extra copy for the school library of a junior high or high school near you? Amazon has the book on sale right now for just that purpose! Just click on the link and order a few copies. I’d love to hear what you think about the book. Come back and comment on my blog. Your comment will earn you a chance to win a copy of one of Karen’s other books.
God Bless your heart, my blog readers. Happy reading!
Gigi Murfitt
I love to read.
One of my favorite authors has become a friend. Karen Kingsbury spoke at our church’s women’s quarterly breakfast six years ago. She related the story of how her writing career blossomed and how God moved in her life to make it happen.
I immediately connected with Karen as a wife, a daughter, a sister and a writer. Most of all I related to her as a fellow daughter of the Most High God!
At that time I only had a dream of ever being published. Karen gave me hope that day. I bought a couple books at the breakfast and immediately became a fan.
In these six years I’ve also read every book Karen has written – some of them twice! I’ve fallen in love with the characters in her books — the Baxter family — through the Redemption, First Born, Sunrise, and Above the Line series of books. Now I can’t wait for the Bailey Flanigan series.
Over the years Karen has blessed me and my family in many ways. She’s always encouraging me about my writing. Now, seven years later I can say that God answered my prayer for publishing a book. My Caregivers’ Devotions to Go book was the first in what will hopefully be many books.
|
| Steve, me and Karen Kingsbury at the Write for the Soul Conference |
The most recent Karen Kingsbury book I read is titled Unlocked. Karen does an amazing job covering the life of Holden Harris, a young teenager with Autism. She also touches on the subject that is hitting the media often these days — bullying.
I found myself crying several times while reading this book because I understand the world of living with a disability through my son Gabe. Although Gabe was fortunate to not be constantly bullied, I do understand that bullying happens every day in schools and has been an issue for a long time.
If you’re looking for something to put on your Christmas wish list, I hope it will be this book. I know you too will fall in love with Karen’s writing and the way she handles real life issues with truth and grace.
So let me introduce you to Karen through her latest book: Unlocked. Can I challenge you to purchase an extra copy for the school library of a junior high or high school near you?
Amazon has the book on sale right now for just that purpose! Just click on the link and order a few copies. I’d love to hear what you think about the book. Come back and comment on my blog. Your comment will earn you a chance to win a copy of one of Karen’s other books.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:17-19
I woke up today thinking about my dad. So I thought I’d deviate from my God Calling journal and write my blog in tribute to him.
Today, November 27, 2010 marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the day my dad, Robert Edward Devine, went home to be with Jesus after battling cancer three different times.
He was only forty-eight years old and left my mom with ten children he adored.
Although I grew up without a dad, I knew the Father’s love because of the love and faith my dad instilled in me. Even at age seven I understood his unconditional love for his children.
This legacy of faith and love lives on to eternity in the lives of me and my children and hopefully my future grandchildren.
God took care of our family with the love of friends and family who stepped in when we needed it. Growing up in a community like Anaconda, MT helped us feel the love of God through the people of God.
One of my favorite bands is Mercy Me. The lead singer, Bart, wrote a song after his dad died titled “Finally Home. This song says exactly what I’d like to say about my dad.
So I share the words to the song along with this YouTube video with you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng3hXrhaGRU&feature=related
Finally Home by Mercy Me – Buy it today
http://www.itunes.com/
I’m gonna wrap my arms around my daddy’s neck and tell him that I missed him.
And tell him all about the woman that I became and hope that it pleased him.
So much I want to say and so much I wanted you to know.
When I finally make it home.
When I gaze upon the thrown of the King frozen in my steps
And all the questions that I swore I would ask, words just won’t come yet.
So amazed at what I’ve seen, so much more than this old mind can hold.
When I finally make it home.
And the sweetest sound these ears have yet to hear is the voices of the angels.
When I finally make it home.
Dad. When I finally make it home. I’ll be glad to see you.
I love you and miss you,
Your eighth child…
Gigi
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
So many times in Scripture the answer is LOVE. Because true LOVE from God’s heart lasts.
God is LOVE and only His work remains.
All fame fades eventually. All talk fades away.
All fame fades eventually. All talk fades away.
The work that is not done with LOVE passes by without a thought.
But God-quality LOVE lasts.
Jesus is—TRUE LOVE
They will know WHO I love by HOW I love.
Unfortunately we don’t always get this right. Even in the church.
Some of the work we do isn’t even on God’s agenda. We do it to check it off our do-gooder list. But do we do it in TRUE LOVE?
How about a smile in a time of need? God’s LOVE.
How about a kind word to a hurting heart? God’s LOVE.
How about a helping hand to a neighbor in need? God’s LOVE.
How about acknowledging someone’s worth? God’s LOVE.
All acts of LOVE inspired by God’s LOVE are recognized as a welcome mats into eternity.
As we move through the furry and frenzy of this holiday season, I pray there is one goal in mnd.
To LOVE.
Is your welcome mat out?
God Bless your heart with the LOVE of God flowing through you to others.
Gigi
The idea for this blog post came from the Nov 22 devotional in the God Calling book by AJ Russell.