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 | Hugs: A Special Bedtime Prayer By Pennie Kidd / Strictly-by-the-book, Inc. Nothing says "I love you" like a hug! Whether it's cuddling, comforting, cradling, or caressing, this adorable book teaches your kids that when they embrace others, they reflect God's tender care. A wonderful way to encourage children to think about the unconditional love they give and receive every day. 28 pages, hardcover from Warner Faith.
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I will never forget the first time I saw Max Palmer. He wasn’t just "big" he was HUGE! He had to stoop down to walk in a normal double doorway. Little did I know that after being introduced to him we would strike up a friendship that would last for many years.
I soon discovered that if Max sat in a church pew and I stood beside him we were the same size! Shoulder to shoulder my middle finger was two inches short of his elbow. When he stood up my head came to his waist and when I would put on his sport coat the side pockets would lay flat on the floor. I could slide his ring over three of my fingers and his shoes were longer than two of mine. At nearly 8 feet tall, weighing over 450 pounds Max was the biggest man I had ever seen or known.
His car had no front seat and to ride with him was an introduction into how much carpet they actually put in automobiles. The first time we had a meal together (something he did every two hours or so) I had a two piece chicken dinner and he ordered a bucket.
Not only was Max big but he had a great sense of humor. Occasionally when he would need a ride somewhere I would take him in an old pick-up. I would move the seat all the way back and put five or six pillows behind me so I could reach the pedals. That would leave Max enough room to get his legs in with his knees sticking up above the dashboard. Often at stoplights he would have the window down and reach out and pat the top of the car beside us. The first reaction of many drivers was to either run the light or just sit there and scream. Max loved it and never seemed to tire of ways to surprise people.
Growing up wasn’t easy for him. He was always the tallest kid and was picked on by most people in the Mississippi town where he grew up. His adult life was dominated by jobs that took him from Hollywood to professional wrestling. Max handled his fame by drinking and by his late 30’s it had begun to take a toll on his body which finally resulted in a hospital stay for a very sick giant. Tired of years of being teased and taken advantage of, Max had become depressed which had made him drink even more. Life at this point had little meaning or purpose.
A local pastor was visiting a church member one day when a hospital staffer told him about Max. The pastor stopped by for a visit and for the first time in his life Max heard the story of Jesus who loved him so much He went to the cross to die for him. Not long after that he made the life changing decision to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
Once out of the hospital Max began to attend church and was asked to share his story. That opportunity opened a door for the giant to travel all over the country and share what God had done for him. In the years that followed he became known as "Goliath for Christ"!
Although you may never have known a real giant like Max most of us during our lifetime are confronted with giants. We know their names. They have names like: disease, divorce, family problems, finances, economy, heartache, and job loss to mention a few. They are big and frightening as they rob us of joy and hope. Once you have encountered a few of these giants you are often wounded and don’t know where to turn. Your days are empty and the nights are long as you seek answers to giants you never knew you would meet. You look for answers and seem to find none and have wondered if there is any hope. Take heart, there is!
Max found the answer that day in his hospital room when he heard the God's wonderful plan of salvation. Perhaps you're at a crossroads in your life and see no hope and no way out. Your burden is too heavy and there appears to be no rest available. If this all sounds painfull familiar than you need to know what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I hope you'll join Max and so many of us who have found the answer for life and eternity.
Next post I'll share more of the story of the tallest man I ever knew. ~written by Jim from Trails West
m Girl" lol I don't always sleep well at night, and I have been telling my husband FOREVER that it's because we have so many little lights on in our room. Laptop lights, all these colored cord lights, night lights.. Our bedroom looks like a rainbow at night lol So I gave this childish sleeping mask a try and "OH MY WORD" for the last week or so I have slept so soundly.. It really is amazing. I don't feel claustrophobic, like I thought I might lol. It is a very thin mask.. so its not hot..but its also comfortable with the light fuzzy fleece. I used to always see women sleeping with masks on movies..and I wondered if it actually worked! lol Well, for me it WORKS! Yah! for sleeping through the night!! :)
Well... The Cookbooks did not get DONE!!! lol BUT I have to report that in place of doing the cookbooks I completely cleaned our home from top to bottom. Hung pictures, curtains, completely cleaned and rearranged my son's room. Hung a shelf.. lol (which my husband was shocked at seeing that it was a floating shelf LOL) So I am very proud of myself this last week.. see what having company motivates us to do???? lol
So this week.. hmmm I am going to do a trick.. lol I will not put the cookbooks mess down .. I'll choose something else. lol
**I hope to finish laundry today (which I will lol)
**I hope to plan a menu this week and stick to it!
**And of course exercise!
**Is hoping to lose 20lbs next week realistic? LOL ok maybe not!! :)
***This Giveaway is now Closed
Congratulations to Valerie!!
valerie2350 said...
it would be very nice to win!
Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway.. Everyone has been so nice..and encouraging!
Yah, I know.. lol I am giving away Twilight AGAIN lol 
I have talked about the book Twilight written by Stephenie Meyers, a great deal. I absolutely love the Twilight series. If you would of told me what the book was about before I read it, I think I probably wouldn't of given it a chance lol.
So instead of me ruining the storyline I will send you here to read part of the first chapter.
What I am Giving Away:
The Twilight Book (1 copy)
How to WIN:
1. Just leave a comment about anything (be nice lol)
Extra Entries:
2. Follow my blog (on the sidebar)
3. Subscribe to my blog (on the sidebar)
4. Write about this giveaway and link back here.
This giveaway is only for the U.S. I'm sorrrrrrry!!!!!
*****This giveaway is now closed!!!!
Congratulations to Ashley!!
Ashley said...
Great giveaway! Thank you!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered!! I really appreciate all the kind and encouraging comments!!!
Bloggy Giveaway Time!! I have often talked about how much I love to shop online at HSN.com or QVC.com. I absolutely love the convenience. Both "stores" have fantastic prices, and offer flex pays, and often have free shipping on a lot of their items.
What I am giving away: (because I love them so much lol)
Amadeus Europa 500 TC 100% Cotton 2-Ply Sateen Sheet Set in Ivory Color. Size: KING.
These are awesome sheets! The retail value is $136.00. A good night sleep is sooo important.. and having nice luxurious sheets to fall asleep in... what is better than that?
How you can win these luxurious sheets:
Welcome to Footprint Friday! I have decided to host a series every Friday. Our Guest Blogger, Jim from Trails West, will be our contributing author for Footprint Friday. I hope you enjoy his take on 'the family' and what it means in our day and age.
The Power of God
In Genesis chapter 1 we read a number of times the phrase, “and God said.” It is hard for us to understand the sheer power of His words. When He spoke during creation week things that were not came into immediate existence. In recent days as we stood and once again looked over the south rim of the Grand Canyon I could not help but think of Romans 1:20 when Paul wrote, “for the invisible things of Him for the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.” The sheer magnitude of the canyon is clear evidence of a world wide flood and as we stood there a beautiful rainbow appeared. All, in testimony to the power of God’s words and His promises. The power of God’s words can also be understood by those who know Him. In John 14:27 Jesus said “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” This was not said to the canyons or the mountains. Jesus spoke these words so that those who know Him would fight comfort in the midst of the storm, peace in the midst of the trial and hope where it seems to not exist. Take time today to let His words speak to you and you will experience the comfort and blessings of His power. ~ Written by Jim from Trails West
ThriftyandChicMom is hosting a Friday Meme called Focus Friday! Basically each Friday we post about what our goals are for the next coming days and then link back to her blog. Easy!!
