The Highlight of My Year!
This October 1st, my first book – titled Women Living Well: Finding Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids and Your Home, will be released. {squeal} {confetti} {cartwheels} {calm down!}
Most would assume –this would be the highlight of my year. Goodness, this could qualify as the highlight of my decade! Right?
But it’s not…
I remember listening to Kay Arthur, one of my favorite Bible Study authors, speak about her son who is not walking with the Lord. She said that often young people line up to talk to her after speaking events. She has published over 10 million books and has been translated into 30 different languages. Her ministry touches millions around the world –and yet she suffers from the deep pain of knowing her own son is not in that line of people smiling and hugging her. She speaks about her prodigal son and how she deals with the hurt in this two minute video below:
(if you cannot see the video – click here)
And so, as a result of hearing Kay’s testimony –I do not take lightly a big event that happened last Sunday. It’s the highlight of my year –perhaps my decade!!!!
My kids were baptized. They publically professed their faith. My son proclaimed “I want to show everyone that I love Jesus and will follow him for the rest of my life.” *#mommytear*
And an entire row of family celebrated with us…
And my brother-in-law, who is a Pastor at our church, — baptized the children!!! Oh what a blessing that my children have an uncle who is a godly role model for them.
The release of my book is exciting! It’s unbelievable really! It’s a total God thing. But you know what excites me even more –seeing my own babies Walk with the King!!!!
3 John 1:4 says,
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
October 1st is quickly approaching and behind the scenes, I am working with my publisher on a book trailer and other special things for the launch of the book.
But honestly, the highlight of my year already happened on Sunday, April 28th. All earthly accomplishments pale in comparison with the joy of knowing my children are walking in the truth.
Walk with the King,
Amen. That is beautiful! Congratulations on your book but moreso those beautiful babes walking in His footsteps. Since I have a sweet girl myself who is rejecting the faith at 12 despite my yearning…I know there is no greater joy and blessing. I will watch the video…and allow God to develop in me the patience, perseverance and trust He desires as I wait, watch, invest and continue in His grace.
Hi Courtney,
I LOVE Kay Arthur too!!! I personally believe her Bible studies are the best studies available b/c they get you into the Word like you never thought possible. I also love you! You are sweet, humble & honest in sharing your joys & struggles, have a heart for the Lord-(what could be more beautiful on a woman). I can’t wait to get a copy of your book. 🙂
Ashley
AMEN!! Congrats!! That was the highlight of my year too for my 2nd daughter!!
Congrats on the baptisms, but don’t stop praying(as I am sure you wont.)I professed my love and dedication to The Lord at the same age and went Prodigal for many years. Of course, I never denied Christ, but I certainly entered into a period where I separated myself in big ways. Perhaps my acceptance of Christ and baptism were not genuine. I sure thought they were. Anyway, without my dad’s prayers throughout my life, I wouldn’t have come back. I’m sincerely glad your kids have taken this step. Also, You say Kay’s son will never be in line for her, but our God is bigger than that. There is hope until death.
Thank you for pointing that out –I changed the post –there certainly is hope! Thank you 🙂
Beautiful!!! No greater joy! I remember the day I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior — I was 43 — I’m still waiting on my son to do the same!
what a beautiful thing! i cannot wait to hear my kids make that same proclamation.
That is so beautiful 🙂 My sweet hubby was baptised the 28th toooooo yay. God is good! Tara (The Proverbs 31 Sanctuary)
Courtney that is awesome! My oldest is going to baptized on the 26th I’m so excited!
How wonderful! My husband & I pray for our grandchildren’s salvation. They are 7, 5 & almost 2. There is nothing more important in this life.
Didn’t realize you were in Ohio. I also saw the info about the Women Living Well Conference in Sept. I would love to come & bring my adult daughter & daughter-in-law. We live around the Columbus area, and we get up your way fairly often as my mother-in-law lives in Stow! I’ll be thanking Father for 2 more added to the family!
Congratulations on your new book! It must be an exciting season! Enjoy! Your ministry has blessed many women and children. I know that God will continue to use you. It is awesome that your children were baptized! Prayers and Blessings! ♥
Whew! This made me emotional! That is so beautiful! My kids are 3 and 1, and THIS is my dream come true! I can’t wait to read your book! So exciting!!
Congrats on your book sis but even more so for the children’s baptism being a mama of 7 I know that is so very important to us all!! I am so excited for this book your blog and ministry has ministered to me and many of my gal pals I have also been doing GMG and love this as well all because I stumbled upon your amazing loving blog a few years ago 🙂 May God continue to use you and this platform to bring Him glory while ministering to our souls!!!
I cannot wait for this book, I am soo glad that I came to your blog! I have learned so much
How proud you must be of Alex and Lexi! I was baptized as an infant since my parents raised me as Roman Catholic and that’s what Catholics do.
Can’t wait to get a copy of your booK! Maybe you’ll have advanced copies at the Conference?
Awesome! I love how you always come back to what’s really important! I
Cannot wait to take a look at the book…I’m new to reading and following your blog!
I cannot think of a greater joy as a parent than watching your children want more of Jesus! Praise God for their new life in Him 🙂
How wonderful, beautiful post!
Courtney,
I am so excited for you!!! Seeing your precious young ones being baptized is so totally awesome. I will say that we’ll both will be celebrating this memorable day together, for you see my husband was also baptized on last Sunday. As a wife this was definitely one of the greatest highlights in my marriage besides the proposal.
Congratulations on your new book, this will be an experience you will not forget. 😀
Blessings to you and yours!
Yes! Wonderful, beautiful. And keep on, sister. As you and I both know, the road is a long and difficult one. Becoming a Christian and staying the course, keeping faith, persevering…pray for your sweet ones to keep on, to keep steady, and to know they are loved no matter what. You are a great mama.
Love to you.
Awe, congrats on both achievements!!! I can SO tell that your heart is right. You really realize what is most important. I sometimes struggle with things daily because of wordly distractions. You have it right. What a blessing!
Wow! Love that lady’s honesty (Kay A.). I have never heard of her. How real is that? We need more people to open up like her….so helpful and true life for many I’m sure.
Oh, Courtney, what a blessing to see your kids embrace their faith so publicly. Praise the Lord for that and for you to have such an necessary eternal perspective!
Congratulations! That is definitely something to be excited about and the most important highlight by far! I’m sure you’re excited to see how the Lord will use them in their lives and how special to have your brother-in-law baptize them!
Praise God for the works he is doing in your precious children. Well done to you and your husband for raising them in such a way that they see God through you too.
No life event can really compare to the sweetness of knowing that you’ll see your kids in heaven someday! Congratulations, Courtney!
Courtney, I cannot wait for October 1st!!! I’m so looking forward to reading your book! Congrats to you! Xoxo
Congratulations on birthing your new book, Courtney! Best of all is the decision of your children to be baptized! May God continue to have His Hand on their young lives.
Praise the Lord for your Kids! Better than all the book deals in the world!
You are right, Courtney, NOTHING else matters than your children walking in truth. When your life hangs in the balance, your family and friends are all that matter and knowing you will spend eternity with them.
Wow! That is so great! April 28th was a very special day for me as well. My husband and my best friend’s husband were baptized too. God is good all the time!
So happy for you and your family! <3
xoxo,
Jessica
http://www.proverbsliving.org
Congratulations Courtney and to both your wee ones…what a huge step and wonderful gift to see your precious ones, the ones that hold your heart dedicate and profess their King!!! Both of my younger boys will do the same thing on Mother’s Day – I’m sure it will be the best Mother’s Day ever. Can’t wait to read your book as well.
I also had the honor of both my children accepting Christ and being baptized. It was my greatest joy until my eldest married an atheist and rejected Christ. Now that family is my greatest worry. my biggest heartbreak and my unconditional loves. My youngest son and family go to church with us. They are my hope and my Joy. My heart is shattered about my oldest son.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and Kay’s today. Like Kay I have a lost child and to see your children and their acceptance of Christ reminds me that there is hope. But My hope isn’t just in what I hope for but in Christ. He is our hope whether that means he brings my child home or He just sustains me through the trials. Like Kay, I am learning that it is in the moments of my greatest weakness that I am the strongest because His strength is in me!
That is GREAT! I love that the highlight of your year was your children getting baptized! The book is great, and will touch MANY people, but it just can’t compare! <3
AMEN and congratulations! This a precious story. Thank you for sharing it. I can’t wait to read your book!
Awesome!
Praise the Lord and congratulations! : D
How wonderful! Congratulations on all of these great blessings! Thank you for sharing your great news! 🙂
Dear Courtney,
I did not know that about Kay Arthur and I will pray for her son!
I love her Biblestudy books for kids. We are going to be using her John books this coming school year to immerse ourselves and memorize John! So she is dear to my heart and I had never even seen what she looks like (just her on radio)!
Of course I am glad about your kids, and you do have the right priorities.
Thanks and praise!
Beth
Congrats on both! God is good! 🙂
Those baptized shirts that your church has are really cool.
What a thrilling experience to see your children baptized! Praise God!!! I share in your joy, and I’m so happy for you and your family. That’s a wonderful pre-Mother’s Day gift and the best gift of a life time. I’m still praying for my adult son, and trusting in God that he will work on my son’s heart, mind and soul!
Praise the King. That is wonderful news. The book is great news too and definitely on my “to read list” already but this FAR proceeds the book. What an honor for you to witness two disciples coming into the world as “born again” believers. That is such lovely news.
I am sitting here reading your blog post and I can literally FEEL your excitement with all that is happening with you and your family right now. Literally shed happy tears looking at the pictures of your kids during their baptism. The new book is exciting (can’t wait to read a copy myself) But even more touching is knowing without a doubt where your kids are going!!!!GOD Bless you and your family 🙂
Courtney,
This brought tears of joy to my eyes as I read this, I pray that some day too, my children will join yours in their profession of faith in Christ. I would have to agree that, this would be the highlight of my life 🙂
First, congratulations, Such a blessing from the Lord! And let me just say congrats to you that as a mom, in your time of accomplishments, that you choose to revel in the blessing of having children who have chosen the Lord. That is such an abnormal reaction in today’s society, where our accomplishments usually push our family to the side, but you have chosen that which is good and right. God told us that no matter who or how we minister nor how many souls are saved, if we loose our family, then what was the use. So, my hats off to you for knowing that our true ministry begins at home with who God has given us to spend time with daily.
Congrats on the book!!!! Also, congrats on your children being baptized. It is such a joy to see your children give their lives over to Christ. I was so overjoyed with emotion when all three of my kids did it. It was just a wonderful experience. Blessings.
I’m crying tears of joy as I read this post! I am so very happy for you and your family! As a mom of three very little children, I hope and pray for that day. I pray that my children will grow in faith and make the best choice of their lives and desire to “walk with the king”. Their baptism day must be a walking in the clouds kind of day for a mother! Praise God! Also, wanted to thank you for your blog, I just came across it about a month ago and really love reading through the posts. I sometimes feels surrounded by negativity and yor blog is full of the positive, focusing on the gifts God has blessed us with and I love it! I was baptized at 15 and married at 19 to a man who still makes me very happy 13 years later. Sometimes people look at me as though I’m from a different planet, but I do love my life and have so much to thank God for! Great blog and I look forward to your book too:)
Squeal!! Congrats, Courtney! I love that your book is also named WLW! And I love Kay Arthur too. I got a chance to chat with her in Israel. She and my mother know each other well so it was pretty cool. Great experience.
I celebrate with you Courtney! When I saw the cover of the book I was so happy and immediately thought, I can’t wait to read this, and then scrolling down with news of your children’s baptism, tears came to my eyes. I can understand why your children’s baptism brings you infinitely more joy. My son is 6 and I don’t even know how I will keep it together when the day comes he decides to be baptized. It is my biggest hope. What great blessing to you. Congrats on the book and praise God for your children’s baptism.
Hi Courtney!
Congratulations on all the wonderful news!
I’m wondering if you can recommend any specific Kay Arthur studies you’ve enjoyed?
I just went to look at her books online in mind to buy one, but there are SO many, I have no idea where to start!
Thank you 🙂
Most of the studies of hers that I have done have been with a group at my church (led by my mom) and they are her inductive studies. Here’s the ones I have done: https://womenlivingwell.org/2011/01/more-bible-studies-i-want-to-recommend/
But she has a lot of other great ones for individuals – I like her Lord, Teach me to Pray in 28 days and Lord, Teach Me to Stand. Both of those impacted me greatly!
Hope that helps 🙂
Lots of Love,
Courtney
Congrats on the baptism and the book!!! I’m wondering if I would be able to purchase the book in Singapore? I’m living in Singapore, by the way!
Oh April – I am not sure? Are you able to place orders on Amazon? If you are then – it will deliver –or if you have a kindle you could download it? That’s a question I’ll have to ask the publisher. Thanks for asking.
Lots of Love,
Courtney
Congratulations!!! What a blessing to see your children be baptized! Yes, that is truly the best moment in motherhood! I remember when my older son also God baptized and I agree it made my decade!!!! God bless you and your family
Talk about a wonderful Momma moment – to see your littles be baptized!!!! Congratulations on the Book!!! :o) Can’t wait!!!!