Celebrating

Today is my birthday. I am 38. Apparently, it is Jon Acuff's birthday too, though I am a year older. That is kind of cool.

This post won't be a long one. It won't be about much. I just want to tell you that I appreciate you, and as a way to celebrate my birthday I am giving away a FREE Kindle copy of my book, The Purpose of Chosen.  

If you don't have a Kindle, do not fret, you can download a Kindle reader to your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Yep- there's an app for that! 

Also, I am still raising funds to go to Guatemala. I need just $800 more. If you want to donate, be sure to click the widget with my picture to the right. It is safe, secure, and all the funds go to paying for the trip, the airfare to Miami and items that I need for the trip. (Like a backpack, first aid kit, rain gear, etc) 

Your gift would be an amazing birthday present, but would really be more of a sowing into a ministry, so the rewards are greater. 

Today, be sure to love the ones in your life, and spend time with Jesus. He was the first and greatest gift of all. We will be celebrating His birthday soon! 

Be blessed and be a blessing! 

~ Dayna

Book Announcement: The Purpose of Chosen

Click Here for More Info 

It's Here, It's Here!

If  you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you have heard the news! My new book, The Purpose of Chosen is available on Amazon now! (The Kindle version anyway!) 

I have never been so excited and scared at the same time. Not even giving birth was this scary! Putting my work out on the internet for people to discover for "free" is one thing, but asking someone to put their money where my words are is another thing all together. 

Needless to say this is daunting. 

Still, I know that this is the next thing. I know God has called me to write. That is in part why it is so amazing to me: because on my own I am not enough. 

I am no Hemingway, and I am definitely no Joyce Meyer, but I am me. I can only share what God has laid on my heart and let Him give the increase. 

A Two Part Launch

The Kindle version of The Purpose of Chosen is ready for purchase right now! You can get it for only $3.99. The paperback version will be ready soon and that will be for $7.99. Get the Kindle version now for the lower price! 

If you get the book, will you consider writing a small review and posting it on Amazon.com? This will help other potential readers to learn more about the book and make an decision to buy. 

Once there are enough preliminary reviews I will be holding a "launch day" and will be tweeting and posting all about it soon. Of course I want the official launch day to include the physical book, so I will have to wait until that is ready from the publishers. 

More Than Old Blog Posts

The title of this book may sound familiar to you if you have been following this blog for any length of time. The Purpose of Chosen started off as a series I did for the blog, but this book takes that series to a whole new level. New content, stories, and discussion questions for small groups makes this book worth the read. 

The Back Cover

Here is the blurb from the cover, and I hope it helps you decide to buy a copy! 

"What you believe about yourself affects every aspect of your life---often in ways you don’t even realize. You may be convinced that this is all there is, but there is more for you. You were made for more than a mundane life; you were made to live with purpose. You have been chosen, like David, for more than even you know.

In The Purpose of Chosen Dayna Bickham explores what “more” means. Examining the story of David and Goliath in a new and fresh way, Bickham begins to radically confront the things you have believed about yourself and builds you up to face any giant that may stand in your way.

When you discover who you were designed to be, you begin to see that life is not just a random stream of events, but opportunities for greatness. You begin to see that giants were made for slaying and you were made for victory."

Thank You! 

I know that in today's economy disposable income is not as abundant as it once was. That is just one reason I want to say thank you if you choose to purchase The Purpose of Chosen. This is a big step for me as a writer and minister of the gospel. Your opinion does matter. Your friendship, prayers, encouragement and partnership in this community has sustained me and spurred me to do my best. 

I have not always lived up to "best", but for some reason you kept coming back anyway and I have to say thanks! 

For those of you subscribed to our newsletter, you will be getting a special e-mail from me concerning the book. My way of thanking my most loyal followers... 

I hope you will pray for me and for the people who will read this book. My desire is that they would be ministered to in the most personal of ways and truly grasp what it means to be chosen with purpose. 

Don't miss out on future discounts, deals and insider news again! Subscribe to our newsletter by clicking this link.

Have You Lost Hope?

My daughter had given up hope. 

She had learned in the last few years just how financially strapped we had become and thought to herself "there is no way I will get a Kindle for my birthday".  We had said no when she asked. We knew we couldn't afford one. I had one that was a few years old, but next to my kids, my phone and my Kindle were my most prized possessions.

Then, I decided, that giving my daughter hope again was more important than a thing. I cleaned the Kindle up, a friend bought a skin, we put it back in the original packaging (my husband obsesses about keeping the boxes of everything!) and wrapped it up.

The look on her face was amazing.

"Are you for real?" was the first thing she asked.

We were and in that instant, her hope was restored.

What the Bible Says 

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.   Proverbs 13:12 (KJV)

If you have lost hope, you are in a dangerous place. Lack of hope is disheartening. It will cause you to doubt, and make you vulnerable to despair. 

Lamentations, (the book of mourning) tells us this: no matter how bad the circumstance, there is always reason to hold onto hope. 

Lamentations 3:20-22  (MSG) 

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,

the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom.But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.

Now my daughter's circumstances were not all that dire. She has a roof over her head, two parents that love her, friends, and so much more. Maybe she even has things you don't have. Your circumstances may be mounting up and crowding in on you. You may feel overwhelmed and without recourse or hope. 

Do not give up!  

God's mercy is new today! Just for you. 

Job lost everything. Every piece of livestock, every acre of land, his house, and every child. All of them were gone. He had reason to despair. He had reason to give up. Then he became ill. So ill his friends and wife were baffled by it all. Job was a righteous man. He had done good things all his life, including loving and serving God. Why did these horrible things happen? 

Because he was afraid they would, and the enemy hit Job in his most vulnerable area- his family. His friends questioned him. His wife begged him to curse God and die. To her, nothing could have been worse. She had lost hope. But not Job. 

Job had hope that the God who he had served so faithfully all his life, (the one who had kept and blessed him all those years) would again save him. 

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" 

Hope brings us alive. When we dream of the future, hope bubbles up like a fountain of life. When I think of the things God has done for me in the past, I know my future is  brighter than anything I could actually dream up. I have hope. 

What gives you hope?