LAST STOP! SEASON OF CHANGE BLOG TOUR ENDS TODAY!

Hey Everybody,

The past couple of weeks have been so much fun! Traveling around in bloggy land has been a great way to get the word out about Season of Change, and it's been great connecting with old friends as well as making some new ones! I want to thank everyone who has hosted me, and I also want to thank my bloggy friends for following the tour! I hope you've been able to pick up a few things that will help you navigate your own child's season of change!




Today, the tour concludes at the home of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers! My host today, Kris, is the mother of three, a fellow Tennessean, and an avid homeschooler! Her website is full of insight, information, and ideas for homeschooling families!

I've been homeschooling for twelve years now. It has been a journey of joy. I have no regrets because it has been right for me and my family. Homeschooling is not a decision to be taken lightly. You don't do it because your friends are doing it. It is definitely not a choice to be made because of a personal fear factor or because you want to protect your kids. I believe with all my heart that it is a calling. I also believe that God began to whisper His calling to me to homeschool my (future) children one snowy day when I was all of eight years old. I plan to post on that soon, after I get my bags unpacked from the tour!

Enjoy Kris today, as you check out the last stop on the Blog Tour! Click HERE.

Let's Visit with Micca!

The next stop on the Season of Change Book tour is Reflections, Micca Campbell's blog!




Micca is an author (Her new book will be out in Feb 09!), speaker, wife, mom, and devoted child of God. She serves as the outreach director for Proverbs 31 Ministries, a ministry she's been a part of since 2001.



She's been a part of my life since 1995, when Rich and I first moved to Nashville. She is a dear person and sister in Christ. It's been so exciting to follow her journey into ministry and to watch how God has used her to glorify His Name. I remember the first time she had me over to her house, and she shared her story with me. I said, "You ought to be a speaker." Of course, I wasn't the first person who had told her that!



We have shared many precious moments together in prayer, and wonderful, happy times in fellowship. While we don't see each other very much anymore, with our lives and kids always on the go, I'm so thankful for Micca's surrendered life, her heart for Jesus Christ, and her passion for His mission. To enjoy our visit, click HERE.

NEXT STOP ON THE TOUR: KENTUCKY!

The Homefront--What an appropriate blog name for today's stop on the Season of Change Blog Tour!

I'll be visiting with Pam Cassady, a news writer for the News Democrat Leader in Logan County, Kentucky, and a pastor's wife! We met last year when Pam was covering the Girl of Worth conference held in Auburn, KY. (I will never forget that weekend! We're praying about another conference in that area, this time for high school girls!) Pam ministers to lots of pastors' wives through her blog at the Kentucky Baptist website. Since I grew up in a pastor's home, going to The Homefront today is in many ways like going back home--going back to the heart of who I am: a preacher's kid!

Being in ministry is a calling that encompasses the whole family. If Daddy is called, that means everybody is called. God does not make mistakes! If a dad is called to be a pastor, that means his wife is called to be a pastor's wife, and his kids are called to be PK's. It can be really tough on middlers when they are in a ministry family. Pam asked some heartfelt questions, and I really hope this interview will be a blessing to ministers' wives. If you know a mom in ministry, as a pastor's wife, a church leader, or any other "up front" way, please tell her about today's stop on the tour! Click HERE.

BLOG TOUR CONTINUES WITH PASTOR TOBY!

Hey Everybody,

He calls it "The View from the Cheap Seats," but if you take a closer look, you'll find that it is really the honors blog! (You know how there are "honors" classes in school?) Toby is a very knowledgeable guy, a deep thinker, and a great writer! I was thrilled when this pastor and dad agreed to be part of my blog tour. (He is the only dad on the tour!) Maybe if y'all give him a lot of comments he will blog more! :)

Toby is married to Susan and they are the parents of two boys and two girls! After a stint in Nashville, they now reside in Indiana! I hope you enjoy today's blog tour stop! Click HERE.

Friday's Blog Tour Stop: My Home Sweet Home Online!

Whew! I don't know about y'all, but I am ready for the weekend! Happy Friday, everybody!

Today, the Season of Change Blog Book Tour stops down in Georgia at My Home Sweet Home Online, with homeschooling (mother of eight!), sweet tea drinking, photoshopping Dawn! I have been a fan of Dawn's site, and her blog designs caught my eye some time ago, so I was thrilled when she agreed to host a day of my tour!

Y'all scoot on over to Dawn's and check it out!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Here we go, everybody! We are heading to Carmi, Illinois, the home of the lovely Leigh Gray! I met Leigh several years ago at the 2004 She Speaks! Conference. Since then, she has followed God's leading to develop her own ministry and speaker team. By her side in ministry is one of my dearest friends, Ginger Moore. (Ginger was by my side when I gave birth to my son Derek eleven years ago! She was reading Scripture and praying for me while Rich was helping me with the breathing!) Leigh is also a fellow Tate author. Her book is due out very soon! Head on over to Leigh's blog, Speaking Thru Me, and get a load of her bloggy self!

In memory of those Americans who died September 11, 2001,

Our thoughts are with your families on this day.

BLOG TOUR GOES TO CANADA! SECOND STOP: SHEILA WRAY GREGOIRE!

Is this woman adorable? And can you believe we're in Canada today? I knew I should have packed long-sleeves!

I met Sheila several years ago in New Jersey. (Well, where do you go to meet a Canadian author?) I was speaking at a conference that was put on by a ministry up there, and so was Sheila. Sheila is an accomplished writer, and she is not afraid to tackle newsy subjects--she weighs in on most everything! I was delighted that she was willing to host a day of the tour! Take a look at the interview HERE.

In the non-virtual world today, I'll actually be on another tour of sorts, visiting a neighboring church and talking to a Middle School Minister, checking out his church's facility. This is all part of my research for a workshop I'll be presenting at the LifeWay Kids Conference in Orlando next month. This church has been blessed with plenty of people and lots of financial resources, so it will be interesting to see all that they have been able to do in the way of serving middle schoolers. I was wondering, however, if some of you would take a few minutes to tell me about the middle school ministry at your church, if you have one, and if you don't have one, do you think it's necessary? Should you separate your fifth and sixth graders from the first through fourth graders? Should you give them a space of their own before they make the traditional transition into the youth department? Weigh in here; I would love to know what you think!

BLOG TOUR BEGINS! FIRST STOP: CHATTY KELLY!

The wonderful CHATTY KELLY is the first stop on the blog tour! I just met this Virgina gal at the Proverbs 31 "She Speaks!" conference a few months ago! She is a talented writer with an insightful blogging style. Her devotionals can be encouraging, admonishing, and often downright funny!

After the conference, we began corresponding via email and blogs, and she has certainly inspired me to keep up with my own blog. I know you're going to like her!

So head on over to Wonder Woman Wonders and let's kick off the blog tour!

BLOG TOUR!

This post has been edited to provide a listing of all the hosts with direct links to the tour!

#1 CHATTY KELLY
#2 SHEILA WRAY GREGOIRE
#3 LEIGH GRAY
#4 MY HOME SWEET HOME ONLINE
#5 PASTOR TOBY
#6 THE HOMEFRONT
#7 MICCA CAMPBELL
#8 WEIRD UNSOCIALIZED HOMESCHOOLERS

To read the introductions for each day, please click on the label "Blog Tour." Have fun!

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BLOG TOUR BEGINS MONDAY! ARE YOU READY FOR THE FUN?

As we tour, I will be posting an introduction here everyday, to let y'all know how I know the person (if there is a personal connection) or some other kind of trivia.

I hope it will be a fun ride!

We're trying to get things a little spruced up around here before we "take off!" I've got some last minute things to do, a few more things I want to be sure we get packed--you know how it is. :)

I hope everybody has a great weekend!