Reflecting Him Blog Tour

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Carla McDougal and also have been reading/enjoying her new book, Reflecting Him. It is my privilege to be part of her blog tour by posting the following guest blog from Carla.

Generations of Praise

One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. – Psalm 145:4 (NKJV)

Have you experienced a family reunion? I don’t mean a gathering that just involves your parents, brothers, sisters, and their children, but one that extends to the previous generations two- and threefold. Each summer, our family is blessed to attend the annual Lucas Family Reunion, which has taken place for about fifty-five years. This year, as I mingled with the more than one hundred relatives in attendance, I realized how many believers are in my family lineage. In my great-great-grandfather’s family there were seventeen sons and one daughter. Can you imagine the food their mama prepared on a daily basis? Think about all the clothes washed by hand on a scrub board! Come to find out, these eighteen children were consistently taught God’s Word by their parents. All of a sudden, this verse popped into my mind: “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”

As we gathered on Saturday evening to sing, the harmony of “Amazing Grace” echoed through the retreat camp. At that moment, I realized that I am a product of the generations before me who loved Jesus with all their hearts. Chill bumps covered my whole body! I wondered about the prayers my ancestors prayed years and years ago. Did my great-great-great-grandmother ask the Lord to capture the hearts of her offspring’s children for generations to come? Are these prayers still coming to fruition today? As tears welled up in my eyes, I thanked the Lord for my family.

A personal conviction instantly enveloped me: God is calling me to pass on this same truth to my children and their children and so on. I realized that the more I seek to be like Jesus, the more I will reflect Him—and that, in turn, affects my offspring.

(This is an excerpt from Carla’s 10-week Bible Study, Reflecting Him: Living for Jesus and Loving It.)

About Reflecting Him:

Reflecting Him: Living for Jesus and Loving It is a ten-week women’s Bible study. Like Jesus’ parables (which teach important lessons by creating visual pictures for the reader), Reflecting Him uses familiar objects and situations (such as pottery, the human sensory system, and the sun-earth connection) and draws comparisons that help women become aware of Jesus working in various areas of their daily lives. The study is a unique and convenient lay-flat format, so you can write without that annoying bump (you know the one we're talking about.)

Each week is divided into five days (lessons), supporting the central theme for the week. Read the first two chapters (or weeks) online.

The study also has an online component through a Reflecting Him Bible Study Group on Facebook. Individuals working through the study on their own can still get the benefits of a group discussion while working at their own pace. More than 200 people are in the group already and the discussions are really taking off.

This fall a leader's guide, videos, and music will be released to accompany the study.

About Carla:

Carla McDougal is the founder of Reflective Life Ministries and Share Fair, an annual conference for connecting, equipping, and encouraging women in ministry. She speaks at women’s events, retreats, and conferences in the U.S. and internationally. Carla married her high school sweetheart, Fred, and they have four children ages 16 to 23 and live in Magnolia, Texas. Reflecting Him: Living for Jesus and Loving It (WinePress Publishing, 2010) is Carla’s first book, although she’s been involved in leading and teaching Bible studies for more than 20 years. Carla writes a Monday morning e-votional at her blog, Carla's Corner.

Want Carla to Lead a Lesson for Your Bible Study Group?

With every group purchase of 25 or more studies before August 1, Carla will lead a tele-lesson (over speaker phone) for one of your group meetings. Please email windy(at)reflectivelifeministries.org to purchase books. Mention the blog tour and tele-lesson at the time of ordering.

You can purchase Reflecting Him through Amazon, Christianbook.com, or Reflective Life Ministries.

The Reflecting Him Blog Tour, hosted by RedCouch PR, is June 20 - July 16. Yesterday's post was at To Read or Not to Read and tomorrow’s will be at Café Lily. Follow along to read a different guest post, interview, or review each day.