I really wanted to write up a smashin’ awesome post about how God has totally opened my eyes in the last couple years and shown me that what I buy and who I buy it from really matters.

Because the sad truth? People around the globe are working as SLAVES to make a bunch of the stuff I consume. And once you know about this, and then start digging even deeper? God messes with your head and heart like nuts.

But it’s late and it’s hot, and my friend Heather has done an outrageously amazing job of writing about this kind of stuff lately, so I’m going to defer to her awesomeness. (I’m not sure what era the word “awesome” is from, but evidently I’m stuck in it.)

Seriously. Read her latest posts when you get a chance. Potentially life-changing.

I’m super-duper excited about two things.

1.) I’m purging like a madwoman. No, really. I’ve taken it up a NOTCH. And I’m going to be selling some of the “better” stuff right here on the blog over the next couple weeks.

And 2.) Two of my dear friends, Kim and Sharon, each took $100 from our Cambodia Fund (well, they didn’t take it; I gave it to them) and bought some Fair Trade items on their recent trip to Cambodia.

Fair trade = the people who made the products were paid an honest wage for their work (which was not forced in any way). And in the case of many of the products Kim and Sharon bought, women who were previously in the sex trade have found a new way to make a living–these beautiful handmade items.

So I’m giving all of you a chance to help one of God’s sweet daughters from around the globe make an honest, noble living for herself and her family. (I’m not making a profit on any of this–I’ll just put my $200 back in the Cambodia Fund.)

ALL SIX SETS ARE SOLD! THANK YOU!!!

Here are 6 different “sets” that I’m selling for $10 each (including shipping). If you can get it from me in person, it’ll be $8. These are cute little zippies that can hold all kinds of stuff. The smaller ones are for change, and the two keychains in #5 and #6 are made of coconuts.

All of these items came from one of two Fair Trade shops: Rajana Crafts and Kingdom Kreations. We visited both while we were in Cambodia, and it’s so exciting to be able to bless these people by buying the fruits of their labor.

The smaller bags are 4 in. x 5 in. The bigger ones are 5 in x 6.5 in. (and vinyl-covered). The lip-shaped coin purses are 2.5 in x 3.5 in. And the keychains are in the shape of Cambodia with a cross (#5) and flip-flops (#6).

These make GREAT gifts for any occasion. And you get the double satisfaction of knowing they’re 1.) cute and well-made and 2.) helping someone in need.

If you’re interested in one of the six sets, e-mail me, and we’ll work out the details.

I also have three sets of Ramp Up Your Marriage books for sale.

The books are sold too! (I still have multiple copies of all of mine.)

Set #1: Is That All & Blushing Bride (by me), The Husband Project (Kathi Lipp) and Turn Up the Heat (Kevin Leman) + a copy of my new e-book, The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky. Retail value = $51. Your price = $25 (including shipping to U.S.)

Set #2: Is That All & Blushing Bride (by me), The Husband Project & The Marriage Project (Kathi Lipp) + a copy of my new e-book, The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky. Retail value = $54. Your price = $25 (including shipping to U.S.)

Set #3: Is That All & Blushing Bride (by me), The Husband Project (Kathi Lipp) and So Much More Than Sexy (Mark Attebery) + a copy of my new e-book, The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky. Retail value = $51. Your price = $25 (including shipping to U.S.)

E-mail me if you’re interested in improving your marriage for the bargain price of $25.

And last but not least, LIMITED EDITION BLACK/WHITE MAGNETS! My friend Dorian gave me a vintage game (that I don’t even know the name of) that she was going to sell at a garage sale, and I immediately thought, “How cute would these letters be as magnets?!?”

I’ll spell you whatever you’d like (until I run out of letters) for 50 cents per magnet +$2 shipping to a U.S. address. E-mail me here with your order. (I have roughly 3-6 of each letter).

That’s it for now. MUCH more to come. All proceeds to the Cambodia Fund. Happy Shopping!

I used to think that “good moms” played in the pool with their kids instead of reading books in a chair. This summer I’m all about a little half-and-half action (okay, 40 pool/60 chair).

I just finished a book that made my eyes water multiple times. On a few occasions, tears actually slid down my cheeks, and I was biting my lip and trying to keep my facial expression pool-neutral. But that’s hard when you’re reading about little kiddos not getting enough to eat or being forced into sex trafficking.

I can’t get enough of books like Zealous Love. (It doesn’t hurt that there’s a globe on the cover.) I have a sweet friend at Zondervan who often hooks me up with books I love, and she’s generously offered to give a copy to SIX lucky blog readers today. I know!!

As I mentioned the other day, the book is divided up into eight sections, each describing a desperate global crisis, but the cool thing? The book isn’t all hopeless, doomsday, and guilt-trippy. It’s  just stories of real people who are hurting and real people who are helping and real, practical solutions for how you and I can get involved.

My cup of tea.

God has wired me with a zeal for this kind of thing, and I know so many of you share my passion. I’d love to keep chatting and chatting (and helping and helping) with all of you.

“One of the best ways to begin moving forward,” Mike and Danae Yankoski (the authors) say, “is connecting with others who are passionate about the same issue as you. We need each other. Start the conversation. Encourage one another. Discover together. Dig in, do the research, ask the hard questions, examine your life, and surrender yourself to the leading of our good and gracious God.”

At the end of the book, the authors close with these words:

Many of us need to reconsider our lifestyles in order to better “love others as we would want to be loved.” If we truly heed Jesus’ call to abandon ourselves and follow hard after him, something other than the need for self-preservation will begin to take root and flourish in our hearts. But the resultant rhythms of selflessness and love for our neighbors will take on different forms for all of us because we are all uniquely created and have been given different responsibilities in this world.

Which one of these areas most strikes a chord with you?

Human Trafficking, Unclean Water, Refugees, Hunger, Lack of Education, Creation Degradation, HIV and AIDS, Economic Inequality.

Leave a comment telling me which one (and why, if you’d like), and you’ll be entered to win one of SIX copies of Zealous Love. Share this on Facebook or Twitter, and you can enter twice. (U.S. addresses only, contest ends at noon Friday)

I’m so excited to hear which issues God has laid on your heart!

Thank you SO MUCH, men, for helping me out with the Husband Survey. I have 114 now, so I’m good, but if you’d still like to fill one out, I certainly won’t stop you.

And an extra thank you to Shaun Groves, Gary Thomas, Richard Westley Johnson, and Gabe Taviano for spreading the word about it (your names were all answers to Question #11–How did you find out about this survey?). Thank you, my brothers (and awesome husband).

My apologies if you came here to read about homeschooling. That discussion’s not over by any stretch. I just have a hard time sticking to one topic for more than three minutes at a time. Who knows–tomorrow I may talk about gardening (seriously).

Anyway. Back to husbands and sex. I think I mentioned that the survey answers are amazing. And that I’ve got my work cut out for me. We’ve got some hard stuff to work through–and some really fun stuff too.

As a thank-you to the wives who “gently nudged” their husbands to fill out a survey, here’s a smattering of the guys’ answers to Question #10:

What do you love most about your wife?

She has a great sense of humor and is one of the smartest people I know.

She understands who I am and loves me despite it.

Her eyes–they vary in green color and are quite striking.

Her heart to serve people.

Her skin, her smile, her body shape, her neck… (I could go on, but I won’t see my wife until late tonight after a long day at work. Ya dig?)

She is my best friend.

Her body.

That she’s smart–even when it doesn’t bode well for me.

The unconditional love she has shown me. She is faithful and always will be.

Her quirks, her loyalty, her sacrifice, her appearance. To me, she’s the perfect balance of everything.

When she laughs and is happy.

That her strengths line up with my weaknesses.

We’re the same kind of crazy.

She loves God and is resilient.

Her innocence and playfulness.

She makes me want to be a better man–not by telling me to be so, but by believing in me and what I could be.

She has a joy that is contagious.

That she loves me and puts up with me and wants to be married to me forever, even when I disappoint her. Who does that?

Kudos to you, wives! Your men love you–and for a million and one kinds of reasons. More good stuff to come! As a thank-you to both you and your hubbies, let’s do a little give-away.

I have THREE copies of Is That All He Thinks About? to give away to the wife of any guy who filled out the Husband Survey (and you can still fill it out if you haven’t already). Just leave a comment on this post saying either:

1. I’m a married dude and filled out the survey.

OR

2. I’m the wife of a dude who filled out the survey.

And if you both want to leave a comment, you’ll be entered twice. How’s that for fun? (U.S. addresses only. I’ll draw the winners randomly on Wednesday, May 25.)

You can read the first chapter of Is That All He Thinks About? here. I’ll keep you updated on my progress on the Guys’ Book. And if you’d like to pray for me as I write? That would be AWESOME.

Have a great week!

This weekend wiped me out. Whew. And today started off bad. By the time I got the girls off to school, there had been a lot more bad. And then I got a call from Livi. She left her lunch on the kitchen table. Bad. And then Nina and I had to run some errands. Seven different stores. SEVEN. Four food, four not. Food or not, I do. not. like. to. shop. Bad.

Your book and necklace orders were a bright spot in my day. Especially those of you who bought “Nina Necklaces.” She was tickled pink each time someone else ordered one specifically from her.

Here are details on the Washer Necklaces if you missed yesterday’s post. There’s no deadline for ordering them. We’ll just make them until we can’t take it anymore. We got some orders for favorite college/pro sports teams color combos today. We’ll make just about any team you’d like (unless we can’t stand ‘em).

Lots of Blushing books left.

About 40 Diapers books left. Speaking of that book, there’s a dedication inside the front cover that has turned into a pretty cool story over the last 3 years. Once I get permission to share it, I’m all over it. You’re gonna like it.

We prayed for the kiddos in “our” orphanage in Cambodia tonight before bed. And I was reminded once again that all this necklace-painting and envelope-stuffing and book-packing is so worth it. I can’t wait to wrap my arms around those beautiful kiddos again. And I know that when I finally get to see all my brown and white kiddos together, it’ll be one of the best moments of my entire life.

Have a good one, friends!

A year ago in February, I wrote a post called disheartening where I explained that my book Changing Your World One Diaper at a Time had just gone out of print (which is equivalent to a big fat failure in the publishing world). And goodness gracious, y’all made me feel like a super-hero with your flood of comments about how sorry you were and how much you liked the book and as Amanda so sweetly put it, “God does not measure victory the same way a publishing house does.” (for some reason, that particular comment has stuck with me, and it came to mind recently as I’m waiting for word from a publisher, any publisher)

So, then I wrote this post about how I was over it already and now let’s get some of these 1100 copies of the book off my hands. And you girls did it! You totally pulled through for me. You bought lots and lots of copies, and whittled my stash down considerably.

As of today, I have just about 300 copies of the book left in my closet. And due to my recent motivation to get rid of anything and everything that doesn’t fit our family’s purpose statement, I am DONE. I want these books GONE. Okay, so I might keep a box of 50 to take to my speaking engagements in the fall, but that’s IT. I’m moving on. To what, I don’t know. But I’m tired of looking at them.

SO. Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I thought it’d be a good time to make you one final super-discounted offer. Once they’re out of my closet, you won’t be able to buy them anywhere except from people selling used copies on Amazon (or wherever). These are truly Limited Editions, people.

If you think you’re going to want some in the next few months, years, EVER, you need to get them NOW.

Here’s what I can do for you:

1 signed copy sent directly to the mama of your choice + a handwritten card for Mother’s Day = $5.00 (free shipping)

1 copy sent to you = $4.00 (free shipping)

2 copies = $7.00 (free shipping)

3 copies = $9.00 (free shipping)

5 copies = $12.00 (free shipping)

10 copies = $20.00 (free shipping)

Enough copies to give to every mama at your church on Mother’s Day = contact me. Seriously.

E-mail me with your orders by Monday. All profits go to the Cambodia Fund.

And now I’m going to go back to that original post and read all your warm and fuzzy comments before I go to bed. And I know I promised a sneak peek of the washer necklaces, so here are a couple lame photos from my phone: us at the Art Fair last weekend (we made $152!) and the upside-down pic I took just now.

Happy Maundy Thursday!