The Life-Changing Power of Childlike Faith and an Invitation to Read through the Bible in 2025

Posted December 31, 2024 | xochitldixon

Suggested Reading: Psalm 116 and Matthew 18:1-10

Whenever I invite people to read through the Bible in a year, I’m prepared for mixed responses. Some have no interest. Some are intimidated by the commitment of a year. Some have tried and didn’t finish, so they’re hesitant to try again.

I pray for all three groups and continue loving them, because I trust God’s plan and pace are perfect. I plan to keep inviting the first group. I encourage the second group to consider how small a commitment of 15-30 minutes a day is, especially when considering how much time we spend doing other things that don’t have the power to change our lives for the better. And I remind the third group that not finishing still means they started and read more of God’s whole story than the year before.

This year, however, as God has me prayerfully seeking to grow in my childlike faith, I would like to share a story about a child who has studied Scripture and read through the Bible multiple times in his life.

In 2002, my six-year-old son Xavier started studying the Bible with me. He was a pro at memorizing Scripture. When my words, actions, or attitude were not in alignment with God’s Word, he would quote a Bible verse and say, “In your face, Mom!”

I couldn’t get mad because he learned that tactic from me.

When we had a decision to make, a conflict to resolve, or a behavior to adjust, I would quote the God-breathed words of Scripture. More importantly, I equipped my son to prayerfully search for answers in the Scriptures.

He first read through the Bible in a year with us at the age of ten.

Praying before and while reading Scripture for deeper study and for familiarity opens our line of communication with God.

As we grow in the knowledge of God, we grow closer to Him and each other. Deepening intimacy makes it possible for us to respond to God with questions, tears, praises, prayers, and sometimes with a chuckle when the Holy Spirit lovingly uses Bible verses to create those “In-Your-Face!” moments.

This year, using Tyndale’s NLT Go Bible for Kids with the Our Daily Bread daily devotions and Bible in a Year reading plan, I’m asking God to help me live with childlike faith.

Childlike faith is not based on living from a place of naivety. Rather, having childlike faith means to engage with God through prayerful exploration of the Scriptures with wonder and curiosity.

As we grow in childlike faith, God increases our willingness to submit to His authority in every aspect of life with repentance as we turn from our sins and reverence that leads to trusting His unchanging character as revealed through the unerring words of Scripture.

The writer of Psalm 116 reflected this depth of intimacy in a beautiful song of thanksgiving.

Beginning with a declaration of his intimate communion with God, he wrote: “I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath” (vv. 1-2).

We cannot gain this level of intimacy with God by simply obtaining knowledge of God. Rather, as we experience God at work through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in all believers, we participate in an ongoing and growing relationship with Him and His people.

God draws us nearer to Him and reveals Himself to us personally, leading to our salvation and the lifelong process of sanctification, which are foundational to living with childlike faith.

The psalmist wrote of God’s salvation and ever-present love working in and through the lives of His people.

He wrote: “The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on earth” (Psalm 116:6-9, NLT).

The psalmist also declared his willingness to live for God in verse 14: “I will keep my promises to the LORD in the presence of all his people.”

These are relational statements that demonstrate an ongoing walk with God as an individual and within a community.

Hundreds of years later, as Jesus prepared to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, His disciples asked who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead of giving them a recipe for greatness according to worldly standards, Jesus pointed to an intimate relationship with Himself that required them to have childlike faith.

“Jesus called a little child over and said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Childlike faith embraces the need to repent of our sins and show reverence to ever-present God through our moment-by-moment Spirit-empowered surrender.

As we enter 2025 and until Jesus calls us home or comes again, I pray we will join the psalmist in singing with grateful praises:

“O LORD, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of his people ̶ in the house of the LORD in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!” (vv. 16-19).

Whether we’re reading the Old Testament or the New Testament, everything points to Jesus. He is the life-changing power who enables us to live with childlike faith!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT)

I look forward to growing with you!

Will you read the Bible in a Year with me in 2025?

On January 21, 2025, people across the nation will be celebrating the National Day of Racial Healing. I want to participate by empowering children with biblical truth.

When you pray with me and give copies of my picture books to the children God has entrusted you to love, you can encourage them to celebrate multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-generational communities that include people with and without disabilities. The main character in all my books is a child with a service dog, inspired by my service dog Callie.

You can use my books to teach that race is a social construct designed to divide and oppress God’s image-bearers. In the Bible, God acknowledges differences in ethnicities but never shows favoritism by the color of one’s skin like the world insists on doing.

My multi-ethnic and multi-cultural family reflects the beauty of belonging and has inspired my writing.

In 2001, after an older student called my son a racial slur in kindergarten, I wrote Different Like Me to help me process the incident as a new believer in Jesus. As I prayed, God blessed me with the words to celebrate our differences and sameness as God’s beautifully diverse image-bearers. Almost fifteen years later, God led me to share the manuscript with my agent. Three years later, the gifted artist, Bonnie Lui, said my words guided her to create the joyful illustrations that started my adventure into the world of picgture books. In 2020, Our Daily Bread published Different Like Me, which was a 2021 ECPA Christian Book Award Finalist. God blessed me with the Spanish translation, Diferente como yo, in 2022.

In 2018, I wrote What Color is God’s Love? with the intention of revealing God’s unchanging character through His colorful creations, especially His image-bearers. I worked closely with my talented illustrator, Darshika Varma, whose vibrant illustrations present a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-generational community of people with and without disabilities working, playing, and serving God together. What Color is God’s Love? was released by WaterBrook Kids in March 2024. Publishers Weekly said the book reveals “the full spectrum of God’s character” through the colors He designed!

I wrote Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown in 2019 to affirm one of my granddaughters after a classmate said she couldn’t belong to our family because she had a darker complexion than her siblings. In October 2024, WaterBrook Kids released Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown. The rich illustrations by award-winning illustrator Sara Palacios on each page combats the lies of colorism and racism while affirming that God created melanin, which is brown, and designed the perfect skin tone for each of His image-bearers. From the darkest ebony to the lightest ivory, we are all wonderfully, marvelously brown!

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What’s the Big Deal About Advent? AND a Book Giveaway

Posted December 3, 2024 | xochitldixon

I was twenty-eight years old when I started seriously looking for a church and thirty years old when I surrendered my life to Jesus. Even after I started going to church regularly, I never heard a pastor preach a message specifically on Advent.

I heard Advent mentioned. I saw the candles with wreathes and the calendars with candy displayed. But I didn’t really know how or why people celebrated Advent. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I began researching and asking God, “What’s the big deal about Advent?”

I was surprised when I discovered that I have been celebrating Advent year-round since the day I surrendered my life to Jesus in 2001.

I even wrote a book, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace, that revealed the wonder of living in light of Advent each day.

The Holy Spirit guided me to the Scriptures and messages He wanted me to include and led me to end the 31-day devotional in the way I or my publisher never expected.

I had no idea why . . . until this year, when I re-read the first paragraph of “Waiting Expectantly,” the concluding chapter of Waiting for God:

“I am a part of something so much bigger than my own small sphere of influence. You are a part of something so much bigger than your small sphere of influence. As God’s children, who submit to His authority and trust daily in His perfect plan and pace, we will always be in waiting. But we’re waiting for so much more than “just” relief, an answer to prayer, miraculous provision, or an obstacle-moving event. Like the persevering people in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11), we’re waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promise through His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace, Our Daily Bread Publishing, 2019)

When we celebrate Advent, which means “coming,” we’re rejoicing as we wait for God!

We’re rejoicing in the prophecies of the Messiah fulfilled when Jesus left heaven and, fully Man and fully God, became the image of the invisible God, a baby the prophets said would be a born to a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We’re rejoicing in the Risen King, the Son who sits at the right hand of the Father. He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and promised to return in power and glory. He will judge the living and the dead with justice and mercy and make all things right. His Kingdom will never end.

The prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)

That light is Jesus.

Jesus’s first coming changed everything and His Second Coming, which anchors our faith with hope, peace, joy, and love, changes everything.

We were all walking in darkness and despair, blinded to our sin until we heard the Good News and received the Light of the World ̶ Jesus ̶ as our personal Lord and Savior. The prophets and those who lived in the Old Testament days had hope because they believed the Messiah would come. We have hope because Jesus, the Messiah, came and is coming again.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Living in light of Advent develops our holy vision, the ability to live with an eternal perspective because Jesus came and is coming again.

Advent offers us time to spend in preparation for Christ’s return, reflecting on what the fulfillment of this promise means to us and to the world, prayerfully responding to God by living for Him as we love like Him.

The busyness of the holiday season can tempt some of us to rush through an Advent calendar or breeze through a prayer as we light candles. Some of us may even be devoted to the tradition and reflect on a list of Bible verses. And some of us won’t even know when Advent starts or finishes.

But no matter how we approach Advent, all of us can rest in the foundation of the hope, peace, joy, and love we inherit as followers of the one who came and is coming again.

How does reflecting on what Jesus did when He came as a baby change how you celebrate Christmas?

How does reflecting on Jesus’s Second Coming change how you respond as you trust Him in your current circumstances?

What would happen if we praised God and lived in light of Advent every day instead of only for a few weeks in the last month of the calendar year?

Authors & Advent Daily Giveaway from December 1-24, 2024.

As I celebrate Advent and worship God in the wait, I’m joining one of my favorite Christian novelists, my friend Robin W. Pearson, for a special book giveaway featuring 23 other Christian authors.

Robin’s writing sprouts from her belief in Jesus Christ, her Southern upbringing, and her love of her husband, seven children, and their dog, Oscar. She loves to share about her faith and her family through her fiction, at writers’ conferences, on social media at @robinwpearson and on her website at robinwpearson.com.

Her novels are “rooted in the soul of the story” and include her Christy Award–winning debut, A Long Time Comin’, as well as ’Til I Want No More, Walking in Tall Weeds.

She’ll be giving away a signed copy of her latest novel, Dysfunction Junction, during the Authors and Advent Giveaway.

How to Enter:

  1. Subscribe to Robin’s newsletter by clicking HERE.
  2. Follow Robin on Instagram at @robinwpearson today.
  3. Check in to see the daily recipients and the surprise gift each day in Robin’s Instagram stories.
  4. If you haven’t followed me on Instagram yet, please connect with me at @xochitl.e.dixon today.

What am I giving away?

I decided to give away four books for this special event!

If Robin selects you on the same day she selects me as the participating author, you will receive a signed copy of Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace and all three of my picture books: What Color is God’s Love?, Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, and the 2021 ECPA Christian Book Awards Finalist in Children’s Books, Different Like Me.

Here is the link to my Instagram page where I share the details with the Instagram handles for all the participating authors.

Note: Recipients must live in the continental United States of America. The giveaway is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with Instagram, Facebook, or any other entity other than the participating authors who have agreed to donate gifts and send them to the randomly selected people Robin W. Pearson chooses between December 1, 2024 and December 24, 2024.

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I look forward to celebrating Advent and would love to hear about your experiences with Advent.

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Are you looking for a Christmas gift that God can use to change lives?

Love your neighbors by ordering extra copies of Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace, Different Like Me and Diferente como yo, What Color is God’s Love?, and Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown. Don’t forget to check out my book page for links and visit each book’s page (links above) for FREE downloads and resources, like coloring pages, Valentine’s Day cards, and Breath Prayer Cards with Scripture.

I’m looking forward to growing with you!

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Please DO NOT REPLY to this email. Instead, CLICK HERE to leave a comment under the original blog post.

I look forward to connecting with you.

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PRAISE and PRAYER REQUEST – Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown Releases TODAY!

Posted October 1, 2024 | xochitldixon

Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown is releasing today.

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise, praise, praise!

Please join me in praying for the readers (younger and older) who will be discovering the beauty of every shade of brown God made and uses when designing the skin tones of His image-bearers.

Even if you have never struggled with insecurity because of your skin tone or if you have never judged someone by the color of their skin, God can use Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown to deepen your appreciation of His creativity and care for all He created and calls good, especially the people He made and loves . . . people like you and me.

However, if you have struggled with insecurity because of the color of your skin tone (like me), if anyone has ever made you feel inferior because someone said you were too dark or too light (like me) . . . then I am praying for you.

If anyone has ever taught you to prefer a lighter or darker complexion . . . then I am praying for you.

God does not show favoritism, so neither should we.

The God-breathed words of Scripture say: “When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Mankind’ when they were created.” Genesis 5:1-2

God made and uses melanin, which is brown, to create the skin tone for every person He created and loves.

He called everything He made good, according to Genesis 1:31.

This means we are all wonderfully, marvelously brown—dark to light–and the color of our skin (brown) actually connects us and enables us see one another through God’s eyes as we learn to love with God’s heart.

If we are going to make disciples of all nations (the Great Commission) and love our beautifully diverse neighbors (the Great Commission), we are going to need Spirit-empowered strength and wisdom as we process the lies we’ve been taught about how to label and divide God’s image-bearers.

Please join me in praying all readers will love God and each other, as they celebrate the beautiful hues of brown God used to design the perfect skin color for each of us.

You are wonderfully, marvelously brown! And I’m so glad God created you!

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In Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, you’ll join a little boy who has an invisible disability (like me) and his service dog (inspired by my service dog Callie), on a joyously affirming adventure that celebrates all shades of brown, from the darkest ebony to the lightest ivory.

From new school desks to freckles, moles, vitiligo, and a port wine stain, from Folklorico dancers to a Ukelele band, brown is everywhere around us.

God created and used brown to color the giant California redwoods, the Grand Canyon walls, busy beavers, great horned owls, piping plovers, and his image-bearers.

Everywhere that I go
I’m searching to see
something wonderfully, marvelously
brown—just like you and like me!

I thank God for the opportunity to work with Pura Belpré Honor Award artist Sara Palacios while creating Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown.

You’ll enjoy a tour of the U.S., from California to Wisconsin, from Hawaii to Texas then Tennessee.

With a little boy who has an invisible disability (like me) and his service dog (inspired by my service dog Callie), you will seek and find all the brilliant and beautiful shades of brown—from ivory to ebony—that God created.

Readers will be encouraged to love the skin tone God chose for them and the beautiful hues of brown He chose for the skin tone of other people He made and loves.

As you explore each page in Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, you will discover how the spectacular shades of brown are reflected in your communities and the world around you.

Love your neighbors by pre-ordering your copies of Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown today using this special access link provided by WaterBrook Kids Publishing (CLICK HERE)

Please take a moment to write a short review after you read Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown. Every review makes a difference.

Sometimes, God uses the reviews to encourage me to continue creating books that point readers to His truth and love.

Sometimes, God uses the reviews to introduce new readers to my books.

Sometimes, God uses the words of a reviewer to answer another reader’s prayer.

When you order my books for your personal library, donate copies to your local schools, churches, and libraries, buy extra copies as gifts, pray for readers and write reviews, you are partnering in ministry with me.

I can do nothing without God or your ongoing prayers support. So I want to thank you for every review.

Please let me know after you’ve written a review so I can join you in praying for the new readers who will read Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, those who will be open to receiving a word from God as He begins a healing work in the hearts of readers around thy world.

I love you and am praying for you!  

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The Skin Colors of God’s Image-Bearers and Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown Pre-Order Discount for Barnes & Noble Members

Posted September 6, 2024 | xochitldixon

 

If you’ve read any of my writing, you know I love Jesus and people.

I celebrate God’s intentional plan for diversity in His Kingdom, as well as His heart for all people . . . even those who have yet to surrender to Him ̶ the lost.

I wrote my first picture book, Different Like Me, after a student called my son a racial slur in kindergarten. Different Like Me and Diferente como yo celebrates our differences and our sameness as God’s beautifully diverse image-bearers.

In my second picture book, What Color is God’s Love?, I used the colors God created to reveal the full spectrum of His unchanging character. I worked with the publisher and the talented illustrator Darshika Varma to ensure we included multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-generational characters, some with and some without disabilities, working and playing together.

My third picture book, Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, has been added to Brightly’s “The Most Exciting Picture Books Coming Fall 2024.” To God be the glory!

I wrote Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown after a student told my granddaughter she couldn’t be related to her sisters because she is Black and they are White.

I affirmed that God made and uses melanin, which is BROWN, to design the perfect skin tones for all His image-bearers around the world.

I assured Brooklyn that she, her sisters, our diverse family members, and all the people God made are wonderfully, marvelously BROWN ̶ from the darkest ebony to the lightest ivory ̶ because we all have melanin.

These statements about melanin and the various hues of human skin are scientific facts. However, Scripture ̶ which is most important to me ̶ also supports this truth.

These are the Bookend Bible verses God used as the foundational truth for the message He entrusted me to share in Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown.

“When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Mankind’ when they were created.” Genesis 5:1-2

“God saw all that he made and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown is my creative way of equipping readers to break down the lies that divide God’s beautifully, diverse image-bearers. I worked with the amazing WaterBrook Kids publishing team and the Pura Bulpre Honor Artist Sara Palacios to ensure we represented a wide range of the spectacular shades of brown God made.

In Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, a young boy with an invisible illness (like me) and his service dog (inspired by my service dog Callie) join a diverse cast of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-generational characters with and without disabilities on an adventure across five regions of the United States.

Each page rejoices in a child’s sense of curiosity and imagination, while celebrating the beauty of God’s creativity in designing brown things in the world, including His wonderfully, marvelously brown image-bearers.

SPECIAL DISCOUNT OFFER: Barnes & Noble Members will receive 25% OFF Pre-orders for Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown September 4-6, 2024!

Premium Members will also receive an additional 10% off print book pre-orders.

USE Coupon Code: PREORDER25 at checkout (case-sensitive, no spaces). 

Please click HERE to pre-order Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown from Barnes & Noble.

Love your neighbors and pre-order extra copies to share as gifts and to donate to your church, a local library, school, Free Little Library, or afterschool program.

#BNPreorder

I can do nothing without God or your ongoing prayers, encouragement, practical support, and reviews!

Will you come alongside me in ministry by supporting me in prayer and helping me spread the word about Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, published by WaterBrook Kids, an imprint of Penguin Random House?

Through the month of September 2024, I need people to:

  1. Pray for readers!
  2. Pre-order at least one copy of Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown before September 30, 2024. Click here for the access links provided by the publisher.
  3. Share Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown on your social media pages.
  4. Write a short review of Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown on Goodreads, NetGalley, Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and any other review platforms you enjoy between October 1, 2024 and October 31, 2024.
  5. Keep praying and sharing Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown with people as God leads in 2024 and beyond!
  6. Interview me on Instagram or Facebook Live, or for your blog, podcast, newsletter, substack, or YouTube channel.
  7. Book me as a speaker for your churche, school, classroom, Sunday School, Church Camp, or community event in 2024-2025.
  8. Encourage churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations to order in bulk, receive discounted prices, and give away copies of Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown to neighborhood families, schools, libraries, Free Little Libraries, afterschool programs, and more.

For more information and to order in bulk, please email the following:

*Churches:  [email protected]

*Ministries:  [email protected]

*Nonprofit Organizations:  [email protected]

Thanks for coming alongside me as we fulfill the Great Commission while living out the Greatest Commandment!

God uses your partnership in ministry to keep me going as He moves mountains, breaks down dividing walls, and builds bridges to connect and celebrate His beautifully diverse image-bearers.

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise!

 

In preparation for the release of Tyndale’s Go Bible for Kids, I joined four other contributors on the BookWorthy Podcast.

When the host asked me to share my favorite story in the Bible, I said, “Jesus’s story. The whole Bible, because the Old Testament and the New Testaments point to Christ.”

When she asked how I stay motived to read the Bible, I told her that I remember that the Bible is not just a book and reading the Bible is not just a task to be checked off a list.

When we read Scripture, we are meeting with God, hearing from God, getting to know God. We’re connecting with Him, worshipping Him, and being lavished by His love, as the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts and minds to align with the unerring and unchanging God-breathed words of Scripture.

To nurture a biblical perspective, we need to know what God says in the whole Bible.

Reading the whole Bible is the only way we will know God’s whole story, God’s character, God’s commands, and God’s heart for every single one of the image-bearers He created and loves.

In 2025, I’ll be reading through the New Living Translation using Tyndale’s NLT Go Bible for Kids. I hope you will join me.

For more information, to download free activity sheets and resources, and to order Tyndale’s NLT Go Bible for Kids, please CLICK HERE.

To listen to the BookWorthy interview, please CLICK HERE.

To watch the BookWorthy interview, please CLICK HERE.

To subscribe to receive daily encouragement devotions from Our Daily Bread Ministries, including the Bible in a Year Reading Schedule, please CLICK HERE.

I am looking forward to growing with you!

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#wonderfullymarvelouslybrown #xochitldixon #ChristianBooks #Christian #faith #Jesus

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Following God to Michigan in August 2024 AND Growing in the Dark

Posted August 9, 2024 | xochitldixon

Yes. We’re following God from California to Michigan!

We’re not moving to the Midwest again, though. On August 17-25, 2024, I’ll be recording the audio book for Waiting for God, speaking at a special event for the wonderful Our Daily Bread Service Partners, and hosting a Children’s Storytime at Baker Book House.

If you are in the Grand Rapids, MI area, please join Callie the Service Dog, my husband, and me at Baker Book House on Saturday, August 24, 2024, from 11 am to 1 pm.

I’ll be reading What Color is God’s Love? and Different Like Me.

I’ll also be sharing an exclusive sneak peek of Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, published by WaterBrook Kids and scheduled for release on October 1, 2024.

After the reading, we’ll have a quick Q&A and fun activities for kids to enjoy while they wait for their books to be signed.

Please reserve your spot by calling the store or using this EventBrite link (Click HERE).

Please share this post and invite your church, your family, and your friends to join us.

Baker Book House will have all my books available for purchase, including the bestselling God Hears Her compilation that features the first devotion I wrote for Our Daily Bread in 2015, “When Yes Means No.”

If you pre-order Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown from Baker Book House before or during the event, you will receive an exclusive personalized signed book plate.

After the hard and hope-filled year I’ve had, I am looking forward to serving the Lord during this trip.

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When we’re abiding in Jesus, we can persevere by the power of the Holy Spirit and glow as we grow, even in the dark spaces of the valley.

Suggested Reading: Isaiah 40:1-31 (ESV)

God created the moonflower (Ipomoea alba), a member of the morning glory family, which has blossoms that are only a couple inches wide during the day. Though beautiful and fragrant, these nocturnal flowers have poisonous seeds. So the moonflower may not be a good choice for gardens where children and pets roam.

However, though most flowers thrive when they soak up the sun, the moonflower flourishes under the light of the moon.

Each blossom opens into a sweet-scented round bloom up to seven inches long. Moonflower vines can grow up to twenty feet long as they crawl up the sides of solid structures like fences, houses, and even other plants.

Like the moonflower, God’s people can grow in unexpected places.

Some of the most fragrant and beautiful spiritual growth can occur as God guides us through the dark valleys of suffering that leads to sanctification ̶ the refining process through which He makes us holy, more like Jesus so we can be fragrant with the fruit of the Spirit as we point others to the hope we have in Christ.

In September 2018, I began trudging through one of the darkest seasons of suffering in my life. We had just moved across the country, following God from California to Wisconsin. As I searched for new doctors and a new church, I was working toward the deadline to submit my first full-length devotional. Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace was scheduled to be released by Our Daily Bread Publishing in August 2019.

In those dark valley moments, my pain and fatigue levels increased. As I searched for a new medical team and a new church, I loneliness and discouragement overwhelmed me. Still, I had to write Waiting for God, a book filled with encouragement and hope for those struggling to trust God when the wait felt too long and too hard to endure.

God affirmed that persevering includes pushing through in the power of the Holy Spirit as well as resting in the quiet peace of His presence.

To flourish in the valley requires we wait and walk by faith in the power of the Spirit, as He nourishes the deepest roots beneath the surface.

We may not see anything that resembles growth, so it would be easy to bow down under the weight of discouragement.

However, when we’re walking and waiting in the valley with our eyes are on the horizon expecting God to show up, He changes our perspective.

We can see hope when others see hopelessness.

“Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 40:4-5, ESV).

When our weakness tempts us to doubt, we can turn to Him and stand on every promise He made, fulfilled, and those that His unchanging faithfulness assures us that He will be fulfilling.

The prophet Isaiah said, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (v. 8).

No matter what the world says, we can believe that the truth we read in the Bible will stand firm and continue to be true and relevant because God never changes.

Isaiah offered God’s people a comforting promise: “The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (vv. 28-29).

By first affirming who God is and all how He promises to provide for us, the prophet builds a foundation that stands strong during the ever-changing seasons we walk in the light or the dark.

Though none of us is exempt from weariness or depletion, God offers hope for those who place their trust in the Jesus.

“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (vv. 30-31).

When we begin to doubt we can press on through the darkest valley moments, the Holy Spirit reminds us that the deepest roots of our faith are beneath the surface.

With our eyes on the horizon, knowing our King is coming again, we can thrive in the darkest valleys because the Light Himself is with us.

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Praise the Lord!

Join me in sharing God’s unerring and unchanging words of Scripture with the children God has placed in your sphere of influence.

In His incredible loving-kindness, God blessed me with the opportunity to serve as the contributing writer of the “Choose to Change” feature in Tyndale’s NLT Go Bible for Kids.

These fun and engaging multiple choice questions lead readers to apply God’s truth and live for Jesus.

The Go Bible, scheduled to release on September 3, 2024, includes over 600 features created by a diverse Jesus-loving team. This life-changing Bible is designed to equip readers to engage with the text, nurture their personal relationship with God, and apply the God-breathed words of Scripture in practical and relevant ways.

The Go Bible may be created for kids ages 7-11, but I’m using this full-text New Living Translation to read through the Bible in 2025.

You can visit Tyndale’s NLT Go Bible for Kids page (CLICK HERE) for more information, to download free activity pages, and to pre-order your copy from a variety of retailers by clicking here.

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In my Pause for Prayer episode, “Special Delivery,” I share why working on the Go Bible is an answer to a prayer I placed into God’s hands shortly after I surrendered my life to Jesus.

CLICK HERE to watch “Special Delivery” and join me as I celebrate the upcoming release of Tyndale’s NLT Go Bible for Kids!

Thanks for being a member of my blog family. I am praying for you and looking forward to growing with you!

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How God Led Me to the Heart of the Message in My New Picture Book, What Color is God’s Love?

Posted March 17, 2024 | xochitldixon

I couldn’t deny that I was weary. The cross-country move proved to be harder than expected. I didn’t know how I could keep moving forward without a break . . . without breaking.

I inhaled deeply then exhaled. I’d just spent a year researching Bible verses to use for my book Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. I knew that I could trust God in the wait. I preached the message with confidence, day in and day out. I believed what I said, what I read in the Bible. So, I didn’t understand why I was running on empty.

As my sweet pup licked away my tears, I looked out the window and noticed the rain had stopped. The sun broke through the dark gray clouds, shining on a white heron that had landed in the lush green foliage on the creek bank next to our front yard. When the bird spread its wings and took flight, I thanked God for the reminder of His unlimited power and His loving care over Creation and in the details of the lives of His children.

He led me to Psalm 33 as I began writing a free verse poem, a celebration of the God-designed colors I saw in my front yard creek.

Oh, Lord, why do I doubt You!

“The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do” (vv.13-15).

I began to thank God for the countless ways that He had proven that He had never lost sight of me. I praised Him for the times He carried me through when situations felt too hard, when the pain felt too overwhelming, when the losses felt too great to bear. In every situation, He had been right there providing for me, caring for those I loved, never failing me, and never letting me down.

“But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love” (v. 18).

I asked Him to help me that day, because I knew I didn’t have the strength to trust Him on my own. I prayed through over the verses and asked the Holy Spirit to help me believe.

“We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone” (vv. 20-22).

Then, I asked the Holy Spirit to give me the faith of a mustard seed. I asked for the faith of three men in a blazing furnace. I asked for the faith of a teenager facing a giant. I asked for the faith of Abram ̶ a man willing to leave everything to follow God without knowing where He was going, to take one step at a time and accept being redefined, to be willing to sacrifice what he thought was the fulfillment of his promise, to embrace loss and still trust God would come through, to know that God’s word was sufficient enough for him to believe.

I wrote the first draft of a free verse poem as a song of praise, but God had me tuck that poem away until after I released Waiting for God in August 2019 and my first picture book, Different Like Me, in August 2020.

In the meantime, God sent people to love me where He had sent me.

God loved me through Carmen Leal, who brought Callie into our lives through a kill-shelter. God loved me through my first church family, the staff at ReachOut Books and Solid Grounds Coffee Shoppe. God loved me through a dog-loving neighbor who ended up being one of my biggest supporters and Callie’s Grandma Jan.

God loved me through Jake and Amanda Guell and our Tails for Life Family, who trained Callie to be my service dog. God loved me through the readers who sponsored Callie’s training when my insurance wouldn’t pay for the medication that lessened my nerve pain in my upper thoracic back. God loved me through my praying doctor, who fought for me to get the only medication that has helped manage the pain in my upper thoracic back.

And God loved me through my husband, who cared for me every day . . . even when he was hurting and tired.

During that difficult season, God reminded me that He can use us to love others from our space of weakness even when we’re running on empty if we’re abiding in Him.

He transformed me and that manuscript over the next few years as I prayed and waited to hear from God. Finally, in November 2021, He blessed me with the opportunity to work with the talented Bunmi Ishola from WaterBrook. She helped me to be braver as I dug deeper into the Scriptures and allowed God to lead me to the messages He wanted me to share with each color.

You see, I knew What Color is God’s Love? was more than a book about colors. I wanted to give readers what I didn’t have as a child, a safe place to process their God-given emotions . . . in God’s loving presence.

I wanted the magnificent colors God created, even those that are often seen in a negative light ̶ like black or gray or brown ̶ to be seen as beautiful and to affirm an unchanging truth about God that is found in the infallible God-breathed words of Scripture.

That’s why I created the Breath Prayer Cards (download now or visit the What Color is God’s Love? book page on my website at your convenience). I want readers to open their Bibles, so they can get excited about getting to know God more!

I want What Color is God’s Love? to ignite readers’ imaginations, spark conversations, and inspire service motivated by love for Jesus and people! As readers explore God’s colorful creation, I pray they experience the power of His constant presence, engage with Him through the prayerful study of His Word, and enjoy loving God and their beautifully diverse neighbors every day.

I hope you’ll partner with me in ministry, by loving your neighbors and ordering an extra copy of What Color is God’s Love? to share as a gift today, donating a copy to your church, library, school, or Free Little Library, or by sharing the link with others and encouraging them to order copies of What Color is God’s Love? for their family and friends.

I can do nothing without God or your ongoing prayers and support. I thank God for you and am praying for you.

Thanks for making a difference in my life by connecting with me here, through Our Daily Bread Ministries and the God Hears Her blog, and on Instagram and Facebook.

I’m looking forward to growing closer God as we dig deeper into His Word in 2024. To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise!

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In What Color is God’s Love?, a little girl with an invisible disability and her service dog join their diverse family and friends through a whirlwind of adventures and celebrate the spectacular spectrum of colors God designed. Each color invites readers to explore their God-given emotions and becomes a reminder of God’s unchanging character as they experience God’s love flowing for them, in them, and through them.

To love your neighbors by ordering extra copies of What Color is God’s Love? to share as gifts, to donate to your library, to your church, your school, a Free Little Library, or an afterschool program, please use this special access link to your favorite retailers provided by WaterBrook.

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However, if you’re local, please join us for this special event to help support Serendipity Bible House.

Alan and I believe in investing in small businesses in our community.

I’ve been shopping at Serendipity since 2001. I want to encourage people to order my books from Serendipity Bible House in Fairfield, California for this special event. While we are celebrating the release of What Color is God’s Love?, you can also order Waiting for God, Different Like Me, Diferente como yo. However, you’ll need to place your orders soon!

Please call Serendipity or visit the store for details regarding PRE-ORDER DEADLINES and TO PLACE YOUR PRE-ORDERS TODAY!

Thanks for making a difference by supporting small Christian businesses. These ministries can only make a difference in the Kingdom when we keep them in business by being intentional about shopping in their stores!

I’m looking forward to praising Jesus with you!

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Choosing Love in the Brambles (After Callie the Service Dog Denied Public Access) AND Celebrating New Book Releases!

Posted February 27, 2024 | xochitldixon

In November 2023, my husband and I invited our pastor and his wife to a fundraising event sponsored by an organization my husband was affiliated with at the time. They had recently moved from Texas so we were hoping to introduce them to people in our community.

However, on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, the president of that organization denied my service dog public access to that event, a Gala scheduled to be held at the Meritage Resort and Spa on Saturday, December 2nd in Napa, California.

I figured she must have made a mistake. Service dogs are considered medical equipment according to the Americans with Disabilities Act. So, I sent the president an email requesting a Zoom meeting and a copy of the “laws” she claimed gave her the right to deny my service dog access to the public event.

I hoped we could clear up the misunderstanding, so my husband and I could enjoy a wonderful night of fellowship with our pastor, his wife, and our community.

Nothing could have prepared me for the president’s emailed response, in which she copied multiple board members and used all caps and unprofessional language.

I wrestled with sorrow and anger as I read her disrespectful criticism about my caregiver, my husband of thirty years and her elected treasurer of the board. I grappled with grief and resentment over her dismissive comments about my service dog and her demeaning remarks regarding my disability.

I feared I couldn’t respond without disrespecting Jesus and ruining my witness for Christ, so I prayed and chose not to respond.

But I planned on attending the Gala with my service dog.

The president, however, persisted in demanding my husband confirm that we would leave my service dog in a kennel during the Gala. She gave us an ultimatum. If we didn’t confirm by noon on Friday, December 1, 2023, she would refund the money for all four of our tickets.

As soon as the clock struck noon on December 1st, she followed through on her threat.

I was on the phone with the ADA Specialist, who affirmed that the president of the chamber had violated my civil rights by invalidating my tickets. She encouraged me to file a complaint with the Department of Justice and seek legal counsel.

As I prayed, grief mingled with anger. I couldn’t figure out why I felt compassion for a woman who had clearly discriminated against me.

I fell asleep with a debilitating headache.

When I woke up, the Holy Spirit had given me a vision of brambles dripping with blood and the title for my next teaching series, “Choosing Love in the Brambles.”

Brambles are thorny plants, often used in medieval art to symbolize sorrow, bitterness, sin, death, and even the fallen state of mankind.

Unsure of why God gave me that image or that title at the time, I continued praying for clarity and asked my accountability partners to join me in praying for the president, the organization, and for me as I processed my mixed emotions.

By the power of the Holy Spirit and with the help of my accountability partners, I prayed for the president’s salvation. I asked God to help me forgive her . . . because Jesus had forgiven me . . . and to help me love her . . . because He loves me.

When Alan and I called our pastor and his wife so we could pray together on Saturday morning, I asked God to redeem our evening.

While we were being excluded from the chamber’s Gala event at Napa’s Meritage Resort and Spa (not by the hotel management but by one of its patrons), we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Morimoto, a restaurant in the same town.

The manager and staff welcomed all of us. We weren’t surprised. We’ve never had any issues with my service dog at any professional establishment or with any professional community leaders.

I told our kind waitress that we’d been denied public access across town, then offered her a copy of my book Different Like Me for her son.

She teared up and said she was sorry about what had happened to us. Then, she accepted my gift and shared that her son had asked to be baptized a few days before!

I wrote a prayer and a message of encouragement inside the front page when I gave her a copy of my devotional, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace.

Even while the president was dancing in her fancy dress in a crowd of people who had no idea (except for the other chamber board members) that she had just discriminated against me and my service dog . . . even while justice was not being served.

God was being glorified because . . . Callie was doing her job as I served God in that Michelon Star restaurant WHILE being discriminated against by the woman who was sponsoring the Gala event across town!

That ministry moment right smack in the middle of my affliction was a hidden treasure in a secret place.

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise!

The Holy Spirit kept nudging me to stand up against the injustice as an advocate for myself and others.

So, on December 7, 2023, I filed a complaint with the Department of Justice. A week later, however, the DOJ informed me that they had too many complaints filed and not enough resources to follow up on every violation. They encouraged me to seek legal counsel.

After a month of prayer while seeking wise counsel, I saw no justice served while receiving no help from anyone I reached out to for help.

The injustice overwhelmed me.

As I was praying on a Saturday morning, the Holy Spirit nudged me to call the president of the organization and ask her to talk to me. I was shocked, but praised God, when she agreed to speak respectfully with me.

I prayed silently, asking the Holy Spirit to keep my voice calm, and shared honestly about the law and my hopes for healing and reconciliation so we could help our community learn more about disability awareness and access laws. Then, I invited her to speak.

She did not use a calm or respectful tone when she said she was “not sorry” and that she would not do anything differently.

After acknowledging Callie was a legitimate service dog, she said we were both welcome at all the chamber events throughout the year except the end of year Gala, which she felt was not an appropriate venue for “pets.”

This is how I discovered why people get away with discrimination against disabled people.

Some offenses can be avoided once people understand the laws.

However, there is no legal organization that will mediate between two parties to help them work out disagreements about the laws.

And when people don’t agree . . . the only way to move forward in peace without going to court is to agree to disagree.

When this woman refused to apologize and take responsibility for her actions, I knew I could not change her mind. I didn’t want to hurt the organization and the other businesses associated with it because of her poor leadership, so I chose Love, with a capital “L.”

I chose God ̶ who is Love (1 John 4:8) ̶ the only one who CAN transform hearts and minds.

I chose God’s way, the way of the peacemaker, in the face of injustice as I walked through the twisted and bloodied thorns of the brambles.

I told the president that I thought she was wrong regarding her interpretation of the law and her description of public events versus private events. She said she was fine with that.

I said I would be willing to agree to respect one another’s right to disagree so that we could move forward peace.

She said she was okay with that.

I also told her that I had forgiven her because Jesus had forgiven me, and that I would continue praying for her and the organization, only because I supported the purpose for which the organization was founded upon.

She didn’t even respond to that, but she did agree to support a training workshop to help our community learn more about service dogs and ADA Laws. She agreed it would be valuable to share our experience about disagreeing about the interpretation of the law.

Then, she said she was fine with me praying before we ended our conversation. I hung up the phone praising God and feeling a bit hopeful for our community.

So, I couldn’t explain why my heart felt heavy.

God soon revealed the reason behind my unsettled feeling.

Later, my husband received an email from the president informing him that she had removed him from his elected position as treasurer of the board, an act which went against the bylaws established by the organization. Since there is no governing board above her and the other board members are silent, there is no one holding her accountable for her abuse of power.

We no longer support this organization or any programs they sponsor.

Though on the surface it may look like injustice prevailed in these situations, in the end my husband and I know Christ prevails.

However, before I was able to move forward, the experience triggered a bout with situational depression that threw me into an identity crisis I had to work out with Jesus. I wrote an article about this on the God Hears Her blog entitled, “Remembering Who We Are.”

With the help of my doctor and my prayer partners, I used the resources and skills I’d learned over the years to work through my mixed feelings. As I picked through my raw emotions and struggled to choose love in the brambles, however, God led me to a passage in Lamentations 3.

I needed to lament, to release my grief . . . even though I couldn’t explain the depth of my heartache at that time. I needed to cry out to God . . . even when I didn’t understand my why I was feeling what I was feeling.

I needed to trust that God’s mercy was enough to carry me, while living in a fallen world where justice will not always be a part of the equation.

I needed to trust God to deal with injustice His way and in His time when the worldly systems failed me.

The prophet Jeremiah said, “I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.” (Lamentations 3:20-22, NLT)

Jeremiah led God’s people to the truth they needed to hear: God’s unending love and mercy are enough to fuel life-giving hope.

The New International Version says: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:20-23).

God’s people are not destroyed by life’s turmoil, injustice, and grief because of His unending faithfulness.

God’s moment-by-moment acts of loving mercy give us enough to be enough for that moment when we aren’t sure how we can possibly take one more blow, one more step, one more breath.

Jeremiah proclaimed, “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:24-26, NIV)

God is all-knowing (1 John 3:20). He has ordained every step we take (Psalm 37:23-24). He plans all our days before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16).

So, I am certain that He knew Callie and I would be denied public access a few months before What Color is God’s Love? would be released.

I’m grateful that He had me spend time researching Bible verses about His character for a year prior to this incident. He knew I would need the truth statements I used for each color when I was recovering from the blow of being told I wasn’t allowed to share the same space as other human beings because of my disability.

God knew that I would struggle to choose Love in the brambles.

God also knew that I would need to know I was loved completely by Him, so that I could choose love instead of hate, forgiveness instead of resentment and bitterness.

He knew I would need to be secure in His great love, so I would not be consumed or utterly destroyed by my sin or anyone else’s sins against me.

Why?

Because God’s compassions never fail!

Hallelujah!

God is so good! And He has already been redeeming my experience ̶ being denied public access with my service dog ̶ by blessing me with hidden treasures in secret places, ministry opportunities in unexpected spaces AND ministry expansion.

As I prepare for the release of What Color is God’s Love? in March, I’ve also been blessed to serve as one of the contributing writers for Tyndale’s Go Bible for Kids, which releases in September. Hallelujah!

By God’s incredible grace, WaterBrook is also releasing my third picture book earlier than expected. Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown is available for pre-order NOW and will be in readers’ hands in October!

Our Daily Bread Publishing is refreshing the cover of Waiting for God and giving me a new subtitle, just in time for the release of my second ODBM devotional in early 2025. I can’t share details about my second ODBM devotional title yet, but I can hardly wait to share what God did during that journey. The testimonies of the people I interviewed made me want to know God more, love God more, and serve God more!

But I know I can do nothing without Him or YOUR HELP!

So I am asking you to partner with me in ministry today. How?

  1. Pray for Callie the Service Dog and me at least once a week or once a month, as I trust God to send me more opportunities to serve Him as a writer and speaker.
  2. Love your neighbors by pre-ordering extra copies of What Color is God’s Love? to share as gifts today, using the exclusive access link (below)!
  3. Share the exclusive access link (below) with your family members and friends and ask them to pre-order What Color is Love? today, too!
  4. After you receive your copy of What Color is God’s Love?, write a review on Amazon and any other review platforms you enjoy. Please try to write your review within the first week after receiving your book. Reviews help me reach new readers. My goal is to have 500 reviews in the first 3 months after the release of What Color is God’s Love? and I can’t do this without your prayers or your help! To God be the glory!
  5. Share FUN and COLORFUL pictures of you enjoying your copy of What Color is God’s Love? on Facebook and Instagram and tag me @xochitl.e.dixon so I can celebrate with you!
  6. Keep connecting with me here and on social media, because God has more surprises in store for us! He’s got more ministry opportunities He’s sending my way. I received two calls last week from editors asking me to pray about potential projects. To God ALONE be the glory, the honor, and the praise!

Thanks for making a difference in my life and for serving Jesus with me in these special ways.

I’m excited to see what hidden treasures in secret places He has in store for us as we continue sharing His truth and love wherever He sends us!

Hallelujah!

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Scroll down for YOUR EXCLUSIVE ACCESS LINK for What Color is God’s Love? so you can pre-order your copies today!

What are readers saying about What Color is God’s Love? in their reviews?

In September 2023, Publishers Weekly said: “Xochitl Dixon writes a rhyming tale of the rainbow as a way to explore the full spectrum of God in What Color is God’s Love? (WaterBrook, Mar. 2024)”

In What Color is God’s Love?, a little girl and her service dog join their diverse friends as they celebrate the spectacular spectrum of colors God designed. Each color invites readers to explore their God-given emotions, becomes a reminder of God’s unchanging character, and empowers children, with and without disabilities, to play, work, and serve God together, by simply letting the colors of His love shine in and through them.

Love your neighbors by pre-ordering extra copies of What Color is God’s Love? as gifts today using this exclusive link sponsored by WaterBrook and Multnomah Kids Publishing:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711471/what-color-is-gods-love-by-xochitl-dixon-illustrated-by-darshika-varma/

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And . . . drumroll, please . . . help me celebrate God’s abounding love as I rejoice in how He brought about my third picture book, Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, which will release in October 2024.

Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown is a love-offering inspired by my struggles with hating my light complexion because I was teased for being so light as a kid, and a conversation with one of my granddaughters who was struggling after being teased for her beautiful darker brown complexion.

I explained melanin to her by saying, “God chose one color when He made skin for His image-bearers ̶ BROWN ̶ but He chose to make us beautifully different shades of brown, from very light to very dark! So, we are all wonderfully, marvelously brown!”

Then, I told her I would write a book about this truth and dedicate it to her.

You can love your neighbors by pre-ordering extra copies of Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown today, by using this exclusive access link:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711470/wonderfully-marvelously-brown-by-xochitl-dixon-illustrated-by-sara-palacios/

Please share that link with others, too!

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Thanks for all you’ve done to help us place Different Like Me into the hands of readers around the world!

Different Like Me has been helping readers celebrate our differences and our sameness as God’s beautifully diverse and purposefully connected image-bearers.

Published by Our Daily Bread Ministries in 2020, Different Like Me was nominated as the 2021 ECPA Christian Book Award Children’s Book Finalist and translated into Simplified Chinese and Dutch. In 2022, I helped translate Different Like Me into Diferente como yo!

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise!

Translating rhyme into Spanish was way harder than I expected and a task I couldn’t do without lots of help, especially since I am not as proficient in Spanish as I would like to be. As of January 2024, Different Like Me is now available in Hong Kong! Hallelujah!

These translations, as well as the ministry work done through Our Daily Bread each month, are answers to prayers I first let drop as tears into my Bible in 2001. He is using my words to allow me to serve as a missionary! Hallelujah!

Please join me in this amazing armchair missionary outreach!

If you don’t know a child you can bless with a copy of Different Like Me or Diferente como yo, you can donate copies to your local library, school, or afterschool program, on behalf of Callie the Service Dog.

Love your neighbors and Different Like Me or Diferente como yo by clicking HERE!

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Pause for Prayer is BACK! Hallelujah!

This month, I had the privilege of interviewing Sara Chinakwe and Chioma, the most adorable guest I’ve ever had on Pause for Prayer.

Sara Chinakwe is a wife, mother, teacher, and children’s ministry leader. She encourages women and children to pursue God’s purpose and embrace their God-given identity. Sara’s deep love for teaching and decade’s long career in education was shaped in California State University Stanislaus.

In this interview, Sara shares how God helped her through a personal journey of discovering her own ancestry as she wrote You Come from Greatness, a celebration of Black History and an invitation to rejoice in being made in the image of Christ!

To watch my Pause for Prayer Interview with Sara Chinakwe and Chioma, please click here.

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Here are a few of my favorite Black children’s book authors who are creating beautiful Christian books, resources, and programs.

Please pray for and support Natasha Tripplett, Dorena Williamson, Trillia Newbell, Dr. Lucretia Berry (founder of Brownicity), and Sara Chinakwe.

I’ve worked Dorena, Dr. Berry and Sara closely for years. Natasha is a fellow Redbud Writers Guild Sister, who lives in the Bay Area so I’ll be getting to know soon! And Trillia Newbell is one of my favorite Bible teachers and children’s book authors, who I have learned from (from afar) and would love to meet!

I thank God for the work these phenomenal women of God are doing to ensure my grandbabies see themselves represented in children’s books and resources.

However, I am even more grateful for the work they do that draws readers closer to Jesus!

Thanks for helping me celebrate Black History Month in a tangible way by showing support for Black Children’s Book Authors.

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I hope you know how much I need and thank God for your ongoing partnership in ministry!

I am committed to fulfilling the Great Commission while living out the Greatest Commandment, celebrating God’s beautifully diverse image-bearers and advocating for disability awareness around the world.

But I can’t do anything without God or your ongoing prayers and practical help.

Thanks for making a difference in my life and for making a Kingdom impact as you serve alongside me in this special way.

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise!

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Three Gifts for Christmas – A New Book, A New Name, And A New Ministry!

Posted December 25, 2023 | xochitldixon

We’ve faced many challenges over the last year, especially during the past month, but God has also blessed us with an abundance of gifts ̶ though none are greater than the gift of Jesus!

Today, I would like to celebrate three incredible gifts with you and give God all the glory!

  1. A new book!

Over the last two years, I have had the pleasure and privilege of prayerfully serving Jesus alongside the talented Bunmi Ishola with the WaterBrook and Multnomah Kids Publishing Family. We’ve been working with a gifted illustrator Darshika Varma and are excited to announce the release of What Color is God’s Love? in March 2024.

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise, praise, praise!

What did Publisher’s Weekly have to say about my new book?

“Xochitl Dixon writes a rhyming tale of the rainbow as a way to explore the full spectrum of God in What Color is God’s Love? (WaterBrook, Mar. 2024)” (Publishers Weekly, September 2023)

All of my books empower children to celebrate diversity, advocate for inclusion and disability awareness, while spreading the Gospel and loving Jesus and their neighbors with their words and actions.

Pre-orders, like written reviews on your favorite review platforms, show my publisher that readers are interested in my books and will support my work going forward. Each book that you pre-order encourages my publisher to keep inviting me to create more books that point to Jesus!

You can help me show my publisher that you want more books like Different Like Me by loving your neighbors and pre-ordering extra copies of What Color is God’s Love? to share as gifts today!

Please use this exclusive Pre-order Link to order your copies of What Color is God’s Love? today:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711471/what-color-is-gods-love-by-xochitl-dixon-illustrated-by-darshika-varma/

Thank you for your partnership in sharing God’s truth and love to the ends of the earth by sharing Different Like Me, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace, and What Color is God’s Love? with others.

I can do nothing without God or your ongoing prayers and support.

  1. A New Name!

This gift is not what you might expect. The name I’m talking about isn’t even mine. If you’ve been connecting with me on social media, you may have enjoyed photos of my husband, Dr. W. Alan Dixon Sr., wearing Christmas hats in November-December. We call this tradition the Dixon Christmas Hatstravaganza and Socktacular with Tinsel Ties, Glitzy Glasses, and Callie’s Bandana Bonanza.

This year, I interviewed my husband. I wanted share the backstory and the deeper purpose behind this fun tradition with the readers around the world who return to my social media pages every year to check out my husband’s crazy Christmas hats. During our interview, my husband also reveals his new nickname.

CLICK HERE to watch this exclusive Pause for Prayer Interview.

  1. A new ministry!

Something happened at the end of November. I’ve been struggling as I process the situation and trust God to work out the details. Though it’s been a hard month, through it all God has been revealing Himself intimately and giving me wonderful opportunities to serve Him. Hallelujah!

He’s been nudging me to be more consistent with sharing biblical encouragement and prayers here and through Pause for Prayer (my YouTube channel).

This month, I interviewed authors Christie Thomas, Dorena Williamson, and Valerie Ellis. You will not want to miss what the Lord revealed through our conversations!

To subscribe to Pause for Prayer, please CLICK HERE.

I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for us in 2024, as we live with a passion for Christ, rooted in God’s Word and growing with God’s people.

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise, praise, praise!

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Books for Maui – I Need Your Help

Posted August 21, 2023 | xochitldixon

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, ESV)

As I prayed for the residents of Hawaii, especially the Native Hawaiians, I asked God to show me how I could help in a practical way. I found out about Books for Maui on Instagram. I signed up right away and shared the opportunity with other authors. However, as soon as I posted the invitation for authors to donate books and services, I received notification that the auction had to close its call for donations early.

They had over 900 authors signed up for the program!

To God be the glory, the honor, and the praise!

I praised God for allowing me to participate.

I’m inviting you to help in one of two ways.

  1. Bid on the auction site between Monday, August 21, 2023 and Friday, August 25, 2023 at midnight Hawaii Standard Time. (link below).
  2. If you aren’t interested in bidding, donate to the reputable organizations on my list (links below).

I donated two packages that you can bid on for yourself or for a friend as a gift.

My Book Bundle Package includes signed copies of Different Like Me, Diferente como yo, and Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. This package also includes an Author Visit via Zoom.

The Author Visit can be used on 1 of 3 different ways.

  1. You can invite me to read Different Like Me for a school classroom, for a children’s ministry event or Sunday morning class, a MOPS group meeting, or any group event that includes readers who would enjoy an engaging reading of Different Like Me.
  2. If you are an aspiring children’s book writer, you can also use the Author Visit as a one-on-one meeting to discuss your writing. You would have the opportunity to share a sample of your work with me (1,000 words or less) for general feedback via a live Zoom chat.
  3. If you are interested in reading Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace, the Author Visit can be used for a Bible Study Group, a book club, or any group of readers who enjoy the devotions I write for Our Daily Bread.

My Manuscript Critique Package includes a signed copy of Different Like Me, a critique of one manuscript for children, and a one-on-one Zoom meeting to discuss my feedback and your writing journey. Though I have decades of experience and publishing credits in prose, my specialty for children’s books is writing in rhyme.

What is the Books for Maui Auction? 

On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, a wildfire swept through Lāhainā on the island of Maui. It quickly consumed hundreds of structures and destroyed families.

Although seen by some as a tourist destination, Lāhainā has deep ties to Native Hawaiians as the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and a place of great political power, history, and cultural significance. It is home to a vast number of Native Hawaiians, who are currently in great need and are leading much of the disaster relief efforts.

Due to gentrification of Lāhainā, there are clear disparities between residents and we want to support those with familial connections to this `āina (land).

This auction is designed to raise money for Maui relief efforts.

If you want to bid, please use this link to visit the Auction Site for Book for Maui:  https://www.32auctions.com/BooksforMaui

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If you do not want to bid on any of the over 900 books or services BUT WOULD LIKE TO DONATE to help the Native Hawaiian people through this relief efforts, please use the following links and donate directly to these reputable organizations.

Hawaii Community Foundation – Maui Strong: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong

Kamehameha – Ho’ōla Maui: bit.ly/3DXIMMY

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Kāko’o Maui https://www.hawaiiancouncil.org/

Maui Food Bank: https://mauifoodbank.org/

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Please join me in praying for the Books for Maui team as they serve in this unique way and continue praying for those who have been effected by the fires in Hawaii, especially the Native Hawaiians who are leading much of the relief efforts.

Thanks for helping me make a difference as we love our neighbors in Hawaii.

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Redeeming Hope – A Personal Story of Loss, Lament, and Letting God Use Our Heartbreaks

Posted March 4, 2023 | xochitldixon

(Loving Note: This article touches on grief after miscarriage.)

I concentrated on breathing slowly, trying to ignore my husband’s useless attempts to comfort me as we walked out of the doctor’s office. Alan dug his keys out of his pocket as we approached the car. “At least you weren’t that far along,” he said.

Hugging my purse to my chest, I glared at my husband. Almost five months seemed far enough along to me. I blinked away the stinging in my eyes as I remembered the nurse’s failed attempt to comfort us by saying that “the fetus had stopped developing” so she doubted I was “as far along as my chart indicated.”

The fetus? No. The baby stopped developing. My baby, who was far enough along to have a heartbeat and far enough along to be a loss, was worth grieving.

Alan opened my car door and placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s not that big of a deal,” he said. “This happens to a lot of people.”

Shrugging away from his touch, I slid into the passenger seat as anger, confusion, and resentment widened the gap between us. Staring out the window in silence didn’t stop my husband from bombarding me with what I now recognize as well-intentioned platitudes used to process his own confusion and grief.

Over the next few weeks, I concealed my feelings behind a lipstick-glossed smile at work. But baby-sightings in-person and on television triggered explosions of grief. At home, I lashed out at my husband.

Eventually, I asked for a divorce.

Please click here to visit the God Hears Her Blog and read the rest of my story in “Redeeming Hope.”

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