Leigh Ann Thomas - Ribbons, Lace and Moments of Grace: Inspiration for the Mother of the Bride

RIBBONS, LACE, AND MOMENTS OF GRACE BY LEIGH ANN THOMAS

Published by SonRise Devotionals, an imprint of

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

2333 Barton Oaks Dr., Raleigh, NC, 27614

ISBN: 978-1-946016-15-7

Copyright 2017 by Leigh Ann Thomas

Cover design by Elaina Lee

Interior design by Atritex, www.atritex.com

Available in print from your local bookstore, online, or from the publisher at: www.lpcbooks.com

For more information on this book and the author,
visit: www.leighathomas.com

All rights reserved. Non-commercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, provided the text does not exceed 500 words. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace by Leigh Ann Thomas published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Used by permission.

Commercial interests: No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Brought to you by the creative team at Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas: Eddie Jones, Shonda Savage, Denise Loock, and Cindy Sproles.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thomas, Leigh Ann

Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace / Leigh Ann Thomas 1st ed.

Praise forRibbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace

A wedding can be a hectic timefor the bride and for the mother of the bride. Even moms who have traveled this road before need time to reflect, renew, and rejoice. Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace provides just that. Leigh Ann Thomas gives perfect-size morsels of goodness for the MOB to digest in an otherwise too-busy-to-eat season of her life. Simply wonderful.

~ Eva Marie Everson
Author ofFive Brides
Tyndale Publishers, 2015

Leigh Ann Thomas has drawn us into her life and the lives of people wanting God to be glorified by the music, Scriptures, words, and worship of a weddinga living drama telling the story of Christs return for His Bride.

As Leigh Anns pastor for almost twenty years, I was always amazed by the way she captured life in a sentence and painted living pictures with her hand movements, with her dramas, and with her true-to-life comedy. Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace is a wonderful example of how Leigh Ann can capture a passionate true-to-life story and run your laughter head on into your tears. For twenty years, I enjoyed playing the devils advocate with this sweet saint of God, not realizing she was taking notes. Indeed, the pen is mightier than the practical joke.

The subtitle of Leigh Anns book is Inspiration for the Mother of the Bride, but this book is for anyone and everyone who loves life and wants to grow closer to God.

~Rev. James Ira Sutton
retired pastor

Its one of those times when you need Gods Word the mostyour daughter is getting married. Leigh Ann Thomas gives you the Word of God through beautiful and encouraging daily devotions that will walk you through the excitement of picking out the all-important mother-of-the-bride dress to the bittersweet sight of your daughters empty bedroom. Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace helps your relationship with Christ grow through this exciting yet difficult time as you encourage your daughter. You have prayed for this moment your daughters entire life. Leigh Ann Thomass work will help you to allow God to use this day to bring glory to Him.

~Rev. Matthew Martin

Pastor of Cool Springs Baptist Church

Sanford, SC

Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace is a reminder to any mother of the bride that in the midst of dress shopping, vendor visits, cake samplings, and the endless list of to-dos, God is in control and knows a mothers heart. This devotional is a book of great inspiration. Full of wisdom and humor, it can touch and soothe a mothers soul.

~Mary Lutz
Certified wedding planner
A Lovely Affair Weddings and Events
alovelyaffairweddings.com

My oldest daughter, Abby, married the love of her life in June 2016. I wish Id had Leigh Anns book to guide me through that emotional journey. I read several practical wedding-planning, checklist-type books after Abby and Micah became engaged. I thought I was on top of everything, but nothing truly prepares you for the year leading up to your daughters weddinguntil now.

Leigh Anns writing is tender and encouraging. She lets you know that youre not going on this journey alone. Her spiritual insights will prove invaluable as you navigate this path. Being the mother of the bride is a privilege; however, its also one of the most stressful seasons Ive ever experienced.

My youngest daughter recently announced her engagement, so I get to be the mother of the bride all over again. Yay! Im truly grateful that this time around Ill have Leigh Anns encouraging book in my mother-of-the-bride bag of essentials.

~Michelle Medlock Adams
Award-winning writer of over 70 books

In Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace, Leigh Ann Thomas captures the tender heart of a mom as she becomes the mother of the bridethe challenges, fears, joys, and soul-aching poignancy. Filled with godly wisdom and heart-tugging stories, its a beautiful reflection of this special time between a mother and her daughter.

~Michelle Cox
Author of God Glimpses from the Jewelry Box
and Just 18 Summers

What a moving and inspiring devotional! Ribbons, Lace, and Moments of Grace touches a chord with any parent who has experienced the life-altering transition of preparing for a wedding while also preparing to watch their child leave the nest. With both humor and sensitivity, author Leigh Ann Thomas walks mothers through the emotional journey of letting go with grace. I encourage every mother of the brideand mother of the groom as wellto read this book.

~Elaine Marie Cooper
Author of Saratoga Letters

For my mom,

who set the standard for sacrificial loving and giving

She is clothed with strength and dignity.

Proverbs 31:25

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

o Hilary Hallthank you for walking with me through this wonderful, crazy adventure. From idea to completed manuscript, you have encouraged and supported me through every step. Thanks for pushing me to grow and to stretch in my writing. You are an editor extraordinaire and a precious friend. You are loved.

To the incredible women whose stories are in these pagesthank you for showing transparency in how the Lord worked through your mother-of-the-bride journeys. I cherish our one-on-one times as we shared our stories and our hearts. Your prayer support has been my strength and my lifeline. You are treasured friends and beautiful examples of Christ-centered servanthood.