Carrie Ward - Together: Growing Appetites for God (True Woman)

Struggling with your Bible reading? Little ones running around under your feet? Carrie brings the prescription for biblical illiteracy to our homes in this fantastic, fun read. Her warm and personal writing style is filled with real life reality, but presses you on to hunger for the Word.

D ANNAH G RESH , bestselling author and founder of Secret Keeper Girl

For every mom who is drowning in a sea of guilt about your own spiritual walk, this book is your life raft. Together presents the radical notion that spending time in the Word is best done as a family activity, instead of in quiet moments of peaceful tranquility. For every mom who cant find a quiet moment to think, much less memorize Scripture, this holistic, manageable, family-friendly approach is exactly what you need to get into the Word and get the Word into you. In a style that is witty, transparent, and engaging, Carrie Ward is just the everyday mama you need to show you that growing in your faith is possible and attainable even amidst the chaos of the little years.

E RIN D AVIS , author of Beyond Bath Time: Embracing Motherhood as a Sacred Role

I wholeheartedly recommend Together on every levelas a friend of Carrie and her family (theyre the real deal!), as a story lover (this one will make you laugh and cry), and as a girl who grew up with parents reading the Bible to me daily (the impact has been incalculable). Trust me, you wont be disappointed by this read, and it just might change you and your family forever!

P AULA H ENDRICKS , blogger TrueWoman.com

Together! Growing Appetites for God isnt theoretical, its practical, born from the real-life experience of Carrie Ward, an ordinary mom with an extraordinary desire to know Gods Word and share it with her children. Carrie lets us peek in on both the joys and struggles of pursuing a fresh encounter with Christ and His Word, as she read through the entire Bible aloud to her four children, one chapter and one day at a time. Beleaguered parents (and not just moms, mind you!) who desperately want to raise their kids right, but sometimes find themselves weary with well-doing and flustered with the plethora of parental advice on the market, will discover in this book a refreshing and liberating simplicity. Many things can distract us, but one thing is necessary: sitting at Jesus feet to hear His Word. Carries story will challenge, encourage, and inspire youit will even make you laugh out loud! Im grateful for the unique and valuable contribution this book makes to Christian parents today.

B RIAN H EDGES , author of Christ Formed in You, Lead Pastor of Fulkerson Park Baptist Church

MAMA, Im hungry!! What mother hasnt heard that from her children? But how much more important is it for us, as mothers, to hear our children say, Mama, Im hungry for God. How can we instill in our children a desire to know God and to love His Word? In this book, Carrie teaches us, in very practical and biblical ways, how to stimulate an appetite in our little ones for the things that matter most. I so wish this book had been available when I was raising my four children. But I praise God that a generation of children today will be blessed because of Carries tender and insightful instruction on how to grow our children closer to Him.

J ANET P ARSHALL , nationally syndicated talk show host Janet Parshall In the Market with Janet Parshall Host/Executive Producer

I am so inspired and challenged by Carries book. I hope you have an appetite for spiritual growth and authentic intimacy with God. Be ready to digest this wonderful, practical book.

K AREN L ORITTS , speaker, teacher, and author

Like all Christian parents we long to raise our children in the fear and discipline of the Lord. Carries wonderful little book models one simple but profoundly important way we can do thatreading Gods Word together. Together has strengthened our resolve to maintain this important discipline and it has encouraged us to see that it is not only possible, but that it bears fruit.

T IM AND A ILEEN C HALLIES

Together

Growing Appetites for God

Carrie Ward

M OODY P UBLISHERS
CHICAGO

2012 by
C ARRIE W ARD

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Edited by Annette LaPlaca
Interior design: Ragont Design
Cover design: Maralynn Rochat
Cover image: Birds & TextureiStock
Author photo: Katie Bollinger

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ward, Carrie.
Together : growing appetites for God / Carrie Ward.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8024-0448-0
1. BibleReading. I. Title.
BS617.W26 2012
220.071dc23

2011050076

All websites and phone numbers listed herein are accurate at the time of publication, but may change in the future or cease to exist. The listing of website references and resources does not imply publisher endorsement of the sites entire contents. Groups and organizations are listed for informational purposes, and listing does not imply publisher endorsement of their activities.

We hope you enjoy this book from Moody Publishers. Our goal is to provide high-quality, thought-provoking books and products that connect truth to your real needs and challenges. For more information on other books and products written and produced from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

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To my best friend, Wes, Thank you for being a godly, loving, fun, exceptional husband and father.
I love you.

To my other favorite people, Graham, Maggie, Benjamin and Emma, You are gifts from God. You bring immeasurable love and joy to my life. Im so happy to be on this journey with you.
I love you.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true;
they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold,
yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the
drippings of the honeycomb.

Psalm 19:710

I n a recent interview for a magazine article, I was asked: What impact did the Bible have on your coming to faith in Christ, and what impact has it had on your growth as a disciple? To which I quickly responded: Everything!