Hello! Welcome to my blog site!
My name is Renee. I’m a home-based wife and mother. I’ve been married 17 years to a loving, devoted and supportive husband who’s the best dad our boys could have. Our greatest accomplishment in our marriage has been learning to love the Lord together and prioritize our lives and home accordingly. We have two sons - ages 13 and 7. They’re good kids and good students (Praise!), with interests in sports, scouting, and art.
We make our home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Although I’ve been churched all my life, it wasn’t until five years ago that I opened my heart to God and came to truly know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Since that time, wonderful and amazing things have happened! I’ve become a leader of Disciple Bible study (Want to know more about Disciple bible study? Just ask me!), gotten involved in various church groups and activities, and have been able to grow my faith through the incredible opportunities and endeavors God brought my way.
One of those God-given opportunities has been my involvement with Proverbs 31 Ministries - becoming a graduate of their She Speaks! Conference, serving as a volunteer proof reader for their daily online devotions, and being accepted as a contributing writer for their Encouragement for Today daily devotions and P 31 Woman magazine. It was through my involvement with Proverbs 31 Minsitries that God led me to the world of blogging, and that’s why I am here.
This site is for Him and about Him. All that I have is by His grace, and I try to live to bring Him glory. Hence, the title: “By His Grace, For His Glory”
I look forward to sharing God’s Word as a writer and a speaker. It is my hope and prayer that you will continue to visit me here for spiritual encouragement, inspiration, biblical insights, and helps and tips for everyday life and living. I’d love to hear your thoughts and responses, too!
Thanks for visiting this site! Be sure to stay in touch! Your feedback is most welcome!
(To sign up for your FREE subscription to Encouragement for Today or find out more about the Proverbs 31 Ministry, go to www.Proverbs31.org )
Blessings,
Renee “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” - Proverbs 3:5
17 comments
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February 19, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Cheryl Kazmier
I am blessed that you, Renee, are a part of my life….as sister in Christ and as my sister. How God has blessed us all when you decided to give your life to Him……thank you God! Keep listening to Him and you will have peace.
February 19, 2007 at 11:22 pm
Staci
Your site looks great Renee! Congratulations! I am sure this will give encouragement to a lot of people! We have been fortunate to have you lead us in bible study! It has been a blessing!
February 20, 2007 at 12:45 am
Tammy Shipley
You are an AWESOME witess for God! Can’t wait to tune in and see how He is working in your life! Best of luck!!!
February 20, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Jennifer Whitehead
I will definitely be a regular on your blog site, Renee! You are such an inspiration and blessing to all who know you, and now even more people will have a chance to be inspired by you!
March 13, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Lee Causey
Renee—- I am soooo proud of you! You are so awesome and I love waiting and watching to see what God is going to do next with you. You are such a blessing to me and I have enjoyed getting to know you even better through Disciple. I just wish EVERYONE could experience what we are experiencing together through our study. I’m excited to know about your website so that those who dont know you can still be touched by you and your love for Jesus. What an inspiration you are!!!!
April 13, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Sue Buckingham
Renee—God has blessed me more than you will ever know by placing you in my life. You are such an inspiration to me. Your presence in my life throughout our Disciple study has made such an impact on me. I have been saved for many years. However, now I can say, I know what it is to have a personal relationship with Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I am so blessed!!
May 8, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Cheryl Kazmier
Renee….your story about your grandmother is wonderful. I’ve heard you speak of her for so many years that I feel I already knew her. It reminded me of my grandmother and the wonderful influences she had in my life. I learned to love music through her, as well as quilt, sew, and love unconditionally. Grandparents can be such an important part of a child’s life. In this time of busyness, we who are grandparents must slow down and see what God wants of us in our grandchildren’s lives. It’s easier when they live close by….harder to figure out when they are thousands of miles away….but not impossible. Thanks for helping me remember that I have a job as a grandparent made possible by the love of Christ.
May 9, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Staci Jordan
Renee.. I was so touched by the story of your grandmother! It brought tears to my eyes thinking about my own grandmother who helped raise me. She passed away with breast cancer many years ago and your poem brought back so many memories! I love your website – you help to touch many people and I am thankful to have the pleasure of being in your disciple group.
May 12, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Sharon Cross
Renee,
Though I’ve heard your “Mother” story before I never cease to be moved by its retelling. This is such a poignant lesson for members of any family who are striving for meaningfulness in their relationships. I think of the many people in life who do the opposite………..(reject one another, cease communication, drift apart)………..and am filled with regret for them. They are missing beautiful experiences and blessings. Thank you for using your God-given talent of written expression to deliver a message to each of us.
Sharon
July 19, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Kim Morgan
Renee,
What a pleasure to have been part of your graduating class of Proverbs 31 Ministries!! And a joy to read such a well-put- together blog which is just like the person I met at the “She Speaks” Conference. A woman who is faith-filled, prayer-based, and spirit-led I am so glad that our paths connected. Thank God He allowed me to meet such a wonderful woman as yourself. May you continue to be blessed and may He prosper your way!!
RESPONSE FROM RENEE: Hey, Kim! It’s so good to hear from you! And thank you for the sweet things you said! I, too, am grateful God led our paths to cross. One of my most treasured moments from the conference was holding hands with you while we prayed during Sunday’s closing session. May God’s hand of grace and blessing be upon you, too, as you seek to follow His way for you. Love, hugs and blessings, – Renee
September 15, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Tracey Garrell
Renee,
I find your blogg so encouraging. I too am a Christian woman and only inspired to blogg (or write for the Lord). Did you build your blogg site or work with a Christian organization. The format is awesome and I love the beautiful picture as your header. Isn’t God amazing when we find his hands in nature?
RENEE’S RESPONSE TO TRACEY: Hi, Tracey! I’m so pleased to hear from you and touched that you like this site! I hope you don’t mind me responding in this public setting. I chose to do so in case your question encourages others to put their thoughts in writing, too. Although I’d heard of blog sites, I didn’t know what they were when I felt God tugging at my heart to start one. The idea was intimidating, but I was fortunate to receive advice from another Christian friend with a web site and discovered worpress.com. I think I also checked into BlogSpot.com, but chose this one. In less than 15 minutes I had a site set up! WordPress makes it very easy to get started, provides fun and simple options for designing your site, and creates their sites so that they’re very easy to navigate around in as the administrator. Yes. The orchestrating hand of God is truly amazing.
I highly encourage everyone to blog, keep a journal, or record your God moments and God thoughts as computer documents.
Tracey, be sure to stay in touch! And PLEASE let me know if you get your own site up and running. I’d love to visit you!
Blessings,
Renee
October 13, 2007 at 6:16 pm
realworldmartha
I am looking forward to coming back to your site. I have heard Proverbs 31 on the radio. I have been married for 13 years and have two sons 11 and 6. I just started blogging last month and love the sites I have been to. Lots of wonderful people.
Blessings,
Debbie aka The Real World Martha
http://realworldmartha.wordpress.com
FROM RENEE: Hi, Debbie! It’s great to ‘meet’ you! Welcome to the ‘blogosphere’. Thank you for your message. Our lives are similar. I’ve been married 16 years with two sons ages 12 and 7 (7th grade and 1st grade). I first knew of Proverbs 31 from their radio broadcasts, too. Lysa seemed to speak right to me one day as I drove through a rural Ohio area trying to find a radio station. My younger son was with me a couple of days ago when he heard the radio announcer say that “Renee would be back in a moment with a message from Proverbs 31″. His eyes were huge when he said, “Mom! You’re going to be on the radio!” Of course they were referring to Renee Swope, not me. But it sure shocked him for a minute! I have to admit, it caught my attention at first, too! Have you been to Proverbs 31 site? http://www.Proverbs31.org Good luck with your new site. I’ll be sure to check it out!
October 15, 2007 at 4:54 pm
realworldmartha
I’m so glad you enjoyed my blog. I appreciate all the info you gave and will be sure to check it out. I have been to the Proverbs 31 site but only once I think. I love the spots on the radio and will have to go back to the website again. Hopefully we will be able to share more. It’s nice to have someone else with kids that are in the same age spread.
Blessings,
Debbie
January 28, 2008 at 6:24 pm
realworldmartha
Hi Renee,
Thanks for the info on P31 conference. I would love to attend but not thinkin it’s in the budget. I did order the book though. Looking forward to reading it.
Blessings,
Debbie
February 20, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Karen Dowdell
Renee, I enjoyed your site and what you are doing for God’s glory! It was so nice to hear from you after all these years! Blessings to you in all your endeavors!
Karen
FROM RENEE: Hey, Karen! Ditto! Ditto! Ditto! It’s so good to hear from you.
Blessings to you, as well.
April 22, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Tammy Carrara
Renee——–I wanted to share a little something w/you. I was asked by a friend of mine to be a part of the women’s night where you had your first speaking engagement. I have been waiting to share my story w/you and felt it was finaly time. This past December my middle son,Joseph, decided to end his life.You can imagine the heartbreak…the saddness…the ups and the terrible downs….we all experienced these emotions and feeings over and over again.Having been raised in the church all my life…this type of abrupt ending to what we all thought was a “perfect christian home” certainly rocked our world…but God has been faithful…and has seen us through these peaks and valleys as He promised. You had no idea who was sitting out in your audience…no idea that what God had laid on your heart was exactly what I needed to hear.I just wanted to tell you thank-you for what you shared…thank you for listening to God’s voice and heeding His call to speak….and I pray He will continue to use you as He sees fit. You were a tremendeous blessing to me…and I thank-you for your faithfulness to the Father.God bless all that you do———-Tammy Carrara
FROM RENEE: Dear Tammy, Tears are falling from my eyes as I respond to you. I admire you so much for having the courage to address your feelings – and especially for sharing them with me and others. Thank you very much for letting me know that God was able to speak through me to touch you. That is a huge blessing to know. I wish I could hug you, hold hands with you, and pray with you. Let’s pray now. Dear God, Thank You for giving Tammy the courage to share what was on her heart. Just as you used my words to somehow touch her, I pray that her words will touch and bless someone else who is struggling, too. Lord, how awesome You are to bring us, Your children together, often in ways we don’t even know, to show Your love and help You to touch hearts here on earth. I thank You for Tammy and am so sorry for her loss, one I can’t begin to imagine. I pray You’ll continue to work in her life and the lives of those who love her son – especially the young people, in ways that will bear witness to your love, grace, and strength, that they may be drawn closer to You. I pray to You my Heavenly Father, with Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and in the love of the Holy Spirit. Amen. God bless you, Tammy. I hope to hug you in person, too.
May 9, 2008 at 12:39 am
Tammy Carrara
Renee—–It has taken me several weeks to get back to your website—I was overwhelmed by your response!!!You just don’t know how much your wonderful, heartfelt prayer was.!!!!And, just to let you know, God this very night allowed me to help someone close to our family deal with the sudden death of their 26 year old son….something I never could have done a few months ago…but .with God’ strength…..I prayed and He was able to use me to minister to this family crushed w/the same grief as my family.What a God we serve…where He truly does do what He says He would do…NEVER leave us nor forsake us!!
God Bless You and Your ministrty, Renee. Keep seeking Him for He is using you tremendously to minister to others.I am a prime example of somone that has reaped from what you allowed God to sow in YOU!!!!I am most grateful——————————–w/love, Tammy Carrara