Faith|Fiction

Multnomah Books I don't think I can describe how much I loved this book. I was in a broken place when I first read this- in desperate need to be reminded of who I am. Alyssa Joy Bethke and Robin Jones Gunn penned a book that reminded me of just how wonderful Jesus really is- and at a time when I really needed to hear it!  Although not expecting to, I fell in love with this cute little book. These authors bring back the tender affection that the Bible clearly portrays so transparently. However- these familiar verses have been so taught on that these precious words have hit dull ears- and that's where Spoken For comes in. Spoken For reminds broken girls who they are, and who they are meant to be. It points to Jesus, the One that can love them they way they were created to be loved. It pushed me closer to Him and humbled me as I read Alyssa's story interwoven with Robin's, and they way that they were brought to God and how completely He loved them. Ah. I jus...

walllike.com I have tried to have so many new beginnings that I've confused myself. Jesus, I'm confused. Jesus, I am tired. I can't get the strength up to do what I know I need to. Jesus, I need You to make me new again, like you did a year ago. It's our first year together.  I'm declaring it fourteen minutes before it's official. You knew how to make me clay in Your hands when my heart was stiff and uncompliant, and You know how to fix my heart when it doesn't know what it needs because You are God. I am Yours, theoretically, but I want to know what it is to become wholly Yours. Lord, I want to start this journey with You. I don't know what the ideal beginning is, but I want to be real. I want to be Yours. I want this to be realer and clearer than any picture I could paint or any story I could write. I want to be completely Yours and feel the way Adam and Eve did with You- to be totally comfortable walking nude in the crisp spring ...

cfpagels.blogpost.com The third book in the Cadence of Grace series broke my heart, confused me, and made me a little sad to leave Lonnie and Gideon's world. The story begins off Bischof's last cliffhanger in Though My Heart is Torn, right after Gideon is given permission to find and win the heart of his rightful wife. His rightful wife, but not lawful. Meanwhile back in the home of Jebediah, Lonnie begins courting a young Scottish minister in the hope that God will repair the broken pieces of her heart. The story follows the couple as God takes the chaos of their lives and brings it back into order. The best part of this book was that Gideon finally learned to trust in God. After two books-two storms- he's finally learned to lean on the Rock that never fails. I could relate to Lonnie in a lot of ways while reading this book. Her heart, which is God's, is reeling from yet another wound (and from Gideon, of all people!) and she's not sure if she can stop...

  "But for a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back" (Isaiah 54:7). Compassion-" a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering" (Dictionary.com). God feels deep sympathy for ME. Me?! He feels deep sympathy for me like He did for Matthew.  "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up  and followed Him" (Matthew 9:9). Matthew must've had a lot of faith to leave right then. Jesus must've had a smile on His face as He called His son in.  I am grateful to see a tidbit of what He is like. 

dancingwithGodblog.com Another year to worship Jesus and love Him! I can't wait!  "There is hope for me yet because God won't forget all the plans He's made for me I have to wait and see He's not finished with me yet." ~"Wait and See"- Brandon Heath Thank you Lord for all the places You're taking me, Your love, and all the memories with You that you're making. Don't let me get caught in other's ways, but get lost in Your tender ways. Take me where You want me to go, and help me just love You. I thank You for this new year- I can't wait to wait and see! Let me get lost in Your freedom. Holy Spirit, lead me. I can't wait to see what You're going to do this next year! I put everything in Your hands let it all turn out for Your glory. Love,

barnesandnoble.com 10 Days Without is a book written to inspire Christians to stop being passive. In the way they seek God. In the way they worship Him. In the way they serve others. I've noticed and prayed against this habit myself- the tendency we have to move beyond contentment and go into what Day calls 'slackitism'. It's feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit tell you to do something, and then completing it half way. Or not doing it at all. Or relying on someone else to do what God Himself has called YOU to do. I love the idea centered around this book. It's calling us to GET UP out of the church and go out and see what God is doing in this broken world. As each section beckons us to give up a comfort to peek into the lives of others while praying and fasting, God gives us a glimpse of what it's like to live in the eyes of the person who doesn't have shoes, or legs. In this eye-opening book, Day challenged me to fight the tide of ...

googleimages This morning I had beautiful whitespace (as FaithBarista Bonnie Gray calls it) in my favorite place. My mind was muddled and I was trying to fix it myself. Walking along the beautiful lake, I clutched my books to my chest and thought. Even the gorgeous scenery against the light November wind hadn't calmed me. I heard something: Do you remember how you were when I first met you? Me: A mess. Don't you think if you were there, a mess without any sense of direction and I guided you out of that and brought you here, that I won't guide you? I will guide you out of anything and everything. You just keep loving Me and spending time with Me and you'll find you're already there. He spoke to me. He spoke to me!! I'd been so worried about where He wanted me to go and how I was going to get there and how far away I was from that place that I forgot His basics. I'm just here to love him and spend time with Him...then I'll look up one da...