Heaven Changes EVERYTHING!!

   Heaven Changes Everything: Living Every Day with Eternity in Mind by Todd Burpo and Sonja Burpo is another home run by the Burpo family! Did you read Heaven is for real by the Burpo family? This book is just a beautiful and touching as Heaven is for real. This book can be read as a devotional, can be shared with family members, small groups, or even read just for peace of mind.

    The book touches on how the family coped with the fact of possibly losing their precious baby boy, what they felt, what they went through, etc. The book takes you through fifty unique readings based on an example from their original story (from Heaven is for real.) They put an answer to the questions that some people are afraid to ask about. What kind of questions or subjects? Doubting God, Questioning God’s plan, or even being angry with God.

 I absolutely LOVED this book! I keep it close to pull it out and keep me going at times. It truly touches your heart and is a great addition to their original book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Our Favorite Sins.

Our Favorite Sins: The Sins We Commit and How You Can Quit by Todd Hunter. This book is most definitely a non-fiction book and could be looked at as a self help book as well.  I’d say was the read was ‘ok’.

    It was interesting based on the topic of sin. Several sins are looked at from procrastination, anxiety, gluttony, media addiction to laziness. I also found it interesting that one sin per chapter is discussed. So, if you’re not wanting to read the entire book and say your group (or an individual) is just focusing on one particular sin, you can easily scan the book and get to your chapter or your sin an immediately learn more about it.

The book has practical steps about dealing with our issues as humans.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Bold As Love by Bob Roberts, Jr.

“Bold As Love. What can happen when we see people the way God does.” That’s just the question I was hoping to have answered and sparked within me as I was reading this book.

    First, I must say, Bob Roberts, Jr. did a fantastic job! Truly led by the Spirit in his journey to see others as Christ does. Plus a vast knowledge of the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area. I am blown away by the vast population and different religious practices there! :)

    With chapters such as ‘Bold loving all my neighbors’, ‘Confronting all my fears,’ ‘Using all my faith to get out on the edge,’ ‘Serving others with all my might,’ ‘Requiring All my Truth,’ ‘Living our faith with all our faiths present,’ ‘Challenging all my tribe,’ and ‘Forgiving with all my heart,’ how could you not WANT to read this book?

Jesus calls us to love one another and this book can be a step forward in the right direction of doing so. Spend some time truly living your life through the eyes of God and “seeing” as God sees, it will change your life and challenge you as well.

Well done, Bob Roberts Jr!

Stuck Dvd based study

Jennie Allen’s Stuck (DVD based study kit) is a great resource. It’s a great resource for an individual or a group. It comes complete with: A DVD with eight sessions, a copy of the study guide (you’d have to buy more copies of the study guide if more than one person is involved), a copy of the leader’s guide and a set of conversation cards. There are seven different lessons included in this study: broken, mad, discontent, scared, overwhelmed, sad and unstuck.

I love that this type of kit is available in order to assist in a small group or in a personal setting. It addresses the situations that keep us stuck from God, from getting closer to God. Every day life can bind us and having more and more tools to help us get closer to God, I find is very helpful.

This study focuses on numerous areas, but a chord was struck with me when seeing this scripture listed: “ He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm: I47:3. God is longing for a relationship with us and we should seek comfort in him.

I would recommend this kit, it’s great.

*I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

NYC--the love of my life (among others) :)

Happy November.

Since I've been off work due to my ACL injury, I've had mucho time to sit around and do a whole lotta' nothin'. AKA-watching lots of TV. I've recently delved back into my reality TV fix. I used to hate reality television, especially while I was in college. Since I spent hours studying the form of television, story lines, locations, production, history.....it was a transition.... your regular favorite series on television to reality television, which, let's face it.....some reality television shows are very heavily scripted and very rarely raw with raw footage.

Nonetheless, since college, reality television has come a long way and is primarily what is on television today and I have to say, I kinda love it. Don't get me wrong, I'm still obsessed with 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live and Ugly Betty, but I find humor and fascination in watching how other people live & what they do.

Enter Bethenny Frankel, my favorite comedienne. She's also a very successful author and businesswoman and a mommy. I've been watching reruns of "Bethenny Ever After" and have been cracking up ever since. She is hilarious.

Watching all of this reminds me of New York. The point of this post today. I have only been to New York twice. The first time to visit, the second time for an interview. The first time I was only there for about two days and slept for about 14 hours straight afterwards because it was non-stop. I loved it. The second trip I was only there for about 5-6 hours. I literally flew from Indy to NYC, traveled from LaGuardia to 30 Rockefeller Center, 30 Rock to LaGuardia, LaGuardia to Indy. (Where I paid $12.00 for a "value meal" at the LaGuardia Burger King.)

Short trip, yes, but I loved it. I stepped out in my black suit and hot pink heels and acted like I owned the city.

Watching all of my favorite reality TV shows (Project Runway, Bethenny Getting Married?, Bethenny Ever After, The Real Housewives of New York......) makes me miss New York. I know it's all in God's glorious plan....whether I'm meant to live there or not. If not, there are several items on my bucket list that must be fulfilled:

1.) Go shopping in NYC around Christmastime ...the snow....the trees...the lights..the people...skating @ 30 Rock.... (c'mon ACL...we gotta heal these knees!)

and 2.) Be in NYC during Thanksgiving for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

and 3.) Be in NYC during New Year's Eve..... yes, the place where the most pick pocketing in one night goes on. Note to self: carry no moola.

List of places to visit: Serendipity, Madame Tussaud's New York, Top of The Rock, Empire State Building, NYC Double Decker Bus, MOBIA, The Met, Dead Sea Scrolls Life and Faith in Biblical Times, Radio City Music Hall, On-Set Tours, Walkin' Broadway, Tiffany's, Every Single Broadway Show imaginable, B&H Photo and Video, Pop Burger, Pinkberry and Tasti-D-Lite. Among many many many many others.

(By the way, in case you were wondering.... yes I have seen some of the most historic & important NYC landmarks.... Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, etc.) I would like to visit them again of course.

That's enough ranting about my favorite city in the world at the moment. I highly suggest you visit if you have not done so.

Until we meet again New York..........xoxo

Blown away!

I recently reviewed Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back, by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent.

I was completely BLOWN AWAY by this book. It is hands down, one of the greatest books I have ever read. The book is about a small child that gets very ill (has a near death experience) and visits heaven while having surgery. His father, a pastor, has an angry conversation with God about why this was happening to his little boy and all the while, God is working miracles in all of their lives. The book definitely puts into perspective that life is a gift and it should not be wasted.

As I stated before, I was blown away by this book. The writing is fantastic. With each sentence I can picture small Colton and the reaction he was having that moment upon responding to a question. As so many have wondered ‘What is heaven really like?’ (myself included), this book gives a great view from a child’s perspective. We get into the spirit and innocence of a child by reading this book, which was really exciting to me because as we all know “God loooves children!”

I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone. It’s a short read (read it in one sitting) and it has a wonderful message. It will make you laugh and cry and be inspired by God..at least it made me that way, which I couldn’t be happier about!

*I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

A Homerun!

I recently read “Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid, what every single woman should know before becoming a bride” by Larissa Dayana Jean. Wow! What a great read. As a single woman, I found this book to be a home run. It encourages women to accept God’s timing. Even when all your friends are married, all your siblings are married, everyone around you seems to be married but YOU, God knows the timetable he has set for you and it will happen on his time.

I think at times we’re eager for life’s situations to happen on our time, but that’s not the case. As women, we often seek the approval of a man, when we really should be seeking God’s approval and remember that ‘our value comes from God, not from the attention of a guy.’ Although I already knew this, this book reiterated to me that God has a plan for each one of us and not to believe the lie of the enemy- (that God is blessing everyone but me in the marriage department... liar!) I know God has a marriage plan for me and I will continue to celebrate with those who celebrate and cry with those who cry and do what the Lord has created me to do. This book made me realize that time spent waiting, is not time wasted. It is time spent living the life God has planned.

In order to move forward in life, we must adhere to God’s plan and believe that he has every intention to make us complete and whole and that if we follow him, we shall be saved. Way to go Larissa! This book rocks!

*I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.