Limitless by Nick Vujicic

Review: Limitless by Nick Vujicic

I don’t know how many of you know the story of Nick Vujicic. Nick says that he is living proof that God can use anyone. You see, Nick was born without extremities. He has no arms or legs. Just one little foot, but he travels the world sharing God’s love with others and encouraging and empowering people.  I have read both of Nick’s first two books and they are wonderful so when I saw that he had a third book coming out I was eager to read it.

Limitless is a devotional and Nick draws on materials and stories from his previous two books. The devotionals are quick reads and are inspirational in the reading. He uses stories from his life and stories from people around the world to inspire and empower others to live the life God has planned for them.

I was a bit disappointed when I realized that this was a devotional. I am not big on devotionals in general. I have a few favorites like My Utmost for His Highest, but in general I find them a little shallow.

With that being said, I have to say that I am enjoying reading Limitless because it is full of stories meant to inspire. He gives practical advice along with Biblical encouragement. He points out that it is not what we can do ourselves, but what God does through us that is important. He encourages us that whatever we are going through God can use it to His glory. While not a book I would recommend for in-depth study, it is a great book when you need encouragement and inspiration.

Review: Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

All Joanna Robbins wants for her birthday is…a preacher. She has been praying that the Lord would send her a preacher to help her win her unsaved father for Christ. She never dreamed that when she told her father that a preacher is what she wanted for her birthday that he would go and get her one.

Crockett Archer was on his way to his future as a preacher in Brenham, TX when an unexpected detour happens. He is KIDNAPPED! What happens next is not what he is expecting, but with the Lord taking the lead he has to follow.

I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t sleep until I finished it. Karen Witemeyer has written a delightful romance about what can happen when we let the Lord lead and direct us in His path, not our own.  The character of Crockett is a rough and tumble cowboy and not what you typically think of when you think of a preacher. The character of Joanna Robbins is a shy and awkward young woman but one who has strength of character and love for her father and her Lord that shines through. Both are written in a way that makes you feel as if you know them. Witemeyer writes in such a way that you feel like you are there. 

Book of the Week: Five Day in Skye by Carla Laureano

Book of the Week: Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

James MacDonald is a world famous chef with several restaurants throughout England, a TV cooking show, and several cookbooks. Now he wants to focus on rebuilding his father’s hotel in Scotland. When his brother calls in Andrea Sullivan’s company which specializes in hospitality consulting, James is reluctant until he meets Andrea.

After defending herself from a client, Andrea Sullivan gives up her Tahiti vacation and goes to Scotland to meet the famous chef James MacDonald to assess his hotel and get his signature on a contract for her company. But she is not prepared for James MacDonald. As James introduces her to his beloved Scotland, she is not prepared for the feelings, desires, and attraction she feels toward him. She is still struggling with past hurts, and the feelings that James evokes scares her.

I don’t know if it is the slight trace of Scottish blood that runs through me, but I have yet to read a story based in Scotland that I haven’t enjoyed. Yet it was more than the Scottish setting though that drew me in. Carla Laureano’s debut novel transported me to a new world. Her writing drew me in with vivid detail about her characters and settings so that I felt like I was there. I couldn’t put it down after I started reading. It is definitely a must read and I look forward to reading other books by Carla Laureano.

WEEK OF BOOKS: Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits

In her usual forthright style, Joyce Meyer addresses this issue of habits in her book Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits. Starting with what habits are she addresses the benefits and challenges of both making new habits and breaking bad habits. She gives seven points that you need to do in order to create new habits. Then she goes on to address 14 new behaviors that need to be created in order to change any other habits. The habits include spending time with God, being decisive, taking care of your health, having faith, being excellent, being responsible, being generous, slowing down, being confident, adding value to others, and being self-controlled or disciplined.

One of the things that I love about Joyce Meyer’s books is that she is clear and forthright about the topics she discusses. She offers practical advice and does it in a way that is relatable and Biblical, and this book is no exception. Her writing is well-structured and precise. She motivates you to change your habits and shows you a clear path to working on it. I think the best piece of advice that I read though was to focus on one habit I want to change at a time because I am one of those people who decides to change several things at once and then gets burned out and quits. So if you are ready to start changing your habits and are unsure where to start, read this book.

WEEK OF BOOKS: Sweet Sanctuary by Kim Vogel Sawyer

In the midst of WWII, two unlikely friends reunite and discover the plans that the Lord has for their lives. When Dr. Micah Hatcher receives a letter from Lydia Eldredge’s father, his world is turned upside down. Lydia had been a nurse with Micah at Schofield Station Hospital in Oahu. Now Micah is providing medical services to immigrants in New York, and Lydia is raising a son in Boston. When the sanctuary that she is trying to provide for her son is threatened, her father takes matters into his own hands and brings Micah back into Lydia’s life. When they are reunited, they become wrapped up in each other’s lives. With the two of them living separate lives so far apart and in a time of war, will their time together ever come? Or will secrets and lies keep them apart?

 I really enjoyed the book. It gave me a glimpse into what life was like in a time when the world was turned upside down by war. It was a time when the future was uncertain for everyone. The characters were full of compassion for the lost and even worked to help them when it meant the possibility of great loss to their own lives. You see the cares and challenges of the times. It is a well written story with a strong message of God's love.

Kim Vogel Sawyer

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of nineteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren. She invites you to visit her Web site at www.kimvogelsawyer.com for more information.

Week of Books: You're Made for a God-Sized Dream

Do you have a dream in your heart? Do you feel like giving up on that dream? Then this book is for you. In You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream, Holley becomes your guide in discovering that dream and then taking the first steps to making that dream come true. She discusses how we all have a dream(s) that is given to us by God and how those dreams change and grow through the years when we walk closely with the Lord. She defines success as being obedient to the Lord and discusses the obstacles that you are going to face while on the journey of your dream. She offers encouragement and examples of the dreams of others as well as her own dreams. She takes you through questions and exercises to get you thinking and discovering things about yourself and your God-sized dream.

Once I started reading I had a hard time stopping. Holley uses humor and hospitality to guide you in this book. As you are reading it you feel like you are sitting down with a friend or mentor and discussing the dreams in your heart. She uses examples from her own life which made me feel like I was friend of hers and that we were sitting down together and drinking tea. (She uses coffee a lot in the book, but I’m not a coffee drinker.) I read through the entire book once and I can’t wait to read through it again at a slower pace and taking the time to really answer the questions.

Holley Gerth

Holley Gerth is a bestselling writer, certified life coach, and speaker. She loves connecting with the hearts of women through her popular blog and books like You're Already Amazing andYou're Made for a God-Sized Dream. She's also cofounder of (in)courage and a partner with DaySpring. Holley lives with her husband, Mark, in the South. Hang out with her at www.holleygerth.com.

 

WEEK OF BOOKS: Echoes by Robin Jones Gunn

Echoes is the third book in the Glenbrooke series by Robin Jones Gunn. In this third book, Robin first takes us to Nashville where we meet Lauren Phillips. Lauren is one of those delightful characters who seems to be accident prone…from a bad perm to taking a flight to Fairbanks, Alaska instead of Burbank, California…Her life is a series of mishaps which in the end all turn out for the best because through one of her mishaps she begins a correspondence with KC. KC is a journalist who is currently traveling the world and who looks forward to every new email from Lauren…but when he finally gets up the nerve to ask her to meet him, will she?

I loved this book. It is another great read when you just want to relax and retreat for a little while. With each mishap Lauren got into I found myself shaking my head and thinking, “This could only happen to Lauren.” I felt like I was reading a letter from a friend who was always having crazy things happen to them. Robin Jones Gunn is a wonderful storyteller with a great sense of humor. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

A Week of Hospitality and Willing to Walk on Water by Caroline Barnett

Before we talk about the book of the week, I want to tell you that I am devoting this week’s blog to the topic of hospitality. Over the weekend I attended a ladies’ retreat that our church sponsored and the topic of the discussion was hospitality. The book I am reviewing today also touches on hospitality from a Biblical perspective and that is where we are headed this week. I’m not Martha Stewart, but I am learning that hospitality doesn’t mean setting the perfect table and serving gourmet dishes. Hospitality is about sharing God’s love with others by welcoming them into our hearts, our home, and our lives. So let’s get started on this journey…WELCOME TO OUR WEEK OF HOSPITALITY!

Now on to our book….

Willing to Walk on Water: Step Out in Faith and Let God Work Miracles Through Your Life

Usually when I write a review I  write about the book and then I write about my view of the book (what I like or don’t like about it). Today I’m going to do this a little differently. Today I want to introduce you to the author of the book before discussing the book. The reason for this is because Caroline shares a lot about her life in the book and the church that she and her husband minister to.

Caroline Barnett is married to the founder of the Dream Center in LA Matthew Barnett. She has a passion for inspiring women to find their God-given cause. She and her husband minister to thousands of people at the Dream Center through a wide range of outreach ministries—from a food truck ministry (which she started) to Project Prevention, which is a program designed to help impoverished families stay together. 

In Willing to Walk on Water, Caroline talks about how each of us has a God-given purpose and how our purpose can best be found we are using our talents and our passions to serve the people around us and work to make our world a better place. She shares how through her experiences at the Dream Center God has not only changed her and her life, but how He has worked through her and others at the Dream Center to change the lives of thousands. She shares how even when we feel unworthy or when things seem impossible if we simply step out and trust God He can work miracles in our lives.

I loved this book! Caroline’s stories of people at the Dream Center and their lives had me laughing and crying, but even more they moved me, they stirred in me a desire to go and serve. I can quote Bible verses about how we are supposed to go out and share the Gospel and serve those in need, but so many times I hold back from fear.  This book has reminded me that I have a calling and that calling is to serve others, and I have to give that fear to God and step out of the boat. I have to be willing to “Walk on Water” and do what the Lord is calling me to do.

Thank you, Tyndale, for allowing me to read and review the book. I received my copy from them, but if you would like to purchase a copy like on the link to the my Amazon affiliate store below.

If you would like to read a chapter before purchasing,  a link to chapter one is attached.

Willing to Walk on Water

Book of the Week: Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

Book of the Week: Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

Next week Debbie Macomber’s latest book in the Blossom Street Series is going to be released and I got the privilege of reading it before it ever came out.

In Starting Now, Libby Morgan believes that she is headed for a partnership in the law firm where she works, but instead receives the news that she is being laid off due to the downturn of the economy. Her life has been dedicated solely to the goal of making partner with the idea that she would be able to relax and build a life outside of work when she reached that goal. Her boss and mentor tells her that she needs to work on finding balance in her life while she is young and that her time of unemployment is the perfect opportunity to do that.

Libby surprises herself by doing that very thing. She begins by asking a college friend out to lunch and ends up by knitting preemie caps for one of the local hospitals where she meets and falls in love with Dr. Phillip Stone. Dr. Stone has been working on finding balance in his own life, but he has given up on the idea of love. Can the two of them overcome their workaholic tendencies to make a life together? Can Libby maintain the balance she has found when she returns to work? Will she be able to keep up the friendships that she has made when she is faced with another loss or will she realize what is important before she loses everything again?

After a slow start to the book, I fell in love with the characters and their search for balance in their life. I could totally relate because for 19 years my life was wrapped up in my career and being introverted like the main character I have a hard opening myself up and making friends. I found myself laughing and crying as I read this book. It touched my emotions and drew me into their world. I felt like I had made new friends by the end of the book.

If you are looking for a good book on a rainy (or snowy) day, I recommend curling up with this book.

Thank you, Debbie, for another wonderful trip to Blossom Street.

Book of the Week: The Widow of Saunders Creek

Book of the Week: Widow of Saunders Creek 

Six months after her husband dies in a bombing in Iraq, Corrie Saunders moves to her late husband’s family farm in the Missouri Ozarks. Some of his family resent her presence, but her late husband’s cousin Eli Saunders welcomes Corrie and helps her to restore the old farmhouse that she inherited when her husband died. After Corrie moves into the old farmhouse, strange things begin to happen. Is her husband Jarrod’s spirit come back to comfort her or is there something more sinister at work in her house?

Eli Saunders loves Saunders Creek, and he loves the old family farmhouse where he spent a lot of his childhood. Helping Corrie to restore the farmhouse brings healing toward the rivalry and bitterness he felt toward his cousin Jarrod, but something in the house seems to want to harm him. Eli knows that the house is haunted by a demon, but can he convince Corrie? Or will she cling to the spirit in her house because she wants it to be Jarrod?

I found this book to be intriguing. This book is not your typical Christian romance, and I couldn’t put it down. It addresses an issue not often thought of or talked about in the church. Is there such a thing as ghosts? Or is what we put down to ghosts really demons in disguise? Tracey Bateman has a way of using fiction to bring out issues that we typically ignore and her journey into paranormal literature from a Biblical perspective is unique and fresh without being preachy. 

A Reading List for Young Christian Singles

Reading List for Young Singles

As anybody who visits my blog knows, I love to read. I have written several reviews and a couple of book lists. This book list is special. This book list is a list of books that I have read throughout my 20’s and early 30’s that I recommend for young Christian single women to read.

Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall & Debbie Jones

I have been through this book several times. It helps you to focus on your relationship with Christ and growing to be the person that God has for you to be.
 Single and Content by Dana Anders, Nathan Clement, Chris Conti, and Lana Trent

This book is a compilation of stories from singles across America. They share what they enjoy about being single and why.

When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy

This book is basically an autobiography about Eric and Leslie Ludy, how God worked in their lives to prepare them for each other and to bring them together.

  Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy

This is a book about what it means to be set apart for God and authentic feminity.

When Dreams Come True by Eric and Leslie Ludy

This book is basically a continuation of Eric and Leslie’s love story.

  Marriable by Hayley and Michael DiMarco

Are you marriable? This book helps you answer the question are you really ready for marriage or not.

  Dateable by Justin Lookadoo and Hayley DiMarco

Like Marriable, this book helps you answer the question are you ready to date.

 Sexy Girls: How Hot is Too Hot by Hayley DiMarco

Sexy Girls takes a look at modesty and fashion and what kind of picture we want to present.

 Technical Virgin: How Far is Too Far  by Hayley DiMarco

Technical Virgin helps you to answer the question “how far is too far?”

 Mean Girls  by Hayley DiMarco

Mean Girls takes a look at how we treat other women and how we allow ourselves to be treated.

 What to Do Until Love Finds You by Michelle McKinney Hammond

In this book, Michele McKinney Hammond helps you focus on your relationship with God while waiting for Mr. Right.

  Sassy, Single and Satisfied by Michelle McKinney Hammond

This book is about being satisfied where you are.

 Get a Love Life by Michelle McKinney Hammond

Get a Love Life helps you focus on your relationship with God as a single woman.

  Romantic Love by Dr. James Dobson

Dr. Dobson takes a look at romance and love. He defines what love should look like and how to balance our head and our heart.

What I love about these books is that unlike most books for singles these books don’t concentrate only on dating or courtship. These books talk about becoming the best YOU that you can be so that when God brings that special someone into your life you are ready. They are books that help prepare you for a life with someone else or a life on your own.

Book of the Week: Don't Let Me Go

Book of the Week: Don’t Let Me Go

Don’t Let Me Go is a heart wrenching story of how love can conquer even the strongest of fears.

Don’t Let Me Go is the story of Grace, a young girl whose mother is an addict, and how she touches and changes the lives of the people who live in her apartment building. In the story, Grace doesn’t want to leave her mother, but she sits out on the front steps of her apartment building every day after school in the hopes that one of her neighbors would step in and help her. Billy, one of her neighbors, is agoraphobic, but when he sees Grace sitting out on the steps of the apartment building day after day, he faces his fear and goes out on his balcony to ask her why she is sitting out there. And thus begins a friendship that helps Billy to face his fears and helps Grace to blossom and bloom while expanding their friendship to draw in the other people who also live in the building. Rayleene takes Grace into her home while Grace’s mother attempts to stay clean. Felipe takes Grace to school every day and teaches her Spanish. Billy watches her every day after school and teaches her to dance. Mrs. Hinman makes clothes for Grace. It is a beautiful story in which each person faces their own fears that keep them alone because of the love that one little girl inspires in each of them.

It is a definite must-read. It is such a touching story that I cried through at least the last half of the book if not more. 

Book of the Week: The As If Principle

The AS IF Principle is not your typical self-help book. The AS IF Principle presents the idea that if we change our behavior then we can change the way that we feel. Richard Wiseman uses examples from psychological research to show that by changing our behavior we can increase motivation, overcome depression, lose weight, stop smoking, fall in love and even slow aging.  He presents the idea that it is actually action that is what controls your emotions, not what you are thinking.

Common sense suggests that the chain of causation is:

·         You feel happy—you smile.

·         You feel afraid—you run.

·         You have willpower—you clench your fist.

·         You feel compassionate—you give.

The As If Principle suggests that the chain of causation is:

·         You smile—you feel happy.

·         You run—you feel afraid.

·         You clench your fist—you have willpower.

·         You give—you feel compassionate.

Which comes first the chicken or the egg? Or in this instance the action or the thought?

Richard Wiseman presents a very clear argument for the idea that is our actions that influence our thoughts and our feelings and while I agree with him, I also found myself questioning it some too. Our habits are important and many things we do throughout the day come from habit, but at the same time how is a new habit developed? So I ended the book with the question running through my mind, “Which comes first the action or the thought?” To be honest, my personal opinion is that is a combination of the two is actually needed. I think that our thoughts can influence our actions, but also that our actions can influence our thoughts.

As I said earlier, this book is not your typical self-help book. While most authors present a lot of anecdotes from their lives or from the lives of people who have followed their advice, Richard Wiseman uses scientific research to back up his arguments for the As If principle. I will have to say that unless you are like me and enjoy reading psychological texts that this makes reading this book a little dry.