Great Stories for Kids at Advent

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Some of my best Christmas memories didn't happen during my childhood, but rather the growing up years for my sons. When the oldest was in elementary school someone recommended Jotham's Journey to us for Advent. Jotham goes through a series of adventures that eventually lead him to the birth of Christ! Each night of Advent you read the continuing story that almost always ends in a cliff hanger (making your kids beg for more). After each part of the story there is a short devotional related to what is currently happening. The book also gives you a calendar of when Advent starts and also how to incorporate the candles that go along with Advent in your reading of the story each night.

The author, Arnold Ytreeide, has come out with three other books like Jotham's Journey: 

Bartholomew's Passage

Tabitha's Travels

Ishtar's Odyssey

Each one of these stories surrounds the birth of Christ, and here is the absolutely awesome thing about these adventures...they are intertwined! Jotham, Bartholomew, Tabitha, and Ishtar cross paths in the story. So if your family reads one the first year and a different story the next year you get to see the story from a whole new vantage point. Last year, my husband and I (because our boys are now too old) read Ishtar's Odyssey together even though the boys didn't participate. We loved this angle of the story, because Ishtar is Persian and comes with the Wise Men to see the baby King. It added a whole new perspective!

So if you are looking for a new tradition for Advent these books would be a great addition to your season! The stories are captivating and the messages in the devotionals are not to be missed! Advent starts November 27th...so get ready for an adventure!

What to do with Your One Broken Heart

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For several years now, I have been lost. Left with the pieces of a broken heart, I have fumbled through life as I try to heal. There are days I feel whole and there are the other days...the ones in which I grieve for what was once my life. So when I heard about Ann Voskamp's new book, I knew I had to read it. A book on brokenness? Yes. Exactly what I need.

I don't know how to proceed. You see, my brokenness with a family member and with a church I spent about two decades with has changed me. I am not who I was. I used to be the one eager to make connections with others. I used to want to serve. I used to want to have "community" around me. These days I am content to be on my own. I have struggled with what to do with those feelings. I simply don't know. I am more cautious in relationships. I want fewer connections. I am more focused on my family instead of the outside world. I am more dependent on a God that won't turn His back on me, manipulate me, or condemn me. Are these things wrong? Not necessarily. However, I have felt  I am living life small, in a closed circle. Letting others in is hard these days, because all I want to do is avoid the agonizing pain all over again. That's why reading Ann's new book, The Broken Way, has been good for me. Ann's one goal is to ask the question, "How do you live with your one broken heart?" It's the question I have been asking myself for three years now...

Can I tell you? Do I dare be honest? I didn't like Ann's answer. "You live with your one broken heart by giving it away." Precisely what I have not wanted to do. I have wanted to close in on myself. Stay safe in my own little world. Frankly, people are scary, and because of my life story, I find Christian women to be incredibly frightening. I don't mean to offend if you fall into that category (The irony isn't lost on me...I am a Christian woman...yep, I am scary, too.). It has just been my experience. So when Ann suggested that in order to live with your brokenness you must allow God to use it by giving yourself away I freaked out. Yet, I know she is exactly right. "Giving away the heart- heals the heart", she writes. It is exactly what I need to do no matter the fear that rises in me.

If you are living with brokenness...oh, how my heart aches for you. I understand the depth of the pain. Some days it can be insurmountable. Healing takes time, effort, and a willingness to face the events that broken your heart. It isn't easy. May I humbly suggest Ann's book? It comes out October 25th. (See TheBrokenWay.com for more details.) It is such a good read for anyone who is struggling. While you wait for the book to come out, check out Ann's post with a calendar on how to be the GIFT and give your heart away. In it, she gives you a daily challenge you can do to bless someone else in your life, because the only way to live with your one broken heart is to give it away.

Also, if you have been doing Think On These Things (my monthly Scripture writing challenge) with me this year, follow along in November as our theme will be "Mended". We will explore verses about brokenness and becoming whole. The downloadable file will be available October 24.

I wrote pages and pages of quotes from the book down in my faith journal so that I can go back to them later; however, I will leave you with a few of them now...

Let's rise to the challenge...because in giving our hearts away we may not only heal our brokenness, but also the heart of another...

I received an advanced copy of the book as I am a part of Ann's launch team for The Broken Way. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Living Loved {Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst}

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"Rejection. It's a pattern in your life. You will have to fight it to overcome it", popped on my iPhone screen. I knew her text and her analysis of me was right. She wasn't condemning me. She wasn't saying I would be stuck there forever. She was stating the facts. It would mean I would have to fight. Fight to heal. Fight to be whole again. Fight to not be afraid of the one thing I was afraid of the most: People. Oh, how she was right!

There are days I go to the mailbox and can scarcely open its tiny, creaky door. I don't want to look inside, because I have found rejection and hurt hide in its metal walls. And then there are other days where electronic mail is hard to open even though it means just touching my finger to the screen. I simply can't do it. I cringe as if half expecting a monster to jump out at me. You see most of my rejection came in the form of written words delivered to my inbox and and to the little white tube with the squeaking door in my front yard.

I wasn't good enough. I didn't know how to make the right decisions. I was mean. I was not a good (fill in the blank). I was unforgiving. I had a bad "aura". I was unworthy to be around others....All these words written and more. No wonder I have a hate relationship with any device where mail is deposited. It's too much. Those boxes don't hold mail for me. They hold my shattered heart.

I have fought it long and hard. Can I say most days are good? I have a husband who loves me. A great relationship with each of my sons. Deep friendships. Family that has been with me through thick and thin. I am loved. Then there are the days I can't fight the obvious...there are places in my past where love couldn't be found. And though I searched for it and longed for it, the fact is it will not show up in my mailbox. This is where acceptance of myself is hard...when you know you are not worthy of love in someone's eyes.

Three years ago I decided I didn't need a mailbox to show me love, and my inbox was a pathetic way to feel secure. I needed to be looking for other letters. Ones written long ago, by Someone who truly knew me with all my flaws and said, "I will always love you." I bought myself a journaling Bible and began the search for the love that would not fail me. Who needs affirmation and adoration from mere mortals when you can have the Creator of the universe always there by your side? I would stick with the love letter He wrote me. My goal was to live loved regardless of how I had actually lived!

One day on Facebook, the title popped up. The words made my heart stop: uninvited, less than, lonely, left out...LIVING LOVED. I had to order this book! So last weekend, I went out to my sworn enemy, the mailbox, and found what I had been waiting for... Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa Terkeurst. I spent this week reading in tears hiding them from those around me. Her book undid me.

I am sure you all are like me. In fact, I got a glimmer of it last week as I scanned Facebook, Instagram, and other social media. You have lived rejection. Women all over were popping up saying they so wanted to read it. They didn't have to say why. I knew. They had lived rejected, but desperately wanted to live loved. I could almost feel the ache through the screen.

You know it's bad when you begin reading and can't finish a sentence, because you are having to highlight it. Then you need to write some of them out to ward off the forgetfulness in your brain. These nuggets of truth are too valuable to lose. Lysa's book looks at all angles of the dreaded "R" word. Rejection is a spider's web entwined with the shame of who you are, the need for forgiveness for the one who rejected, the fear of history repeating itself, and the hope of measuring up...one day. Lysa deals with each facet with the heart of one rejected. Turns out she one of us.

I don't even know where to start to organize my thoughts on the PRACTICAL advice she gives to battle that left out feeling. There are questions to ask yourself, verses to help you change your perspective on what was done to you, and even the suggestion of praying Psalm 91 back to God as you heal from rejection. One of the mind-reforming thoughts is to realize that rejection has another level to it. It all depends on how you view what happened.  We may feel that we have been set aside by others when in reality we have be set apart by God to walk a different road from those who rejected us. Other times, rejection is actually a form of protection from something even more grievous.

If you are struggling with the fact that you don't fit in or have been kick out, Lysa's book will help you work towards healing those bleeding parts of your heart. Also, because it has been such a theme in my life you will find below several posts on the subject. If you are reading this, I am praying for you. I know the pain and ache for you. Read the posts below. Order the book...you know, sometimes good things arrive in mailboxes...

Surviving Rejection: What Grandma Taught Me
Dealing with Rejection
Seven Verses for Dealing with Rejection
Journaling to Remember His Love

Upcoming Christian Reads

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Fall is my favorite season. I am actually not sure why as it is the precursor to winter. I live in a cold climate with snow on the ground for about seven to eight months out of the year. You would think I would not look favorably on autumn. But I do.

This fall I am looking forward to several books coming out from authors I admire...Beth Moore, Ann Voskamp, and Lysa TerKeurst. Let's take a brief look at the books (which I have already pre-ordered!):

Ann's book on gratitude, One Thousand Gifts, was life-changing for me. A few years before the book came out I was following her blog and had started my own gratitude list. That list has continued to grow as each morning I sit down to write a circumstance or two for which I am thankful. I have never been the same as gratitude has totally changed my perspective and helped in the healing of a broken past. Her new book, The Broken Way, comes out in October. I can't wait! I have lived with and fought against brokenness much of my adult life. I am eager to see what she has to say on the subject as I know that Ann's own life has been filled with heartache.

I recently saw that Beth Moore has a new book coming out with a surprising twist. It is FICTION! I have loved doing Beth's Bible studies over the years, but the fact that she has written a novel surprises me. The Undoing of Saint Silvanus tells the story of a woman, Jillian Slater, who has to go back to New Orleans to bury her father. When she arrives she realizes that things are not as they seem which leads her into the lives of the saints and sinners who were a part of Saint Silvanus. It is a novel of a family with a broken history in which God intervenes. From reading the description it sounds like a mystery novel...can't wait!

Finally, there is Lysa TerKeurst's new book, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely . I absolutely loved Lysa's book, Unglued, which by the way I think EVERY WOMAN should read at least once. Her advice on dealing with raw emotions is practical and insightful so I am assuming Uninvited will be in the same vein. Beside, the title could have been the headline for my life! I have known the deep sting of rejection from those that were supposed to love me, and I have fought hard to "lived loved" regardless of how others have treated me.

So here is the schedule of when these books come out:

Uninvited- Early August
The Undoing of Saint Silvanus- Mid-September
The Broken Way-End of October

Happy Reading!

Mornings with God

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My time with God in the morning is precious to me. I just don't feel right without it, and my days can be harder when I just get up and go without spending time with Him. Over the years, my time with Him has looked different. It really is fine to change up how you spend time with Him in order to keep yourself engaged. So here's a quick look at what I am currently doing and have been doing the past six months or so...

Each morning I wake up, I grab a cup of coffee and sit down read the verses of the day from Think on These Things. What is "Think on These Things"? It is a Scripture writing challenge or focus verses for the day. Each month I pick a different theme like forgiveness, peace, or joy to focus on. I then post them here on the blog. Maybe people write out these verses and then journal about them. I, however, find them in my journaling Bible, read them several times, and then journal about them. I also post a picture with my thoughts on the verses each morning on Instagram.

I then move on to the Scripture writing I am currently doing which is writing out the whole book of Psalms. You can read about it here.  I have reached the chapters in the hundreds so I am getting close to finishing. I am thinking that by the end of the summer I should be done. I tend to write out about ten verses, give or take. When I am finished with the Psalms, I will probably go back to writing out the "Think on These Things" verses...

After those are done, I spend some time recording gifts in my gratitude journal. I think back over the last 24 hours and write down the ways God has blessed me. Currently, I am up to more than 6,000 gifts recorded, but before you get all impressed...I have been doing this for years!! It takes a long time to get to the point I am at.

Finally, I spend some time in prayer. I use my prayer calendar in my bullet journal as a guide. (More on this coming next week.) I tend to pray for one significant person in my life each day along with various other current requests.

So that is what a typical morning looks like, but really your morning doesn't have to look like mine. Your morning doesn't even have to be morning if that doesn't work into your schedule. You want to find the time that works for you and the resources you find most helpful. Maybe it is a devotional or Bible study. Or maybe you would prefer to do Scripture writing. Whatever your method, the most important action to do is spend time with God.

Here are some resources I use:

Scripture writing: This can be done topically or "by the book". If you would like to do topics then you are welcome to use my "Think on These Things" verses each month. If you would like to go book by book then I would suggest using the schedules over at His Mercy is New. You can find them here.

Journaling Bible: I love having space in my Bible to write thoughts beside verses that jump out at me. If possible, you want a single-column Bible which allows more space...
Black Journaling Bible

Journals: Studio Oh! Deconstructed Journals are the best for Scripture writing. I love them, because I am left-handed. When I open these journals they lie flat, and I don't have to fight to get my hand in there to write! They are well-made with great quality paper.

Pencil Highlighters: These are my favorite! They don't bleed through the pages in my Bible.

Colors of Goodbye

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It will never go back to the way it was. How I fight against the new normal. Even three years later. Fifteen years ago. The amount of time doesn't matter, because while the soul-sucking grief lightens I still struggle under the shock of what has become my life. I will never totally get over it. I won't really even survive it. Someone new will become me, because grief and loss changes us in ways we could never imagine. I have known grief many times over: miscarriage, abuse, death, and angst that lead to relational loss. Each time I have cried out to God in my anguish. Every time He has heard me. No, He hasn't given me back what I loss. In its place, He has given me something else. I now know courage, strength, and peace like never before. Am I whole? Hardly. But maybe whole isn't the goal this side of heaven. Maybe it is more of a journey to walk with the One who will eventually fill those holes.

Last week I picked up a book on grief...

At first, I fought with myself. Can I really read this book about a woman who lost her nineteen-year-old daughter to a brain aneurysm? After all, I currently have a 19-year-old son. Would fear creep in for my own offspring? Because of my other losses would I be able to read about hers? I opened up the book anyways.

I am so glad I did.

On May 31, 2008, September Vaudrey said goodbye to her daughter as she left for her new job. It would be their last goodbye. Yet, it wasn't. After Katie, her daughter, suffered a brain aneurysm which caused a car accident as she drove to work, September would live years of goodbyes as she let go of her daughter and the life they once had as a family of seven. Colors of Goodbye is September's memoir of holding on to her daughter while letting her go.

This book that I was afraid to pick up I couldn't put down. The Vaudrey family story is gripping, and September's writing is beyond beautiful. Throughout it, she describes her fight with grief and how she coped. Her writing and thoughts give a deep look into ways we handle grief and how we push through the pain, but what I appreciated most was September's humor. I have learned through my own personal experience that one of the ways to deal with extreme pain is to laugh. I know that may sound a little irreverent or crazy, but somehow pain and laughter coexist in a bittersweet life.

If you have had grief and loss I encourage you to read Colors of Goodbye. Buy a big box of tissues and find a place where you can cry as you read. (By the way, don't read this book in public if you don't like people staring at you with mascara running down your face. Take it from my voice of experience.) You will be blessed beyond measure as you read...

I will leave you with a few quotes from the book one from Katie and the rest from September...

"I want to leave ripples in the lives I leave behind..." -Katie Vaudrey, age 15

"I am good, I sense Him (God) say. This tragedy doesn't change My character. It doesn't change who I am. I am good."

"(Tip: If you are a woman in a season of loss, stock up on waterproof mascara!)" --Oh, how I loved September's quips and humor!

"Heartbreak comes in many colors-death, divorce, job loss, poverty, relational fractures, abuse. Pain is the great equalizer, and it spares no one."

"But I am learning to cherish each day for what it is, not what it might have been."

Never Go Back

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A few years back I realized I needed to make some changes. The way I was interacting with others was only causing me pain. Frankly, my problem was that I was too nice. Too nice?! Really? I thought we were all supposed to be nice. True. Kindness towards others is what God calls us to do, but speaking the truth is another part of His desire for us. Kindness killed me. Being too kind and not standing up got me smashed...you see, people don't tend to mess with those who speak their mind and have great boundaries. However, those who are kind and sweet by nature tend to get walked all over. Think of the perilous relationship between Cookie Monster and those sugary, little round discs...cookies will always be in danger around him because they are just too sweet! Ha! 

These days kindness is still the way I operate. Honestly, it is what I normally gravitate to doing if given a choice. I am learning that I need to speak up more, drop the people pleasing, and block others' bad behavior towards me. I need to not do so much for others and allow them to step up. It is one of the hardest things I have done. It just doesn't come natural to me... (And by the way, before you begin to think that I am so type of arrogant saint touting how kind and wonderful I am: STOP. I have my faults...too many to count. Besides, being TOO kind is a fault!). I have had to hold myself back and proceed with caution when it comes to relationships. In the past, I didn't heed warning signs that people were unknowingly giving me about who they were and what they would do. I paid dearly for it.

So a few weeks ago, I was in Barnes and Noble leafing through books not really intending to buy anything. Until my eyes drifted over this title...

I love Dr. Henry Cloud's books. Years ago, I read his book on Boundaries and have been trying to learn how to create and maintain them ever since. He has great, practical Biblical advice when it comes to relationships, and his new book, Never Go Back, offered just what I needed in this new season of life. Dr. Cloud talks about ten life lessons that we need to follow. He proposes that once we have really learned these lessons we won't go back to our old ways. Here are a few of them...

Never again...

Return to what hasn't worked.

Believe that you can please everyone. {I need to read this one daily!!}

Take your eyes off the big picture.

Fail to ask why you are where you are.

All I can say is I wished I had read this book and followed what it said YEARS ago. I would have saved myself so much heartache. I can't express to you totally how mind changing this book is. It probably needs to be one of those reads that I pick up once a year and review. As a human being, I have the nagging problem of quickly forgetting sound advice...the type of advice Dr. Cloud's book offers. So instead of going through the details of this book let me leave you with a few snippets of wisdom {in picture form} from its pages...

It's time to never go back!

Joseph by Terri Fivash

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My favorite Bible story...the one that I come back to again and again. Joseph. Not the one wed to Mary, but rather the one sold by his siblings into slavery. I get Joseph. His life, as strange as it was, makes sense to me. Why? Because he and I share something in common. We are/were both outcasts who had to take an unexpected journey on the road to forgiveness.

Joseph's story is one of betrayal, heartache, jealousy, and eventually reconciliation. In thirteen chapters (the longest of the patriarchal stories), God lays out an example of how we should interact with those how have hurt us deeply. It covers what to do when you are taken someplace you don't want to go, how to set up boundaries with those that are unsafe, and most importantly, how to forgive.




Recently, I picked up a historical fiction novel about Joseph's life by Terri Fivash. Oh my! Her retelling of the story opened my eyes to the ordeal Joseph went through and gave me food for thought. Now granted, this is historical fiction and we don't know all the details, but Terri gives a glimpse  into the process Joseph may have gone through to get to the point of forgiving his brothers. She also brings up points in the life of Joseph that I would never have thought of...like how his life may have been in danger because he was a foreigner ruling in Egypt!

If you are looking for a great way to dive deep into the story or Joseph or if you are on your own unexpected and unwanted journey to forgive someone, I would highly recommend Terri's book! There is also a Bible study on Joseph that would go along great with this historical fiction novel,Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness by Melissa Spoelstra. Check it out!

Girl Meets Change

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There are times when "change" is like a four-letter word instead of the six-letter word it really is. I don't do change well. I don't even like it. Change creates anxiety in my heart, and if it is big enough-- grief. Over the last few years, I have learned to endure change and give it a space in my life. At first, I fought it. Slowly, I began to accept it and welcome it for what it was doing to me. Change has changed me. I am hoping for the better.

For me, change has brought deep grief. It doesn't matter what kind of change you go through normally there is an element of loss or grief. Even good change can bring stress. And bad change? It is one of the best types of change there is. It is those times when we grieve hard in our life transitions that we grow the most if we allow God to work. Grievous change is hardly ever welcomed, but it is the one that has the potential to leave the greatest good in our lives.

So when I saw Kristen Strong's book, Girl Meets Change: Truths to Carry You through Life's Transitions, I knew I needed to read it after all the transitions that life has brought me recently. Her book talks about the effects of change on our lives, our need to heal and accept our limitations while giving thanks in our circumstances. The book is filled with bits and pieces of wisdom like...

Time doesn't heal all wounds--time with the Healer does.

When change throws me into the splits position, a flexible spirit is what keeps me from a debilitating injury. 

Gratitude is the way of hope, especially during seasons of difficult change.

I don't just want to survive change; I want to thrive through it...To thrive means to grow well.

In other words, we need to get to where we like big buts and we cannot lie. {Ok, you are just going to have to read the book to understand this quote! It is a priceless concept! :-) }

Change can be weathered by spending time with God, giving Him thanks, and letting Him reframe our life transitions to reveal the positive in them. If you are going through change now in your life, Kristen's book will help you navigate the challenges of a new normal.

The Comeback by Louie Giglio

I don't know how to get myself back. It's been almost three years, and I am still not who I was. I am beginning to think this is permanent. I am different person...more fragile, more protective, and more isolated. It has also made me stronger, more gracious, and more outspoken. The negative is so swirled together with the positive that I can't separate the two. It is my new normal. I have come to realize in the past few months that my comeback journey is not what I expected. A comeback doesn't always look like one.

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I have been thinking long and hard on my journey and how to get back to what I once was. So I was surprised to find there is actually a book for that! It is by one of my favorite speakers/authors, Louie Giglio. The Comeback: It's Not Too Late and You're Never Too Far uses the personal stories of the Bible and the modern world to illustrate how we can come back from devastation in our lives. I love that throughout the book Louie focuses on HOPE which was my Word of the Year for 2015. We could all use a little hope when things are not going our way. 

Louie starts out with his very personal story of dealing with anxiety and depression. Since I have struggled with both of these, I could totally related to what he was saying. He then goes on to write about the crucifixion, the story of Joseph, the prodigal, the resurrection, and a few more stories to illustrate how we get a comeback. Throughout the book there are lessons we all can use to help us as we comeback from loss, our sin, or maybe even the sin done to us. Here are just a few:

• Praise Him regardless of the circumstances.
• A comeback is not a payback.
• God is bigger than the consequences of our sins.
• God knows exactly what you are looking for, and He knows how to get it.
• Jesus is enough.

If you are struggling to comeback from devastation from a loss, your own sin, or deep hurt dished out to you, Louie's book is so worth the read! I will leave you with probably my favorite quote from the book...a picture of the ultimate comeback.

To get out of your coffin and smile at the folks gathered for your funeral, that's the ultimate comeback. Or--switching to first-century cultural patterns--to walk out of a tomb, living and breathing, smiling and holding out your hands to friends so they can check your scars to make sure it's really you, looking not at all pale and sickly but better than the best version of yourself that there's ever been, that's the ultimate comeback.

Reading and New Releases for 2016

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I am so looking forward to my reading list for 2016! Ann Voskamp and Lysa TerKeurst, some of my favorite authors, have new books coming out this year. Both of their books (at least what I have read of them) hit me where I am right now. I have struggled off and on for several years with brokenness and rejection. As human beings, we all go through this from time to time. It isn't fun, but the struggle makes us stronger. Lysa's book dives into the feeling of being uninvited, set aside, and on the outside looking in. I am still recovering from massive rejection I experienced a few years ago. It's been a long journey to recovery...one I am not so sure I have completed yet.  Ann's book speaks about brokenness. Dealing with rejection has brought tremendous brokenness in my life. I have come to the conclusion that brokenness can't be overcome by fighting it. I have learned to accept it, embrace it, and then grow from it.  I cannot wait to read both of these books...the problem? They won't be out until late summer/fall.

So here's a look at some of my reading for 2016. Many of these books are not out yet, but I will start with one of them that is...



Fearless by Max Lucado. My Word of the Year for 2016 is FEARLESS. So I thought I would start with Max's book. There are so many things to be afraid of. As a person who struggles mightily with anxiety, I know that fear can paralyze a person and make life miserable. I have always loved reading Max's writing, and I love the fact that this book touches on my focus for the year.

Even If Not by Kaitlyn Bouchillon. This book is coming soon! I was able to be on the launch team for it and have read several of the chapters. Kaitlyn is an AMAZING writer! I love the topic of this book taken from the book of Daniel {3:18}...that even if God doesn't do what we hope and pray for we can still trust Him. Here is more information on the book and a place to sign up for updates on when it releases.



Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst. This quote from the back of the book hit me hard..."Rejection steals the best of who I am by reinforcing the worst that's been said to me." I totally get it. When dealing with rejection, we have to overcome the ugly words and actions to find the positive in ourselves. In the book, Lysa will talk about how to deal with rejection in a Godly manner. It releases August 9th.

The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp. We can take all our brokenness and give it to the One that was broken for us. Ann's book releases September 6th. I so want to read what she has to say about brokenness!



(Un)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things by Steven Furtick. Being unqualified is God's only qualification for using us! Even single person in the Bible was unqualified to do the task set before them. Moses wasn't a great speaker, and yet, it is exactly what He was called to do. Gideon was not a warrior. God calls him one. David wasn't a soldier...just a shepherd with a sling and some rocks. Steven's book releases March 1st.



How to Live in Fear: Mastering the Art of Freaking Out by Lance Hahn. The mere title of this book caught my eye! Then to find out that it is written by a pastor with an anxiety disorder. Since I have battled anxiety most of my life, I just have to read this book! It releases March 15th.

So what is on your reading list? I would love to hear what others are reading!