Tag Archives: Inspiration

#BookReview: 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path by Liz Curtis Higgs

19 Sep

31 Proverbs to Light Your Path is a lovely devotional! Ideal for personal and group study, the thirty-one verses from the book of Proverbs are presented in ways that are applicable and actionable. Higgs offers insights, stories, and inspiration, while compelling readers to perform a quick challenge at the end of each chapter. Uplifting and encouraging, I enjoyed spending time in this wonderful book and look forward to using it again and again!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

With her signature ability to blend ancient truth with real-life takeaway, best-selling author and Bible teacher Liz Curtis Higgs examines thirty-one verses from the book of Proverbs, and then offers a unique “One Minute, One Step” challenge at the end of each chapter, suggesting a do-it-now task that requires one minute or less. Readers will quickly discover how practical and applicable the book of Proverbs is, and how the Lord can use even the smallest steps to lead us in the right direction.

Learn more about the book and the author.

#BookReview: Under a Desert Sky by Lynne Hartke

5 Jun

Under a Desert Sky is a candid and compelling read! When faced with her own cancer diagnosis, as well as the diagnoses of both her parents, Lynne Hartke wrestled with a myriad of thoughts, questions, and emotions. Relating her experiences to the Sonoran Desert, Hartke illustrates both the desolation and the beauty to be found in life’s desert places. Heartfelt and hopeful, Under a Desert Sky is a stirring memoir!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

There comes a time in life when we find ourselves in the desert place of burning questions: Why? and Why me? But even as we shake our fist heavenward, the heart whispers another question: Who? Who are you, God? Who are you to me?

Against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, Lynne Hartke asks her own hard questions as cancer arrives like a thief with one goal: to take it all. Hair. The contents of a stomach. A marriage. A life. As her days become a blur of doctors’ appointments, treatments, and surgeries, she wrestles with a tumble of tangled emotions, a shaken faith, and crushing self-doubt. And then, the unthinkable. Cancer is now threatening not only her own life but also the lives of both her parents.

Through her raw, lyrical words, Hartke invites you to discover, as she did, that even in life’s hardest places, you are not alone in your fear, you are not foolish to hope, and you are never forgotten by a loving, pursuing God. Never.

Learn more about the book and the author. 

#BookReview: The Heart-Shaped Life Daily Devotional by Karen Moore

30 Apr

The Heart-Shaped Life is a lovely devotional! Karen Moore welcomes readers by saying, “It’s time to energize your spirit and realign your heart so you think more positively and lovingly about every circumstance you encounter.” Brimming with encouragement for every day of the year, I have enjoyed adding this devotional to my daily routine. Its uplifting reminders to make love a priority will hearten readers and inspire greater love and heart-shaped living.

“Actions created in love feel good. They lift our spirits and encourage our hearts. If what you did yesterday doesn’t brings you peace of mind today, then try again. Create meaningful interactions with the people around you, and let love guide all you do.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

 

About the book:

Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:2: “If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do?” . . .the Heart-Shaped Life series will encourage you to live life “heart first.”

The Heart-Shaped Life Daily Devotional provides refreshing thoughts, prayers, and scripture selections to help you discover the best path to the good life. . .which is all about LOVE!

Learn more about The Heart-Shaped Life Daily Devotional.

#BookReview: Control Girl | Prize Pack #Giveaway

9 Feb

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Shannon Popkin candidly shares her own struggles with control and what she has discovered from studying seven Control Girls of the Bible. From Eve to Miriam, each of the woman and their stories offer examples and lessons to learn from. Designed to work for individual and group study, this book contains Bible passages, personal stories, and meditations. I enjoyed the biblical aspects of each lesson, as well as the thought-provoking reflections and applications that were included. Control Girl is a great study guide and resource, offering practical advice and instruction for learning to lean on God.

“We have a natural posture of holding on to control rather than releasing it to God. In order to reverse our natural bent, we have to cultivate a new demeanor toward God: surrender.”

 

Learn how to give up control to God and become a Jesus girl! Enter to win a prize pack that will help you give up your Control Girl tendencies.

One grand prize winner will receive:

 

About the book:

Tension, anger, fear, anxiety-it all begins with a heart that craves control.

Little fights with your husband and kids. Unhappiness when things don’t match your version of perfect. When your perspective of how life should go replaces God’s, you doom your quest for security, peace, and joy before it even starts.

Thankfully, there is a better way.

Join Shannon as she shares what she has discovered about her own control struggles and
about God from studying seven Control Girls in the Bible. Whether it was Eve’s desire to know instead of trust, Sarah’s inability to wait for God to move, or Rebekah’s controlling hand on her family’s future, each of these women’s stories contain warnings and lessons for us today.

Learn how you too can lay down this burden of trying to control everything and find rest in surrendering to the One who truly is in control.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

Visit the author.

Read what other bloggers are saying about Control Girl.



Enter today by clicking the icon below!  The giveaway ends on February 21, and the winner will be announced February 22 on Shannon’s blog.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.

#BookReview: Pray A to Z | Prayer Prize Pack #Giveaway

8 Dec

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Pray A to Z by Amelia Rhodes

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2guYoyl

Change the world one prayer at a time.

How would our community change if instead of absently saying, “I’ll pray for you,” we actually did pray—deeply, intensely, and purposefully?

Pray A to Z: A Practical Guide to Praying for Your Community will help you topically organize your prayer requests and lay the burdens of your community at the feet of our Heavenly Father.

With compassion and encouragement, Amelia Rhodes offers Bible verses and prayer prompts, organized topically for every letter of the alphabet. There are five topics per letter—three prayers of petition asking God to work in a certain area of need, and two more prayers of praise to reflect gratitude for God’s presence in the daily issues and relationships of life. Through petition and praise, your specific, focused communion with God will lighten your heart as you place the heaviness of those prayer requests where they belong—on His strong shoulders.

Whether you are praying for a friend’s adoption journey, a neighbor’s bankruptcy, or a family member’s cancer, this book will give you Bible verses, prayer prompts, and prayer starts to guide you through praying for even the most difficult issues that affect the people you know and love. Perfect for either individual or group prayer, Pray A to Z will help you experience the peace that comes from communicating with God.

 

My thoughts:

Pray A to Z is a wonderful prayer guide! Organized alphabetically by topic, this little book is sure to make a big impact on its readers. Rhodes brings attention to a myriad of issues and struggles that many in our community are facing and calls us to be more mindful and intentional in our petitions and praise. I really appreciated the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of the suggested prayers, as well the pertinent scriptures that begin each section. Simple, yet effective, Pray A to Z is a great tool to use in your individual prayer life, as well as in a group setting.

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Learn more about Pray A to Z and how to pray for your community, and enter to win Amelia’s Guide to Prayer Prize Pack to get you started.

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One grand prize winner will receive:

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on December 20. The winner will be announced December 21 on Amelia’s blog.

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amelia-rhodes
Amelia Rhodes is a speaker and author of Isn’t It Time for a Coffee Break: Doing Life Together in an All-About-Me Kind of World. Amelia’s writing has also been featured in four Chicken Soup for the Soul titles, devotionals for the OneHope blog Undeterred and the international devotional Upper Room. Amelia has a growing speaking ministry and speaks regularly to women’s groups on topics of spiritual growth, friendship, and community, offering practical tools for living our faith in the everyday. She lives in Lowell, Michigan.

 

 

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I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required, and all thoughts expressed are my own.  Click here to read what other bloggers are saying about Pray A to Z.

#BookReview: Hunting Hope | $200 Getaway #Giveaway

12 May

Hunting Hope

Hunting Hope by Nika Maples

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1WbwJ4P

Hope hunters know how to excavate hope from hardship. There is dirt underneath their fingernails and sweat on their shirts. They rake through the rubble of an unwanted situation, digging into difficult circumstances because they have come to expect that adversity will produce good. They believe that light always triumphs over darkness. They have learned to walk through winter with their eyes on spring.

Nika Maples became a hope hunter after suffering a massive brainstem stroke that left her quadriplegic in her twenties. Doctors warned that she had as little as 48 hours to live, and—if she lived at all—she would never walk or talk again. There was no hope on the horizon. So Nika started to hunt for it. Today, she not only walks, but she speaks to audiences everywhere about the power of hunting hope when a situation appears hopeless. She says hope remains camouflaged in the daily mundane. If we are not looking for it, we will miss it, though it is right before our eyes.

Whether you or someone you know is going through a situation that feels hopeless, you will find encouragement in Hunting Hope. Whether you are experiencing a medical trauma, a financial hardship, or a relational crisis, you will find empowerment in Hunting Hope. As you read, you will cling to 20 truths about God’s character and practice 5 daily disciplines that will develop your own character in crisis.

 

My thoughts:

“Hope is not an accident. Sometimes it has to be hunted, and hunting it takes courage.”

Hunting Hope is a tremendous source of encouragement! Using scriptural references and her own experiences, Nika Maples instructs and inspires readers to “dig through the darkness to find the light”. Filled with wisdom and insight, this heartfelt book offers emotional and spiritual comfort and guides readers on their journey to becoming a hope hunter. I loved the inspiring message found in Hunting Hope!

“Navigating our dark seasons is never easy. By showing us how to hunt for hope, Nika Maples encourages us to grow into the people Gold has designed us to be even while we are experiencing difficulty; to allow God to use all the seasons to bring about good.”

 

At twenty, Nika Maples learned that when hope was all she had, she claimed it boldly while defying all odds to recover from a devastating stroke. The lessons from that struggle are powerful and universal, and she shares those lessons in her new book, Hunting Hope. Doctors warned that she had as little as 48 hours to live, and—if she lived at all—she would never walk or talk again. There was no hope on the horizon. So Nika started to hunt for it. Today, she not only walks, but she speaks to audiences everywhere about the power of hunting hope when a situation appears hopeless. She says hope remains camouflaged in the daily mundane. If we are not looking for it, we will miss it, though it is right before our eyes.

Celebrate the release of Hunting Hope with a $200 Getaway Giveaway (details below) and a live webcast with Nika on May 26!

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One grand prize winner will receive:

  • One copy of Hunting Hope
  • A $200 Hilton gift card to give a hope hunter the chance to rest

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/24. The winner will be announced at the Hunting Hope live author webcast on 5/26. RSVP for a chance to connect with Nika and other hope hunters, as well as for a chance to win other prizes!

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RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 26th!

 

Nika Maples
Nika Maples is the author of Twelve Clean Pages, the memoir of her survival of lupus and a stroke that left her quadriplegic at age 20. After learning to walk and talk again, she became a public school teacher, winning 2007 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. She holds an MA in English Education from Columbia University and currently is pursuing an MDIV from The King’s University. When she is not traveling to speak, she lives, writes, and laughs as much as possible in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

Hunting Hope
 I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.  Click here to read what other bloggers are saying about Hunting Hope