A Path To Restoration By Lois Brittell PhD - 4 Stars

This study guide was a beautifully written piece and had me in prayer each time I picked it up to read it. I couldn't help but to desire more intimate time with Him after each chapter. I wanted to both thank Him and lay in His peaceful arms. A Path To Restoration is about understanding what God has done for us, what He asks of us and what restoration in Him looks like.

This study guide challenged me to think more about my relationship with God and how I view Him. It helped me to understand how loving and welcoming our God is. This book definitely pushed me to more intimacy with Him and created a certain level of thanksgiving to my Lord and Savior. It opened my eyes to who He is and who we are in Him. Challenging and peaceful read.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Turning The Tables By Teresa Giudice - 3 Stars

I am a HUGE fan of Housewives Of New Jersey and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Teresa Giudice, so you can imagine my excitement when I was sent her book to review. I couldn't wait to read about her journey of heart change and life experience as she made that dreaded transition. Where I did enjoy reading a little bit more about her perspective of going to prison and reading about her love for her family, I have to say I was a little disappointed in this book. Don't get me wrong, it was still interesting to read about her inner thoughts of going to prison and I shed a few tears at times when she wrote about being away from Joe and her children. I mean, I cannot imagine being taken away from my husband and children (fur babies, I only have fur babies). However, I would have liked more insight to her inner life change as opposed to hearing every detail about the prison life. I wanted to hear more about HOW prison CHANGED her from the inside out as opposed to what she ate, what she watched on TV etc. It got boring half way in. I for sure know more about prison life now but not much more on who Teresa is after her prison sentence.

I still love Teresa Giudici but just barely like the book.

High Five For Friday - It's All About Family

High Five For Friday Number One:

Pictures of these three back home in Texas.

I miss those faces so much! It was heart warming to see them all in one picture!

High Five For Friday Number Two:

Jobs galore.... the good thing about living in a big city are all the job options. I'm getting ready to get back to work. I LOVE being home and being able to maintain my home (er, kinda maintain my home). Well, define maintain.......

I love being home but I'm ready to get back to life outside of our apartment! 

High Five For Friday Number Three:

Long conversations with my sissy...... Love!

High Five For Friday Number Four:

Exciting things in the Addis family happening! Woot!

High Five For Friday Number Five:

Tomorrow my parents celebrate their first year of marriage!!!!!! WEEEEEE!

Saturday Six - Bed Rest, Anniversaries, Businesses and Love

Saturday Six Number One:

Bed rest! BLAH! I keep telling myself it will all be worth it (more on that later). I'm thankful for a husband who serves and cares for me. I couldn't get through this without a heated blanket, fuzzy socks and every snack that my little heart desires!

Saturday Six Number Two:

While I'm on bed rest, I've been watching one of my old favorites! (Don't judge.....)

Saturday Six Number Three:

Darin and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary this past Monday. I'm so thankful for this beautiful marriage. My whole life I have heard how hard marriage is but with Darin, it's so easy. It's so easy to love him completely and so easy to let him love me. Thank you Jesus for answering my every prayer for my husband. I'm thankful!

Saturday Six Number Four:

I've been working so hard on my coaching business. I've been learning more from other coaches and getting ready to launch my first program! Lots of prayers please!!!! I'm excited for this adventure!

Saturday Six Number Five:

Speaking of businesses..... I also picked up photography again. I'm not sure how serious I will be with it but we live in such a beautiful area again so why NOT pick it up again and maybe make a few extra dollars doing something that I love!? I'm excited about it!

Saturday Six Number Six:

Another Anniversary we celebrated this week was the day I met my sweet Daisy! March 3, 2011 she became mine and I have enjoyed every single second of her in my life!!!

Big Faith In Any Job

Living in big faith means living a walk and lifestyle so close to God's heart that even the strongest of unbelievers can't resist noticing it. Often times, people think that if they don't work for the church or in ministry that they aren't walking as close to Him as say a, ministry leader or pastor. The truth is, we all are human and have a choice to walk a christian walk and live a christian lifestyle. It doesn't matter if you work in ministry or work as a secretary or doctor or dog walker.

Take it from somebody who worked in ministry at a pretty large church. My days weren't filled with oohs and ahhs and holding hands with my co-workers as we prayed all day. My days were working, getting impatient with processes, following rules and regulations, some days not feeling well and any other crazy thing you can think of. My point is, even church staff have our "moments" in the work place and we too have to choose to live for Him and act according to how He would have us. Being a church worker does not exempt people from being human.

Has it ever occurred to you that the heroes of the bible were working normal jobs outside of the church and dealing with the same normal life chaos that you deal with? Don't believe me? Well it's true! Moses did most of his work in the Pharaoh's conference rooms and deserts. Boaz did his on a farm. Esther did hers in a king's palace. Noah did his on an ark. Nehemiah did his on a construction project. For the most part they were not clergy working in the local church. No, they were working regular jobs and living "normal" lives. And there are many others in the bible who were living normal lives but fulfilling His purpose and plan for them.

When we work in secular jobs, we have an opportunity to show God's love to others. We have an opportunity to be the light in a dark world. We have an opportunity to share the Gospel either verbally or visually. You get to have a chance to practice a big faith that's big enough for the real world. Your faith doesn't have to be restricted just to an environment of church. Today, let your faith be big enough to be an act of God walking on the streets in the real world!

Cleansing This Lent Season

Ah, the season of Lent. I love it. It feels like a peaceful time of renewing and cleansing our spirit. It's a time of reflecting on who God is and what Jesus did for us on the cross. Lent year has been especially special for me this year. My birthday was yesterday, the first day of Lent. I have been preparing for this season and really diving into scripture and prayer. My heart has been healing for some time now. It's been over a year since our miscarriage and it's been a year of amazing growth in Him and with Him. Gah, I love Him so much. I wish you could look into my heart and get a view of my love for Him. He's done so much in my pain. He's loved me in ways I couldn't even try and describe to you.

With all this love He gives me, I have still struggled with acceptance. I have struggled with a complete need of being accepted from friends, past co-workers, family and acceptance with even myself. Recently I have been able to spend so much time with Him and I have realized this downfall I have. Believe it or not, I had no idea I struggled with such nonsense as needing to FEEL accepted. I emphasize the word "feel" because no matter how we "feel", we ARE accepted!! God accepts us and we have to replace truth with lies when it comes to our feelings. 

This Lent season, I am letting go of the need to be accepted and just living my life for Him and His love! The past few days I have made peace with the fact that not everybody will love me, like me, accept me, forgive me or even tolerate me. It's just a fact. We will never ever please everybody so it's time to appreciate and fully focus on HIS acceptance of me. Wow, y'all!! HE loves ME. HE likes ME. HE accepts ME. HE forgives ME. And HE even tolerates ME. I am the apple of His eye and if His eye is the only one I will ever be the apple of, I'm SO BLESSED! 

Cleansing in this area is tough. It's one I've been praying about for days and even weeks now. There are lots of changes that comes with this type of cleansing. Lots of relationships that must shift because of the amount of idolatry I placed their acceptance at. Yes, you read that right. Idolatry. I realized that I idolized certain people's acceptance; just waiting on it, praying on it, hoping for it and then sadly being pained when the rejection came. God does not want me to live that way. He needs me to be me and to walk in the fullness of His love no matter who in this world rejects me. He suffered from rejection and died on the cross so that I wouldn't be rejected. Other's hate will never ever matter or make a difference in His purpose and calling on my life. The truth is y'all, we are made by Him, for Him and in His image. 

So cleansing is taking place in my life this season. I'm not quite sure what that looks like yet but I know He will tell me when it's time. He will guide me and I will be obedient. Thank You Jesus for all you have done for us. My heart is completely full and at peace because of You. 

Let Them Stand Alone In The Conflict

"You don't have to resolve conflict with every person. Some people don't want to be at peace with you. Don't waste your time fighting battles that don't matter. Only God's approval matters." Unknown

Conflict. Disapproval. Bitterness. Unforgiveness. Resentment. These words can describe some of the ugliest emotions and chains we put ourselves in. We allow something somebody said or did to us to completely rule who we are and what we stand for. We can't truly completely love like God if we are holding on to any of these awful things. We can't love even ourselves if we aren't loving others.....EVEN if others refuse to forgive you, refuse to move forward with you in love, refuse to accept their own mistakes and painful actions and even if they want to continue point the finger at your faults and your wrongs.

If you have been in conflict with somebody, you have to come to a point where you leave that person alone in that conflict. You make the decision to step out of it and move forward with your own life. It's OK if somebody doesn't want to resolve and have restoration with you. It doesn't mean you are bad or that you are unloved. It means that person is happy in the conflict and it's time to separate yourself because that relationship will be forever unhealthy and ungodly. Their opinion of you will NEVER ever take away God's love for you. It's a battle that isn't yours to fight and needs to be handed over to Him. He will fill that void of lost love and He will always approve of you and love you!

Don't walk away angry, or in hate or bitterness. Forgive and love from a distance. Sometimes that space is what God needs to work in both hearts! He is a God of love and restoration and sometimes we have to give Him the space and time to work!

I'm doing this today. I'm walking away from the hurt I have shackled myself to. I am no longer living in my own guilt or past mistakes. I have hurt people. I am not perfect, neither are you. I too have been hurt but I forgive you. I also forgive myself. Your conflict with me is no longer my concern and you are standing in that conflict alone. I am finally freeing myself from guilt, pain, other people's disapproval and walking into His loving arms and acceptance! Other's words and opinions of me can no longer hurt me because I.AM.HIS.

"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil." Ephesians 4:26-27

66 Ways God Loves You By Jennifer Rothschild - 5 Stars

-

This book.....OH, this book! I was moved, inspired and fascinated. This book reminded me that His love and grace is written all over the Bible! I couldn't quit talking about this book with my Women's Bible Study! I encouraged each of them to purchase it! Thank you Jennifer, you once again moved me and inspired my heart! This world needs to be reminded more of His love and this book does just that!

So many parts of this book completely wrecked me! I needed the reminders and I didn't even know how much! On page 52 Jennifer describes the Book of Ezra and it moved me in ways I can't even describe. After I miscarried, we decided to honor our baby by naming him. We named him, Ezra. Her opening to Ezra was, "In Ezra God's Persistent Love Restores Me". She then writes about Ezra and the Israelites and the slow process of restoration after the temple and the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed. Even through the slow process, we have to remember that God loves us and is rebuilding and restoring. After our miscarriage, I felt lost and broken. Since then, we have struggled with infertility and was reminded in this book of God's love during the restoration and rebuilding process. It's so easy to forget when you're in the middle of it but thankfully, He never forgets us!

This book is such a good way to understand what each book of the Bible is about and how God's love is exhibited in each of them. It can also be given to somebody who has a hard time understanding the Bible. I'm certainly not saying it should be read instead of but definitely in addition to the Bible. It's a good reminder of the love presented in each book! This is a must read and a book to keep on your nightstand for frequent revisits. Five stars all the way!  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher to review. 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.

The Addis Family Move

January was a crazy month for the Addis clan!! Darin accepted a job offer in Portland, OR!!! Thus our journey to packing and moving began!

On January 11th, Darin hopped on a plane to Portland, OR to interview, solidify things and find us a home and I hopped in my car and drove to Bentonville, AR! I visited with some friends and went through my storage unit. It was nice to see my friends again! I have missed them dearly!

Then I made a stop in Oklahoma to visit my sissy!!! We had lunch and some awesome sister time!!!

The days following were chaotic, busy, exciting, nerve wracking, joyful and HOPEFUL!!! Last year Darin and I started our year with loss. This year we started it out with hope and excitement to a new beginning! I'm thankful for the family and friends that surrounded us in our last days in Texas!! We love you guys and miss you all like crazy!!!!

We left Lubbock on January 22nd and arrived in Vancouver, WA January 25th. The move took us four days and three nights. It was the hardest thing I have ever done! It was an adventure, it was awesome to see so many different places, it was scary to drive through so many different weathers but it was freeing! I didn't know I had it in me to do such a move!!! I'm thankful for God's Hand on us....He protected us and kept us in peace! I got to see so many places for the first time and added five states to my bucket list of seeing all 50 states in the USA! We also spent an evening in Vegas with my brother and sister-in-law! It was SO much fun!

When we drove into Portland, I knew the decision we had made was the right one. God confirmed this with the beauty He has created.

We have enjoyed ourselves these past couple of weeks! I miss my family and friends dearly but I'm thankful for technology and I get to FaceTime, Skype and video conference with them!!!

God's Beloved Daughter By Merrilynn Grodecki - 2 Stars

This daily devotional had many moments of encouragement to be a Godly woman who is peaceful, tranquil and feminine. She spoke about forgiveness, healing, and having a gentle spirit. There were a few moments in this book that completely moved and wrecked me and made me really think about my own life!

Even though this book had moments of great points and fine writing, I can't give this book a positive rating. There were too many things written that did not align with scripture and making sure writers are giving the reader solid Biblical information is important to me. One particular day in this devotional stood out to me, April 29th Merrilynn writes that being in poverty is a disgrace to the Lord. I don't agree with this statement. James 2:5 and Proverbs 22:16 tells us that the Lord will protect the poor from those who try and prosper from them. Proverbs 19:17 teaches us that when we help the poor, we are helping the Lord Himself. If God found poverty disgraceful, He wouldn't speak of poverty so lovingly and eloquently in scripture. There were other times in this book that things did not align with scripture but this one for some reason really stayed with me.

Merrilyn's writing is very inspiring. I just feel it needs to align more with scripture than what it does.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers 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.