As Silver Refined - Book Review

Kay Arthur never fails to push her readers through
scripture. She is extremely in-depth when she describes her interpretations of
what the Bible is speaking to her. If you’re looking for a book that glosses
over how to get through your problems in life with a cheery, ‘everything is
going to be ok’ attitude, this is not your book! This book does not sugar coat
anything, on the contrary, this book speaks truth to what God promises and how
to accept things as God’s will. This
book is a guide that helps to recognize our part in something and how to use
God’s promises to bring us to a place of acceptance and to move forward when
things appear out of control or overwhelming.
I love Kay’s boldness, her honesty, candid approach to
delivering truth and love of other people. This book is filled with
encouragement in many forms that we are not alone; it’s a choice to be in the
frame of mind we are in. We know God has made many promises to keep us safe and
close to Him. Kay brings those promises to life and gives us hope through her
own experiences, stories of others and how the Lord has worked in their lives.
I used the digital copy of this book but will be purchasing hard copies for my
friends and family this Christmas season! Enjoy the book, I will be reading it
again.
I
received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this
review.

Eye Opening

This book was a little slow to start for me. I did enjoy the
content, but there was a lot of fluff as well. The tactic the author took was
unusual for me in that while he was gentle about getting to the point, once the
point was driven, I was able to recognize myself in so many of his hypothetical’s
and understand where I was at fault for many of the things I have blamed others
for.
The book is deep in a way that forces you to face your own
truths but I am a ‘shoot it strait’ type of person and would have rather a big
fat finger pointing right at me to let me know it was ME he was referring to! I
realize this tactic isn’t for everybody but I would most definitely recommend
this book for someone who needs a serious reality check of where their heart
truly lies.
This book was generously provided by Waterbrook Press in
exchange for a review. I was under no obligation to post a positive review of
this book. The opinions in this review are mine only.

Typically I will speed read many books because I'm looking for the highlights the piece has to offer. With this book, there were too many highlights to skim over and I enjoyed reading each page in depth. John Piper deliberately uses terminology that is designed to grab the reader's atttention. I loved his unique perspective on what it means to truly desire God.
Authors tend to take one concept from scripture and expand on it throughout an entire book or project while Piper certainly embraced scripture, his explanations were so profound that I felt each chapter was its own book. Never heave I felt such insight to something by way of a slightly different angle than I did in this book. I found myself many times just putting the book down to reflect on what I had just read and was compelled to open my Bible to dig deeper on certain topics.
I have talked enough about the things I've discovered while engrossing myself in Desire God that I've been asked to lend the book out to several people already. I think this will make great Christmas presents for a few people who have become stagnant in their Bible Studies and I will be buying extra copies to hand out.
Not only is the book thorough but it comes complete with a study guide in the back as well as a ascripture reference index. You'll need a highlighter for sure with ths one if you're like me and wrote in your books. This book is certainly something to savor and enjoy!
*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for my honest opinion. I was ont required to write a postiive review. The opinions I've expressed are my own.*

90 Days of God's Goodness Devotional Review

I'm a lover of devotionals and expected to love this one as much as I have many others in the past. However, while the material is sound and biblically based, essential for anybody reading life application material, I'm not a huge fan of the style. I prefer devotionals that are based on facts straight from the Bible and this book does that for the most part but when using a story as an example, the author tends to give an imaginary response that the characters might have thought or done while receiving God's word in real time.
Some people absolutely love this type of devotional/reading as a few authors practice the approach but I'm not fond of them either. This book is exactly why we have various authors' styles to appeal to various readers and what they like. I have a friend who absolutely fell in love with it and I gave the book to her since I know she will trasure it dearly.
If you prefer the lighter side of scriptural examples, this book is definitely for you. I prefer to be beat over the head with cold hard facts so if it did not specifically happen in the Word, I tend to discard it for fear of coming up with too many conclusions of what may or might have happened. I received this book for free by Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

Out of a Far Country

Wow! So many of us have struggled with our faith in various ways and this book will be able to reach almost anybody at some point. From a non-believer to total transformation of an entire family, have plenty of tissues on hand for this read.
"Out of a Far Country..." demonstrates the struggles and feelings of helplessness of watching someone you love self-destruct right before your eyes and the rewards of fully surrendering your life to God come to life. This book is for anybody who doubts or has doubted that God still performs miracles today and is a refreshing reminder that He delivers what He promises in His own glorious and mysterious ways. "Out of a Far Country..." is about never giving up hope, perserverance and patience. The story of the Yuan Family is proof that God does not need us, but seeks us for His Kingdom because of His unconditional love He has for us.
I had a hard time putting this book down because it's so easy to read and was finished in a couple of days. May you be just as blessed reading it as I have been.

Book Review

Many marriages in crisis have sought help through secular counseling with little to no real help in the 'real world' of our marriages. John and Stasi Eldredge have truly done their homework on "Love & War Devotional for Couples" because there are so many truths to what real marriages in crisis face and not just textbook answers to cookie cutter challenges. John and Stasi Eldredge have proven a genuine concern for God's love of marriage through "Love & War Devotional for Couples" and its poignantly proufound content. "Love & War Devotional for Couples" is both candid and gently honest when adddressing on the edge marital issues without unnecessarily adding fluff ot fill a page. Short and to the point daily devotions with weekly, doable exercises designed to soften hearts for the sometimes offending and/or clueless spouse is the brilliance behind this extraordinary devotional. In exchange, the reader, if not including their spouse, is challenged to face some of his or her own shortcomings in order to better understand the sometimes mysteriousness of God's plan to bring together opposites and how two exact pieces to a puzzle are pointless in the unity of a holy matrimony. Scripture is all over "Love & War Devotional for Couples" reminding us daily how much God is with us in every aspect of our marriages, the good with the bad as well as suggestive verses to focus on in the midst of our trials. As God reminds us to take a day of rest, this book is in tune with that concept by making sure readers have two days off to focus, reflect, work on and process the week's readings. Eight weeks of devotionas at nearly five minutes a day and only five days a week, even the busiest person has time to work on a new appreciation for saving their marriage. I received this book for free by Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

Embarrassed in Love

Today was a rough day but with God's help, I've lived for Him today! Praise You precious Lord, my Savior, King and Brother, You are My ALMIGHTY! I'm so glad to have such a gift in Jesus. My day started out beautifully and looking back I now know it was God preparing me for what was to come. While I initially had some not-so-trusting thoughts, I managed to retrain my focus back to being obedient.
Here's something I'm a bit embarrassed about that not many people know; Rick has been driving with a warrant because of some unpaid bills. We got our tax return and Rick immediately wanted to pay that off. I agree, that needs to be addressed. However, my not so obedient thoughts were negative in such that I was thinking as soon as we paid that bill, Rick would mentally and unconsciously make an assumption that his proverbial leash would be loosened a bit. I caught myself and prayed that my negativity would be released and trust in God that He works all things for good.
As the day progressed, I managed to get a few chores done with a calmed attitude and peace of mind that wasn't here nor there and the doorbell rang. It was my book! A devotional I ordered from blogging for books targeting marriages in distress. I was excited, stopped what I was doing and read the first day's devotion. Hmmm... how beautifully honest it was, stating marriages are hard work and yes, sometimes, embarrassing. What a relief; it's not just me who gets embarrassed by the circumstances in my marriage. I felt so normal (whatever normal is anyway) for once.
So again, the day went on, I'm on a high, somewhat validated and nothing can ruin this for me, right? Ugh... don't ever get cocky on God's watch and remember, God's ALWAYS watching! Rick leaves, was suppose to take some checks to the ministry center then make a store run for me. He wasn't gone longer than he should have been (if he's gone too long, I begin to worry). I came out of the room when he arrived and he mentioned that he did not make it to the store. "What happened?!" was my response. It was more than a gut feeling that something happened, my instantaneous thought process realized that if he hadn't gone to the store, then he was gone longer than he should have been; something happened.
He had a fender bender with a dear friend of mine who runs the prayer team. My heart sank, my feelings were hurt; I was embarrassed. My old habits of negativity came flooding back and immediately God placed the memory of the devotional in my head; thank You God. He had prepared me for the day when the day began. What more can we ask for?
Once I gathered myself, I prayed then asked for prayer for acceptance of my circumstances and surrendering my will for God's. Then as I asked a friend for that very prayer for me, I had to make that store run myself (the cat still needed food!) and I saw this scripture, "Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy." Psalm 34:5 (not sure of the version). When I looked the entire passage up on biblegateway.com in the NIV, I liked the surrounding messages as a whole:

"I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor woman called, and the Lord heard her;
He saved her out of all her troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
and He delivers them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the woman who takes refuge in Him." (NIV)

Praise You God! Good night and Amen.

Lazily Catching Up

I really get lazy with these online blogs. I have about four other hand written journals that I keep starting and jotting things down in but to keep one consistent journal, I've failed to be diligent. Even with the other scribed notebooks, I'm lazy and disorganized so for that, I apologize to those, in the future, who may be seeking answers of some sort through my randomness.

So, for today, there is one incident in particular that I'd like to document: about a week ago, my sister in law, Kelly, came to me with a plea of forgiveness through a facebook message. I read it and what she was seeking forgiveness for was that she had contacted Rick's ex-wife, Melissa and sought to be her 'friend' on the website. I'm not sure what her motives were but I had a hunch she was just trying to be a good person. Regardless, Melissa's response was predictable; she was cold, condescending and just a condemning, accusatory bound to be damned being. She is such a lost spirit that it's really quite sad to see her struggle with being so mean to people. I think it takes way too much energy to be as ugly a person as she is when there is so much love out there for us to enjoy through Christ's blessings, who has time to focus on such behavior.

Anyhow, in the end, the lesson was truly mine anyway. Initially, when Kelly showed me the correspondences between the two, I was hurt and felt betrayed by Kelly for initiating it in the first place but somewhat relieved that Melissa had responded the way she did. By the middle of my reading, I knew this was going to require much prayer on my part on how to respond and that I had better start 'now'. So I did.

By the end of the last line I was reading, Kelly had opened a live chat box with me to let me know she had just sent me a private message (similar to an email for those of you who aren't familiar with the system). I felt trapped! She saw that my status was 'online', so I couldn't ignore her, yet I had to say something! Pray, Carol, PRAY! I did, but all I could come up with was, 'I saw, thank you for being so honest.' In hindsight, it was God's response and answer to my prayer because what I truly wanted to say was, 'how dare you betray me, I thought I meant more to you than that, you deserved the way she treated you!' But God restrained me, thank you Lord!

Moving forward, without going through each line of our conversation, I must explain that before each word was typed to Kelly, prayer was used on how to respond.... EACH AND EVERY WORD was the answer to prayer! No joke, or exaggeration, I prayed before EACH word, I feel this is extremely important in this lesson because by the middle of our conversation, I felt myself taken totally by surprise that I had been comforting Kelly in a way I never would have if MY words were in that chat box. But they weren't, they were God's gift to me to be able to not only lift Kelly to the Lord, but to keep me from sinning in my anger. God was SO with me in that hour.

What a sneaky little worm He can be when He works through us huh? I even closed my eyes at one point, fully willing to type the words He had given me, but wanted Him to know just how angry I was with Him that He had made ME the one to console the very person who I felt had betrayed me! I believe my very words were, 'How dare you!' Making me the one to make her feel better when I was the one hurting and who was offended by what she did.

By the time we ended our conversation, she was thanking me up and down, telling me how blessed she was to have me in her life! Crazy huh? But as good as it felt to be told that I was a blessing, I made sure to remind her that it's God's grace that gives us forgiveness and nothing else. It was not I who wanted to forgive, but God's reminder of obedience and His guidance that led us to this point in our lives that we should have this conversation.

So, remember! Regardless of your situation, God hears you, He knows your pain, He is there for you and will NOT forsake you, but will assist you the entire way if you just listen to Him. I don't mean listen like remember what you've learned in Sunday school, but pray to Him every step of the way, He's speaking to you, just rest in Him and hear what He's telling you! Let God.

"Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

Praise You God!

Until next time, Carol

So I had this thought...

You know, when you're in the midst of an argument, the last thing you feel like doing is being 'godly', right? I mean, it's what we're suppose to do, but ideally, if we were able to do that, we wouldn't be in the deep weeds we're currently in; let's be realistic here. I want to be able to communicate amicably with my husband, I want to have every minute of our day blistful, but it's not always like that. None of us would be here if it were, so I don't feel so bad knowing I'm not alone in my sin.
However, usually, after we've said all kinds of mean things to each other, we KNOW in our hearts that we were part of the problem, sometimes more so than the solution (if we're completely honest with ourselves anyway and God knows what's in our hearts even when we don't want to admit it). So I had this thought... What if after we've regained some of our senses and have wrestled with the guilt, we searched a concordance and found all the words we thought we were displaying during that time? For instance, I may have been selfish, stubborn, arrogant, or whatever, and we searched the gospel for relating passages and prayed about them in our confession to God? I'm going to try it next time. I hope someone out there tries it with me and shares how it made them feel (once somebody realizes I'm here ;-) ).
How's this for honesty? He was sleeping when I snuck my laptop in here and started clacking away at midnight 30 and when he rolled over to see what I was doing, I was rude... what kind of example am I to the none of you? lol.. oh geez.. I've got so much to learn! I will log off and apologize to him, how's that?
Have a good night, I just wanted to jot this down before the thought turned into dust with so many of the other things going on in my head when I don't document them.
May God give you dreams of beautifulness my blessed friends.

I'm Back!

You know, things happen so fast in my life that I have sincere intentions to post again and before I know it, I've got a week, a couple of weeks and then a month's worth of posts in my head that I think I can remember once I get here but that never happens. The truth is, once I have something I'd like to share, I should just share it! Otherwise, it never gets done. Isn't that the way it is with all of us?
Oh well, here I am and it took me all of 10 minutes to figure out how to post something new. What kind of techie nerd am I? I'm not really, but it makes me sound smart, so I'll adopt it for another 30 seconds and then snap myself back into reality... 4, 3, 2, 1... OK! I'm back.
Why am I here again? Old age is catching up with me, but aside from all the other things taking place, one thing has been repeatedly popping back in the forefront of my life and that's the possibility of a marriage ministry. I hesitate because I know I'm the LAST person who should be preaching about how to keep a man happy, since I'm on my second marriage that has brushed the realities of the edge of divorce on more than one occasion.
Who wants to listen to somebody whose marriage is perfect and who wants to listen to somebody whose marriage is crumbling? The fact is, after several years of attempting counseling with my husband, I've come to the realization that we suck when it comes to trying to fix each other! Every time we go to counseling, one of us (my new nickname 'one of us') ends up doing all the work and the other one (his new nickname 'the other one') seems like he's getting a free ride to being excused for being such a poopie head because he feels that just because he shows up, it's proof that he's 'working on it'. What a bunch of poppy cock! Anyway.... (mega eyeroll here) ...
So what now? Here's where I begin to weird people out, but please stick with me for just a few minutes to explain my story. I've learned through the years that life hurts, surviving is mandatory and failing is not an option. When you begin to lose control in the midst of your hurt, you begin to feel like a failure and you just want to hide from the world so your survival instincts turn on and you become angry, bitter, sad, depressed, mean, hurtful toward others, judgmental and looking in the mirror makes you cry because not even you like you anymore.
I believe God has a way of allowing the enemy (satan) to hurt us beyond our ability to recover so that we are forced to turn to Him (God) for help out of desperation. We have hit a low so low that there is no other place to go except Up! Some people get angry with God, they blame Him, they hate Him and they allow their emotions to turn their belief in Him to disbelief.
I've always believed there was a God, but didn't know what that meant for so many years. I had more questions than answers and I even rationalized so many of the ugly things I had done for so long just so I wouldn't be accountable for facing my own sins. Until I found the Lord, all my problems were because of what other people in my life had done and not because of me at all. Talk about presumptuous and self-reliant huh? I searched for ways to fill my voids and none of them were productive, healthy or even safe.
How I came to the Lord is really such a long story that I will save you the gory details for now, but the point of all that is, I feel your pain! I really do. I know that people hurt us and we want things to be fair. We want the other person to hurt as much as they've hurt us and we want to be recognized for the efforts we put into something even if we're not comfortable with accepting compliments, we still want Somebody, Somewhere to just see us for once in our lives. Living the life of an invisible entity that helps God keep the world turning in the right direction is all we want credit for once in awhile, right? I mean, if it weren't for people like us, God's job would be much harder, geez, when will people see that anyway?
Yes, I hear you dear sisters, believe me.... I hear you! But back to reality once again. God is our creator; he does not NEED us to do His job. He delights in our commitment to be committed to Him by loving Him, our Savior and our fellow brethren; that's it! It's not your job to take on the world, not even take on your husband's world and what he forgets to do and our children will be better, more well-rounded people if we allow them to fail once in awhile. We are the people we are because we have experienced hurt in our lives. If we allow our children to be sheltered from reality forever, they will never learn how to overcome obstacles. We have to realize that by 'saving' the world, we're hurting those who would benefit most from experiencing the world.
What does all this have to do with a marriage ministry then, right? I told you I'm full of stuff I've been wanting to say ;-). Knowing all of this about me, I hope you realize that I wouldn't take you on a journey that I haven't traveled myself. I won't try to pretend that my marriage is all fixed, that I know more than you, or that I have all the answers. What I can promise you is that I know what it's like to hurt, to cry yourself to sleep, to wonder why you married this person, to doubt God, to ask God why he's putting me through this, to scream at God, to fall asleep in the middle of a deep, heartfelt prayer asking for something better, to wake up refreshed knowing I slept in God's arms all night and that He comforted me to sleep on more than one night. God knows your heart, sister. He loves you more than any man could ever love you, He wants you to spend eternity with Him and most of all, He has not made a mistake in pairing you with the person you vowed to spend your life with. God never promised things would be easy, but He did promise to never leave you, to never betray you, to never expect you to fix things without His guidance or help and He most certainly has a way of showing Himself in the most peculiar of situations and circumstances when you least expect Him to.
What can I do for you? I'm not sure yet to be completely honest. I don't know that there's anything I can do for you that God isn't already planning to have you do yourself. What I hope to be able to do for us, as sisters in Christ and in crisis, is to form a safe, support system amongst ourselves where we can be honest with each other, where we can laugh, cry and vent together and possibly begin to heal with each other.
Until we meet again,
CJ