Under the Overpass...INCREDIBLE BOOK!

This book was the story of two college guys who decided to completely step outside their comfortable lives and chose to live homeless on the streets of 5 major U.S. cities. Their story was incredible and inspiring. Homelessness is such a difficult issue to relate to or understand. It is so easy to ignore someone on the street and blame them for their situation without ever taking the time to hear their story or care about their circumstances. Reading this book made me seriously contemplate how I relate to those who are homeless and what I should be doing to reflect the love of Jesus to everyone I meet. Reading the stories of so many homeless people and the problems they face really made me realize that they are a population that is often so ignored and we often see them as being 'beneath' the rest of society. I loved this first-hand account of what it is like to be homeless and if you are looking for a book to really challenge you to live all that you say you believe (or even if you aren't looking), this book is an incredible read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions within the review are my own

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The Butterfly Effect was a short yet inspirational book. The goal of it is to point out that everything each of us does matters. We may never know the impact of a single action, but each does have an impact. Based on that idea, the author encourages each person that they have the power to make a difference—essentially to change the world. He uses great examples of events we are familiar with and traces them back to single actions of people most people have more than likely never heard of. This book is a short, gift-type book. It was definitely an easy read, but has a great inspirational message and an interesting format for the reader.

A Time to Embrace

A Time To Embrace by Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors, and this book only reinforced that opinion. It is the sequel to her book “A Time to Dance.” John Reynolds is a high school football coach. He and his wife Abby have recently repaired a marriage that is falling apart and are more in love than ever. However, just as things become great for the Reynolds family, John begins receiving letters questioning his coaching ability and threatening his job. Before long an even bigger tragedy strikes testing the faith of all involved. This is an incredible story of forgiveness, hope, and the incredible faithfulness of God.
I absolutely loved this book. You fall in love with all of the characters right from the beginning. They just seem so genuine and real and you want the best for them. This book made me cry on a series of occasions because Karen Kingsbury creates characters that are easy to relate to and feel for. I also loved that this book, though a fictional story, held so many deep spiritual truths that could be taken away. I completely recommend this and also suggest that you read the first book in the series as well.

Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book for review but all opinions within the review are my own.

You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be

You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be
By Max Lucado

This book was aimed at helping each person realize that God made them uniquely and has a special plan for them. Each section contained a topic that focused on either finding your strengths, understanding where those fit in the big picture, and actually acting on becoming all God wants you to be. This book was a quick read, made up of excerpts from Lucado’s “Cure for the Common Life.” Having not read “Cure for the Common Life” I was able to enjoy the concisely put insights of this book without feeling jipped. This book takes a look at living up to ones potential, particularly looking at what motivates and inspires people and how we can take the things we love and use them for Gods glory and our fulfillment. This book is particularly relevant because in contemporary America it is so easy to get caught up in materialism—that promotion or pay increase without regards to our gifts and talents—our place in God’s plan. So, though just skimming the surface, if you are ready to begin embracing the person God wants you to be and the tools he has given you to begin the journey, “You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be” is a great place to start.

Thomas Nelson publishers provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, however all opinions within the review are mine.

Love on a Dime

So I joined a great program called booksneeze. I am provided with a book in exchange for my review of it. I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. Below is my review of the first book I read, "Love on a Dime."

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James
Lilly is a young socialite growing up in New England taken with penning dime novels using a pen name, an activity that is very looked down upon by those in the wealthy society in which she loves. As this conflict is occurring, her former love appears in her life once again, only to find her courting a rich young man who doesn’t seem right for her. This story tells Lilly’s journey as she learns to trust God with her career, and her love life in her materialistic, appearance-consumed culture.

Though a bit predictable, this book caught my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through. The characters were easy to connect with and I felt for Lilly as she struggled with trusting God and letting go of her fears of what others think. The love story was a great part of the plot because it was sweet, yet conflict-filled, which added suspense to the novel. I would highly recommend this book for some light, enjoyable reading.

Thomas Nelson Publishing provided me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my review, however all opinions within the review are mine.

More like falling in love.

Give me rules
I will break them
Give me lines
I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It ought to be

More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love

Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations
I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be

More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love

...It's like I'm falling in love, love, love
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made
Me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me
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I've been listening to the above song constantly lately. It's "More Like Falling in Love" by Jason Gray, and it is incredible. It made me really thing about the fact that a relationship with Christ should be so much more like falling in love than any other thing. I should be head over heels for my Savior. I should be so deeply in love with him that I can't keep silent, that I have to tell people about the love that I have found. My faith should be focused on loving Christ with all that I have, all that I am, rather than following a set of rules and obligations. In fact I feel like obedience to Christ will just naturally come out of loving him that much and that is AWESOME. Obedience for the sake of itself is tough and often not all that fun, but obedience fueled by love seems to take on a new meaning. It seems to get easier, and even when that is not the case, it sure seems to be more worth it. So I want to take this summer and fall in love with Jesus...sure I've done it before, but I think its possible to fall in love with him again and again...and as it keeps happening, it lasts longer because I realize what it takes to be in a love relationship with the Creator of the universe. I realize how much more full and excited I am when I am constantly engaged in loving and listening to God. So here's to falling in love...again.

maybe we should be a little more appalled...

...or at least a little more broken.

I was thinking about how many people I know are searching for hope, searching for happiness. The thing is, so many of them are searching in the wrong places. Right now I am particularly speaking about friends who know the love of God but they haven't let that matter enough to let it impact their lives.

The problem is, I think they, and even the rest of the world encourages a complacency from me and anyone else who dares to care about "their decisions." People would rather not hear when they are doing something stupid and just deal with the consequences and chalk it up to "experience."

Well maybe we should be sick of that. Maybe we should care. Maybe as Christians we need to be better at calling each other out. Consciously doing stupid things hoping for acceptance isn't "experience," its a waste of the precious life we are given. I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines watching people screw up their lives. I'm not saying its not their decision what they do, but if asked or given the opportunity, I want the courage to speak up. Because I am appalled. I am broken. And I'm done spending so much time in silence.

Story

I just finished up an absolutely incredible book. Its called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, by Donald Miller. In it he talks about story. Yes, stories in general, but mostly about the story of life. About who we are playing in our story and whether we are really doing something meaningful. When we feel as if we have no purpose or joy, perhaps it is because we aren't living our story with a purpose or doing things that ignite a real, genuine joy.

It made me want to be more conscious of my story, to create those memorable moments that actually matter, those moments that have an impact. Maybe, setting the world on fire begins by entering into a story that's great, becoming a character you can be proud of, and then inviting others along on the journey, hoping they too might be inspired by living your story and making it theirs.

Last night I watched the old Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds, for the first time. I loved it until the ending. I like to know why, I like clear-cut explanations and I like for everything to resolve all nice and neat. But thats okay, I'll just have to deal with the fact that I otherwise enjoyed it. My boyfriend, Bennet, and I decided we are going to start watching good, old movies now, you know those classics that everyone always talks about. Maybe those will help me better understand this whole story thing as I strive to create meaningful moments in my own story.


----"Here's the truth about telling stories with you life. It's going to sound like a great idea, and you are going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you're not going to want to do it. It's like writing a books, and it's like that with life. People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain."-----Donald Miller (A Million Miles in a Thousand Years).

L.O.V.E.

Love is such an incredible thing. I think God allows us to experience incredible moments of human love to bless us but also to give us a frame of reference. Every time I have one of those moments where I'm just blown away by the love I find in my corner of the world here on earth I try to stop and just realize that the love Christ has for me is soooooo much deeper and higher and wider and longer and just overall huger than even the greatest love I find here and it floors me. This is probably particularly because I feel like I've been surrounded with the love of so many people lately, some of which seems almost indescribable...and the fact that that love doesn't even compare to the love of Christ...Wow! God is good.

A journey...

"Set The World On Fire"

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it's burning bright for You
It's everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father's hands

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Nothing I cannot do

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I wanna set the world on fire, yeah

Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I cannot do
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There's nothing I can't do
Nothing I can't do

I'm gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I have in fact decided that I want to set the world on fire...hence the name of my blog, in addition to the above lyrics. I don't know exactly how said goal is going to play out but I know one thing, I want to be used by God to make a difference. I'm working on surrender, on patience, on forgiveness and love, on so many things...I know that changing the world, or really even just impacting a single person is not something instant; it is a series of steps, events, encounters life lessons that come together to create something awesome. So here is where I plan to write about my journey. The everyday stuff, the things that challenge and change me, the lessons I learn, and the amazing things God is going to do.