the great eight by scott hamilton

the great eight by scott hamilton is the story of the life and trials of scott hamiltion.  with a passion for skating and the healing it brought, scott found his place.  with the trials that life brought, scott always clung to the foundations he learned during the early days of staking. the simple truths he learned that became his driving force, he shares with his readers with hopes that they will too find a strength to carry one, in whatever hand life has dealt them.

honestly, i seriously struggled to read this book.   it is not that it was a bad book, there were some great points in the book,  but being a cancer survivor myself i found the truths and hope he offered meant something, but at times it seemed cheesy and over simplified.  for some this book could be a great encouragement, it could touch hearts and help carry you through whatever you are facing.  although i did not completely the book for myself, i will be passing the book along to a friend facing a difficult time.

a lilly among thorns

over the past few weeks God has really been challenging me in the area of my weakness. scripture talks about Paul and the challenged he faced, the thorn in his side, the thing he wishes he could turn away from no longer deal with. for a long time I have felt that :singleness: was my thorn. With a desire for marriage and ministry being in a place in life where there is no one there has been hard.
but God is challenging my heart at the very core of this thought.
there is something we all have to understand. or more specifically, something I had to understand. God is doing something in my life. it’s that simple.
he is using me. he is working on my life to change of only my heart but the heart of others as well.
God doesn’t guve us all the answers, he simply ask us to walk forward in faith. we have a gps… his word..prayer….worship….all we have to do is tap into the beauty of his heart for us.

luckily I have people on my life that will call me out when I am being a punk…when I have lost site of the Holy God that we serve…..they challenged me to deal with stuff, to be free.
no matter what is coming my way I choose to worship my God. to walk forward in His name with full faith in what he is doing…..never forgetting the simple truth….he is always doing something!!!!!!!!

Ponderings on a rainy saturday

there have been lots of changes over the past 2 months. New job, new apartment and roomies, new friends…things have been going well. so why do I still feel the need to hide away? why am I still struggling with letting myself be seen? just something I’m thinking about in this rainy and humid Saturday where by social calender is full.

where my heart lies…

do you ever have those days when you just feel like everything is spiraling out of control? when it seems as if the world is against you?
lately i have been visiting this thought. not just visiting, i have unpacked my bags…hung pictures….been sleeping in the big lumpy bed….
but something has changed.
leading into the weekend things were really rough….lots of tears and drama (always drama).
several people gave me this verse
this past weekend i attended the LIFE retreat at my church

lately i  have been struggling with my place in this world. God has been speaking some crazy things…..some specific things. but instead of finding freedom in what God has spoken, I got bogged down by the whys and wherefores. i forgot the simpleness of the cross. i forgot the one who spoke the truth into my Spirit.

verse 1-3 deal with a fear in my life: never having children…..
this passage talks about a woman who has never given birth.  i feel like its been a desire of hers (like me….like sarah…) yet it has not happened.  but as the passage progresses we see God is challenging her to expand what she is thinking, where she is living, the place she welcomes guest..she is about to me bursting at the seems.

verse 4-6 hit another fear: being alone (single) forever

this part of the passage talks about God being my husband.  it has seemed like such a silly idea, but something has changed. something has been real, simple and intriguing about the idea of being married to God.  i don’t have to worry about anything…God is a gentlemen and will take care of everything….my finances, my heart, my mind…whatever….he desires to love and protect me. he desires to give me hope and life. he wants to LOVE ME!!!!!

what more can a girl ask for?????????

God is just starting to open my heart to him. to the truth of who he is. the simpleness of his heart.

it is just a new journey for me. a new thought of life.  a new avenue for me.

the noticer, andy andrews

if you have ever needed a neon sign moment to tell you what to do, or what you are doing wrong or how to fix it….this is the book.
Andy Andrews takes the hard lessons of life and makes them easy to understand. Mr. Jones…or Jones to you….uses everyday life to explain how to be a better person, how to love out of who you are, how to be a better boss…..whatever your heart needs to here, there is a simple truth hidden in this book. so how does Jones communicate these simple truths? at the heart of everything is your attitude toward a situation, your perspective.
there is a chapter on how we, as humans, broken and living with expectations, give and receive love, to others around us, really hit home with me. understanding the simpleness of love given and received from those around you will impact your life in a powerful. its a teaching i have heard before, but Andy presented this life lesson in a simple beautiful way.
i would recommend this book for a simple summer read. a simple light-hearted approach to understanding truth life principles. read and enjoy a book laden with neon signs.