book review: "crash the chatterbox" by steven furtick

The voice you listen to will determine the future you experience. Inside your head and heart is a chatterbox. Its lies are keeping you from realizing your God-given potential. But what can you do about them?

In Crash the Chatterbox, Pastor Steven Furtick focuses on four key areas that are most debilitating: insecurity, fear, condemnation, and discouragement. He asks, "What great deeds are in danger of remaining undone in your life because of lies that were planted in your past or fears that are looming in your future?"

With personal stories, inspiring examples, and practical strategies, Pastor Furtick will show you how to silence the lies and embrace the freeing affirmation of God.

I have Steven's other two books but this is the first I've read...and I'm moving Sun Stand Still and  Greater to the top of my reading list! This is one of those books I needed to hear right now. I highlighted all through it, knowing I'll probably flip through it when I need a reminder. Steven is very honest about his own struggles with the chatterbox and that makes the book all the better. I love the illustrations he used and the easy way in which he writes. This is a good book for anyone because we all have a chatterbox  and it's vital we defeat it! There are so many "oh wow" things that Steven says through the book but here's one: "When the internal dialogue of discouragement starts in your heart, remember - the Enemy's goal goes way beyond putting you in a bad mood temporarily. He's trying to talk you out of trusting God's plan for your life at a foundational level. And he's not just trying to derail you. He aims to limit the impact God wants to make through you and beyond you." I like that I didn't have to struggle to understand the book - I've read some books that were just wordy and I had to really focus to grasp the point. This is a book on a serious subject but written in a simple way. 

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for my honest review. 

clouds

Sometimes I get on my nerves. Like when God goes beyond my expectations in an answer to prayer and then five minutes later  I'm doubting how He'll take care of this other thing. Ugh. How ungrateful is that? And I mean God totally took care of me! I'm going on a missions trip this summer and was doing some fundraising. Long story short, not only did God provide all the money I needed, I have enough to buy all of the things I need for the trip plus I was able to help a few other people going. I felt like the whole "super abundantly" of Ephesians 3:20 was happening right in front of me and yet, I turn around and wonder where the answer to this prayer is. When clouds start to block the sun, that's when doubts creep in. But, "beyond the clouds, the sun is shining" - and that's a total Avalon reference, by the way. So I'm working on it. Working on thanking God for what He's done and what's on the way. And until the clouds move, I'm seeing what shapes they look like :)

faint not

This is my verse right now. And I wanted to share it with you. Whatever that thing you're believing for, don't give up!

book review: "meant to be mine" by becky wade

"Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school - irresistible. When their paths cross again after college - still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia's ready to be Ty's wife, but Ty's not ready to be her husband. He's a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he's long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he's known since childhood.

Five and a half years pass. Celia's buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty's achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn't forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia's trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?" 

I liked this book and being able to read about another Porter brother's story! I read Undeniably Yours a while back and was excited to read another of Becky's books. This was an easy, fun read. I liked Ty and Celia together - the way they bantered, the nicknames and how he showed up every day at Cream or Sugar whether Celia wanted him to or not. It took them over five years to realize their love for each other and to be able to let go of all the hurts they'd been holding onto. And Addie was adorable! I loved the way she never wore anything but her cowboy boots! She had this knowing that her parents would be together - it just took them a while to listen. I'm hoping there will be another book so I can see what happens with Jake Porter :)

You can read other reviews in the tour by clicking here. I received a copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group for my honest review.

 

book review: "living whole without a better half" by wendy widder

"For many, "single" is not just a filing status on a tax return but a public declaration that they are disappointed, discontented, and waiting around to start life. Whether single by choice or circumstance, they may find, like Wendy Widder did, that well-meaning advice and platitudes about God's care are less than helpful when they're just trying to figure out - like everyone else - how to live life well. 

Singles will find the unvarnished truth here. Instead of cherry-picking biblical "promises," Widder turns to Hebrews 11. She examines the lives of biblical heroes such as Abraham, Moses, and Jacob to show readers how to embrace singleness as a God-given gift that can provide abundant life. Wendy has learned, relearned, and then learned yet again that God's plan for us is better than any we have for ourselves and she makes her case with wit and a wry humor. Now with study questions and a new preface, Living Whole Without a Better Half makes a great Bible study or small group resource."

I really liked this book! Just being able to relate to someone who understands the desire to be married but still waiting for that guy to come along can't be overstated. And, one of my favorite things were the quotes at the beginning of the chapters - apparently we have similar taste in movies! I liked how she pulled out stories from the Bible, showing how some of the great men of faith trusted God despite their circumstances. And she also shared from her own life. I think we sometimes feel as though we need to be with someone but my life is good right now! Marriage is something I definitely want but not something I'm putting my life on hold for.

"I want to press on because I'm so in step with the Creator of the universe that walking a difficult road is an opportunity to sidle a little closer to Him, to hold His hand a little tighter." There are a lot of weddings going on around me right now and while I am super happy for all of these couples, I can't help but wonder when my walk down the aisle will come. Reading this book in this season of my life was definitely a God thing. I needed to be reminded of God's timing. 

"The unpopular truth is that God often does His greatest work while we wait." I think about what all I've been able to do while single - especially in this last year. I've been able to invest in an amazing group of middle school girls at my church, I went to Guatemala last summer and am going back this year, I made it through my first year of teaching and the long hours it required. All of these things would've been hard if I was balancing a relationship as well.  

I received a copy of this book from Kregel Publications for my honest review.

 

book review: "a bridge unbroken" by cathy bryant

"Letting go to build a bridge...Dakota Kelly wants her painful past to disappear. A plan to start afresh is derailed when she co-inherits her late grandfather's farm with Chance Johnson, the man responsible for the scars on her heart. But Chance isn't the only ghost from the past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will Chance and Dakota lay aside their grudges to restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil forces sabotage their attempt at forgiveness?"

I liked Dakota and Chance's story! Their relationship was a journey - both of them letting go of past hurts so they could move forward. It didn't take me long to get pulled into the story, wondering and hoping Dakota and Chance would end up together. It was very sweet how protective Chance was of Dakota - even when he didn't fully understand why. I laughed at the banter between him and Matt when he spent the night in his truck to keep an eye on Dakota. I also liked the other characters in the story. Chance's friends welcomed Dakota into their lives and at times it seemed they sided with her! This was a story full of love, action and forgiveness. I haven't read any of Cathy's other books but I may have to check them out! 

I received a copy of this book for my honest review.

 

crash the chatterbox!

I'm currently reading Steven Furtick's book, Crash the Chatterbox. And wow, it's such a good book! It's about drowning out the lies the devil will try to tell you and to focus on who God says you are instead. You can also listen to his related podcast on Elevation's website. Here are just a few things I've highlighted:

- "Winning the war of words inside your soul means learning to defy your inner critic."

- "When lies are not confronted, callings are not fulfilled."

- "The voice you believe will determine the future you experience."

- "When we link a biblical understanding of God's authority with our personal experience of His intimacy, it melts down the mainframe of the chatterbox."

- "And she [Mary] demonstrated how an understanding of God's favor makes God's children unstoppable in the face of situations that seem impossible and obstacles that seem immovable."