Review of Radical Together by David Platt

When I first noticed the title Radical Together, I wondered if it was any different than the book, Radical. I read Radical as soon as it came out and fell in love with the book. My 13 year old read it as soon as I finished it. We were speechless. We started listening to some of David Platt's sermons and tried getting a feel for what he is doing in this world. I was concerned that I might find Radical Together boring, but that is far from the truth. The book was very well written and has a lot of detail not mentioned in Radical. If you are on fire for the Lord and are ready to stop pursuing the "American Dream" and do something for the world, I would strongly recommend this book! Here is a link to an excerpt of Radical Together: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601423726&view=excerpt. This book can change your life if you will let it. I received this ebook for free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange of an honest review. I read this book in it's entirety and did not have to post a positive review.

Review of God Loves Broken People by Sheila Walsh

I have to admit that I was super excited to see that this book was coming out by Sheila Walsh. I follow her on Twitter and have seen statuses about it coming out and I couldn't wait to read it! I requested the ebook from Booksneeze and I have to tell you that now that I've read the book, I wish I had the hard cover! I wanted to highlight so many parts of the book. I have faced some junk over the years making me a broken person and this book was so uplifting and encouraging! I did not want to put the book down, but at the same time, I never wanted it to end! I think I read it in three days. There are times that I look at the heartbreaking days of my life and wonder how God can turn it all around for His glory. This book helped me see that we are all here for a reason and everything we go through is for a reason. Maybe things won't be turned around for good for us, but if we can use what Satan meant as bad and help and encourage someone else, that is a good thing! I definitely think I will read it again! I would strongly recommend this book to friends. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com 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.”

Masks

Last night I owned up to the fact that I've been living behind a mask since I was 12 to my wonderful husband. I have been ashamed of some things in my past and terrified that he would leave, if he ever knew. Growing up, I was shamed for bad decisions and I have let that carry into my adult life. I am so thankful that God finally pushed me enough to tell him every last detail of my life. Growing up, there were so many secrets in my family. I accepted that as the norm, until I realized it was making me emotionally sick. We are meant to carry each other's burdens. There is a reason God wants us in relationships. My thankful list: 31. Grace when that is probably the last thing I deserved. 32. God tapping me on the shoulder and encouraging me, until I felt like I was going to explode if I didn't tell my husband everything. 33. The amazing peace I have felt today. I am not sure I've ever felt anything like it. 34. Hubby unexpectedly coming home early from work. 35. A contract on our house in Louisiana! 36. Hubby getting an offer on a permanent position here in Texas! 37. Only one more month of paying Cobra! 38. Our oldest having a fabulous time at a youth retreat this past weekend and making some new friends. 39. Trying out a small group from church and feeling like we belonged there. 40. Long talks with my brother.

Review for Bittersweet Surrender by Diann Hunt

When I saw the cover of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. There are chocolate, candles and a bath towel, some of my favorite things! I love long hot baths, scented candles and chocolate. I read the description of the book and was definitely hooked! It reads: Carly Westlake is living the dream. She spends her days at a spa (okay, so she owns the place), she's dating a hunk, and she's surrounded by chocolate—milk chocolate, her favorite—that she uses for the chocolate facials that made her spa famous. But when long buried secrets threaten Carley's business and her friendship with business-partner Tom, she fights like crazy to keep the dream—and the illusions—afloat. It takes a miracle of grace to get Carley to finally make that bittersweet surrender to love and real life. Growing up with a family that was all about secrets, I was really curious to see how the book turned out! You can guess what will end up happening in the book, but it's a great story. I loved every minute of reading it and was honestly sad to see it end! Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an electronic copy of this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of their Blogger Review 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."

Review of: Where Will You Go from Here? by Valorie Burton

Where Will You Go from Here? Moving Forward When Life Doesn't Go as Planned by Valorie Burton is a fascinating book! I received this ebook for free from Blogging for Books with Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange of a review. I usually don't like books that are from a coaching perspective, but this book had a lot of good points. We all face different things in our lives that seem to throw us into a ditch. For me, I have faced that feeling a couple of times. I am sure I'll face it more in the future! I loved how she shared some real life stories at the end of each chapter. I don't know about you, but I love reading about situations where people were able to resume their lives after having a major setback. It is very encouraging to me. I know that God works all things out for the good of His people, but the inspirational stories in this book helped me to see how people are coming out stronger on the other side of a crisis. I loved that. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that is feeling down and out and doesn't know how they are going to pull themselves out of the ditch they seem to have fallen into. You can read an excerpt of the book here.

Thankful Thursday!

The past few weeks have been rough and I have struggled with being thankful. I started counseling last night & it feels like a huge burden has been lifted off of my shoulders already!

Today I am thankful for:

A wonderful, hardworking husband that loves me, even when I'm at my worst.

Four beautiful blessings that fill my house with laughter!

My Keurig! I love flavored coffee & only drink a cup a day, so my Keurig is perfect!

The homeschool group we found in our little city. They are such a blessing to me!

Homeschool open gym gymnastics! My 4 year old loves being active & it's a treat for us every other week!

Squeaky shoes! I love the baby's squeaky shoes!

My beautiful house we found in Dallas. I love this house.

Hardwood floors! A bottle of cologne broke this morning & I'm thankful it was on hardwood & not on carpet!

Our church. My kids love it! Everyone is so friendly & welcoming.

Counseling. I had my first session last night & feel so much lighter than I've felt in a long time!