Unreasonable Hope



        

When I read the title of this book, I thought, "Okay, this is going to be another sappy story about someone that went through something tragic and got through it by just putting their hope in the Lord. Again." That sounds bad, but it was exactly what I thought. I wasn't necessarily saying that it was a bad thing to read about, because all of those different stories are great. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE those kind of stories. But honestly, I was prepared to skim through and just take the "highlights".

Well, I was surprised. This book doesn't have a sappy thing about it. 

Which made me LOVE IT!

Unreasonable Hope by Chad Veach is an inspirational story about a hope that we all forget to have. And UNREASONABLE one. Hence the title, right?

When we think of putting our hope in the Lord, we expect answers and reasons to what we're going through. Not this guy. Chad has come to accepting his situation, without answers. Without the known reasons. Yes, he believes everything happens for a reason just like I do. But just because there is a reason, doesn't mean that we have to KNOW it. God loves us without reason. 

I have learned so much by reading Chad's story. He tells about his daughter Georgia. She has a rare condition that makes things more challenging for her and their family. That sounds sappy, though. He doesn't just whine about it or make us say, "Aww, I feel so bad for them!" He tells it so we can laugh with him and feel the joy of the Lord that he has while going through it.


He compares everything that he's going through, or went through, with a verse or instance in the Bible. For example, in the sixth chapter, he titles a segment called Giants or Honey?. In this segment he talks about how in Numbers 13, there's a story about the spies that were sent to survey the promised land. Some of the spies saw an impossible situation and all of the bad things like the size of the giant people that were living there already. Two of the twelve spies saw a land flowing with milk and honey and all of the good things. Chad went on saying that sometimes, people see things differently even when they're in the same situation. 

He said that in his situation, he's going to look at the milk and honey through the hardships. That's so inspirational to me, because when I go through bad situations, the last thing I want to do is think about milk and honey; the good things. I want to focus on all the negative things and wallow in self pity. That feels more natural to me. But why since when is natural always the best thing?

My favorite quote by him (there was many, because him and I have the same thought process based on his writing)  is one of his ending paragraphs, "As we walk out this life, we'll continue to put our faith in the who behind it all, the one who is faithful in suffering, the only true remedy, who takes the pain and makes it into something more, something better, something beautiful."

Anyway, I highly recommend this book for anyone that is going through any kind of tough situation. Chad will give you a very unique and encouraging perspective on your situation as well as his! Please, take the time to read it and do so with an open heart.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest book review with booklookbloggers!

The man that climbed the tree...

I'm pretty sure almost all of you have heard the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. If you haven't, this is a story that you will find in Luke 19:1-10. It is a story about a man with a bad reputation climbing a tree...

What does a man climbing a tree have to do with anything with us? Well, it has EVERYTHING to do with us!

Zacchaeus was a tax collector that cheated people out of their money. Absolutely no one liked him because of that. He always took more than he was supposed to and he lived wealthy while everyone around him lived in poverty.

This selfish, greedy man heard that Jesus was passing through Jericho, where he lived. Zacchaeus was most likely excited and curious like everyone else in Jericho. So naturally, he went to find where Jesus was passing through.

 At this point, I'm imagining the small town that I grew up in when there's a Rodeo passing through it. There's so many people out and about that aren't normally out and the streets are completely full. Everyone was curious about what was happening in our small town (because, let's face it... nothing exciting ever happened there) and they made sure that they were apart of it, even if they didn't have any interest in horses or Rodeo.

This is the same kind of thing that I imagine was going on in Jericho. Everyone heard about what was going on, so EVERYONE and their mothers were out and about to see Jesus.

That wouldn't be such a problem, if Zacchaeus was a normal sized man. Not only did people not like him because he was a thief, but Zacchaeus was a SHORT man. As a kid, when we heard that he was a short man, we instantly thought of a grown man our own size. Now when I think about it, I picture a hobbit trying to find Gandalf the white among elves.

So what did Zacchaeus do? He wanted so bad to see Jesus! So Zacchaeus climbed up a Sycamore Fig Tree (Ficus Sycomorous, for all of you dendrology folks like me thanks to my Ag teacher in highschool) to see Him!

A Sycamore Fig Tree was a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation that it was growing in. ( Fun fact: The caskets of some Egyptian mummies were made from the wood of Sycamore Fig trees.) So of course, Zacchaeus picked that tree to sit in. No other tree was probably good enough for him to sit in.

 Having studied recently a little more about Sycamore Fig trees, I'd love to have one of these trees in my yard! Mostly, because of the way it grows. The branches grow low to the ground and instead of growing straight up, they grow kind of out wide. Perfect for a tree house!

Anyway, Zacchaeus sat in that Ficus Sycomorous until Jesus got to him. Could you imagine the anticipation of seeing Jesus, our Savior, up close in all that he is? I could only imagine the adrenaline rushing through Zacchaeus. The fast beating heart and the heavy breathing. Kind of like the way we get when we see someone famous,( or when we're about to go on stage to perform a dance solo that was only half way finished until right before the recital...).

BUT not only did Jesus pass close enough for Zacchaeus to see him. Jesus stopped under the tree that Zacchaeus was in and looked up at him. Everyone around Jesus of course probably looked up too. They most likely quickly looked away though, because it was just Zacchaeus, nothing special. So they thought.

Jesus said, "Zacchaues, come down! I'm going to your house today!"

I could just hear the gasps and air sucking from the crowd. This crowd was probably full of people that followed Jesus devotingly. They were all do-gooders and goody two-shoes, most likely. These people were self righteous and thought that their poop didn't stink, I bet. So they were thinking (out loud, according to the scripture), "Jesus is going to the house of a SINNER!" They all knew what Zacchaeus was. And they were probably all of his favorite victims, because he thought that since they were good people he could take advantage of them.

Zacchaues instantly got down from the Ficus Sycomorous and was happy about the Lord coming to see HIM, out of all of the people that were around him. After hearing what the other people had said about him, Zacchaeus was ashamed. So he said, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."

 A  LOST man that seemed to do nothing but sin. He was a thief, he was greedy, he wallowed in his own wealth and rubbed it in other people's faces. No one expected him to ever do anything good. No one expected him to ever sought out Jesus to follow him. Yet, on this day in Jericho, Zacchaeus came to see Jesus. Then, Jesus stopped and sought Zacchaeus out of the tree. And Jesus was going to go to his house.

Even though Jesus is blameless and perfect, he STILL had people try to correct him. They wanted to make sure that Jesus knew what Zacchaeus was. They wanted to make sure Jesus had his priorities straight, apparently. Of course he did! He knew EXACTLY who Zacchaeus was and what Zacchaeus had done!

After Zacchaeus said what he was going to do in order to pay back for his short comings against other people, Jesus replied, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost."

That is so powerful to me, because that was Jesus looking at those people that were trying to correct him and teach them a lesson. That lesson was that Zacchaeus was the reason that Jesus was born! He came to save the LOST people. Because if everyone was already a follower and did everything that they were supposed to, then Jesus wouldn't have had a reason to come to earth.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

That's the verse we've all come to memorize. Let's look a little further though.

"For God did not send His son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17

This is the verse that so many people miss. If Jesus came to CONDEMN the world, the people that were complaining would've probably been able to convince Jesus that he shouldn't be going to Zacchaeus' house. Because Jesus wasn't sent to condemn us, but to SAVE us. All of us. Especially the lost, then it makes perfect sense why Jesus was going to Zacchaeus' house!

So what can we learn about this story about a man that climbed a tree (ficus sycomorous)?

Jesus loves ALL of us and wants to be apart of ALL of our lives. He has come to earth, died, and risen to save ALL of us! Our duty is to accept that and FOLLOW Him! No matter how dirty, bad, self centered, creepy, decietful, or sinful we are! He wants to save us.


Let us seek Him, like Zacchaeus did. Let's climb our trees to look past all of this world and focus on Him. So one day, we will see Him face to face and be invited to HIS home in the sky.

You see, once Zacchaeus saw that Jesus accepted him like he was, he turned away from the bad things that he did before. Once we truly accept Jesus, we turn away from the bad things and strive to do better!

If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Savior, I'd love to answer any questions you have. I'd love to pray with you. I'd love to talk with you. I'm a sinner just like you are and Jesus has saved me! He can save you too!

Pray with me:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for all that you have done. Thank you for stories like this story of a man named Zacchaeus that climbed a tree in order to see you. Thank you for all that you've shown us through this story and help it to stick with us, Lord. Help us to seek you and only you to be saved. For it's in your name I pray.

Amen.

The Look and Tell Bible

The Look and Tell Bible published by Thomas Nelson is an extremely fun and creative board book written to engage young children in well known Bible stories.

This book includes all of the Bible stories we've all heard many times! But they are being told in a new way in this book! There are many pictures! You can tell what each picture is and it's not too busy like some other picture books.

The pages are board pages, so this is toddler proof! It's so hard to find good books with tough pages... my little ones are rough on books.

On the left side page, there's pictures and labels of what the pictures are underneath them. On the right side page, there's the story. In the story, they replaced some of the words with the pictures that are on the left side of the book. This helps the little ones be more interactive with the story and understand more.

Each story isn't too long and they aren't just a few sentences. They are a good length to get the whole story across and keep them interested. The pictures within the story really help with that.

I was super excited to share this with my little ones, but I haven't shared it with my oldest yet. I let my youngest (1 year old) look through it and he didn't want to give it back so I could put it back up for my oldest's (will be 3 years old) birthday this coming up Monday! I can't wait to show him, because I know that he will LOVE it!! Especially the David and Goliath story!

I recommend this book to all those families that love sharing Bible stories, lots of pictures, and durable books!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest book review from booklookbloggers!

Who am I??

Do you ever get that lump in your throat when you think about things in your past?
I'm talking about those guilty feelings that you get because you know that you did something wrong or did wrong to someone in the past and you wish that you didn't do it.
Those things that make you feel like vermin on this earth and you can't believe that you made it to this day being who you were to who you are now.

Sometimes little things like familiar songs, faces, names, and even smells, take me back to moments that I wish I could've been more prepared for. Moments that I could've taken myself out of and looked down on with the bigger picture in mind.

We are so small minded in each given moment, it's hard to make sure that we don't make the same mistakes that we did before. Or even hurt the same people that we did before. So we keep making them and that leads us to even more mistakes.

Yes, I've made a mistake. Yes, I know you have too. Yes, I have hurt people and no, I'm not perfect or proud of those facts.

Even though I feel bad and I'm not proud about these moments and mistakes, I don't regret them. I don't want to go back and change them. They have shaped me into who I am today. They were stepping stones to the BETTER choices that I've made to get where I am right now.

When those mistakes creep up on me and form that lump in my throat, I can't help but to feel bad about them again. I can't help but to want to wallow in the wrath of myself. I get hard on myself and turn against myself. It makes me ask, "Who am I?"  "Am I the same person that made those mistakes?"

I usually ask myself those questions and expect myself to have the complete answer... always feeling incomplete and inadequate. Yes, I will always be the same person that made those mistakes! But has something in me changed? Have I learned to do better? I believe so. But I still feel bad about myself, because I am my own biggest critic.

Really, the best answers to those questions are better left to the one who created me. The one who knows every little thing about me, even my DEEPEST DARKEST secrets. He knows every nook and cranny to my being and soul. He knows about my mistakes and my shortcomings. He knows the NUMBER OF HAIRS ON MY HEAD!! He even knows about my tomorrow, because He's already there before me.


So why have I become so reliant on myself to overcome those mistakes that I've made? And answer the questions about who I am?

Here's what God says about who I am to Him:

I am God's child. (Galatians 3:26)

I am Jesus' friend. (John 15:15)


I am a whole new person with a whole new life. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I am a place where God's Spirit lives. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

I am God's incredible work of art. (Ephesians 2:10)

I am TOTALLY and COMPLETELY forgiven. (1 John 1:9)

I am created in God's likeness. (Ephesians 4:24)

I am spiritually alive. (Ephesians 2:5)

I am a citizen of Heaven. (Philippians 3:20)

I am God's messenger to the world. (Acts 1:8)

I am God's disciple-maker. (Matthew 28:19)

I am the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)


I am the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)

I am GREATLY loved!! (Romans 5:8)

When I stop looking at things through MY eyes and begin to look at things through GOD'S eyes, I can see them for what they really are. It not only encourages me to stop wallowing and start worshipping, but it helps me help others see themselves through God's eyes as well!

You see, God has a plan for me. That plan is bigger than anything I'm dealing with right now. The same for you!! God has a plan for you too! And no matter what mistakes you've made or what you're dealing with right now... He will always lead you to where you need to go to fulfill the plan that He has for you.


Our destination is HOME. Our destination is God's KINGDOM! Our destination is HEAVEN. When we set our destination for Heaven, we set our paths straight and God will lead us there with Him, if we let Him take the driver's seat and if we don't be "back seat drivers".

Let's pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for another day of your grace and mercy. Thank you for allowing me to wake up to this beautiful life you've given me. Please, Lord, help me to see myself through YOUR eyes and not through my own eyes. I know that I am not perfect, but YOU are! I know that I have failed many times but you HAVEN'T! Please, help me to find encouragement through your word each and every day. Help my readers and followers to find the same! Help them to see who they are through your eyes and not their own! Thank you, Lord, for all that you have done, are doing, and all that you will do for me and my life.

For it's in your name that I pray, Lord.
Amen.

Mama's SLEEP Mode

*YAWN*

Do you ever have those moments when you don't want anything to do with anyone? Those moments when you just want to lock yourself in your room and bury your head under a pillow with the blankets over you? The moments when you want to shutdown and restart? Yeah, I'm sure you have. I know I have!

Those moments usually come when my toddlers are both screaming and getting into stuff at the same time. Or the dogs are tearing up something that I won't be able to fix. And mayyybe during those times when my husband is mad or upset with me because of something I said or did... and I don't want to confront him.

It's in those moments that I wish I could shut down and restart.

As a parent, I'm never able to really "shut down" or "restart", much less both at the same time.

Let me explain: Do you know how a laptop has the option for the "Sleep Mode"? There's "Sleep", "Restart", and "Shut Down".

When you put the laptop on "Sleep", you can close the laptop and the screen will shut off, but the laptop is still on, using the battery. If you open the laptop back up and push a button, the screen will instantly come back on and you can get right back to what you were doing before you put it on "Sleep Mode". To save time, it's best to leave your computer in sleep mode when you know you're going to use it again soon.

When you put the laptop on "Shut Down" or "Restart", there's a period when the laptop has completely shut off and the battery is not being used at all to keep it on. It takes it awhile to come back on and reload when you turn it back on. To save battery, it's best to shut down your laptop when you know you're not going to use it for awhile. Also, when you're making updates to the laptop with the software, it's best to restart or shut down the computer to let the updates finish what they need to do.

As a mom, I never sleep completely... but when I do, I don't "Shut down" or "Restart" like most people do when they sleep. When I hear a child cry in the middle of the night (or get up and go into the living room to watch tv, or get into the food cabinets), I wake up and go see what's wrong. I could be dead asleep and still hear the noise and wake up instantly ready to find out what's going on! It's in my instincts as a mother.

Even though it is called SLEEP mode on a laptop, I think it should be called "Eyes closed but I'm fully aware of what you're doing" for us parents. Because what is sleep without actually SLEEPING?!

We may get our time to wind down and rest or possibly have times when someone else looks after our kids and SOMETIMES we get to spend time with our significant other. Those times are refreshing and enjoyable. They're more special than they've ever been.

But our babies are still on our minds, on our hearts, and they're always going to be there. We constantly worry if they're getting the care that they need or if they're happy or if they need a kiss for their booboos that they might get while doing something they're not supposed to. If they're being taught how to act right or if they're getting the attention that they deserve(especially if they have siblings). No matter where they are or who they're with!

It's NEVERending.

I'm not complaining at all. Because if this is what it's like to not ever truly SLEEP again, then I'm content with that!

I will have my days when I gripe and complain about doing this and doing that for these little boogers. I will have my days when I will want to give up and go hide under those covers. BUT I will not give up and I will NOT hide under those covers! UNLESS I have my little monsters under there with me and we're building us a blanket fort with books and a flashlight.... that's acceptable.

Day of HOPE!

  

There are things that are happening all over this world that we have no idea about! Good things and bad things! We'd love to hear more about the good things, right? But the bad things are, sadly, inevitable.

Have you ever had the thought, "Man, I wish I could change this world and make it a better place!" ?? But you quickly scan over what exactly that means and it intimidates you? So, of course, you just go back to your normal day to day life and not think about changing the world for better, until you hear about something else bad happening.

Well, I've got news for you! There is a way to change the world. There's a way to change the world without even taking one step out of your house! That sounds like it's too good to be true! It is too good! But it is also true!

Trades of Hope (yeah, you've probably rolled your eyes by now thinking "here she goes again!" hang in there with me.) is a company that I have become apart of that has allowed me to work from home and earn money while not taking one step out of my house to do it. I have literally done the majority of my business online and while sitting either on my couch or in my dining room. With two boys running around, making tractor noises and dinosaur roars. With two dogs that like to fight all the time and one that's still not completely house trained (poop and pee galore). With a supportive husband that works all day outside and wants to relax and enjoy his time during the afternoons. All while I am keeping the house up, taking the trash out, and cooking supper.

With Trades of Hope, I can do all of those things WHILE earning money WHILE helping EMPOWER women all over the world out of bad situations.

What exactly does it mean to "empower women out of bad situations"? It means that I partner with these women (through the company of TOH) and as they make their handmade goods, I sell and market the goods. They get their FULL asking price (which isn't much to us, but more than they would normally make without TOH's help), and I get 20% of the wholesale price. Trades of Hope is sending groups of women over to these women in bad situations and they are teaching them how to sustain business and become entrepreneurs.

Trades of Hope is NOT a charity. Let me repeat again, Trades of Hope is NOT a charity!

There is nothing wrong with charity, don't get me wrong...

But these women that we have partnered with are far more interested in gaining DIGNITY and making something MORE of themselves. They don't want things just HANDED to them. They want the opportunity to help themselves and their families. We are women SUPPORTING women!

As a Compassionate Entrepreneur (CE), I help make this happen!

Individually, I wouldn't make an impact. But with our sisterhood at Trades of Hope... I can FEEL the impact! Not only through the instant bonds that we all have, but through every call, every message, and every video that I watch made by our sisterhood. I can feel it through every picture that I see and post and every item that I wear made by our beautiful artisans.

We don't look down on the women that we partner with that are coming out of bad situations, we look up to their strength and their want to make something better for themselves and their families! Don't you always want what's best for your family? Wouldn't you take up the opportunity to MAKE that best happen?


Let's JOIN together and give those women and their families that opportunity!

Don't hesitate, because this is something that is happening NOW! And the more world changers that we have NOW, the bigger the impact that we can make!

Be the change that you wish to see in the world!"

Even if you can't commit to joining as a CE, host an event with me through facebook (cause y'all know I don't ever get out of my house) or even a home party (I'd love to do one of these!). There's also the easiest way to helping... purchase a product. EVERY product is handmade by our artisans. 

Thank y'all!
God Bless!

Sister Eve and the Blue Nun

Sister Eve and the Blue Nun written by Lynne Hinton is an intriguing mystery book added to the Sister Eve Series. I have never read any of the Sister Eve Series untill this one. I have definitely become a fan of this series after reading this book!

This book is about Sister Eve and her quest to solve the mystery of Sister Katie's murder. Apparently, Sister Katie had found some information about a certain lady in history that didn't have the qualifications to become a saint. This information could be the difference between her becoming a saint or her staying just a lady of history.

Sister Eve believes that it is because of this information that Katie was murdered.

All evidence seems to point to Sister Katie's brother and Sister Eve's good friend, Anthony. Sister Eve knows for a fact that Anthony, the monk, didn't murder his sister. This book is about Sister Eve trying everything in her power, along with her family and friends' power, to prove Anthony's innocence.

Whether she's able to or not, I'll leave that up to you to read and find out.

Sister Eve is a private eye like no other. Not only is she a NUN but she is a woman with her own wits about her and makes for a good detective! This book shows us how she turns to God to help find out who killed Sister Katie and how she journeys through her life, fighting the thoughts of denouncing her nunnery.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good, clean, mystery book that includes murder, humor, and spiritualistic aspects!
Very good unexpected ending and I will be reading some more of Lynne Hinton's Sister Eve books in the future!

I was given this book in exchange for a review through BookLookBloggers.