I Need a Little Bit of Coffee….

…And a WHOLE lot of JESUS!

Seriously. I received this cup from Consumer Associates to review and it could not have come at a better time. I’ll tell you a little bit more about the cup later on in this post– First things first– UPDATES!!!!

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Book Review: Initial Impressions of “Jesus Always”

I’m so excited to share my initial impressions of the soon to be released text, Jesus Always.

First, let me start with a quick nod to the earlier text, Jesus Calling.

That book still speaks to my soul, DAILY. This really amazes me because I’ve been re-reading the book for years. I have it in a hard copy version; a Kindle e-book that I can access from my phone, laptop, and various Kindle apps and devices ; and a desktop calendar that sits in the guest bathroom (aka, “my bathroom”) in my home.

Yet and still, every time I turn those familiar pages, the words fall fresh on my heart EACH and EVERY time and something will speak to the depth of my exact situation with THE EXACT encouragement I need. Long story short, I love that little book!

On top of all of this, Sarah Young has written SEVERAL BOOKS over the years, but this is her FIRST 356-day devotional since since Jesus Calling was released in 2004, so I am tooooo excited to add this new book to my devotional collection.

Initial Impressions of Jesus Always:

The Cover:

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (Did I mention, LOVE?) The purple cover! Purple is one of my FAVORITE colors!

The cover has an irredessecent sheen that is actually very subtle (I really only noticed this as I attempted to take a photo and caught a glimpse of the book aganst the light from my the flash on my phone).

Photo of the Cover (Fresh Out of the Box)!

The Content:

While, Jesus Calling is a filled with uniquely inspired treasures from heaven for every day of the year written from Jesus’ point of view (thus the title Jesus Calling), Jesus Always invites the reader into a new way of living—a life of joy.

The new 365-day devotional was written as part of Sarah Young’s exploration of the promises of joy in scripture.

It continues in the style of Jesus Calling and is written as if Jesus, Himself is speaking directly to the reader with joy-filled reminders from the Word of God.

Each devotion includes companion scriptures that will intimately and gently connect you with Jesus—the One who meets you where you are.

Today’s Devotional Page (Note: the Ribbon Bookmark on the Left 😉🖒)

Other Things I Like!

I’m a sucker for a book with a ribbon bookmark. I’ve even started hot gluing my own ribbon bookmarks into books.

Little known fact about me: One of my first jobs at UNC was in the Walter Davis Library as Book Preservation Specialist. As a result, I can deconstruct and reconstruct a book in 30 minutes flat!

That also means that I can be a stickler on book construction. I really am a fan of the pocket-friendly size of Jesus Calling and I was happy to see that Jesus Always remained in that same vein (and had the bookmark ribbon 😁)!

The Inside Cover

You Can Reserve Your Copy, Now!

The text will officially be released to the public on October 4, 2016.

You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com and get their price guarantee!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook® 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.”

What the Cross Represents…

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin
and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

1 Peter 2:24 New Living Translation (NLT)

I received these earrings to review. I know I post a lot of reviews here… most of that is required for the product reviewing hobby I’ve developed (I hope you’ll continue to bear with me as I try to incorporate other content), but they help me to keep the content updated more frequently and usually lead to some deeper sort of reflection for me.

When I looked at these, beyond the baguette stones and the solid construction, the lyrics to the song below came to mind. This album came out when I was in middle school and my mom played it all the time.

I didn’t mind though. I loved it. This was one of the songs that was very personal for me. I think it was around this age that church became more than a “place to go” for me. My salvation became VERY real and I would often reflect on the kind of love one had to have to sacrifice His “only begotten son” for a world of people.

At this point, my nephew had been born and I loved him with all of my heart– I didn’t know that a love like that could exist. To see a person that you’ve never known before and love them instantly– and want the best for them. It blew my mind.

So when I thought about that kind of love and asked myself if I would be able to give his life to save the world. I just cried. I’m crying now (I’m more of a softie than most people realize 🙂 ).

It really IS a powerful question to ask yourself: Think about the person you love THE MOST in this whole world. Then ask yourself if you could give his/her life to save the fate of the rest of the world? Could you do it?

I sometimes think we can hear altar calls so often that we can become numb to what that sacrifice REALLY meant and just HOW personal it was.

He did it JUST FOR ME.

He did it JUST for YOU.

He did it with EACH and EVERY one of US on His mind.

When I look at a cross– be it a pair of earrings, in a church, or a photo on a wall — That is what it means to me.

Just for Me ~ Donnie McClurkin

What does the cross of Jesus mean?
It’s more than songs we sing, yeah
Much more than that emblem on your chain
But it means I’m free, yes from the chains of slavery
And the blood that shed won’t let my sins remain, oh my

Upon the cross my Saviour died, the Lamb was crucified
Showed us love that this world had never known
Oh what love, divine so divine, true a love you’ll never find
So that we might live, love came and died alone, Hallelujah

Well the Cross will always represent the love God had for me
When the Lord of glory, Heaven sent gave all on Calvary
He did it just for me, just for me, Hallelujah

There are lots of different ways to pray the prayer of Salvation, but I wanted to leave one here if you’ve yet to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and feel a stirring in your heart after reading this post. This is from one of my favorite prayer authors, of the book Prayers that Availeth Much. You can reword this to make it more personal, but this is the general overview.

Prayer To Receive Jesus as Savior and Lord
Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from the dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan and close the door to any of his devices.

I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away; now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen

Light It Up

“Light it up. Light it up. Let the world know that JESUS LIVES!…”

Something as simple as a set of balloons brought those lyrics to mind.

I received these glowing LED balloons to review and I really like them. You simply pull a tab to light up the LED bulb and inflate the balloon by mouth or helium tank just as you would with any regular latex balloon.

If you’ve been following my blog for any period of time, you know I’m a big kid at heart. Balloons are one of those simple joys in life. I love how this item takes something that is classic and introduces a new twist and with an energy efficient element that will last for hours at a time.

My husband was the first person to really get me to become a fan of LED products. He’s an engineer and will quickly explain the difference between a standard bulb and an LED bulb… Don’t get him started on television sets. You’re in for a full blown lesson. I’m thankful though, times like these are when I realize how much I’ve benefited from what he’s shared with me as God uses those moments to minister to my heart in a whole new way.

In this instance, me looking at these balloons also made me think back to the first time my husband explained the technology behind an LED TV and how it was better than a standard TV.

Have you ever made the transition from a standard definition television to a High Definition, LED TV? Stay with me here. Do you remember the first time you turned on your new TV and that moment when you saw the screen “light up” and how you could see the difference in the image clarity and overall picture?

That’s how our walk should be with Christ.

We are new creatures… but we are creatures that are constantly evolving. We should be going from GLORY to GLORY in Him.

I may have accepted Christ when I was 12 years old, but there should be a new definition to who I am in 2016. My light should be becoming more efficient. My “model” should be constantly evolving and showing the world what God will do with a surrendered and sincere heart. And when there is an fault with the current model, I should look to the author and finisher of my faith and do the work necessary to correct the error.

Just like these balloons are a new technology or a new evolution of a former thing… so should we be.

Matthew 5:16 New Living Translation

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 New Living Translation

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God.

Book Review: 30 Days of Goodness, Love and Grace

This insightful 30-day, eBook Bible study contains selections from the Faithgirlz Secret Power Girls Bible Study series.

I am less familiar with this series, but I enjoy reading books like these because of the work I do with the youth ministry at my local church– specifically our Girls of Destine mentoring program. I know I’m getting older and more removed from things that younger girls are doing and reading, so I try to take advantage of review opportunities like these.

This text was written especially for girls between the ages of 8-12 years old. In the text, author Susie Shellenberger shares deep truths in each daily devotional that will challenge, inspire, and nourish a reader’s growing soul.

I’ve included a few selections from the publisher’s description that provide a good example of how the text takes classic bible stories and uses modern day examples to connect them to more common day stories/movies that young girls may more readily know and understand (like Cinderella):

The Secret Power of Love (book of Ruth),
The Secret Power of Grace (1 Peter), and
The Secret Power of Goodness (Colossians).

The Secret Power of Love: Like Cinderella, sometimes it’s easy to feel left out and ignored. Maybe things with your family aren’t right, or you don’t feel very lovable. But something amazing happens when you discover God’s love. Journey through the book of Ruth and study one girl’s real-life “Cinderella story,” and see how God transformed her world.

The Secret Power of Grace: You probably want to achieve great things. You probably want a happy life. And you probably want to look incredible every step of the way, sporting a style that makes you sparkle. For a girl like you, that’s no problem—because you’re about to discover the secrets to true success, lasting joy, and a killer style you’ll never outgrow. Cruise through the book of 1 Peter and learn God’s ideas about a beauty and style unlike anything money can buy at the mall.

The Secret Power of Goodness: Sometimes it seems everyone has a different idea of what is true. Some people say that truth is simply whatever works for you. But what if you found reliable truth—as solid and real as the ground you walk on? What if it changed your life? What if it changed you? Come explore the book of Colossians and learn to sort through what you hear about other’s beliefs while discovering what makes our faith special and what it means to be a Christian.

While, I do believe that this type of approach is very effective for the target age group (8-12 years old) I think that it should also be partnered with a “real talk” dialogue that also addresses the issues that these young girls are facing at an increasing rate in this day and age.

Overall, I think this is a great text and approve of the author’s move to create an e-book bible study guide for young girls. Much of our work and social activity is conducted using electronics and an e-bible study will be a great method for attracting an already captivated audience.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers 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.”