Created With Purpose

April 14, 2016June 10, 2017 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Created with Purpose: Unlocking Your Dreams and Fulfilling the Desires of Your Heart by Johannah Clark Leach
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Become the Confident, Secure, and Powerful Person God Designed You To Be. Do you live in fear of what others think of you? Do you worry about missing out on what God has for your life? Are you lacking the confidence or courage to pursue the dreams in your heart?

You have been created with a unique purpose and divine destiny on your life. There are dreams in your heart that are just waiting to be released! Unfortunately, so many people let their insecurities and fears hold them back from being the world-changes that God made them to be.”

Created with Purpose by Johannah Clark Leach and Victoria West Henady is a must read. So many of us today wonder why we are here. What is our purpose? Are we doing what we were created to do? What were we created to do?
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Your Story Matters

February 29, 2016 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Your Story Matters by Emra Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“We all have stories. Our big stories reveal the direction of our lives and all the things that inherently make up who we are, our personalities, skills, beliefs, fears, longings and experiences. But life is filled with our little stories as well. The everyday happenings that slip by almost unnoticed. It is the accumulation of our little stories that form our big story.”

Your Story Matters by Emra Smith is a little book filled with lots of inspiration. Author Emra Smith opens this book by sharing her own difficult and tumultuous young life story. But, in addition to the transitions of her life, there was a miracle of God that would begin to shape not just her story, but that of her entire family. The author readily shares all of her life, not just the good and pretty, but the not so good and ugly sides as well in open and pure honesty. This is after all, her story and it matters. Continue reading →

Prevail – Discover Your Strength in Hard Places

July 24, 2015September 11, 2017 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Prevail: Discover Your Strength in Hard Places by Cindy Trimm

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Your problems don’t define you; they refine you. Sometimes life feels like a roller coaster ride filled with ups, downs, twists, turns, and unexpected sudden drops. Instead of moving forward with peace and purpose, our lives spin out of control. When chaos and uncertainty threaten to make you feel helpless . . . what do you do? Don’t let life’s detours take you for a ride. Get back in the driver’s seat!”

Prevail by Dr. Cindy Trimm is the third book that I have read by this author and just when I think that she has said it all, I am wrong. Dr. Trimm has the amazing ability to have you take some of your life’s most heinous and hideous events and use them to bring success and fulfillment in your life.
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Warrior Chicks

July 22, 2015 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

“There is a lot in life we cannot control–a cancer diagnosis, the choices our children make, a spouse who leaves, disappointments in our career, a broken heart. But in those tragedies, big and small, we still have a choice: Lie down and give in or stand up and fight.

In this inspiring call to arms against victim hood, Holly Wagner challenges women to enlist as Warrior Chicks. She shows women that they are beautiful just the way they are, they are destined to be overcomers in this life, and that the battle is already won for us.”

As the back of the books says, there are a lot of things that come our way that we cannot control. It’s not about what comes at us, it’s about how we meet those challenges – victor or victim. Continue reading →

Give Yourself a Break

June 30, 2015 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Give Yourself a Break: Turning Your Inner Critic Into a Compassionate Friend by Kim Fredrickson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“It’s time to start treating yourself the way you treat others. As children we’re taught to treat others the way we would like to be treated. But as adults, we often need to turn that old maxim around. We’re good at showing compassion to other people–but many of us have trouble showing that same compassion to ourselves. We say things to ourselves we would never say to a friend. And all this negative self-talk can have a devastating effect on our lives and relationships.”

Why is it that we can overflow with love and care and compassion for those around us, even those on the fringes of our lives, yet when it comes to ourselves – well we are our own worst critic? We rarely show ourselves the love and care that we show others.

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But God

May 19, 2015November 15, 2018 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…” Eph 2:1

When I look at the life I have in Jesus it is no doubt that satan wants to stop my forward

but-god
movement by filling my thoughts with “what if…” the “what ifs” of my past; what if I had made a different decision in 1998 or 2008 or 1972 or 1979. How different my life would have been. The images and thoughts are not ugly thoughts, they are not condemning thoughts. They make me want a “do-over”. They almost make me long for those days again. But do they really?

Then I read just a bit further to Eph 2:4 and I see… “But God…” But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much…

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Christ in You

April 21, 2015 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Christ in You: Why God Trusts You More Than You Trust Yourself by Eric Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Every solution to every problem known to the human race lives in you. Inside each of us is a longing for a deeper truth, a deeper meaning. For centuries humanity has been searching every corner of our earth, plumbing the mysteries of the human mind and heart, in hopes of satisfying this quest of our souls.

What we’ve failed to realize is that the greatest Truth is revealed in the greatest mystery in the universe: Christ lives in you. It isn’t your destiny to live a life that is merely “getting by” or riddled with shame and fear. The ultimate price was paid for the ultimate temple–you. Not just for eternity’s sake but for the sake of the world.”
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Spiritually Strong

March 25, 2015 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Spiritually Strong: The Ultimate 6-Week Guide to Building Your Body and Soul by Kristen Feola

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Spiritually Strong is a six-week program designed to help you get in better shape spiritually and physically. As Timothy says, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (4:8). This book teaches you how to train yourself in godliness through the implementation of six disciplines—Bible study, prayer, fasting, healthy living, financial stewardship, and serving others.” Continue reading →

Life Unstuck

March 16, 2015 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Life Unstuck: Finding Peace with Your Past, Purpose in Your Present, Passion for Your Future by Pat Layton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Everyone has felt stuck at some point in life. Our inertia is gone, momentum is wiped out, and life trudges on devoid of passion. But God has so much more than this planned for his daughters. With passion and enthusiasm, Pat Layton invites women to imagine their world unstuck–a place where they feel at peace with the past, find purpose in the present, and revel in the possibilities that the future holds. With her rousing Unstuck Manifesto, she delves deep into the areas readers get stuck in the most–relationships, finances, ministry, career, and more–and, with the Scriptures as her guide, unveils the path to positive forward movement.”

Had I not gone any further than page 13 to what the author titled “Unstuck Manifesto”, I would already have been beyond blessed by this book. However, I kept reading. And oh how I was blessed. In Life Unstuck, the author, Pat Layton, so readily shares testimony from her own life where she was stuck, and allows us into her journey of freedom.
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The Prosperous Soul

February 16, 2015 ~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

The Prosperous Soul: Your Journey to a Richer Life by Cindy Trimm

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and letter life than they ever dreamed of.” “Prosperity comes from within. You were created to enjoy prosperity on every level – from a rich spiritual and intellectual life, to richness in your relationships and professional pursuits! The problem is that prosperity has often been reduced to a single measure: A dollar amount. Truth is, financial abundance is just one expression of what it means to live a rich life.”

I wondered when I asked to review this book if it was going to be another “do this and you’ll be rich… prosperity gospel” book. Oh how wrong I was. This book by Dr. Cindy Trimm is amazing! It truly spoke to my heart.
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