faith

The Essence of Living Faith

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

The Essence of Living Faith: Real, Live ChristianityThe Essence of Living Faith: Real, Live Christianity by Michael Gifford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Since “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17), The Essence of Living Faith is taking that Word, hiding it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11) and then putting it into action daily. Some of the best examples of living faith are found in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, also known as “The Faithful Hall of Fame”. You are invited to join us in a thirteen-lesson study of this monumental chapter. In it you will discover faith in the hearts of God’s people that led to amazing accomplishments on earth and blessed reward in heaven. We, Too, Can have this faith and, with it, we too can overcome the world and celebrate victory in eternity (1 John 5:4)” Continue reading →

Lost and Found

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Lost & Found – Finding HOPE in the Detours of Life by Sarah Jakes

What a remarkable story!!!  I was captivated by this book from the first page… and by the end, I was in awe of the wisdom of this young woman.

While I have not experienced any of the circumstances that Ms. Jakes has, I somehow found myself in this story.  Perhaps because I too thought that God had so given up on me…  that He was just soooo tired of giving me just one more chance to “get it right”.  In this book, I found the words to my own song: Continue reading →

No More Ordinary

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No More OrdinaryNo More Ordinary by Carolyn B McLeod

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“Living the life you were made for. Learn how to tackle life with zest in spite of the circumstances. Discover how to live the life you were made for, as you learn what made the difference for people like Corrie Ten Book, Robert LeTourneau, Ruth Bell Graham and many others.”

No More Ordinary is an interesting book. It is filled with inspirational stories of the Hero’s and Heroine’s of the faith. Throughout the chapters, these stories are used, by the author, as a basis to teach the principles of abundant life in Christ. Each chapter then concludes with a Prayer for Life, the Declaration of Life, the Scripture for Life, and the Words of Life.

While I truly did enjoy the stories told in these chapters, in my opinion, I am not sure that this book didn’t venture just this side of the prosperity gospel.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the “For Readers Only” group at The Book Club Network, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deeper Shopping, and Goodreads

View all my reviews
This book is available online at
Deeper Shopping Books and Bibles

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God, Grace and Gumption

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

It wasn’t my plan, but I spent the entire day yesterday reading a most amazing book – Miss Brenda and the Loveladies by Brenda Spahn and Irene Zutell.

As the subtitle reads…  “One woman’s brush with prison… A community of women fighting the odds for survival on the outside…”

Some years back in another life, I had a family member end up in prison after being convicted of murdering her sister.  She ended up in prison at the young age of 18.  Scroll forward 15+ years…  unable to cope with the free world, with no skills and no one to give a second chance to a murderer…  and then wondering why she ended up back in prison??  Continue reading →

The Storm Inside

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The Storm Inside: Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You AreThe Storm Inside: Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You Are by Sheila Walsh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Storm Inside – Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You Are by Shelia Walsh

“Women feel the storm activity all around. We find ourselves teetering somewhere between everyday chaos and crisis. We can feel a storm brewing, we are in the middle of a storm, or we are facing the aftermath of a storm. But don’t be afraid because it is possible to grow through turbulent times. Storms show you what’s really going on inside, reveal what you really believe, and actually make you stronger.“

The Storm Inside is a powerful book written for we women that somehow seem to spend a good portion of our lives either about to be run over by a storm, are in the middle of a storm, or have just come through the other side of a storm a bit battered and bruised. Those storms of our lives sap our strength and resolve and leave us precious little resources for the next. In this book, the author – Sheila Walsh – shows us that while we may not be able to avoid the storms, we can triumph in and through the storms. Continue reading →

Messed-Up Mustard Seeds & Broken Want-to’s

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

Messed-up Mustard Seeds and Broken Want-to’s

These are a couple of chapter titles in a book that I just finished reading – Heart Wide Open by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson.

The title sound benign enough…  ah…. but it’s the sub-title that says it all:

Trading Mundane Faith For An Exuberant Life With Jesus 

And then I will take it one step further… The opening page of Chapter 1:

“Jesus, I know I don’t love You like I should, but I want to want to love You!”   Continue reading →

Cloudy with Scattered Worries

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Women's Nonfiction - Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries (A Matchbook Services Women's Inspirational Gift Idea)Women’s Nonfiction – Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries by Kathy Collard Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“If you’re facing a storm – trial, temptation, worry, uncertainty, regret, or fear – Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries will increase your faith and help you trust God as you find peace in all kinds of weather.”

Who among us hasn’t faced their share of storms in the life? The title of this book is what caught got my interest… and I am glad that it did.

This is an interesting book laced with solid biblical truths mixed with gritty honest stories of triumphs and tragedies. Throughout the book the author, Kathy Collard Miller, share’s her personal struggles of the times when worry nearly took over her life and destroyed her marriage.

As I read through the chapters I found myself in more than one scenario about how we can take what might not even be as big as a small rain shower – mix it with a good dose of worry and fear – and we have ourselves one giant hurricane. I took encouragement from the truths and tools that are in this book. We all have worries and storms in our life; it all depends on how we react to them that determines the peace that we have in our life.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the “For Readers Only” group at The Book Club Network, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deeper Shopping, and Goodreads

View all my reviews
This book is available online at
Deeper Shopping Books and Bibles

Breaking Free From Strongholds

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

Can a person be a born-again, blood-bought, Jesus-loving, child of the Most High King and still struggle with strongholds in their life?  According to a book that I just finished reading by Pastor Bobby Davis – yes,… they can.

Here is an excerpt that I found so amazingly telling…

“As I said when we began this chapter, salvation is a journey.  It is a process.  True salvation is not a one-time event, as most people think.  You go the the altar;  you accept Jesus as Lord of your life; you get up and go on with your life. Sure, at that  moment you were transferred from one kingdom to another, (I love that line!) but the same strongholds you stuggled with before kneeling at that altar are the same one you will struggle with when you get up.” – Saved But Still Enslaved – page 20 Continue reading →