faith

Spoken From the Heart: Choosing Grace

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Spoken From the Heart: Choosing GraceSpoken From the Heart: Choosing Grace by Cheri Swalwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Do you know what it means to “choose grace?” Do you ever stop to think about all the times God showers us with His grace? Yes, through unexpected blessings, but more importantly through undeserved salvation.

I’m still trying to grasp the full meaning of the word grace in my everyday life. However, I do know this: It comes in many forms, is seen through a variety of people, and God gives us countless opportunities to pass it on to others throughout our lives.”

Spoken from the Heart – Choosing Grace by Cheri Slawell reads just as the title suggests… from the heart – the heart of the author. Over the course of 32 “lessons” Ms. Slawell shares not just her heart, but also her triumphs, failures, joys and heartbreaks all bundled together in God’s Grace in her life.

The easy style of the author made this book a joy to read. It felt more like sitting across from her, sharing a cup of tea while she relates her stories. A very well done book. Thank you for allowing me to read it.

*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, Goodreads

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Created With Purpose

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Created with Purpose: Unlocking Your Dreams and Fulfilling the Desires of Your HeartCreated 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

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Your Story MattersYour 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 →

Called to Pray

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

Called to PrayCalled to Pray by Linda Evans Shepherd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Most of us have felt it: that unexplained prompting in our hearts to stop and pray for a friend, a loved one, or even a stranger. Sometimes we dismiss the feeling as a stray thought about friends, families, or situations. Sometimes we are even awakened from a deep sleep with an even deeper need to go to God in prayer. Where do those urges come from? Are they truly from God? And do those prayers have any effect on the one we’re praying for?

In Called to Pray, Linda Evans Shepherd dozens of inspiring true stories of people who have felt God’s call to pray–and the astonishing results of those impromptu prayers. For those who wonder if prayer has any effect or doubt that God communicates with us personally, this heart-stirring book will amaze, inspire, and equip them to respond to those holy promptings”

This author, Linda Evan Shepherd knows prayer. Her life is a prayer. I have been a fan of Ms. Shepherd since I first read one of her books a few years back. This book, Called to Pray, is another in a long line of wonderfully written testaments to the power of prayer. This book in particular will fill your heart with hope and joy in all that our Creator sees and does in the lives of His children. Thank you, Ms Shepherd. I am so looking forward to future titles from you.
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It’ Time To Enter Your Promised Land

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

Glory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life NowGlory Days: Living Your Promised Land Life Now by Max Lucado
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Keep walking. This may be the day your Jericho walls come down.

We all face them. Strongholds with a strong hold on our lives. Roadblocks to our joy. Obstacles in our marriages. Fortresses of fear blocking us from peace. How can we bring down these walls that keep us from the future God promises? Remember the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho? Those were some formidable foes and big barriers.

Max Lucado says the book of Joshua is in the bible to remind us of one thing: God Fights For Us! We can overcome, because He has already overcome.

We were not made to stand in the shadow of our walls and quake. We were made to stand on top of Jericho’s rubble and conquer. We win, because God’s already won.

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Fervent Prayer

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Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic PrayerFervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“You have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted.

So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter will guide you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.”
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Waiting on God

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Waiting on God: What to Do When God Does NothingWaiting on God: What to Do When God Does Nothing by Wayne Stiles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“What do you do when the life God has promised you looks nothing like the life he has given you? We wait at red lights, in long lines, and for a person to change. But the most difficult waiting? Waiting on God.

We want to know God’s plan so that we can trust the plan–but often God hides his plan so that we will trust him. What can we do in the meantime while we wait for an answer to prayer, a change of heart, or a miracle of provision?”
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Spiritual Housecleaning

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Spiritual Housecleaning: Revised and UpdatedSpiritual Housecleaning: Revised and Updated by Alice Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Demons are nesting in Christian homes–and even churches. Hard to believe? As Eddie and Alice Smith explain, a small opening is all it takes for evil spirits to gain access. Once in, they defile the spiritual atmosphere and damage our relationships, our ministries, our success, even our health.

We can stop these evil infestations. In this newly revised and expanded edition, the Smiths offer amazing real-life stories showing the inroads that spiritual pollution makes–and how to get rid of it. Readers will learn to detect the presence of demons, follow the seven-step biblical process of purification, and close the door behind these intruders for good.”

Have you unknowingly given evil access to your home–or even your church? What doors have you left open? It’s time for some Spiritual Housecleaning. These questions and more are answered in this re-released book by Eddie and Alice Smith.
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Hearing God

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Hearing God: For Intimacy, Healing, Creativity, Meditation, and Dream InterpretationHearing God: For Intimacy, Healing, Creativity, Meditation, and Dream Interpretation by Mark Virkler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“In this interactive journal, Dr. Mark Virkler takes you on a life-changing journey that reveals three powerful ways you can hear God’s voice and recognize how He is speaking in your life everyday. As you hear God’s voice and respond to what He is saying, you will receive direction, experience healing, and unlock creativity in your life like never before”

Hearing God by Mark and Pattie Virkler is an interesting book filled with a lot of information and exercises designed to help the reader to increase the ability to hear, and discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit with clarity in their own lives.
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AHA – Awakening Honesty Action

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 2 Comments

AHA: The God Moment That Changes EverythingAHA: The God Moment That Changes Everything by Kyle Idleman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“We’ve all had “aha!” moments in our lives, times when a sudden revelation surprises us with insight. According to pastor and bestselling author Kyle Idleman, we can experience this same kind of “aha!” in our spiritual lives. With everyday examples and trademark testimonies, Idleman draws on Scripture to reveal how three key elements can draw us closer to God and change our lives for good.

Awakening to the reality of our true spiritual condition, we see ourselves and our need for a Savior with renewed honesty. This realization leads to action, obeying God’s commands and following the example set by Christ. As we see in the transformation of the prodigal son, the result is a life-changing, destiny-altering collision—an AHA moment that leads us home to our loving Father.”
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