hearing God’s word

Psalm 46:1

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble” PS 46:1

God IS…
It struck me as I was reading this the other day that God IS… it does not say that God “was”… it says…. God “IS”.   God is not past tense. He is with us today, just as He was with Adam, Moses, Abraham, and Isaac… all the saints that have gone before us. He is present and available to you and me just as He always has been throughout all eternity.  It continues to boggle the mind that the same God that walked with Adam in the cool of the evening in the Garden (Genesis 3:8), is that same God that “IS” today.

 God IS our REFUGE…
He is our safe place, hiding place, our shelter from danger, our shelter from the storms. He is our safe haven, our sanctuary. I found this definition interesting… a place to flee Back To. Interesting… “Back To” suggests that I’ve been there before and I can go there if I need???

ps 46 1a
God IS our REFUGE and STRENGTH…
Strength is not just physical power. It is also defined as courage, authority and influence. It is the inherent capacity to endure. It is also a stronghold or fortress. I know that everything is under Him; He has authority over all. I know that nothing can hurt me, attack me, or remove me from the REFUGE I seek in Him. He is our stronghold … our fortress. Continue reading →

Home Behind the Sun

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

I will let this book review speak for itself… there is nothing more that I can add.
Home Behind the Sun: Connect with God in the Brilliance of the EverydayHome Behind the Sun: Connect with God in the Brilliance of the Everyday by Timothy D. Willard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Home Behind the Sun – Connect with God in the Brilliance of the Everyday – by Timothy Willard and Jason Locy.

“How often do you encounter the healing and beauty, the hope and the Glory of Christ? Home Behind the Sun offers us a glimpse of joy in the daily grind or work, relationships, and parenting: healing for our suffering: forgiveness in the midst of our hurts; and purpose through the journey. We can live each and every day with an eternal perspective. And we can share this light with the world around us.”
Continue reading →

Arms Open Wide

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

I know that I say it over and over again… so forgive me when I say it again…  but I have just finished reading the most amazing book.

It is a 35 page devotional.  But oh it is so much more than that.  This book captivated me.  The author, Sherri Gragg, is a master storyteller.  Her ability to take a story from scripture and bring it to life many times left me without words.

With a subtitle of: A Call To Linger In The Savior’s Presence….  that is truly what you will want to do… just linger in His presence. Continue reading →

40 Day Devotional Challenge

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

40 Day Devotional Challenge40 Day Devotional Challenge by Kathi Macias

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Need some encouragement? Who doesn’t, right? So why not get that encouragement while at the same time deepening your faith? The 40-Day Devotional Challenge by bestselling author Kathi Macias is designed to do just that. With forty undated “bite-sized” readings, each including a Scripture verse and a personal application section, The 40-Day Devotional Challenge…to Encourage Your Heart and Deepen Your Faith is designed in a way that can fit into anyone’s busy schedule—and we all have them”
Continue reading →

25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

So… I got this book a couple of weeks ago.  The title sounded interesting enough.  But it wasn’t until the book arrived that I thought that I might have made a mistake agreeing to read this book.   The last thing that I want to do is to insult the author with my opinion of her work.

I have to say that I am so glad that I did request to read this book.  I wasn’t expecting it, but i was inspired by it. 

I finished reading this book today – Mother’s Day.  I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom today – oh how I miss her.  More so recently.  I think that perhaps this little 170 page book had something to do with it.  My mother had this habit (one I found truly annoying when I was a young bride) of “peace at all cost”.  She used to make me crazy with what I thought at the time were her “old-fashioned” ideas about what makes for a happy husband and happy home and therefore a happy wife.  I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older that her ideas were not so old-fashioned… nope they were remarkably on point.  Continue reading →

What Life Are You Waiting For

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

What Life Are You Waiting For?: The Exponential Power of Saying Yes to GodWhat Life Are You Waiting For?: The Exponential Power of Saying Yes to God by Pete Hise

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“The Clock Is Running, But It’s Not Too Late. The life you once dared to dream is still available to you. Pete Hise invites you to rediscover the shocking truth of the gospel that has the power to rebuild faulty foundations of identity and open your eyes to new realms of possibility. Isn’t it time to end the cycle of wishing and waiting for life to change – and to stop standing on the sidelines when God Himself is inviting you into the game?

What Life Are You Waiting For? Push Play On The Adventure God Has For You” Continue reading →

A Cause to Be Thankful

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

    A Cause to Be Thankful! by Yolanda Shanks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Cause To Be Thankful by Yolanda Shanks
ISBN: 978-0-9853616-1-7

“Have you ever considered how often we neglect expressing genuine gratitude? The bank teller. The store clerk. The person driving our kids to school. The restaurant waitress. The mailman. Even the customer service representative who takes our call – we may offer a casual “thank you” out of habit, but how much more impactful would it be if that thanks was a genuine acknowledgment of and appreciation for their efforts? What if we took that renewed sprit of thankfulness and applied it to our relationship with God?” Continue reading →

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 →

Total Turnaround

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Are you experience trials or setbacks in your life? Through challenges are a normal part of life, they don’t have to become your entire life. Isn’t it time you had a Total Turnaround? Your breakthrough is waiting. Discover how to receive the victory God has made available for you, and experience your Total Turnaround today!

These are the words from the back of the latest book that I jsut finished reading ~Total Turnaround – 12 Keys to Breathrough in Every Area of Your Life  by Danette Joy Crawford. 

My first thought when I received this book….  “Just how many more self-help books are there out there?”    I was wrong, this is more than a self-help book.  Total Turnaround has helped me to discern the areas in my own life that perhaps I am not experiencing total victory.  Continue reading →