hearing God’s word

Take What You Need

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” Psalm 119:105

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”
Matthew 24:35

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof,
for correction, and for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16

Continue reading →

Shenandoah Nights – A Book Review

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 1 Comment

Shenandoah Nights (Winds of Change, #1)Shenandoah Nights by Lisa Belcastro

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am not a huge fan of fiction and I am definitely not a fan of “sci-fi” time travel. That is just my preference. I do read fiction, but they are typically summer beach reads. But I guess that when I read that the novel takes place off the coast of Massachusetts (my home state), that I decided I would read it. I LOVED IT!

This is a wonderful story of intrigue and romance and history and adventure and yes… time-travel. The research for this book is done so well and the writing is crisp and precise. The author paints a breathtaking picture of the Shenandoah under full sail while bringing the innocent and wide-eyed Rebecca O’Neil and the rugged and good-looking Captain Ben to life… and we are there witness to their tentative blossoming romance.

This is the first in the “Winds of Change” series. I am so looking forward to Ms. Belcasto’s next novel “Shenandoah Crossing”.

Disclaimer: I recieved a copy of this book through the “For readers IOnly” 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.

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When A Woman Says Yes To God – A Book Review

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God: Experiencing Life in Extraordinary WaysWhat Happens When Women Say Yes to God: Experiencing Life in Extraordinary Ways by Lysa TerKeurst

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God is about surrendering your whole life to God. Through scripture and her own personal experience, the author is a guide to what can happen when you develop a complete relationship with God. From the beginning chapter the author uses examples of her own life, struggles and all, to bring the reader along her own journey of finally Saying Yes To God in a whole and complete way. This book is filled with simple wisdom and revelation to aid the reader in making that decision in their own life to Say Yes To God.
This is by far one of the best books I’ve read. Her ability to open up God’s desire for my life helped make me want to read some chapters over and over. I read this book in conjunction with the P31ministry.org online bible study. I would recommend this book to any woman (or man) who wants to take their life in Christ to the next level.

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This book is available online at:
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Time To Stop Complaining

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Oct 9 jesus calling

From:  Jesus Calling by Sarah Young – page 296

“You have been on a long, uphill journey, and your energy is almost spent.  Though you have faltered at times, you have not let go of My hand.  I am pleased with your desire to stay close to Me.  There is one thing, however, that displeases Me: your tendency to complain.  You may talk to Me as much as you like about the difficulty of the path we are following.  I understand better than anyone else the stresses and strains that have afflicted you.  You can ventilate safely to Me, because talking with Me tempers your thoughts and helps you see things from My perspective.

Complaining to others is another matter altogether.  It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage.  Whenever you are temped to grumble, come to Me and talk it out  As you open up to Me, I will put My thoughts in your mind and My song in your heart.” Continue reading →

Verse Mapping

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A few weeks back, while I was working on the Proverbs 31 Ministry – “When A Woman Says Yes To God” online bible study, we were given a reference to a blog that gave a teaching on Verse Mapping .  Verse Mapping is a unique way to learn scripture by meditating on the Word.  In this blog post, there was also reference to personalizing the scripture verses by crossing out words like “you”, “we”, “whoever”, “them” and write in your name.

This reminded me of something that my mom taught me many years ago.  It was shortly after I was married.  I was just a young bride and for whatever reason (I can’t even begin to remember the reason) I was being particularly snotty one day towards my new husband.

God-inspired I’m sure, but my mom just happened to show up at our home during the midst of my hissy-fit.  Of course, not to let her and dad know that we were argueing… we, or should I say I, dropped whatever it was about.  But my mom had a special gift of knowing when her children were being “stupid” (my word, never hers) Continue reading →

Sometimes crazy just keeps going

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ 2 Comments

So much has gone on around here the last few days that it is making my head spin.  I won’t go in to too much detail, but suffice to say a member of my extended family is walking a real fine line in breaking the law and is asking Michael to be complicit in it!  His refusal to do that, to lie for this person is causing some major issues here.

I wrote a note to some friends and family other other night asking for adivce on how I should handle things.  In my role in this persons life, I have no  persuasion power over this person, I am merely someone on the fringes with no input, yet on the receiving end of the end results. So, I have to tread lightly in some matters, regardless of my thoughts.  This matter has caused significant arguements between them and us…  especially when I hear comments like… “it’s no big deal, it’s not hurting anyone” and my favorite – “everybody does it”.

So as I said, I sent out a note asking for help and advice.  Not a single response!  What???? It wasn’t until yesterday when I read in my devotional “Quietness and trust accomplish far more than you can imagine…When you trust Me in a given area, you release that problem or person to my care.” (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young – page 267) Continue reading →

30 Day Prayer Challenge

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

So we’ve just entered the last week of the “When A Woman Says Yes To God” online bible study that I’ve been participating in.  This really has been an eye-opening time for me.  I’ve learned so much about myself and my walk with God during this time.  I’ve discovered that I’m tired of “dancing around the edges”.   I’ve found that I am hungry for more of Him.   I’m finding that I have no desire for useless noise (ie television)… I am savoring the quiet.  I am anxious to wake up in the morning to see what blessings and knowledge the day will hold.

In the last Chapter of the book, the author – Lysa TerKeurst – challenges the reader, that after reading and studying this book still says NO to becoming radically obedient to God, to spend the next 30 days praying and asking God to reveal Himself to her and fill her with a desire for Him like never before. (pg 143)

I read this paragraph a few times and I wondered why it pertained only to the reader that says NO to being radically obedient to God.   I have said Yes to God, and with apologies to the author, but I am going to spend the next 30 days asking God to reveal more of Himself to me and fill me with a deeper desire for Him like I’ve never felt before.

So what do I really want?

  • I want more of God’s blessing on my life and my family.
  • I want to know without a doubt what His plan is for my life. Continue reading →

A Changed Perspective

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

December 16, 2005

On that day everything I knew and loved came to a screeching halt.  That was the day that my late-husband was diagnosed with inoperable metastatic lung cancer.  We were given the prognosis of 6 – 8 months.  I don’t know how I knew, but I just did.  I knew when the doctors came in that the news was going to be this bad.  Of course the frantic calls were made to family and friends asking, no pleading for prayers for us.  Nothing short of a miracle could fix this.

This journey (which I will detail sometime) lasted just 8 weeks – not 8 months.  But in 8 short weeks, I learned to rely totally on God as my strength.  I had no choice.  I was alone 1000 miles from my nearest family member.  With no help except occasional help from friends, I had to do it all.  I don’t know where the superhuman strength and fortitude came from…, but when I needed it, it was there.  Continue reading →

Never Again

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

(note: I do not take credit for this list, I found it a few years back)

 

Pray these scriptures over yourself and anyone else you choose daily

Never again will I confess “I can’t” for “I can do all things thru Christ which strengthens me.” Phil 4: 13 

Never again will I confess lack, for “My God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19 

Never again will I confess fear, for “God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:7

Never again will I confess doubt and lack of faith, for “God has given to every man the measure of faith.” Rom 12:3  Continue reading →

Divine Encounter

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been spending a bit of time today going over what I call “lessons learned this month”.  But today was different.  As you know, I’ve been involved in an online Bible Study called “When A Woman Says Yes To God“. book cover  I started just going over what I had underlined in the first 6 chapters… pondering and praying about some of the thoughts that really struck me.

Well I didn’t get very far into Chapter 1 and I read this:

” When you look at your everyday circumstances through the lens of God’s perspective, everything changes.  You come to realize that God uses each circumstance, each person who crosses your path, and each encounter you have with Him as a divine appointment.  Each day counts, and every action and reaction matters.”  (page 16) Continue reading →