the best yes & for the right reasons [book review]

EDIT:  I've hesitated to write this post for a while now, because I felt like my words wouldn't be able to do the book justice...and they don't.  But I still want to share it with you.  So please take them as that.  My words.  My best words. (no pun intended ;))  But the book is so much more!

I wanted to check in with my 2015 book list.  I've finished reading two books since then, and one that wasn't originally on my reading list.

The first read I accomplished was The Best Yes.  I'm not one to say "yes" too often, because I don't feel bad about saying "no" but this book still taught me so many wonderful things!

As a woman, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a teacher...(the list could go on)...we have so many different demands in our life!  There are choices we are required to make to only choose to do the things that are beneficial to those in need in our lives; our children, our families, ourselves and our Lord.  That doesn't mean we have to say "yes" to every single one of the opportunities that comes to our attention.  

Learning to say "no" can make the things you say "yes" to, so much more enjoyable!

Lysa walks you through different situations, step-by-step, teaching you how and when to say no, but also when to say "yes" and making that YES, your "Best Yes".  It's a great read for women of all ages! 

Some of my favorite quotes from the book include:

We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.

But I dread what saying yes will do to the already-running-on-empty me.

When all of life feels like an urgent rush from one demands to another...we become forgetful.  Forgetful of God. 

A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.

And that's just getting into Chapter 3.  If any of these quotes reach out to you and grab you, and you can totally relate to them, then this books is for YOU!  You can order it HERE.

I didn't even know Sean Lowe was writing a book until I saw it on IG a week before it came out.  I quickly pre-ordered it and couldn't wait for it to arrive on my door step!

Most people just see him as one of those crazy people who went on a TV show to find love, but there is SO much more to him than that.  He actually gives me hope for men in this world.  All we see of his life now is the "fabulous-ness"...but it hasn't always been that way, and he tells you that in this book.  He gets REAL.  Some of it might make you wonder how someone made it through all that...but he did, and he is here to tell you about!

Yes, he did find love via a television show, but this guy is a class act, and I'm so glad he is sharing "his story" with the world.  For the most part, this is a "fluff" read...I read it in a weekend, but that should tell you how good it was!  

This is a great vacation or weekend getaway book!

Order yourself a copy HERE!

2015 books

I haven't really set "goals" for 2015 other than to "Be Still..."

...but like most people, I wish I had more time to READ!  I read a lot in HS during down time at school and that made me happy.  I miss that happiness that a book can bring!

Over the last year, as I would read about a certain book, or a new book would come out on a topic I was interested in, so I wouldn't forget about it, I added it to my Amazon wishlist.  Well, the Christmas fairies came through and I'm pretty sure I got ALL of those books for Christmas!  That's exciting and all...except you can't read all of them at once!  

I've been reading The Best Yes since September...and I love it, I just have taken it slow to be able to soak in all the goodness of it, but I'm ready to finish it so that I can reflect back on what it's taught me, and how to move forward with the knowledge and resources it has provided.  

And...I'm just ready to dive into all the other books I've been wanting to read! 

So...here is my list for 2015.  Surely I can get through 6 books in a whole year!  

The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst

The Essential 55 (this is a book about teaching, I've seen the movie, but want to read the book) by Ron Clark

Hand Free Mama by Rachel Stafford

Let's all be Brave by Annie Downs

Speak by Nish Weiseth

Praying for Boys by Brook McGlothlin

I'm not sure which one I"m going to read next!?  Any suggestions!  What should I add to my Amazon wish list for NEXT year!  Haha! ;)

"navigate" by scott attebery

I recently had the opportunity to read the book Navigate by Scott Attebery.  Scott is the Executive Director of DiscipleGuide Church Resources.  He has served as campus minster on a college campus, as well as pastored his own church.    His book goes into great detail of how we are supposed to go about understanding and pursing God's will in our lives.  

When I saw what his book was about, I'll be honest and admit I was a bit scared tpo read it...because talking about God's will for your life is a BIG deal and at times can seem a bit overwhelming (at least for me!).  I am so guilty to just run from things when I "don't like them" or are "scared of" or "don't want to talk or think about".  But there are times we just have to tighten our boot straps and jump on in, and that's exactly what I did--and I am so glad that I did!

"What is God's will for my life?"  "How am I supposed to know what God's will for me is?"  These are questions I would assume most Christian's have asked themselves at one time or another.  This book provided me with a great outlook on how we are supposed to answer, and conquer these questions!  

I am a regular reader of Scott's blog which you can find HERE.  He has a way with words that allow him to teach and share the Word in such a unique way.  The way he shares stories and experiences and how they relate to scripture are so touching, and real to me.  When he asked to share a copy of his book with me, I knew this piece would be no different, and I was exactly right.  

As I read through the book there were SO many different things that I underlined and highlighted, but I wanted to share just a few of them with you in hopes that it will give you the desire to order a copy for yourself!  

I won't say it was quick read because it can be deep and I wanted to let it all sink in...and not read through it too fast, causing me to miss the message.  But, once you get going...it's easy to just want to keep flipping the pages to learn more and more about His will and how we are supposed to find that will of God for our own lives!  

God doesn't allow us to see or know everything...but we are told to obey His word.  "As long as we obey His written Word (our manual), we can trust Him to work all things for the good of those who love him."

I am super guilty of worrying about things in life, when I know in my heart that He is taking care of it all.  It may not be in my time or my way...but He is taking care of it, and I have absolutely no reason to be worrying about it!  

What God has done is "instructed us to obey His manual, the Bible.  That's our assignment in pursuing His will."  Ouch.  Such a valuable resource that we have been blessed with, but are we using it?   

"Knowing the will of God is rooted in obeying His written Word"  There we go again.  Why are we looking else where?  He has provided us with such a great tool.  We are supposed to be smart and use it as He intended!

Is there going to be an exact answer to every situation and problem we face today found in His Word?  No.  "But there are always principals in Scripture that apply to our every situation, and we must seek in wisdom to identify these."  

In Sunday School a few weeks ago, we talked about how His word is timeless.  It was affective to people then, and it is affective to us now.  Is our life today the same as it was for people living back then?  Absolutely not.  But can we get the same lessons out of His Word that they did?  Yes we can!  His Word is a timeless treasure.    

After finishing Navigate, I was reading Lysa Terkeurst's The Best Yes, and ran across a statement and immediately thought back to Scott's book!  It goes exactly along with everything he said in his book, and I just had to share it with you in this post.  "When we slip at living out the Word of God, we slip at living in the will of God."

So where can we find His will for our lives?  In His Word.    

I'll have to stop there, and you'll have to get yourself a copy to get more in-depth!  But, I'll leave you with one last quote, and it's a good one! 

You can purchase Navigate HERE and it can also be bought electronically for your Kindle, through iTunes as well as for your Nook.  

Be sure to follow Scott's blog to hear more from him on a regular basis!    

Book provided by Scott Attebery, but all opinions are my own.  

i heart nicholas sparks

Since early March, I have finished three Nicholas Sparks books.  Crazy I know!--and two of them I finished in less than a week!

The Longest Ride (which was just announced to be filming in Wilmington, NC), The Best of Me (which is currently filming in Louisiana), and Safe Haven (which has already been made into a movie).  I have Safe Haven on DVD and have watched it a dozen times, but I really enjoyed reading the book because I got so much more information out of it about the characters and from the characters than you do while watching the movie.  So, I really enjoyed reading the book after having watched the movie...which is not something I can always say.

I’ve had all of these books since the year they came out because I always ask for them for Christmas, but I just wasn’t always at a time in my life where I could read them.  Now is finally the time!

As I’ve stated before, The Longest Ride was two different loves stories intertwined.  One of them being about an older couple, yet the woman was no longer living.  Her husband was involved in a car crash which left him trapped in his car on an embankment, covered in snow, for several days.  While he was trapped in his car he had a visitor and it was from the spirit of his wife.  It was as though she was there with him, helping him survive and live through another day.  The reminisced and took many trips down memory lane.  He knew she wasn’t real and she wasn’t really there because she would come and go at different times.  She was there when he needed her most though and that’s what made it so sweet and intimate.

The Best of Me.  This book is probably the farthest from any of the other Nicholas Sparks book I’ve read.  It is about High School sweethearts, Dawson and Amanda, that had both gone their separate ways and and went on to live their own lives without each other.  Throughout the entire book, Dawson constantly sees this man in a blue jacket...but when he makes it to where the spot where the man was, the man is always gone and no longer there.  Dawson only sees this man during life changing events in his life and at times when he is in need of help and distraction to survive.  It’s hard to pick a favorite, but the end of this one had tears fall down my face.  The end as in the last sentence….and then it’s over.   ECCK!  Can’t wait for the movie to come out in October!!  You have until the to read it!

And Safe Haven.  This is the oldest of these three, yet still a goodie!  It probably read it the quickest because I had seen the movie I knew how good it was going to get!  In this movie a girl, Katie, runs away from her abusive husband.  Once she settles into a cottage, that she thinks is far from everyone else, she soon discovers she has a neighbor.  It is a woman about her age, maybe a little older.  She ends up becoming her friend, they drink wine together, go to eat dinner together and talk about life and the love relationship that starts to accumulate over time. Without giving too much away...she later realizes this “friend” was only someone she could see.  

I thought it was interesting that all three of these books has a "ghost" of some sort in it...or a "spirit" if you will. I just love ole' Nicholas and the way he writes his books! He never disappoints! I actually got to listen to him speak and then meet him afterwards a few years ago! You can read about that HERE.

(This picture isn't great...but that's what happens when you ask a stranger to take a pic for you!)

spring/summer reading list

All through my Internship last fall, I wanted to READ!  I had read Divergent over the summer and slowly got through Insurgent during my Internship...but after that I wanted to read EVERYTHING, but I knew I honestly didn’t have the time and I was so sad about that!  

Any time I was spending leisurely reading, I knew I should be studying, or working on assignments due at the end of the semester.  It was hard to find time to squeeze a little leisurely reading in along with going to school every day 745-330.   

I was looking forward to graduating just so I could read books!  Ha...books I wanted to read, not overpriced textbooks!  

In High School I would read in class all the time when we had down time.  I usually had one of the Harry Potter books or something written by Nicholas Sparks with me.  That’s about as far as my reading got (and I’m okay with that!)

I finally finished Allegiant in mid January...I was ready to finish it to complete the Divergent series, especially since the movie was coming out in March.

I really enjoyed the series as a whole, but Divergent was my favorite book by far.  Insurgent I felt like was too long and drawn out and a lot of it could have been left out, but that’s just me!  Allegiant kept my attention...but was also confusing at times...and the end was complete SHOCKER!  But still happy I read the series!

I knew I wanted to read something by Nicholas Sparks afterwards...to get a little romance in my life!  Ha!  I took to his latest book The Longest Ride and let’s just say it was the best little ride! ;)  It is set in modern times and two love stories intertwined into one book.  It’s interesting to see how the two stories end up tying together.  I finished it in record time {for me!} which says a lot about how good it was!

Not everyone enjoys Nicholas Sparks’ books, but I have always loved them since the movie of The Notebook came out!  I don’t know if I can pick a favorite though!  I have all of his books and most of his movies...right now my favorite movies of his are Safe Haven and The Lucky One.  Both such sweet love stories!  

I knew his next movie coming out was The Best of Me, so that was my next book of choice.  I wanted to make sure I read it before it came out in theaters (October 2014).  It’s not nearly as long as The Longest Ride {no pun intended! ;)}...but I’m having a little trouble getting into it, but hoping that it is going to get moving at a faster speed soon.  Good or bad, I know I’ll be glad I read it before I see the  movie!

I just heard about The Fault in the Stars yesterday and had honestly seen the cover a few times floating around the web, but never paid much attention to it.  So of course I ran to Mr. Google to see what all the hype was about.  I watched the trailer and noticed one of the main characters was being played by one of the same girl who is playing Tris in Divergent...Shailene Woodley!  I haven’t been STOCKED about her being picked to play Tris, but I guess if she’s an up and coming star...there’s a reason she’s in too hot movies coming out this summer.  

So I guess she’s basically what reeled me in, and now The Fault in the Stars is next on my “To Read” list!

31 day blog challenge...day 11

Day 11:  Last book you read.

Sadly, the last thing I've read for fun was The Hunger Games series.  Catching Fire was my absolute favorite, and MockingJay was a complete waste of  my time!  Ha--if you've read it, you know what I mean!--Kind of how I felt at the end of LOST.  Can something really be that good?  & then BOOM, it's over and you're still like WHAAT??

Anyways..I've started a few different books since then, but I honestly just don't have time to pleasure read right now because I have so many other things that I have to be reading for school...ya know all those expensive textbooks you pay for, to learn from, and take tests over...?  Yeah...those.  :/

I hope you've read something a little more interesting lately than me!  I know there are SO many good books out there...but maybe one day I'll be able to read them!  =)

Our Christmas Reading List

For several years, I have been trying to collect a good collection and variety of Christmas books for us to read each night during the month of December.  I started out with a few kiddie books, but I knew I needed to get some older ones as well so that R would still be interested in them as he got older.  I look for them all year long, and then he gets a new one every year for Christmas.  I don't quite have 25 yet, but am hoping to get there after Christmas from the sale rack!  ;)  Here are just a few that we have wrapped and under our tree for Ryder to pick out each night!  He loves it & gets so excited about unwrapping an old book!  Ha!

Merry Christmas-bright baby touch & feel (one of my favorite baby book brands!)

The Christmas Story 

FROSTY the Snowman-by Jack Rollins & Steve Nelson

The Story of Christmas-by Patricia A. Pingry

The Pine Tree Parable-by Liz Curtis Higgs This is a story about giving to those less fortunate than us, and is written by a Christian author and has verses to go with the story on each page.  I got this as a little girl when my mom met the author at a conference.  

How the Grinch Stole Christmas-by Dr. Seuss Can you really go wrong here?  It's kind of long, but a fun read!

Can't Wait Till Christmas!-by AR former Governor, Mike Huckabee

Santa Mouse-by Michael Brown This is just a fun little story & even came with a little stuff Santa Mouse! ;)

Miracle in a Shoe Box-by Franklin Graham  This book is the story that goes along with Operation Christmas Child

I'll be Home for Christmas-by Holly Hobbie Goofy little story about a pig!  Ha!

Christmas in the Manger-by Nola Buck This was one of the first Christmas books I bought for R his very first Christmas when he was only 4 months old.  It's still a good read even today...

Merry Creature Christmas-by Dandi Daley Mackall Interesting little read about a bear that wakes up from hibernation to celebrate Christmas with his forest friends...

Merry Christmas Curious George-by H.A. Ray a pure classic!  This is one of R's favorites and a must on every Christmas bookshelf!  I actually found this hardback one at Goodwill for a whopping one dollar!

Charlie and the Christmas Kitty-by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) I bought this at TJ because it was by TPW, but I was a bit disappointed...not much of a story, or Christmas for that matter to it.  :/

Jolly Old Santa Claus-by Maryjane Hooper Tonn I picked this up this year at TJ because we didn't really have any about SC and this one touched on everything he does at the North Pole all year long which I thought was fun!  R hasn't read it yet, so we'll see how he likes it!

Stories of Santa-this is really just a book full of songs to learn about Santa

Step inside The First Christmas-this is another Goodwill find...and it's the story of Christ's birthday with 3D pictures.  I think R will like it...and it's something different than a normal book.  

There are SO many other Christmas books that I want to add to our collection, but I can only do a few at a time...but I look for them all year and that helps with building up our collection!  I want some that teach about the meaning of the candy cane, gingerbread man etc.  I am always scoring Amazon for new ones!

What are some Christmas books they y'all read each year?  I am anxious to hear, and will have to add them to my wish-list!  =)