SHRINK YOUR FEARS - UCB Devotional

Each morning, my inbox has about four or five different daily devotionals, and I don’t read them all daily, but some mornings, I find I need just a little more God time, and I can go back to a devotional I’ve skipped, did that this morning, and the message below just needed to be shared.

As someone who is barely learning how to really take charge of their life, this reminder is a big one for me. The Lord is the source of our strength, and when we seek Him and truly trust that He will guide our way, fear of failure disappears. 

‘When I am afraid, I will trust in you.’ Psalms 56:3

Mary loved being a homemaker. She’d been married for thirty years to John, a successful businessman. Because John had always taken care of things, Mary had learned never to take risks. As a result, her biggest fear was that she’d be left alone one day. Sometimes she would tell her friends, ‘I hope I go before John because I don’t think I could handle things by myself.’ But then John became ill and Mary was placed in the position of caring for him, plus having to make all the decisions for them both. It was nerve-wracking at first. But once she put her trust in God and decided to take charge, she made an interesting discovery: Security doesn't lie in having things, but in handling them! She found that facing her fears was easy compared to the years she’d spent feeling inadequate, helpless and dependent. Facing your fears is always easier than living with helplessness. In fact, when you let fear stop you, you end up living with feelings of dread and helplessness that are a hundred times worse than if you had just faced your fears and moved forward. The truth is, if you tell yourself often enough that you can’t do something, you will be unable to do it-even though you have the talent, time, resources, strategy, and friends to accomplish it. Only those who say they can, do. Saying you believe in yourself and the God who lives within you may not guarantee your success, but saying you don’t will guarantee your failure. So today, face your fears head on, and watch them shrink.
© 2013: This devotional is produced by UCB, free of charge through the generosity of our supporters. 

Sharing Joy

Life gets kinda busy sometimes, and even simple things we enjoy - like blogging - get tossed to the back burner to make room for other things. New adventures in my life have recently distracted me from some of my favorite releases, and you’ll be happy to know, I’M BACK! The most adventurous step I’ve taken the last few months is marrying my best friend. He is my rock and definitely the man God created to balance the crazy in me. So this blog will be brief and nothing more than a chance for me to share some pictures from my wedding- for the five of you actually following my blog….lol 

God bless!!

Book Review: Wild Goose Chase

In Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson once again takes us on an honest and intense look at our lives as "Christians."

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….
Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” --from the introduction

Batterson's unique writing style encourages us to really look at what it means to pursue the Holy Spirit, and dares us to question whether or not those of us who actively pursue God, really stop and listen to where God would have us seek Him.

I definitely recommend reading this book for yourself, no matter what stage of growth your faith is in, you will not be sorry you did.

To read an excerpt from Mark Battersons Wild Goose Chase, please click on this link from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing: Wild Goose Chase Excerpt






 I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. This book can be purchased from: http://www.alibris.com/,  amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, booksamillion.com