Confessions of a Book Lover: Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

This book is one of my faves so far.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

I read it within a day (about 8 hours, with breaks)!

It is an amazing story for believers and non-believers of Christ.

I took extra pics of the back cover (enlarged), so that you can possibly read the details about the book.

If you read it, let me know what you think.

*This is my 1st book of 20 as suggested by friends.  It is part of my "101 in 1001" list!*



Thankful Tuesday!

I missed out on the post last week, but that is okay.  I am always thankful and gracious for the blessings that I receive from our LORD and SAVIOR!

*I am thankful for the rain and the storms b/c they remind me how powerful our LORD is!

*I am thankful that I received confirmation that all is good with my Associate's Degree application, it has been processed, and I will have my degree in hand in a couple of weeks!

*I am thankful for the weight and inches that I have lost, and for the knowledge, strength, endurance, and health benefits that I have gained through this new journey in my life.

My struggle through relationships and love!

Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to get married, settle down in my own home, and have children.  This was my dream as a little girl, and as I got older, it did not change, like others' dreams did.  I still want to find my soulmate, buy a house, and have the perfect little family.  Although, I know perfect is not possible, I believe with all my heart that the rest is.

I thought that by the time I was in my early 20's, I would be married, and already have at least one child.  Well, that has not happened so far.  I am 24, and I am not even in a relationship right now.  Sometimes I think, where did I go wrong?  What did I do to mess up my future and dream?

I have had many relationships, some long, some short.  My most recent relationship was almost 4.5 years long, and we lived together for the first 3.5 years.  It was never perfect, but I thought that we would be together forever, at first.  Then, it got crazy between us, and we were headed in completely different directions.  I wanted to settle down, and he, well he wanted other things.  Again, I wondered why this was happening, and what I had done wrong (even though I broke off our relationship)?

But, then I think about it, and I realize that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life, right now.  I realize that my plan was not God's plan, and His plan is always the best plan for our lives.

After I broke up with my most recent boyfriend, I went back to college.  If I had not been single, I would not have been able to complete what I did through school because of the relationship.  In addition, I would not be as close to God as I am now, if I were still in a relationship.

I have learned so much through the past year of being single.  I now know that I can accomplish anything, as long as it is God's will, and I have Him on my side.  I know that I do not need a guy in my life for me to be happy and loved.  I know that I am a strong, independent woman, and I have learned to trust in God, ALWAYS, no matter what is happening in my life at the time.

I have been through struggles, I have had my ups and downs, but I now have faith in God, and I am happy where I am at the moment.  Although, I am still praying for my soulmate, but I am waiting on God's time, not mine!

Thankful Tuesday!

It's back!  I cannot believe it has been a week, it has gone by so fast.  I am super excited, though, to list more blessings that I have to be thankful for.  The Lord is always there for me, even when I am not there for myself.  So, I am still thankful for all the things that were listed in my last Thankful Tuesday post, which can be found here.  In addition to these blessings, I have many more this week, including:

* I have now lost a total of 12.4 lbs.  Thank you, Lord! (To read about my recent weight loss, click here.)

* I live in a country where I am free to be me, free to serve and worship the Lord, and free to go to church, say pretty much what I want, and free to live.

* I have recently finished (on Sunday) my last two classes for my Associate's Degree in Elementary Education.  I am just waiting on my final grades, so that I can apply for my degree.

These three items are the main blessings I am thankful for today, but there are many, many more, and I will probably update this post to include those as the day goes on!

Thank you Lord for all your blessings, even those I do not recognize at first!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the beautiful mothers, I want to say thank you and Happy Mother's Day!  Our service today at church was about six great women and mothers in the Bible, and it was amazing.  Mothers are made in the image of God, as is everyone, but Moms lead their children in God's path and will!

Thank you to my Mom for always being there for me, supporting me, and pushing me to do my best.  I love you!

National Day of Prayer 2011

Today, May 5th, is the National Day of Prayer.  It always occurs on the first Thursday in May, which happens to be Cinco de Mayo.  I thought about today and how so many people will be celebrating by going to bars and drinking, even if they are not of Hispanic origin or from Mexico.  Well, I just found out that today is National Day of Prayer, and this is a much better way to celebrate today.

The link to the website is under National Day of Prayer.  Through this website, you can learn the history behind the day, the mission, and how you can get involved.

Today, I will be praying for many items, including the nation, the government, the current education system, and many other personal requests that I know about.  Please join me today & PRAY!

Thankful Tuesday!

So, I was reading my cousins' blogs, which can be found under Pink Pixie and By His Grace, and they turned me onto Thankful Tuesdays!  I just cannot resist the opportunity to praise and thank our LORD for all HE has done for me!

I am so thankful for all my blessings, and I try to thank the Lord each and every day for all I have and even for the things I do not have.

So, for this week, I am extremely thankful for:

*My family and friends - They are the greatest and the support that I receive from them is amazing.

*I have lost 10 lbs, which without God, would not have been possible, because I do not have the strength to do it on my own.

*I have food, clothes, a roof over my head, and a warm or cool (whichever I prefer) bed to sleep in.

*I am a full-time student, and I am about to finish my last two classes (on Sunday) for my Associate's Degree in Elementary Education!

*I attend an awesome church, with a terrific Pastor, who understands that we are all sinners, he does not judge, and he always tries to make you laugh.

Well, I could go on and on about how much I am blessed by the Lord, but I will leave this post as is for now!  Believe me, next week, I will have much more to post as my blessings, that I do not deserve, but the Lord loves me anyway!

Easter Sunday! - Christ is risen from the dead!

Easter is of course about Jesus Christ rising from the grave, after dying to pay for our sins!  Well, Easter, to me, is also about family, friends, and love.  Since we spent Saturday with the girls, we went on and gave them their Easter baskets, filled with simple pleasures!

Cazzie & Shayna's Baskets

Stormi's Easter Basket

Momma & I after Easter services & lunch :)

Just me <3

My struggles to quit smoking!

So, for Lent, I decided that I wanted to quit smoking.  Now, I can honestly say that I have been trying, but the urge and cravings are so strong sometimes.  I do not want to try to quit anymore though, I want to just do it.

I have never been the type to use programs, patches, gums, etc.  When I decided I wanted to quit, I just quit.  I would put cigarettes down, and not pick them up for weeks or months later.  But this time, it seems so hard for me & I don't know why.

Well, I think I know part of the reason why.  I am trying to do the LORD'S WILL, and that means the devil is trying to stop me.  Any Christian knows what I mean.  So, I will continue to pray, trust in the Lord, have faith, and hope that others will pray for me that I can quit sooner rather than later.

By the way, I have done great with giving up sodas for Lent.  I did not have a soda from the time I woke up
Wednesday morning until Sunday around lunch time.  So, I only had sodas on Sunday, which is allowed, but I don't think I will have any this Sunday, because they did not taste the same as usual.  In addition, I feel better not loading my diet down with sugary drinks and all that caffeine.  I do still drink coffee occasionally (which makes me think I am going to fix a pot in just a minute), but I feel so much better without all the sugar.  I now drink water, coffee, low calorie and sugar Gatorade, and zero calorie and sugar Powerade!

God bless you all & Have a great night!

Ash Wednesday - Lent

As far as I can remember, I have never participated in Lent and the process of giving up something for the time between Ash Wednesday & Easter Sunday!  But, this year will be different.  This year I plan to give up sodas, and I am going to try to quit smoking.  I do not like the word "quit" though.  So, I am going to try to stop smoking, indefinitely!

The reason I chose the two things are because I feel they are weighing me down and holding me back from Jesus.  Instead of relying on the Lord, I have become addicted to items that are bad for my health and my religion.

I want to become a stronger person, individual, and Christian.  I want to crave the Lord not sodas or cigarettes.  I want to live my life to the fullest, without anything holding me down.  Cigarettes and soda are ruining my health, which is ruining my progress to become a stronger person and Christian.

Lent is the time to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!  It is a time to pray, as Jesus did, while removing items from your life that are holding you back.  During this time, I will try to pray and read the Bible several times throughout the day, while giving up items that are holding me back in my life.  In addition, I plan to clean and get rid of items that are old and not needed anymore.  I believe that by committing to Lent and sacrificing items, I will become more in tune with the Lord and His will in my life.