Today I’m thankful for the fact that He is a God of second chances… no matter how badly I mess up He opens His arms up, holds me, says it is ok my daughter, straightens my tiara (I am a princess, remember) and sets me back on my feet!

I am thankful for the husband he has blessed me with, my children, for family (biological, by marriage, and even those who are family by friendship), for friends, and for the fact that God has given us facebook and blogs (yes, I think they are blessings from God) so that we can keep in touch with those who are special and that perhaps we wouldn’t keep up with otherwise.

I’m grateful for the small things like sparkly shoes, lotion, Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, stampin’ & scrapbooking, I Love Lucy, pedicures, music, photos to help remember memories, giraffes, tiaras, all things sparkly and shiny, the color pink, books (real ones, not those silly e-books), and so many other things…

I’m thankful for America, for the opportunities that this country gives me.  I’m thankful for all the men and women who defend it for us and who have ever defended it for us so that those freedoms are still available to us every single day.

I’m thankful for ALL of my life experiences, good and bad.  They have taught me and shaped me into the person I am.  I am thankful for the fact that they will help other women who are going through or have gone through those things to see healing is possible, even though it takes time and is often a long journey.

I’m just thankful.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to share Jesus with everyone around me, to show my love to them, and to show His love to them by trying to be an example (although I don’t often succeed).  I’m thankful for those who have shown me by their lives and their example how to do this.  I’m thankful for those who have taught me and given me opportunities to learn about Him.

I’m thankful for my salvation.  I am thankful for the amazing gift that God gave me by His life, death, and resurrection.  I am thankful for His provision and blessings.  His love is so amazing and wonderful I cannot fathom it.  I am thankful that He loves me enough.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you have many many things to be thankful for today, especially for the Gift of the Love of God!

in Him,

Tricia

Kay Arthur says, “The Refiner’s fire is a picture of great worth and importance to God, one He refers to often in His Word.”  In her book, “As Silver Refined: Answers to Life’s Disappointments” she is explaining how we go through disappointments, why, and how to deal with them.

The beginning of the book explains how silver is refined; the difficult time consuming process of refinement, and how the end result is beautiful; but the most important thing is that during the whole process the silver is never left alone, the refiner is always there.

This book is a comparison of our life difficulties and hardships to the refinement process of silver.  Arthur uses the many Scriptural verses that refer to refinement as a basis for this illustration.  She artfully explores how our difficulties are refining us, drawing us closer to God, and helping us rely more on Him.  She provides examples from the Bible and modern times of people who have gone through these difficulties, and how they have handled them.  Each chapter covers a different disappointment we might face in life and different ways to approach it.  The book also includes a 13 week Bible Study at the end.

I was touched by so much in this book.  I recognized so much of myself inside each chapter.  I asked myself with each topic how I have responded to those difficulties, or how I would respond to that difficulty if/when it should occur in my life.  I would love to get together with a group of ladies (or couples) and go through the study in this book.  I think it would be so enlightening and spur such growth to share with others how we have gone through our difficulties and how it has drawn us closer to God.

I would recommend that everyone read this book.  We all go through difficulties in life.  The difference is how we let those difficulties affect us.  Will we choose to let them refine us or destroy us?  My prayer is that I will always let them refine me like silver.

You can read the first chapter of “As Silver Refined: Answers to Life’s Disappointments” here.  I pray that it will bless you.

in Him,

Tricia

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group through the Blogging for Books program.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I can’t describe what it was like last weekend, I really can’t.  My friend K came from Texas, it was her first Women of Faith experience.  I think she enjoyed it.  We laughed, we cried, we prayed, we worshipped, we heard God whisper our name, we felt Him tap us on the shoulder, we heard Him shout out to us, and we felt Him wrap us in His arms and tell us how much He loves us.

First the worship… There is something about standing in a room with thousands of other women worshipping our Lord together that is surreal!  Hearing those voices raised in praise to the One who sustains us is inexplicable!  The sight of so many hands raised in praise, so much joy on so many faces, and such pure unadulterated love for God is awe inspiring and just blows me away!  I cannot imagine what it will be like in Heaven to worship our God in person, because worshipping at Women of Faith is so amazing!

Last weekend really blew me away, and not just because of the worship.  As I listened to each speaker I was touched in a different way.  Brenda Warner said that she doesn’t have to be today who she was yesterday.  Lisa Whelchel talked about being isolated and alone, about what it feels like to not be known, and about how important friends are.  As Patsy Clairmont talked about her son’s illness and hospitalization I was transported back to when my husband, Donovan, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre’ in 2008.  She talked about how we need to be connected and how important love is.  Sandi Patty spoke of the dreams she had and how God had bigger and better dreams, he said no to hers but yes to the ones she didn’t see.  She was honest and open about her weight struggles, something I can totally relate to, and she spoke about how God fights for us.  We don’t have to fight; He will do it for us, Exodus 14:14. We heard about brokenness and imperfection.  We heard about wanting more and the cravings we have, but in eternity we won’t have any more cravings!  We were reminded that God knows all our secrets and yet is still there.  In the drama Deborah Joy Winans said that when we throw rocks at people’s sins we can’t change the world, we are just pock-marking it with hatred and fear.  I saw the joy in Mandisa as she sang, danced, and worshipped.  I saw the heart of Amy Grant as she sang to us.  I was moved to tears by Andy Andrews, and laughed as he moved around the floor like he was on fire, that man can’t stand still!  Then I laughed until I cried at the amazing genius of Tim Hawkins!

You know what really struck me though?  As I listened and watched I realized just how real these people are.  Don’t get me wrong, I knew that before, but it struck me anew this year.  What an amazing thing to follow God’s will and get up on that stage in front of thousands of women and confess your failures.  They don’t just get up there and talk a good talk.  They go onto that stage and bare their hearts and souls.  They speak the words someone needs to hear, and they change lives.  Not because they are gifted speakers or say the right things, those things are true, but it’s more than that.  They are honest and truthful and admit all their faults and share their lives.  As I listened to each story, heard each song, watched each dramatic presentation, I had to ask myself if I could be that honest.  I had to ask myself if I could be that honest with myself, with my own family, and with those around me.  I have always thought of Women of Faith as a ministry for women; a place where women could go ever year to hear about God, to worship, to learn about Him, and hopefully be blessed in some way.  I realized this weekend that it is more than a ministry for women; Women of Faith is a ministry to women.

Women of Faith ministered to my heart this weekend.  They ministered to my soul and my understanding was changed in a tangible way.  I came away from the US Airways center last Saturday moved and touched beyond belief.  I can’t explain the change really; it’s deeper than feelings or thoughts.  It’s more than I’ve felt in a long time.  My heart was transformed in a way last weekend that I can’t explain.  I can only say that you need to go.  You need to experience the ministry of Women of Faith to your heart to really understand.

in Him,

Tricia

Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God…? – Romans 11:33 (MSG)

Let me give you some history of my journey with Women of Faith and how it has impacted me.  I first went to Women of Faith in 2006 for the Contagious Joy conference.  I was asked to go with two friends from church.  I was very nervous; I would be driving by myself from San Antonio, TX to Houston, TX.  This wouldn’t have been that big of a deal normally, I’d made that drive many many times.  What made this different was that just a few months before I had gotten out of the hospital for major depression.  I was very anxious about the drive, but I was really convicted to go.  This conference was amazing and I was so touched!  I had never experienced anything like this before!  I was unable to attend the Friday event because of work; I could not take any time off for this because I had been off so much because of my hospitalization.  I made it Friday evening and Saturday’s conference blew me away!  I had never heard of Women of Faith, I was a baby Christian, these speakers were new to me, the artists were new to me, and the concept was new to me.  I was touched beyond belief!  I learned my life verse that weekend… Psalm 139:14… go look it up, I’m not gonna tell you!  ;o)

The next year the same two ladies put together a small group from our church to attend the National Conference which was located there in San Antonio!  That was awesome!  Attending with a group was so much fun!  We all stayed in a hotel together, we all went to dinner during the break, and they had put together a dessert reception for us Friday evening after the sessions.  We stayed up late and talked about what we had experienced, what the speakers had talked about, it was like a slumber party!  One really special thing for me was that my mother-in-law was able to fly in from Pennsylvania to go with us!  I love my mother-in-law and I was so happy she was able to do that!  Another amazing experience with such growth toward God and amazing new friendships!

In 2008 for the National conference we did the same thing!  Again, awesome!  This year though we did a pajama party “theme” for the dessert reception!  Can you imagine 15-20 women roaming a hotel in their pajamas?  It was fabulous!  My mother-in-law wasn’t able to come, but I shared a room with my two best friends, and it was so awesome!  We stayed up again talking and visiting, and rehashing what we had heard and seen that night.  Crying, laughing, sharing, caring, something you never forget.  One of the most amazing things a woman can do.  Slumber parties as an adult are awesome, I highly recommend it!  Friday night we were also blessed to see the Max Lucado 3:16 talk, presentation, what would you call it?  Amazing!  Fabulous!  Life changing!

Later in 2008 we moved from Texas to Arizona and the Infinite Grace conference was here.  My best friend Dawn (aka Lucy) was able to fly out here and attend with me.  We volunteered.  It was amazing, and hard work!  This was also the first time we had floor seats, which made getting to our seats a bit hectic!  We had already purchased the tickets when we decided to volunteer, so we were able to work out something about the free tickets, I don’t remember how exactly.  We got there early, worked hard, stayed a bit after, and had an awesome time!  It was so amazing to help out.  We worked one of the retail tables, so we would leave the sessions a few minutes early to get to the table and head back in a few minutes after it started.  That’s what made getting to the seats a bit difficult; being on the floor it was harder to get down there with so many people already in there.  When they provide you with your free tickets for volunteering I believe they are close to the top in a certain section, so you can pop in and out easier.  We stayed in a hotel nearby and getting there Friday night was an adventure, to say the least!  I don’t think we slept much and we were so tired at the end of the day Saturday, but it is so worth it!  One thing that I learned from volunteering is that while they are sharing the gospel onstage they close down the merchandise tables.  Nothing is sold while the speaker is sharing the message of Christ and salvation.  I was so moved by this.  I did not know that because in other years I have always been in my seat during this, when we volunteered we had already slipped upstairs to be there when the session ended.  That moved me to tears.

In 2009 Dawn flew out again to go with me, this time to A Grand New Day.  It was in downtown Phoenix at the US Airways center so it wasn’t as far of a drive, but we stayed in a hotel again and took the Light Rail from the hotel to the venue.  We got floor seats again, and it was so neat to be sitting behind the, “porch,” where the speakers sit.  We got to see them interact with one another first hand, and I think we saw a couple of them tweeting about the event too!  I know we were!  It was an interesting trip back and forth from the hotel though.  There was a truck in the parking lot of our hotel asking for prayer for a little girl who was sick, we did.  On our way back to the conference Friday night we saw a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk smoking crack, right there in the open.  I was afraid; Dawn didn’t realize what it was until I told her though.  I realized on the train though that I really shouldn’t be afraid.  God is there with me, and He was protecting me.  Again, an amazing time, very little sleep because we were up most of the night talking, laughing, and crying.  Oh, and did I mention we had matching pajamas?

Last year was the first year that Women of Faith did two different conferences in different cities.  I thought that was cool, except that I was sad I wasn’t going to see all the speakers.  We would be seeing Imagine here in Phoenix.  I had put together a small group of ladies from our church to go, I was sad though because for the first time since 2007 Dawn would not be with me.  However, at the last minute some of the ladies were not able to go so I had to find people to take their seats.  God took care of it though, of course.  One lady was still able to use her ticket, one lady from our small group said she would love to go, Dawn was able to come at the last minute (YAY!), and then myself.  I had one ticket left, but at the last minute something happened and God brought someone along who was able to use the ticket and be blessed out of her socks by Women of Faith!  This time we couldn’t stay in a hotel, but it didn’t matter!  The conference was still amazing and life changing!  Dawn and I spent the night talking and laughing, crying and sharing.  Unfortunately Dawn and I were unable to attend on Saturday, but the other ladies were so blessed and it was life changing for them!  I am so blessed by that!

2011!!!  I am SO excited!  I have been given an amazing opportunity; you see I wasn’t going to go this year.  We couldn’t afford it.  Then, I received an e-mail from Booksneeze about a giveaway.  They were giving their bloggers an opportunity to receive two tickets to a Women of Faith conference in their area if they would blog about it.  I didn’t think I had a chance.  You see, although I do get traffic, I don’t get many comments… so I wasn’t sure, but I submitted my information anyway and prayed.  “God, this is in your hands.”  Then I received an e-mail, I had been selected!  I was so excited!  So, who do I ask to use the extra ticket?  Dawn of course.  I called and told her to discuss it with her husband.  Finances, school, whether she could physically do it, etc.  A while later I got her call back… “YES!”  So she’s coming!  I’m so excited!  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us this year at Over the Top!

As I’ve gone to Women of Faith conferences I’ve been introduced to some women who are moving and powerful.  Patsy Clairmont, Marilyn Meberg, Luci Swindoll, Sheila Walsh, Nicole Johnson, Thelma Wells, Lisa Harper, Nicole Johnson, Chonda Pierce, Anita Renfroe, the list goes on.  I’ve had the privilege of seeing some amazing artists such as Nicole C. Mullen, Mandisa, Avalon, Sandi Patty, Steven Curtis Chapman, Ayiesha Woods, and the fabulous Women of Faith Worship Team.  I have seen Max Lucado, Marcus Buckingham, Henry Cloud, Steve Arterburn, and others I can’t even count.  The thing about the speakers and artists is that they are real.  They aren’t just up there flashing their names and being famous.  They speak from their lives and their hearts.  They share their stories.  They laugh, they cry, they are there with you.  It’s intimate, even in an arena with thousands of people.  I’ve seen friends be moved to tears, I’ve held them as the walls protecting their secret pains crumble.  I’ve held their hands and laughed hilariously as joy they didn’t know they had has rushed forth and seen smiles burst out that have been hidden for years.  I’ve been with friends who had no light in their eyes and as they walk into the room with thousands of other women praising God and feel his presence seen a sparkle come into their eye like never before.  It’s an amazing experience.  To hear someone that you’ve never met, like Chonda Pierce, share her struggle with depression and that she is headed back to the hospital for that depression moves you… to listen to Sheila Walsh’s story about her childhood and her depression and relate to it so much moves you, to hear a “friend” like Thelma Wells tell you she is no longer going to be touring with Women of Faith… to see Luci Swindoll come out in a wheelchair a couple of times because she isn’t feeling well… to hear Patsy Clairmont tell her stories, Marilyn Meburg hers, and on and on… these women in just a few short years, even though I have never met them, have become my friends in a way, because they share themselves with us.  They share themselves in a way that is real and true, and that touches me because it is so much like my hurts and pains!  I think it is so much like a lot of women’s hurts and pains.  God uses them in that way with thousands of women every time a Woman of Faith conference begins.

The most important thing though?  Women of Faith conferences are about God, pure and simple.  The speakers talk about Him, about how He guides them and helps them.  Not about how they are perfect or how their lives are so perfect now and yours can be too if you just believe, but about how they are broken and He is working in that brokenness.  About how He helps us, how He loves us, how He wants us to let Him do those things, and He wants us to love Him back.  It’s not a feel good happy happy joy joy ministry.  It’s real, and its life changing.  You will laugh, you will cry, and you will make memories that will last a lifetime.  You’ll make memories with friends, but more importantly memories with God.  If you have the opportunity to attend a Women of Faith conference take it, grab onto it with both hands, you won’t regret it!  If you happen to be attending the one in Phoenix next month let me know, I’d love to say hi!

Don’t forget to come back here in late September/early October to see my blog about what Dawn and I experience at Over the Top this year… I can’t wait to tell you about it!

I think most people, even those who don’t have kids, know what I’m talking about.  They have their hands in EVERYTHING!!  As a mom of 3 I remember almost constantly having to pick up something when one of my kids was at that age.  Usually after I thought everything was put away out of reach there was something else, and sometimes it was all put away and they still managed to get into something.  One time one of the kids, I won’t say which because even though they find it funny they would probably be mortified that I’m telling it on the web, managed to get the pantry open and get a big bag of Cheetos down and go to town.  They ate the WHOLE bag.  This was after crawling out of the crib; we hadn’t quite gotten up enough nerve to move to a toddler bed although it did happen right after that!

I think God is like that.  Like a two year old His hands are in everything, from the time of creation forward into our daily lives today.  You could say He gets into the Cheetos!

*Now, before I continue let me explain something.  God, except in the incarnation of Christ as man, does not literally have hands.  He is not a physical being like us and does not have our physical attributes.  In the Bible when the authors used human characteristics to explain something God did they were using that to explain something in a way the readers could understand, not a physical manifestation.  Please don’t misunderstand me on this.

Back to my post… There are so many examples in Scripture of God’s hands being in everything, everywhere, from all time.

He used them in creation:

• Hebrews 1:10 – He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
• Psalm 95:3-7 – For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.  In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.  The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
• Psalm 8:3-4 – When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
• Psalm 139:13 – For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Always holding us:

• Psalm 73:23 – Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
• Psalm 139:7-10 – Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed on the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

To help us:

• Psalm 60:5 – Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
• Psalm 63:8 – My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

Jesus has us in His hands as well:

• John 3:35 – The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
• John 10:29-30 – My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.

Jesus used His hands for miracles:

• Mark 1:30-31 – Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up.  The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
• Luke 5:12-13 – While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.  When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  “I am willing,” he said.  “Be clean!”  And immediately the leprosy left him.

These are just a few examples of how God’s hands are everywhere.  He keeps his hands upon us at all times.  He protects us at all times.  His hands are all over the place.  No matter how much we try to put things away and take care of it ourselves, He still finds it.  His hands are in the tough stuff, the good stuff, and the in-between stuff.  He wants us to trust Him with all our stuff.  He’s not like a two year old.  We don’t have to worry about Him sticking his fingers in a light socket, or swallowing something and choking.  We don’t have to worry about Him getting into the Cheetos.  He wants us to leave the Cheetos out for Him so that He can have them.  We don’t need to protect Him from the Cheetos, He can handle them!!!

So my latest book to review is Live Loved, Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life.  It is a devotional by Max Lucado that I requested from BookSneeze and I have to say I love it.  I love devotionals, they help me start my day off in the Lord’s presence, and that is always a good thing.  This one is a great tool for doing that.

This particular devotional is broken up into sections based on how God loves us:  With a Steadfast Love, With a Perfect Love, With a Wise Love, With a Merciful Love, and Loved to Love Others.  There is also a place in the back where the reader can make their own personal notes if they wish.  Myself, I use my devotionals each morning as a starting place for my journaling, but I digress.

Each devotional is on two pages.  It starts with a Scripture at the top of the first page, includes a snippet of one of Lucado’s books, then finishes up with a few more Scriptures to ponder and read.  I enjoy this format personally because I can read his words, then refer back to God’s Word and get a deeper meaning for my day.  This is not a journal that is formatted day by day, but you can read it in any order you want, skipping pages or sections, thumbing through it, or seeking a section that seems to hit where your heart is that particular day.

I really enjoyed this devotional myself, and also think it would make a wonderful gift for someone.  It is helpful to keep you daily in the word, or to get you back into being in the word daily.  I would highly recommend this to anyone who seeks to spend more time with the Lord daily.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Throughout the book they discuss their own marriage, with honesty and openness that is both refreshing and endearing.  You see their own brokenness and heartache, and read how they have worked to keep it together.  They talk about how they each contributed to that, how their own individual issues, if you will, contributed to the issues in their marriage, and how they both worked to save what is so dear to them.

I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I did it really registered.  Whether you are having problems in your marriage or if you are newlyweds who think you never will, this book is for you.  If you are engaged and preparing for marriage, this book is for you.  Love & War is a true, open, honest look at what marriage is and how it really works.  It’s not sugarcoated and full of platitudes about how much we have to work but if we do it will be smooth sailing.  They are honest that it takes work, and work, and even then work some more.  But something beautiful is there, and you can find it, with work.

If you like to read an excerpt from Love & War there is one available on Scribd. here, http://www.scribd.com/doc/52599490/Love-and-War-by-John-and-Stasi-Eldredge-Chapter-1-Excerpt.  It’s definitely worth checking out.  See for yourself the honesty that the Eldredges display and share.  The book is available for purchase here, http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307730213, but I have great news!  I was able to get an extra copy (with my love of books I plan on keeping mine) and I’d love to give it to someone.  Please leave a comment below on what you think of my review, or of the book after you’ve read the excerpt and someone will be chosen at random on Friday, August 6, 2011 to receive a copy free.  Make sure that you leave your e-mail address (it won’t be published if you leave it in the e-mail field) so that I can contact you for your address to send it to.  I can’t wait to give this to someone!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group through the Blogging for Books program.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

**Posted edited Saturday July 30th to add that winner will be chosen on August 6th, 2011.

‘Cause God makes no mistakes

I’m on the right track, baby

I was born this way

Don’t hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself and you’re set

I’m on the right track, baby

I was born this way

(born this way)[1]

Lady Gaga’s music isn’t in everyone’s taste, to say the least.  She’s controversial, scandalous, and downright blasphemous to some people.  Until I heard this song I didn’t like her, in fact I honestly couldn’t stand her.  Well, I admit I liked one song, I don’t know which song it was (I still don’t know the name and can’t figure it out) and I didn’t know it was by her.  If I had known it was Gaga singing I probably would have said I didn’t like it.  I thought she was annoying and frankly I judged her.  Then I heard Born This Way on Glee! and was brought to tears.  THEN I saw her on American Idol, heard what someone said (I can’t remember if it was Ryan Seacrest or Jimmy Iovene) and really got to thinking.  They said something along the lines of her being a good influence or role model for young people.  Whoa, before you get all upset think about it for a second.

Psalm 139:14 – I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

What does God’s word tell us?  God’s works are marvelous; He made us, what does that tell you?  What do many young girls think though?  What do so many young girls feel about themselves?  There is a reason that eating disorders are so prevalent, there is a reason that so many young girls dress the way that they do, there is a reason that so many kids are promiscuous; and it isn’t because they’re so confident.  I can tell you from experience that it’s desperation to fit in, to be accepted, and to feel loved.  The Bible tells us that we are loved, adored, and created wonderfully.  Society tells a different story; ladies and gentlemen, society is winning.  The lies are winning.

Back to Lady Gaga; forget about her politics for a second.  Forget about her odd (to say the least) style choices for a few minutes and keep reading.  She’s all about being herself.  She doesn’t worry about what people say or think.  She doesn’t care if she looks weird or if people put her down for wearing a meat dress, glittery lobster hat, covers her head in red lace, a bubble dress, or a dress made completely of Kermit the frog puppets.  Yes, she does some other stuff that’s just gross and totally inappropriate, and I’m NOT suggesting that those things be overlooked.

So how then can we learn from her?  Our kids were born wonderfully, they were created lovingly, they were, knit together by a loving Father.  Wonderfully created… born this way… wonderfully created… born this way… do you get the idea?  Perhaps we can focus on the fact that she is not afraid to express herself and make a statement about who she is when we look at her and talk to our kids about her.  Yes, we need to talk to our kids about Lady Gaga.  They see her and know about her and what she does.  Instead of bashing her and constantly saying how weird and wrong she is, let’s put a little spin on it and use it to build our kids up.  Our kids are constantly bombarded with messages to fit in, to be like everyone else, and they are afraid to be themselves because if they are they will be outcasts.  We need to tell our kids that it’s ok to be different from the crowd.  Peer pressure is real, and in almost all cases it’s negative.  In trying to fit in kids get into trouble, and get hurt, sometimes killed.  Perhaps if we focus on the fact that Lady Gaga doesn’t give in to peer pressure, doesn’t try to be a cookie cutter pop star, that they can do that too.  Society is winning the battle within our kids for their self esteem and self confidence.  We cannot ignore society, we cannot win against society and peer pressure by applying pressure of our own; but by talking and pointing out the good things, without ignoring and explaining why the bad things are bad.  We can help them see it’s ok to embrace the fact that they were born beautiful and created wonderfully by their Father in Heaven who takes joy in them when they are being themselves.  He created them to be unique and individual, to stand out.  They are born this way.

This book tackles the subject most people struggle with, why is there suffering and pain in the world, and how do we get through it?  Each day’s meditation begins with a passage of Scripture, then follows with a discussion of that passage, and how it helps us get through our struggles.  The final portion of the day’s meditation is a prayer relating to the passage of Scripture and the topic for that day.

The only things I would point out is the fact that there is no table of contents.  Since each chapter tackles a different subject it would be nice to have a table of contents, that way the reader could see what day might be most helpful to them at that moment.  The other thing is that the book jacket felt “funny” in a way.  The best way that I can describe it is a parchment feel, which just gave me a funny feeling and sounded odd when I moved my hands while holding it.  I ended up taking the jacket off and it was fine though.  I’m not usually a person who is bothered in any tactile way so I wanted to point this out.

All in all I would recommend this book to anyone.  If you are struggling, going through a rough spot, or just a person (as we will all go through peaks and valleys in our lives), this book will be very helpful.  It would also make a great gift for someone.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group through the Blogging for Books program.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”