Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Archives for April 2014

It’s a God Thing {Book Review}

It’s a God Thing
When Miracles Happen to Everyday People
by Don Jacobson

About the book:

Some things in life have no earthly explanation.

Miracles are not reserved for the characters in the Old and New Testaments; they happen to everyday people.

Series creator Don Jacobson and K-LOVE Radio have joined together to produce one of the most remarkable collections of modern-day miracles ever compiled. From angel appearances in hospital rooms to a mother saved from a would-be assailant in Hyde Park, from a young autistic girl becoming a beautiful ballerina overnight to a young backpacker who walked away from a terrorist attack, It’s a God Thing presents some of the most amazing stories of God’s hand on our lives.

Be motivated as never before to look for and witness the incredible ways that God is interacting in your life and the lives of those around you.

Once I started reading this book, I didn’t want to put it down! I’m a crier, so most of the stories made me teary. But mostly, time and time again, I was reminded that God is good.

The book is a collection of 46 stories different people, written in their own words, of when they experienced something that they knew just had to be a God thing. The stories make you feel connected to the author. This book is an easy read, with each story only a few pages long, making it a good choice for moms who can only spare a few minutes here or there to dip into a book.

Miracles do happen and have happened in my life. I was reminded that miracles don’t have to be on a grand scale. It can be as simple as God putting someone directly in your life to pray for you or giving you one last glorious day with the person you love.

This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Moment It All Changed

As I sat at my desk, the wind outside is whipping. First one way and then another. I look out my window and see the leaves flying through the air. They can’t seem to find a solid place to land. One moment our lawn is filled with leaves and when I look again, they are gone.

That is what this season in my life has felt like.

For months I’ve been craving a solid place to land but it felt as if everything was blowing and changing around me, preventing me from landing.

One day the sailing on the wind was too much and I knew it had to end. For months on end I had craved change, prayed about it, blogged about it and then tried to change it. Trying, time and time again, to put my feet down and land. Not realizing the power wasn’t in me to change it, but in Him.

This was, until the day I decided to have coffee with Jesus. Later that morning I was heading to have testing done. Testing that mattered. Mentally the “what if’s” were driving me crazy. Over coffee that morning, I gave it all to Him. Not just the testing, but everything. He knew my feet were ready to be firmly planted on the ground. That morning, over coffee, He planted the seed of resolve in my heart.

I’ve realized this season in my life was necessary. The whole only comes after broken. Healing only comes after wounds.

I am embracing the change. That in itself is a ridiculous statement. I’m Amy, the girl that gets all twitchy, cranky and nervous at the thought of giving up the known for the unknown. Which confirms again, it’s not me but all Him. For the first time in months, I feel grounded and centered. I know in my heart that I am exactly where He wants me to be. And that, my friends, is an amazing feeling. A feeling that is so welcomed!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:7

For some reason, I’ve always been drawn to this verse.  I always thought the jars of clay reference was beautiful, but I didn’t understand it.  In my mind, keeping treasure in a jar of clay was an odd place.  Clay pots are fragile and easily broken.  When I looked at the clay pots I have (crocks) they are full of flaws, chips and cracks.
That’s when I got it.
We are simply empty jars of clay, fragile and full of flaws. Until we have God. Then kept inside that broken, fragile, ordinary jar of clay is a treasure, a priceless treasure of immeasurable worth!
Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8

As we travel through this messy, unsettled, always changing journey of life, God gives us the choice to become clay in His hands. I am so thankful that He loves us so much that He gently molds us and makes us into a vessel of honor. We can come to Him with our cracks and brokenness and He will meet us right where we are and love us. He will transform something beautiful out of our life. He doesn’t wait for us to “clean up our act”.  Thank goodness because this girl is a slow learner!  He can see into the deepest depths of our hearts and He knows exactly what it will take to restore Hope into it. He showers us with his amazing grace. With God we are never too spoiled, too cracked or too broken. With him there is always hope. With him there is always a another chance.

Spoken For {Book Review}

Spoken For
by Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke
About the book:

Say Yes to the Love Story of Your Life

A great romance was set in motion before you were born. A relentless Lover is pursuing you, and He has made His intentions clear. He wants you to be His forever. How will you respond to the One who longs for you to be His with your whole heart?

In Spoken For, Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke speak to your heart about what it means for you to belong to Christ, who you are because of His love, and how that affects the way you live. Drawing on biblical promises and their personal experiences, these two friends share what it’s like to live out God’s unfolding love story.

You are not up for grabs. You are spoken for.

This book came at a time when I really needed to hear the message it held. God is pursuing me. He loves me. I’m not up for grabs. I am loved. I am His. I was made in His image. I am precious to Him. I am spoken for. Oh how I needed to hear that.

This book is told from both Robin and Alyssa’s point of view. The reader goes back and forth between both women, like you’re listening to their conversation. It’s super easy to understand and pick up who is saying what.


The main purpose of this book is to tell women that they are deeply loved by God. It’s easy in our society to forget that. We get rejected, lose our self worth and get wrapped up in things that don’t really matter. Before we even realize it, we’ve lost our focus. We can easily become consumed by worldly things, hoping they’ll fill the gap, but truly only one wants to fill the gap.

This was an amazing book. It’s soul lifting, spirit rejuvenating and each chapter you walk away feeling like you were created uniquely. I think any woman, no matter her age, can relate to the need to feel loved, or wanted, or called. This is an easy-to-read, more simplistic format that everyone can enjoy.  And with each chapter ending with reflection questions, it could easily be adapted for a small group study.  

You can visit Robin’s website HERE and Alyssa’s website HERE to find out more about them.    

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for this honest review as part of their Blogging for Books program.