Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick

In his book Sun Stand Still (What happens when you dare to ask God for the impossible) by Steven Furtick we are encouraged to use our faith audaciously. Steven uses the Bible story of Joshua and how he prayed that the sun would stand still and it did. He encourages us today to pray with the same faith that Joshua had because we serve the same God. God is willing to answer our prayers if we have faith that he will. This book is not only an easy read but very enjoyable, encouraging and challenging. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own and I highly recommend reading this book! I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

It's all in the name.....

As most of you know Matt and I had a girl's name picked out but couldn't decide on a boys name that we both liked. We had a list of about 5 names that we were playing with but couldn't really find one that we were completely happy with. After our ultrasound yesterday morning 1/6/2011 I was in tears because God had clearly given us a girl's name but we had a baby boy who didn't have a name and Matt and I both being stubborn and of course wanting the best for our son couldn't seem to agree on a boys name that is until God revealed it to us.

Since Matt had to go to work right after our ultrasound (which was done on a dinosaur of machine since the nice machine was broken and we somehow didn't get the message, that's another story) we drove separately. During the ultrasound I broke down in tears and couldn't seem to stop crying, I think the reality that I'm going to actually have a baby in my arms in a few months, hormones and lack of sleep were the right combination to make me a blubbering fool. I actually had planned that after the ultrasound I was going to go shopping and get some baby clothes for our new addition, since I couldn't get the tears under control that all changed, I'm sure my hubby was grateful that I didn't go shopping, especially for baby things without him. As I was sitting in my car trying to calm myself down enough to drive I was praying, I may at this point even have actually been talking aloud to God in the car. I can't remember exactly what I said, but something along the lines of "Thanks God, you gave us a girl's name but we have a baby boy who needs a name." I also remember thinking well at least we have his middle name picked out, now we just need to find a first name we agree on. We had decided when we first found out that we were pregnant that if we had a boy we would give him the middle name Leeman after Matt's grandfather and if we had a girl she would get the middle name of Grace after Marilyn who along with her daughter Theresa is the whole reason Matt and I even know each other (again, another story in and of itself.) As I said those two names to myself I was thinking too bad there isn't a male form of the name Grace, and then the name Grayson popped in my head, it had to be a God thing because I don't remember ever hearing the name before. I was like well that's a cute name, too bad I doubt Matt will like it. We have completely different tastes or so it seemed for any of the other names we came up with. After driving home (I was still a wreck) so bad in fact that when I called my mom to tell her that her first grandbaby would be a boy she kept asking me are you ok? Are you sure you're ok? Just because I kept crying, I just told her that the reality of everything was setting in and I would be fine.

So when I arrived home and made a posting on Facebook I started looking through the Baby Name Book, trying to find a list of names I could put in the Google document that Matt and I had shared so that hopefully we could find a name for our son. I was able to come up with a few and put those on our list. I never realized that choosing a name was so difficult. After having little sleep the night before and my emotional break down, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. I took a nap and when I got up my consuming thought was still trying to find a name for our son. I really liked Grayson and Matt actually seemed to like it to, although we had about 4 other names still left on the list. I couldn't seem to commit to any of the others. After an email from my mother in law, with a list of names that she liked (a few of which were on our list) but again none that I could say yes that's my son's name, I replied back to her email with the list of names that we were trying to pick from and (unbeknownst to me at the time) there was a great debate going on at her house between my sisters-in-law, my mother in law and our friend Travis. Matt and I were talking on the phone because his work day was over and somehow we finally came to the conclusion that we were going to use the name Grayson or at least we thought so, but weren't 100% sure. I then remembered back to something our dear friend Becky had posted on my Facebook wall about how God would show me the name, and I remember sitting in the parking lot staring at the fence in front of me thinking about the name Grayson, about this same time, Matt got a text from his sister Courtney that said loving my little man Grayson, or something like that and we both finally knew that God had given us our son's name. The best thing about it is, it's unique (at least I think so) This child has an awesome heritage, and God has given us the perfect name for him. So excited to start on getting the nursery ready and the registries, since we had been waiting to know the gender before we did anything. Now there's a lot to do and what seems like not much time, but praise God He has taken care of everything and will continue to do so!

(If you actually read all my rambling, I commend you. I've still had little sleep and because of eating potato chips before I went to bed I woke up dry mouthed and originally got up to drink some water. Which lead to me sitting in front of the computer, and then typing up this Blog.)

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul

In her book Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball, Donita K. Paul tells a charming tale of a mysterious ball and how the unusual characters use it to set up couples. This book was very creative, and a fun read. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to friends who are looking for a light read during the Christmas season. The story was unlike any I had ever read before and although a little predictable was an easy and relaxing read during a usually hectic season. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room; Daily Family Devotions for Advent by Nancy Guthrie

In her book Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room, Nancy Guthrie has written daily family devotions to help you prepare for the Advent Season. These short devotions are designed to help you and your family to grow together spiritually and learn things about the Advent season that you may not have know before, as well as make memories. This book was well written and very informative. I would like to thank Tyndale House for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Then Sings My Soul by Robert J, Morgan

In his book Then Sings My Soul, Robert J. Morgan tells the stories behind 150 Christmas, Easter and All-Time Favorite Hymns. In this book the author shares with us the fascinating accounts of tribulations, triumphs, struggles, and hope that he found while exploring the stories behind these hymns. He found that the people who wrote these hymns were just ordinary people who connected with God in amazing ways, sharing their experiences through song. This book was written to help you, “discover the inspiration behind your favorite hymns.” To allow us as the reader to relate to the people who walked these hymns.

I really enjoyed reading this book because the stories of the men and women who wrote these hymns are very encouraging to me. I also enjoyed learning how they came up with the ideas for some of what I would consider the best hymns. It is so encouraging to learn of others who have walked through some of the circumstances we go through, and face some of the same struggles and emotions that we feel. It is eye opening to realize that even hundreds of years ago, someone had some of the same feelings that we have and it’s neat to see how we can relate to those people. I enjoyed reading these stories, because in some cases it really helps you understand the hymn more when you know the background to it. Thanks to Booksneeze for providing me a complimentary copy of this book.

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

The book Heaven is for Real by Ted Burpo is a great book. Ted tells about his son Colton who had an emergency appendectomy and during the surgery he went to heaven. Colton is a 3 year old who starts telling his parents random facts about heaven that a 3 year old would never know unless they had experienced it for themselves. The whole purpose of this book is to bring hope and to in the words of Colton tell other people that Heaven is for Real.

This book was very interesting to me, especially with the way that the family finds out about Colton going to heaven. It was a hard book to put down because I wanted to find out more about the things he saw and people he met, and the interesting way that his parents get the information out of him since they don’t want to lead him to any answers. It was so neat to hear of the various things that Colton saw in heaven and to see the Biblical references to the items he was speaking of. The book has a few places where I got teary eyed because of the information that Colton told his parents. I would highly recommend this book. I would like to thank Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of the book.

Remember Why You Play by David Thomas

The book Remember Why You Play by David Thomas, is awesome. It is not only well written but it is very engaging and give you a lot to think about in your own life and the people whom you influence. This book is about a football team from a Christian school in Texas and how the coach is teaching his athletes to be great men of God, and that it is about more than a game it's about people and relationships. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Tyndale House for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book.