How To Love Your Neighbor Without Being Werid

**This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. I have been given a PDF of  How to Love Your Neighbors Without Being Weird by Amy Lively free of charge in exchange for this review. However, the opinions in this post are my own. For more information please read my full disclosure statement here. 

Before we moved, we lived in an apartment building. Despite being on top of each other we didn't know too many of our neighbors. We were close to one family though, our neighbors living directly above us, a three generational family. Granny, her son and her five year old grandson. After living there for a year we had become close and it all started with a loaf of zuchini bread.

I had an entire batter for zuchini bread ready to go except when I opened the pantry for my last ingredient I discovered we were out. I really didn't want to stop the preheating oven and wake my sleeping toddler to go to the grocery store for one item. So, I did the next best thing .. I knocked. On my neighbor, who i didn't know very wells door and asked for a cup of vegetable oil. She graciously gave me what I needed and I was able to finish baking. As a thank you I knocked on her door again with a warm loaf of zuchini bread in hand. This began a nice relationship with my neighbors upstairs. 

When we saw each other outside we would chat, she would always spoil my son with chocolate m&ms and animal crackers and I would always give her some of what I baked. I would go up and check on her every now and again and when she had a bad fall outside she felt comfortable enough to knock on my door so I could help her clean and bandage her wounds. 

Every now and again I would feel it on my heart to share God and Jesus with her, but I never did. I didn't want to come off weird or strange. No way, that was the last thing I wanted,so I kept quiet and never said anything. It is the one thing I regret when looking back on my time with Granny. 

The problem, and my excuse, was that I didn't know how to talk to my neighbors well, let alone about something as controversial as God and Jesus. I am definitely not the only one who has trouble with sharing my faith with my neighbors.

Amy Lively, the author of How to Love Your Neighbors Without Being Weird went through it as she was called to begin a neighborhood bible study. Through her book she shares her experiences, successes and failures as well as tried and true ways to Love your neighbors, as God calls us to do,without being off putting about it.

"It's an investment into people's lives, and that can be messy. I don't know where to start, what to say, or how to be. I'm afraid. 

The thought of knocking on my neighbors' doors made my knees knock. I hid behind my logical excuses, rational defenses, and stubborn resistance." 

-Amy Lively, How to Love Your Neighbors Without Being Weird

Here are some tips she suggests to help you get to know your neighbors.

• "Being content in our neighborhoods means being patient, determined, and persistent. Aristotle said, "The desire for friendship comes quickly; friendship does not." Modest folks in modest homes are of great value to God, and He smiles at our modest moves toward friendship." 

• "That friendship could lead to the opportunity to tell them about Jesus Christ. However, their reaction is not your responsibility. Jesus will handle eternity; you just think about today." 

• Figure out your spiritual gift from God, and use it! "Tucked inside each of us is a very special spiritual gift from our heavenly father. He spared no expense to bring this gift to you; He paid for it with the precious blood of His only Son." 

• Do not be afraid! - "So be strong and courageous! Do no be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail your nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6"

How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird really was the perfect kick in the butt for me! I had given myself every excuse in the book as to why I couldn't share God and God's love with my neighbors and a BIG one was I was worried I would come off as weird! This book really breaks it down giving practical advice and tips as to how to go about getting to know your neighbors. What I love most about it though is the deep biblical truth that it holds. God calls us to love our neighbors and that doesn't mean our neighbors who are just like us or our neighbors around the world. It means actually getting to know our neighbors and loving them.

And you absolutely can do that without being weird.

Make sure you are ready to accept God's call to love your neighbors after you read this book! 

"I should warn you that you're on the hook now that you've read this book. You have no excuse for not loving your neighbor, and you don't even have to be weird about doing it."

-Amy Lively, How to Love Your Neighbors Without Being Weird

Though I had excuses as to why I couldn't share in our old home, now I really have no excuse what so ever so not show love to my neighbors and share the good news with them because I have How to Love Your Neighbors Without Being Weird in my tool box! 

Amish Promises by Leslie Gould Review

**This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. I have been given a PDF of Amish Promises by Leslie Gould free of charge in exchange for this review. However, the opinions in this post are my own. For more information please read my full disclosure statement here. **

I love Amish fiction. I love the stories and underlying lessons. Which is why it is no surprise that I have another Amish fiction book to share with you. 

Amish Promises by Leslie Gould is a story of unexpected love and friendship. When Shani Beck, an Englisher and her family move into her grandfather's home in Lancaster County, PA hoping to help her husband Joel's war injuries heal, their amish neighbors have a mix feelings about it. Eve Lehman was thrilled to have a new friend in Shani, but her brother Tim, a widower and father of 5 children was not happy about the influence the Beck's could have on his family. 

Things were finally looking up for Shani, they have great neighbors and playmates for her son Zane. Their friend Charlie, her husbands army buddy, would come over from Philly on the weekends to help around the house because Joel was in a wheelchair after re-injuring his leg in a bad fall.  Everything seemed like it was the right choice to move to the middle of nowhere, at least until Eve saw Charlie. Charlie was kind, warm and great with the kids. She had never felt desire like that before. 

The problem was she was Amish and he was English. When her brother Tim suspected feelings growing he cut all ties to prevent it. 

Does it stop a love that could have been forming? Will Eve be willing to give up her role in raising her nieces and nephews for this Englisher? Even when she promised Abra, her best friend and Tim's wife that she would take care of her kids always, as she was dying. Should she stick to her promise or should she sacrifice everything for love? Click here to find out. 

Amish Promises was a very good read, another one of those I couldn't put down. I really enjoyed every turn of the story as well as the character interactions. I was rooting for Eve and Charlie every step of the way even when I wasn't sure what would happen. All the while hoping that Shani's family would be healed through it all. I thoroughly enjoyed feeling as if I was apart of the story. 

Though I did love the book, the PDF version I received had a plethora of typos and missed quotations (kind of distracting when the main characters name changes from Shani to Shana a few times or when someone is speaking and you have no idea because there wasn't a beginning quotation), but that wasn't enough to deter me from finding out how the story ended. 

Amish Promises' theme of trusting God through hard choices and life in general is something that we can all relate to, I know I personally took something away from the book and I know you can too! 

Happy Reading! 

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Let The Journey Begin…

**This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. I have been given Let The Journey Begin by Max LucadoLet The Journey Begin by Max Lucado  free of charge in exchange for this review. However, the opinions in this post are my own. For more information please read my full disclosure statement here. **

What if God's plan for your life meant giving to God the thing in life you Cherish the most? What if it means going outside of your comfort zone and doing something you're scared of? Something that brings anxiety of the unknown and uncertainty to the surface? 

Would you still answer his call? Would you still decide to follow Jesus, anywhere he lead you? 

As much as I long to continue to be a stay at home mom, then homeschool K, right now thats not what is being placed on my heart. With our move comes a transition in life that I had known would come. 

When God says, I need you for something different now.

I will guide you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 

Psalm 32:8

My heart has been changing, my interest and knowledge of apologetics has been growing and prayers for God's will to be done have been prayed. As anxieties fill my heart, I prayed for peace about this transition if it is God's will. I have begun to feel peace and a hope for the future. 

Though I know this transition will be happening - I don't know when or how. 

Questions like, what is God's plan? Where will I work? Who is it that I will encounter?, fill my head. I wonder how in the world am I supposed to know where to start. 

Then I received, Let the Journey Begin by Max Lucado in the mail. This month's Max Lucado book to review is all about transitions in life and its journey. How amazing is God to provide the right book at the right time? A true answer to my prayers. 

Let The Journey Begin is another compilation of exerts from Max Lucado's other books rolled into a short 157 pages focusing on guiding through scripture and words of wisdom as you take the next step in your own journey. It is a book to encourage and inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and embrace God's will for your life. 

My book is now covered in highlights and notes of things I want to remember and apply to my own life. Such as… 

"Wouldn't you love to look back on your own life and know you had down what you were called to do?" 

-Max Lucado, Let The Journey Begin

"Enjoy serving the Lord and he will give you what you want. Depend on the Lord; trust him and he will take care of you."

Psalm 37: 4-5 

This is not what I expected when I started reading, this book is very much like On Calvary's Hill in the way that it takes from other works as well as like Before Amen in having an "apply to your life" section at the end. It is truly a "It is what you make of it" kind of book in the sense that you could just skim right through or you can slow down and actually go deeper by putting these words into practice in your own life to guide yourself toward your journey of God's will. 

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 

Proverbs 3:6 

I personally will be taking in all I can to help pave the way towards God's plan for my life. Choosing to take an active role instead of continuing down a passive path. Will it be easy? Will I get to do what makes me happy? Probably not, I most likely will have to stop doing what I have known for the past 3 years and step out on faith that God knows better than I. 

And it all begins with trust. Trusting God with my life and my plan even though I don't know what it is yet. With my life I trust him fully. His will be done. 

So, Let the Journey Begin...

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God Never Leaves Your Side, Even When All is Silent.

**This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. I have been given Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café by Max Lucado  free of charge in exchange for this review. However, the opinions in this post are my own. For more information please read my full disclosure statement here. **

When we last moved to a new state, I was full of energy and hope. I was looking forward to the possibilities of friendship and God's plan for our life here. I had just became a Christian and I has a great group of Christian friends I was leaving behind, hoping that I could find the same connections in our new city.

My expectations and God's plans didn't quite match up though. We moved and with only one car, it made it hard to find good connections in a small rural town. I searched for friends and a good church home but moving in the middle of winter made things difficult. 

"No wonder Chelsea's memory had become her greatest weapon, a sword she wielded wounding others, to protect herself. For decades she had waged this war, but at what cost? Now she stood alone on the battle field, bleeding and bruised. There were no victors in this war, and Chelsea counted herself among the casualties." 

-Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café, Max Lucado

I went six months without either. No matter how much I searched I didn't find anyone I could connect with. I felt alone - alone in my struggle of discovering what being a new christian meant, alone as a mother to a young son in regards to friends.  That new belief passion was beginning to fade and I was left with the test and thoughts of whether or not God was actually there with me. 

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Have you ever gone through a period of what seems like silence from God? Especially when things seem unbearable? 

This is the feeling Chelsea Chambers from the book, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café by Max Lucado, had when she took a daring step taking over her mothers cozy coffee shop. As a newly single mom of two she had to navigate the new situation all alone. When Chelsea hit financial trouble with the café she had no choice but to close shop. That was until a stranger, Manny, comes down like an angel from heaven to help. He updates the Wifi, which ends up attracting customers for their chance at connecting with the divine. 

This heavenly novel is the newest from Max Lucado. Another Max Lucado book review?!-- you are probably thinking. Do you just love his writing that much? While I do enjoy Max Lucado's books very much- I really don't think I have found one I haven't loved- the reason I have reviewed one a month for the past few months is because I was selected as a Family Christian Max Lucado blogger! It is an exciting opportunity that I feel honored to be apart of. 

Of all of the Max Lucado books I have read, this one is by far one of my favorites. Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café is not the typical Max Lucado book, it is a fictional story that opens your mind to the wonders of God and the things around us that we cannot see. 

"Personally? I think there's more going on around us than we realize. I think God uses even the bad and ugly things to lead us to a good place." 

-Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café, Max Lucado  

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café is a story of friendship, redemption, the power of prayer and trusting that God really is there when you feel alone. It is a quick and easy read that wil make you want to find a cozy coffee shop to grab a fancy cappuccino, sit and read the book all over again. I know I will!! 

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Though I felt alone this past year, I knew I wasn't. A few years ago I was given my very first prayer journal and ever since I have been writing in it almost daily. It has been a tool to allow me to look back and see that though I may feel alone at times, I never actually am. 

God is always by my side, every step of the way, with his hand in everything that happens. 

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More Than Just A Symbol, More Than Just a Story, More Than Just a Cross.

**This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. I have been given On Calvary's Hill by Max Lucado free of charge in exchange for this review. However, the opinions in this post are my own. For more information please read my full disclosure statement here. **

It has been one month since Lent began. Lent is such a special time - a time to really place our focus as Christians on the cross, on God and what Christ did for us. It's not a time to just give something up for the sake of it, but to fast so that we may be more prayerful and set our hearts on the amazing love God showed us by sending his son to die. 

It is my worry that since we are 2000 years removed from Jesus' life and death we view it in more of a nice story without any real emotional connection to it at all. We believed he suffered died and was buried, but I know I have trouble grasping that Jesus understands what I go through because though the cross has been used to remind us of what he did for us - we have a tendency to forget because crucifixions don't happen now. We don't have any type of physical memory that we can tie it to other than what is told to us about Jesus really suffering for us - which at least in my case growing up was glorified, polished into this nonviolent story. 

"Next time the fog finds you, remember Jesus in the Garden. The next time you think that no one understands or cares, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark and pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to him pleading among the twisted trees."

-Max Lucado, On Calvary's Hill 

Despite our forgetfulness this is more than a story. Jesus' dying for us was brutal, horrifying, bloody, mortifying, embarrassing, and painful beyond our wildest comprehension. 

And it really did happen. 

I think we did a disservice when crosses and crucifixes of a cleanly dying Jesus started to be manufactured. Overtime the image of a clean Jesus beautifully hung on the cross, or no Jesus at all just the cross, is what people started to think about when taught of the crucifixion with no real understanding of the real details of how a crucifixion was the most gruesome, humiliating, painful and inhumane ways to die of all time. 

We will never be able to fully grasp what Jesus suffered, but we should do our best to know exactly what was done to him so we are truly grateful for the GIFT that is God's love for us. And to know the punishment we were saved from. 

On Calvary's Hill by Max Lucado is a great start to opening our eyes to the events and details of the last days of Jesus. It is a 40 Day/Chapter Devotional book focused on what truly happened to set our minds on the true gift from God. 

On Calvary's Hill goes step by step through what happened in short 2-3 page chapters. It starts with a verse that relates to a small part of Jesus' journey, it expands on it leading us into how we can relate what Jesus went through to our own lives, then finally ending with a prayer. 

This is a devotional you can do once a day for the 40 day Lent period and all it takes is 5 minutes of your time per day. This book is another great one from Max Lucado which I personally saw as a great jumping off point into the last days Jesus lived on earth. I yearned for more in depth details, so after a chapter I would open my Bible and spend some quality time with my Savior who suffered worse that I will ever know. 

I wish though that this book had some guide to more in-depth reading on each part of the story, maybe listing all of the places in the gospel where I could find the specific scriptures related to it. However, I can see how open this book is to leading to your own personal study of the road to Calvary.

I don't believe this book would have had as much affect on me if I had not already read in detail the physical/medical and horrifying description of Jesus' crucifixion in Lee Strobel's book, A Case for Christ. However, it most certainly is the beginning of an in depth look at that time. 

As Christians, we cannot continue walking around unaware of the true nature of Jesus' crucifixion because it wasn't supposed to be Christ up there on that cross, it was supposed to be you and me. 

Without the physical and mental image of Good Friday it is easy to forget that Jesus knows our suffering better than all of us. And the moment that we fully understand what was done and how much we are loved is the moment we can stop worrying about this world and start giving ourselves fully to God and Jesus Christ. 

When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. 

At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Mark 15: 33-34 

One of his disciples betrayed him for money, one denied knowing Jesus 3 times, and the others fled scared. I promise you that we all cannot ever say that Jesus didn't know the pain we suffer. He suffered through it all for our sake. Even on the cross God, our powerful and faithful God, turned his back on him. God is ever faithful to us sinners, but he forsakes his own blameless son? Why? In order to save us from that punishment our sins rightfully deserve. 

"Why? Why would heavens finest Son endure earths toughest pain? So you would know that "He is able…to run to the cry of… those who are being tempted and tested and tried." (Hebrews 2:18 AMP). Whatever you are facing, he knows how you feel. When you turn to him for help, he runs to you to help. Why? He knows how you feel. He's been there. He's not ashamed of you. Nor is he confused by you. Your actions don't bewilder him. Your tilted halo doesn't trouble him. So go to him."

-Max Lucado, On Calvary's Hill 

We finally know the cost of our souls - it's more than just a symbol, more than just a story, more than just a cross. It really was done, for you and for me because Jesus, our perfect savior, loves you and me more than saving himself from that cross.  

Go grab Max Lucado's book On Calvary's Hill and truly meditate on the amazing, unbelievable gift that God and Jesus gave us. I promise you, your heart will be changed come Easter.

"Not that he refused to defend himself when blamed for every sin of every slut and sailor since Adam. Or that he stood silent as a million guilty verdicts echoed in the tribunal of heaven and the giver of light was left in the chill of sinner's night.
Not even that after three days in a dark hole he stepped into Easter sunrise with a smile and a swagger and a question for lowly lucifer - "Is that your best punch?"
That was cool, incredibly cool. But the coolest thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns: He did it for you. Just for you."
-Max Lucado, On Calvary's Hil

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A Lesson In Every Story: Anna's Crossing Review

**This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. I have been given Anna's Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher free of charge in exchange for this review. However, the opinions in this post are my own. For more information please read my full disclosure statement here. **

Are you going through something that you can't see to the other side? And you don't know what's going to happen? 

Are you recently unemployed worried of what's to come? Did you just get diagnosed with cancer and you don't know what the future holds ? 

Are you going back into the work force after years of staying at home? 

Has life changed from how you expected it to be?

There are times in everyone's lives where God will put us in situations when all we can do is depend  on him. When all sense of control goes out the window and we are just plain scared. 

The unknown is a scary thing especially when you cannot control it at all. 

I can imagine that's the feeling the first group of Amish felt when they made the dangerous journey across the Atlantic ocean to the new world in the 1700s. Unsure of what the new world would hold for them if they made it safely across, because even that wasn't a guarantee. 

In Suzanne Woods Fisher's new book Anna's Crossing she takes us back to the Amish Beginnings as we follow Anna Konig and her amish community looking forward to the freedom to practice their faith in the Americas. Unsure of the voyage across the vast ocean and what is to come Anna has to place her life in Gods hands - giving up all control. 

It seemed to be past time for words, until Christian rose to his feet in the middle aisle and read from Psalm 91 in his Bible, offering heartfelt thanks. 

"'He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the distraction that wasteth at noonday…for ge shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways… With long life will I satisfy him, and shed him my salvation. 

A sudden revelation paid a visit to Anna. This was the point of the story of St. Julian of Norwich and her long illness. Even in the midst of great gales, they could know peace."(Emphasis mine- TJ)

-Anna's Crossing, Suzanne Woods Fisher

Bairn, the ships carpenter, has been living on ships for most of his life and he isn't thrilled that the Peculiars are taking this journey with them. Haunted by nightmares of his past he tries everything to leave it behind, but Anna's presence reminds him of it. 

With vivid imagery that pulls you in, while reading you will feel like you are there with them on that boat every step of the way. By the end of the book you will be left wanting more, not because it was incomplete but because you didn't want it to end. 

Though some of the parts, such as the romance included were predictable, the ending caught me completely by surprise. I love when that happens! I can definitely say that I fell in love with the characters and the story, which is why I recommend this book to anyone who loves Amish and Historical fiction. 

"'Mayhap you put an expectation on the Almighty that He has no plans ta meet. What will you do when al hope is gone?'

"Broken expectations aren't meant to crush our hopes, but to free us to put our confidence in God alone. They aren't meant to make us give up, but look up."

-Anna's Crossing, Suzanne Woods Fisher 

What I love about Christian fiction novels and especially in Suzanne Wood Fisher's work, is that there is always a bigger lesson to be learned while reading. I know I have read more than 5 of Suzanne's books, all of which I have post-its and post-its full of lessons I have taken just by reading her books. Anna's crossing is no exception. 

Through the storms, sickness and death - there was one thing that Anna had that allowed her to persevere no matter what the circumstance - her faith and trust in God. It is a lesson we can all take away: 

When the unknown is waiting just ahead in our own journey, all we have to do is trust in the Lord and know he is in control. 

"The love of God is like the ocean. You can see it's beginning but not it's end." 

-Anna's Crossing, Suzanne Woods Fisher 

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalms 46:10

    

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Worry Less, So You Can Live More.

**This post may contain sponsor, affiliate, and/or referral links. I have been given Worry Less So You Can Live More by Jane Rubietta (PDF copy) free of charge in exchange for this review. However, the opinions in this post are my own. For more information please read my full disclosure statement here. **

I have let fear run my life for a long time. It has stopped me from dreaming, from achieving and from going out and experiencing life. In college, I remember the countless times I chose to stay in my dorm instead of going out and making friends.

Instead of jumping on every opportunity to help out a fellow film student with their student project - I shied away, afraid of what might happen - afraid I might be disliked or a fear that I might actually make friends and they let me down. 

Instead of taking chances and going to every thing I possibly could, I would make up an excuse and slink back into the little box I created for myself. I lost out on a lot of great friendships that way. Because of what? FEAR. 

"Worry is the next of kin of fear, and fear has been one of my tightest boxes. Fear of being disliked, fear of failing, fear of not being good enough. Fear of abandonment, of arguments, of making mistakes. Fear of dreaming, because this incorporated all the other fears." 

Jane Rubietta 

Worry Less, So You Can Live More 

Looking back I am reminded of all the missed experiences and I regret.

I remember my affliction and my wandering,

the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them,

and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

Lamentations 3:19-22

Which of course leads to the next of kin of fear which is worry. Every time I want to put myself out there I worry, worry that things will go terribly - that I will later regret going and putting myself out there to be hurt. But you want to know something? 

I never do! All the things that occupy my mind with worry never actually come true. 

Have you noticed that? You go into something freaking out about all the bad things that could happen and then they don't actually happen? 

What I am learning is that if we let fear and worry place us in a box, we don't allow God to work in and through us. He doesn't care if we think we will fail because if we allow ourselves to come out of our box - he will be leading us and with God we cannot fail.

How many times have you let fear stop you from living? 

We are not alone - many have walked this path before us. Take Jane Rubietta for instance, author of Worry Less, So You Can Live More. She put herself in the fear box too, but she found her way out. 

In her book, Jane Rubietta gently guides you from worrying to truly living. By using personal stories of her own journey of God leading her away from worry and anxiety and towards delight and joy. She encourages and leads us step by step to start reducing the worry in our life, but reminding us to look and depend on our Lord God completely. With a personal story at the beginning of each chapter that provides a lesson, followed by how we can apply it to our lives, then concluding with questions for personal introspection - Worry Less, So You Can Live More motivates lasting change in how we see our life and circumstance. 

It gives us an honest view of how to live life moment by moment enjoying the small things God gives us to delight it because God doesn't want us to worry, He wants us to be free to enjoy the life He gave us. 

When reading I recommend taking it a chapter at a time to really soak up , reflect and apply Jane's points to your own life for overall effectiveness. Go slow and make sure you write out your answers to the reflection questions because when you are aware of where you are, you can lead yourself in the direction you want to go. 

I pray that this book blesses you and encourages you to start giving everything over to God and start living the way life is meant to be lived: Fully.

The one thing that really stood out to me in her book was that Jane encourages us to say the Lord's Prayer on a regular basis. Reciting the prayer God gave us refocuses our attention away from our worry, fear and regret to the one who provides our every need. 

As I mentioned in, Your Tongue Can Be A Snare to Your Soul, God has a way of drawing our attention to what he wants us to learn at a specific time, and for me, now is no different. If you remember my post, Prayer In A Bathroom Stall, Max Lucado's book also emphasizes the importance of the Lord's prayer. 

God definitely is sending a message that I need to say the Lord's prayer to stop focusing on the problems, worries and anxieties of this world and start looking toward Heaven and at God for true unchanging Joy. 

So anytime I get worried about the future or if something not of the Lord comes into my mind, I say the Lord's prayer and my focus returns to where it needs to be: Our God, the creator and keeper of this world. 

27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:27, 34

Your Turn: What has God been teaching you lately? 

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