BookSneeze.com Review: Stumbling Into Grace

Today I've been thinking about...how "Stumbling Into Grace" by Lisa Harper is such a charming book chock full of spiritual truths wrapped inside personal stories. :) Each of her chapters start with that phrase "Today I've been thinking about..." leading into personal stories that then tie into Biblical truths. Lisa is warm and open in sharing from her own life which makes reading her book feel like sitting at coffee with an old friend.

Lisa makes her stories feel like they could be your own. As each chapter opened, I couldn't wait to find out more about this woman from her "journal". Her stories were touching and made it very easy to identify with her and the point she was trying to get across. The stories led very nicely into the Bible passages and spiritual lessons. Overall, a great devotional read to make you think.

Fun, light and yet deep at the same time, "Stumbling Into Grace" is a refreshingly real look at life's little (and big!) troubles and how God's grace covers all of them and draws us to himself. I really enjoyed Lisa's book and hope you do as well!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan


Disclaimer of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com program. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations. If you would like to receive books for free in exchange for honest reviews, visit BookSneeze.com.

Women of Faith Recap

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on us, there was the potential for huge distraction at the Women of Faith "Imagine" conference in DC August 26 and 27. But inside that arena, God reigned and moved in the midst of those gathered, turning a sports arena into a house of worship for two sweet days.

 The Friday sessions with Sheila Walsh and Dr. Henry Cloud spoke straight to me as if tailor-made. Sheila spoke about God's 3,000+ promises in the Bible and encouraged the women in the arena by telling us "you have not lived an unloved moment in your life." How encouraging is that to hear! She used to story of the woman with the issue of blood to show how God wants to give us a bigger miracle than we even imagine when we come to Him. "When the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, you will change." Dr. Cloud talked about our happiness and how God has wired our physiology to change when we walk in His ways. From his current book, "The Law of Happiness", Cloud discussed how happy people are givers and connected people. He challenged us that the life we imagine for ourselves has to be big enough to scare us, otherwise it's not worth it (but not so big it would kill you). Hearing this was both challenging and comforting at the same time, since there are definitely times where the life I imagine DOES scare me a little. Next, he talked about "necessary endings" and how pruning can benefit our lives, whether it's getting rid of the good to leave more room for the best in our lives or getting rid of patterns and behaviors that are destructive. He pointed out how hard this can be because on some level we are all hoarders. We don't believe that God will supply what we need for tomorrow so we hold on to the little we have and I so needed to hear some of this! Like Dr. Cloud mentioned, trying to hold on to a part of my former life prevents me from being present today and I need to release it by grieving it and moving on. I don't want to prevent God from working out His plan in my life so some pruning is definitely in order! :) Some quotes/points from the Q&A Sheila and Henry did together include:

"The bigger the trouble, the faster you run home." ~Sheila
The inability to forgive is crippling.
We were never intended/designed to judge ourselves.

To close out the morning session, Sheila spoke about God's promise of peace that Jesus gives before his crucifixion in John 14:27. She reminded us that peace is not the absence of trouble, since Christ promised we would have troubles in this life, but it is the presence of Christ and that peace is found at the feet of Jesus.

Friday evening began the main portion of the conference and we all were given a good ab workout when comedian Ken Davis took the stage, encouraging us to lighten up and live life with all the joy God intended. "Humor is a gentle way to acknowledge human frailty." Some of his stories had us in stitches as he talked about being in the clueless stage of life and doing the "airport macarena". Sheila came back up to speak on more of God's promises, specifically the promise in John 16:33 that Christ will overcome the world despite the troubles we'll have but she posed the question "what if the trouble is in me, not the world?" Well, the answer to that is that yes, the trouble is in me, but so is God. We're not just in the world, we're in Christ as well.

Lisa Harper, author of "Stumbling Into Grace" (the book I'm working on reviewing), kicked off Saturday morning and talked about God's gut-level compassion for us as demonstrated in the healing of the leper at the end of Mark 1. She also reminded us that all addiction is ultimately a disorder of worship. For the first time, Nicole Johnson took the stage, not to perform a drama, but to share her own story with us. She shared God's desire for us to have abundant, "fresh-brewed" life and how life's greatest value is often found in its broken pieces. She talked about how anger is hard to deal with for women but that we need to realize it is an emotion that just is. When we put our suffering inside Christ's suffering we begin to find peace and healing. Luci Swindoll took the stage as the final speaker, encouraging us to "live the life out of every day." She challenged us, asking when was the last time you did something for your soul. She pointed out how God gave us "all things to enjoy" (1 Tim 6:7) and that "if you enjoy the world, you will improve it." We have to step outside ourselves and be adventurous to live life fully and one way to do this is to tell ourselves "No one told me I couldn't." How much more satisfying and fulfilling would life be if we didn't hold ourselves back this way!

The worship was heartfelt and moving, both with the worship team and the musical guests that shared their talents with us (MaryMary and Natalie Grant). Each speaker laid their hearts open for us, sharing not only what God is teaching them but how he is working in their own lives. There were laughs and there were tears. I was so glad I was able to share the conference with a friend who was coming for the first time. It's always neat to experience something you love through the eyes of one seeing it with fresh eyes. It was like experiencing it anew. Truly, I expected nothing less and got so much more!

 

 At the very end, each speaker took the stage one more time to give us a figurative gift to take home to remember the weekend by. Lisa Harper gave coins, a connection to a story she had told about a woman who sold her father's coin collection, as a reminder that God has compassion for you. Natalie Grant brought a mirror to remind us that we are beautiful and created in God's image. Sheila had a little stuffed lamb, reminding us that the Shepherd knows where to find us, referencing the parable of the lost sheep and God's promises to us. Nicole brought an unique angle ornament made from stained glass that was broken in the church across the street from the Federal building in the OKC bombing, reminding us that God wants our pieces and wants to make something beautiful from them. Luci bounced a basketball on the stage, bringing to mind her story of meeting Austin, the young man that founded Hoops for Hope, and reminding the arena to not wait and live life fully because who said you couldn't?! :)

If you are interested in joining us next year, I highly encourage it! :) Next year's format will actually do away with the Friday morning portion of the conference (previously the pre-conference), focusing instead on the main portion and giving attendees more flexibility. Next year's theme is "Celebrate!" and will be in the DC area August 17-18, 2012.

I live-blogged the conference (as much as I could with my small phone and limited space) so if you would like to read more you can check out the following group of posts:
http://faithforwings.blogspot.com/search/label/Women%20of%20Faith

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Saturday Sentiments

Saturday has been full of good moments! Sheila Walsh, Lisa Harper & Nicole Johnson shared testimony of how God has worked in their lives, leading us home, his compassion, dealing with our "God-anger" & finding peace & healing. Sheila reminded us that the Shepherd knows where to find us, even in our darkest times. Lisa spoke of the gut-level compassion God has for us. Nicole gave us hope that God sees not only the value in our broken pieces but has a vision for creating something beautiful from them.
After lunch & saying good-bye to my friend who had to leave early, Natalie Grant blew us away with her powerhouse voice. Her concert included one of my favorites,"Held", & a beautiful a cappella version of "It is Well with My Soul". So moving! Then Luci Swindoll encouraged us to "live the life out of every day". She also encouraged us to imagine & try more, telling ourselves "no one told me I couldn't!"
As we prepare to wrap up, I hope you have enjoyed these updates!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

First Day's Night

We are now done with the first day at Women of Faith! :) To complete the evening we missed the first metro train out because it was PACKED! But today, I laughed, cried, coughed, hugged, danced, laughed some more, and really felt God speaking into my life through the speakers on the platform. So much of it to process since so much seems to be relevant to where I am right now.
And NICOLE JOHNSON! :D I was so excited to see her back doing drama! I know she had stepped back for awhile & that she was still writing dramas for others to perform at events but it's so nice to see Nicole back in the capacity I grew to love her in.
And the Mary Mary concert tonight was tremendous! :) Such a fun time seeing these sisters lead us in energetic worship of our Lord and Savior!
Well, our train is almost here & I am looking forward to my head hitting the pillow tonight! Can't wait for an exciting day tomorrow, including Luci Swindoll, Lisa Harper & Natalie Grant! Check back for more updates then!
Meghan

Floored :)

Loving our seats on the floor for the evening session! :) Stay tuned for hopefully one more post later tonight! :) God bless!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Sessions 2 & 3!

Today has just been amazing so far! Session 2 was Dr. Cloud's second talk & focused on "necessary endings". He talked about pruning, under what circumstances it occurs & how it applies to our lives. He also discussed how we're all hoarders on some level & how our fears & attachments make pruning difficult. "Today may be the enemy of your tomorrow."
Session 3 began w/ a Q&A with both Sheila & Dr. Cloud. Some "sound bites" from that include: "The bigger the trouble, the faster you run home", how the inability to forgive is crippling, & how we were never intended/designed to judge ourselves & that critical voice in our heads is a result of the Fall.
Sheila was back up next for her 2nd talk. This time she focused on Jesus' promise of peace in John 14:27. "Peace is not the absence of trouble, it's the presence of Christ." She reminded us we have to make the decision to be at the feet of the Peace Promiser. It's an attitude, a determination of will.
Almost time for the evening session! :)

Session One!

Session one is now done! It was an absolutely fabulous start to everything! We started off in song with the worship team. I recognized two songs from their CD but one was new so it was a nice mix.
Then Sheila Walsh took the stage, speaking on God's promises. Two sound bites/quotes for you: "You have not lived an unloved moment in your life." And "When the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, you will change." She talked about the woman with the blood issue in Mark 5 & how Jesus wanted to give her a bigger miracle than she came for. When she comes forward & tells Him the whole truth, Jesus gives her a greater gift than her healing by calling her "daughter" (ONLY time he calls an single woman this) & telling her to "go in peace".
Then Dr. Henry Cloud discussed some content of his new book "The Law of Happiness". The 2 attributes of happy people he discussed were happy people are givers & happy people are connected people.
No more space left :( On to Session 2!

We have arrived!! :) My friend and I rode Metro in this morning with the commuters and made our way to the Verizon Center. Today's daytime session is general admission and since we have seats on the floor for the rest of the conference we decided to sit a couple of rows up from the floor. It's 945a now and the conference starts at 10a so we are just relaxing and enjoying the time. :) They have music playing from the "Rejoice" CD I reviewed a little while back and it's beautiful. I love recognizing the songs and humming along with them. :) So excited!! :D More to come...
Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

New Blog Feature!

Friends! I'm excited to announce a new feature for my blog!

With the Women of Faith conference coming up this weekend (tomorrow! EEK!) I really wanted to be able to share the experience with you while it was happening. However, carting around my laptop is not an option and I know I'll be too exhausted to blog about it when I get home each night. So what's a girl to do? Hello, SMS and MMS blogging! :)

Yes, I will be making my first attempt to live blog something by sending in blog posts via text messages and photo/media messages from my phone. Due to the limitations of this method, posts will most likely be fairly short but I wanted to make sure that I tried to share this experience with you as it was happening. This will be my first time live-blogging so please hang in with me if there are any technical issues :) Also, because I will doing this remotely, I won't be able to post all the links to Facebook individually like I usually do.

So excited to try this out! Keeping my fingers crossed that it goes well!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to have lunch with my hubby for my birthday! :) I think I see a Chick-fil-A milkshake in my future... ;)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

WOF Update and a New Book!

Friends! :)

Just wanted to give you an update on the Women of Faith conference coming up NEXT WEEKEND! I can't believe it's so close! I received my tickets in the mail at the end of last week. In the several times I've been to the conference prior, I've mostly sat in the 100-section, the sloped seats in the lower portion of the "bowl" at the Verizon Center. But this year that all changes. I was so excited to see that the tickets that came in the mail are for the FLOOR! Considering the tickets were free in exchange for posting a couple of blogs about the event, I basically expected them to be in the nosebleed section. What a surprise gift! :) One of my best friends is coming up from Va. Beach to spend the weekend and attend the conference with me. So exciting!

Also, in conjunction with the Women of Faith conference, I selected a new book from the BookSneeze lineup! It was perfect timing because they were offering a book by one of the Women of Faith speakers! So now I'm about ready to start reading "Stumbling Into Grace: Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman" by Lisa Harper. Lisa used to work at Focus on the Family as the director of women's ministry and is now one of the speakers on the Women of Faith team that will be at the DC conference next weekend. I thought it would be a great match-up to choose a book that could supplement my Women of Faith experience. And how cute is that little girls on the cover! :) The book description reads as follows:

"Humorous yet poignant stories from Lisa's life help readers relate to spiritual truths found in the life and ministry of Christ.

Stumbling Into Grace is the diary-devotional of one woman's honest, ongoing, bumbling journey of faith and how she finds encouragement through a deeper understanding of Christ's time on earth. Within each chapter she alternates her often humorous memoir with stirring portraits of Jesus and his own encounters as recorded in the New Testament.

Both intimately relevant and refreshingly inspirational, this book will help readers to jettison the theological misconceptions, guilt, shame, and hypocrisy they struggle with, exchanging them for a vibrant, passionate relationship with Christ that results in a more abundant, joyful life."

Can't wait to read it and share my review with you! :)

Have a blessed day!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Meghan

Imagine!

Friends! Exciting news!! :)

Last month, BookSneeze partnered with Women of Faith to offer bloggers the chance to apply to attend a local Women of Faith conference and blog about the experience. I just found out before leaving for California that I was accepted as a blogger for the Washington, DC conference at the end of August! I am so excited to be attending a Women of Faith conference again. I attended regularly for several years but haven't been to one in a couple of years due to scheduling and money issues. But now I've been given the opportunity to attend again! :)

This year, the Women of Faith conference is being held at the Verizon Center August 26th and 27th. Friday is basically a 12 hour day (10a-10p) with a 3 hour break from 3:30-6:30. Saturday goes from 9a-5p. It's a long exhausting weekend but in the past has been totally worth it to worship with other women and learn from others that have been where I am. I'm excited to hear Sheila Walsh and Luci Swindoll speak again. They've been members of the speaking team since I started attending. They've split the team into two groups recently and added a few other members so that not all the women have to be at every conference so I will miss some of the ladies I've enjoyed before but there are a few new additions, like Lisa Harper, that I'm looking forward to hearing as well. And, of course, the musical guests are always a joy and this year will be no exception with Mary Mary and Natalie Grant! :)

So if you're looking for a good weekend, join me at the Women of Faith conference. You can click the image to the left to get more information. It is quite a unique time with a stadium full of women who love and worship God. Hope to see you there!


Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan