Reviw of Beauty In The Break Down by Julie Roberts

I enjoyed this book. It is written by Julie Roberts and talks about her whole life including the struggles she went through in learning that she had multiple sclerosis. When she was a kid, she saw her mom being abused by her dad. It made her and her sisters terrified. Finally everything works out and they leave their dad and the mom gets a new house and they all move in. Then she decides she would like to be come a singer. She worked for this studio executive who she was desperate to show her music off to. He ends up liking it and helps her put out her first record. It sky rockets on the charts and she gets many fans who wanted to see her perform and she goes on tour with Rascal Flatts. She makes other records but they don't do so well and some of that is because her voice changed when she got multiple sclerosis. It also made her dizzy, confused and pins and needles in her arms and legs. She later becomes an avid person on this and helps others feel better about having multiple sclerosis as well.

I enjoyed some of her quotes in the book. On page 41 she says " Even if I gave my best, there would be adversities over which I had little control. I decided I wouldn't let that keep me from my dreams. In fact, that experience made me even more determined." Another quote on page 85 says " Everything is in God's hands...When you stop believing in yourself, that's when the devil works on you." On page 199 she says " Despite the setbacks I had experienced, helped me to believe that God had good things in store for me, and that he was going to use the calamities that come my way for his glory and for my good. I understood that I had to do my part, to work hard, and keep pushing on doors till something opened. That meant I had to humble myself..."

Another quote on page 242 says "I still don't understand why some things happened, and occasionally I ask God about that. But I know we aren't supposed to understand everything, so I just keep the faith and believe it all will make sense one day." On page 275 she says " I ask the Lord every day to give me some signs that I am on the right path, to show me the direction he wants me to go, and to give me just a nudge to keep going..." On page 276 she says " God, did you forget about me? When is it all going to come together? The toughest and sometimes loneliness room of all is the waiting room, waiting for the good things that you know he is going to bring to you and the good things that he is going to do in and through you. Sometimes I get impatient and tend to worry. I've done my share of whining and complaining to God. Lord, how long? Lord, when is it going to happen? When are things going to fall into place? How long must I endure? Usually the answer I've received from those prayers and lamentations of frustration have been, trust me.. Don't put your faith in human beings, systems, companies, or even friends and family. Place your trust in me. I'm learning that I can't really worry and fret and trust God at the same time. Worry is losing faith. And without faith in God, nothing good happens. So I keep working hard and believing God for a great future. I refuse to allow myself to wallow in self-pity or to dwell on negative thoughts. Instead, I continue to dream, believing that God is going to do something greater in my life than I 've ever imagined. And this time, I have a different voice-one of strength, determination, and faith-one touched by the hand of almighty God, to be used for his glory and to encourage people. So my prayers these days is this: God, I'm available  to you. Wherever you want me to go, whenever you want me to go, please open the doors. I'm ready a and willing."

On page 279 she says " I had to be broken in many ways, physically, emotionally, financially, and even spiritually, before I came to a point of realizing that I could either try to run my life, or I could trust God to run it And although it might seem strange to think of it, I can almost imagine Jesus saying If you are going to break down, break down here. This is a safe place. I will protect you, care for you, heal you, and get you back on the road again. Humility and brokenness...God has to get us there one way or another. And once we get there, we discover that we are not at the end of the world, but we are at the doorway to put an entirely new way of living. Brokenness leads to blessing. God can take the broken pieces of our lives, and just as the Scriptures teaches, he can make something beautiful out of them." On page 281 she says " You are made in the image of God. Don't  conform to what other people tell you that you have to be or think or sing or say. Be the beautiful person God created you to be. You will be happier and freer, and God will be pleased with you.
We all experience breakdowns in our lives in one way or another.. But if  we choose to overcome, and if we allow God to use these  difficult times in our lives, he will bring good out of whatever  circumstances we face in our lives. Peace and contentment are possible as we see the beauty in the breakdown, to see that even in our broken places, God is still at work. God never promises that we  won't be discouraged, hurt or rejected. But he is right there with us. He never leaves  us or forsakes us. If we can trust him, we can find more than beauty we can find God right there  in the middle of our messes. He does bring beauty out of ashes...and sometimes he even turns  those ashes to gold!"

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 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." 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 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."

A review of the book Wait For Me by Susan May Warren

I want to start of by saying I love the author Susan May Warren and have read plenty of her books.

This book is about a man named Pete who originally fell in love with a woman named Jess. She wanted to marry him but had a lot going on in her life like taking care of her sick mom. Pete believes she is engaged to another man and gives up hope on Jess but then she comes back into his life and they fall in love.  It also talks about a woman named Shae who falls in love with a guy named Ned and helps protect her and Jess when someone kidnaps them and tries to kill them. The book was a thrill seeker and attention grabber and I couldn't keep it down.

I enjoyed some of the quotes in the book. I liked the quote on page 295 which reads " You don't have to prove anything to God for him to join your team. He's already on it. So don't keep him out of the game plan." I also enjoyed the quote on page 300 which says " Please God, You're all we have, and I believe you can get us out of any mess we create. So please, save us. Not because we deserve it, but because we need you..."On page 305 the quote says " God never intended me to fight my battles alone." On page 310 the quote says " Please, God. Save us all here. Not because we deserve it, but because you love us."

I really connected with the characters especially Jess who  is described as "just didn't want to cause any more problems, didn't want to hurt anyone else, who just wanted everyone to be happy. The problem is, we can't please everyone and when we try, we end up making a mess. The best thing we can do is live in truth, love others well, and trust in a God who loves us enough to fix our messes."