A "Poteced" Heart

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.  Proverbs 4:23

The Bible is clear about guarding our hearts.  As parents, it is our job to guard our children's heart until they are mature enough to make good decisions for themselves.  In today's culture, it is a full time job to protect the hearts of our children.

From video games to Victoria Secret, movies to T.V. commercials, and bullies to boyfriends, our job never ends.  I pray often for God to send godly influences into the lives our children and for Him to remove the people who would be bad influences on them.  He never fails to do both. 

In 1 Kings Chapters 3 through 11, we can read about King Solomon.  He was the son of David and became king after King David passed away.  He was young when he became king and started off his reign asking the Lord for wisdom to rule the people.  The Lord was pleased with his request and not only gave him wisdom, but also great wealth and prosperity. 

King Solomon was a good king and did many honorable acts as king.  He tirelessly worked to rebuilt the Lord's temple in Jerusalem, and built a mighty army and navy.  His renowned wisdom spread throughout all the world (I Kings 10:24), and the land of Jerusalem prospered under his reign.  It says in 1 Kings 10:24 that the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones.  Now that is prosperous!

However, Solomon did not guard his heart.  The Lord had warned him not marry women from nations who worshiped other gods saying,  "Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods."   King Solomon had a weakness for women and did not listen to the Lord's warning. 

For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods. and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 1 Kings 11:6

The same Solomon who rebuilt the Lord's temple and brought great prosperity to Jerusalem, would set the foundation for generations of Israelites to turn away from the Lord.  Not only did he not guard his own heart, but also failed to guard the hearts of his people.

He built alters to other gods, "high places", and burned incense to other gods.  He set an example and it didn't take long for his people to follow it. 

What we allow into our hearts will overflow and affect our children.  Little hearts can easily be influenced, for good or bad. 

There are times when I question how well I am protecting the hearts of my children:

Should I let them play Wii as often as they do?  Is it becoming a "high place" for them?  

Is that T.V. program really appropriate?  Is is planting seeds of rebellion in their hearts?

I cringe when watching an innocent T.V. program and a commercial comes on that was not as innocent.  Did I just fail to guard their hearts? 

Did they see that bulletin board as we were driving?  Lord, I hope not.  Protect their little eyes. 

There have been times when we were watching a movie together as a family and we had to turn it off due to some inappropriate words or content. 

It happened again recently.  The next day, our son, Luke, made this card.

He wrote, "you been so important to me when we watch bad movies you 'poteced' our hearts!"

King Solomon did not "potected" the hearts of God's children that the Lord entrusted to him.  I don't want to make the same mistake.  However, it takes diligence.  I pray the Lord would help me to guard my heart and my children's hearts with all vigilance, that our hearts would always be turned towards him and Living Water would then flow out of us.

Dear Lord, please help me protect my heart and our children's hearts.  Show me if there is anything in our hearts that we place above you.  I pray that you would reveal and tear down those high places and give us wisdom to keep our hearts pure.  I pray for you to protect our children's ear gate and eye gate into their hearts.   I pray we would love you with all our heart, soul, and mind, and that love for you would flow out of us to others as springs of life.  In Jesus precious name, Amen. 

Finishing the Race

Last week I wrote in the post Running the Race about how running buddies can encourage you and keep you going strong.

In the post, I mentioned how my son, Joe, was a great running buddy.  However, he is not running with me currently.

Allow me to introduce my new running buddy to you.  This running buddy is 105 lbs of fur.  He has four legs, a wet nose, and likes to stop and sniff occasionally.  Yes, it is our lovable Golden Retriever, Sammy.

As soon as I grab the leash, he is ready!  Excited about starting the race, he pants with tongue wagging.  He runs and jumps in anticipation.  He circles round and around waiting for me to put the leash on him.  He gazes up and me and pulls on the leash seeming to say, "Come on, let's go!" 

So, we go.  Like a horse out of the starting gate, he merrily trots along.....until....we reach about a quarter of a mile from our house.  Then, the excitement comes to an abrupt halt.  The eager pup then turns into a lagging dog.  He loses steam.  A blade of grass or a squirrel easily distract.  He spots a shady area and longs to wander off the running path and rest in the grass. 

What happened?  He was so excited, so full of enthusiasm for this run.

Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.  Hebrews 12:1

Many times, we are like Sammy.  We get excited about doing what God has called us to do.  We are full of anticipation and hope, trotting merrily along....until....we get a quarter of a mile down the road.  Then, we lose steam.  We get distracted.  We realize this run is not as easy as we originally thought it would be and we long to wander off the path. 

In the verse above, the word translated "sin" is "hamartano" in the original Hebrew.  It means "to wander from the path of uprightness and honor."

Doubt and unbelief may tempt you off your path.  Distractions are all around us competing for our affections.  Sloth or complacency may try to sway you off God's path to one that seems easier.

You may hear the faint sound of a voice coercing you, "It is ok to wander off this path.  You couldn't make it anyway.  It is too hard of a path.  You can't finish this race.  You might as well stop."  This voice is NOT of God.  This voice is the deception of the enemy trying to discourage you off the path God has for you to run.  If it is not God's path, it may appear easier, but there will not be victory at the finish.    

I want to finish my race victoriously!  I know you do too. 

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  Gal 6:9

Now, back to my running buddy, Sammy.  Even though he sees the shady spot off the path, he keeps going with a little encouragement (and a tug on his leash).  He may go a little slower and even walk some of the way, but He keeps going.  At 105 lbs,  he does have some "weight" he needs to lay aside to finish the race. 

However, something miraculous happens when we reach the home stretch.  As soon as he sees our home, he springs back to life.  His strength and energy is renewed.  He goes faster and faster with the goal in mind. 

Are you getting this?  I am sure you can see my point.  We must keep our goal and our end in mind.  We must keep our focus on our "home".  Heaven is our home.   Earth is not our home, we are just passing through here. 

We must keep our eyes on the Kingdom of God.  It is the finish line, it is the reason we run the race.  With our eyes on the prize of our HOME, we will have the strength and energy to finish the race.  We may need a little encouragement and a tug now and again, but God will give us the strength to finish the race victoriously!




 

Running the Race

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.   Hebrews 12:1-3

I like to run.  There is something about pounding pavement that produces peace and alleviates stress.

In February, Joe and I signed up to run a 5K together.  Joe is my nine year old son.  We began training two months before the race.  At first, he was not the greatest running buddy.  He would get discouraged and say, "I can't do this, it is too hard." 

I would then encourage him and explain to him that it is important to talk to yourself when you run.  You have to encourage yourself and talk to your body.  Tell yourself, "I can do this.  I am almost there, just a little more. I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me."

I would encourage him too, I would tell him, "You can do this.  We are almost there. Come on, you can do it! Keep going!"

Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls.  For he has no one to help him up....Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12

Joe learned to encourage himself, I would encourage him, and the Lord also encouraged him through His word.  If he had been running by himself, he may have quit.  But the Lord gave him a running buddy to encourage him.

By the end of our training, he became my encourager!  When I would lag behind, he would say, "Come on Mom, you are almost there.  You can do it! It is just around the corner."

In April, we ran the 5K together.  I was so proud of him.  He actually beat me!  Here is a picture of us.

He was a great running buddy. 

I am still running, but he isn't running with me right now.  I miss my running buddy.  It is empowering to have someone to cheer you on and encourage you. 

However, we all have a running buddy that will encourage us as we run the race that is set before us.  We all have a race to run, and we all have the greatest running buddy ever, Jesus.  Hebrews 12 instructs us to look to Jesus and  "consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself".   We are to consider what Jesus endured so that we don't become weary and discouraged as we run our race. 

As we run and aim toward the finish line of the plan and purpose of Christ, there will be times when we are excited about the race.  However, there will also be times when we need encouragement to continue on in our race.

There may be times when we need to encourage ourselves just as Joe needed to encourage himself to keep going. We need to "talk" to ourselves and encourage ourselves. 

However, God knows when you need a flesh and blood person in your life to encourage you and He will bring you running buddies.  Ask Him. 

A three fold cord is not easily broken.  When we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we are sure to finish our race.  He is the third strand in the cord, the strength the helps us endure and holds us strong.

Remember, in whatever race you are running,  you have the best running buddy.  As my friend, Crystal, once shared with me, "You have Jesus in tennis shoes running right beside you!"  There is no greater running partner!  Run your race. You can do it!  You are almost there!  Just keep going!

Pleasing God

Emily Freeman is discussing her book Grace For the Good Girl every Thursday on her blog.  This last week she discussed Chapters 4, 5 and 6.  You can click on the link www.chattingatthesky.com to read her discussion.

I have mentioned before that growing up, I was a performance driven girl.  In my adult life, I have battled being a people pleaser.  People pleasing has its issues and I am learning to overcome with the Lord's help.

Along with the people pleasing, I have a heart that longs to please God.

Now, pleasing God may sound all good, but a majority of my Christian life was spent trying to earn God's approval and pleasure.  And likewise, I felt He was disappointed with me much of the time.  Again, I didn't feel I could measure up.  The truth is I couldn't.  However, God never intended for us to go around not feeling good enough. 

Emily writes in Chapter 4 of Grace For the Good Girl about the difference in trying to please God vs trusting God.

"Choosing to please God sounds right at first, but it so often leads to a performing life, a girl trying to 

become good, a lean-on-myself theology.  If I am trying to please God, it is difficult to trust God.  But when I trust God, pleasing him is automatic." (pg. 65)

Pleasing God = Works and relying on self

Trusting God = Rest and obedience.  God is pleased when we trust Him.  

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalms 46:10

The word "still" is the Hebrew word raphah and it means "relax"

Notice, it didn't say, "Work hard and know that I am God."  No, it says, "Be still" or relax.  Trust.

When we are working to please God, we stay busy striving and doing.  

Striving and doing are synonymous with trying to keep the law.  

When we are trusting God, we can rest in Him, we can rest and be in His presence.  

Resting and being are synonymous with His grace.  His grace and power of the Holy Spirit enable us to obey the Lord and complete whatever His will is for us.  

One puts the emphasis on self, the other puts the emphasis on the Holy Spirit.  

One brings bondage, and the other.... freedom. 

On Thursday, I wrote about Understanding Righteousness.  When we understand who we are in Christ and that we have already been made righteous through Christ, we have the freedom to stop striving and start being.  We can come boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy in our time of need.  We can stop trying to please God and just rest trusting God.  

When we lay down all our doing and trade it in for the stillness found in His presence, we find His Holy Spirit leading us and guiding us into His will. 

Be still.  Know.  He is God.  Trust. 

Understanding Righteousness

Merriam-Webster defines righteousness two ways:

1) acting in accord with devine or moral law

2) free from guilt or sin

If one were to look only at the world's definition of righteousness, it would seem to be unattainable.

It is unattainable on our own.  Trying to attain righteous on our own also is exhausting, defeating or can lead to pride.  When we think we can work our way by ourselves to right standing with God, it is called "self-righteousness".

God says that all of our works we do to attempt to obtain righteousness are like filthy rags.

But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.  Isaiah 64:6


The reason He says this is because no matter now "good" we are, we cannot obtain righteousness.  In comparison to His goodness, we fall immeasurably short.

This may seem discouraging at first glance, but I assure you it is quite the opposite.

For if by the one man's offense (Adam's sin) death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.  Romans 6:17 (parentheses added)

Did you see that?  Righteousness is a gift.

Before Jesus came, God gave His people a list of rules to follow known as "the law".  This law was impossible to completely follow, so why did God give His people this list if He knew they could never do it all?

The law was not designed to keep His people in bondage, but rather to point His people to Him. 

God is perfect, but He knows we are not.  He doesn't require us to be perfect.  He wanted His people to know His standards, but to also realize their need for Him.  If we don't know our need, we won't seek His presence. 

Under the law, righteousness was something people worked toward, but could never acquire.

But, when Jesus came, the law was replaced.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.  Galations 2:16

My heart aches for people still living in bondage, trying to earn grace, trying to earn acceptance, trying to earn heaven.

There is freedom in Jesus.

I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.  Gal 2:21


The verse above is stout.  If we are trying to earn righteousness, then Christ died in vain.  Wow.

Here is the thing....We don't have to earn righteousness, we already are righteous.

I can hear some people saying, "What! Blaspheme!"   I didn't write the book, I'm just relaying the message.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  2 Corinthians 5:21

When we come to Jesus, He takes all our sin and all our righteousness (remember ours is like a filthy rag) and exchanges it for His.

We are righteous not because of anything we have done, but because He is and He lives in us.

It may be difficult for you to look at yourself as righteous.  Maybe you've never heard this before.  Maybe you have a past tattered with sin.  Maybe you were told you were nothing and worthless your whole life.

I am here today to tell you,  YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS.

If you still are having trouble believing it, I encourage you to read Romans and the Corinthians.  Let the Word of God cleanse your mind with truth.  Write the verses above down and say them everyday until you believe it.

When you know God has redeemed you.  When you know you are already righteous through Christ, it changes the way you see yourself and how you act.
 
At the beginning of the post, I shared that Merriam-Webster defined "righteousness" as "free from guilt or sin".  You are indeed free from guilt or sin. 

Christ gives you permission to be free.  You are free, you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. 

"Mom, I Have Something to Tell You"

After saying prayers last night, our son, Luke, stopped me as I was kissing him goodnight.

"Mom, I have something to tell you.  There are two things."  (Moms know this is not usually followed by good news.)

Patiently, I inquired, "What do you need to tell me?"

"Well, first of all......" He went on to tell me something he already had told me earlier.  In retrospect, I am reasoning this was a purposeful and quite ingenious delay.

"Luke, you already told me that.  What else did you need to tell me?"

He gazed downward, his lip began to quiver and his eyes welled up with tears as he began to speak.

Cautiously, through quivering lips he said, "I think you will get mad.  I think I may get in trouble."  

"Luke, just tell me.  It is ok, just tell me."

Tears streaming and lips frowned downward, he confessed......"I lied."

"What did you lie about?", I asked, already filling with compassion for this sweet boy with a heart of repentance.

"Earlier today, when I told you I had read half of my Bible, I lied.  I didn't really read half of my Bible."  (Our kids are signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the library, so this morning they were reading for about an hour.  He was reading his Children's Bible. It isn't as big as a regular Bible, so I thought maybe he had read half of it.)

Looking gently into his eyes, I comforted him, "Luke, I am not mad at you.  You are not in trouble. Thank you for telling me the truth.  God already knew the truth, and it makes Him happy when we confess our sins to Him and we are sorry.  He forgives you and so do I.  Can I have a hug?"

Smiling, with a relieved countenance and clean heart, He gave me a hug. 

It feels good to come clean.  It is freeing to go to the Lord and confess sin.  He already knows it anyway. 

Hiding the truth doesn't change the truth.

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.  Psalms 86:5

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  
1 John 1:9

We are never too young or old to learn and relearn this simple, yet powerful truth. 

"Good Mom"

I hope you had a chance to go to Emily Freeman's blog yesterday to join in her discussion of Grace for the Good Girl. You can also click on the button on the side bar to go to her blog. I didn't blog about it yesterday, but I am now.  I may be a little late, but, it is a book about grace, isn't it?

Anywho...there is a part in Chapter Two that I really wanted to share with you.  (Sorry about all the rhyming in that sentence.)

It is about the "Good Mom".

"Good Mom makes breakfast and smiles a lot.  Good Mom always remembers to notice, compliment, and encourage.  She is fun and funny...Her patience is limitless and she never raises her voice.  She wakes up early every morning to spend time with Jesus.  She is consistent and kind.  She makes cookies from scratch.  She plays outside even when its really hot.  She builds forts with blankets in the living room.  Her house is always clean and her produce is always fresh, and she has a garden with flowers and vegetables.  She can sing.  She makes puppets out of socks.  Her kids never watch TV because they are totally satisfied to listen to the riveting, captivating stories that their Good Mom makes up.  Every night."

Is anyone else exhausted with all that the "Good Mom" has to live up to?

Emily adds:

"And then there is me.  I haven't worn matching socks in three years.  I pulled out nine individual socks from my drawer the other day.  Nine.  All different.  My kids fight.  A lot.  They call each other the biggest insult in their kindergarten arsenal: baby. And they all hate to be called babies...And it drives me crazy.  I have had the same butter knife in my dishwasher for two weeks.  Some unidentifiable food is stuck to one side.  It's just too much to wash it by hand. And? My car has ants."(pg. 31)

Can anyone relate to Emily?  I know I can:

My kids eat cereal pretty much every day for breakfast.  I like to sleep in.  I spend time with the Lord, but some days it is just a brief moment in the car.  I do not want to have a vegetable garden.  I do not like to garden and my thumb is no shade of green.  I don't want to make my own bread, I like buying it at the store.  I value convenience over saving.  I don't clip coupons or use them when I grocery shop unless Chris gives me one to use.  Even then, it is toss up on if I will remember to use it.  I forget to stock the fridge when drinks run low.  I don't know how to properly load a dishwasher or iron.  And I have a basket of clean clothes that I need to put away that has been sitting there two days.

There it is.  I cannot live up to the "Good Mom".  And I will not let her shame me.

To be honest the "good girl" in me isn't sure I want you to know all the above about me.  I want you to think I have it all together and do everything perfectly.  I don't.  

O Lord,  You have searched me and known me.  
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, 
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.  
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.....
How precious are your thoughts towards me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!  
Psalms 139:1-6, 17


You have a Savior who knows all your faults and loves you unconditionally.  If I ask Him, He will help me learn to load the dishwasher and clip coupons, but He doesn't require it.  He loves me. Period.

He loves you. 

How about you?  Do you ever feel like there are impossible expectations placed on you?  Is there a perfect image of a mom, wife, or Christian that you measure yourself against?  Do you ever feel like you can't measure up no matter how hard you try?
 
I would love to hear your thoughts or comments on this.  PLEASE COMMENT!!!! Yes, I am begging you to comment!  ;  )  Comments are great, really they are!!  Don't be afraid, this is a place of grace. 

Broken

Thank you to everyone who entered to win to the book Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman!!

And the winner is......drum roll please............Ann.  Congratulations!!

Don't forget you can check Emily's blog every Thursday at www.chattingatthesky.com for discussion of her book. 

Now we return to our regular scheduled programming......

Broken

In our bedroom, I have things piled up that need mending.  Whenever a stuffed animal seam pops, a button comes off or a toy breaks, the kids hand them to me to fix.  Currently, the pile includes a stuffed snake, a pillow, and a pair of shorts.  There may also be a monkey and Hello Kitty that haven't made it to the pile yet.

The kids realize they are not capable of mending these treasures themselves.   They are too small to fix it.

They relinquish control to the one who can mend. 

These items that need repair are often just worn down due to much use.  Sometimes, it is a lack of care, neglect, or just rough handling.  

Life can handle us rough sometimes.  

Tattered relationships.  Yet unrealized dreams.  Stresses of life.  Past defeats or regrets.  Suffered wrongs. 

All these can leave one broken.  However, brokenness is not always bad.   It is in our brokenness that we realize we need a Mender.  

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken spirit and a contrite heart-
These, O God, You will not despise.  Psalms 51:17

A sacrifice is what we lay down before the Lord.  We give it to Him.  

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.  Psalms 34:18 

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.  Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. Ps 147: 3-5

I think I can maintain status quo, going on day by day being self-sufficient until self-sufficiency is overruled by the overwhelming awareness of incapability without my Mender.  Our Healer. 

He is mighty in power.  I am not.

It is in these broken moments where we can allow ourselves to truly be healed.  We won't give our heart to the Mender to heal if we aren't aware of the hole in it.  We cannot fix that hole on our own.  We are too small.

Pride says I am self-sufficient.

Brokenness says His grace is sufficient. 


Pride says I can do this on my own.


Brokenness says I need Jesus.  


Oh, how I need Jesus. 

It doesn't matter how big your broken pile is.  Give it to Him.  Give it to the Mender. 

Relinquish control to the One who can mend.  

Let Him restore it to beauty.  

Let Him make it new.
 

 

Grace For the Good Girl GIVEAWAY!!!

A few months back I was checking my facebook friends' status updates when I came across this one:

"I wonder when I will ever feel good enough."

Oh, how my heart immediately sank at those words.   Usually an encourager, one would probably expect me to say something along the lines of "You are good enough just the way you are."

Contrary to the expected, my first inclination was to say...... "Never."

That may not have been what my friend was hoping to see, but it is truth, none the less.

"Good enough" can never be attained.

Of course, I didn't just leave her with "Never."  That would have been harsh.  I went on further to explain the truth that, thankfully, we don't have to be good enough because we have a Savior and He is Enough.  

This is a truth I am still learning.  I grew up a performance driven girl.  I learned early on to always strive for the best grades, to work hard, and that making mistakes led to negative consequences.  I found my sense of worth tied to my ability to perform.  If I didn't perform well, then my sense of worth went down. 

It used to be that even when I would pray and read the Bible, I never felt it was enough.  There was a nagging haunting that I needed to do more.  It was defeating.

Who can live up to enough? It is unquenchable. It can never be satisfied.

Then, Grace.

I started reading this book a few weeks ago and I LOVE it!!!  It is freeing me in areas where I didn't even know I needed freedom!  

Take a look at the subtitle if you can see it...."Letting go of the try-hard life".

*Sigh*  Isn't that one line in and of itself freeing?  Who else out there is tired of trying so hard?  I GIVE UP!  I CAN'T DO IT, not on my own.  God is revealing on a whole new level of my need for Him. And. I. Love. It.

There are so many expectations.  We place them on ourselves.  Some people intentionally place them on us. Others unwittingly place them on us.

I can't keep up!  I'll admit it.  I need a Savior.  I need freedom.  Freedom to live.  Freedom to laugh.  Freedom to say no.  Freedom to worship.  Freedom that says it is ok if there is a dirty dish in the sink.  It is ok if the house is not immaculate.  It is ok. Breathe. Live.

It isn't a license to laziness, but instead a freedom to relax.  No, we cannot live in a pig sty and God doesn't want us to be lazy, but He also doesn't want us to go around feeling "less-than" because we don't live up to expectations placed on us.   We never feel like we are doing enough.  There is always one more thing to do.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

The author of this book, Grace for the Good Girl, is Emily P. Freeman.  She has an amazing blog at www.chattingatthesky.com where she will be discussing this book every Thursday for the next 8 Thursdays.  I plan to tune in and reread the book.  If you are interested in joining the discussion, go check out her blog and tune in on Thursdays.  I am hoping to discuss more of the book on my blog as well to go along with hers. 

You can buy the book at about any bookstore or you can win a copy this week from here!  All you have to do to enter is do one of the following:

1.  Become a follower (if you aren't already)- Just click on the blue buttom on the side that says "Join this site"
2.  Leave a comment
3. Share on facebook
4. Like or leave a comment on facebook.

Please let me know if you share or become of follower as sometimes I cannot tell and I don't want to miss you!

I will close the contest Tuesday at midnight and announce the winner Wednesday morning!!  I love giveaways!  You will love this book, trust me.  Tell your friends!!