What I learned from Weddings, Willows and Revised Expectations, by V. Joy Palmer

I recently read and reviewed Weddings, Willows and Revised Expectations, by V. Joy Palmer.
  This book did so much for me and my walk with Jesus Christ.

Here's a quick run through of what the book was about:

The main character, Apryl, has had a really tough time in her life.
She lost her parents way too soon, has delt with being bullied, but not quite in the traditional sense of the word.

 Things added up and Apryl struggled to believe she had worth.

Chance, the male protagonist, would just not accept the lies Apryl told herself.
So he fought them. He did battle.
He even ended up screaming her worth at her. Which in his and God's eyes was immeasurable

I thought, "I want a guy who cares enough to try so hard to make me believe my worth."

 I don't know if I believe in such guys aside from book characters.

So I continued reading, but it was late. Or early I should say, nearly 2 AM.

I put my book down and grabbed my Bible. I opened to a random page.
The random page being Isaiah chapter 64.
I started reading from verse 5.

 The verses were telling me we've all sinned. We've all fallen short. That technically, none of us have ever been good enough.

And then I read verse 8.

  "But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter; and we all are the work of Your hand."

I paused in my reading and just stared at the page with my mouth open.

I'd been so caught up in wishing for my own hero like the one in the story, I forgot my TRUE Hero-- Jesus.

He's always been fighting for me to believe my worth.
He's the one shouting my value at me. And to Him it's immeasurable.

The same God who is shouting my worth at me is shouting worth over you too!

I didn't randomly open my Bible to that page. No, God orchestrated it long before I was even born.

I was always meant to find this peace at 2 AM that night.

It's time to start focusing on the real Hero.

The Potter's hands crafted you and me perfectly imperfect and intentionally.

We're not just randomly stuck on this earth.

The Potter has a plan.

Believe Him when He shouts your worth at you.

-Rebekah.

P.S
When you look in the mirror I hope you see the beautiful and loved person you are. Because I see it. And most importantly, God sees it.

Your worth is not in man, but rather the Man who lovingly gave Himself for you. Measure your worth by the One who's made it immeasurable.

Yours Truly, Thomas, Rachel Fordham. (Book Review)

About the book:

For three years, Penny Ercanbeck has been opening other people's mail. Dead ends are a reality for clerks at the Dead Letter Office. Still she dreams of something more--a bit of intrigue, a taste of romance, or at least a touch less loneliness. When a letter from a brokenhearted man to his one true love falls into her hands, Penny seizes this chance to do something heroic. It becomes her mission to place this lost letter into the hands of its intended recipient.

Thomas left his former life with no intention of ending up in Azure Springs, Iowa. He certainly didn't expect a happy ending after what he had done. All he wanted to do was run and never look back. In a moment of desperation, he began to write, never really expecting a reply.

When Penny's undertaking leads her to the intriguing man who touched her soul with his words, everything grows more complicated. She wants to find the rightful owner of the letter and yet she finds herself caring--perhaps too much--for the one who wrote it.

 My thoughts: 5/5 stars. 

Have you ever read a book so good you cried when it ended?
Yours Truly, Thomas was that book for me. I didn't actually cry because I'm not much of a crier, but my heart and soul definitely did.

This book was heart-warming, soulful, and full of beautiful, compassionate people.

So many times my heart broke for these beautiful characters and the losses they endured, but then they pieced my heart back together with their ability to rise again and fight.

And boy did they fight.

They fought for love, for freedom from their pasts; they fought for joy and peace within their hearts. They fought for each other. And they fought for what they knew in their hearts was true.

This tale was chock full of wisdom for the weary soul.
One of my favorites was a sentiment from Penny's late father.

 "I firmly believe that if we are here on this earth than we still have work to do. We have a purpose even when we cannot see it." 

Mr. Ercanbeck believed we should always fight for joy and purpose. I agree with him.

The love story (with a few side ones thrown in) touched my heart deeply.

Penny and Thomas's love was an unconventional one. They met through his letters detailing his love for his dear, sweet Clara  My heart ached for the broken man sending letters describing his broken heart. The letters that dug deeply into his soul and touched not only Penny's heart, but my own.

My heart was made a little more complete with this beautiful tale of Christ's love, forgiveness, and a fight for joy.
 Plus there was a little bit of mystery and a few bad guys thrown in. But love always wins.

These characters have an unbelievable ability to overcome. I can't thank Rachel Fordham enough for writing these characters so I could invite them into my heart to stay forever.



Grab your copy of Yours Truly, Thomas because you will not regret it!

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way obligated to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are purely my own.**

-Rebekah

For the Love of a Word, Annie Twitchell: Review + Interview.

About the book:

A collection of love letters to creative souls. For your inspiration and encouragement. "There is a strange beauty in this lonely work; to create is to realize my connection with things greater than myself, and soon enough the work is not lonely at all, but blessed and beloved." Featuring the words of sixteen writers, For the Love of a Word is designed to encourage, inspire, and uplift you in your journey.

Book Review: 5/5 stars. 

For the Love of a Word was full of beautiful, thought provoking poems.
Letters from writer to writer giving inspiration for the weary soul.

Relatable, sad, inspiring, heart touching words filled this beautiful little book.

By the end I knew I had seen these authors hearts what a special thing it was.

Beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking words of experiences fill their aching hearts to overflowing.

Aching as in a soul breaking truths but as well as their beautiful true hearts aching for you to realize you're not quite as alone as you thought.

Their hearts longed to connect to yours and make you realize that you, dear one, are special. And you're not alone. And your words mean something. They're worthy to be put on paper.

It was a definite emotional read.

One I recommend to every writer. Every aspiring author, every published author, even if writing has just crossed your mind, I want every single one of you to read this book. It will change your heart.

I did not expect to love or need this book so much.

-Rebekah

Definitely grab For the Love of a Word now!

**I received an ebook copy of this book from the author. I was in no way obligated to leave a positive review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are purely my own.**



       Author Interview: Annie Twitchell. 

Q1 What inspired "For the Love of a Word"?

A1 - I was talking to a couple friends who were feeling discouraged about their writing, and I sent them a letter I had written a couple years ago, a letter of gentle and living encouragement.

Q2- What do you hope to inspire with this book?

A2- I hope that every creative soul finds a safe place in these pages to explore expressing themselves

Q3 When you feel like giving up on writing, how do you keep going?

A3- I tend to take a step back and see why I'm feeling burnt out. Often times it's an environmental or mental block, and working to resolve that frees up my writing process.


Q4 What can we expect more of in the future?

A4-  More of everything, really.

Q5 What is your favorite genre to write? I know you've dabbled in fantasy, poetry, fiction, etc.

A5- - I think my favorite is contemporary.

Q6 If you could only write in one genre for the rest of your life, which would it be?

A6- probably contemporary, because there's so much room for flexibility.



Q7 Which of your works was the most fulfilling to write?

A7-  The Ocean and I, hands down.

Q8 What does your creative process look like?

A8-it looks like an insane hornet's nest of ideas, stray threads, and lost stories.

Q9 Where do you come up with your best ideas?

A9 - usually when I'm taking a walk to my river.

Thank you so much for your time Annie! :)

The Women Who Met Jesus: New Testament Stories of Lives Transformed by the Savior by Dorothy Valcarcel, (Book Review)

About the book:

Just like us, the women of New Testament times were ambitious, worried, broken, lonely, insecure, and unfulfilled. Discover the powerful stories of their encounters with the perfect, unconditional love of the Savior. Rather than trivializing their problems or ignoring women, Jesus responded to their deepest needs with compassion, reminding them of their value and transforming their past, present, and future. Let this engaging book introduce you to the man who loves women like no other.


My thoughts: 4/5 stars

I did not finish this book, through no fault of its own. I just take forever to read nonfiction books and I did not have forever to write a review. 
My rating is for what I did read. 

 Author Dorothy Valcarcel has no idea what she's done to my heart. 

I was deeply touched. Her pen dug deeply into my heart and brought to light past hurts I'd been hiding. 

Valcarcel made me realize in order to move on, I must first face those hurts and give them to God. 

Valcarcel is a deep well of wisdom and I believe that everyone could learn something from her. 

She touched on a few things from her past that I believe a lot of women can relate to.

While explaining her past hurts Valcarcel teaches us how we can give our hurts to Christ. How we can forgive and move forward.

She likens the struggles we go through today with the struggles women in the Bible went through  

She shows how each of these women met Jesus and were changed for the better. 

Some of these women met Jesus physically, and though we cannot physically meet Him yet, our lives will still change when we meet Him spiritually. 


I definitely recommend grabbing  The Women Who Met Jesus!
I hope you'll be as blessed by it as I was. 


**I received a a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was in no way obligated to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are purely my own.**