Book Review: Hope In 60 Seconds

 I received a book to review. All opinions are my own. 

I was recently given the opportunity to read Hope In 60 Seconds: Encountering the GOD of the Impossible by Christina Baker. I truly enjoyed the book- it really is a book that everyone can get something out of. 

DO YOU NEED A MIRACLE?

Has life stolen your hope? Have your prayers gone unanswered? 

After years of darkness- full of abuse, rejection, homessness, addiction, illness, loss, and injustice- Christina Baker couldn't believe in a good God. A God who cared. 

But in her dark night of the soul- high on drugs and facing jail time- Jesus came knocking at the door of her heart. She encountered the love of a God who creates beauty from ashes, binds up the brokenhearted, and heals even the most harrowing diagnosis. Now able to see the ways in which God loved and protected her even when she was unaware, Christina carries hope for anyone too weary, too broken, too hungry to carry it in themselves.

• In Hope in 60 Seconds, Christina shares that hope and offers powerful wisdom to encounter, receive, and follow Jesus in the form of:
• Twenty short prayers that point you to a God who will stop at nothing to fight for you.
• Ten personal stories of the miraculous transformation made possible ty the Hero of Hope.

Biblical teachings that will introduce you to the God who has always sheltered the suffering.

Now more than ever, we need hope. Christina's dramatic story reminds us that the hope we hunger for is not a strategy or state of mind but deep, abiding faith in Jesus.  

 (from the back cover)

Christina Baker, a proud athiest, was hooked on drugs and living a life that would only lead to regrets. Instead of spending evenings with her son, she was partying and buying drugs. One night everything changed. She got pulled over and the drugs were found. She was sent to jail. She was angry at God. She realized that even though she didn't think she believed in God, she must becuase she was quick to blame him. A crack formed in her hard heart and God found a way in. She still had quite the journey to go on, but all God needed was a crack to get started. 

Hope in 60 Seconds is truly an amazing book. Broken into small segments, you can read a section in just a minute if you can't sit down and read loger- but I get pulled in and have truly enjoyed reading Christina's words. She is an amazing story teller and has a way of retelling Bible stories in a modern way that makes making connections come naturally. 

You can purchase Hope In 60 seconds here.  

Be sure to follow her on social media: 

Instagram: @iamchristinabaker

TikTok: Christina.Baker

Facebook: @Christina.Baker.543

 

Join GO MVMT and Help Spread The Gospel

 GO MVMT (Go Movement) is a campaign that inspires us to spread the Gospel and get others encouraged to pray and spread the Gospel. They offer a FREE action kit full of resources, encouragement, reminders, and prayers. The pray for 5 a day card is really wonderful. I taped mine inside my Bible cover for a daily reminder. 

GO MVMT is offering this wonderful toolkit for free. You can get it here https://bit.ly/3NlHaPP

The included resources are wonderful and I really like the prayers. Sometimes it isn't so easy to know what to pray but this helps. 

Remember, this action kit is free- go now and download it (https://bit.ly/3NlHaPP) and get to spreading the Gospel and praying for a fellow man. The world could use more prayers right now. 

Review: Kids Faith Krate

I received this product to review. All opinions are my own. 

I want to introduce to you a wonderful subscription service for your kids, just in time for summer fun!

The Kids Faith Krate is a wonderful program that sends a box full of activities to help your child grow in their faith. There are 4 crafts- one per week and you can get boxes for up to 3 kids. The boxes are designed for kids between the ages of 4 and 10, but even some older kids can really enjoy the activities. 

The boxes are delivered straight to your door for a month of fun and family discipleship. Kids Faith Krate aims to give parents direction and accountability in teaching their kids about their faith. They make it fun, convenient, and rewarding for the whole family. Each week not only features a craft but also a bible lesson to go along with the craft. You'll get the box at the beginning of each month to get the most out of each month's theme. June is Camp Compassion, and so very fun!

It is very reminiscent of the years I spent going to camp each summer and helping out with Vacation Bible School. We did some similar crafts each year, so sharing this with my kids has been a lot of fun. 

Summer Camp is so much fun! Whether it's a VBS or an overnight church camp, it's so good to step away from our regular schedule to focus on God. This month, we would love to invite your family to Camp Compassion! This will be a camp intentionally focused on the needs of others. All around us, people are going through hard things, even suffering, and we know that our God has compassion for them. We want to become more and more like God, showing kindness to those in need and helping to ease their burdens. We pray that your family has many intentional moments this month as you interact compassionately with each other and those around you. 

What a wonderful letter to parents to start the month out with. I really like that 1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." is the verse for the month. Each week, we are encouraged to do the craft together, memorize the scripture, read in different Bibles together, talk together, and pray together as a family. 

The very first craft is one I feel was needed for our family. My husband's grandfather passed in September, leaving behind a wife, who now is suffering from dementia. We are right next door, so we do spend a lot of time with her and are able to keep an eye on her as well. They had been married for a very long time and she is really struggling with the loss of her husband, as any of us would. The first craft directs us to make a bread napkin, bake bread, and deliver it to a widow. This made Nanny so very happy. Her whole face lit up. It also made the kids happy that they were able to do something to make her happy. They are always looking for ways to help her and they saw that something they think of as a little thing is a big thing to someone else. 

The very first activity blessed our family so much that I cannot wait to see what we bring from the other activities. I'm sure that your family will have a wonderful experience full of blessings as well. 

You can purchase the crates on their website and even get $10 off by using code: campinabox

 

My Recipe Was Featured: KFC Copycat Gravy on With Sweet Tea!

 My family loves to cook and we love homemade food. We also love to take recipes and tweak them so that they suit our family's tastes. One of those recipes is my KFC gravy copycat recipe. I tried several and they just weren't right, so I came up with my own. 

My mother-in-law and author of With Sweet Tea featured my recipe on her blog this week and it just make my whole week. Thank you, Melissa!

You can see the whole recipe here. 

My Top 5 Indulgences

Sounds swanky, doesn't it? Well, it's not really but in the almost 12 years I've been a mom, I have learned some things and one of those things is that we have to surround ourselves with things that make us smile. Our money goes to our kids, bills, pets, and husbands. We often feel guilty for spending "frivolous" money on ourselves. Just because it isn't an absolute need, doesn't mean that it is frivolous.

There are things I've started spending money on for myself in the last few years. Things are not important, but isn't it fun to write with a pretty pen. Here are the things that I spend a little more money on because I want to. 

1. Pretty Pens

I am very particular about the pens I write with. I write all day long and need a comfortable pen. Whats more is that I need a pen that is pretty to look at. Why not? I use it all day- let's make it pretty!

 

2. My Planner

I use 2 planners (as well as utilize Google Calendar). I am stuck with a paper planner and just cannot get used to anything else. I love writing things out and my life is in my planner. I have my planner and my school planner and I will spend more money to make them not only organized perfectly, but also pretty. My husband doesn't get it, but doesn't care if I do it either (he's pretty good about that).

 3. Costume Jewelry

I'm a lover of big bold jewelry and always have been. I love the classic look in a bold way so I wear a lot of pave jewelry that is chunky. The pave is classic and blends it together, but the big pieces and different designs give it a bold look. I come across costume jewelry (even if its fake) and wear it a while. Makes me happy. 

I also love the way I've pierced my ears over the years and the different and bold look they give me. I have a nose ring and 10 ear piercings and another piercing. I will get 3 more in my ears and my lip done after we go camping this year (no lake water in fresh piercings)

4. Fun Accessories

Whether it is a glitter wallet, a colorful leopard phone case, or a gold crossbody purse. I love shiny and bold accessories. My husband jokes that if he messes up, he just haves to give me something shiny and I'll forget about it. I wear black shirts and jeans almost all the time, but love to add character with shoes, jewelry, and accessories.

5. My Coffee Cup

My coffee cup is like a growth. I have it with me always and it has to keep coffee cold or hot and has to be my favorite color (can you guess what that is). I love to add in my colorful leopard straw and a cool sticker. The current one is "If you see my kids outside, mind your own business. We're having a fire drill. #HomeschoolMom" and the other says "Heifer Please" My daughter has a communication problem and cannot make hard consonant sounds, so she can't say T or S sounds. She calls Trevor Heffer, so its a fun joke at home and he loves it.