Hope Notes
Books
✎ Raw Faith: What Happens When God Picks a Fight
One of you readers followed the nudge of your heart and recommended this book to me. I am so glad you did. It’s packed full of hope and healing.
Kasey shares her discoveries and Biblical truths God impressed upon her during a courageous battle with cancer. She learned that God is always fighting for us, not against us.
There are so many encouraging truths in this book, but here are just a few excerpts:
“Despite this bad day, my Jesus is not at all surprised by my self-pitying rant. He isn’t disgusted by my inability to form complete prayer sentences. I don’t think He’s even disappointed that I didn’t open my Bible today, for to be disappointed means you must first have expectations, and my Jesus has no expectations of me.”
“Undying faith is found only there in the broken, bleeding, surrendered parts of our hearts.”
“But for the Christian, suffering can actually form our faith and take us to deeper places than we’ve been before. That’s because real faith isn’t grounded in circumstances; it’s built on the bedrock that God is who He says He is and that He will do everything He has promised. The foundation of our faith is not an experience but a person Jesus Christ.”
“Until I allowed God Himself to reach down into my open wound of fear and press His healing grace into it, I would never be able to truly move on with my life, not spiritually, emotionally, or physically.
“Will you go forward trusting Me, or will you stay paralyzed where you are? Will you believe that the blood of My Son is enough for you?”
✎ Under God’s Umbrella
Holley’s books always nurture hope, healing, and freedom. She has a beautiful heart for hurting souls. She fills this book with God’s Truth, reflections, prayers, and inspirational quotes. I just started reading it, and already I am finding encouraging truths:
“God is the Redeemer of the Rain. He longs to bring beauty out of brokenness, healing out of hurts, and new life out of losses.”
“When we embrace that grace, we’re finally free to discover that love is waiting for us in the center of the storm.”
“God sees purpose in our brokenness even when we don’t, and He can use it to bring forth beauty that blesses those around us.”
Hope Harbor
❀ Embrace Your Identity in Christ – “But the concrete, solid, gospel truth is that you are who God says you are, and no one else has a vote in the matter.”
❀ Identity in Christ Verses in the Bible – “In Christ is your true identity, your complete freedom to be who God has made and redeemed you to be!”
Nature Retreat
“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,
for beauty is God’s handwriting.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
➺ Most Stunning Natural Wonder in Every State – “From Mount Everest to the Great Barrier Reef, the world is full of breathtaking, awe-inspiring natural wonders. But some of Mother Nature’s most stunning creations can be found right here in the U.S. From lush forests and pristine lakes to majestic gorges and towering volcanoes, the country is home to spectacular sights.” (weather.com)
➺ 51 Natural Wonders So Amazing It’s Hard to Believe They Exist – Incredible wonders no artist but God can paint
➺ Seven Wonders – Stunning views of 7 natural wonders from every country in the world
Quotes
❤︎ “I am not completely sure how this has happened, but it has been through my journey into mortality, into contemplating where I have been and where I am going, that I have learned the simplest and most profound lesson of all: all of us, you and I, can have more than one life–the one which we have lived to this moment, and the one that we can live from this moment on. And it is a wonderful lesson: the weight of the past and the fear of the future can be trumped by embracing all that the present has to offer. This is not hiding or denying what has happened or what is to come. Rather it is pausing and welcoming into our lives everything that surrounds us now in a way that past and future lose their grip upon us.” ~ Dr. Piehler
❤︎ “Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.” ~ The World According to Mister Rogers
❤︎ “He longs to use you but not abuse you, so don’t abuse yourself.” ~ Patsy Clairmont
Freed to Fly 