As a Christian, much of the information in this book was familiar to me. It acted as a good reminder that God is for me and wants good things for me. My belief, however, is that it is much easier to choose God and to accept that He is for me, prior to encountering difficult times. In the midst of hardship it is difficult to believe God is for us. For a non-believer or someone who isn’t sure what to believe, this book provides a clear path to follow in searching for and finding God. The real life stories from the author’s professional practice, as well as the scriptures used show the reader that there is relief in troubling times. I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to make sense of the difficulties in life as a way to find God, His hope and His desire for you to live a fuller, richer life.

I received this book courtesy of Thomas Nelson as part of their BookSneeze review program. I was not required to write a positive review of this book.

At Christmastime we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Of course, we celebrate Him all year but  Christmas is a time when we can really contemplate the Savior of the World coming to Earth as a baby for no other purpose than to save us. There was so much expectation of a savior who would rescue his people in a mighty way. And yet, he came as a baby. One who needed nurture, love, comfort and care. He grew and stayed on task until he was the one who offered nurture, love, comfort and care to others who needed it; many needed it desperately! Today, thousands of years later we still need what Jesus has to offer, most of us desperately. One of the greatest things that I love is the feeling I get when I think about Jesus lavishing me with those comforts simply because I have accepted Him as my Savior; I have accepted His gift of Salvation. I am filled to overflowing with the joy and the overwhelming reality that He died on the cross for me. And He would have done it even if I was the only one who needed it! I am a child of God, a royal priesthood, wow.

Another thing I love about Christmastime is family and friends. We used to get our whole family together, Great Grandma, Nana and Papa, the 4 kids with spouses, kids, friends… Then came the next generation, for me they are the great nieces and nephews. As the family grew and we lost our Great Grandma and Papa we came together as a family less and less. Maybe it was that Papa wasn’t there to keep the more obnoxious “kids” in line and the others were offended. Maybe it was the sober ones not wanting to have their children exposed to the drunk ones. But now that my kids are adults I miss the babies and I miss witnessing my nieces and nephews parenting the way they we parented, with such love and care. Papa left us this legacy; babies are to be cherished and spoiled. We have decided to make more of an effort to get the family together in the future to ensure that today’s babies grow up with the love of a big family that our kids grew up with.

Now that my kids are between 18 and 21, I am often caught staring at them in amazement. I am awed by who them have become. When did they get so tall, who taught them to be the good friends they are, to care about others, to learn and grow. It seems like they were small just a blink ago. Now one is in his first grown up, on his own apartment. They are both in college with goals for the future. Maybe it is because they are boys that I have such a special bond with them or maybe we didn’t do such a bad job of raising them after all. My heart floods with a feeling of pride and wonder that these are the babies I was entrusted with so many years ago. I love to sit and talk with them and hear about what goes on in their worlds. They make me laugh and I find the greatest gift of all, the thing I love the most; I like these boys as people. If you can raise your kids and like who they are when they’re grown, you’ve done okay. I cherish the moments when I sit and think “I like these guys!”

This time of year is definitely one of my favorites because I can fully enjoy so many of the things I love. Since we live in Southern California and our winter season is similar to our spring we can still do many of the outdoor activities that I love. We usually go camping with a group of about 20 families and ride dirt bikes and dune buggies for New Years. With the time off for the holidays I can sit with a book for hours or watch CSI reruns all day while I wrap Christmas presents. But I find that those things I love the most revolve around the people in my life and the time I spend with them. I hope you take some time this holiday season to think about and enjoy the things you love.