life beyond the well…

Category Archives: Faith


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truly thankful

Every time I post, my intention is to always make my next post happen fairly soon after. You know, get into the habit of writing regularly. But then, life happens. I get into my more common habits of grading, lesson planning, and coaching…and blogging becomes somewhat of an after thought- if ever a thought at all.

As Thanksgiving approaches, and I have time off to gather my thoughts and get ahead on grading and lesson plans, I also am reminded of how blessed I am. There have been many challenges this year from moving to a new place, starting a new job, and getting acquainted to my environment. However, I’ve been abundantly blessed in spite of my challenges and despite my own ability to get in my own way. That said, here’s a short list of what I’m thankful for:

1. I’m thankful for God: His grace, mercy, salvation, promises, peace, and unfailing love.

2. I’m thankful for family: their love, support, emails, calls, and cards of encouragement and for always believing in my dream despite my unbelief.

3. I’m thankful for friends: their laughter and encouragement, prayers, texts, Twitter and BBM updates keep me sustained as I go through the day to day grind.

4. I’m thankful for my students: who ALWAYS keep it real, make me laugh, push me to be a better person and teacher, and who understand that sometimes a hug is the best medicine.

5. I’m thankful for provision: in a recession, my needs are met and a lot of my wants are satisfied. Truly a testament to God’s faithfulness.

6. I’m thankful for the journey: the lessons learned and the growth that has taken place has helped to make me stronger. I’m also grateful for dreams that have come true, those in the process of coming true, and those that have yet to be dreamt. Again, a testament to God’s ability to do just what He is.

So, I’m truly thankful for everything and everyone in my life. I can honestly say I’m blessed.

Until next time…


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Book Review: Max Lucado’s Fearless

Before reading this book, I’d never picked up a single Max Lucado book. While I’d seen them in various bookstores, the titles never seemed to jump out at me.

I’m glad to say that my foray into the world of Max Lucado was a delightfully enjoyable and inspiring adventure! In Lucado’s latest book, Fearless, he encourages the reader in how to live free from fear and confident in the faith that we profess.

There are many things that I like about this book, but perhaps what immediately grabbed me was the realistic nature by which Lucado communicates with the reader. In my experience, I’ve found that many faith-based writers tend to talk AT the readers and not TO them, often in such a way that they seem preachy or either exempt from the circumstances that they write about. Lucado’s realism is refreshing and I felt as if I were having an engaging conversation with someone who had faced the same challenges that I had.

I also enjoyed the way that scripture was used in this book to affirm the reader as well as to emphasize the point that the author was trying to make. At no point could it be said that the book was based off of Lucado’s own spiritual assumptions—the use of scripture is too compelling. As I read through the chapters, I was encouraged by his use of scriptures; many of which I had read before, but I hadn’t thought to put in my scripture lineup in regards to fear. Thanks to this book, I have many more to choose from besides relying on 2 Timothy 1:7.

I would definitely recommend this book to others- new Christians, old Christians, or just those who need a refreshing take on how to handle fear as they go through life as a Christian. Additionally, the discussion guide that accompanies the book makes it pretty awesome for those who want to read it in a group. But whether you read it in a group or alone, it’s a wonderful choice!