Prosperous and Successful

Joshua 1:8-9

In today's devotional, the reader is supposed to focus on the phrase prosperous and successful. In these verses, God is speaking directly to Joshua about his new role as the leader of His people.
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
God has no problem with us wanting to be successful... we just have to do it based on His definition.

Joshua Devotional

This month, my church at home, Bethlehem Baptist in Gastonia, is studying the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. I have decided to join the challenge in studying this book by following along with the devotional pdf available for download.
The devotional centers around a very important and repeated phrase found in the first chapter in Joshua: "Be strong and courageous."
December 2013, the month I'm supposed to graduate from Western Carolina, does not seem that far away. And, I am trying to be strong and courageous in planning for my future. Already, I've made the most important step I can in preparing for it: I've brought God back into my life.
I am looking forward to diving deep into this book and studying the Bible with a guide. Before, I have been reading a passage a night before going to bed. A lot of times, though, I'm confused and get absolutely nothing out of my reading!! With this guide, I will be able to better understand God's Word with the help of a skilled pastor.
If you would like your own Joshua devotional pdf... go HERE and join me in this study! You can download it and put it on your computer desktop or print it out and tape it somewhere to look at every day!

31. Learning

Book 31: Learning by Karen Kingsbury (A-)

You really can't give a Kingsbury book anything lower than an A-. They're just naturally good. The characters are inspiring. The stories can change lives, bring people closer to God.
I liked Learning better than Leaving because it was bit more realistic and darker. Things are really are going wrong for Miss Perfect Bailey Flanigan, and Cody Coleman is finally moving on with his life!!
Bailey's life has always been so perfect - perfect family, perfect faith. Now, she's facing the tough realities of life in the brutal setting of New York City. Her faith is tested and strained, and she faces a case of depression when she feels she has failed God. It's a lot for a young girl who had that perfect bubble to take.
On the other side of the character spectrum, Cody is finally getting a break from his life of a drug dealing mom and running from her threatening ex boyfriend. He's found a new girl to take away the pain of his Iraq flashbacks and losing Bailey to perfection. Now, he's the coach of a small town high school football team and is leading them to success on and off the field.
I'm so looking forward to the next book that will be arriving in stores soon! In the meantime, I'm going to have to find more Kingsbury.