Unlikely Rebel by Kelli Gotthardt

No formulas, no pat answers. Just real life. Real questions. Real transformation. Approach many women in the church and if they re being honest, they ll tell you they
try hard to keep it all together;
are frustrated that being good doesn t deliver the perfect life;
feel trapped in expectations;
make decisions based on shoulds ;
feel selfish when they say no; and
are uncertain of their place in God s kingdom.

Between the desire to please God, the need to feel valued, and the compulsion to make everyone around them happy, women often find themselves denying their desires. It s safer to stay in the life of shoulds even if it means being spiritually and emotionally disconnected.

Kelli Gotthardt knows their pain. Always considered a good girl, she threw herself into every ministry, saying yes to every request her church family made. On the outside, her life looked completely together but she was drowning in self-doubt and shame. Unlikely Rebel is the story of how Kelly slowly shed shoulds and shame, learning to love God and love who He created her to be.

The journey from the comfort of doing everything expected of a perfect pastor s wife to the uncertainty of living authentically and true to her unique calling is equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. Many Christians condemned her, responding with fear or anger to her greater intimacy with God s calling when it didn t match their own vision. For others, though, her journey inspired courage to embrace God s path for their own lives.

Now Kelli invites other women to discover God s leading in their lives, learning that if they throw off the despondency of underserved shame, abundant life awaits.

A Christmas to Remember

It has been a long week!

Wrapping presents, making cookies and candy, spending time with friends and family.

I haven't really blogged at all this week with everything going on, but I thought I'd take a minute to tell all y'all about my Christmas week.

My girls and I had such a blast last Tuesday baking yummy treats with friends to have with our Christmas. I always enjoy spending time with these friends, as they can always lift my spirits and make me smile. On Christmas Eve I spent the morning with my Nana making candy for our Christmas dinner. Later that evening I went to a Christmas Eve candle light service. What a wonderful way to focus on our Savior, not just His birth but on the cross as well. On Jesus coming to save us from our sins.

We spent Christmas with my extended family. Cousins, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents! All total I think there are almost 30 of us! It is usually a fun time of visiting and talking and laughing. Of course there are also PRESENTS!

We spent Christmas with my parents the day after Christmas. We had even more fun and food and fellowship.

This Christmas my husband and children and I are treading new waters. My mother in law passed away a couple months ago and Christmas was her favorite. That being said she spent Christmas in heaven, which to us is a wonderful gift. For those of you who might be experiencing the same thing this Christmas season, I completely understand.

I have enjoyed this Christmas, even with all of the ups and downs. I always love to watch my girls open their presents and play with their new toys and games. They have such grateful hearts and I only hope I can continue to cultivate that as they get older.

I have actually been thinking about something a friend of mine asked me the other day. She asked me about my word for the year. She explained that each year she chooses a word to use as a goal, so to speak, for the year. I have been thinking about trying this for myself. Something to keep me focused on Christ and my goals for my family this coming year. I will be updating you all on my word for the year, so stay tuned.

Happy New Year!

The Midwife's Choice by Delia Parr

Come Home to Friendship, Family, and Faith in the Town of Trinity
In a time when the traditional ways of medicine are constantly being questioned by new doctors fresh from medical school, midwife Martha Cade tries to balance her life's calling with the demands of her family. Recently reunited with her estranged seventeen-year-old daughter, Martha finds herself torn between guiding her child and allowing her to be an adult. At the same time, she must decide whether she'll risk reopening the heart she'd long closed off to love.

Though a small town, Trinity, Pennsylvania, is fraught with secrets, and as a midwife, Martha moves among its people. She knows which homes are filled with light and love, which families have slipped into grief, which wives are unhappy, and which husbands dare to cross lines...As Martha struggles with the conflicts of being a mother, a midwife, and a woman, she learns the greatest lessons of all--that hope can shine even in the darkest hours, and that faith has a way of making the impossible possible.

The Super Mom Myth by Becky Kopitzke

"This book isn't about raising kids. It's about raising Moms. . ." says author, speaker, blogger, lunch packer, and sidewalk chalk artist Becky Kopitzke. In a Pinterest-perfect culture, you've likely sensed an accelerated pressure to measure up. Then you either weigh yourself down with guilt or become resigned--desensitized, even--to this so-called failure. The Supermom Myth--with humor and grace, yet all the while maintaining a firm grasp on reality--aims to empower you to become the mom God created you to be. With 8 chapters, each personifying a "dirty villain" of motherhood, including The Grouch on the Couch (Anger), Worry Woman (Fear), and The Calendar Queen (Busyness), Kopitzke offers a gentle reminder to rest in the super power of our grace-filled God. 

Christmas Star Sapphire by Hallee Bridgeman

"MADELINE VISCOLLI finds herself on the Gulf shores of Alabama, where she takes part in a graduate program to earn her MBA. On her first day there, she meets JOE WESTCOTT, team leader for a campus ministry. Despite a mutual attraction, Joe's personal rule of no romance with any student keeps any kind of deep relationship from developing. Joe has no desire to have a relationship with anyone, ever, anyway. He left a life of luxury and his family's business behind to live alone on a sailboat and serve in ministry. Then Madeline walks into the auditorium the week school starts and Joe suspects his personal rules might not apply to this graduate student. That is, until he discovers Madeline is one of the Viscollis, and that her destiny lay in running her father's massive corporation. Having rejected wealth and all its trappings since childhood, Joe finds himself falling for the vivacious sapphire-eyed beauty. Madeline knows she loves Joe, but is not willing to throw away her destiny of taking over at the helm of Viscolli Enterprises. A Christmas Eve funeral washes all Joe's plans away. Will their love succumb to the rising tide caused by their differences in lifestyles, or will raging seas calm and allow them to sail off into the sunset?"

The Amish Christmas Sleigh by Kelly Long, Amy Lillard and Molly Jebber---GIVEAWAY!!

Through the snowy night, silver bells ring cheerfully, heralding a season of secret gifts, unexpected chances, and love's sweetest journeys . . .  
A SLEIGH RIDE ON ICE MOUNTAIN
Kelly Long
For solitary toy-maker Sebastian Christner, hiring Kate Zook as his new housekeeper is simply the right thing to do. Now she can support her special-needs brother. But one taste of her independent spirit is showing him undreamed-of holiday joy—and making him long to give her a home for always . . .

A MAMM FOR CHRISTMAS
Amy Lillard
Bernice Yoder has far too much to do to entertain holiday dreams. Even if she can help Jess Schmucker outwit his three mischievous young daughters, it's impossible to imagine the handsome widower can see her as anything but a scolding schoolteacher. He never guesses how a magical Christmas Eve will open his eyes to love or how Der Herr will awaken their faith and hope.

AN UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS BLESSING
Molly Jebber
As much as Charity Lantz's children need a father, the young widow isn’t sure her new neighbor Luke Fisher can ever be the right choice. They’re having more disagreements than snowflakes in December. Besides, he's never given a sign he wants to be more than friends. Can Gott show them a way past their misunderstandings to a forever love?

Forgiven, Favored and Free by Jill M. Tomlinson

Are you weary of feeling beat-down, beat-up, and weak when you know you should be living as an overcomer? Do you desire to experience true and lasting victory in your life? Do you long to live the abundant, blessed life for yourself that you have only heard about from others? Do you want to pray prayers that move mountains? You don’t have to settle for one more day of mediocrity! You are forgiven, favored, and free! In Forgiven, Favored, and Free you will become more aware of who you are, whose you are, and the glorious inheritance that has been provided for your life here and now! Discover the God-given rights you have as a son or daughter of the King and learn to exercise those rights as you confidently apply them to every situation. Explore practical keys that will empower you to live a genuinely triumphant life – not something fake or conjured up. Learn how to tap into the truly blessed and abundant life Jesus came to bring you and leave defeat, lack, discouragement, and even sickness in the past. Transform your mind, encourage your heart, and begin walking as the heir of God that you are today!

An Amish Christmas Gift by Amy Clipston, Ruth Reid and Kelly Irvin

Naomi’s Gift by Amy Clipston
Naomi has begun to believe that she isn’t meant to find love, but she might receive more than she has ever hoped for this Christmas.
Twenty-four-year-old Naomi King has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches, Naomi is certain that her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family’s quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a 7-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down.
An Unexpected Joy by Ruth Reid
Abigail has driven other suitors away, but can Micah find a way to show her he cares?
Being a caregiver for Micah Zook’s grandmother is the answer to Abigail’s prayers. In fact, the elderly lady keeps finding ways to set Abigail up with her grandson. Despite Abigail’s constant chatter, Micah realizes he’s beginning to care for her—until he makes a decision that leaves her feeling betrayed. With Christmas in their midst, can Micah find a way to reconcile with Abigail and to reveal the true feelings of his heart?
A Christmas Visitor by Kelly Irvin
Frannie Mast returns to Bee County for Christmas, but her heart stays back in Missouri with an Englisch farm boy.
Frannie knows her parents have the best of intentions when they send her back to Bee County, Texas, to live with her aunt and her aunt’s new husband Mordecai. After all, Frannie knows nothing can come of a relationship with Rocky, the handsome Englisch farm boy back in Missouri. But all bets are off when Rocky follows Frannie to Texas to plead his case. Could he be the Christmas gift to end all gifts?

A Flying Affair by Carla Stewart

Ever since Mittie Humphreys agreed to join dashing barnstorming pilot Ames for a joyride in his airplane, her lifelong love of horses has been surpassed by one thing--a longing for the skies. It seems she's not the only one--with Charles Lindbergh making his victory tour in the Spirit of St. Louis, aviation fever is spreading across the country. Mittie knows flying is the perfect focus for the soaring ambition and taste for adventure within her, and whenever she can slip away from her duties on her family's prosperous Kentucky horse farm, she heads to the airfield.

Considering their shared passion, it's no surprise that Ames begins to vie for Mittie's time. But when handsome British aviator Bobby York offers her flying lessons, he is equally surprised-and beguiled-by Mittie's grit and talent. Driven to succeed, Mittie will do whatever it takes to compete in the Women's National Air Derby alongside Amelia Earhart. But when Calista "Peach" Gilson, a charming Southern belle, becomes her rival both professionally and in love, Mittie must learn how to navigate her heart's romantic longings as well as the skies.

Waiting for You-- An Advent Journey of Hope by Louie Giglio

Waiting Here for You helps us anticipate rather than dread the busy season of Advent and Christmas.
Life is full of waiting – we can’t escape it. We find ourselves in the middle of it every day – waiting on a prognosis to be given…a verdict to be reached…a promotion to be announced. And in these seasons of waiting that anxiety, desperation and hopelessness creep in.
Waiting Here For You takes us through the advent – the season of waiting. In it we see the story of the coming of Jesus. It teaches us that waiting is the means God often uses to carry his plans in our lives. And it brings us back to the truth that our waiting is never wasted when we are waiting on God.
Join pastor and author Louie Giglio and take hold of the chance to uncover the vast hope offered through the journey of Advent.  Find peace and encouragement for your soul as anticipation leads toward celebration!

Waiting is not wasted when it is waiting with the Lord.