FROM BROKENNESS TO GREATNESS by LaTersa Blakely

Sometimes, stepping into greatness actually requires taking a big leap; and that’s just what authoress & entrepreneur LaTersa Blakely talks about in her debut book, FROM BROKENNESS TO GREATNESS. Mrs. Blakely strategically shares her childhood insecurities which crept into her young adult journey and landed her in the last place she’d ever expected; the Psych Ward and she says, “If you heal the little girl, there will be no broken women.” Readers are greeted with, “Your life can be whatever you want it to be, if you invest the time, effort and energy into making it a reality,” in the introduction. LaTersa goes on to say that her desire for this book is to help broken women and girls. From wanting to be liked by everyone, thinking that she’s being taken advantage of by all men, and to a stank attitude, LaTersa came out & built the credibility to expertly offer herself as a guide for those who fight with similar or the same things. I enjoyed reading FROM BROKENNESS TO GREATNESS because I’ve been where LaTersa has been so I understand the courage it takes to publicly bare oneself as well as the sensational feeling of freeing your soul. FROM BROKENNESS TO GREATNESS is a cheerful read, filled with self-evaluation nuggets, self-love assignments, and quotes which have daily inspired LaTersa Blakely. Go ahead, engage yourself in her story; learn & grow from it. Reviewed by: Larie Writes of My Heart Speaks…™ & Resident Book Reviewer for Breathe Again Magazine

"Rewrite Your Story" by Shivawn A. Mitchell

Rewrite Your Story is a real-life, persuasive self-empowerment book about a young lady who made risky decisions which turned into frequent mistakes, but has also learned from them and now wants to enlighten others how to evaluate self and make the needed changes to successfully “start over.” Authoress Shivawn A. Mitchell fiercely uses her own story as a tried & true example for readers to reassuringly take hold of as they begin the chapters of their new stories. Shivawn states that everyone experiences things like set-backs, broken hearts and disappointments, but the key is how we come back from those things; she asks, “Have you learned from life’s experiences, or are those experiences taking a toll on your life”? The goal is to provide readers with the knowledge to take the steps of changing their minds about their past mistakes. Listening to our inner voice and knowing when to throw the towel in, (or as Shivawn puts it, “…learn when to fold”), are two of the many compelling nuggets that I took away from Rewrite Your Story because Shivawn mentions that we often ignore the signals our bodies are sending us when we become overwhelmed-which leads to stress, all because we are afraid of being labeled as giving up and/or not trying hard enough. This then in turn makes us push ourselves harder as well as internalize problems in fear of humiliation and further interfere with our health. When you’re ready to make some positive & ambitious changes in your life, I suggest reading Rewrite Your Story by Shivawn A. Mitchell as it is certainly like having an accountability partner literally in the palm of your hand. Reviewed by: Larie of My Heart Speaks…™ & Resident Book Reviewer for Breathe Again Magazine smooches,

...of "Desperate Decisions"

“David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says’…” 2 Samuel 12 NIV

King David quickly declared condemnation on a man because of his actions. He didn’t know the “why” behind the rich man’s decision. David only saw the heinous nature of the situation and then passed judgment. The King was soon humbled when Nathan pointed out that David was the rich man of the story!

Poor David, in his self-righteousness, he passed judgment on himself.

“Desperate Decisions,” by Marilyn Mayo Anderson, takes readers on a self-reflective journey, just as Nathan did for King David, by sharing the lives of four women. The decisions that they’ve had to make would tempt us to “speak our minds” as to how we feel that the situation should have been handled and what consequence should be applied. This too would be based only on what we “know” of the situation and not the decision maker’s thought process. How soon we all forget that none of us are perfect! But, how great it is that the Lord meekly reminds us that we were once, (well for me, more than once…tee-hee), in their shoes!

Read the entire review at, "Her Write-ful Life"

...of "Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs by Warren Baldwin

“…Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ She he invited Philip to come up and sit with him…as they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” Acts 8:26-38 NIV

Reading the book of Proverbs, at times I would say, “WHAT?” because I did not understand what point the writer was trying to make. Then came the time that I invited Brother Warren Baldwin, author of, "Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs," into my “chariot” to explain a few of them to me. Baldwin says, "…biblical proverbs reflect wisdom and experience, but they offer the added ingredient of divine influence and personality. One purpose of Proverbs is to promote a relationship with God.” (P. 11)

"Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs," demonstrates the wisdom of Proverbs by way of direct and indirect personal experiences. This is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. I didn’t feel as if Warren tried to puff himself up by flaunting his biblical knowledge. He humbly, and without adding or taking away from God’s word, affords readers the opportunity to thrust themselves into the book of Proverbs in the absence of a fear for lack of discernment. I know for me, many times I avoided some of the Proverbs because I didn’t comprehend their messages, therefore, I could not live it. Now, it appears applicable because of the direct personal experiences my Brother-in-Christ discloses. For example, he uses the story of his pet hamsters wanting to get out of their cage where everything is provided for them and into the awaiting dangers on the outside to explain Proverbs 3:5 NIV, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” In reference to this scripture, I’ve whined, “But how? What does that mean?” and now, thanks to Warren’s offering of some of his life, I better understand it because he said, “It is striking how much we humans resemble these rodents. God gives us a choice-we can live within the confines of a ‘cage’ that He has for us, or we can climb out and roam free. But to stay within the cage means we have to understand God’s desire for us and we have to trust that His way is really best.” (P. 65)

WOW!

Then, there’s the indirect personal examples, such as, the man who was barred from coaching a youth sport’s team because of his temper. “Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs” says, “Sadly, it didn’t disturb ‘Terry.’ Proverbs says he is a fool. When told by a sports board of directors that ‘you are too hotheaded and we don’t want you coaching for us anymore,’ ‘Terry’ did not say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better. Please give me another chance after I’ve proved my character has developed.’ Instead, he tried to argue in a vain attempt to prove that he doesn’t argue!” (P.147) I really laughed out loud, I mean from the depths of my belly-type-laugh, when I read this part! But, besides invoking my laughter, this story helped me to understand Proverbs 20:3 NIV, “It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.”

AH-HA! I see.

Lastly, my favorite part of “Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs,” comes from section 6, titled, “Wisdom in Relationships.” Here, Warren Baldwin speaks about “Reading Hearts,” (P. 155). The proverb says, “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” Proverbs 27:19 NIV. (Anybody know why this is tagged my favorite part???) Though Warren begins from the angle of Jesus’ heart in this story, he gives us a demonstration of how the heart of a Samaritan woman is revealed without condemnation. “As water reflects a face, so a woman’s heart reflects the woman.” ‘Jesus can read the hearts of people. He could read the heart of this woman; and behind the pride, ignorance, and degradation, He saw something redeeming: honesty. Jesus read this woman without judgment or condescension. He knew her story and still offered her the opportunity to bear the treasure of the Gospel. She did. Every person we meet, even a woman at a well, is a potential vessel for God to store His treasure.’ (P. 156)

“Whoever listens to Me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:33 NIV Page 63 of “Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs” says, “This proverb is a bold statement of confidence and security.” As I read further on, my mind opened up to the danger that I am in of possibly never experiencing joy. But, I will not tell you how, you MUST read it for yourself…your OWN copy! :)

Thank you, Brother Warren Baldwin, for the time you have invested in preparing this book. I am thankful, also, to God for ushering you to the experiences, which allowed you to pass this wisdom along to others. I have totally delighted in the pleasure of reading “Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs.” For it has given me an understanding that moves me into the action of applying the Proverbs to my life just as the eunuch was moved into the action of being baptized after Philip explained Isaiah 53:7-8 to him. May God bless an abundance of His remaining creation with the same honor! Congratulations, my Brother, I love you!

Blessings,
Larie

Further Resources:

Amazon Books

Church Fountain

Family Fountain

Bible Fountain

Titus 2 in Action

Heart Light: "East from West"

Heart Light: "Irreconcilable Differences"

Heart Light: "Entrusted"

...of "We Snap in Silence," by LaVender Shedrick Williams

“…As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up-one on one side, one on the other-so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword…” Exodus 17:8-15 NIV



Just when my hands began falling from the weight of feeling as if I’m “in this” alone, >>“We Snap in Silence: Unveiling Private Pain and Finding Perfect Peace as a Woman, Wife, and Mother,” authored by LaVender Shedrick Williams, arrived in my mailbox. Sister-friend LaVender steps forward from behind the mask of false-perfection-appearances by recognizing the importance of meeting herself where she is and accepting herself whether she likes herself or not. She says, “Unmasking began my healing process and placed me in a position to encourage other women. Prayerfully, my hope is that others will feel the liberty to unmask and begin their healing process also.” (P.9)

“We Snap in Silence" is a straightforward read. It’s not overwhelmingly large, which makes it, in the sense of time, an undemanding read. Usually, I shy away from books that are large no matter how enticing the title may be because I immediately feel as if I’d “never” have the time to read it. Getting personal for a moment, I have a husband, three kids and I put up with depression. Therefore, reading is a lavish luxury for me. Give me a book that is going to make an impact without trying to entertain me with flattering words and doesn’t require me to punch a time card to read it! In an electronic conversation with LaVender, I told her that I appreciated the simplicity of her book by telling her that she gave me exactly what I needed. She replied, “Larie, thank you also for encouraging me about the length of the book. The enemy tires to laugh in my ear because the book is so thin, but like you said, not many mothers have time or want to read a thick book. Since this book was so necessary for me to write, I had to get to the point and shut up.” In regards to my depression, most of the time I do not feel motivated to do anything so attempting to read a book that appears to be as thick as my dictionary…nah-uh, not gonna happen!

Thanks LaVender!

Back to "We Snap in Silence," we’re delivered perceptible applications in the “Now What?” section. Authoress LaVender Shedrick Williams educates women on how to apply what we read in her book, so that it will not be another inspiring bookshelf book. “Look” at y’all, eyes wide in anticipation ‘cause you thought I was ‘bout to say how LaVender says to do it! HA-HA! Of course not my dear friends, you’ve got to get the book and read it for yourselves!!! smooches :)

Lastly, my favorite section is “Parting the Curtains” because it is here that our friend lets us into her life. In doing so, LaVender gains credibility by revealing personal masked moments. She made herself relatable, in saying, “I definitely couldn’t write about something I know nothing about.” (P.19) So you see, Mrs. Williams is not on a quest to write a book just to see her name in print, she has lived & is living what we read about. One of her goals is for us, (women), to know that we are not alone, and y’all know that this is what I strive to be about as well, hence, my recommendation of "We Snap in Silence: Unveiling Private Pain and Finding Perfect Peace as a Woman, Wife, and Mother," written by, LaVender Shedrick Williams.

But sorry, you can’t have mine. There are some books that I read and pass on. Then there are others that I read, highlight, make notes in and read again and LaVender’s book is one of those that I used my highlighter in. In fact, I had to get another highlighter because the first one ran dry on me! Instead, I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from "We Snap in Silence,"

“The candle burning at both ends doesn’t burn forever. These melting moments are experienced by every woman at various degrees. Although the moments are only temporary, they can have life-long effects. These melting moments can be controlled or even avoided.” (P.60)

Congratulations and thank you, LaVender, for >>“We Snap in Silence: Unveiling Private Pain and Finding Perfect Peace as a Woman, Wife, and Mother.” I, for my part, greatly appreciate it and am inspired. I love you!

smooches,
Larie

Further Resources:
MomsWeb
Mom's Peace Bites
Raising Mothers
Mom's Peace Place