The Promise Or, The Pros and Cons of Talking with God by Sean Paul Murphy Book Review

Interview with Sean Paul Murphy by Nicole Flothe:

It was so nice to connect with Sean Paul via email after he read my review of Sarah's Choice on the Heartbeat Connection blog.  I was excited to read his memoir and I enjoyed learning from his life experiences.  Below is a telephone interview I did:

What compelled you to write your story?  My words seemed to help people with suicide or someone in need.  

I told the story through my eyes and reviewed past letters.  I was respectful of people's privacy and life and changes were made to locations.  My niece gave me great details 

in my sister's suicide and since we hadn't talked for a while this gave us a way to connect again.

How are you doing now?  I've had a great year. My health has taken a tremendous improvement.  My wife and I are doing great.  People are thinking, changing their attitudes, and getting closer to the Lord.

What do you recommend to give back to your community and the world?  We attend our local church and are involved with many charitable events.  One that is close to my heart is helping the Inner City Children of Baltimore.  Seeing children get off the violent streets, out of gangs, and into the education system are some of our many goals.  Another area I recommend people get involved in is with suicide programs.  If you can help someone get past that first suicidal moment and help them find a reason to keep on living studies have shown that the risk for recurring suicide diminishes greatly. 

To learn more about your book and your life what website should someone visit?  Please visit my blog at http://seanpaulmurphyville.blogspot.com/ You can also order a copy of the book at http://amzn.com/0692200533.

Here are some of my favorite heart quotes from the book:

I needed her to utter a word of such monumental power to break the wall around my sheltered heart and encourage me.

I just never felt capable of discussing the deeper things of my heart like my feelings and my faith, which, in the end, are the things that define us all as human beings.

My stories, like the other treasures of my heart, remained bolted down and locked away.

What I previously understood with my head became real within my heart.

he inherited an admirable trait from his parents: An unwillingness to take no for an answer in matters of the heart. 

Still, there was something supernatural about that dream.  If it wasn't actually my grandfather, the dream had to be a vision given to me by the Lord to set my heart at ease.

I would do whatever it took to win her heart. 

I held the key to her heart. 

Being a person who didn't like being pressed on matters of the heart myself, I never pressed her on the subject.

Distance definitely made both of our hearts grow fonder.

The relationship with a parent and a child is perhaps the most fundamental relationship a human being will ever have.  If you can't find peace within it, I doubt you will be able to find peace within a marriage later.

Being unwilling or unable to talk to anyone about my heartbreak, I suppose it was bound to surface somewhere, whether I liked it or not.

I hope you enjoy reading the memoir of Sean Paul Murphy and learn from his life lessons.

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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Do you have a Favorite Holiday Book? WW entry

I recently finished reading Every Perfect Gift by Dorothy Love. It was a sweet novel that took place back in the late 1800s. The story was about a girl named Sophie that was once from a small town called Hickory Ridge.   She returned as an adult with a deep desire to revive the long-defunct Hickory Ridge Gazette.  The notion of unfinished business awaited her in Hickory Ridge, it had captured her head and her heart.

While I was reading this book, I felt a kinship to Sophie, I love writing my monthly magazine and bringing news to life.   Once Sophie set up her Gazette she had her first big interview with Ethan from the majestic resort that was being built in the mountains above Hickory Ridge.  Ethan was an accomplished businessman and architect.  When they meet they were intrigued with each other. The book took you through the many seasons and a love story between her and Ethan developed.  It was funny, I experienced their Thanksgiving holiday and then we had ours.  The last season was the Christmas holiday, they were buying presents for their loved ones and sharing secrets from their past.  Overall, I really enjoyed this holiday story.

A few of my favorite quotes from the book...

They say it isn't where you came from that's important; it's where you're going.

As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.

Many hands make light work.

When you fall off a horse, darlin', there's nothing to do but dust off your britches and climb right back on.

When you're standing in the shade, you ought to remember the one who planted the tree.

When the learner is ready,  the teacher will appear.


I am so happy to be a part of Booksneeze, a place that gives me the opportunity to choose from so many great books to read and then I get to write fun reviews.  I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about Every Perfect Gift, tell me what is one of your favorite holiday books?

Here is a photo from my sunset yesterday, iHeart Sunsets:-)

Take a minute and be sure to enter my Giveaway, it's an awesome Starbucks Holiday Giveaway from Bea's Gift Baskets!

Lastly, if you love blogging as much as I do and want to join in on this weeks Wordless Wednesdays, sometimes not that wordless, than please link your blog below and I'll be sure to visit and linkup!

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest

Holiday Starbucks Giveaway from BeasGiftbaskets.com

"Everyone has a gift for something, even if it is the gift of being a good friend." - Marian Anderson

Our November issue of The Heartbeat Magazine is online now!

We've been blessed with a wonderful Giveaway from Bea's Gifts & Gift Baskets.

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Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment!  If you have a blog I'd love to connect!

xoxo,
Nicole

Sharing Your Heart, WW entry

How do you share your heart?  Some people make crafts and share them, others bake a delicious meal or dessert.  I recently had the opportunity to read this delightful book called, "You Be Sweet, Sharing Your Heart One Down-Home Dessert At A Time."  with Recipes by Patsy Caldwell and stories by Amy Lules Wilson.  

The other day I was given one of my Grandma's recipes and went to the store to get all the ingredients, I made one batch of Dream squares and then had to make several more for family to enjoy.  It was so special to have the ability to taste the sweet treat she used to make us and watch my children enjoy that now. In the book they had a similar recipe called Just Perfect Cherry Walnut Bars. All the recipes are special to their Southern family and they entwine stories about how they became family traditions and sweet memories. 

"You be sweet," my mother said to me as long ago as 1967, when I was six years old and heading off to my first day of school at Hattie Casey Elementary.  Like generations of other Southerners, that phrase has served my family well for decades, regardless of the occasion.  Mother practically raised my two sisters and me on those three little words.  The all-purpose phrase saw me through my childhood: "You be sweet,"  Mother advised as I went next door to jump on a neighbor's trampoline; "You be sweet," she said when I told her the clique in junior high wanted little to do with me; "You be sweet," she repeated when in my twenties, I relocated to a town where I knew nary a soul; and now, "You be sweet," she says as we hung up the phone from our long distance calls.  

There are myriad ways to "be sweet," of course, such as volunteering at the homeless shelter, remembering Aunt Carlisle's birthday, and writing thank-you notes.  And then there is food:  baking a pie for a new neighbor, icing a cake for a coworker who is ill, or mixing up a batch of brownies for a family gathering.  As with Bless Your Heart: Saving the World One Covered Dish at a Time, Pasty Caldwell and I invite you to consider that the recipes in You Be Sweet are about more than food.  We like to think they present opportunities for connection and community, and we hope they inspire you to serve up a piece to others as an expression of welcome, sympathy, celebration, or concern.  For we believe that the sharing of food is akin to the sharing of one's heart, and we can think o no better way for us to "be sweet" to one another.  - Amy Lyles Wilson

I love family recipes, here is a great recap of why from the book.

Ida goes to the pantry and takes out the tin box that contains her most cherished recipes, those scribblings from another era that offer more than mere instruction to Ida; they provide connection, and allow Ida an excuse to revisit some of her fondest memories.

There were so many amazing recipes and I found two that I thought would be a treat for the holiday season.  Enjoy.

Quote of the week :
‎"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." ~Ashley Smith (Such a beautiful quote shared from Sassy Lemonade)

I know this post is not very wordless, sometimes that's just the way it works out, I hope you'll join me for Wordless Wednesday linkup.  Please leave your blog link if you'd like to, I'd love to visit and see what you have to share!  Also, connect with me via Social media:)

xoxo,
Nicole Flothe

Have you ever joined a Blog Gift Swap? WW entry

I joined my first Blog Gift Swap over at Stephany @ The Midnight Hershey .   

I was a bit nervous to be paired up with a stranger but loved the concept of gift giving and mailing out packages to new friends.

I received information about my new friend Heather Lawless.  We corresponded via email, Facebook, and reading blog posts to get to know each other better.  The below picture is what I received in the mail from Heather:)  I love my sweet mug in animal print and the smelly scentsy is perfect for this holiday season.  I had to let the kids use the mug a few times in the beginning but now it's all mine!

The second Blog Gift Swap I joined was over at Sassy Lemonade, Shannon was co-hosting with Semperfi Momma.    The theme was Secret Squirrel Warm the Soul Swap.  You could send anything to your new friend that was fall related and warmed your soul.  

This swap, my new friend was Jessica over at Brown Paper Bunny.  I was blessed with her original artwork, a hand painted notecard, one-of-a-kind stickers, and a beautiful Paris notebook.  It was like Christmas early:)

Have you ever participated in a Blog swap?  

What was your favorite gift you have received?

Quote of the week:

"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." 

- Mother Teresa

A few things for this week...
* Make sure to enter this months Giveaway:)
* If you would like to join our WW Bloghop be sure to leave your link so I can visit your website.
* Happy Halloween!
* Our Prayers go out to those families effected by Hurricane Sandy.

xoxo,
Nicole

Do you recall your first memorable experience? WW entry

There are so many firsts in life.  I thought for this weeks wordless wednesday I would share a few firsts.

I love the first blooms of Hibiscus flowers, they are so pretty.  My daughter likes to pick them and put them in her hair.  Lizzie made her first brownies mostly by herself, she got all the ingredients out of the pantry and followed the instructions.  Her dad even made a brownie frosting with her by scratch.  Yum!

I saw, for the first time, a blue heart in the sky the other day framed by white clouds. Then my son had his first orchestra concert this year.  He plays the bass and we are happy that he is enjoying it.  It was fun watching him and the others bring the notes together and create some awesome music.

We recently paved our driveway and today I saw this colorful bug, it looked lost out on the asphalt.  I hope you enjoyed a few of my firsts and I look forward to hearing about yours too.

If you have any firsts to share please leave a comment, I love to read them.  Those that want to join me for Wordless Wednesday please leave your blog post and I'll be sure to visit.

Quote of the week:  Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. 

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

xoxo,
Nicole Flothe

5 ways to Happiness, WW entry

Happiness: state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

Here are five ways to Happiness...
1.  Find quotes online or in books that inspire you, I found these today...

"Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." - Aristotle

2.  Take pictures of things that make you smile.  I take a lot of cloud pictures and love to look back on them later for even more happiness!

3.  Join a Mug Exchange or Blog Swap online.  I just recently did a Mug Swap and was so happy to get my beautiful present in the mail.  I'll post pictures, in a later blog post.  

4.  Spend time with family celebrating birthdays and holidays.

5.  Capture a special memory with your loved ones.  It could be taking a special trip to Disney or just eating Ice Cream cake while celebrating my dad's birthday.  (Do you see the reflection in the window?)

I hope these five ways will help you make your life a little bit happier!  Do you have any special ways that you find happiness?  

xoxo,

Nicole

To all my blogger friends that participate in Wordless Wednesday...Happy Wordless Wednesday!  Link-up:)

My Favorite 15 Quotes from 'A Confident Heart' book by Renee Swope

One of my friends on Facebook, Melissa Haupt, shared that she was reading A Confident Heart, How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security of God's Promises.  The book sounded very interesting to me so I contacted the publisher at www.reneeswope.com. I wanted an opportunity to review the book and include a giveaway to our Heartbeat Magazine readers.  They were so sweet and soon I had the book at my doorstep.  I loved how Renee entwined stories from the bible with her every day life. When she had struggles, she was able to see how the people from the bible overcame their obstacles and we could too.  She also ended each chapter with a review of what lessons were discussed,  how to apply it in our life, and then finished with a prayer.

Here are 15 of my favorite quotes throughout the book...

1.  Whatever you have done, or will do, God still loves you and he forgives you.

2.  God's Spirit will convict you, but his heart will never condemn you.

3.  Find the gold in our children.

4.  Mining for gold in the heart of our children.

5.  God never intended for us to compete with each other.  He wants us to complete one another, celebrating & encouraging each other's strengths while discovering who he created us to be.  

6.  Think about the things that make your heart come alive.

7.  Your heart is the core of who you are, the truest you.

8.  Eliminating constraints or excuses often reveals our heart's desire.

9.  "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." - Prov. 4:23NLT

10.  Psalm 37:4 says to "take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

11.  But just as a target is designed to narrow the aim of an arrow, God uses the desires of our hearts to narrow the focus of where He wants our lives to make a mark for eternity.

12.  You have something to offer that can make a difference in others' lives.

13.  It is important to focus on what we have instead of what we don't have.

14.  A woman with a confident heart chooses to believe that God wants to make an impact through her life, and she looks for ways to let him.

15.  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.

I have truly enjoyed reading the book and would love to share it with someone that is looking to learn about developing A Confident Heart!  Enter as often as you like and I hope you win:)

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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