The timing of this book & this message is truly miraculous! I think it's safe to say that many of us have questioned God through the last calendar year. When circumstances are unknown & unpredictable, we feel flooded.

Flooded by Mariajo Ilustrajo | Waterstones

God commands. Noah listens. And repeat. Is it possible we're experiencing unbelief in our lives because we haven't been willing to take a posture of humility?” (p. 50) Most of us know what it's like to whisper those words to God. Hard circumstances often stir something so destructive in a soul: doubt . Quiet the fear that God won't come through by discovering the difference between wishful thinking and biblical hope. To combat the time commitment, I decided to read the chapter ahead of time so the time could be spent focusing on the guide and Bible passage.

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The stories about the Fixer Upper Farm are also a wonderful touch to the book! I have been around barns and horses most of my life, and this made this book even more reliatable to me. Some of the stories are absolutely hilarious to the point I was in tears, to genuinely heartfelt stories about loss and finding our new paths. I lost my heart horse a few years ago and it was such a hard place to walk through, especially leading up to and right after her loss. My equestrian journey hasn't been all that I thought it would be since losing her, but I hope one day to find the joy I once had with that one horse. Develop a daily Bible study habit that will help you walk with godly confidence into hard situations. For example, the beginning section of the book goes to the trouble of differentiating between disbelief, unbelief, and doubt. I still am not clear what the difference is. Find the familiar faithfulness of God in His Word when it feels like nothing is normal and everything is falling apart.

Flooded: The 5 Best Decisions to Make When Life Is Hard and

I loved the 5 decisions, but I didn't feel that most of them were developed much. It felt like the majority of the content was fluff that didn't really need to be there, or it needed to be tightened into a cohesive whole. I just finished this book and already am having trouble remembering all of the decisions. When your brain perceives danger, your body and mind will go instantly into one of three modes—flight, fight, or freeze. Your heart races, your body tenses up, your hands shake, and your emotions take over rational thought. One of my favorite things about the Bible study guide was the "one thing you're trusting God for today". I've been choosing a new thing each day and God has shown Himself faithful. I also enjoyed the weekly verse that we're given to memorize. No matter how many times I've pleaded with God about His timing, we don't get to change the timeline of God.” (p. 109) I think we often confuse 'in charge of and 'in control of.' God has and always will be sovereign over everything … But God is not controlling us in the steps we decide to take … Think about God like a coach. The coach has the team's plan … He gives them instructions. But ultimately it is up to the team to decide if they will follow the plan …” (p. 137)We do our part, but God does the hardest. He never expects us to carry the weight of what it means to believe Him / above all our doubts. Trust often feels like the hard thing … in the midst of the hard thing. But I have to also remind myself that God has a habit of doing holy things in the midst of the hard things.” (p. 118-119) Resist the urge to control the uncontrollable by finding peace in between the problem and the promise. When children experience The Flood Zone, their behavior changes. They yell, bite, or run away. They withdraw and lose concentration. They blame and lie. In this state, children are unable to be rational, regulated, or otherwise compliant. Even the most motivated child (or adult) with the greatest coping strategies won’t be able to identify or manage their emotions in The Flood Zone. Though this book had a lot of good nuggets, the general idea, and the main themes were great, I just felt like there was something missing. I felt that it was choppy, that it needed smoother transitions. There were a few stories in there that were interesting in and of themselves but I didn't quite see how they fit into the point she was making.