After all, when family and friends are experiencing a life crisis, I usually find the perfect Joyce Meyer product to assist them in handling their dilemma. For example, in the past year, I gave a resident of a women\u2019s domestic violence shelter Joyce\u2019s book, The Confident Woman. <\/em>When a close friend had a debilitating stoke, I took a copy of \u00a0Living Beyond Your Feelings <\/em>to her in the hospital.<\/em> Recently, I also sent a female family member who always tries to please everyone and usually comes up short, Joyce\u2019s book, Approval Addiction.<\/em><\/p>\n Once, when someone stole the classic Beauty for Ashes <\/em>book from the library, I donated a copy, because it is a grace-filled message of restoration\u00a0for individuals who\u00a0were\u00a0sexually abused as children. I have used information from it when teaching\u00a0Bible studies and speaking at Celebrating Recovery meetings, and find it a pioneering work for survivors like myself. As for Joyce Meyer CD series, I always try to pass on whatever message fits the situation. I don\u2019t loan products, I usually\u00a0give them away, asking others to \u201cpass them on\u201d to someone else in need of hope. Still feeling beyond hope personally this spring, I didn\u2019t pick up the copy of You Can Begin Again <\/em>wanting to leave it there for someone who might actually have a chance at starting over. But the thought of that hopeful yellow cover wouldn\u2019t let me go. A week later, I went back to the library telling God that if You Can Begin Again <\/em>was still there, I would read it. New releases are never there a week later, and as I had expected the book was checked out. That\u2019s when the young librarian enthusiastically said, \u201cWait a minute. I think there\u2019s an extra copy on the book mobile. I\u2019ll go and check.\u201d Before I could stop her, she jumped to her feet and was out the door returning minutes later triumphantly holding the yellow book\u00a0high in the air.<\/p>\n Now, I must admit, for the first time in a long time, I felt faith stirring deep inside me as I reached for that copy and clutched it to me like a lifeline. After all, over the past two decades, God has used Joyce Meyer\u2019s teachings to rescue me from giving up before.\u00a0\u00a0I didn\u2019t have to read very far in You Can Begin Again <\/em>to realize that the Holy Spirit had done it again. On page 10, these words jumped off the page and gripped my heart:\u00a0 “It\u2019s no accident you picked up this book; I believe God is whispering to you right now. He wants you to know your life isn\u2019t over. He has a plan and a purpose for you, and He wants you to discover a life greater than anything you could have imagined. I recently heard someone say, \u201cIf you\u2019re not dead, then you\u2019re not done!\u201d Why not claim today as a day of new beginnings!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Believe me after that direct message, I devoured the book and found the encouragement that enabled me to embrace a fresh start. There are so many inspirational stories of new beginnings included. As I read them, along with Joyce\u2019s spiritual wisdom, my tattered faith was renewed. As I neared the final pages, I didn\u2019t want the book to end, and I prayed that there would be some final advice that I could hold onto.That\u2019s when I got to the very last paragraph of the Afterword which reads:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGod put this book in your hands because He loves you greatly, and since you are part of His story, it is important for you to remember when one of those hard days comes along and you feel like you may not make it, it is only one page in the story of your life; it is not the whole story, so turn the page and keep writing.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, I guess you can\u2019t get any spiritual advice much clearer than that, because I am a journalist by profession. So I decided I better \u201ckeep writing.\u201d I\u00a0completed\u00a0my\u00a0first fictional novella, Secrets of the Pastor\u2019s Wife, <\/em>to be released later this year. It\u2019s a book I started 10 years ago, and never had time to finish until now.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re 19 or 90, if you are sunk in your own pit of despair thinking you\u2019re \u201cdone\u201d, I\u2019m praying that you will find the courage to face tomorrow searching for new possibilities and embrace a fresh start of your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cAm I done?\u201d I kept hearing this internal question over and over last year as I faced a health and aging crisis at the same time. It was the perfect storm for taunting from the dark side about my professional … Continue reading ![\"Joyce](\"http:\/\/christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Joyce-Meyer-Books-150x200.jpg\")
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