AZA Means Strength

In the book, Beyond the Pews, by Amy Ekwegh, you will feel compelled, convicted, motivated and remorseful. It takes the reader from a place of contentment and allows one to have a self-check on where he/she stand in the church ministry. From start to finish, I saw myself in each scenario mentioned in this book. Beyond the Pews is an easy and quick read. Once you start, you will not want to put the book down and can be read in a day. Ekwegh used biblical reference to prove the Christian's purpose goes beyond attending a church service. I do feel that there were some parts where the book became redundant. There were many mentions of “not leaning on others and having the will to go into prayer for yourself” and “having the faith to continue the Christian walk”. It would have been nice to see a chapter on Prayer and one on Faith to sum up those thoughts. For this reason, I would rate the book a 3 out of 5. No matter your position in the church, you will feel motivated to do more for th

We all need to be reminded every now and then that we can do whatever we put our minds to, however, we have to put the thoughts and dreams to action. Don't sit on your gift. Go and do what you have been purposed to do. Believe in yourself and make it happen!

I know we never do this or express ourselves publicly, but I wanted to make sure that my words captured my heart's words. I want you to know that you mean the world to me. You are exactly who I need in this cold and hateful world. You keep me balanced, you keep me mellow, with your cool and calming demeanor. You make me feel that everything will be alright in the world. You are the epitome of what love is. Despite our ups and downs,  you love me. We basically grew up together and we are thick as thieves. When things are bad, they're bad but they could always be worse. We always seem to make it through. You are an awesome father to our sons. They admire you so much. You make them so proud and they're so happy to call you daddy! You are everything I prayed for. God reminded me of this. When I was at the point of giving up on us. God sat me down and listed everything I asked for in a husband and more and the list pointed out all of your attributes and characteristics. God had