Rose McCauley, Christian Author

Friday with Friends--guestblogger, Angie Breidenbach

Today everyone is in for a treat with this inspiring post by Angie Breidenbach. I know Angie from ACFW where we sang in the choir together and she served 2009-2011 as our publicity officer. Angie wears many hats on her pretty head as you can tell from her list of websites below. I hope you will check them out and her books which have been a blessing to many. Today's post is from her book Gems of Wisdom, which releases next week. This excerpt begins with a foreword from ACFW's president, Margaret Daley.

Foreword

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning;

and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.

—Proverbs 1:5



When I read this proverb, I immediately thought of Angie Breidenbach’s Gems of Wisdom. This book is filled with good advice and information to help people overcome obstacles they face in their life.

When I read Gems of Wisdom, I particularly loved the positive advice with the emphasis on setting goals, journaling, and taking small steps toward changing your life. She covers all the positive attitudes we need to counter the negative ones that we can be bombarded with day in and out. This can be done through education and knowledge, both of which lead to wisdom.

Living can be hard, filled with many trials and tribulations, but Gems of Wisdom gives you concrete ways to get a handle on those problems, so you can live your life to the fullest. I cried when reading this, but mostly I walked away with tools to use to solve issues I had been wrestling with. I was able to fight those pirates that wanted to rob me of peace.

Reading Gems of Wisdom will enrich your life. You will find a treasure trove of gems that will equip you to make sound decisions. There is no place for negativity. Embrace life and savor the words to come.


—Margaret Daley




Excerpt from Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life



Chapter 1

What’s Fair?

Gemstone: Tanzanite

Pirate: Injustice

Then I will purify them and put them to the test, just as gold and silver are purified and tested. They will pray in my name, and I will answer them. I will say, "You are my people," and they will reply, "You, LORD, are our God!" Zechariah 13:9, CEV



Heat treatment can turn ordinary gemstones into extraordinary jewels. Tanzanite, straight from the ground, is tinged brown. Dirt colored, plain old brown. It’s easy to take for granted as a valueless rock. But heat that rock and watch the fire flare from the dazzle. A kind of can’t-take-your-eyes-off-it rich purple-blue dazzle.



Tanzanite is most often cut into facets, adding more dimensions to the jewel. The intensity comes from the high temperature that purifies the color. Color that makes you want to take a second look, draw in a little closer, and see it from every angle to absorb the beauty.

Record your answers to questions in the following sections in Chapter 1 of the Companion Guide.



Ponder Point

How skewed is your fairness meter?
As a Christian, it seems as if I live in an open-air zoo. Passersby stop and stare. They watch my every move with fascination like a monkey in an exhibit. Sometimes the people on the other side of an invisible wall mock, taunt, and tease. Sometimes they throw words at me to get a reaction so they can tell their friends about the exciting visit to the zoo. But when a fellow monkey wants to fight over little things . . .

Safe in my little monkey enclosure, I don’t need protection from my own kind. I don’t expect to fight over the branch where I rest or the proper way to peel my banana. After all, we’re compatible creatures, right?

When someone trustworthy attacks, it feels like a hairy arm swipes at my fruit and bare teeth screech an unbearable noise demanding to be in command. Other monkeys watch the commotion as my attacker bites and claws and leaves open sores to scar forever. She wasn’t even hungry. She had a pile of bananas under her own branch.

I want to run and hide from the unnecessary malice. I plead for respite from my Zookeeper. I want to go to a safe enclosure away from the mean monkey. The Zookeeper holds me, binds my wounds, and gives me back my banana. But he doesn’t take the bad monkey out. Instead, he approaches the offender with love. I watch, huddled with pouting, tearful eyes.

The Zookeeper opens his arms to the nasty, selfish monkey. She leaps into them, grasping and clinging, and drops a little bundle in the process. The tiny body is no longer breathing. He picks up and cradles the little lost one. Zookeeper pulls the mean monkey deeper into his embrace.

I needed holding.

“She attacked out of confusion and fear.” He looks over to me. “Her heart is sick.” It wasn’t evident by the way she looked on the outside and the skill she used to keep the hurt hidden. “Oh, my gentle soul,” he says. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Come.”

We are both sick and in need of our Zookeeper’s care.



Pique Points

Do people hide things they don’t know how to deal with?
Is being fair really the issue?
How skewed is my fairness meter?



About the book:
In Gems of Wisdom: For A Treasure-Filled Life you'll embark on a treasure hunt for God's unique gems of wisdom. Be empowered, learn to influence through your own life lessons, and preserve important relationships. Gems of Wisdom invites the reader on a treasure hunt to find important life concepts represented by the beautiful stones God created. Excellent for Bible study and book clubs as well as individual study.


Amazon Sales link: http://www.amazon.com/Gems-Wisdom-Treasure-Filled-Angela-Breidenbach/dp/1936438046/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3

About the author:
Angela Breidenbach is Mrs. Montana International 2009, a multi-award winning inspirational speaker and the author of the Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life from Journey Press, the Creative Cooking Series including the new release of Creative Cooking for Simple Elegance and the new Kindle release, Creative Cooking for Colitis. Other works by Angela include compilation books and devotionals from Guidepost, Group, and articles in magazines, ezines, and newspapers. She connects missions to her work with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries and the Jadyn Fred Foundation. Angela also teaches online classes and coaches one-on-one in courageous confidence, personal growth, and powerful living. She’s certified in mentor/peer counseling as a Stephen Minister and life coach. Angela serves as an assisting minister for her congregation in Missoula, MT. She volunteered as the American Christian Fiction Writer's publicity officer for two years. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom's brain for the study of schizophrenia, but she’s also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital. Angela is married with a combined family of six grown children and two grand children. Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life releases May 2011 from Journey Press, a Sheaf House imprint.



Interested in having Angela speak? Contact Christian Speaker Services 800.871.9012 x40250

Interact with or learn more about Angela Breidenbach:

http://www.angelabreidenbach.com/

http://www.mygemofwisdom.comhttp//www.MyGemofWisdom.com

http://www.Youtube.com/AngieBreidenbach


http:///http://www.godusesbrokenvessels.com/

http://www.thefaithgirls.com%20on%20wednesdays%20each%20week/




Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog, Rose!
Angie

And thank you for visiting, Angie. I hope you will come back again and share more of your Gems of Wisdom!