If you would have asked me 3 months ago about the Kindle, I would have told you, “It might be cool, but I love actual books. I like the feel, I enjoy highlighting, and building my library.” Then 2 of my friends got them and got hooked, so I started looking into e-readers. After my research and talking to my friends, I decided I’d get one, and actually ended up getting one as a gift for Christmas. Here are my thoughts on the Kindle so far:

1.) It is very Convenient – No more packing 3-4 books in my computer case when I travel and no more going to book stores to buy books. It’s a great size and you can order practically any book you want and have it ready to read in seconds.

2.) Filing is Easy - Highlighting takes less time than it would in a actual book. The Kindle automatically takes all your highlights and saves them into a file called my clippings. When you plug it into your computer, you just open the file, and copy and paste your highlights into a word document.

3.) Battery Life – One charge will last for days – rarely have to worry about recharging it.

4.) Ability to Read Faster- After talking it over with my friends, we all believer we’re able to read faster with the Kindle.

5.) The Dictionary - The Kindle has a dictionary built into it, just point the cursor to a word and it’s definition automatically comes up. This will definitely help me expand my vocabulary.

6.) The Options – You can choose your font size, have it read to you audibly, make notes throughout the book, and a few other options.

7.) The E-Ink Screen - At first I thought it was lame that the Kindle didn’t have a color or touch screen. Someone explained to me that the reasoning behind it was to make it easier on your eyes so you can read as long as you want. I don’t enjoy reading on my computer or iphone that much, but I can read the Kindle for hours without any irritation.

8.) The Kindle is Redefining my Library - I literally am going to take my library and rip all the pages out of the books that I’d like to file, and then chuck them. Books will soon be a thing of the past, whether you like it or not.

Unless I have to for a class, I won’t go back to regular books, ever again! I love the Kindle and love the potential e-readers have for the future of everything we read.

Kindle Grade: 9/10  Buy it Here

²⁰Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, dreams] -Ephesians 3:20

I recently heard about a pastor who read this verse and thought, God, you want to do things way beyond anything I can ever dare ask, think, pray for, hope for, or dream of. I want that to happen in my life. He said that God spoke to his heart, “Well, when are you going to start dreaming big ? You haven’t given me anything to work with. ” He said, now every time he wakes up he dreams of what could be done through his life, dreams of what he can do to reach people, nothing is off limits!

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”

I am convinced that God wants to do unbelievable things through our lives. God is looking for people who will dream big for Him. He wants to change the world through us. But in order for that to happen, we need to allow God to shape our dreams and to believe Him that ALL things are possible to him who believes.

One of my mentors told me a long time ago, “Bubs, dream big and go for it.” I’ll never forget that.

So dream big this year -  Dream of how you can impact people this year. Dream of what you can accomplish this year. Dream of who you want to meet and  where you want to go. When you dream of this year make sure you’re THINKING BIGGER than you ever have, TALKING BIGGER than you ever have, GIVING MORE than you ever have, and ENVISIONING MORE than you ever have. Give GOD something to work with.

¹⁹Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. -John 5:19

Did you ever do something you wanted to do or go somewhere you wanted to go, or get something you wanted to get and you didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as you should have?

When it comes to writing my own story, I’m very specific about what I want, my goals, my bucket list, and what I need to do. However, I’ve found that without seeking God about what to do, all of my striving and accomplishing will be in vain. I’ve done things I thought were going to be awesome, when it my heart I knew I shouldn’t, and I ended up not enjoying an experience at all.

The Bible says that the Blessings of the Lord makes one rich, and HE adds no sorrow to it. In other words, God is the only one who can enable you to truly enjoy your life and your experiences. Jesus only did what God told  Him to do, and as a result – He did everything He was supposed to do on earth.

The Bible says God will give you the desires of your heart, if you delight in Him. So whether you’re setting goals, planning a vacation, making a career move, or whatever else may be on your heart this year, make sure you know it in your heart it’s something God wants you to do. Because if it’s not, you’re going to get a second-class experience.