Böcker av Julie Cannon

We live in a world defined by numbers. They are everywhere we go and define much of society. From the number on a scale to the number on a report card to the number of points on a scoreboard to the number of friends that liked a recent social media post to the number of dollars in a bank account to the number of direct reports to the number of years on the planet to the number of years single or married - the list is endless.As we begin this Bible study, I want to ask, "Are you allowing a number to define you?"People constantly try to portray success in numbers. Businesses report gains and losses, while churches count offerings and enrollment. I grew up as a preacher's kid and often heard the church approach to numbers called the "nickels-and-noses" mentality. Often, we allow our worst day to become the definition of who we are: the day the divorce was finalized, the day cancer was diagnosed, the day the dreaded birthday arrived, or the day the scale's reflection didn't meet our expectations. A number can help us meet a goal and be a healthy objective or leave us empty and depleted. We are all trying to reach the next number on our list.Perhaps the most important question is if we are looking and trusting in the numbers that are important to God.In my life, the pursuit of numbers has been an ongoing battle. The number I have often allowed to define me has been reflected on the scale.The drive to attain the perfect number also drove me to find comfort in majoring in health and exercise science. I enjoyed this major and sought solace in helping others on their journey. During this time, I taught aerobics, worked in cardiac rehabilitation, and found my place helping others through personal training. But recently, the number that haunts me is the number of days I am here without my mom and dad. My mom died in 2012, followed by my dad in 2014. With each passing year, that number gets larger and the loss greater.Throughout this book, I will share many raw experiences, and I hope these experiences will help you. Whether you are a teenager looking to find your identity or a post-partum mom dealing with hormone havoc, you will be reminded that your core is found in Christ. I pray you will allow God to work in your heart and life. I pray that you will see yourself anew as loved, chosen, accepted, redeemed, gifted, and appreciated. And I pray that the number you most readily identify with will cease to rule and reign over your thoughts, attitudes, and actions.The theme verses for this study are Isaiah 43:18-19: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."So, grab your Bible and get ready to start this journey. And as you begin, hear your heavenly Father say loudly and clearly, "You are more than just a number!"

According to newly single Kelly Newsome, whoever came up with the idea of a lesbian resort located on a warm tropical island is a goddess. Kelly''s bound and determined to experience everything, and everyone, the island has to offer. Matt Parker is on her first "real grown up" vacation since her wife died six years ago, leaving her to raise their young son alone. With no responsibilities to tie her down, Matt''s not looking for anything other than a good time and toe-curling, no strings attached sex. Neither one expects to meet the woman who could give them their last first kiss.

Lowe Carter and Faith Williams could not be more different. Lowe comes from money, very old money. Faith scrapes by, living paycheck to paycheck, sending what little she has left to her mother and little sister. Lowe is just starting her obligatory two-week visit with her parents when she collides, literally and figuratively, with the beautiful Faith. What better way to spend two weeks of hell than in the company of a hot, sexy woman? The only problem is that employees like Faith are forbidden to fraternize with residents and their guests. Join Lowe and Faith as they sail on The Escape, the world's largest private residence on the water.

What would you do if the woman sitting across from you at the negotiating table is the same woman you shared a bed with twelve years earlier?That’s exactly the situation when Adrienne Phillips enters the offices of Foster McKenzie. Sloan Merchant, the opposing attorney, is a rising star in the world of corporate law with one of the premier companies in the world. Adrienne has never forgotten the thrill of desire in Sloan’s eyes, the sound of her name whispered in the dark, the rising crescendo of the pleasure of her touch, and the heartbreaking loss when it was over. Sloan has the world at her feet and any woman at her fingertips so why does she dream of her college fling? And what in the hell is she going to do now with her sitting across the negotiating table in one of the biggest deals of her life? 

Tobin Parks has been described as a cross between Janice Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez, Reba McIntyre, and a little bit of Elvis thrown in for balance. She’s at the top of every chart, and with her sultry voice and bad girl image, she has no trouble attracting screaming fans to her concerts, women to her bed, and paparazzi to her doorstep. Kiersten Bradley is riding the wave of her dream. The inventor and CEO of JOLT, a popular energy drink, Kiersten is having a phenomenal year of success. When Tobin Parks comes knocking on her door asking JOLT to be the sponsor of her next guaranteed blockbuster tour, Kiersten passes. Linking her company’s name to Tobin’s is a public relations nightmare waiting to happen. Both professional and personal sparks fly when the two strong-willed, very public women meet. Kiersten will not risk everything she has worked for, even for the chance to make millions, and Tobin is determined to have JOLT has her sponsor.

Andrea Finley is the flight director for NASA''s latest space flight-to the moon. The mission is the first with a woman in charge, and Andrea will stop at nothing to ensure this is a textbook perfect mission. Her personal life is virtually nonexistent, and she has devoted her entire life to this, the pinnacle of her career. When the mission runs into serious trouble, Andrea has no choice but to call Kenner Hutchings, a brilliant twenty-something whiz kid from MIT with a reputation for living life fast and loose. Kenner is their last chance to save the lives of the seven astronauts entrusted into Andrea''s care. Andrea doesn''t trust Kenner to get the job done, and Kenner takes it as a challenge to break the reserve of her new boss. Can two strong-willed, powerful women overcome their differences to save the lives of seven others and begin a life they never imagined together?

In the sequel to Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes, several generations of Southern women--Imogene Lavender; her estranged mother, the increasingly senile Mama Jewell; Imogene's daughter Jeanette, who has a new baby; and her niece Lou--struggle to overcome the alienation and pain of the past in order to