Malachite

Table of Contents:

Part II: Malachite

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Stone

Chapter 2: Divine Intervention

Chapter 3: Knuck If You Buck

Chapter 4: Africa

Chapter 5: Trust

Chapter 6: Daily Surrender

Part II: Malachite

Acknowledgements:

I dedicate this second part to my cousin, Kyle Puckett, who silently taught me what it meant to value others. He always noticed the little things about me and had a deep, caring heart for others that I admired. I want to speak up for those who are hurting and feel like they want to end their life. This book is for everyone struggling to rise from the ashes because it emphasizes how God is always in control and can turn our darkest nights into our greatest comebacks. I believe in being completely real and vulnerable so that others may experience an original understanding for what it means to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ. It's about a relationship and not religion. I am also dedicating this book to my mother, whom I love very much and who taught me what true strength and loyalty looks like. I believe there is something we can all learn from each other, so I hope you find something unique and potential from this book mother. I hope you get that house on the beach one day that you deserve. Thank you for loving me and teaching me to stay creative.

Introduction:

The first book, Lapis Lazuli, was named shortly after a deep encounter with God in my quiet time. He gave me a vision of heaven and being in a room surrounded by this deep blue color, and I felt this overwhelming peace surround me. That perfect peace was the Holy Spirit and suddenly God whispered the words, "Lapis Lazuli." I had been praying God would reveal what He wanted me to name my first book and so I decided to title the first book, Lapis Lazuli, which would then become part of a Precious Stones Series. Lapis Lazuli is a precious stone that stands for vision, inner awakening, and truthful communication. It represented a cleansing from the Holy Spirit of my past demons and yet portrayed beautiful, blue hues of hope and grace that Jesus sprung forth in my heart. This next book, Malachite, represents a powerful stone used to protect against negative energies and falls in line with the heart chakra. It also symbolizes an emotional and subconscious awakening that transforms one's mind, body, and soul. This book takes on deep spiritual teachings that Jesus has revealed in my daily living. The meaning behind having a spiritual awakening is too complex for the human mind, which is why we need God and His teachings from the Bible to impart new life and freedom. I hope everyone enjoys embarking on the new and sometimes scary adventures that Jesus is taking me on!

Chapter 1: The Stone

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do in life was to admit that I needed help. After I got out of the psychiatric unit, I still struggled with admitting that I was an addict. I wanted to believe that the word "addict" was just a figment of my imagination and that everyone is an addict to some sorts anyway. However, I did have a problem with becoming "obsessed" with something. As a teenager it was running and working out to look a certain way, and then as I got older it started off as college and becoming obsessed with my schoolwork to more serious things like: sex, pornography, and legal and illegal substance use and abuse. I never wanted to admit that I had a tendency to become "obsessed" with things, and so I started to blame other people for my disappointments when it was actually God trying to get my attention. For example, when nursing school didn't work out God was trying to teach me that my identity is not found in a career, but in Christ. Instead of me accepting the lesson God was trying to teach me I went the complete opposite direction and got heavily involved in drugs. I was running away from God because I didn't want to hurt and thought that my pain was attached to something God did. I thought that God had made a mistake by not allowing me to graduate nursing school, but what I didn't realize was that He had a better plan in store for me than I had for myself. Sometimes when things appear terrible and dark it's hard to trust God through the storm, but it really doesn't matter if we can see the future God has in store for us or not. This is the entire concept of "putting our trust in God" because it's easy to do when things are going our way, but when the storm comes and we don't understand why God is taking us through one it's harder to trust God.