MOTHER OF THREE

Playing With A Recipe

2012-02-19T17:39:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted a recipe in a long time around here, but I tried something today that was kind of fun and really easy to put together. The original recipe was found on Pillsbury.com and is called Grands! Easy Taco Melts. I took the general idea and put my own changes to it. The fun thing about this recipe is the versatility of it. Here's what I did.

Ingredients:

1lb. ground chuck
3 small links of Chorizo sausage
1 envelope of taco seasoning
Mexican blend cheese grated
salsa
8 ct. package of Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (I used the Butter Tastin' variety)

Directions:
Brown the ground chuck and chorizo together. Chorizo sausage is really greasy; so, after browning the meat, I used a strainer to get rid of all the grease. Mix taco seasoning envelope with 3/4 cup of water and add to the meat. Cook long enough for meat mixture to thicken up a bit.
Then take each biscuit and spread into about a 6 inch round. Put a couple of spoon fulls of the meat mixture down in the middle of the biscuit round. Spread a teaspoon of salsa on top of the meat and add as much cheese as you like.

Fold the biscuit over the meat mixture in a half moon shape. Be sure and pinch the edges together with a fork to lock in all that yummy filling!

Line your cookie sheet with foil and spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Place each taco melt on the lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.

My family really liked these little treats for lunch today. I served them with salad, but I imagine they would be great pared with Spanish rice or chips and salsa or guacamole dip! Like I said before, you can do so much with this general idea. I'm thinking broccoli and cheese ones would be good with some grilled chicken or you could do ham and cheese ones for a twist to the cold ham and cheese sandwich. I'm thinking I may take some sandwich pepperoni and make my own Pizza Pockets as well!

*As you can tell, I had a lot of the meat mixture left over since I only made eight melts. I used the extra in a dip I sent to supper clubs at church with Mike and Cecily. (I'm at home with a sick little boy running fever!) So, if you make only eight melts, be prepared to have an idea for the extra meat!

What do you think you would do with this recipe idea?

Blessings,
Jennifer

Reasons For Hope In The Mosaic of Your Life

2012-02-18T12:06:00.000-05:00

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

1 Peter 3:15

"In a mosaic, the artist arranges pieces of cut or broken stones or tiles to create a decorative pattern. We may struggle to grasp the overall design of a mosaic when we're looking at the individual peices up close, because what we see looks like a piece of junk, broken and useless. But when we step back far enough to view the entire mosaic, we get a new perspective, and we see the intricate beauty of the finished masterpiece. That enables us to grasp the original intent of the artist," explains Carl Kerby, author of Reasons For Hope In The Mosaic Of Your Life.

Carl is president and founder of Reasons for Hope, founded in 2011 as a response to a calling from God to proclaim the authority and authenticity of the Bible. He was previously a founding board member at Answers in Genesis for ten years and served there for over fifteen years. Before he worked as an air-traffic controller at O'Hare International Airport.

Kerby's love for Jesus fuels a passion to engage the minds and hearts of youth and adults so that they can know the truth of God's Word. He is a sought after speaker both in the United States and abroad. Yet his most cherished accomplishment is his 29 year marriage to his wife, Masami, and his roles as father to his children, Alisa and Carl Jr. and grandfather to Trey.

Kerby's passion for sharing Jesus with the lost and equipping other believers to do the same shines brightly in his book, Reasons for Hope, in which he encourages the reader to "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have". The book is divided into three parts:

Offering Reasons for Hope in a Hopeless World
My Story: From Wrestler's Son to Professional Speaker
Answering Common Objections to the Christian Faith

Throughout the book, Carl reveals how God has created a beautiful mosaic from the broken pieces of his life, held together by the saving grace of the cross of Jesus Christ. As readers join Carl's journey, they will come to understand how the bigger picture of their own lives reveals a unique and beautiful mosaic. With a deep passion for the Lord and sharing the truth of God's Word and the gospel along with a conversational and whitty style of writing, Kerby exemplifies through both example and the written word that no matter what the circumstances, God gathers up the broken pieces of life and forms them into something beautiful, all according to His purpose and plan.

Carl's story will not only give reasons for hope but will also encourage readers to share their only true hope, Jesus Christ, with a world that so desperately needs to hear. You will walk away knowing that the broken pieces of your life can be used by God to make a beautiful and useful vessel for His work.

Reasons for Hope can be ordered from Amazon.com by going HERE.

*Audra Jennings from The B&B Media Group Inc. sent me a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.

Blessings,
Jennifer

My Take On All Things Whitney Houston

2012-02-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Blessings,
Jennifer

Die Young

2012-02-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

Michael and Hayley DiMarco have written a new book published by Crossway titled Die Young: Burying Your Self In Christ.

Hayley is the founder of Hungry Planet, where she writes and creates cutting-edge books that connect with the multitasking mind-set. She has written numerous best-selling books for both teens and adults including God Girl, Mean Girls, Idol Girls, and Dateable. She blogs regularly at www.hayleydimarco.com and disciples girls online at God Girl.

Michael is the publisher at Hungry Planet and oversees cover and interior design as creative director. He has written numerous best selling books for both teens and adults, including God Guy, Cupidity, Unstuff, and All In. He blogs regularly at www.michaeldimarco.com.

Michael and Hayley live with their daughter on the shores of Old Hickory Lake just outside of Nashville, TN.

In their most recent book, Die Young, the DiMarcos state that

"God wants you to die young today. He wants you to take up your cross and follow him. He wants you to deny yourself, to say 'no' to the promptings of your flesh and of this world and say 'yes' to the promptings of his Spirit. To die young is to do all those things. It is to give up you right to yourself so that no one can be your master buy God himself."

The basic message of the book is that it is not too late to turn to God and die to yourself no matter what stage you are in life.

While the book contains an important message and the DiMarcos have done a good job of making the layout of Die Young trendy looking with cool graphics, the message is pretty simple. When I say "simple", I mean that the book is grossly repetitive. However, the interspersed testimonies by Michael and Hayley are a nice addition and help with the repetitiveness.

The book is short (only 173 pages). Die Young would be good for use in Youth Sunday School classes and for discipleship with new believers. You can order the book from Crossway by going HERE. Read and excerpt from the book HERE.

Trailer for Die Young:

Die Young. from Crossway on Vimeo.

*I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book for the purpose of review from Crossway.

Happy Reading,
Jennifer

Meeting Jodi

2012-02-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

I've said it before, but I'm saying it again today: The internet can be an evil place. "Can be" being the key words. Social media sites like MySpace and Facebook can be very bad. Again, "can be" are the key words. There are so many ways satan, the enemy of our souls who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy us, uses things like what I've mentioned to really mess people up.

However, God, the Lover of our souls, is more than able to use those very same things (all things He created and thought of before any man even had the ideas for) to encourage and spur His people on to love and good works.

That's what blogging has done for me! And it (blogging) has become a huge blessing and encourager in my life. The connections I've been able to make and friendships forged have been a cup of fresh water to my soul.

Several years ago, I discovered Beth Moore's Living Proof Ministries Blog and the Lord has used it to really change my life. It was the impetus to begin my own blog. I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life just a couple of months after discovering the blog at LPM and posted a comment asking for prayer. Now Beth has hundreds of comments to any given post on her ministry's blog. The best I was hoping for was a few people who would read my comment and genuinely pray for me.

Within just a couple of days of each other, Stephanie (Notes From The Soul) and Jodi (Fruit Inspection) both emailed me with encouraging words and pledges to pray for me! Out of all the people that read and comment on that blog, these two sweet girls took time to personally contact me. The Lord used them then and continues to use these two sweet friends to encourage me and spur me on. I got to meet Stephanie a couple of years ago in San Antonio, TX at a Living Proof Live event.

Yesterday, I was blessed to meet Jodi and her two sweet kiddos! Her husband Jeremy is involved in a fishing tournament taking place on Lake Okeechobee and they are staying in Clewiston for the week. Jodi, her daughter Savannah and her son Emery, came to Fort Myers and met up with me, Bentley and JennaBeth at Escape Zone.

Bentley and Emery began playing and paling around like they've know each other all their lives! It was sweet to have them finally meet IRL (in real life).

This picture is really poor quality...it was kind of dark in the bounce area and I couldn't get a good setting on my camera to get a good picture. That's Savannah in the corner...and I am sad that this picture is the only one of her I got! JennaBeth immediately fell in love with her and kept her busy most of the evening. Jodi, if you got a better picture of Savannah and JennaBeth, please send it to me!!

As usual, JennaBeth jumped right in on the action with the boys and would NOT be outdone by them! After the kids had played for a couple of hours, we took the kids to Yogurt Mountain for a cool treat. I think both Emery's and Bentley's hair was plastered to their heads...they played hard and enjoyed every minute of it! Later that evening I had checked in with Jodi by text to make sure they had arrived back in Clewiston safely and she said that her kids wanted to play with Bentley and JennaBeth again today. I in turn told her that Bentley was wanting to move to Georgia so he could play with Emery everyday!

Jodi, I am blessed to know you! You are one of the most genuine people I know and I love the transparency and realness with which you share on your blog. I am go glad we finally got to meet face to face and certainly hope it won't be the last time! Your faith encourages me and God has used it to spur me along in my own!

*You can visit Jeremy and Jodi's new business, Anglers Warehouse by going HERE and be sure and connect with them on Facebook by going HERE.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!..Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12

Blessings,
Jennifer

Living Life

2012-02-07T10:35:00.001-05:00

While going through the blogs I follow this morning, I read this on Mellissa's (Breath of Life):

"I find myself too busy living my life to write about it. And that is a blessing that cannot be measured."

I could have written those very words myself. We've had a busy, but good weekend. The fun started on Thursday night. While I was leading Bible study with a group of ladies at our church, Mike was at "pirate tryouts" with Bentley and JennaBeth!

The event was Readers of the Carribean, a family literacy workshop, and was held at the school where Bentley and Cecily attend school.

That's our principal, Dr. Santini. I love how the administration and teachers at my kids' school work together to make learning so much fun. They get involved with the kids and parents and seem happy to do so.

Bentley's teacher, Ms Weigman, even got into the pirate scene!

And don't think for one minute that JennaBeth was going to miss out on any of the action! She was so excited to be on the big stage with the big kids. After all, she can do anything they can do.

On Saturday, the kids were invited to a birthday party. We had a new family move into our neighborhood a few weeks ago and their little boy Ilan was turning five. His mom and dad had a bounce house set up for the kids, which was a big hit with all the kids.

As you can see, the slide was the most fun!

That's Ilan, the birthday boy! Don't you just love that big smile???

The only thing better than an Oreo Ice Cream cake is a SpongeBob pinata!!!

The only thing even better than cake and candy is...

sweet friends! That's JennaBeth with her best friend from next door Morgan.

Sunday we had homecoming at our church in North Fort Myers. Northside Babtist Church was established the first Sunday in February 30 years ago. Each year we celebrate as a church family with a picnic after our morning worship service.

That's Cecily (on the left) our oldest with a friend from church, Grace.

The kids usually get together and play some form of ball; this year it was soccer. And true to herself, JennaBeth joined right in!

And when she wasn't playing soccer, she was climbing up and down the bleachers...yes that would be JennaBeth about halfway on the bleachers on her way down!

Bentley enjoyed playing Nerf guns with his buddy Seth.

What do you and your family like to do for fun weekends?

When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.

Spend time with those you love. One of these days you will say either, "I wish I had" or "I'm glad I did". Zig Ziglar

Blessings,
Jennifer

Not In The Heart

2012-02-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

A condemned man.

A dying son.

An imperfect father.

How far will one man go to save the life of his son?

Time is running out.

I'm so excited to let you know about a book that is releasing TODAY by Tyndale House Publishers. The book is Not In The Heart by Chris Fabry.

Biography (taken from Fabry's website found at www.chrisfabry.com )

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live! on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs.
A 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.
Chris' novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, and Not in the Heart, have won two Christy Awards and an ECPA Christian Book Award, but it's his lyrical prose and tales of redemption that keep readers returning for more.
He has also published more than 65 other books, including nonfiction and novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and The Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. RPM is his latest series for kids and explores the exciting world of NASCAR.

You can connect with Fabry on Facebook and through his blog The Flog - The Fabry Log.

In my experience of reading lots of books, I have found that very few fiction writers are able to write in such a way as to make their characters jump off the page and into your mind and heart. And very few are able to paint a picture with their words that shows the true condition of the human heart and the gamut of emotion that is often found there and tell a story that leaves you breathless in the end.

Chris Fabry has accomplished that in his story of Truman Wiley in Not In The Heart.

Truman absolutely had me puzzled until the very last page. In the first few pages of the book, I didn't like him very much. A little further along into the story, I felt sorry for him. Then I was really on his side pulling for him. Then I didn't like him again. Then I loved him. At times I didn't know what in the world to think about this man and his extreme selfishness but heart wrenching love for his family.

If that sounds confusing, well it is. Truman will have you wondering about him until the last page of his story and when you get to the end of Not In The Heart you will realize that we are all just like Truman at different points in our own lives. Chris Fabry has offered up something really special in this story. I encourage you to consider it for your next book club (questions for a reading group are included in the back of the book). But don't count on just one night to discuss this story! You'll need more than one.

Read chapter one HERE.

You can order Not In The Heart from Amazon.com by going HERE.

You can order directly from the publisher by going HERE.

*Audra Jennings of the B&B Media Group sent me a copy of this book for the purpose of review.

Happy Reading,

Jennifer

Finding Delight

2012-01-29T16:48:00.001-05:00

My friend Leslie Wiggins is hosting

over at her blog Alabamenagerie. Her Finding Delight posts are all about how you've found delight in God's Word during the previous week. Now, she is reading God's Word this year with an eye and heart toward looking for each use of the actual word delight in Scripture. You can read her post introducing this by going HERE.

Recently I read this passage in Psalm 5:11-12

"But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield."

It seemed to me, as I read these words, that the phrase "those who love Your name" was the key. We take refuge and are able to sing for joy and are surrounded with God's favor as with a shield as we love His name. So, I looked a little further into this Hebrew word for love using the resource of my Key Word Study Bible.

The Hebrew word for "love" in this passage is Ahab and means:

to love, desire, delight, like, be fond of, covet, be beloved, amiable, be a passionate lover. It implies an ardent and vehement inclination of the mind and a tenderness of affection at the same time.

The question that has been embedded in my mind and heart is this:

"Am I delighting in God's character? Do I passionately love and desire God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength?

Visit Leslie and see how she and others are delighting in God's Word.

How have you been delighting in God's Word lately?

Blessings,
Jennifer

Secure Daughters, Confident Sons

2012-01-25T15:09:00.001-05:00

If you are a parent, you can quickly get overwhelmed with the plethora of parenting books on the market. Few are anything more than your typical guide in how to have well-behaved, nice, neat little children. It was refreshing to read Glenn T. Stanton's Secure Daughters, Confident Sons: How Parents Guide Their Children Into Authentic Masculinity And Femininity.

Glenn T. Stanton is the director for Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs and a research fellow at the Institute of Marriage and Family in Ottawa. He debates and lectures extensively on the issues of gender, sexuality, marriage and parenting at universities and churches around the country. He served the George W. Bush administration for many years as a consultant on increasing fatherhood involvement in the Head Start program.
Stanton is the author of five books and a contributor to nine others, including Why Marriage Matters: Reasons to Believe in Marriage in Postmodern Society (1997), My Crazy, Imperfect Christian Family (NavPress, 2004) and Marriage on Trial: The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting (InterVarsity Press, 2004), which was featured on C-SPAN BookTV.
His latest book, The Ring Makes All the Difference (Moody Publishers, September 2011), explains the latest research findings, as well as biblical wisdom, on why cohabitation is not a smart idea for couples and their children. Stanton and his wife have five endlessly growing and amazing children, and they live in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Stanton's response to some opinions that his definition of gender in the book is too narrow can be found HERE at her.meneutics the Christianity Today blog for women.

"My desire is to help you teach your child to navigate between the two extreme views of gender identity that are present in our culture today. One group firmly believes that the way you nurture or socialize a child trumps the work of nature; the other demands that no amount of nurture should change the inborn wild-at-heart or captivating nature of boys and girls. Our definition of gender has to involve both nature and nurture to truly explain the essential difference and how we authentically live in our humanity throughout distinct cultures of the world. Our natures are real, but so are our nurturing environments. If not, parenting would simply be about providing food, clothing, and shelter." (Stanton from the introduction - The Importance of Difference)

The book is divided into two parts:

A Clear Vision for Authentic Manhood and Womanhood
Why Boys and Girls Need Mothers and Fathers

The two parts cover the following:

What makes a good man?
What makes a good woman?
What a boy needs most.
What a girl needs most.
Making Healthy Men out of Healthy Boys
Making Healthy Women out of Healthy Girls
Why it's Good When Mom and Dad Disagree
The Serious Business of Play
How Moms and Dads Together Influence Language Development
Balancing Grace and Discipline
Preparation Versus Protection: Why Both Dad and Mom Are Right
Your Child is a Sexual Being
How Mom and Dad Raise Kids Who Care
Gender Differences: The Basis for a Healthy Family

Stanton's writing style is engaging and funny. You'll be blessed and encouraged by his offering in Secure Daughters, Confident Sons.

A copy of the book was sent to me by WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging For Books program. You can order the book from them by going HERE. You can also read an excerpt from the book by going HERE.

If you will, please take a minute and rank this review in the box below. You will be entered to win a copy of the book for yourself!

Blessings,
Jennifer

A Recipe of a Different Kind

2012-01-25T07:35:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed how expensive everything is getting? From gasoline to groceries to the things you need to keep your home clean, everything seems to be stretching family budgets to the max! As a stay at home mom, I clip coupons and try to keep spending (even for necessities) at a minimum. Out of all the "chores" around the house, laundry is one that NEVER gets completed. I think my laundry baskets can be empty for only 2.5 seconds flat at any given time! I do multiple loads everyday of the week except on Sundays. So, I go through a lot of detergent and even with coupons, it can still be very pricey. Plus, it seems I'm always running out at the most inconvenient times.

I had been hearing of some people making their own laundry soap and using things like vinegar in the place of fabric softener in order to save money. To be honest, I was a little skeptical with questions like: How clean does it really get your clothes? Do your clothes smell like vinegar if you replace the softener with it? And most important, how will if affect my Psoriasis? The cleaning affect was the biggest thing for me, because I have three children who can get pretty messy, especially the littlest two, ages 6 and 2. My 6 year old son loves to be outside and when he comes in in the evenings, well...he just stinks! There's something pungent about little boy funk!!

With all of this in mind, I went to the greatest source of information on the web today...Facebook! I posted some questions about homemade laundry soap and if anybody had ever tried it and so forth. I was directed by one of my Facebook/Blogging friends to this website: Being Creative To Keep My Sanity. This lady is a genius! She has a plethora of tips to help you live frugally. Yesterday, I made her recipe for homemade laundry soap! Here it is:

76 oz. box of Borax

4 lb. box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

55 oz. box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soap

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap

3.5 lbs. OxyClean

You mix all the boxes/containers of powder. Grate the bar soap and add to the powder ingredients. I found all these items at Wal-Mart. Here's the cost of each:

OxyClean (I used the SunOxygen brand, because it was much cheaper than than the OxyClean brand) $1.96 X 2
Fels-Naptha .97 X 3
Baking Soda $2.12
Super Washing Soda $3.24
Borax $3.38
I also bought a plastic latch container in which to store the detergent $3.97
TOTAL: $19.54

The average 64 load size of laundry detergent costs anywhere from around $8 to $12 depending on the brand you are buying and sometimes more. I go through 2 of those in ONE month. And sometimes run out before the end of the month comes around! That's say an average of $24.00 a month on laundry detergent alone. The lady over at Being Creative To Keep My Sanity uses 1 to 2 tablespoons per load and this recipe lasted her NINE MONTHS!

When I was mixing this up yesterday, the kids were really mesmerized by the process.

The grated Fels-Naphta looks exactly like grated cheese. My two year old kept saying, "You washin' my clothes in cheese mama?"

I washed my first load using this detergent last night. The clothes came out clean and very fresh smelling and they were soft. This was a fun experiment. I'll keep track of how long it lasts and let you know in a few months how much money I've saved by not having to buy laundry detergent every time I turn around!

What are some ways you are saving money and living frugally around your place?

Blessings,
Jennifer

Never The Same

2012-01-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

"My greatest successes in life so far have been derived from my greatest tragedies. My greatest sufferings have produced my greatest victories."

"What happens to you in life isn't nearly as important as what you choose to do with what happens to you in life. Don't hide the scars."

Those are the words of B.C. Fleming otherwise known as the Blown Up Guy.

He's known as the Blown Up Guy, because he was literally blown up not once, but twice while serving in Afghanistan as part of the 10th Mountain Division as a team leader in a reconnaissance platoon. In April 2006, Fleming got his first taste of guerrilla warfare when his military vehicle ran across a double stack of mines buried in the road. The 14,000-pound Humvee was lifted off the ground and hurled about ten feet to the side of the road. Miraculously, Fleming escaped without a scratch.

The next time, he would not walk away. On a sunny afternoon in late July of the same year, a convoy in which Fleming was traveling was attacked by a suicide bomber who exploded three feet away from the door of is vehicle. Fleming woke up in a ditch, bloody and burned, with multiple life-threatening injuries. After reconstructive surgery and fourteen months of agonizingly difficult rehabilitation at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, he decided it was time to stop whining about it and get on with his life.

Never The Same: The Untold Story of One Soldier's Personal Encounter with a Suicide Bomber is Flemings latest book. The book began as his personal journal entries and evolved into the book. He candidly shares "the real story" of the war in Afghanistan as he experienced it. You can hear some of his testimony, which he shares in the book in this interview:

While Never The Same is not the most well written book I've ever read and there are some editing issues in the book, I'm not sure I've ever read a more inspiring story in quite a while. The book includes pictures as well as a chapter written by Fleming's wife Jamie and a letter Fleming wrote to the suicide bomber responsible for the injuries that nearly ended Fleming's life. This letter would be one of the avenues God used to bring healing to Fleming:

"I wrote my thoughts on a piece of paper one day. It turned into a letter to the suicide bomber (which he will obviously never read). I began writing about the horrific pain of burning and realizing, though mine was temporary, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to end up in a place where I believe he is now. That terrorist would have ultimately won the war over me, even in death, if I would have carried the burden of hate with me for the remainder of my lifetime. There was no way I was going to let that happen. He failed in life and he failed in death. He's dead and I'm alive. It was time to move on. I've never lived a better life since almost losing it."

Never The Same is an inspiring and God exalting story of a soldier's survival physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually because of the grace poured out on his life by the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.

*Audra Jennings, media specialist with B&B Media Group, sent me a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.

You can connect with Fleming online by visiting his website blownupguy.com and his facebook page located at www.facebook.com/blownupguy.

Blessings,
Jennifer

The Gospel Story Bible

2012-01-23T10:55:00.000-05:00

Can a bed-time story actually change your life?

My two younger children (ages 6 and 2) love to have books read to them. They especially enjoy bedtime reading with their daddy. Our 14 year old, although she has now outgrown being read to, loved books when she was little as well. Both my husband and I are big readers and I am so glad my children have developed a love for books and hearing a good story.

What better story for them to hear than the gospel. As a parent/grandparent you may feel overwhelmed at where to even start sharing the gospel with the little ones in your life. Marty Machowski, a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, has written an amazing resource to help us share the greatest story ever told - the story of Jesus - with our children and grandchildren.

Written by Machowski and illustrated by A.E. Macha, The Gospel Story Bible is Machowski's beckon to families to take time out from the daily grind to be transformed by the message of the Good News. Sometimes it's easy to forget Jesus in the midst of frantic schedules, family squabbles and conflicting priorities. God often becomes a little more than an afterthought after days absorbed and depleted by the busyness of life. But the truth is that Jesus is the Hero of every story - including the mundane, ordinary ones we experience on a regular basis.

This book is unlike any other "Bible Story book" you have encountered! It is uniquely illustrated and uses 158 stories to present God's plan of salvation in Christ from its opening narrative in Genesis to its finale in Revelation. Based on the ESV Bible, this easy-to-read storybook is written for children from preschool to high school and skillfully connects the individual stories to the overall gospel narrative of Jesus and His gospel of grace.

I was just in conversation with someone the other day who said she didn't read the Old Testament, because she didn't understand much of it and she felt that Jesus was in the New Testament. That broke my heart. With the use of The Gospel Story Bible, you will be equipped with a resource to help you see Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.

Machowski says,

"The gospel is deep enough to keep the oldest and wisest parents learning and growing all their lives, yet simple enough to change the heart of the first grader who has just begun to read. That's what makes The Gospel Story Bible ideal as a storybook for a preschooler, a devotional for a grade school student, a refresher for the adult believer or an introduction for the new one. Parents and children will learn together to read the whole Bible as one story, with one Hero - Jesus Christ."

Each story is found on a two-page spread. The scripture passage from the Bible is given, the "story"and then "Let's Talk About It!", where questions are provided to help engage the readers further with the story. Machowski masterfully points to Jesus and the redemption He came to give to lost sinners in every story. Here's the last paragraph of the story about Rahab from "Rahab's Help" on pages 86-87:

"Did you know that God had special plans for Rahab? She became King David's far-off grandmother. That means she also became the great, far-off grandmother of Jesus! Just as the blood on the doorposts kept the Israelites safe during Passover, the scarlet cord in Rahab's window protected her and her family from the judgement of God brought to Jericho. One day her far-off grandson Jesus would die on the cross. His scarlet blood covers our sins so that we too can be saved from the judgement of God."

I encourage you to visit www.newgrowthpress.com and order The Gospel Story Bible. Or you can find it at Amazon.com by going HERE.

*A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by Audra Jennings, media specialist with B&B Media Group for the purpose of review.

In a world where our kids will hear every kind of story, make sure you share the greatest story ever told with them - the story of Jesus.

Blessings,
Jennifer

What We Did Today

2012-01-16T20:48:00.000-05:00

Since Mike had the day away from the office, due to MLK day, we went to the park! We stopped by Sonic on the way to take advantage of Happy Hour.

JennaBeth quickly met a little friend. He was so sweet with her. JennaBeth has been deathly afraid of the swinging bridge and hasn't gone near it any time we have been at the park, but due to her new little friend's help...

it's her favorite thing to play on now!

She also likes the slide...

Bentley has mastered climbing the rock wall and going down the opposite side once he gets to the top.

And of course, he loves jumping off everything in site...

I was even able to convince Cecily to let me take a picture of her. She doesn't like me to do that very much, but I whined a little bit and it worked!

I just happen to think she is beautiful! Don't you agree? And if you don't, please don't tell me, because then we might have to fight!

The swings were popular today! JennaBeth kept clicking her feet together (like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz) trying to make her swing go faster and higher!

The afternoon was nice - sunny with a cool breeze blowing. The park was full of kids playing. JennaBeth played her little self silly tired. This is what we found shortly after she left the dinner table...

Blessings,
Jennifer

Wayward Son

2012-01-13T10:21:00.000-05:00

The first novel in a series, the Wayward Son propels the reader back in time - all the way back to the days of Cain and Abel - and sends the reader on an epic adventure through the flood of Noah's time, through Egypt, Greece, China and Rome. And it all begins with a powerful tremor that unearths an ancient secret buried in a fortified observatory buried near Italy's Mt. Vesuvius.

You can go HERE to read the prologue and the first 12 chapters. But, beware...you will be ordering the book!

The Wayward Son is a masterful blend of suspense, history, modern day drama and a very unique and fictionalized twist on the story of Cain from the Bible. Pollack, Alves, and Loftus (the authors) do an amazing job of making you feel as if you are standing before the 30 feet high bronze doors with Amanda as she attempts to decipher the the combination of pictograms and texts written in Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Chinese and Hebrew. When the doors open...well, you'll just have to read to find out!

The story does go back and forth between modern-day and the past; however, the writing is so well done that you just keep turning pages! I thought the publishing move to have the typeset of the chapters covering modern day and chapters covering past events different was genius. I can't wait to read the next installment of this series.

You can order the book by going HERE or from Amazon.com by going HERE.

Wayward Son was provided to me by Glass Road Publications for the purpose of review.

Happy Reading,

Jennifer

Moments of Truth

2012-01-13T08:43:00.001-05:00

Moments of Truth: Unleashing God's Word One Day at a Time is a collection of devotions that offer biblical teaching, scripture, and prayer to match the annual happenings of the calendar and give daily truths from a foremost biblical scholar and author.
Christianity starts with a life-changing encounter with Christ. But then what? From the beautiful moment of salvation to the dying breath, a powerful life in Christ depends on one thing: being in continual relationship with the Father. But does that relationship deliver only encouragement? Or does it offer instruction, reshaping, and revitalization?
In this unique daily devotional, renowned teacher and Bible scholar John MacArthur offers readers truths that will not only inspire them day-by-day but also will give them digestible nuggets of biblical wisdom.
Moments of Truth is designed to meet readers right where they are each day. Entries are intentionally arranged to match the highlights of the calendar year, such as Christmas, Easter, Tax Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Back-to-School, and everything in between. This book recasts the role of faith in readers' lives by matching God’s truth with the daily realities we all face. It is only by seeing life through our relationship with the Father that we will access and experience the spiritual depths he designed us for.

I really liked how this devotional was organized: Each month addresses a particular "topic".

January - Beginnings
February - Love
March - The Cross and Easter
April - Growing As A Christian
May - Parenting
June - Marriage
July - Freedom, America, Leadership, and War
August - The End-times and other Important Doctrines
September - Work
October - Sin, Evil and Temptation
November - Money, Giving, Discipline, and Self-Control
December - Jesus' Birth and Life

Each day MacArthur presents the reader with a passage of scripture (usually one verse), a short devotional thought (one page) and a probing question at the end for personal reflection/application. Each days devotional thought is an excerpt from one of MacArthur's many published books such as Slave, A Tale of Two Sons, Twelve Extraordinary Women, The Murder of Jesus, Can God Bless America? and The Vanishing Conscience.

MacArthur is pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church, president of Master's College and Seminary and president of Grace to You, the ministry that produces the internationally syndicated radio program Grace to You.

Moments of Truth can be ordered at Amazon.com by going HERE.

I was sent a copy of Moments of Truth by Thomas Nelson for the purpose of review.

Blessings,
Jennifer

Our Trip Home for the Holidays: Part Two

2012-01-10T14:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I posted a little about our family's trip home to AL and MS to visit family. I'm finishing that post today mostly in pictures.

After visiting with my dad and step-mom at my brother's house, we went over to my grandmother's house to visit with my mom's side of the family. This was the first time in quite a while that I got to see many of my cousins and their families and my aunts and uncles. It was a big crowd of folks in a very tiny house, but we had a really good time. It brought back memories of when I was a little girl and we would spend Christmas Eve over at Mamaw's house.

While we were all there, my grandmother got a very special phone call from my cousin John Skinner who is serving in Afghanistan right now. He was able to get access to a sat-phone and call her and his mother, my aunt Gatha.

That was a really special treat for them, plus we got to all tell him Merry Christmas!

My grandfather passed away some years ago from cancer, so it's been my grandmother by herself. I was so thankful for our time with her that evening. She looked the best I've seen her look in a long time. I was anxious to get the picture above with her and my three kiddos to mark the occasion.

We spent the next couple of days in Meridian at my mom and step-dad's home. My nephew Ryan is living with them now and Bentley loved spending time with him. Although, I think JennaBeth gave him a run for his money. Ryan was really sweet with her. One evening my brother and his family came over and Jason fried some fish. It was good to get that time with him. We haven't been able to do that in the past.

The Girls: JennaBeth, Cecily, Jordan (Jason's little girl)

Ryan, Granny, Cecily, JennaBeth, Jordan, Bentley

Ryan and Cecily (They were born two days apart in December 1997)

Bentley teaching Jordan the mechanics of Wii bowling.

JennaBeth doesn't miss out on anything!

Silly girls trying to eat their apples with a spoon!

A pooped out Granny and little girl!

I think Ryan was probably a little tired after we left! My two little ones gave him a run for his money and they had a good time doing it:

JennaBeth loves her "Ry-ann"

On Friday afternoon, we went on to Alabama to spend the weekend and NewYear's with Mike's folks in Silas, AL. Friday evening we got to spend just a couple of hours with his brother Bill and his family.

That's Mike's brother Bill (we'll excuse the Alabama shirt!), Mike's dad and Mike. We didn't get to see Mike's younger brother Kenny this year due to his work schedule. Later that evening, the kids enjoyed opening up their gifts from Mamaw Judy and Papaw Sonny:

JennaBeth even had fun picking up her wrapping paper:

Mike's parent's place is in the country...I mean the no cell phone signal kind of country! It did not bother me one bit. It is nice every once in a while to be away from all the hustle and bustle of things and just enjoy the people around you. I've always enjoyed visiting them and enjoying the quiet and beauty of God's creation. The kids really have fun with lots of countryside to explore and run around in:

On New Year's Eve every year, Mike's parents' church have a singing to "sing out the old and sing in the new". We went and enjoyed being around some of the people who encouraged Mike in his developing singing abilities and his call to the ministry. He sang with an older couple who had a part in encouraging his calling:

(Mike with Claude and Glinny Wimberley)

JennaBeth singing along with Daddy.

The next day Mike had the opportunity to sing at a church in Gilbertown, AL where one of his ministry/singing mentors is Minister of Music. On the following Monday, we were able to visit a little while with Mike's sister Abby and two of her children, Morgan and Adam. Now, Adam is a very tall boy. When they came into the house JennaBeth was terrified of Adam. She wouldn't have anything to do with him at first. When Adam knelt down to try and talk to her, something clicked and he was her best friend for the rest of the time they were there!

Adam and JennaBeth on their walk.

Abby and Mike

The drive back home to Florida on Tuesday was pretty uneventful until the last 300 miles. By that time JennaBeth had had enough of the car seat and not being able to move around! An offer of pizza for supper was the only thing that calmed her down long enough for us to get the rest of the way home! Thank you Lord for pizza!!!!

Last Thursday morning, when it was time for big brother to go back to school, little sister did not want him to go! Don't you love those little pink slippers?

Blessings,
Jennifer

Yep, It's Still Up!

2012-01-09T14:16:00.000-05:00

My Christmas Tree is STILL up! And I'm really late telling everyone, but

Happy New Year!!!

Our family traveled back home to MS and AL the week after Christmas to visit our families there. We drove 870 miles the day after Christmas to visit in MS first. We enjoyed getting to spend a little time with everyone! On our way up, we made our now traditional stop at the "chocolate store"...

Everyone got to pick out there favorite treat...it's a wonder we had any gas money left to continue on with the drive home!

We were able to purchase a used van this past year, which made our trip with these three a whole lot easier...

Everyone had their own little space and the trip was much smoother. Our littlest one even did well, until the last 300 miles left coming home, when various and sundry items were being hurled from the back seat!

On Tuesday, our family spent part of the day at my brother's home visiting him, his little girl Jordan (in the picture above with JennaBeth) my sister and her family and my dad and step-mom. My brother Jason and his wife Julie have a beautiful home. Don't you just love her tree and her "cross wall"?

And of course my brother, evermore the hunter, hung these while we were there...

All the kids had a good time playing and visiting. We were even able to get a good picture with everyone of them in it and looking at the camera...

JennaBeth had the best time playing with all her cousins. She especially took to Jordan who is four, but is a teenie little thing. I think JB thought she was just as old and as big a girl as Jordan...

The make-up corner in Jordan's room was a really popular hang-out spot...

But don't be fooled for one minute...JennaBeth didn't stay there long. When she discovered there were things to do outside, she was on a mission to be out there in the middle of it all riding her cousin's scooter with the help of her Uncle Jason...

and then moving onto bigger things like Uncle Jason's four wheeler...

Bentley also got a turn with the four wheeler...

I have really missed my family these past few months! It did my heart good to get to see everyone. Here I am with my baby brother and sister...

And bless his poor heart, he's always been in the middle...

and we've given him some hard times! But we love our brother!

Here we are with our daddy. We only get to see each other once a year. We live in Florida, my brother works in Chattanooga, TN and my sister lives in Brandon, MS. Our time together over the holidays was a special gift!

Come back tomorrow and I'll share about the rest of our week's visit home!

Blessings,
Jennifer

Fourteen

2011-12-20T10:42:00.000-05:00

Fourteen years ago today, Mike and I had just survived our first night as parents. We were scared for a number of reasons. First, what in the world were we supposed to do with this little girl...

Second, we were dealing with a sick newborn hooked up to all kinds of monitors and living her first 6 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Our little sweetness had some mysterious infection and was very jaundice. She had a little IV line in her arm and we had to visit her in the NICU. After a spinal tap to rule out meningitis and lots of blood draws, we still never knew what was making her blood counts so high. The doctor so wanted to get us home by Christmas, but little one needed the IV antibiotics. So, we spent our first Christmas as a family of three in the hospital. Needless to say, getting our sweet girl well was all the Christmas we wanted that year.

Fast forward fourteen years and we have a healthy and beautiful young lady...

who loves her little brother and sister...

Yesterday afternoon, she opened her gifts from me and her dad and one from Bentley and JennaBeth. Mike and I gave her an Artist Loft set...

Her brother and sister gave her a couple of sketch pads...

Cecily wanted to eat at Olive Garden, so we took her there for dinner.

Don't worry...that is a Strawberry Mango Lemonata (non-alcoholic) she is drinking! Instead of birthday cake, she wanted to go to Menchies for yogurt. When her little siblings began to act, well like little brothers and sisters act, she informs me, "You see! This is why you go to yogurt places with cool people and not your family!" Yep...she's a teenager!

Teenager or not...I love this girl so much!!! So in honor of her fourteenth birthday, here is a list of fourteen things I love about my girl...

She loves Jesus and is growing in her faith.
She is beautiful.
She is very talented in sketching, painting and the arts in general.
She is a very big help with her little brother and sister.
She is compassionate and tenderhearted to those less fortunate.
She is well grounded and mature.
She already has some good ideas about what she wants to do with her life.
She is a loyal friend.
She is ready and willing and serves in her church.
She has always wanted to give to others. (I remember one time when she was in 1st grade and had gone to Wal-Mart with me. She had $20 of her own money and it was around Christmas time. As we were leaving the store, she put the whole $20 in the Salvation Army bucket. When I asked if she was sure she wanted to do that, she said, 'Yea. Those people need it more than I do right now.'")
She is very intelligent and thinks deeply at times.
She is very good with money and always shops wisely and gets the most out of her money.
She is creative.
She puts up with me!

I love you Cecily and am so thankful and proud that I get to be your mother!

Blessings,
Jennifer

Triple Dog Dare/Truth and Dare

2011-12-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year...the winding down of the old and the beginning of the new! One of the things I look most forward to at the beginning of a new year is the opportunity to begin a new devotional/journal opportunity along with an attempt to read the Bible through again. Since I'm a mom with three kiddos, I have also been thinking a lot about ways to help them begin the discipline of being in God's Word everyday. I'm excited about two resources that will help me and you do just that with our boys and girls ages 9 to 12!

For girls, there is Ann-Margret Hovespian's Truth & Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls. Targeting girls ages 9 to 12, Truth & Dare encourages tween girls to discover how exciting God’s Word can be. They will see it make a difference in their daily lives and experience the blessings that come from doing it and not just hearing it. Daily challenges (dares) based on Scripture (truth) will provide opportunities for them to make their faith come alive as they learn to serve others, build character and make a difference.

Scripture will be transformed from something learned to something lived.

Jeremy V. Jones has put together a power-packed devotional book designed just for boys. God made boys to take His truth and do something with it, to man up and change the world. These action packed devotions for boys ages 9 to 12 are filled with godly truth and bold spiritual challenges that transform time with God into the adventure of the day.

Triple Dog Dare connects God's Word to boys' hearts and hands with real life scenarios and activities. Each day is filled with short Scriptures, concise biblical truth and a daily dare, all challenging them to put their faith into practice.

What I appreciated most about these devotionals is that they go beyond the typical "God has a wonderful plan for your life" and how "you will discover and fulfill that when you grow up". Although they are designed with the tween age group in mind, these devotionals help these boys and girls understand how they can know God more intimately NOW and how they can put into practice TODAY the things they learn in His Word.

I'm so thankful for Mr. Jones and Ms Hovsepian's work in these two volumes. I think far too often we make the dangerous assumption that our kids have to be at a certain point in their lives to "really understand" the things of God. Jones and Hovsepian have not made this assumption and they have provided parents and grandparents with two amazing ways to help their "tweenagers" tender their hearts toward God.

Thank you Audra Jennings (Media Specialist with The B&B Media Group Inc.) for providing a copy of both Truth & Dare and Triple Dog Dare for the purpose of review.

Both books can be ordered from Amazon.com by going HERE and HERE.

Blessings,
Jennifer

For This Reason - A Baby

2011-12-13T12:55:00.001-05:00

Mike and I did something unusual and a little crazy for us this past Thanksgiving. We really hadn't planned to do any Black Friday shopping. Most of what we wanted to do for the kids was either coming from some online deals and Target. However...after discovering that Wal-Mart (yes, I cheated on my Wal-Mart ban!) had a bicycle for Bentley on sale for $39...well, yes...Mike and I were in line at the bikes at Wal-Mart at 10 p.m.! We had a rather nice experience. After all the horror stories in the news the past few years, we didn't know quite what to expect. We had Bentley's bike and was out of Wal-Mart by 10:11!!

Then we headed over to Target and stood in a line that was wrapped around the store for ONE HOUR and FORTY FIVE minutes!! Crazy, I know. Anyway, as we were waiting for the store to open up at midnight, we had the opportunity to pass the time in conversation with a woman we had ran into at Wal-Mart. In the course of our conversation the subject of government and the upcoming presidential election came up. The discussion quickly turned to the hopelessness some feel in regards to our government, the economy, and life in general.

I commented in the midst of our conversation how thankful I was that our real hope was not in Washington or the banks. After I made that statement, the woman's countenance changed a bit. The look on her face kinda read, "You know...that's exactly right"! I don't know who she was and may never see her again, but I pray that Romans 15:13 will be a transforming reality for her and you and me:

"May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (NIV)

I pray that dear woman comes to realize, in a "wise for salvation" kind of way, where her real hope is found. I pray you will too! Because, there is hopelessness all over our world today. Even in the midst of Christmas lights and parties and presents and all this time of year offers, there are some who lack hope. This hope that can fill us with joy and peace is possible because

"When Mary His mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn't want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.' Now all of this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled: Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Emmanuel. (Emmanuel means "God with us".)" (Matthew 1:18-23 Common English Bible

Blessings,
Jennifer

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

2011-12-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

CHRISTMAS

It's that time of year...my favorite actually...CHRISTMAS! We put our tree up Thanksgiving weekend. I love all the decorations and lights this time of year and I like to enjoy them all for as long as possible. The think I look forward to the most this year is getting to go back home and visit with our Alabama and Mississippi families!!!! We miss them so much! That visit will be all the present I'll need!

About a week ago, our neighbors next to us were decorating their yard for Christmas. Mike came inside and told me, "You've gotta come see this!"

Our yard and the neighbors yard is always full of kids. On this particular afternoon half of them lined up little chairs and watched him put up his decorations.

They were just too cute! Mr. Brian had their full attention. And they all couldn't wait for it to get dark so they could see the lights on the "choo-choo"!

Christmas parties and programs have also been in full swing! Bentley had his Kindergarten program on December the 1st. He was picked to be in a couple of the dances as a "marching soldier"...

I couldn't get a good picture of his handsome little face because his hat was pulled down so low. He told us after that the drama teacher told them not to be messing with their hates during the performance, so he didn't!

Bentley is the third one from the left on the top row. His teachers have praised him for being one to always follow the rules and stay focused on the task at hand. Now, why can't he do that at home???

Bentley and JennaBeth had their Christmas party at church Wednesday evening while Mike and I ate dinner with our Sunday School class. Cecily helped with the children's party. She'll have her party with the youth from church this week. The couple that work with our children, AC and Debbie Johnson, always do a wonderful job with their parties. Even with increasing health problems for them both, this year was no exception!

The decorations were just so good. Even though it was "just a children's party" it wasn't "just a children's party" to them. They went all out making things so much fun for the kids! That's JennaBeth (on the left) sitting at her little spot by her friend Tabitha. Two cute little blond headed girls!

The kids had a craft. They made candles.

The kiddos also had lots of games they played...

The Johnsons also had a friend come and share the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible...

JennaBeth loved hanging out with her little friend Tabitha.

Who knew that some of the best fun would be had while being spun around in an old office chair?

Last night our music ministry at our church presented a Christmas Sing. Mike actually convinced Cecily to sing with him along with some help from a friend. Here they are singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".

What's happening around your place this Christmas season?

Blessings,
Jennifer

The Christmas Singing

2011-12-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

You can read the first chapter of The Christmas Singing by going HERE.

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author whose connection with the Amish community has been featured on ABC Nightline and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

She is also a veteran homeschool mom who no longer holds that position. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.

Her first novel released in 2006 to much acclaim and became a best seller. Cindy was a 2007 ECPA award finalist, along with Karen Kingsbury, Angela Hunt, and Charles Martin.
Her second book, When the Morning Comes, hit numerous best-sellers lists across the US, including edging into the extended list of the New York Times, coming in at number thirty-four.
Her third book, When the Soul Mends, hit the New York Times best-sellers list, coming in at number thirteen, as well as making the USA Today’s best-sellers list.
Cindy continues to write and release best-selling works of fiction, and she’s also written a nonfiction work with an Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud. The book is titled Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women.
Her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity.

Though she didn’t realize it at the time, seeds were sown years ago that began preparing Cindy to write these books. At the age of ten, while living in the dairy country of Maryland, she became best friends with Luann, a Plain Mennonite girl. Luann, like all the females in her family, wore the prayer Kapp and caped dresses. Her parents didn’t allow television or radios, and many other modern conveniences were frowned upon. During the numerous times Luann came to Cindy’s house to spend the night, her rules came with her and the two were careful to obey them—afraid that if they didn’t, the adults would end their friendship. Although the rules were much easier to keep when they spent the night at Luann’s because her family didn’t own any of the forbidden items, both sets of parents were uncomfortable with the relationship and a small infraction of any kind would have been enough reason for the parents to end the relationship. While navigating around the adults’ disapproval and the obstacles in each other’s lifestyle, the two girls bonded in true friendship that lasted into their teen years, until Cindy’s family moved to another region of the US.

As an adult, Cindy became friends with a wonderful Old Order Amish family who opened their home to her. Although the two women, Miriam and Cindy, live seven hundred miles apart geographically, and a century apart by customs, when they come together they never lack for commonality, laughter, and dreams of what only God can accomplish through His children.

Cindy, her husband, their three sons and two daughters-in-law reside in Georgia.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE CHRISTMAS SINGING, YOU CAN DO SO BY GOING HERE. If you order before December 20th and use the promo code "CHRISTMAS11" at checkout, you will save 30%!! Plus, you will get free shipping by using that same code!

Happy Reading,
Jennifer

Love Rekindled

2011-12-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

When a wayward husband comes back into the lives of his wife and sons after years of separation, will they believe he has changed ... and can they forgive him? As a medical crisis forces the family members to face their fears, hurts and true desires, and the conflict develops toward a surprise resolution, the reader will feel the ebb and flow of subtle emotional tensions. Here's a relationship story with a twist - told from the man's point of view.

Candi belongs to the East Valley Authors writers group and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She has a B.A. degree in Business and works at Azusa Pacific University. She writes novels about contemporary issues from a Christian perspective that are the type of stories she wishes had been available to her as a young woman. Candi and her husband enjoy their four grown sons and their families and make their home in Southern California.

Ms Adermatt can be reached at www.cladach.com/Adermatt.html.

You can read the first chapter of Love Rekindled by visiting HERE.

Purchasing Info:

Trade Paperback
201 pgs
$12.97
Available through most book outlets.

Direct from the publisher at http://cladach.com/Love-Rekindled.html
where it is on sale this week for $9.74

More Info at: http://cladach.com/Love-Rekindled.html

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer

Grace Effect in the NFL

2011-12-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of The Grace Effect by Larry Taunton for the folks at Thomas Nelson Publishers. You can find that post HERE. Reading his book was the first time I had ever heard or read anything of Mr. Taunton, until today when a facebook friend posted an article written by for USAToday addressing the treatment Tim Tebow is undergoing at the hands of some football commentators. I read the article and I think Taunton brilliantly addresses the "anti-Tebow bias".

You can read the article in its entirety by going HERE. However the last portion of the column is what resonated with me the greatest:

"Jake Plummer, the latest to take pot shots at the embattled Denver quarterback, might have been speaking for anti-Tebowites everywhere when he said in an interview on a Phoenix radio station that he would like Tebow more if he would "shut up" about his faith in Jesus Christ.

And with that little comment, the cat, as they say, was out of the bag.

Plummer said what the commentators wouldn't say. Their dislike for Tim Tebow is not, as they would have us believe, about his throwing motion or his completion percentage; it's all about his open professions of faith and his goody-two shoes image. When it comes right down to it, we don't want heroes who are truly good. We want them to fail the occasional drug test or start a bar fight from time to time. It makes us feel better about ourselves. Tebow, however, doesn't make us feel better about ourselves. People like him make us feel a little convicted about the things we say and do. So we find a reason to dislike them. Or, when Tebow says that glory goes to God and the credit for a victory goes to his teammates, coaches, and family, we are suspicious. An increasingly jaded culture, we don't believe that anyone can say such things and really mean them.

So we wait.

We wait for evidence that he really isn't that good. We hope to see him kick a player on the ground, drop an F-bomb on television, or Tweet pictures of his privates. In the meantime, we always have Penn State's Jerry Sandusky to make us feel better about ourselves."

But just maybe Tim Tebow is the NFL's grace effect - the phenomenon simply defined by Mr. Taunton in his book - "that life is demonstrably better where authentic Christianity flourishes".

I hope you will pray for Tim Tebow. After reading this article, I am sensing a greater urgency and need to pray for him regularly. Pray for Tim's faithfulness and continued boldness in his walk with God. Pray that this "uncomfortableness" those in the NFL are feeling with him will be the very thing God uses to draw them to Himself.

Blessings,
Jennifer

Fall in Review

2011-11-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

This morning, I have the windows in my home up and there is a really nice, cool breeze blowing. It is a nice 76 degrees in the house and I LOVE it! In SW Florida, we don't get to experience the distinction between the seasons like in other places we have lived, so these cooler days help it to feel a little more like Fall. We put the Christmas tree up this past weekend and I've been listening to Travis Cottrell's Ring The Bells Christmas cd. It's my favorite one right now. You should really check it out!

Also, don't forget to take a look at my Advent Readings post for this year. You can find it HERE. This time of year always seems to get a little "distracting" with shopping lists and parties to attend and overly busy schedules. I think the enemy works overtime during the month of December to draw our hearts and minds away from true story of Christmas: God made flesh and dwelling among us!

We've had a good time as a family these past few months. Here's a little review with a lot of pictures:

Bentley (our 6 year old) started Kindergarten this school year and he is doing great. We are so proud of him. Both his general education teacher and his speech therapist have said he is the "star student" in their classes. And he loves school!

In his first student led conference, he was able to show us around his classroom and tell us about how his days go. Little sister liked sitting in "bubba's" desk in his classroom.

Bentley is doing really well with his reading. He was standing over me the other evening as I was sending an email to someone reading it!

In October, our church has a Fall Festival held in the parking lot where nearly 600 people from the community come and enjoy games, pony rides and free food. This year I went with the Sand Woman, Spiderman and the cutest little cowgirl ever seen!

JennaBeth (our 2 year old) has fallen in love with one of our youth girls, Darci (Daree as she calls her). They were both dressed as cowgirls and JennaBeth just thought it was the coolest thing. She says "daree" is her best friend! She and Bentley both enjoyed hanging out with their friends. Cecily was busy working the games the whole evening.

JennaBeth, Seth and Bentley enjoying hotdogs.

JennaBeth and Tabitha

Taylor, Bentley and JennaBeth

Taylor, JennaBeth and Jailyn

Morgan (a friend who lives next door to us) and JennaBeth

Anna (next door neighbor, Morgan's sister) and Bentley.

There were lots of pony rides:

and bounce houses:

and games with way too much candy (I'm still getting rid of that when no one's looking. Shhhh...don't tell them!)...

Our family also took a trip to LegoLand Florida early in November. I'll share about that tomorrow!

Blessings,
Jennifer

Face to Face

2011-11-29T09:26:00.000-05:00

Featuring

Synopsis:
Set in the tumultuous world during Jesus' earthly life, here is a timeless story of suffering, longing, and healing. Conflicts arise between a young woman's devotion to God and the demon that holds her captive; between her attempts to free herself and the judgment and condemnation of others; between the rabbi named Jesus and the legalistic religious leaders; between the daily reality of Roman oppression and the Jewish hopes of a Deliverer-Messiah.
A vivid imagining of the account in Luke 13:10-17, where Jesus calls the bent-over woman to himself.

Author Bio:
Catherine was born in Colorado and grew up as a pastor's daughter in seven towns up and down the state of California. She has loved to write since she was a child, having her first poem published in a national periodical at the age of twelve, and since then her byline has appeared in numerous periodicals and book compilations. She has a BA degree in English from Pasadena College. She served as a church musician for many years, as a private piano teacher, a public school substitute teacher and English reader, and freelance writer and editor. Cathy and her husband, Larry, have participated in and led volunteer short-term mission teams to Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela, Sicily & Rome, and Peru.
After living in Santa Rosa, California, for thirty years the Lawtons moved to Colorado, returning to Cathy's roots. Besides the publishing business, Cathy enjoys gardening and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. The Lawtons love spending time with their two grown children and their spouses, and their five beautiful grandchildren.
The author can be found on the internet at these places:
http://cladach.com/Lawton.html ,
http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Lawton/e/B001K8YLA6 ,
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cladach-Publishing-wwwcladachcom/10150101184295035

Purchasing Info:
Trade Paperback
192 pgs
$12.97
Available through most stores and online retailers.
You can purchase it now at:
Amazon.com
http://amzn.com/0967038685
Just-released: Amazon Kindle Version http://amzn.com/B006CUDMLQ
Or buy from the publisher on sale this week for $9.74 at
http://cladach.com/Face-to-Face.html

Chapter 1 can be read by going HERE

Blessings,
Jennifer

Advent 2011: Grace Upon Grace

2011-11-28T16:44:00.007-05:00

I have lots of pictures and things to share with you about Fall and the Thanksgiving season around our place, but since today marks the beginning of the Advent season I wanted to get the Advent Readings posted for this year. I am using the readings given in the promotional materials for the Common English Bible. If you missed my original post introducing this new translation of the Bible, you can see it HERE.

I will also be giving away another copy of the CEB, softcover edition, soon. Keep checking back for your chance to win! The winner of last week's giveaway was Marial Davenport who blogs over at Growing in Godliness.

Advent Readings for 2011

Nov. 27 - Micah 5:2, Isaiah 11:1-10/7:10-14 , 9:6-7, Jeremiah 33:14-16

Nov. 28 - Matthew 1:18-24 and Luke 1:26-33

Nov. 29 - Luke 2:1-5

Nov. 30 Luke 2:6-7

Dec. 1 - Luke 2:8-9

Dec. 2 - Luke 2:10-12

Dec. 3 - Luke 2:13-14

Dec. 4 - Luke 2:15-16, Psalm 25:1-10/27:1-7,18-19,

Dec. 5 - Luke 2:17-18

Dec. 6 - Luke 2:19

Dec. 7 - Luke 2:20

Dec. 8 - Luke 2:21

Dec. 9 - Matthew 2:1-2

Dec. 10 Matthew 2:3-6

Dec. 11 - Matthew 2:7-8, 1Thess. 3:9-13, Romans 15:4-13, Matt. 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38

Dec. 12 - Matthew 2:9

Dec. 13 - Matthew 2:10-11

Dec. 14 - Matthew 2:12-15

Dec. 15 - Galatians 4:4-5

Dec. 16 - Ephesians 2:8-9

Dec. 17 - 1 John 4:7-16

Dec. 18 - Ephesians 2:12-22 , Matt. 3:1-12, Luke 21:25-36

Dec. 19 - John 7:37-38 and 14:6

Dec. 20 - Matthew 28:19-20

Dec. 21 - John 8:12

Dec. 22 - John 9:4-5 and Matthew 5:14-16

Dec. 23 - Psalm 98:1-6

Dec. 24 - John 1:1-3, 14 and Romans 6:23

Dec. 25 Psalm 100/Rev. 3:20-21

I hope you will join me in preparing your heart during this Christmas season by focusing on Immanuel, God with us!

"The Word became flesh and made His home among us. We have seen His glory, glory like that of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace." John 1:14,16 CEB

Blessings,
Jennifer

Jesus + Nothing = EVERYTHING

2011-11-22T09:50:00.001-05:00

*DON'T FORGET TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE TRANSLATION AND ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A SOFTCOVER COPY BY GOING HERE.

William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) is a Florida native, the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, a visiting professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and a grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham. A graduate of Columbia International University (philosophy) and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Tullian is the author of Do I Know God? Finding Certainty in Life’s Most Important Relationship (Multnomah), Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (Multnomah) and Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels (Crossway). Tullian is also a contributing editor to Leadership Journal. He speaks at conferences throughout the U.S. and his sermons are broadcast daily on the radio program Godward Living. Some of his favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, J.I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer and Jonathan Edwards.

The very generous folks at Crossway sent me a copy of Pastor Tullian's latest book Jesus + Nothing = Everything for the purpose of review. In the book Tullian tells a little of his intense struggle to merge his five year old church plant, New City Church with Coral Ridge Presbyterian after being called as the Senior Pastor there. In reference to this time (2009), Pastor Tullian says it was "the most difficult year of my life, the year God helped me rediscover the now-power of the gospel in the crucible of excruciating pain". Not only was Pastor Tullian following in the footsteps of Coral Ridge's only Senior Pastor (Dr. D. James Kennedy) and merging two very different congregations, but his father Stephen was dying of cancer. In God's bountiful grace toward Tullian during this time, He opened up the rich gospel truths in the book of Colossians which would serve as a healing balm to the wounds suffered in this most dark time of life.

In Jesus + Nothing = Everything, Pastor Tullian takes a look at the equation in reverse order beginning with the everything we all so deeply desire in our lives. I believe that message is summed up beautifully in a quote from Pastor Tullian's invitation to his new congregation just one day after being formally installed as senior pastor of the newly combined church on May 10, 2009:

"I believe this one new church will thrive beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine if it's packed with gospel-intoxicated people: people who understand that since Christ laid his life down for us, we must lay our lives down for others...A gospel-saturated church is a church filled with people who give everything they have because they understand that in Christ they already have everything they need."

Tullian spends the rest of the book sharing through his observations of truths in Colossians that "the gospel doesn't simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present" and "the power of the gospel is just as necessary and relevant after you become a Christian as it is before". Throughout his powerful exposition of the book of Colossians, Pastor Tullian asks his reader some very probing questions such as:

Are you experiencing any restlessness in your life anywhere?
Where exactly am I experiencing agitation, impatience, unease, anxiety? Why is it there? What's that really all about?
What are you looking to (instead of Jesus) for meaning in life, for purpose, significance, security, direction, acceptance, approval?

He goes on to offer this exhortation:

"Identify where your restlessness is rooted - because that's where a confrontation with the gospel is needed."

A confrontation with the gospel is exactly what Tullian experienced and he offers his readers the same in Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Crossway offers supplemental chapter videos from Pastor Tullian that can be found at www.crossway.org/jesusplusnothing. Here is Tullian introducing the powerful equation in his book:

Jesus + Nothing = Everything: Intro from Crossway on Vimeo.

You can order Jesus + Nothing = Everything from Crossway by going HERE.

I encourage you to get a copy of this book. All this world offers is a restlessness that is never really satisfied, but as Pastor Tullian reminds us in the closing of the book,

"The banner under which Christians live reads, 'It is finished.' "

Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving,

Common English Bible

2011-11-21T17:21:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, our church had a missions emphasis weekend. We had two missionary couples visiting with us; one couple who are presently serving in Gent, Belgium and another couple who had formerly served in China. Gib Gerlach, who presently serves on staff with the International Mission Board, spoke in our services that particular Sunday night about he and his wife's time in China and his work now with the IMB. Of all the things he shared about "going" on mission, whether it's 8,000 miles away or 80 feet into the yard next to yours, one thing he shared touched me deeply.

He shared that 2,500 people groups still do not have Bibles in their native languages.

That's 2,500 people groups who can't read God's word, because they don't have it translated into their own language! And many who do have a Bible in their language can't read it, because of illiteracy.

We are so blessed in the Western world to have Bibles in many different translations. I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that you have multiple copies of God's Word in your house. I do in mine! So, you might ask, "Why another version of the Bible when we already have so many?" I ask that same question myself! It is for that very reason that I was interested in being part of the "Thank You-Come Again- I Promise" Blog Tour for the Common English Bible.

Beginning this week, which happens to be National Bible Week, and over the course of the next three months, I will be taking a look at the Common English Bible. I hope you will join me as I examine this new translation of the Bible. Because God's Word is not to be treated lightly, I will be consulting with my husband (also Associate Pastor of our church) as well as the Senior Pastor and group of Elders as I look at this translation. Besides the website for the CEB, here are several other places where you can learn more about this new translation:

Twitter

Facebook Group Page

Facebook Bible Like Page

Common English Bible Translation Background:
Known for being "built on common ground", the CEB is a collaboration of 120 academic scholars and editors, 77 reading group leaders, and more than 500 average readers from around the world who joined together to clearly translate the Bible's original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages into 21st century English. More than half-a-million copies of the Bible are currently in print. It's also available online and in 20 digital formats.
"When we say 'built on common ground', we mean that the Common English Bible is the result of collaboration between opposites: scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals; teens working with retirees; men working with women; many denominations and many ethnicities coming together around the common goal of creating a vibrant and clear translation for 21st century readers, with the ultimate objective of mutually accomplishing God's overall work in the world; in essence, helping Bible readers live on common ground, " says Paul Franklyn, PhD, associate publisher for the Common English Bible.
The CEB is written in contemporary idiom at the same reading level as the newspaper USA Today - using language that's comfortable and accessible for today's English readers. It's available - with and without the Apocrypha - in multiple editions and bindings.
Combining scholarly accuracy with vivid language, the CEB is the work of 120 biblical scholars from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities, representing such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others.
Additionally, more than 500 readers in 77 groups field tested the translation. Every verse was read aloud in the reading groups, where potentially confusing passages were identified. The translators considered the groups' responses and, where necessary, reworked those passages to clarify in modern English their meaning from the original languages. In total, more than 700 people worked jointly to bring the Common English Bible to fruition; and because of the Internet and today's technology it was completed in less than four years.
The CEB is sponsored by the CEB Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general market, as well as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (Chalice Press), Presbyterian Church (USA) (Westminister John Knox Press), Episcopal Church (Church Publishing, Inc.), United Church of Christ (The Pilgrim Press), and the United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press).

If you are interested in the Common English Bible and would like a copy to examine for yourself, leave a comment to this post telling me what version of the Bible you are currently studying/reading from and I will pick a winner on Friday! Be sure to leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win. If you are chosen, you will be sent a softcover copy of the Common English Bible. But don't fret if you don't win this week! As part of this blog tour I will be giving away a softcover copy of the CEB EACH WEEK for the duration of the tour. So, come back each week for your chance to win!

"Since childhood you have known the holy scriptures that help you to be wise in a way that leads to salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good." 2 Timothy 3:15-17 (CEB)

Blessings,

Abundant Life Day Book

2011-11-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

I received a copy of Abundant Life Day Book by Nancy Guthrie for the purpose of review from Tyndale.

Abundant Life Day Book is a collection of 365 readings by Guthrie designed to take you through the Bible, inviting you to savor the abundant goodness God intends for you to experience and enjoy through Christ. Each day you'll be reminded of yet another way God has loved you and will still be loving you into eternity.

Nancy teaches at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN; speaks at conferences around the country and internationally; and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Covenant Theological Seminary. She and her husband, David, are the cohosts GriefShare, a video series used in more than 6,000 churches around the country. They also host Respite Retreats for couples who have experienced the death of a child.

Nancy is the author of numerous books including one I'm using this Advent Season, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas.

You can connect with Nancy on FaceBook by going HERE and can read more about her at her personal website found at nancyguthrie.com.

The readings in the Abundant Life Day Book are written as if God is speaking directly to you each day. For an example go HERE to read a few excerpts. The scripture used in the readings are taken primarily from the New Living Translation of the Bible. The book itself is small enough to be carried in a purse and is a beautiful black and lime green color scheme.

If you are looking for a Christmas gift that will last the whole year long, the Abundant Life Day Book would be an excellent choice! It can be ordered at Amazon.com by going HERE.

Blessings,

Why I May Not Be Able To Read Another Karen Kingsbury Novel

2011-11-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

She has been dubbed "The Queen of Christian Fiction" by Time magazine and has written more than forty life-changing fiction titles. She has nearly twenty million books in print. She lives with her husband Don in the Pacific Northwest and are parents to six children, including three adopted from Haiti. Her name is Karen Kingsbury and I may never be able to read another one of her books!

Waterbrook Multnomah sent me a copy of Karen's Forever Faithful Trilogy, which includes three books: Waiting for Morning, A Moment of Weakness, and Halfway to Forever as part of their Blogging for Books program. After reading the Forever Faithful Trilogy, I may never be able to read another Kingsbury novel!

Why you ask? Because this woman is an absolute genius and a master story teller! Her characters are believable and their stories are emotionally gripping. When I turned the last page of the last book in this trilogy, I was not ready to let Hannah, Tom, Alicia, Jenny, Matt, Jade, Doris, and Tanner go. From the first few paragraphs of the first book Waiting for Morning, I was hooked! I found myself involved in the story so much so that when I forced myself to stop reading at night, I went to bed wondering about the outcome of the lives I was reading about as if they were true to life friends.

SYNOPSIS OF EACH BOOK IN THE FOREVER FAITHFUL TRILOGY:
Waiting for Morning   A drunk driver...a deadly accident...a dream destroyed. When Hannah Ryan loses her husband and oldest daughter to a drunk driver, she is consumed with hate and revenge. Ultimately, it is a kind prosecutor, a wise widow, and her husband's dying words that bring her the peace that will set her free and let her live again.A Moment of Weakness
   When childhood friends Jade and Tanner reunite as adults, they share their hearts, souls, and dreams of forever--until a fateful decision tears them apart. Now, nearly a decade later, Jade's unfaithful husband wants to destroy her in a custody battle that is about to send shock waves across the United States. Only one man can help Jade in her darkest hour. And only one old woman knows the truth that can set them all free.
Halfway to Forever
   Matt and Hannah...Jade and Tanner--after already surviving much, these couples must now face the greatest struggles of their lives: parental losses and life-threatening illness threaten to derail their faith and sideline their futures. Can Hannah survive the loss of an adopted daughter? Will Tanner come through decades of lonliness only to face losing Jade one final time?

You can read the first chapter of Waiting for Morning by going HERE, but be warned: After reading this chapter, you WILL want to get this series! You won't be able to help yourself!

I may find it hard to read another Karen Kingsbury novel, because I absolutely do not know how she can possibly top the story given in this series of books! I'm afraid I'll be disappointed in any other Christian Fiction book after reading this one!

You can order your copy of the book by going to the publisher's page HERE or from Amazon.com by going HERE.

Ms Kingsbury's website can be found at KarenKingsbury.com.

*Thank you Waterbrook Multnomah for sending me a copy of the book and thank you Grace Postorino for introducing me to the best Christian Fiction writer I have ever read!!

Please take a minute and rate this review for me! If you do, you will be entered in a chance to get a free copy of the book from the publisher!

Blessings,

The Power of a Simple Gift: Operation Christmas Child

2011-11-14T14:44:00.000-05:00

Each year in November, the ladies in my church get together for our Holiday House. Different women offer to decorate a table and we have a nice dinner which consists of ham and yummy sided dishes and desserts provided by those who attend. Here are some of the tables this year:

(That's my oldest daughter, Cecily. She does the table for the youth/children.)

(Tunis and her table.)

(Wilmarie and her table. Wilmarie and her husband Ryan work with our youth.)

(Sharon and her beautiful silver and black table.)

There were two others, but I failed to get a picture! Sorry Karen and Leslie!

This year we had Lucy Long speak for the event. She and her husband John are IMB missionaries in Gent, Belgium. Our youth have adopted them as their class missionary and have committed to pray regularly for them as they carry out their work in Belgium. Cecily (my daughter) is the class contact for the Longs.

The main purpose for our Holiday House event (and the part of the evening everyone enjoys the best) is packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child. If you are unfamiliar with OCC, it is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. You can read more about this amazing ministry HERE.

I wish you could experience the excitement in the room when it is time to begin packing the boxes! It is so encouraging seeing the joy everyone takes in such a simple task.

One thing that always strikes me at this event is the way these simple boxes unify such different people. You have older ladies packing boxes beside youth girls and children. Imagine a room full of ladies focused, not on outfits and handbags and shoes matching those handbags, but on preparing a box full of simple gifts that will be the delight of some child somewhere in another country.

One thing that OCC has made possible in packing the shoe boxes is a way of making personal contact with the child that receives the box you pack. Mostly our children and youth do this. OCC provides a paper where the person packing the box can write a little about themselves even including a picture if they want along with their address.

I was so excited to have a next door neighbor to me and her daughter attend Holiday House with me this year. Anna and her mom Sandy worked on one of these personal contact forms together for Anna to include in the box she packed.

Anna and her Operation Christmas Child Box.

I didn't notice this particular detail about the picture above until I was uploading it for this blog post. But do you see it?

"Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven"

That's what makes the task of packing these shoe boxes take on such significance. We are blessed to be forgiven of our sins by a compassionate and long suffering Savior. These boxes and the potential impact they have on a young life is just the beginning of many ways we can share with someone else about this amazing gift of grace that we have freely received.

If you have about 5 spare minutes, please watch this video. It tells the story after the box and God can use a simple gift:

Blessings on you and your family this Thanksgiving and Christmas season,

Hope Underground

2011-11-14T10:32:00.000-05:00

* I am so happy to have my computer back and working again! We had to have a new power source put in. I've got so many pictures to show you from our trip to LegoLand, our fall festival and our ladies' Holiday House. I'll try to get caught up on all that tomorrow, so come back to visit and see all the fun we've been having!

Audra Jennings with the B&B Media Group sent me a copy of Hope Underground: The 34 Chilean Miners - A Story of Faith and Miracles by Carlos Parra Diaz for the purpose of review. Pastor Parra and his wife Gloria live with their two children in Asuncion, Paraguay, where he serves as regional pastor and missionary. He was known as the chaplain of Camp Hope during the 2010 mine collapse that trapped 33 miners a half mile underground for 69 days at the San Jose Mine in the middle of the Atacama Desert.

You can visit hopeunderground.com and find links to watch the book trailer and read an excerpt from the book.

An Interview with Carlos Parra Diaz:
Q. In Hope Underground, you mention several instances that suggest God's intervention. Did you personally experience God's presence while there and, if so, how did it affect you?
"This recognition of divine intervention throughout the entire process of the rescue has been the consistent perspective of the miners, their families, the rescue personnel and millions around the world. For myself, I had always believed that God is real, a living God who chooses to be close to those who love Him. But during my weeks at Camp Hope, I experienced for myself just how real God is and how deeply He loves the human beings He has created. And how directly involved He is in the daily lives of His children."
Q. You made the decision to present the miners with a special gift while they were trapped in the mine. Could you tell us a little about that?
"Yes. I had already presented Bibles to each of the families at Camp Hope, but I wanted to do more. In my mind was the thought that a Bible would be one way I could help the miners in the prolonged wait facing them. The comfort of God's Word and His promises could help the miners bear up under the various physical, emotional or spiritual difficulties that were bound to appear. I received the necessary permission to send Bibles down tot he men but was told that each one had to be less than three inches wide because of the narrow size of the shaft used in sending items down tot he miners. It took some time, but we ere finally able to find a supplier of such tiny Bibles and had them shipped to us. When we received word that such small Bibles had been found, I sent up a prayer of heartfelt thanksgiving. Along with each Bible, we sent down a small magnifying glass with which to read the small print."
Q. What lessons in faith can be learned from the mine collapse?
"God was able to get our attention and call humanity back to Himself. Through the miracle of the San Jose Mine rescue, witnessed by people all over the world through the media, God has issued a call to His creation, every human being, to make a decision while there is still time to do so. Jesus Christ laid down His life on the cross as a substitute for sinful humanity, as a guarantee of salvation and eternal life, free of charge, to anyone who will receive this precious gift. By reminding the world of His reality and His love, even in the depths of San Jose Mine, God is once again offering every human being the opportunity to make a very simple decision: Will you follow God? Or will you reject Him? For most people, this spectacular rescue is already yesterday's news. However, for the millions who prayed for a miracle, this event has become a spiritual heritage for the whole world, a stirring reminder that God listens to the pleas of His children."

I would encourage you to read this moving account by Pastor Parra. You'll be introduced to the declared "mayor" of Camp Hope, the miner whose wife gave birth to their first child during the ten week ordeal and the youngest miner who to this day boldly insists there were 34 in the mine instead of 33, because, as he explained, "God never abandoned us."

The book is well written and full of reminders that our God is a God Who Sees and cares for His creation. You can order your copy at Amazon.com by going HERE.

Blessings,

Proof of Heaven

2011-11-10T06:21:00.000-05:00

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing Proof of Heaven William Morrow Paperbacks (November 1, 2011) by Mary Curran Hackett

Author Bio: Mary Curran Hackett is the mother of two children, Brigid Claire and Colm Francis, and is married to Greg Hackett. She received an MA in English Literature from the University of Nebraska and a BA from the University Honors Program at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Born and raised in Danbury, CT, she has traveled extensively and lived in various places throughout the U.S., but her favorite place in the world is home with her kids, husband, and her stacks of books. Like her character Colm Magee, Mary suffers various heart and brain ailments, but thanks in part to her brother, a physician, as well as her own doctors, she now has a pacemaker and a heart that beats on its own at least most of the time. This is her first novel.

About the book: A mother’s faith, a child’s courage, a doctor’s dedication—a moving and thought-provoking tale of hope, love, and family.
He might be young, but Colm already recognizes the truth: that he’s sick and not getting better. His mother, Cathleen, fiercely believes her faith will protect her ailing son, but Colm is not so sure. With a wisdom far beyond his years, Colm has come to terms with his probable fate, but he does have one special wish. He wants to meet his father who abandoned his beloved mother before Colm was born.
But the quest to find the dying boy’s missing parent soon becomes a powerful journey of emotional discovery—a test of belief and an anxious search for proof of heaven.
A magnificent debut novel, Mary Curran Hackett’s Proof of Heaven is a beautiful and unforgettable exploration of the power of love and the monumental questions of life, death, and the afterlife.

You can read the first chapter by going HERE.

The author's website can be found HERE.

My thoughts about the book:
I have to be honest by telling you that I did not finish this book. I only made it to page 83 (chapter 12). I couldn't finish the book, because in those 83 pages, Ms Hackett used the Lord's name in vain multiple times in the most profane way possible. Not only that, but other expletives were used as well. I'm actually a little shocked that this title was accepted by the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance as part of their blog tour. I am all for creativity and "telling a story", but in my opinion the use of this kind of language to do so goes beyond the boundaries of decency and reverence for Almighty God.

Blessings,

Katie's Choice

2011-11-09T09:37:00.000-05:00

I am taking part today in Cladach Publishing's Fall Fiction Fling. Today's featured fiction title is Katie's Choice by Tracey Langford.

Synopsis:
Katie's Choice is a story about a high school student who becomes pregnant. She meets with a nurse in an abortion clinic and speaks to a counselor at a pregnancy resource center. Encouraged in that direction by her single mother, she decides to get an abortion, believing it is her best choice. As Katie attempts to move on with her life, though, her past continues to haunt her.
She thought she was choosing freedom and a future; but then shame and regret haunt her and keep her inner life a closed book even to the man who falls in love with her. Truth pursues Katie, though, until her defenses finally crumble.
This moving tale of redemption chronicles an emotional journey out of self-loathing and spiritual denial into hope and life-changing love.

Tracey Langford lives with her husband, Jon, and their four children in Alabama. Homeschooling keeps Tracey busy these days. Ideas for future novels are brewing, though. In the future she will no doubt tackle other "dark" subjects with engrossing, hope-filled fiction. Tracey has been a high school English teacher and a youth worker.
Tracey was strongly encouraged to "reduce" her pregnancy. She declined, and now is the proud homeschooling mother of 15-year-old quadruplets. As part of her research, Tracey sat in mock interviews with counselors at pregnancy centers, role-playing the part of a troubled pregnant girl.

Author Interview:
1. Before writing Katie's Choice, you wrote a song called "Her Name Is Katie". Thankfully, you have a musical husband who created a tune for it and recorded it onto a CD. (Excerpts from the song are on the book video.) Do you still use that song?
Tracey: My husband sings "Her Name is Katie" (from his CD BeyondThat) any chance he gets. People usually respond positively to it, which opens opportunity for dialogue (similar to what is happening with the new movie "October Baby"). Sometimes people feel more comfortable responding to music or literature than they do to sermons or lecture. That's why I feel passionately about art being used to spread God's messages, whether those messages be forgiveness, repentance, creation, eternal life, or any other biblical truth.

2. How did the song evolve into a novel?
Tracey: When my kids were little, I was constantly reading Christian fiction. Unfortunately, I would criticize many of the books I read by saying things like, "I don't think that character would really say that," or "I don't think that's an honest portrayal of this particular subject." One day Jon said, "You're thinking of writing your own book, aren't you?" Well, I can honestly say that the thought had never entered my mind, but he planted a seed that day and it slowly grew. I gradually warmed up to the idea. I naturally thought of writing about a woman having multiples since I had quadruplets, but I lived that experience every day; I wanted to write about something new. Then, one day while eating breakfast, I thought, "Why not turn the song 'Her Name is Katie' into a full-blown novel?" I was so excited I called my husband and told him. I started researching abortion that very day. And two years later I had a completed manuscript.

3. How old are your kids now?
Tracey: My kids (two boys and two girls) are fifteen now and in the ninth grade. They just got their learner's permits, so we have now begun teaching them to drive! Pray for us!! :-) Seriously, they are doing well with it, and I'm remaining mostly calm!

4. What are the biggest blessings/challenges of raising and homeschooling quadruplets?
Tracey: By far the biggest blessing is the time I get to spend with my kids. It's definitely hard and we certainly get on each other's nerves, but it is so worth it. I would not trade the time we've had opening up God's Word each day, reading a paragraph or a chapter, and just discussing it. I have learned so much about the Bible and God. And what a privilege to be able to share these truths with my kids and to see them grow and mature in their own spiritual walk. I would encourage Christian parents to spend time in the Word with their kids whether they homeschool or not. The time issue is huge, I know, and it can be an awkward thing if you're not used to it. But, trust me, it is the biggest blessing; I cannot stress that enough.
I don't want to make it sound like homeschooling doesn't have its challenges, because it does. Time management and planning are obviously essential (and those aren't always my strong points). I've struggled a good bit with high school and feeling inadequate as a teacher. But I'll tell you what -- God has provided everything I need. For instance, I knew math was going to be a huge stumbling block for me. But God, in His mercy, brought me together with another homeschool mom who is a great math teacher. She, however, needed someone to teach English to her kids. How perfect could that be!

5. What ministries are you involved in currently?
Tracey: For the past several years, we have been involved in a nation-wide student outreach ministry. We've traveled in our RV all around the country assisting Rick and Mick Ministries in taking the Gospel to unreached teens. It's also been a great outlet for my husband's CD and my novel. Unfortunately, due to the economy right now, my husband has had to take a job requiring him to travel so we have been unable to go with the ministry team. But, we just got involved with starting up a student ministry at our church. I pray that God will bring some teens that need to hear the Truth. I will be teaching and hoping to plant some seeds. It's exciting and humbling at the same time.

6. What are you currently writing?
Tracey: I started a second novel a couple of years ago. I am excited about the prospect of it. I gravitate toward dark subjects (like abortion) and they take a lot out of you when you wrestle with the "why's" and "how's" of it all. But I think Christian literature should address the realities of life -- and let's face it -- there's a lot of darkness out there. Light needs to be interjected into the darkness.
I am also writing skits. I'm currently working on one called "Waiting for Christmas" to be performed at our church in December. Jon and I are also writing a song for it. I'm hoping the skit and the song give people some new thoughts on Christmas this year.

You can read chapter one by going HERE.

Purchasing Info:
Trade Paperback
436 pgs
$14.97
Available at:
Amazon.com and through most stores and online retailers.
Available from the publisher at http://cladach.com/Katie's-Choice.html
where it is on sale this week for the discounted price of $12.00.

Here's the book video which includes the song written by Tracey and her husband Jon:

Blessings,

The Grace Effect

2011-11-09T08:37:00.000-05:00

Due to busyness of life (the good kind) and computer issues, my regular posts have been sporadic. I'm having to use a loaner for this post until my computer returns home! We've had lots of fun things going on that I want to share with you - Fall Festival and Legoland to name just a few! In the mean time, while my right arm (computer) is in the hospital, I'll be sharing about some books I've read lately.

The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief by Larry Alex Taunton was sent to me by Thomas Nelson for the purpose of review. I just finished reading this book yesterday. When I turned the last page, the thought in my mind was "Wow"! Mr. Taunton is a historian and Christian apologist who lives with his wife and children in Birmingham, AL. He is the founder and executive director of Fixed Point Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the public defense of the Christian faith. Mr. Taunton has engaged some of the most vociferous opponents of Christianity, including Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Peter Singer.

In The Grace Effect, Mr. Taunton seeks to explain concepts like "common grace" and what he calls "the grace effect", which is an observable phenomenon simply defined - "that life is demonstrably better where authentic Christianity flourishes". Mr. Taunton makes his argument beautifully as he tells the story of his family's adoption of a 10 year old girl, Sasha, from Ukraine.

The Grace Effect is a good blend of the story of the adoption, history and the theology of grace. While some parts of the book are hard to take in due to the emotional subject matter of the state of the orphanages in the Ukraine and the corruption of the government there, Mr. Taunton does a tremendous job of painting a picture through his words. The reader sees clearly what a society without any regard for God looks like.

The book includes a discussion guide with recommended reading suggestions after each chapter discussion. In The Grace Effect, Taunton provides many excellent discussion starters with which to engage those the reader may encounter who question the validity of the Christian faith or who are searching for an understanding of grace. The book with the built in discussion guide and reading list would make for an excellent book club selection or for use in small group meetings. The book can be ordered at Amazon.com by going HERE.

Blessings,

The Spirit Who Speaks

2011-11-03T14:26:00.000-04:00

Audra Jennings with the B&B Media Group sent me a copy of Peter Lawrence's book, The Spirit Who Speaks, for the purpose of review. Lawrence was a vicar in the Church of England for 32 years. He spent his last 14 years as leader of the three churches of Canford Magna in Dorset. Peter's goal always was to help people put into practice the things he taught, highlighting many of the principles through his stories of both success and failure. Mr. Lawrence died from a brain tumor on February 22, 2009.

The Spirit Who Speaks: God's Supernatural Intervention In Your Life follows Lawrence's life and his attempts to introduce the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the church he led. While writing this book about living fully in the Spirit's healing power, Lawrence received his diagnosis of terminal cancer. I admire his passion to see this project through to the end.

While much in the book was foreign territory to me (such as "ministering" sessions where the Holy Spirit is "called" upon to speak) and leans a bit more toward the "charismatic" ideas of tongues and prophecy and healing, Lawrence has some solid things to say such as...

"His (God) nature is perfect, incorruptible, and totally consistent. He always reveals His true character in everything He does. We may not interpret all He does correctly, because we see through a glass darkly due to our sinful natures, but when so many believers over so many centuries have encountered the God who speaks by His Spirit, it seems right to conclude this is a part of who He is. The Bible rests on the assumption that God is a God who speaks...It is always much easier to claim that God has spoken and God will speak than that God speaks."

He quotes John Wimber (I'm not familiar with this gentleman or with all that he teaches, but go agree with the truth in this statement.) as saying...

"We do not seek to bring Scripture down to our experience, but rather we seek to bring our experience up to Scripture."

I appreciated that multiple times in the book, Lawrence exhibited a high view of the importance of God's Word as the primary way God speaks to His people. He issues this warning on page 28...

"We should be very cautious about anyone who claims to have subsequent revelations from the Holy Spirit that either add to or take away from Scripture."

and again on page 32...

"Thus a word from God today must not contain any new teaching; neither must it add to or take away from the doctrines of the Bible. It seems right to say that a present day word from God may therefore illustrate Scripture, help to apply Scripture, authenticate Scripture, and enable Christians to fulfill the commands of Scripture, but must always be tested by Scripture. This enables us to understand the different purposes behind the Word of God and a word from God."

Particularly helpful was chapter 9 entitled "Test Everything" with statements from Lawrence like these...

"Clearly, if Satan can convince people that everyone who dies will be okay, there is limited value in the gospel of Christ."

"This is why Scripture must always supply foundation, and words of knowledge can only ever build on that. The Bible is our major source in discerning whether words in our minds are from God or not. Our first and firmest pole is vital. Any word that contradicts the teaching of the Bible is not from God, while any word that is positively supported by Scripture is more likely to be from God."

The book includes a study guide through each chapter. The book can be ordered at Amazon.com by going HERE.

Blessings,

Women of Faith: IMAGINE - Friday Evening/Saturday

2011-11-01T09:53:00.000-04:00

If you missed my recap of the Women of Faith Imagine Pre-Conference, you can see that HERE.

The actual Women of Faith weekend began at 7 p.m. on Friday evening. The hotel where we were staying the night was a bit of distance away from the arena, so by the time we got checked in and had dinner, we were late getting back to the event. We missed Kenn Kingston (Christian comedian). Our group wasn't too upset, because we were blessed with wonderful fellowship over dinner. When we did arrive, the Women of Faith Praise Team was leading in worship. They are a very talented group of ladies!

Cecily and I had really good seats for the weekend - floor seats about eight rows from the stage! Thank you again Thomas Nelson for the complimentary tickets for this event!

After the praise team, a World Vision video was shown. Please understand what I'm about to say. I firmly believe helping those in need and yes I am very concerned about families, especially children in other countries that don't have some of the most basic needs like clean water and food. BUT...the push for sponsoring a child in World Vision at Women of Faith was simply overbearing. The push to sponsor was constant the entire weekend even with sponsorship packets including pictures of children being left on each seat. And being told "don't worry they (as if the child themselves were there in person) will be there waiting for you when you return in the morning". After almost every speaker, something was said or a video shown regarding World Vision. It was almost as if attendees were being "guilted" into sponsoring a child. At one point, my daughter (13) was crying as she looked at the packet left in her seat. She was sad, because she is aware of our family's financial situation and knows that we simply can't afford a $35 a month sponsorship. We would not have even been at this conference if it had not been for the complimentary tickets from Thomas Nelson. With that said, there is nothing wrong with mentioning the need for sponsors or showing a couple of videos to give a visual of the need; however, deciding to do something like sponsor a child in another country should be a decision made in one's own heart and not because they have been fed constant guilt to do so. I have multiple families around me in my neighborhood who are struggling to feed their families and we help them as we can and serve in other ways through our church. The needs are great right around us.

Imagine resumed on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. We got there about an hour before the first session, so Cecily and I had time to "shop" a little. One of the things I had planned to pick up was Angie Smith's book I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy. I have been following Angie's blog Bring The Rain for some time and have wanted to read this book in which she shares about the devastating loss of their baby girl Audrey Caroline. Angie's husband sings with the Christian group Selah. As we were picking up the book, the lady helping us at the product table let me know that Angie was signing and meeting people just down the way on the concourse, so Cecily and I grabbed the book and headed that direction. We barely made it before Angie's meet and greet was over! We were the last allowed in the line!

Such an opportunity, and wouldn't you know I'd have my eyes closed!!! Angie is such a sweet, sweet girl. She has also written another book, What Women Fear. You would be blessed by checking out her books and her blog, which can be found at angiesmithonline.com. She is genuine. She is real. She is refreshing.

After catching our breath a bit, we headed into the arena and Saturday's event got underway.

After praise and worship, Lisa Harper took the stage.

Lisa talked about looking at Jesus with blurry vision. We were encouraged to overcome the enemy by telling out stories of healing. She shared her background of sexual abuse as a child and how bruises on our hearts become areas of bondage for us if not completely given to the Lord. She ended by quoting Psalm 139 and reminding us that we worship a God Who sees and knows everything about us and loves us anyway.

Sheila Walsh spoke again. She is such a gifted speaker and I think it is because she is so transparent about her struggles and her utter dependence on the Lord. Sheila spoke about God's mercy being severe, because He wants to make us like His Son.

"The Shepherd knows where to find you!"

Walsh shared about her deep seated fear and feeling in her life that she needed to be perfect after her father was hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital. He escaped from the hospital and was found dead at the age of 35. Sheila went on to share about her clinical depression and subsequent hospitalization for psychiatric care at the age of 35. She reminded us of how God covers us and spoke about Psalm 91:4, Psalm 143:8 and John 16:33. She closed her time by singing How Great Thou Art. Again, we were so blessed by her time.

After lunch, Nicole Johnson spoke. Her testimony included divorce and remarriage and how she has learned to give her anger to God.

Next to Sheila Walsh, my favorite speaker of the day was Angie Smith. She spoke after Nicole Johnson and although I knew her story from reading and following her blog, it was a blessing to hear Angie share in person.

In the midst of sharing about the loss of her sweet baby girl Audrey Caroline, who only lived a little over two hours after birth, Angie shared about Peter walking on the water. She pointed out that the word for Lord in Matthew 14:29 that Peter used when he cried "Lord save me" after beginning to drown is the Greek word Kyrios and means "Son of God, the one to Whom I belong".

Angie's challenge was this: When you think you are about to sink, you can call out to the Son of God, the One to Whom You belong.

Next on the schedule was the gospel duo Mary Mary (sisters Tina and Erica Campbell). Cecily and I were really excited about seeing them. We both love the song Shackles, which was on Mary Mary's debut album. I am sad to say, they were a huge disappointment. There was very little if anything that was worshipful about their "performance". There was so much frenetic energy in the arena as they sang. It just didn't feel right. Their dialogue between songs was silly and any reference to God or worship seemed forced and less than genuine.

The thing that completely blew me away was when Tina (on the left) not once, not twice, but three times took the Lord's name in vain on stage in front of over 6,000 women. Yes, you heard me right! She threw around the name of Christ so flippantly that I just knew I didn't hear right the first time, but then she did it again two more times. To say I was shocked is a huge understatement. There was a heaviness in my chest that wouldn't let up after that.

I have emailed Mary Graham, president of Women of Faith about this. I did so because it seemed as if this whole experience was glossed over by those in charge at the event. Mary Mary was asked back on stage to close out the event. As of this posting, I have not gotten a response back from Ms Graham. As soon as I do, I will add an update with her response in full to this post; so check back in the next few days.

The last speaker of the day was Lucy Swindoll. I'm not sure if it was because I felt the Holy Spirit was so grieved after Mary Mary's performance and that the Lord's blessing had left the arena, but Swindoll's talk was just very generic. She spoke about "enjoying the moment you are in" and "taking care of your souls", but shared not one instructive word from Scripture about how to do this in a way that honors the Lord. It was just very general and nothing specific or with substance.

At the end there was a quick recap or "take-away" from each speaker:

Lisa Harper - Addictions are disorders of worship.
Angie Smith - Remember "kyrios" - the Son of God, the One to Whom You Belong
Nicole Johnson - Fairy tales are a glimpse of the gospel, because they let us see ourselves as we really are. (Not quite sure exactly what she was trying to say here??)
Lucy Swindoll - Don't wait...live fully now. (Here she gave a very vague reference to a passage in 1 Corinthians. She said, "In 1 Corinthians, oh you know somewhere there on the right side of the page"...and then gave a very loose paraphrase of whatever scripture she was refering to.)
Sheila Walsh - The Shepherd knows where to find you. The Shepherd's job is to get you all the way home.

Stongest things about the weekend:

Sheila Walsh was the strongest speaker by far! Next in line would be Angie Smith and Lisa Harper.
The event was kept on schedule and flowed nicely.
Getting lunch to that number of women went smoothly.

Weakest things about the weekend:

Performance by Mary Mary - such a disappointment.
Constant World Vision push
I didn't even need my Bible, because there was very little Scripture shared over the course of the weekend with the exception of Sheila Walsh's talks. Testimonies are good and very much needed; however, when 6,000 women are gathered together they need to hear clearly a presentation of the gospel - that didn't happen. References to Scripture were vague at best.

Will I go to another Women of Faith event? Maybe. While I had a good time in fellowship with the group of ladies I was with and enjoyed spending the weekend with my daughter, I'm looking for something with a little more depth.

And if the truth be told, women who are lost and dying without a Savior are too.

Blessings,

Women of Faith: IMAGINE - Preconference on Friday

2011-10-31T11:54:00.000-04:00

Several months ago, I connected with Thomas Nelson for the amazing opportunity to attend the Women of Faith event in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. They sent me two complimentary tickets with the understanding that after I attended the event, I would blog about my experience here for you! Thank you Thomas Nelson for making this past weekend possible!

The theme for the weekend was "Imagine" based on Ephesians 3:20 - "Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..." As you'll be able to see through the pictures I share, the setting/stage area was beautifully done. The event was held in Ft. Lauderdale Florida at the Bank Atlantic Center.

The best part of attending this event is that I got to spend it with my 13 year old daughter, Cecily.

Cecily and I traveled to Ft. Lauderdale with a group of ladies that I share Bible study with every Thursday morning.

Cecily, Me, Cassie, Patti, Ann, Carrie, Debbie

"Imagine" began on Friday morning at 10 a.m. with the pre-conference, which included speakers Sheila Walsh and Dr. Henry Cloud.

Sheila Walsh was up first. I have to say that she was my favorite "Imagine" speaker (my daughter agrees with me) of the entire weekend! She began her talk on Friday by sharing her favorite verse in the Psalms which is chapter 143 verse 8,

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you."

Sheila shared a prayer that she voices every morning, which is "Wherever You are going today Lord, I'm coming with You! She went on to encourage attendees to focus their thoughts on what is always true and then shared that God's promises as found in Scripture are always true. She went on to share from Romans 8, which is a chapter she says "begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation" and then stated, "God has picked up your tab. Your debt of sin is paid in full." Walsh ended her talk by singing "Amazing Grace".

Sheila Walsh's talk was so well-rounded. She shared truth unashamedly from Scripture. She was funny. And she absolutely sang the roof off the arena! I felt the Holy Spirit most at work whenever she was taking part in the weekend, whether it was when she was speaking or sharing in song.

Dr. Henry Cloud took the stage next. While he shared some helpful observations about faith and happiness (I really didn't like that he used the term "happiness" as opposed to "joy".), his points were based more on psychological studies than Scripture. He asked attendees to look at using their imaginations in the realm of faith in three areas:

Clinical - the parts that hurt
Relationships
Dreams/Goals - specific gifts and talents

Cloud went on to share that the American Psychological Association's study that sought to answer the question of what makes people happy, revealed that only 10% of happiness comes from anything circumstantial. The remaining percentage of where happiness comes from is derived from spiritual practices lived out. He shared three areas in which this phenomenon can be observed:

Giving/generosity
Being connected - Our needs are transformational (where we grow new wiring) and trans mutational (where change takes place). It is in this discussion that Dr. Cloud shares his one and only reference to Scripture which was 1 Peter 4:10, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
Purpose of set goals

Cloud was easy to follow and was good at interjecting humor, while maintaining a depth to what he was sharing.

After Dr. Cloud, there was a break for lunch.

Cecily and I sat outside in front of the arena and ate our lunch. I have attended Women of Faith events in the past and getting lunch then was always complete and utter chaos. At the event this past weekend, lunch time went really smooth. Mind you, we are talking about getting a couple of thousand ladies served! The Women of Faith organization has definitely made improvement in this area!

Like I mentioned earlier in this post, the staging was really beautiful! After lunch, there was more from Dr. Henry Cloud. This second talk centered around the idea that the next season of our lives will require some necessary endings.

Next on the schedule was a Q and A with Dr. Cloud and Sheila Walsh. Prior to this time attendees had the opportunity to write down questions for them. A few were presented to Cloud and Walsh during the Q and A in which they both shared sound advice both from personal experience and Scripture (Walsh). Dr. Cloud's advice came more from his experience in his previous psychiatric practice, but was good nonetheless. Some overarching principles that I wrote down from the Q and A were these:

Townsend on setting boundaries - Be hard on the issue and soft on the person. Seek and pray for a softness of heart.
Sheila - Learn to "be still" before the Lord. She shared that "be still" in the Hebrew language means to "let go". Her encouragement was to give our worries, cares, anxieties to the Lord in complete trust.

After the Q and A time, Sheila came back and closed out the pre-conference. I appreciated that she shared with strong conviction that "God's word is more reliable than my feelings". We as women need to be reminded of that truth and she shared it boldly. Walsh read from John 14:27,

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Walsh stated in relation to that Scripture, "Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ". She shared more Scripture from Mark 4:35-41 and Mark 5. She concluded her talk with this:

"There is peace in one place - at the feet of Jesus".

And then she sang "You Raise Me Up". And again the Spirit moved mightily.

*This video isn't from the conference, but is Sheila singing You Raise Me Up on LifeToday. I'll share about Friday night and Saturday at Women of Faith - Imagine tomorrow as well as summarize my impression of the event as a whole.

Blessings,

Sunrise on The Battery

2011-10-27T09:50:00.001-04:00

According to Beth Webb Hart, author of Sunrise on The Battery, "With every novel I write, I start with a question to which I desperately want the answer. I write to the heart of that question, often revealing my own tensions, doubts and fears, and I always find that God meets me in the midst of the narrative, takes my hand (as well a the characters') and shows us they way to go."

After reading David Platt's book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, Beth began asking herself these questions:
What would it look like if we really loved each other - if we had no inhibitions about sharing our faith and our very lives with a hurting world? How would we really spend our time and our money? And what impact would this have on our communities, our country and the world?

Radical uncovered blind spots in her own life and helped Beth to fully imagine just where her characters' uninhibited faith might take them. The story in her latest novel Sunrise on The Battery was born.

Synopsis of the Book:
Mary Lynn Scoville has everything anyone could desire - a handsome husband, three beautiful daughters and a ticket into the social elite of Charleston, S.C. But after a miraculous answer to a prayer on her behalf, Mary Lynn decides to pray that her husband will discover the faith she loves. But when her prayers are answered, she finds her world turned upside down and is forced to deal with the idols she has created in her own life.
Jackson Scoville is a man on a mission. Growing up deprived of the finer things in life, he wants more for his children. His mission is to give his girls the best - a top-rate education, exposure and immersion in the fine arts and frequent opportunities to see the big world. "Not just education baby - cultivation", he is known to say. But when he discovers the truth of Scripture, his focus takes a quick turn - a turn his family may not like to take.

My thoughts about the book:
I wanted so much to like this book. And I appreciate very much the premise from which Ms Hart was writing. I'm just not sure she pulled it off so well. To be honest much of the book was really boring. I did appreciate that the story flips back and forth and is told from the perspectives of the mother, father, and oldest daughter. However, the meat of the story gets lost in all the details in which Ms Hart describes the South Carolina area. Jackson's "conversion" doesn't happen until about three-fourths way into the book, and the ending was anti-climatic.

Sunrise on the Battery, can be ordered from Amazon.com by going HERE.

Thank you to Audra with the B&B Media Group for sending me a complimentary copy of the book for the purpose of review!

Blessings,

God Makes Lemonade

2011-10-27T09:24:00.000-04:00

Don Jacobson, former president and owner of Multnomah Publishers, has created a collection of short stories designed to serve as a fresh glass of hope and inspiration for hard times.

The first in a series, God Makes Lemonade, collects true stories of hope and inspiration similar in style to that of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. According to Don as stated on his website godmakeslemonade.com

"In God Makes Lemonade™ you’ll read true stories from everyday folks—people like you and me who discover unexpected sweetness in the midst of sour circumstances.
Some of these real-life stories are laugh-out-loud funny, others are sobering, and more than a few will have you reaching for a tissue. But these true stories all have one thing in common: hope."

Along with this series of books, Don and his wife Brenda,who are both passionate about helping single mothers and their children, have established the LemonAid Foundation. According to the website,

"The LemonAid Foundation is commissioning a major research project that will clarify the most critical needs of single mothers and their children. This research will enable the foundation to plan its first initiatives to assist single mothers, as well as to recruit like-minded individuals and organizations to this important cause."

All the royalties from God Makes Lemonade, will benefit single mothers and their children through the LemonAid Foundation, which seeks to serve them with love and compassion.

You can also participate with this project on Facebook at www.facebook.com/godmakeslemonade.

The book can be ordered at Amazon.com by going HERE.

Thank you Glass Road Public Relations for sending me a complimentary copy of this book!

Blessings,

Thespians and Firefighters

2011-10-26T10:23:00.000-04:00

A couple of weekends ago, Cecily (our oldest) participated in a Junior Thespian competition where she submitted three pieces in the costume design category.

Her assignment was to pick a play (she chose Blithe Spirit) and research it. Then she was to choose three characters from the play and design costumes for each, choose material, and sketch the designs.

The pictures do not do her designs justice! They were very detailed and she did a really good job. She worked very hard on them and it paid off, because she was given a Super Superior rating by a panel of three judges! She had to give an oral presentation about the play and her designs to the judges. Cecily's teacher let me read the comments from each of the judges and I was so proud of her! Each judge praised her for her knowledge of the play and its characters, each stating their amazement that they could not stump her with their questions. She will go onto the state competition in February.

Now while Cecily was at her competition that Saturday, Mike and I took the two little ones to our local Fire Department that was having an open house.

Fireman John showed Bentley and JennaBeth around the station, gave them some goodies (hat, coloring book about fire safety and a dvd) and then let them do some things outside with the fire hose and truck. Bentley was being a little shy, but JennaBeth jumped right in the middle of things just like she knew what she was doing!

Bentley eventually got over his shyness and joined in on the fun.

They also got to "drive" the firetruck...

JennaBeth, I think, thought she was really gonna drive that truck! Fireman John helped her down and she tried to crawl right back in the driver's seat. He was rather taken with her tenacity about the whole experience!

Fireman John and the kids

JennaBeth, Me, Mike and Bentley

This is how I found the two little ones that following Sunday morning as were getting ready to leave for church...

Blessings,

Before the Throne Wednesday

2011-10-26T08:28:00.000-04:00

Welcome this week to another opportunity to pray scripture over your children. I have to tell you that I come today with a heavy heart regarding a loved one. So, as I present today's scripture, I'm praying it for my own children, but also I'm praying it for this boy who so needs to know and understand the presence and work of Almighty God in his young life.

Our scripture today is found in Psalm 119:41-42,

"May Your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in Your word."

Guess what the words "unfailing love" are translated in the original language?

Hesed...

God's mercy...such a rich word and something not a one of use could live one millisecond without. Here's some of what the word hesed (unfailing love) means according to Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament and Old Testament Word Studies (I've put in bold print things I want to emphasize.):

Hesed means to be merciful, faithful. Love, kindness, mercy. One of the most important words in the O.T., hesed essentially denotes an act of kindness, love, or mercy. The quality of the kindness shown is usually that reserved for close friends and family members. An act of hesed presupposes the existence of a relationship between the parties involved, but where no formal relationship has previously been recognized, the person exercising hesed has chosen to treat the recipient as if such a relationship did exist. Hesed is central to God's character. It is closely tied to His covenant with His chosen people; in fact, the covenant may be thought of as the relationship from which hesed flows. God's hesed however, is not bound by the covenant itself, and though men may prove unfaithful to this relationship, God's hesed is everlasting.

John Calvin's commentary on these verses:
"Because there is no hope apart from God's mercy, the cause, steadfast love, comes before the effect, salvation - and this, according to His promise. In verse 42, he declares he has the best defense against his enemies' slanders in that his trust is in the Word of God alone. God never disappoints those whose confidence is in His Word".

Everlasting, steadfast, unfailing love - mercy - that's what our children need in their lives. That's we as parents and grandparents need in our lives as well. Pray today that your children/grandchildren will have it, will find it and will abide in it.

Blessings,

The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson

2011-10-25T08:39:00.001-04:00

Glass Road Public Relations sent me a copy of Athol Dickson's latest novel The Opposite of Art for the purpose of review. You can visit Mr. Dickson's website by visiting atholdickson.com. There you will find a complete bio as well as links to his blog and information about his books. Mr. Dickson's novel Lost Mission was his third Christy award winner and his fifth to be nominated for that award. His writing has been compared to that of Flannery O'Connor. He and his wife live in Southern California and he is the publisher of the popular news website dailycristo.com.

Synopsis of The Opposite of Art:
A great artist is cast into the icy Harlem River by a hit-and-run driver. His heart stops and he sees something that defies description. Presumed to be dead by all who knew him and obsessed by a desire to paint the inexpressible, he embarks on a pilgrimage to seek help from holy men around the globe. But is it possible to see eternity without becoming lost in it? After a quarter of a century, when the world begins to whisper that he may be alive, two people come looking for the artist: the daughter he never knew existed and the murderer who hit him on the bridge all those years ago.

My thoughts:
The Opposite of Art is not a light read. Dickson's writing makes you have to stop and ponder what you are reading; so much so that I found myself getting bogged down and at points not wanting to finish the book. It is an intriguing read about a man's search for the Glory, which he desires to capture on canvas. I was disappointed that there was not a clear picture of Christ as The Glory in Ridler's journey. The book just simply left me wanting.

The Opposite of Art includes a reading group guide as well as a Q and A with Mr. Dickson at the end of the book.

The Opposite of Art can be purchased from Amazon.com by going HERE.

Blessings,

Before the Throne Wednesday

2011-10-19T08:59:00.000-04:00

Welcome! For those of you stopping by for the first time, we are learning to pray specific scriptures over our children. Currently, we are praying through portions of Psalm 119. Today's passage can be found in verses 34-37:

"Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word".

I'd like to add a New Testament passage to today's scripture, which is found in Philippians 4:8 as we consider praying for our children's eyes to be turned away from worthless things so that room is made in their hearts for a spiritual understanding of God's law and His commands.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

I want to encourage you today to pray that your children will be granted the grace of spiritual understanding and that they will delight in God's character as they come to know His commands. Pray that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, your kids will be directed in the path of God's commands and will have their hearts turned toward God's statutes rather than selfish gain. And finally, pray that your sweet rewards will be "divinely constrained" to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Ask God to inspire these holy desires in their hearts and lives.

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work."
Oswald Chanbers

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Blessings,

UPS Delivers Tent Revival

2011-10-18T10:02:00.002-04:00

I bet you didn't know that the UPS was in the business of delivering revivals did you? Well, they are and they did deliver about 1,000 to our house yesterday morning!

Mike's (my husband) cd Tent Revival at the Carnival arrived yesterday and we are really excited to be able to share with you what has been a dream of ours for some time now. The cd includes 10 songs; one Mike wrote himself, one written by the gentleman that produced the cd and JC Fogerty's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" as well as some drama and scripture reading between the songs. Also included are 10 tracks that are straight studio versions of the songs.

Count Your Blessings
Welcome and Prayer
The Old Rugged Cross
Intro - I'm Going That Way
I'm Going That Way
Intro - Jesus Is Coming
Jesus Is Coming (written by producer of the cd - Robert Lloyd)
Sharing - The Crucifixion
Were You There?
Sharing - Genesis 32:10
I'm Unworthy (of the least of all of the mercies) Written by Mike
Sharing - Our Compassionate Savior
Have You Ever Seen The Rain - J.C. Fogerty (with additional material by Robert Lloyd)
It Is Well With My Soul
The Disturbance
Closing Remarks
I'll Live In Glory
A Repentant Sinner
Amazing Grace
Studio Versions of All Song

*A little over 70 minutes of material.

You can visit Mike's website by going HERE, where you can listen to some short clips of a couple of the songs.

The cd's are $10.00. If you are interested in having one, shoot me an email (jenmom1707@yahoo.com) and I'll get you information on how to get a copy of the cd sent to you! Or you can just visit Mike's page at CD Baby and order one through that site - just go HERE.

Believe me. You will want to get a copy, because it is really, really good.

And I'm not partial one. little. bit :)

Blessings,

A Place To Belong

2011-10-13T09:22:00.001-04:00

Where can a woman find

Acceptance
Authenticity
Affirmation
Accountability
Action

In short, where can a woman find "a place to belong"?

In her book, A Place To Belong: Out of our Comfort Zone and Into God's Adventure, Lisa Troyer encourages women to find their "circle of friends" and to base their relationships on those five pillars. Troyer is the president of Circle of Friends whose vision it is to "be women who are committed to Jesus Christ, obediently seeking God’s will and fulfilling our life mission as Christ-followers. As individuals and as a corporate group, we will minister a Christ-centered hope, Biblically-based encouragement and unconditional love. Our goal is to evangelize the lost and edify the Body of Christ, by touching the lives of women, locally & globally".

Troyer is not only the president of Circle of Friends, but also a songwriter and program host for Moody Radio. She enjoys spending time with her husband Bob, and their children Jillian and Christian. Pursuing her passion for women's ministry, she has been involved with Circle of Friends for over a decade.

In A Place to Belong, Troyer launches her story with a disclosure of an unsettling secret from her past and readers immediately sense that they are being drawn into a transparent and authentic conversation that may affect their own lives dramatically. They perceive, too, a gentle but persistent invitation to a place of true freedom and belonging in the very heart of God.

The message of the book is centered around the five pillars of acceptance, authenticity, affirmation, accountability, and action. Each section includes song lyrics, some penned by Troyer herself, and also discussion questions related to the song. Interspersed throughout the book are testimonies from women whose lives have been touched by the Circle of Friends ministry. Included at the end of the book are resources the reader will find helpful, including a one year Bible reading schedule, tips and goals for leading a small group, accountability questions and recommended reading.

Troyer encourages women to connect with one another, comfort each other and affirm each other in using the gifts God has given them. The bottom line of the book is that a woman's life can be rich while being full of hope and purpose and that no woman needs to ever "go it alone". I appreciate that Troyer's book is full of honesty and practical encouragement in God's Word and His purpose for relationship with Him and those around us. Troyer is the real thing and you will sense it on every page of her book.

A Place to Belong would be an excellent resource for women's ministry teams attempting to establish real ministry among women or for small groups of women meeting together who are seeking to learn how to minister to each other in real and practical ways.

You can order the book from Amazon.com by going HERE.

Blessings,

Before the Throne Wednesday

2011-10-12T08:43:00.002-04:00

Welcome to an opportunity to pray scripture over your children today!

As we continue to pray our way through Psalm 119 on behalf of our children, we are looking at verse 18:

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law."

The Hebrew word for "open" in this verse is "Galah" and means to bare, strip, uncover, unveil, disclose, reveal; to be uncovered, unveiled, revealed and contains the principal idea of stark exposure.

John Calvin's commentary on this verse was also helpful to me in grasping its full meaning:

"We are blind until God enlightens the eyes of our understanding. But the Spirit's illumination is not to give secret and wild speculations which have nothing to do with God's Word. Rather, the Holy Spirit's light brings understanding to Scripture alone, disclosing wondrous things, convincing us of our need of grace and enabling us to comprehend mysteries which surpass our human capacity. Here therefore, the term 'law' takes in more than the ten commandments, and includes the covenant of eternal salvation."

As I learned that part of the meaning of "open my eyes" included an unveiling, I immediately thought of a New Testament passage that speaks of an unveiling - 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

"Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Pray today that your children will be given the gift of spiritual understanding of divine truth by the Holy Spirit. Pray that they will turn to the Lord where the veil over their eyes will be taken away so that they will see clearly and know Christ as their only hope for salvation.

My 2 year old, JennaBeth (on the right) with her friend from church, Jailyn.

*I'm linking this over at Raising Homemakers, and

Blessings,

The Baker's Wife

2011-10-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

Before she was the baker's wife, she was the pastor's wife.

A scandalous lie cost her husband a pastoral career, now the two work side-by-side running a bakery, serving coffee and baking fresh bread. Driving early one morning to the bakery, her car strikes something - or someone - at a fog-shrouded intersection. She finds the motor scooter belonging to a local teacher. Blood is everywhere, but there's no trace of a body. Both the scooter and the blood belong to detective Jack Mansfield's wife, and he's certain that the driver is behind Julie's disappearance. Mansfield is also the elder who directed the congregation in outing the pastor from his ministry position. The case dead-ends and the detective spirals into madness, taking her family and some patrons hostage at the bakery. She is left with a soul damaged ex-con and a cynical teen to solve the mystery.

Who is "she"? She is Audrey and her story is told by Erin Healy in Erin's latest novel The Baker's Wife published by Thomas Nelson. The publisher sent me a copy for the purpose of review.

You can visit Erin's website by going to www.erinhealy.com.

The Baker's Wife is a story of scandal, misunderstanding, heartbreak, faith and ministry - real ministry of serving others where they are in life. Healy's characters are woven together in an amazing suspense novel that you will find hard to put down. The book explores the realness of life; where faith works itself out in "the rubber meeting the road".

Do you stop serving others in "ministry" without the official title or because you have been mistreated in a most hurtful way or when others don't understand you "gift"? I think if Audrey could stand before us, she would adamantly tell us "No"!

I highly recommend The Baker's Wife and I'll be looking forward to Healy's next novel expected in July 2012!

You can read the first four chapters of The Baker's Wife by going HERE.

You can order the book at Amazon.com by going HERE.

Happy Reading,

Sifted

2011-10-06T13:48:00.000-04:00

What will your trials and troubles reveal about you?

How is it possible to worship God when the worst thing we can imagine happens to us?

Beat. Separate. Reveal.

I've read a lot of books, articles, and studies on pain and suffering and God's purpose in it all. I've recently finished reading Rick Lawrence's Sifted: God's Scandalous Response To Satan's Outrageous Demand, which was sent to me by Audra Jennings with The B&B Media Group, Inc. for the purpose of review.

In Sifted, Lawrence dissects Luke 22:31-32

³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

phrase by phrase and provides his reader with the clearest biblical response to the "whys" of pain and suffering I've ever read. God's sovereignty and goodness is exalted on just about every page of the book.

"Applied metaphorically to our lives, as Jesus did with Peter and His disciples in the upper room, the essential effect of sifting is a violent separation followed by a beautiful revelation - sifting shakes us apart for the purpose of destroying our complacent wholeness and revealing what is valuable and permanent and needed."

So, if you want more than "rhetorical truisms, religious equations and jargon-y metaphors" in the midst of your trial and pain, Sifted is a solid resource I can recommend to you.

You can learn more about the book's message and the author by visiting siftedbook.com.

You can order the book at Amazon.com by going HERE.

Blessings,

Before the Throne Wednesday

2011-10-05T05:49:00.002-04:00

Welcome! We are returning today to praying through Psalm 119 on behalf of our children/grandchildren. Here's our passage found in Psalm 119:9-16

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."

There are several important words that are used in this passage:

word - "living according to your word"..."I have hidden your word"..."I will not neglect your word"...Hebrew translation is "dabar" and means to say, speak, word, matter, thing. Refers to the essential content of God's revelation. In the phrase, "I have hidden your word", the Hebrew word "Imrah" is used and means utterance, promise and is always employed in the Psalms to signify the Word of God.
commands - Hebrew translation is "miswah" and means to command, order. Law, precept, ordinance; the Law of Moses.
decrees - Hebrew translation is "Hoq" and means to cut, engrave, mark out. Decree, statute, regulation, law, custom, limit, boundary. Denotes precepts and rules which must be strictly obeyed.
statute - Hebrew translation is "Edut" and means witness, testimony. Stipulation, warning. Always used in reference to the testimony of God. It is most frequently connected with the tabernacle, but is also closely associated with the ark of the covenant.
precepts - Hebrew translation is "piqqudiym" and means to count, call into account. Always appears in the plural form and refers to God's precepts. According to John Calvin's commentary, "denotes matters relating to natural justice...The precepts of the law are defined as judgments and righteousness, informing us that all God commands are right and just, the only rule of living for the perfecting of holiness".
ways - Again referring to Calvin's commentary, "The expression 'the ways of the Lord' is almost synonymous with 'precepts of the law' for those who follow those 'ways' are in no danger of going astray".

On those crazy and chaotic days, I often think and too often say out loud to my children, "Why can't you guys just mind me and do what I say!" I wonder if God thinks the same thing about His children sometimes? In our focal passage today a question is asked: "How can a young man keep his way pure?" That word "pure" in the original Hebrew language means "transparent, clear, innocent; to cleanse, signifies purity of conduct". The rest of the passage above answers that question with crystal clear clarity. And did you notice the question was how can a young man keep his way pure?

Calvin, in his commentary on this verse, says, "Those who delay too long in such submission to God's word will attempt to reform themselves too late. Note also that because carnal passions are powerful in our early years, God's law is needed to restrain sinful desires. Those who learn this lesson in their youth will also profit from it in their mature years. Much evil prevails in this world because so many yield to their desires rather than to the heavenly instruction."

It is very easy to get sidetracked with desiring a change in external behavior when it comes to our children. Yes, we all want obedient and well behaved kids, but the greater concern should be with what is going on in their hearts. The real work in parenting comes with standing back, taking a deep breath and doing the work of drilling down to the heart of our children and partnering with God in shaping and molding what we find there.

Only God's word, commands, decrees, precepts statutes, and ways will transform the hearts of our children and help them to counter the world's indifference towards God's truth. I encourage you to pray that your children/grandchildren will fix the eyes of their heart on God's ways and that His laws will be deeply seated in their hearts and minds. Ask God to help them and give them a desire for His ways; to rejoice in, meditate on and delight in His Word. "The greater our delight in His statutes, the greater will be our benefit, for the path to a good life begins with God wooing us by His Word's sweetness, love for His truth being the antidote to the corruption of our minds." (Calvin)

Then we will have, not little rule keepers or perfect children, but rather disciples of Almighty God with transformed hearts in step with the Lover of their souls.

My rewards:

Cecily (13) and JennaBeth (2)

Bentley (6) after a recent fishing trip with his daddy. His story: "Mama, I caught four fish and daddy caught the last one making it five fish we caught." Mike's story: "I think we really caught 6 or 7. A couple of them must have gotten away from us. Bentley, I think I really caught 4 and you caught two of them."

Who knows!

*I'm linking this post to Raising Homemakers. Be sure and check them out! I'm also linking the post to
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Blessings,

The Crossing

2011-10-01T11:23:00.002-04:00

"As the Campbells and Casio teeter on the brink of losing everything, will they be able to discover that what begins at the crossing ends at the cross?"

Serita Ann Jakes serves alongside her husband, Bishop T.D. Jakes at The Potter's House located in Dallas, TX. She has been involved in Christian ministry all of her adult life. She and T.D. have raised three sons and two daughters. Serita is executive director of WoMan to Woman Ministries at The Potter's House.

In addition to her family and ministry responsibilities, Serita has written a novel The Crossing, published by Waterbrook Multnomah. Waterbrook sent me an Advanced Reading Copy of the novel for the purpose of review.

I was anxious to read The Crossing because I love faith based suspense novels, but primarily I wanted to read Jakes' novel because I wanted to see if some of the theology of her husband with which I can not line up with bled over into her writing. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! The Crossing is a riveting and well written novel of suspense and faith. Jakes' development of the characters and the telling of their back stories is phenomenal. There is not one character that will not affect the reader in some way. From the very first paragraph until the last sentence, I was drawn into this amazing story of friendship, love, abuse, murder, betrayal, forgiveness, healing and redemption. The Crossing, while full of twists and turns that the reader does not see coming, is written in such a way that the reader is not confused, but left wondering and searching for answers until the very last word.

You will not be able to put this one down!

You can read an excerpt from the first chapter HERE.

The Crossing can be purchased from the publisher HERE.

You can also order the book from Amazon.com by going HERE.

Please take a minute to rate this review and you will be entered a chance to win your very own copy of The Crossing!

Blessings,

Dry As Rain

2011-09-30T18:36:00.000-04:00

"He'd give anything to forget the one thing she can't remember."

That's the situation Eric finds himself in with his wife Kyra in Gina Holmes book Dry As Rain. From the back of the book:

"When Eric and Kyra Yoshida first met, they thought their love would last forever. But like many marriages, theirs has gradually crumbled, one thoughtless comment and misunderstanding at a time, until the ultimate betrayal pushes them beyond reconciliation. Though Eric longs to reunite with Kyra, the only woman he has truly loved, he has no idea how to repair the damage that's been done. Then a car accident erases part of Kyra's memory - including her separation from Eric - and a glimmer of hope rises from the wreckage. Is this a precious opportunity for the fresh start Eric has longed for? Does he even deserve the chance to find forgiveness and win back Kyra's heart...or will the truth blow up in his face, shattering their last hope for happiness?"

I found Dry As Rain to be an engaging story of betrayal of the worst kind and of the beautiful redemption only God can bring about in the hearts and lives of those willing to trust Him for change. While the premise of the book is a worthy one, I did find Ms Holmes' writing to be a bit stilted. The story just didn't flow well. However, I would still recommend the book if you like to read fiction that deals with relationships and the conflicts that often come about in them.

You can read the first chapter by going HERE. Ms Holmes website can be found at ginaholmes.com.

Thank you Tyndale House for sending me a copy of the book for the purpose of review!

Happy Reading,

Dangerous Mercy

2011-09-29T14:49:00.000-04:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Dangerous Mercy David C. Cook (October 1, 2011) by Kathy Herman

Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.

She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.

Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she's added sixteen more titles to her credit, including four bestsellers: All Things Hidden, The Real Enemy, The Last Word, and The Right Call.

Kathy's husband Paul is her manager and most ardent supporter, and the former manager of the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five almost-perfect grandchildren, a cat named Samantha. They enjoy cruising, deep sea fishing, and birdwatching—sometimes incorporating these hobbies into one big adventure.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. —Matthew 5:7

When eighty-five-year-old Adele Woodmore moves to Les Barbes to be near the Broussards—and her namesake, their daughter—she wants nothing more than a comfortable, quiet life. Employing men from Father Vince’s halfway house for the homeless to do odd jobs and landscaping, she delights in the casual conversation she has with them, the fledgling friendships, and the idea that she is helping them get back on their feet.

A series of murders in Les Barbes has cast a pall over the town and, in fact, one of Adele’s handymen becomes a person of interest to the police. But Adele cares for these young men, she knows them, and continues to show them kindness in spite of her friends’ concern. And then one day a murderer walks through Adele’s defenses, sits down at her kitchen table...and they begin to talk...

You can read the first chapter of Dangerous Mercy by going HERE. You can also find the author's website by going to kathyherman.com.

Blessings,

Before the Throne Wednesday

2011-09-28T08:24:00.000-04:00

Welcome back! I pray you are experiencing a renewed intimacy with your Heavenly Father as you go before Him in prayer on behalf of your children!

I said last week that we would be praying through Psalm 119, but we'll put that off until next week. There is lots of talk right now about the movie Courageous, which will be in the theaters this Friday, September 30. My husband and I are going Friday to see it and are taking our daughter, Cecily (13) with us. I wrote a review of Randy Alcorn's novel based on the screen play of the movie. You can read that review by going HERE.

Of the many virtues I pray my children will have, courage is one of them. According to the Free Online Dictionary, "courageous" is defined as having or being characterized by "courage", which means the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery. A synonym of "courageous" is brave and some related words are: adventuresome, fearless, unafraid, bold and resolute. Resolute is being firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination.

I want to see ALL that in Cecily, Bentley and JennaBeth. Right now JennaBeth has all that and more, in a two year old kinda way! Seriously, I desire for each of my children to walk through their lives not afraid of what comes there way but able to stand firm and not be swayed by the enemy of their souls to compromise and give in to the world around them. How will they be able to do this?

I think Micah 6:8 is a good place for them to start:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I think you probably want your children and grandchildren and little ones in your care to be courageous as well. Pray today that they will understand what the LORD requires of them; that they will act justly in all situations, that they will love mercy and learn to lean on God's mercy daily, and that they will walk humbly with God all the days of their lives.

And as parents, let's be courageous right along side of them!

Blessings,

180

2011-09-27T08:45:00.001-04:00

What would you do if...

That's the question that Ray Comfort asks in his documentary 180.

The movie is 33 minutes long. Make sure you watch when you have 33 minutes to devote your full attention. THERE IS A PUBLIC ADVISORY WARNING DUE TO GRAPHIC CONTENT. The film contains images from the Holocaust and a couple quick flashes of abortion images. There is also an interview with a young man, who uses some very uncomfortable language; however, the expletives are "bleeped" out.

With that warning, you may ask why I would want you to watch. I want you to watch, because I am pro-life in every sense of the word, not just in regards to the abortion issue. Mr. Comfort makes a very compelling case for valuing life. The following 33 minutes will make you think and they will grip you emotionally and they will challenge you to stand up and lend your voice to the protection of the most vulnerable members of our society. Of all the "arguments" for or against abortion I have seen or read, this one is the most powerful!

Also included in the documentary, Comfort demonstrates his very straight forward method of witnessing by simply confronting people with how they measure up to the 10 Commandments - God's Law.

Watch and maybe you will do a 180!

Blessings,

A Beautiful Life

2011-09-26T14:02:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday through Saturday morning, some of the ladies from our church experienced a retreat held at Gull Wing Resort on Fort Myers Beach. The theme was A Beautiful Life and our speaker was Angela Blycker. She and her husband, along with their three children are missionaries with New Mission Systems International. Angela's website can be found at angelablycker.com. She also has a blog, Immersion, which can be found HERE. Her book is Running Into Water: Women Immersed in the Pursuit of God.

(Betty Whitehorne at breakfast Friday morning)

The view from the conference room was amazing! We were able to set up breakfast both mornings in a space just off from the meeting area and enjoy the view and fellowship before the study sessions.

The group of ladies you see in the forefront of the picture above are some of our senior adult ladies who were able to attend. I was blessed to get to spend time talking and visiting with them. I'm not always able to get to do that at church chasing my little ones around.

Eladia Osterhouse, our church pianist, led us in worship prior to each study session. She is also the wife of one of our deacons and is the mother of four children. She and her family are truly a blessing to our church. She did a good job of helping us prepare our hearts to hear God speak through Angela.

And speaking of Angela...that is her (second from the left) in the picture above.

Here are Dawn (one of our church secretaries), Sharon and Louise (otherwise known to my son as "Lego Lady"). I had the wonderful privilege of rooming with both Dawn and Sharon along with Eladia and our pastor's wife, Mamie. Sorry I didn't get a pic of you Mamie!

The thought running through all that Angela shared over the retreat was Creating Culture: The Family as Culture Makers. Here are my notes from the three sessions she shared with us.

Life is Beautiful

Creating Culture involves being firm in what you believe and then living it out.

Living our lives "to the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1) is a grand celebration of God's presence. Angela explained "praise" as "grateful celebration" and "glory" as "the bright presence of God".

Culture making is to reflect God's image. (Genesis 1:26-31) God let Adam feel his need (for a companion). Obedience is our worship. Our culture is what we were made to do under the gaze of God. We have forgotten who we are and what we are equipped with in Christ.
Culture making is to sow into the things of the Spirit. (Gal. 6:7-10, Rom. 8:5-7, Eph. 5:15) As women, we need to get into God's own established rhythm work, relationships, and rest. Angela asked us this questions: "What are we making space for in our homes?" and "What is going in our homes and what is shining out of them?"
Culture making is to involve cultivation and creating. (Rev. 21:24-27) This question was asked: "What is your posture? Is it one of condemnation (focus more on the dangers around you or the delights), critique (beliefs with no experience), copy (not creating, but allowing the culture around you to dictate to you), cultivate (be receivers who are thankful and not just consumers) or create."

Body care is to express worship. (Rom. 12:1)
There should be the peace of God showing in our countenance.

We should be "living" sacrifices - Rom. 6:13, 1 Cor. 6:19, Phil. 1:20.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made - Psalm 139:13-16. The secret place is the imagination of God. If we were to lay out all the DNA in our bodies, we would be able to reach to the sun and back 77 times! (Col.1:16-17, Zech. 14:20-21)

Angela reminded us that whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, it should all be done for the glory of God.

Being a Modern Day Disciple

God sees what we can become and we should see this potential in those around us as well. Angela encouraged us as women to live as transformed followers not holding onto the right to run our lives, living in complete reliance on Almighty God, and making disciples by "show and tell".

Love others in their imperfection - love others as God intends them to be. She spoke a lot about how we use our words and encouraged us to "speak to the highest in another" (Prov. 10:11, 18:4, Eph. 4:29, Ps 141: 3)

Discipleship = Relationship. Accountability - place yourself there!

A Disciple's Heart:

Surrendered - My life is not my own.
Growing - Everything alive is growing and changing.
Servant - The opposite of self-centered.
Generous - Gives liberally; it's a posture of the heart.
Evangelistic - A passion for the nations.

As we abide in Christ (John 15), we will experience streams of Living Water flowing through us as we dwell in God's presence, listen to His voice, focus on His beauty and taste His goodness; THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL LIFE!

Blessings,

Before the Throne Wednesday

2011-09-21T09:53:00.001-04:00

Welcome back! How are you and your "rewards" doing this week? I pray if you've stumbled upon this post for the first time that you will be encouraged in the discipline and honor of praying for your children and of praying specific scriptures over them.

In recent Sundays our Senior Pastor has been preaching through the book of Ephesians. He has also taken us to Romans 6 to look closer at what righteousness looks like in the life of a believer. In that context, he has made this statement several times:

"The Spirit-filled life looks like the Law-filled life."

In regards to the Ten Commandments, he has also made this statement:

"The Ten Commandments are the character of God in writing."

One Sunday evening a month, rather than meeting at our church building for services, we've been meeting in small groups in different members homes. In the group that my family has been a part of, we've had a gentleman speak about learning to love God's law and walk in His commands. So, my mind has been on these two things a lot.

I desire for my children to know God's character and to live a Spirit-filled life. As I've thought on these things, I have taken a closer look at Psalm 119. The first two verses read like this in the NIV:

"Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart."

According to John Calvin's commentary on the Psalms, "Among various matters dealt with in the psalm (119) are two main subjects: first, exhorting believers to follow godliness and holy living, and then pointing out the form of the true worship of God, so that the faithful may devote themselves to the study of the Law."

Here also is Calvin's thoughts on these first two verses of Psalm 119:

"The paradox set forth in the first psalm is given again: men long for happiness but search for it by wandering through byways which lead to ruin. Their greed hurries them in the opposite direction to that set forth here, for they imagine they will be happy the further they are from God. The term 'way' denotes the manner or course of life, which is why he calls those blameless whose sincere desire is to practise righteousness. The second clause defines what he means. There is an implied contrast with those who follow their own devices, wearying themselves with inanities. The prophet is not saying that there is no happiness unless we worship God perfectly, for there is no perfect obedience on earth. Rather, because our uprightness is never complete, we take refuge in God's mercy; thus we are happy in that he does not impute our sins to us (Ps 32:2). The second verse confirms this, asserting they are blessed who devote themselves to God's covenant and yield him obedience with their whole heart. It is not sufficient to serve him only with external rituals; his truth must also be written on our hearts."

I encourage you today to pray Psalm 119:1-2 over your children that they may have God's truth written on their hearts.

Over the next several weeks of Before the Throne Wednesday, we will "pray" through Psalm 119 on behalf of our children, so be sure to join me! You can find the other Wednesday posts by following these links: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Blessings,

Bentley's Birthday: Part Two

2011-09-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

Like I said yesterday, Bentley has been planning his birthday for some time. The last couple of years, he has wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese. This year he wanted to have a cookout and invite all his friends from the neighborhood to eat and play water balloon games. So that is exactly what we did this past Saturday! Bentley wanted a Transformer cake and decorations, but wanted Legos for his present.

Cecily, my oldest, was a really big help getting everything ready. She made his cake...

and blew up balloons along with some help from a couple of girls from the neighborhood. The party was set to start at three, but I had a house and yard full of kids at 11 a.m.!

We gently encouraged everyone to go play while we got things ready for the party. Then when it was time for the party, we had to go round everyone up! The kids each made an "Ocean in a Bottle" on the lanai...

before playing "Splish, Splish, Splash" (a water version of Duck, Duck, Goose) and some water balloon games.

We had a simple little Slip-N-Slide set up, but I think the kids had the most fun on it...

As a matter of fact, as you've already seen in most of the pictures, JennaBeth wasn't going to miss a beat of all the fun. Here is a little clip of her and her little friend next door, Morgan, on the slide...

Once we peeled everybody off the Slip-N-Slide, the kids ate hotdogs, chips, homemade mac-n-cheese (Paula Deen's CrockPot recipe) and baked beans. And of course there was the birthday cake!

Don't you just love the help baby sister was trying to give with the candles? I just love it!!!

After cake was present time! Bentley got lots of sweet cards and a little spending money and Legos, Legos, and more Legos...

That last one looks like a mug shot! I think he was so excited he was in shock, ha, ha!

Everyone got to take a turn trying to pin the autobot emblem on Bumblebee...

We ended with a pinata, Optimus Prime, of course...

When everybody had cleared out,

this is what I saw...

Once again, big sister coming to the rescue and helping put his Lego Star Wars set together. I told you she was a big help the entire day!

Hosting a birthday party at home, exhausting. One happy little six year old boy...

Priceless!

Blessings,

Bentley's Birthday: Part One

2011-09-19T13:33:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday (9/15), Bentley turned six! He has been planning his birthday for...well since his birthday last year I think! He's been counting down the days since September 1. All week long, birthday cards have been arriving in the mail. It worked out that he got a card in the mail about every day the week leading up to his big day.

We had promised him he could open up his cards and one present after school on Thursday. Big sister was helping him do that when his little "girlfriend", Rylee, stopped by to visit him. Rylee is a little girl in our neighborhood about Bentley's age and they play together really good...especially since she likes to play with Legos, which is what Bentley happens to be crazy about at the moment.

After Rylee's visit, Bentley got a phone call from my dad and step-mom (Papaw Conrad and Nana). He then opened up his present from his Granny and Pops (my mom and step-dad). They had sent me a check to go and get something for him to open from them. He was just a tad excited...

And once again, he was amazed that his granny was so smart to know just what he wanted!

Next, I drove Bentley and Cecily to McDonald's for his birthday date with big sister. This was all Cecily's idea. She wanted to take him to McDonald's and treat him to a Happy Meal and whatever dessert he wanted with her own money. I dropped them off and went to the Publix in the same shopping center to buy the food for his birthday party (that will be tomorrow's post) on Saturday.

I just imagine that he'll be walking alongside and looking up to her for many, many more days to come! I sure do pray so.

One Blessed Mama,