4 Feb
Ok – I promise my next post will not be another book review – I’ve just been busy reading.
I reviewed a new edition of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” and a Christian fiction set soon after Jesus’ resurrection called “The Hidden Flame” on my family blog if you are interested 
26 Jan
If you are looking for a good fiction book to read – this is a great one! I reviewed it on my other blog so I added a link in case you are interested
6 Jan
“So…how are we doing?”
My husband, Jonathan, used to ask this question all the time when we were dating. He has a very analytical personality so he wanted to know how I felt things were going in our relationship. I am not so analytical and so it usually took me a while to purposefully think about the answer to his question.
Fast forward almost 6 years…engagement, marriage, children, mortgage, bills…(well you get the picture). Things are not quite as simple as they used to be. Life gets busy and it’s easy to get distracted by responsibilities. We don’t sit down very often and have the “how are we doing?” conversation any more.
This is the reason I really like this book. The Burns’ realize that life is busy for the normal couple and so they recommend spending half and hour once a week to have meaningful discussions together. There is one chapter to read together for every week of the year. The chapters are short – a couple of pages – Usually beginning with a short passage of scripture, then some thoughts on the passage or a story to illustrate the meaning. The main part of your time together is spent talking to each other. There is a section of questions called “Faith Conversations.” These questions are aimed at helping you as a couple really open up to each other about ways you need to grow and apply Scripture and how you can help each other. The next section is called “A Step Closer,” and then helps you apply your discussions on a more practical level. One chapter for example has you make a list of things you want to do on dates together. One has you list ways you are thankful for your spouse and then share the list with each other. They are not hard things but I think they are very helpful because ordinarily we would be too busy to do them on our own. We have tried other couples devotional books but found them to be pretty shallow and almost trite, but this created deeper discussion with practical application. Not just read a page and then go on not really having been drawn closer either to God or each other.
Jonathan and I have only completed two chapters together (I did read the rest for the purpose of reviewing), but I have really enjoyed the conversations that we have had and the time we spent together. I am looking forward to continuing the book with him!
I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing
30 Dec
Last night, my oldest son Eóin was having a hard time sleeping. Considering all the late nights we have had with family this last week, and the fact that he is having issues with croup, I decided to have mercy and go sit with him while he fell asleep. As I sat by him, I started to pray for him.
As I prayed about his future, I thought about the present. I brought his strengths and weaknesses before God asking him to show me this year how to encourage his strengths to keep growing, and help him overcome his weaknesses. It really occurred to me that I am a steward of my children. I am charged with a huge task of raising my children so they will be ready to do whatever God asks of them when he asks it. I am to equip them for life and ministry. It’s pretty easy to see to their temporal needs – feed them, clothe them, wash them Seeing to their spiritual needs is something I need to work on intentionally doing.
Obviously, when they grow up, they will have to make their own choices, but I want to say that I gave them what they needed to be able to make that choice when it comes time for them to be independent. I want to teach them by word and example what it is to walk with God and depend in Him. I want them to see Christ lived out in reality not just at church. Someday I will give account of how I influenced my children. I don’t want to bury this treasure, hiding and shielding it from the world; giving it no room to grow. I want it to multiply and grow to do great things for God. Wow – only by the grace of God can we be what we need to be for our children.
Along those same lines, today I read a really good blog about using my time with my children when there are so many distractions. http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/year-in-review-day-1 Gives me a lot to think about for this upcoming year!
23 Dec
The past few days I have been praying for so many of my friends and family who are going through some very hard times this Christmas Season. Our own Troy and Leigh-Ann receiving hard news about sweet little Paiton, a friend from college battling breast cancer, my husband losing both grandparents last week, a missionary friend’s daughter in law just finding out she has a rare type of Leukemia, and so many more. My heart aches for my friends as I ask God for mercy and grace on their behalf!
I was thinking that it is such a sad time to be facing such hard circumstances – you know it’s supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year” after all. But when you think about what Christmas really is a celebration of, maybe it could be a good time to face bad news. This is a time when Jesus Christ came to earth as Emmanuel. GOD WITH US!!! God is with all these dear friends who are facing such hard trials. He came to earth at Christmas but then he lived his life here on earth in every way a human. Because of Christmas, in every way, he understands the grief, the physical pain, the heartbreak that we feel.
I love the prophesy of his birth in Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born,to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
He came at Christmas so when we need wisdom during hard times, he is our WONDERFUL COUNSELLOR; when we are seeking for a miracle, he is our MIGHTY GOD; when we are suffering with loss of loved ones, he is our EVERLASTING FATHER; when our hearts ache, he is our PRINCE OF PEACE.
Christmas is more than candy canes, presents, and way too many cookies! It is the celebration of the one who is the answer to our soul’s every need. He is our Emmanuel, GOD WITH US!
18 Nov
Here is a book review that I actually wrote for my other blog but thought I would bring it over to this one too. By the way, I am still working on the devotional book. It’s meant to be read together as a couple over a year but that would be a bit too long to wait to review so I will post that one after Jonathan and I have done a few more chapters together and I have read the rest by myself. In the meantime – here is a quick historical fiction review:
The Rose Legacy by Kristen Heitzmann
Diamond of the Rockies #1
Carina Maria DiGratia leaves the comforts of everyone and everything she has ever known for the dreams of Crystal, Colorado. Filled with bitterness and hatred for those who betrayed her at home, she vows to never be trusting again. She soon learns, however, that in a mining town, a lone woman needs help – she will have to trust someone – but whom? Not everyone in Crystal is as they first appear. When violence escalates, Carina must discover who is really trustworthy in order to help save the city from complete corruption.
I really enjoyed reading this book – I could easily imagine the surroundings and wonderful characters who fill the pages. The book is nice and long so there is time to develop the characters and story line well. One thing I was not so fond of was the blurring a little of the gospel. Although it is said that one must be washed in the blood of the lamb, it seems also present that whatever road you take – as long as you are sincere -will get you to heaven too. I probably would not recommend it to a friend who was searching for the gospel themselves. I loved the story itself however and can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing
7 Nov
I have decided to become a book reviewer on my blogs. I LOVE to read and once I start a book it is so hard for me to do anything else until I have turned that last page. Blogging about it, I think, will help me to be a more critical reader. I just got my first book in the mail. It is a couple’s devotional book that is supposed to take a year to go through so I will have to cheat and read ahead, but I am looking forward to seeing if it will be a blessing in our family. Stay tuned to hear how it goes
20 Aug
In getting ready for the upcoming service on Sunday,t I have been thinking a lot about Matthew 6:33. For a verse that I know so well and have heard so much about, I have never given much thought to what it is to really seek after the kingdom of God. Since I lived right next door to the only earthly “kingdom” (the united kingdom) on earth I tried to think of what that was made up of and what “seeking” it would entail.
Firstly, it is made up of several different countries under one King (or Queen as the case may be) – to keep a Kingdom entact it would need unity. So “seeking” here would mean making an effort for the diverse to also be unified. The same goes in the kingdom of God. We are from many nations and backgrounds but we need to make an effort to be unified under our One King!
Secondly, it needs to defend itself from enemies. Our spiritual enemy of course is Satan (NOT other Christians!) and we need to be on the defensive by putting on the whole armor of God and encouraging those around us to grow in their walk with Christ.
Thirdly, it wants to expand. Back in the day, the United Kingdom was huge and it was constantly looking for new territory to add to it’s kingdom. Not only do we need to be on the defensive, but on the offensive – winning those around to Christ! I searched for all the uses of “the kingdom of God” in the Scripture and it was amazing how many of the times it occured were people “proclaiming and preaching” the Kingdom of God to the unsaved.
There is soooo much more to write. I came up with 67 times that the phrase “the kingsom of God” is used in the New Testament and I really want to read and learn more about how to seek it and then I will post it as I learn
One more thing about that verse (Matt6:33). We are also to seek God’s righteousness. To me, at least this seems more on a personal level than seeking the kingdom. I know that I am already clothed in the righteousness of Christ, but I so want to keep seeking God’s right-ness in every area of my life.
Psalm 37:4-6 comes to my mind:
“Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.”
If God is the one to bring forth righteousness in my life, then my seeking should involve me learning to delight myself in Him, in His Word, in His Will. It makes everything else I could seek pale in comparison!
20 Aug
I recently found a new song that really encouraged and challenged me. It’s called “Let me be” by Caedman’s Call (not sure on the spelling of that).
The line that really stuck out to me says “teach me to be faithful to confess.”
Wow
There are so many things that I think of when I think of faithfulness: friendship, ministry, showing up for church gatherings, worship, obedience…
I guess I never thought about it in the realm of confession. With two small children and a new house I am working feverishly to get painted so we can move in, I don’t often have time to just stop and think. So even though I sin regularly during the day, I don’t always stop to see it as sin and take it to my Heavenly Father in confession.
I may over-react to a childish mistake by my two year old, for example (a pretty realistic example in my house!). Even though I may feel bad about it at the time, I often forget to take it to the Lord and confess my anger as sin. Then there is confessing to my son – he is only two but I really want to be an example of humility to him. He may not understand right away but I need to be faithful to confess my sins against him now so when he is a teenager I will not all of a sudden turn into a hypocrite in his eyes!
How much sweeter would my daily walk be with the Lord if I was more faithful to confess? Even in earthly relationships, problems left un-dealt with create distance between people. The same goes with our relationship with God and he is NOT someone I want to be distant from!
So my goal for this week and really for the rest of my life is to take time to be faithful to confess!
22 Jul
Last Friday New Life had “Lost and Found Day.” Basically, we took the day off work and our normal routines and spent the day connecting with God through time in his word, each other through spending the day together, and the city by visiting local businesses. We travelled around on the bus visiting and getting to know people and then went to a mission to sit in chapel and do some work projects.
On our travels, our team saw a store called “New Life Nutrition” and we knew we had to stop and say hi. It is a cute little store that makes healthy shakes and is run by a very fun and energetic lady named Teresa.
We explained what we were doing and told her about New Life and then she told us about herself. She had been a paralegal for 30 years when she decided she wanted to do something different for a change and so went into sales. She really did not enjoy that and ended up depressed and overweight. That’s when she discovered these nutritious shakes and they helped her not only lose weight but also feel healthy. In fact, she loved them so much she thought she would open a store selling them and start a “new life” that way.
It was so much fun to get to talk with her, and I was challenged by her eagerness to tell her “new life” testimony to anyone who would listen. Although, I think having a healthy body is very important and a worthy cause, how much more important is a soul that knows Christ. The testimony of my new life is so much more crucial for people to hear and yet I am not usually as eager to share Christ and Teresa was to share her shakes. She has something that can heal the body but I know Someone that can heal the soul! What a great challenge to me to share my new life with others!
