book review

just recently i finished a novel by jodi picoult called handle with care.  it was really good.  it was really really good.  i loved it.  like some of her other best sellers, she writes this book in many different perspectives, taking on a different perspective each chapter.  unlike some of her other best sellers, this one doesn't have nearly as much profanity. 
i love they way picoult writes!  i love her stories.  i love the reality in them.  i don't recommend reading this book if you're pregnant and emotional... but if you're anyone else, i highly recommend it.  it's about a the controversial dillemas (expenses, family life, and even friendship) that come in raising a child with a disability...
Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

gratituesday - the Bible

i know i've posted on how awesome it is to have God's Holy Word right at our fingertips before... but i haven't done a gratituesday post on it... so i am going to today. 
i am everly grateful that God gave us an instruction book, written by Him, on how to live our lives.  when we're struggling with day to day struggles, we can always go to this manual and find the answer.  when we're struggling with parenting, there are hundreds of verses to assist us. 
when we're struggling with work, there are hundreds of verses and stories to aid us.
when we're struggling in relationships, there are hundreds of chapters to give us instruction. 
seriously, there isn't really anything that the Bible doesn't cover.  we just need to go to it and talk with the Author and ... there ya have it!

God is so amazing.  the closer we get in relationship with Him, the easier it is to live on this earth.  not that He'll make life easy for you by giving you things... but He will make life easy for you, by giving you peace.  Trust in Him. 

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 

been readin' anything good lately?!

well i HAVE!  besides the book about ruth and mary that i already raved about here i read two more of that lineage of grace series.  i read about tamar (unveiled) and rahab (unashamed).  the only one i have left is the one on bathsheba (unspoken).  francine rivers is such a fun author to read!  these books have really encouraged me to dig into His word and read.  all of these books in the lineage of grace series have a "seek and find" section at the back.  that section is designed to help the readers discover the story as recorded in the Bible.  it consists of six short studies that one can do on his/her own, or with a small discussion group.  i think that's an AWESOME idea and i'm glad she includes that part.
i also skimmed over the two prayer books that i'm reading, passionate prayer (by catherine martin) and praying god's word (by beth moore).  the book passionate prayer is a good devotional book.  it has really helped my passion for prayer grow, which i'm sure was the point of the book.  it also has taught me a lot in the mean time.  praying god's word is an AMAZING AMAZING book that i was tickled to find on amazon for $1.99 used.  i was tickled even pinker when i received the book and it was in brand new condition!!!  i'm excited to dig further into this book as i just started it in the past few weeks.  it is going along marvelously with the sermons we are listening to at our church.  God works in such mysterious ways.  i love it!
there are several other books that i'm flipping through.  it's so funny, i have never been a big reader.  reason #1 being that i am ssssslllllllllll...ow.  slow slow slow.  i am a bit ADD especially when it comes to reading.  i will stay on the same page for an hour, just reading, re-reading, getting sidetracked and then skimming over to find my spot that i left off, then re-reading again because i can't remember what was happening.  it's so hard for me!  a while back i realized that if the book was a good book, i didn't have that problem as much.  so, since i found that out, i've been trying to find and read good books.  there is a difference.  there are plenty of bad books!  and good for me isn't necessarily good for you. 
anyway, all this to explain the humor in me flipping through several books.  after finding i actually enjoyed reading good books, i never thought i'd get to the point where i was actually reading several books at the same time!  how insane is that?!  me, the ADD slow reader reading more than one book!!!  but it has happened for sure.  i just have to make sure the several books are nothing alike. 
so, i have my devotional reading books.  my biblical fiction books.  and then i usually have a parenting book and/or crafty-inspirational and/or cleaning/organizing type.  sometimes i also have a fertility/body/learning book too. 
my parenting book that i've been working on for a while, but not because it's not good, rather because i just got distracted with other good books, is bringing up girls, by dr. james dobson.  if you have girls, and you're bringing them up (parenting them), you should read this book!  it's very insightful!!!  in fact, i bet i pick it back up again tonight and read a few more chapters of it.  i got it for mother's day last year.  it was a great gift!!!
and speaking of parenting, i'm reading the little house in the big woods, by laura ingles wilder, with aleemay (age 6) and i'm LOVIN' IT!  i think she's likin' it (at least) too.  i really like reading to my kids, and it's nice when they get past the picture books and into some good reading.  i don't mind the picture books because they're never more than a few pages, but ... well, ya know... and if you don't, then that's ok too.
my monthly bible study (keepers of the home) started in on organization this month (yesternight), so i have those notes to fit that bill.  they are some good notes too!  i also found out last night that the leader of that group (i like to call her my mentor) is writing a book.  so that's cool.  she should.  she has lots of knowledge and experience. 
so... that's that.  i have a friend who does book reviews as she reads good books on her blog.  when i'm dry of ideas i always go through her list because she seems to like the same type of books as me.  (and now i have four links to four of her recent reviews handy-dandy on my blog!) 
so, i'm gonna sign off for the night and pick up a book to start reading (or keep reading).  happy reading, readers...
Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

more on prayer

if you remember at the beginning of this year i decided to start purposing to spend more time in prayer...  i also started a fourth day group and we just happened to start a book on passionate prayer at the same time (Passionate Prayer, by Catherine Martin).  last month one of my fourth day gals read most of the introduction to another book on prayer (Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds: Praying God's Word, by Beth Moore).  all of these things, as well as digging into His Word, have rooted me even further in my purposeful prayer life. 
here are a few of the benefits /slash/ things i've learned in my studies:

• God yearns for our communication with Him.
• communication is a 2-way street.  praying without reading His Word is like talking to someone non-stop with earplugs in and your eyes closed.  same goes vice verse, but might be a smidgen better because the person that you'd be listening to, would be Him...
• praying God's Word is a very powerful way of communication.  if you don't understand that, read the psalms and meditate on them.  those are some of the easiest verses/chapters to pray!
• praying adoration to God blesses HIM.  what a thought.  He blesses us in so many ways every single day.  wouldn't it be nice to return to Him some blessings?!  Adore Him for who He is, what He does, for His eternal glory, and eternal praise and gladness. 
• pray when you need to confess sin. 
• ask for His guidance/leading of the Holy Spirit.
• pray to say thank you.  thanking Him is different than adoring Him.
• pray constantly. 

and then yesterday the proverbs 31 facebook page had this as a status update:  Convert your thoughts into prayer. As we are involved in unceasing thinking, so we are called to unceasing prayer. The difference is not that prayer is thinking about other things, but that prayer is thinking in a dialogue with God. ~Henri Nouwen

isn't that just beautiful?!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

the messiah

i read a great book this past week.  it was about the life of mary, mother of Jesus.  it was wonderful.  the book was entitled, unafraid by francine rivers.  i love francine rivers.  she's an awesome author! 
the book gave me a whole new perspective on the second coming of Christ.  God works in mysterious ways and sometimes when we look forward to something, we get an idea in our head of how we want it to happen.  God knows a much bigger picture and His way is best.  we need to continue our faith in complete trust of His will... 
did you know that mary had an older sister named mary?  did you know the name mary means "sea of bitterness"?  back in the day, not only did the parents want a son to carry on the family name (which perhaps you can imagine was vital), but also for the chance at having their son be the messiah.  mary's parents were bitter (doubly bitter) that they weren't given that opportunity in either of their offspring.  
i recommend this book, unafraid by francine rivers to anyone.  it's available at our library, so i'd suggest you see if you could check it out at yours...  francine rivers writes a series of five books like this one about five women in Christ's lineage. 
i also read unshaken, the one about ruth's life.  it also was very insightful and fun to read.  it was eye opening at the steadfast faith ruth had, especially as a new believer.  it was inspiring.  prayer really works! 

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."