SistahFaith Blog Tour ~ It’s Time To Heal

ABOUT THE BOOK ~ SistahFaith: Real Stories of Pain, Truth, and Triumph

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? (Jeremiah 8:22, NIV)

Twenty-five women, including Bunny Debarge, Sharon Ewell Foster, Stanice Anderson, Claudia Mair Burney and Marilynn Griffith, tell their stories of coming full circle from tragedy to triumph. Each contributor keeps it holy, keeping it real in these raw, relevant tales of redemption and restoration. Think of it as Prozac for the Christian Woman’s Soul!

A twelve week study is included for churches and book clubs. Instructions provided on gathering your own SistahFaith circle.

Join the network of sistahs.

Check out the blog tour schedule for this book.

SistahFaith CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Griffith (editor); Stancie Anderson; Tanya R. Bates; Claudia  Mair Burney; Wanda J. Burnside; Robin Caldwell; Shelette CarlisleE; Lady Catherine; Etterlene “Bunny” Debarge; Dee East; Sharon Ewell Foster; Dorien Hage; Gail M. Hayes; Dr. Naima Johnston; Delores M. Jones, MSW, LMSW;  Stephanie L. Jones; Carmitta McCall; Lavonn Neil; Carlean Smith; Davidae “Dee” Stewart; Sonya Visor; Little Sally Walker; Rosalyn “Ros” Webb; Robin R. Wise; Kisha Woods.

ABOUT SISTAHFAITH, INC.

SistahFaith™ is a revolution of restoration, bringing hope and healing to the brokenhearted and those who love them. Our goal is to communicate Christ personally, practically and powerfully, bringing women full circle in faith, arts and life. Each of our books, conferences, events and multimedia projects address the problems facing today’s women in a raw and relevant way.

Join the network of sistahs at http://sistahfaith.ning.com/.

IT’S TIME . . .  by Dr. Gail Hayes

It’s time to move. It’s time to breathe the freshness of God’s new mercies. It’s time to step out of darkness and embrace something sweet…something real, something elegantly raw, yet wonderfully powerful, and lusciously dangerous.

It’s time to shout it from the mountain tops! It’s time to run with passion in places where we’ve always had to walk softly. It’s time to open doors that have been closed to us for centuries. It’s time to remove the cobwebs of fear and breathe in the air of determination and purpose. It’s time to seek places, people, and things that man has placed off limits to us. It’s time to change our minds without changing our hairstyles. It’s time to change our dresses without changing our color choices. It’s time to strip off old thinking without changing powerful traditions that make us who we are. It’s time to dance like there is no tomorrow because of yesterday’s deliverances! It’s time to sing with voices strong, as we teach our daughters the power of feminine voices united!

It’s time to strut our stuff without walking away from our God. It’s time to inhale the essence of Him…’cuz He’s sweet yall! He made us in the indescribably beautiful shades of chocolate…the wondrous beauty of the brown…the chocolate tsunami…the coming tidal wave…the drink deep, even if you don’t like chocolate, but it’s too bad ‘cuz we are here…we are here to stay kind of chocolate.

It’s time to stop, look, see, feel, run, move, strut, shout, speak, laugh, and consume the beauty of…believing beyond boundaries. It’s time to embrace… Sistahfaith!

ABOUT DR. GAIL M. HAYES:

Sistah Gail is founder and CEO of Daughters of the King Ministries. She is the author of several books, including Daughters of the King: Finding Victory through your God-Given Personal Style. A popular speaker, Gail helps women and business people step into their destiny by discovering identity and grasping their purpose. To invite Dr. Gail to speak to your group or just say hello, contact her at info@DaughtersoftheKing.org.

In Other Words: Christian ~ Noun AND Adjective?

Christian
is a great noun
and a pour adjective.

~ Rob Bell

O

ften as we are walking through a store my kids will point someone out and ask if they are a Christian because they are wearing a cross necklace or have on a t-shirt that refers to God.   It used to be I picked out “Christians” by the way they dressed.  Not only did I learn the hard way, so did my children, that

. . . God sees not as man sees,
for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart.
I Samuel 16:7

When my girls and I started wearing jeans, we were called names and shunned by other “Christians”, many of whom still will turn away from me if they see in in the store.  A dear friend of mine was in a conservative church for thirteen years, her husband a deacon and Sunday School teacher, her children playing the piano and all of them serving in various ways, always attending whenever the church doors were open.  But as she stood by her husband for years who was deteriorating from  Frontotemporal Dementia, her church family did not.  They were not able to go to church as often because of his illness.  Pat shares on her blog, Pausing to Consider,

Christian love became a mockery to us while we watched him die without fellow Christians to visit, send a card, or call to see how he was doing. Those who called him “Brother Dave” only lived a few miles from us.

We see people in our churches fail, sin, move away, absent for a time, sick etc. and we ignore because we don’t want to be like them or their standards are not ours, and  instead of reaching out to them in love, showing Jesus’ love to bring them back to the fold, or give them love and encouragement as they move on to where God is leading them.  Instead, we stay in our “Christian” circle, with “our” people.

As Christians do we only carry the name, Christian – the noun part – and not demonstrate the adjective part?

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22

By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.
John 13:35

This week Tami is our hostess for IOW, sharing on the quote at the top of this post and is writing on it on her blog, The Next Step. Be sure to visit her site and the links to the other women who have shared on this quote. Then come back here on Friday, for next Tuesday’s new quote for In ‘Other’ Words or find In Other Words on Facebook!  Join In Other Words on Facebook and you will be sent a reminder of the new quote on Monday’s.

Multitude Monday ~ One Thousand Gifts

Writing on Day 7 in the hospital with daughter, Jessica
who just had her gallbladder out . . . so much to be thankful for . . .

141 ~ wisdom given to doctors & nurses

142 ~ compassion from doctors & nurses
who not only listen intently to their patient
but the parents too

143 ~ the cot by my daughter’s bed so I could stay with her

144 ~ praise over and over again of the safety
of her surgery and she has less pain going home
than when she went in

145 ~ anesthesia and pain medications

146 ~ coumadin and heparin which help my daughter’s
artificial mitral valve not stick

147 ~ praying family & friends

148 ~ visits from caring friends

149 ~  meals brought to our children at home

150 ~ volunteers walking children and
holding babies when parents are not available.

151 ~ hospital food – yes, really
thinking of those with no food ~ how can we complain?

152 ~ The hotel within the hospital for daddy to sleep at
only 5 minutes from hospital room.

153 ~ gifts donated to the hospital
to show compassion to the patients
(Jessica got a beautiful hand-made fleece blanket)

154 ~ Hot Carmel Machiato
from the Starbucks Cafe in the hospital

155 ~ Free usage of a washing machine & dryer
just down the hall from Jessica’s room

156 ~ adjustable hospital bed

157 ~ Computers, cell phones, texting . . .
keeping in touch with our children at home

158 ~ heated blankets warming Jessica

159 ~ icepacks to ease the pain on her incisions

160 ~  The Words from this song really ministered to me this week, especially,

My beating heart ♥ My very soul ♥ Is held by One who won’t let go

share your 1000 gifts

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

FOR TODAY…
Monday, February 7, 2010

Outside my window…
tall buildings, helicopter landing pad,
construction of a new hospital wing and an atrium.

I am thinking…
that once again God reveals Himself so clearly
in HIS timing that we could not have
planned out any better.
I am amazed at the details He really cares about.

I am thankful for…
God using doctor’s, nurses to better my daughter’s health this past week,
and for those helping our children at home with meals, errands, diapers & compassion.

From the [hospital] learning rooms…
learning all about gallbladders, how our daughter’s was longer than normal
and in a different position, which is now understandable why her pains were
in a different area, previously not making sense to the doctors why it hurt
where it did..

From the kitchen hospital cafeteria . . .
Jessica ordered her breakfast ~ bagel with cream cheese, bacon, sprite

I am wearing…
comfortable clothes!

I am creating…
with God’s help, disciples for Jesus.

I am going…
home from the hospital today with my husband & daughter!

I am reading…
Love and War: Finding the Marriage You’ve Dreamed Of
by John & Staci Eldredge
(EXCELLENT BOOK . . . review here this week)

I am hoping...
a normal blood thinning level for Jessica so we can go home from the hospital today!

I am hearing…
too much activity in the hospital – tv’s, nurses and doctors making their rounds and discussing,
food carts being pushed down the hall, phone’s ringing, medication monitors going off, babies crying, etc.

Around the house Hospital…
more of the above, along with doors slamming, children walking as they push their
medication poles, charts hanging by each door, more alarms going off, the smell of
bleach (disinfecting after a child leaves); paint and waxing the floor fumes.

One of my favorite things…
this past week is seeing the genuine care of my children for each other,
and their being servant-hearted.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
to go home and get things back to our “normal”.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…
missing home . . . can’t wait to love on my kids at home.

This is in participation with

The Simple Woman’s Daybook.
I invite you to visit the link and be encourage by other women’s
thoughts on these same thought ideas.

Pursuing Love ~ Love is Patient (& update on our daughter)

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ast Saturday night I spent an hour in the ER with my daughter who has had open heart surgeries, and also deals with a lot of pain from spinal defects.  She had been dealing with a lot of pain for several days that was not lessening. Long story short, we were in and out of the ER in an hour, with the doctor telling us it was either a reaction to the antibiotic she had been on or it was just PMS.  I knew it was more than that with the level of pain she was in and I was not a happy mama.  I let the doctor know how I felt.

Sunday afternoon I read about a meme on Pursuing Love.  I clicked it . . . here is some of what I read:

I think it’s  the Lord pursuing after  us, wooing us to be more  like Him, transforming us into His likeness.

He desires us to love like He loves.  To love the simple pleasures and  those who bless us. He also desires us to demonstrate love even in the hardest of situations.  Doctor’s that mismedicate a loved one . . .

OUCH!  The doctor knew I was not happy with him when I left.  I was not nasty, but not kind either . . . but these words were a reminder this past week to be patient, as this week for this meme the topic is “Love is patient.”   Little did I know that there would be a lot of learning in the coming days that I would have to show,  “Love is patient.”  On Monday we discovered Jessica had gallstones, and took her to the hospital on Tuesday for evaluation and admission to the hospital   It’s been a LONG week here – she did not have her gallbladder out until  Thursday.  Because of her heart defects and being on coumadin (blood thinner) it’s not any easy process.  Her levels had to come down.  She also had two teams of doctors overseeing her – the cardiology team and the pediatric surgery team.  They did not always agree – they were not all convinced it was really her gallbladder; there were differences on medications; there were differences on when she should come off medications or which ones she should be on; and she missed her first meal after surgery  because some thought she should eat, others did not want her to eat the evening after her surgery.  We were in the middle of a whirlwind many times and even the nurses were frustrated.

I am so thankful looking back to see how God intervened in His mysterious ways we did not even realizing were happening.  The timing could not have been any better with this being the slowest time for my husband’s business.   Jessica has a special elderly friend who had open heart surgery just a few months from hers.  On Thursday they BOTH were having their gallbladders out, less than an hour apart.  When they took Jessica down to the pre-op room, they were just about to take her for surgery, when she got bumped.  There was an emergency trauma and another child needed emergency surgery.  I am so thankful for the peace that flooded us, because a year ago it was the reverse.  Another child was bumped for us, so Jessica could have emergency open heart surgery to save her life.  I’ve prayed often for the child and seeing this in the news we wondered if it was this child.

We should be going home within the next day or so.  We are just waiting for Jessica’s blood thinning levels to be at the right point.  Yes, it will take more patience.  It’s been long nights of many interruptions and late night admissions into her room.  If Jessica sees me all stressed over stuff, it does not help her.  But as I am showing her that love is patient, she learns too.  Often I am told I must have so much patience with having ten children. Ohhhh, no.  It’s being challenged daily, from a toddler getting into things and not wanting to be potty-trained, to homeschooling,  older children knowing more than I do, and now entering a couple of courtships.  Life is a whirlwind!  But I see when I work on being patient, not only does my attitude change, so does the attitudes around me change.  I am so thankful that God’s mercies are new every morning and His love is patient for me!  It’s definitely a work in progress!

Jessica & her daddy bowling on the Wii in her hospital room

In Other Words ~ Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Tami’s blog, The Next Step. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to The Next Step and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective.

~ Rob Bell

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Healthy Heart: Physical & Spiritual Blog Tour with Rhonda McKnight

February is NATIONAL HEART AWARENESS MONTH and also NATIONAL CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS (CHD) MONTH, with February 14th being Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) Awareness Day.  Since I have a 13 year old daughter with CHD who has had three open heart surgeries, this is close to my heart, especially since she is in the hospital at this time and having surgery today to have her gallbladder out but at greater risk because of her heart defects & is on the peds cardiology floor).  I will have brief updates on my blog here.

Join Rhonda McKnight, author of Secrets and Lies, on the five day Healthy Heart: Physical and Spiritual Blog Tour.

Be sure to leave a comment on this blog posting for your chance to win a copy of this book.
WIN 3 GREAT GIVEAWAYS – CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

ABOUT THE BOOK ~ Secrets And Lies

Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of poor communication and neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.

Pediatric cardiologist Jonah Morgan is obsessed with one thing: his work. A childhood incident cemented his desire to heal children at any cost, even his family, but now he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Will he continue to allow the past to haunt him, or find healing and peace in a God he shut out long ago?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rhonda McKnight is the owner of Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today, a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She’s the vice-president of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. When she’s not editing projects, teaching workshops about writing or penning her next novel, she spends time with her family. Originally from a small, coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for twelve years.

Visit Rhonda online at http://www.rhondamcknight.net.

READ AN EXCERPT  ~ Secrets and Lies by Rhonda McKnight (Excerpt)

My Daughter is in the Hospital . . .

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y daughter, Jessica, was admitted to the hospital yesterday.  My husband & I are with her, about three hours from home.  Jessica is our daughter who has had three open heart surgeries.  She is in because of extreme pain which was first thought to be gallbladder.  Though she does have gallstones, they are not completely sure if it is her gallbladder and running a series of tests.   Because of her heart condition, she is also on coumadin, a blood thinner, so if she needs surgery it needs to be closely monitored.  They  have already taken her off the coumadin, and are giving her heparin shots which can be monitored more closely if she needs surgery.  She will be having a HIDA SCAN to determine if her gallbladder is working right.  We sure hope to get some answers today.  Please pray for Jessica.  She is quite discouraged with the pain and not getting the help she’d like.

My husband also had hernia surgery on Monday, and we have done a LOT of running around the hospital for over 9 hours on Tuesday from one end to the next, going to tests, and having to move our car from one side of the hospital to the next. We got here at 3 pm and never really got settled in our room until almost midnight and Norm after this in the hotel.  He is especially worn down, so please pray for healing for him.

For those that I do book reviews for . . . I have a couple ready to go up, but if the one for you has not gone up, I apologize, and can get to it later.  Right now, this with my daughter is top priority.  Thank you for your understanding.

In Other Words ~ Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Nina’s blog, Mama’s Little Treasures. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go Mama’s Little Treasures to and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

He who can reach a child’s heart can reach the world’s heart.

~ Rudyard Kipling

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

A God Picked Coffee Cup

A week ago the pastor had a sermon titled, “Do You Believe”, going on the Scripture verse, Mark 9:35, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  He encouraged us to believe on a daily basis – not just the one time of making a profession of faith, but making the commitment daily, of believing.  I’ve thought often on this verse . . . do I really believe God will answer ALL my prayers (even if it’s not the way I had hoped); that He really cares about the little intricate details of my life.  I’ve seen Him answer the big prayers, and seen Him work details out of our daughter’s recent open heart surgery . . . but what about those little things – do they really matter to Him?  Do I really believe He cares that deeply?

Well, He showed me – through coffee cups.  I went to a ladies retreat on Friday and Saturday.  We’ve been attending a new church, and I don’t know many people.  I hate going into new groups not really knowing people.  It brings me back to my high school days of who am I going to sit by in the lunch room?  I got a little late to the retreat on Friday, being one of the last ones to walk in.  At the registration table I received a packet of information and then was told to pick out a coffee cup I’d like to keep.  There were several different ones left and I chose one.  I had encouraged my friend, Hannah, who had recently lost her baby to attend, and found her at a filled table, but was able to squeeze in another chair to sit by her.  Then the leader of the retreat announced that we would be moving to different tables, to meet new women.  Before she finished the details, my heart was pounding – I’d have to go to another table, with women I do not know?  Where is the door to leave?   The coffee cups we each chose – were in groups of four.  There were four matching ones of each kind, and we were to find out who the other three were that had our matching cups and sit together –  amongst the 90 women in attendance.  I am sitting at table with 5 women – 4 of us had the exact same coffee cups!  Hannah and I each had picked the same one, and another mutual friend.  I did not know the other gal, but Hannah and our mutual friend knew her.  One gal had to leave our table to find her matches.  WOW!  God did THAT?  He cared enough that Hannah (who also felt the same way) and I had the same matching cups . . . to put us together with people we were comfortable with.  God knew it was not nearly as important for us to “meet new women” but we needed the confidence in this new setting.  We were all amazed.  And Hannah, who was struggling with just being sad, having a rough day, was given such evidence from God, that she SHOULD be there.  It was such a neat way to start the evening.

Then, the first song we sang together at the retreated had such meaning for both Hannah and I ~ Blessed Be Your Name.  After our 16 year old son went to heaven, another son picked up the guitar.  It was his way of working through healing, learning to play the guitar.  The first time he played in church, this was the song.  Then, the first Sunday that Jesse & Hannah attended after the death of their baby son, one week after his birth, one of the songs the congregation sang together was, Blessed Be Your Name.  The Friday night retreat was also on the anniversary date of our stillborn daughter’s birthday into heaven.  So, to sing those words . . . .

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

I’ve got a coffee cup I will treasure.  God was so evident this weekend in conversations with women and alone time with Him.  Below is a verse I’ve used when I make Memory Bracelets or Mother’s Bracelets, but this time . . . instead of a (birth)stone, I see a coffee cup.

And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone [coffee cup] shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.
Joshua 24:26, 27

Blog Book Tour: Beautiful Ugly by Shelia E. Lipsey

About the book, Beautiful Ugly
Three friends with different struggles rely on God and each other to get by. Layla Hobbs has so much to offer, including a beautiful singing voice, but obesity and low self-esteem hold her back from life and finding true love. Envy Wilson has always been Layla’s backbone. But what about her own dark secrets? She won’t share them with anyone, and it’s starting to eat away at her from the inside. And then there’s Kacie Mayweather. Stricken with cerebral palsy, she’s had her share of men—five baby daddies for six children, in fact. But she’s never had one man to call her own. They’ll need plenty of faith and support from each other to see the real beauty that lies within each one of them and fulfill their deepest desires at last

About the Author
Author Shelia E. Lipsey is a multi-award winning author.  Her novels are available at most bookstores nationwide as well as online.  Lipsey’s books have been called gripping, life-altering, memorable and realistic. Lipsey was recently awarded the 2009 Top Shelf Award for Beautiful Ugly by Black Pearls Magazine. She also won 2009 Shades of Romance Readers’ Choice Awards for My Son’s Wife in the following categories: Author of the Year, Christian fiction Book of the Year, Christian Romance of the Year, Best Book Cover of the Year, Best Fiction Book of the Year, among several other awards for her novels, Into Each Life and Sinsatiable.

Lipsey is the proud mother of two sons and the grandmother of three blessed young men. She is president of UCHisGloryBookClub.net, founder of Living Your Dreams Now a non-profit organization and MAAW (Memphis African American Writers).

Visit Shelia online at www.shelialipsey.com.

Read an Excerpt ~ Beautiful Ugly by Shelia E. Lipsey (Excerpt)

Beautiful Ugly was provided for review by TyWebbin Creations.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

FOR TODAY…
Monday, January 25, 2010

Outside my window…
a skating rink – our driveway – sheer ice

I am thinking…
that God is so amazing and shows Himself in unbelievable ways -
even through coffee cups (I’ll share about this later in another post).

I am thankful for…
laughter.

From the learning rooms…
computers clicking, pages turning, minds learning.

From the kitchen…
a kitchen sink full of dishes – proof we do not go hungry.

I am wearing…
a bright pink blouse – I am ready for spring!

I am creating…
with God’s help, disciples for Jesus.

I am going…
to work on getting more deep cleaning done this week.

I am reading…
The Daniel Fast: Feed Your Soul, Strengthen Your Spirit, and Renew Your Body and
SistahFaith: Real Stories of Pain, Truth, and Triumph

I am hoping...
and praying for peace in several friends’ lives.

I am hearing…
texting alerts on one of my kid’s phones.

Around the house…
paint cans waiting to be opened to bring freshness to walls.

One of my favorite things…
is seeing the spiritual growth with our older children,
and their accountability with each other.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
dusting and washing walls after a remodeling project has been completed
and my husband’s minor surgery on Friday.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…
cuddle & movie time with daddy

This is in participation with

The Simple Woman’s Daybook.
I invite you to visit the link and be encourage by other women’s
thoughts on these same thought ideas.

In Memory of Our Angela Hope – & 50+ Million Babies

Today is a bittersweet day.  Our precious little Angela Hope was born still, 12 years ago today at 36 weeks gestation.  It is hard to believe it’s been twelve years- and then in other ways , it seems like it was all a dream, because we never had her at home to make memories with.  Also, on this date, 37 years ago, abortion was legalized and since then over 50 million babies have been murdered. It breaks many mom’s and dad’s and grandparent’s hearts, who have said good-bye to wanted babies, while other babies are killed.

Today I also think of my dear friend Hannah & her husband Jesse, who just said good-bye to her precious three day old baby boy, Uriah, less than three weeks ago. Their baby was so very wanted.  It’s hard to understand God’s ways, but they are accepting . . .  and grieving.   Hannah gave me a gift in allowing me to be a part of their little baby’s short life, and one that I will always hold dear in my heart.  We don’t take the gift of life for granted.  Today is extra bittersweet, with so many emotions.   I invite you to read Hannah & Jesse’s blogs, and Jesse’s mom’s blog, Pausing to Consider, as they share their journey through grief, remembering and slow healing.  Please leave them a note of encouragement.

Below is a poem that was written in memory of Angela.  I shared it with Hannah when she was still in the hospital.  I think of little Uriah now in heaven, playing at Jesus’ feet as well.

Our eyes long to see you
Now you behold Him,
Our arms ache to hold you,
Now you know perfect love.
Our ears yearn for your voice,
Now you sing His praises.
We desired to feed you
Now you will never hunger.
We anticipated the
pitter-patter of your feet,
Now you play at His pierced ones.
We dreamed of years of
love and laughter,
Now you will never know pain.
We longed to watch you
grow and develop,
Now you are perfect.
This isn’t how we planned,

But we know Jesus loves you,
. . . and He loves us.
By Monique Stam

©Sunshine Portrait Studio ~ Baby Uriah's feet held by his loving mommy & daddy

In Other Words: Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Esthermay’s blog, The Heart of A Pastor’s Wife. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go The Heart of A Pastor’s Wife to and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring
peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace,
but a sword.

~ Matthew 10:34

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Review: Do You Wanna Be Made Whole? by Bernard Boulton

Three men, each with their own struggles are guided by their spiritual father, Pastor James Maxwell, who has dedicated his life to helping men avoid the same mistakes he has made, leading them to find wholeness and defeating sin.  Each man has to learn to work through major strongholds in their lives: Theo Dexter, separated from his wife  has to learn to put his family first, love and forgive his wife and forgive others in the business field;  Michael Cain, is a depressed evangelist; and Adam Jones, an educated and talented brother is bound by self-centeredness and womanizing.

The title of this fiction book, DO YOU WANNA BE MADE WHOLE?, comes from the story in Scripture about the blind man laying by the pool, and Jesus asks him, “Do you want to be made whole?”    This book would be especially appropriate for those in leadership positions seeking to help those struggling, for those who are struggling and their family/spouses. This is not just a “fluff” fiction book for pleasure reading – but though fiction, very real, heartbreaking stories of struggles so many have, and the healing and wholeness through Jesus that can be found.   As a mom,  I would not recommend to children or even older teens to read as some of it may be TMI – too much information.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Bernard Boulton is the pastor of New Mine Creek Church in southern Virginia. He is married to his wife of eighteen years, Vantoria and they are the parents of their son, Bernard Quincy. Bernard’s hobbies include reading, traveling and supporting his hometown team the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James. For more information, visit www.benardboulton.com.

DO YOU WANNA BE MADE WHOLE? was provided for review by TyWebbin Creations.

You can read a few pages of the book here.

In Other Words: Tuesday’s New Quote

(I apologize! I had this to go up automatically – and I found it sitting in my “to be published” file – sorry for the delay – but PLEASE join us!)
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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Kathryn’s blog, Expectant Hearts.  Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go Expectant Hearts to and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

Every happening, great or small,
is a parable whereby God speaks to us,
and the art of life is to get the message.”

Malcolm Muggeridge

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Review: Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

Having read two of Joshua Harris’ other books, I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship was delighted to read this newest book Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters which is being released tomorrow!  This newest book is nothing like his other books, it has nothing to do with dating, courtship or personal relationships other than the most important relationship, and this is really knowing God.   This is how Joshau Harris summarizes his book in the second chapter:

Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matter is my reveling in theology in my own simple way – not too polished, sometimes awkward, less than scholarly, hopefully gracious and faithful.  Even though these are deep truths, I don’t pretend to be swimming in the deep end of the pool.  I’m splashing in the shallow end.  But if my splashing can inspire you to dive in, I will have succeeded.

Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matter is a book on doctrine, theology and orthodoxy, which, if those words were in the title, many would turn away, never wanting to open such a “boring” book.  It is written in a conversational, testimonial tone, and certianly not boring.  It’s intriguing and yes, gets you to dig a little deeper.   He shares throughout the book in easy to understand language, definitely submerged in Scripture, along with personal stories of growth, and those of others.  He quotes often from such authors as John Piper and J. I. Packer.  It’s his desire to encourage others to learn, and grow and to know why we believe what we believe – is it just because what we were brought up with, or is it indeed our faith?

I wonder how many evangelical church kids are like the Amish . . . Many of us are not theologically informed.  Truth about God doesn’t define us and shape us.  We have grown up in our own religious culture.  And often this culture, with its own rituals and music and moral values, comes to represent Christianity far more than  specific beliefs about God do.

On a couple of personal notes (I find these “God things” – the timing of this book being read) - I barely started reading the first couple of chapters and thought, this has been about several conversations we have recently had with our children since they have come back from Passion 2010 which I have shared about in previous posts.  I had told my oldest son he has to read this when I am done, and a half hour later, as I continued reading, the author shared about his experience at the Passion conference in 1998 and listening to both John Piper and Louie Giglio as our children did!  WOW!  It was just exciting to see God affirm more with this – and to then be able to encourage our children with this book.

Another unique story I took personally was the author sharing about his brother and his wife losing a child – reading this less than two weeks after our friends lost their baby.  He said watching what his brother and sister-in-law went through was

. . . like watching from a distance as the home they lived in was hit by a tidal wave.  The wind and waves of suffering crashed like a tsunami against their life.  But when the waters cleared, the house of their life stood firm and strong.  Joel and Kimberly felt deep grief; they experienced deep anguish of the soul.  But they stood firm because they were rooted in a deep knowledge of God . . . When I think of Joel and Kimberly, I can’t bear to hear people speak of doctrine as a meaningless pursuit of facts and figures and formulas.  There’s nothing more important, more precious, more life securing than knowing and living by God’s truth.

Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matter is a “study of God.”  It’s for new Christians just discovering God.  It’s for old Believers who are walking the worn path and not seeking to know why they believe what they do.

I so appreciated Joshuah Harris’s humbleness throughout the book. I’d like to end with this quote from the book – may it be our prayer too.

I want to be like Josiah.
When my life disagrees with the Word of God,
I want to say,
“this Word is true, and I must change.”

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

You can read the first chapter here.

Swap your gift cards!

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id you get a gift card that you just won’t use, or does not have the the kind of items you want to buy or the restaurant that you like to go to?  Check out SwapAGift.Com.  It costs $1.99 to either sell your card here or swap it and no commisstion is taken from selling your card.  There is also a way of paying ANY bills with your giftcards.  And you can buy giftcards here as well, with no shipping cost and at a discount.

Now just in case family or friends who given us a gift card we are NOT returning any – NONE!    But we might just watch for a good deal to buy one here sometime! 

Book Review: Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Paul Meier, MD & David L. Henderson, MD

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began reading Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain: Uncover the Hidden Potential in Life’s Most Common Struggles well over a month ago.  I’ve sticky markers throughout it, and I wish I could share so much with you – but, instead, I hope I can encourage you to put this at the top of your reading list for this year.  As Christians we all go through pain or watch dear loved ones go through deep valleys.  I was concerned at first,  the viewpoint coming from the authors, two psychiatrists – Dr. Paul Meier and Dr. David L. Henderson.  But it is so Scripture-filled and hit me in so many areas of my life.

On the back cover of the book, it states a thought provking statement to encourage you to read:

What if, instead of chasing after a pain-free existence, we saw adversity as an ally?  A temporary companion who leads us away from danger and toward healing?  A trainer who pushes us through to the next level of growth?

The authors give encouragements in not just getting through pain and trials but how to grow through the seven common sources of pain in life:  injustice, rejection, loneliness, loss, discipline, failure, and death.  I appreciated the authors’ thoughts on loneliness:

You will never find complete relatedness in anyone else but God.  He is the only one who can relate to us completely and who can heal us of the pain of loneliness.  The indwelling of Christ into our humanity is what completes us, making us whole.  Ironically, this is the starting point for developing healthy relatedness to others.

I’ve shared over the past five years on my blogs of the earthly loss of our son and daughter.  One thing my husband and I have struggled with in the last year is the feeling of lost time . . . the long healing process and feeling like we missed out on so much with our family as we healed through a fog.  I loved this assurance:

Perhaps you are mourning over lost time.  Be encouraged, knowing that God does not operate under the constraints of human scheduling.  He can use even “wasted time” for His glory if we give it over to Him.  He can bring meaning and purpose to our lives, no matter what time we have left on earth.

And this on losses:

God always has a purpose for our losses, and His purposes are motivated out of a genuine longing to see us gain what is greater . . . Job’s losses were horrific and extremely painful.  We would not wish them on anyone, and neither would Job.  Yet Job is having a great time up in heaven right now, perhaps reflecting on earthly life and thinking, Wow, it was worth all that temporary pain to have a book of the Bible written about it that has helped millions of sufferers to learn from their pain and quit guilt tripping over it. If you knew your current losses and pain would one day accomplish great things, not just in your life but the lives of many others, would a life of loss be worth living to you?

Throughout Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain: Uncover the Hidden Potential in Life’s Most Common Struggles are stories of real people these authors counseled in their practices to illustrate their points, show life changes and how God and His Word can heal.   This is a book I will be recommending.

This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishers and this review expresses my honest opinion.

In Other Words: God’s Blessings in Astonishing Ways

God can pour on the blessings
in astonishing ways.

2 Corinthians 9:9 (MSG)

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his past week has been one of such mixed emotions.  There were high joys and deep sorrows.  Two major things happened.  Our four oldest children went to Passion 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia – a revival meeting of sorts – for kids young adults ages 18-25 years old with speakers such as Louie Giglio, John Piper, Beth Moore & singer, Chris Tomlin.    It’s a first our kids have done something like this – especially going so far away.  I am one plagued with all the “what ifs” . . . twenty-five kids driving from Michigan to Atlanta in two 15 passenger vans, one being driven by our oldest son, 14 hours, through various types of weather, plus leaving New Years Day at 7 a.m., after getting little sleep left this mom in a bit of a tizzy.  But they made it – there and back – safely, and continue to share the things God taught them and is continue to reveal in them.  It’s been neat to hear their words and see their excitement – FOR GOD!  One of our kids wrote on his Facebook:

I don’t even know what to say… Passion 2010 more than exceeded expectations…My mind feels like several storm systems just passed through and now I have to sort everything out and reorginize much of my life. My favorite quote: “There is no high like the Most High” -Beth Moore-

Another wrote:

Passion was …undescribable…unforgettable…overwhelmingly amazing!!!

Over 21,000 kids attended . . . and these kids because of blessings poured on them . . . gave  14,820 towels and 72,600 pairs of socks to assist the homeless shelters of Atlanta.  But that is just the beginning.  Read the Passion Blog here to see how much they gave, to help build wells in in Guatemala, send Bibles to Asia,  raise money for small business loans for women in Haiti and SO MUCH MORE.  Because of tender, giving hearts, God certainly poured on blessings in an astonishing way!

Sunday night some of them gave testimonies at church, and to hear one of our kids say, he did not realize what he did not know about God – that he has seen God in a new way – being both terrific and terrifying.  Tears came to my husband and my eyes to see their hearts melting in a new way, including in conversations and changes at homel.  God has poured blessings on them in astonishing ways and I am excited to see where it leads.

©Sunshine Portrait Studio

As I shared last week on IOW,  on Sunday, January 3, my friend of over ten years had a precious little boy, Uriah, who could not take his first breath on his own, and was immediately intubated.  After many tests, prayers and tears, little Uriah was removed from the ventilator and went to be with our Savior an hour later, just two days old.  It was heartbreaking to watch the parents, two siblings, grandparents and extended family and friends, hearts torn . . . yet there was such a peace and awe as we knew this little precious babe was in the presence of Jesus – the first sight he’d have would be His holy face.  Those left behind are aching so, but we can only imagine the the blessings poured on Uriah.  We have witnessed God’s blessings also poured on this family in astonishing ways.  As we look back we see how God prepared them, from Scripture to books they read – one just days before Hannah had Uriah.  Hannah had Uriah at 11:45 am on a Sunday, while the pastor of their church was preaching a message on the blind man and speaking on this verse, which he later used in the funeral service:

And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

God not only prepared the parents with these words in not searching for the whys and blaming, he prepared the pastor in a unique way as well.  Yes, the loss of a child is heart-wrenching, but because of our faith in Jesus, it’s not devastating.  The blessings of God has been poured on the parents in an astonishing way because of Jesus’ death. Though they will miss him until the day they see him again in heaven, this child they know is in heaven, and need not fear him turning from Jesus or not accepting Him.  Little Uriah never knew earth’s pains and sorrows.  It’s us, left behind that do.

And as a bystander, God poured a blessing on me in such an astonishing way with such peace and bittersweetness, to be able to hold little Uriah before and after he met Jesus, to be able to see God can use our heartaches and earthly losses for His glory and to know once again that the

. . . Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3,4

As little Uriah’s big sister sang with a friend at the funeral, It Is Well With My Soul, the words pierced a new meaning. What hope we have . . . because, God continues to pour blessings on in astonishing ways.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is Well With My Soul

Today is Tuesday’s In Other Words meme and is being hosted by Deborah, on her blog, Chocolate & Coffee. Please be sure to visit and see how others have shared on this quote.

Product Review: “Little Cook” game for iPod / iPhone & Photo Contest

Ihave an iPod Touch which is off-limits to my kids, for the most part.  I like it for my music, listening to PodCasts, especially if I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot sleep, and for keeping my grocery list on it and to quickly check-up on my e-mails or Facebook without having to turn on my whole computer and wait for it to all load up.  But, I have one page on my iPod just for little kid’s games – for special times with them or “quiet games” while waiting in the doctor or dentist’s office or a long trip in the van.  So, when they get a chance on “mom’s iPod” it’s pretty special.  Rarely do I spend money on anything to download on my iPod.  But, I found this game called Little Cook, saw some good reviews on it, and took the chance for only 99 cents!  And it was worth the 99 cents!

Little Cook is for young children, ages 4-7  as an interactive learning and playing tool.   As shown in the picture, the child picks what he/she wants to make: pizza in oven, soup, omlette, icecream sundae (in freezer) and clicks on it and then puts the ingredients into it.  Of course the first one my children picked was the pizza, then clicking the variety of ingredients which scroll by to put on the pizza – normal ingredients along with some unusual ones.  My little girls at first made the pizza the “normal” way, picking out cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc., but then later they made a “silly” pizza with fish, chocolate chips, and blueberries on it.  Once the child has competed making their item they click to see a little girl eating it, and giving her opinion on it.  When they did the “silly pizza” there were many giggles from my girls with the sounds of the girl saying “that tastes bad“,  ”yuck“,  and “this is not tasty“.

Little Cook is $.99 for a limited time, 75% off it’s regular price.   I hope that in time they add a few more items for a child to make and give the option after the girl “tries” it, to be able to “take it back” and make it correctly rather than having to start from scratch.  But, I really like this game and so do my little girls (ages 6, 8, 10).  Little Cook is ranked # 5 in the Educational Games category, and # 8 under Kids’ Games in the iTunes App Store.

Aqility, Inc., the designer and developer of this game is holding a contest, The Little Cook “Little Critic” Photo Contest with prizes being:

1st Place – $50 iTunes Gift Card and a free copy of Little Cook
2nd Place – $30 iTunes Gift Card and a free copy of Little Cook
3rd Place – $20 iTunes Gift Card and a free copy of Little Cook

Be sure to check out how to enter, but the main way is to submit funny pictures of  your kids eating!

This was a personal purchase and this review expresses my personal, honest opinion.

In Other Words: Living by Feelings or Faith? (UPDATE on baby Uriah below)

How we respond to difficulties will determine whether we are a winner or a whiner. One of Satan’s first temptations when our life appears to be on hold like Joseph is to tempt us to live by feelings instead of faith.

by ~ Michael Yousse

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ittle did I imagine how I’d write on this quote.  It’s not the way I wanted to write on it.  But life happens . . . it hurts and makes detours we never imagine.  But God knows.  Yesterday my friend of over ten years, Hannah, had a beautiful baby boy, Uriah.   Uriah was born not breathing and immediately had to be intubated and at the time of writing this, he is on a respirator, in critical condition, with no reflex movements and possible brain damage.  Hannah and her husband have not been given a lot of hope that he will live.  I had the privilege of spending most of Sunday with them.  It was heartbreaking yet there is hope on God’s side.  If Uriah does not live we know he will be in heaven to spend eternity.  If he lives on earth, even with struggles, God is in control.

But there are the why’s and Satan is on attack to destroy not only Hannah & Jesse but also those who know them by allowing whisperings and conclusions that are untruthful. I know . . . I was here 12 years ago this month when our daughter, Angela Hope was born still. It is easy to self-blame through this experience – was it something I did wrong, a sin I committed . . . is God punishing me?  Others will judge and come to conclusions.  God does not measure one sin worse than another.  We all sin.  We all need to repent and we receive forgiveness from a loving God whose mercies are new every morning.  God has not allowed little Uriah’s critical condition because of the sins of his parents.  God does not work that way.  None of us would live long if that were the case!  But as Christians can be like the Pharisees who questioned Jesus and find where we’ve slipped, fallen and yes, bluntly, sinned.  And as said in the quote above, we decipher more by our feelings and not our faith in God and God’s Word and His truth.

Hannah and Jesse, you will come out winners for God as you remain steadfast in Him.  You will come out shining like gold.  God will use Uriah’s life whether it be just a few days or many years if you allow Him.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.   Amen.
I Peter 5:8-11

God is still working on making us perfect.  In the meantime, there is suffering, growing, strengthening . . .  and God never leaves us forsakes us.  What hope.

Thank you Hannah for letting me share this . . . and for my readers, prayers would so be appreciated for Hannah, Jesse & baby Uriah, his two siblings and extended family.

UPDATE: Precious little Uriah slipped away to heaven, breathing freely celestial air, and opening his eyes for the first time to see Jesus on Tuesday, January 5, 2009.  We grieve . . . but not as those with no hope. I Thes. 4:13

Today is Tuesday’s In Other Words meme and is being hosted by Karen, on her blog, In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus.  Please be sure to visit and see how others have shared on this quote.

In Other Words ~ Next Tuesday’s Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Karen’s blog, In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

“How we respond to difficulties will determine whether we are a winner or a whiner. One of Satan’s first temptations when our life appears to be on hold like Joseph is to tempt us to live by feelings instead of faith.”

by ~ Michael Yousse

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Review: The Rest of Health: Learn the 7 Vital Strategies to Optimize your Wellbeing

This is a uniquely written book, authored by a  married couple – one of which is a family physician; the other a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist ~ David & Sonya Cameron.  The Rest of Health: Learn the 7 Vital Strategies to Optimize your Wellbeing is written from their experiences, but instead of just giving all the medical and physiological information and the 7 steps, it is woven through a fiction story.  The story revolves around a man, Mike, who seeks help for his marriage through of his doctor, therapist, pastor and even a barista at the local coffee shoppe.  As though you are right there with Mike as he struggles with anger, working too long of hours and not knowing when to say no, and struggles with his marriage, you will see and hear the emotions and advice given, along with interactive worksheets, self-assessments and discussion questions that might be in a typical counseling session allowing you to self-critique and work through things alone, in a group or with a spouse.

You will follow Mike through the seven steps which are:

1. Looking to learn
2. Transforming your thinking
3. Establishing healthy boundaries
4. Caring for your body
5. Raising your emotional I.Q.
6. Cultivating your spiritual life
7. Fine-tuning relationships

The Rest of Health: Learn the 7 Vital Strategies to Optimize your Wellbeing is an interesting reading book, and would be especially ideal for small groups and a great way to start a new year!  I believe it would also be ideal for a married couple to go through in fine tuning their marriage.

This book was provided for review by The B & B Media Group, Inc. and this review expresses my honest opinion.

In Other Words ~ Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Miriam’s blog, Miriam Pauline’s Monologue. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to Miriam Pauline’s Monologue and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

“Just as Our Lord came into human history from outside, so He must come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God?”

by ~ Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Merry Christmas – the best is yet to come . . .

From Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
December 25, 2009

Book Review: The One Year Did You Know Devotions 2

This book might just be the one for the 9-12 year old in your life. Kids love trivia, and this book has it, wrapped all around Scripture!

Here are some titles from this book:

• What can a snake’s teeth tell you?
• What was the first book ever printed?
• What was one of the first video games?
• Why was Alka-Seltzer Invented?
• How many colors can we see?

Written by a former school teacher, Nancy S. Hill, The One Year Did You Know Devotions 2 has 365 days of trivia, Scripture and memory verses, geared for ages 6-10, (but I think the older kids will like it as well).  This book would work great for family devotions, giving great discussion starters, since each devotional is only one page long.

This book was provided for review by Tyndale House Publishers and this review expresses my honest opinion.

Book Review: For Girls Only! Devotions

If you are looking for a last minute gift for a young teenage girl in your life, have you thought of a devotional book?  For Girls Only! Devotions by Carolyn Larsen might just be the book your daughter needs to get her started off for the new year!  The back cover says:

Fighting your fears!

Feeling like you don’t measure up!

Dealing with gossip!

For Girls Only! Devotions talks about the issues you face.

Many devotion books tell you what the Bible says; this one does that . . . and more! It also helps you live out what the Bible says. Each devotion includes a story about a real issue, a self-quiz for you to check out how you’re doing, some tips on living out the message, and quotes and Scriptures to reinforce the lesson. It’s a fun way to learn more about living out your faith in real life.

I like this book and will be giving it to a friend’s daughter who I think this will fit just perfectly with some of the things she is struggling with.  This is an attractive book for a girl, from the front cover being modern, to the purple font color throughout the book (along with purple shaded pictures).  Each devotional is four pages long.  The first two pages include a short story along with discussing the relevant topic.  The next two pages are more “hands on” with things to do and think about, including a “Checkup Time” which the girl can rate things discussed in the devotional from one to five and then you add up the numbers and suggests how to work on things.  There is also a section on “Things To Do”  and “Things to Remember” which give practical ways to go further . . . with things to apply personally and do along with more Scripture verses and quotes from other authors.

For Girls Only! Devotions is down to earth, “real” and may really hit some girls where they are.  With over 50 devotionals, I might suggest even using this for a girls’ Sunday School class, and working using the practical suggestions for the girls to work on throughout the week.  It is suggested for children ages 8-12, but I believe it could go for even older girls, possibly up to age 16 depending on how old they are emotionally.

This book was provided for review by Tyndale House Publishers and this review expresses my honest opinion.

In Other Words ~ Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Patricia’s blog, Typing One-Handed. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to Typing One-Handed and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

“Let us remember the proclamation of the angel: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
He is Christ the Lord”
(Luke 2:10-11).
May our hearts go out to the unconverted people…who have no blessed Christmas day.
“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord”
(Nehemiah 8:10).

by ~ Mrs. L.B. Cowman
Streams in the Desert

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Review: Make Love, Make War: NOW is the Time to Worship by Brian Doerksen

This book is written by Brian Doerksen, the award-winning songwriter and worship leader.  If you listen to contemporary Christian music, you will right away recognize his music.  In Make Love, Make War: NOW Is the Time to Worship, Mr. Doerksen shares stories and inspirations of behind twelve of his songs.  Not only does he just tell how he came to write about the songs, at the end of each chapter he gives “Songwriting Tips”. I appreciated one of his tips to write

“. . . secret songs that are only for God’s ears.  A worship leader once told me, ‘I want to write a song that the church around the world will sing.’  Sounds grand and great!  But actually it sounds like pride.  My suggestion to emerging writers is simply this:  Instead of trying to write a song that the church will sing, start by writing a song that you want to sing in secret to God. Write the song that you have the guts to sing in secret when no one else but God will hear you!”

Come, now is the time to worship
Come, now is the time to give Him praise
Come, bring Him your best and worship
Come, give Him your all in glorious praise
Come

I appreciated getting to know about his songs in Make Love, Make War: NOW Is the Time to Worship, and how they came into being.  One of my favorite songs, and probably his most popular song, is “Come Now is the Time to Worship” (chorus above).   He wrote it during one of the lowest times in his life and was feeling very broken.  He said in writing this song,

“I needed to know that I could come and worship God just the way I was and that He would receive me even though my life was not all together.  I needed to know that worship was about our heart, not our accomplishments . . . Would you like to know a songwriter secret?  We basically write the songs that we need to sing.  God by His mercy sometimes enables them to become songs for other people too, but we are writing the things that we really need to say to stay sane and alive!”

The songs with their meaning to the the author that are covered in this book are:

1. Come, Now is the Time to Worship
2. Holy God
3. Father, I Want You to Hold Me
4. Refiner’s Fire
5. Fortress 144
6. Today (As for Me and My House)
7. Psalm 13 (How Long O Lord)
8. Your Faithfulness
9. Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)
10. It’s Time For the Reign of God
11. With All My Affection
12. Song for the Bride (Isaiah 30:15)

I appreciated the author/songwriter’s heart towards spiritual warfare battles and using the songs gives us either personally or being ministered through by other’s music and claiming the songs to encourage us and take a stand. However, I found Make Love, Make War: NOW Is the Time to Worship a little hard to follow at times where thoughts were not completed, losing it’s focus. I did still enjoy reading the backgrounds of these songs and why he wrote them which will give a new meaning to me when I hear or sing them again.

Watch Brian Doerksen’s video “It’s Time”

This book was provided for review by The B & B Media Group, Inc. and this review expresses my honest opinion.

In Other Words: Trusting God’s Pattern

“When the trials of life unravel
the fabric of our plans.
When we face the deep confusion
of painful circumstance.
When our feeble strength is broken,
and we stand with empty hands.
That’s when the Father whispers
‘Trust the pattern I have planned.’ “

Lyrics from song, The Weaver

I

think I could write a book on this quote – but don’t let me scare you away!  I will try not to be too long here, because it’s In Other Words Tuesday, and you will want to visit the others who have written on the above quote.  I chose this quote for today because it’s between two very significant dates for this month.  If you’ve read my previous posts, you will know we just went through the 5th anniversary of the death of our 16 year old son, Matthew, which was December 11, 2004.  His funeral flowers were all reds and greenery.  Our church, where the memorial service was held was decorated for Christmas, with a big Christmas tree up. I know . . . it’s Jesus birthday, and that is the most significant part of it.  We have celebrated Jesus birthday these past 5 years – but it was zapped.   We’ve have struggled for years anyway with the “meaning” of the Christmas tree, and had not put one up for many years, but just days before Matthew died, we decided to put up this country looking one – even considered keeping it up year ’round to decorate according to seasons.  Matthew bought it from the store he worked at, and put it up for me.  We had it behind behind our piano which was on an angle in the corner.  He got milk crates to put the tree on top of it, making it appear taller.  We had fun doing it together . . . and then days later, he was gone.  We left it up for almost two years – not changing it.  But then we painted our living room and decided it was time to take down.  We kinda dumped it in the garage attic, and then did not put one up for the years following.  The kids asked . . . but we just did not want to face it.

I mentioned we are in between two significant dates.  The other date is December 19, 2008.  Our daughter, Jessica Joy, had emergency open heart surgery last December.  This alone is so detailed with God’s pattern which, honestly,  I did not trust from the beginning.  She had two open heart surgeries as a baby and we knew she’d need more.  During the summer of 2008 we found out she has serious spinal problems as well, where she will need surgery on her neck.  Why?  Why would God allow her to have more problems?  Why would God allow her to suffer with headaches all the time, limiting mobility and limiting what she can do?  We wanted to get a second opinion, so on December 18th we went to the University of Michigan, where she had her previous heart surgeries.  Since she had an early morning appointment, we went the night before, staying in a hotel that is within the hospital.  We took her up to the PICU to show her where she spent 10 weeks as a baby, taking a picture of her.  We went to our hotel room, within a short time she was having a hard time breathing, her heart pounding hard that we could she her chest moving through her pj’s.  I thought she was just having a panic attack over her appointment.  I took her for a walk, pushing her in a wheelchair.  We stopped at a large window and looked out to the lovely, peaceful scene – snow falling on many trees that were lit up with lights.  Jessica said to me, “Mama, I keep thinking of that song – ‘no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears’. Mama, something is wrong with my heart.” We rushed her down to the peds ER, and hours later she was having open heart surgery to save her life.  Her mitral valve stopped working.  The peds cardiologist on call just happened to remember her as a baby.  Her surgeon just happened to also be there, minutes from starting another surgery that was not emergent and was able to take our daughter.   A week previously a secretary “laughed” at me when I pushed to get Jessica in to see the orthopedic surgeon sooner than months down the road.  ”There’s no way” she told me – and then looked at her computer and there just happened to be a cancellation, and we could get her in days later – the date of her heart failure.  There’s many more details to Jessica’s miracle surgery story, which can be read here.

So, why don’t I trust?  I am learning, but it’s been baby steps!  I’ve been amazed when I struggle or doubt, how the right Scripture verse comes along, I am sent just the right book to review, or someone calls or says something just at the right time, not even knowing the circumstance.  These past six months I’ve really begun to believe – I mean deep down believe – with awe – God’s love for me and that yes, He does have all the  pieces of my life put together.  He is using the good, the pain, the struggles, the questions and the brokenness - for His good that He can be glorified through it all.  No, I don’t understand it all, but I see He is in control, and He wants the best for me.

Yes, we have a Christmas tree up this year.  Jessica put it up with her younger siblings while my husband and I were out.  She dusted off the one Matthew gave us – and put the shinny red and gold stars up on it we got shortly after her surgery – red, Matthew’s favorite color, gold ones for God’s promises and giving Jessica a healed heart.  There were tears when we first saw it – but – what a miracle too.  And that is not the only miracle – it started over 2000 years ago when a Baby was born in a stable. God had all the pieces of our lives planned out even before this, and sent us a Savior so we could have eternal life, and so we have hope.  Hope to see our loved ones again.  Hope for our own eternal lives.

Our lives may unravel, be broken and painful, but I can hear Him saying, “Trust the pattern I have planned”.  Do you?

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’
declares the LORD,
‘plans for welfare and not for calamity
to give you a future and a hope.’
Jeremiah 29:11

If you have written on today’s In Other Word’s quote, please share your link below.  And even if you have not shared, please, visit the other’s writings and be encourage and encourage them by leaving a comment!

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In Other Words ~ Tuesday’s New Quote

P

lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

This week for Tuesday’s In Other Words I will be hosting, so all you need do is come right back here!  Below is the quote I have chosen.  Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday.   Then, come back here, share your link to your thoughts on this quote and read the links to the others – and if you cannot join in writing, do come by to read!

“When the trials of life unravel
the fabric of our plans.
When we face the deep confusion
of painful circumstance.
When our feeble strength is broken,
and we stand with empty hands.
That’s when the Father whispers
‘Trust the pattern I have planned.’  ”

Lyrics from song, The Weaver

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Review & Blog Tour: 40 Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day

I

am picky about devotional books.  I don’t like just feel good or fluff books.  It needs to impact.  It needs to be where I am at ~ the season of my life.  This is one of those books . . . that came at the right time . . . for me and to share with a couple of close friends.

In each devotional of Forty Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day, the author, C. D. Baker,  asks a question . . . probably a question you have asked sometime in your life . . . or a friend is asking right now.   Mr. Baker then answers with a short story from his personal life or sharing of someone else, based on Biblical wisdom and Scripture.  At the end of each devotional is a “Food for Thought” with questions we can ask ourselves, digging deeper to think of where our relationship is with Jesus.  This is followed by a prayer, many times from old texts or a Scripture verse.    Here is a glimpse at some of the chapter/devotional titles:

• Why am I so uncomfortable with doubts?
• Why don’t I have more faith?
• Why do I so easily lose self-control?
• Why can’t I seem to “run the good race?”
• Why do I only pray in emergencies?
• Why am I so desperate to be understood?
• Why am I stuck in the past?

This is just a few of the 40 soul-searching questions the author asks.  Forty Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day would also be idea to use in a group setting with the questions sparking discussions.  This would also make an ideal Christmas gift. Here you can  read Chapter one of 40 Loaves by C.D. Baker.

I enjoyed this book so much, I was delighted to find another devotional book he has written called, 101 Cups of Water: Relief and Refreshment for the Tired, Thirsty Soul on PaperBack Swap which I will be reviewing later this week along with several other devotionals.

“In accordance with the FTC regulations, I inform you that I received a copy of this book, Forty Loaves directly from the publisher, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for review purposes and have stated my honest opinion of this book.”

In Memory ~ 5 Years of Missing ~ 5 Years Closer to Heaven

Five years ago at this time, he was still here, as I write this Thursday night.  I wonder if heaven was preparing for him to enter the gates – were grandparents told to meet him at the gate in a short time?  Was Jesus whispering in certain ears to make their way open for us – so many were here for us just shortly after he left.  This will post on Friday close to the time  he quickly left us - five years ago . . . it seems like a monumental number.  Ohh, how we still miss Matthew.  On his birthday we celebrate him, and are so thankful for the 16 years God blessed us with him.  What do you do on a death date?  It was the worst day of our lives – and yet, there’s peace to know because of his personal faith in Jesus he is in heaven.  And, on this date, because of how he died, I have to once again share awareness the choking game, which took his life.  If you have not talked to your kids, in my son’s memory, will you?  Will you help make the sting of death a little less, knowing another child’s life can be saved? Even protected “homeschooled” kids are aware of it.  My new friend this past year, Cindy – a pastor’s wife, who also homeschools, learned about this killer game – it took her son too. She’s coming up on the one year anniversary – this is her first Christmas without John. Please talk to your children, grandchildren, your friends with children, teachers, principal, etc.  I know someday in heaven, there will be those who will be able to say to Matthew, that that they found Jesus, because his death gave them more time for life, by ceasing  the choking game.

Many ask how we are doing, where we are now . . . how our lives have changed.  This past year has been a better year, making memories without guilt . . . laughing and doing things without the continual ache.  It’s still comes in occasional waves – I see Matthew in his brothers – sometimes the way they laugh – sometimes even the angry looks – the country Christmas tree he gave me a few days before he died is back up for the first time this year.  There is life ~ here on earth and in heaven.  We’ve much to be thankful for.  The words I share below are from the book, Shattered, Shaken and Stirred, which I wrote a review for yesterday.  When I read this, it so clearly depicts where we have been and where we are.  I share this in memory of Matthew, alive in heaven ~ I miss you son.

” Yes, we survived . . . but barely.  Over time, the physical and emotional stress and strain wore away our ability to withstand; so we fell down, broken.  When we got back up, we looked and moved a little differently than we had before.  We thought differently and saw differently and felt differently.  Not necessarily worse, just . . . different.  We had changed and been forever transformed.  Not just by [Matthew's death], but through it.

In the blink of an eye, we became someone else.  We lost who we were, and our hopes and dreams of what we’d envisioned our life would be like.  That life is now so long ago that it seems like a ghost.  It is certainly dead.  But we are not.  Instead, we pierced the veil that separated the world we knew and entered one we could never have imagined.

Our adversity was not unlike many others’.  The experience of loss is unique to the sufferer, and there is no way that you – or anyone else – can fully comprehend another’s individual anguish.  It is lonely and isolating.  Nevertheless, the solitary journey of loss is ironically what we all have in common.  It binds us together because, of course, that lonely road is more crowded than you can imagine.  Eventually, everyone is on it . . . but you may not realize this until you pierce the veil.

I pray that you never experience the challenges that come from loss, adversity or heartache.  And yet, I know my prayers are futile because it is inevitable that you will.  We just don’t know when or how.  Nevertheless, try not to be bitter because it may be very well the thing that brings you back to life.  If you look hard enough, you will see that the crowded road – the one you dread most – is paved with living, healing grace. ”

Matthew has “no less days to sing God’s praise, than when he first began”  and someday we will join him ~ it’s the waiting that is hard . . . he in heaven and our home here – a temporary separation . . . thankful for Jesus – thankful for hope, grace and new mercies every morning.

This quote excerpt was from the book, Shattered, Shaken and Stirred (page 13, 14) by Gilbert Ahrens which I reviewed here.

Book Review: Shattered, Shaken and Stirred by Gilbert Ahrens

Ihave been amazed, the last few months especially, receiving a book to review, and it hits me so personally.  God is hand-picking these books . . . and here’s another one.  Friday marks the 5th anniversary death date of our son, Matthew.  It’s not been an easy five years, though this past year has been one of a more settled new normal and making new good memories.  Tomorrow I will share a longer excerpt from this book, that so clearly tells where we are at.  I just received this book a few days ago – I really had other books to read first, but I read the first page and could not put it down.

Shattered, Shaken and Stirred is a heart-wrenching, gripping and very honest true story of a family whose lives were changed in the blink of an eye.  The author, Gilbert Ahrens, and his wife, Kim; sister, Margot and there three week old daughter, Olivia had left a wedding and were on the way back to their hotel when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver traveling 95 miles per hour.  His wife broke her neck, paralyzing her.  Amazingly, their daughter, did not have any injuries.  The author writes this book to her, sharing the details of the accident and long recovery.    Dreams of their future died and they ended up in a new world of “survival”.

Shattered, Shaken and Stirred shows the emotional side of this father/author as he relates the heartache he has, to be able to get down on the floor and play with his baby while his wife watches from afar, in a wheelchair.  The first time she holds her after the accident . . . is a major tear jerker.  You will see the love and admiration of this husband for his wife as he shares how his wife found freedom even though Quadriplegic and it is because of her determination to work hard and work with God, yielding completely to Him.  You will read how God grew this couple closer to Him and how they did not blame God.

” . . . the realization that God did not rescue us from our challenges; He rescued us in our challenges.  God did not want us to suffer, but He allowed it because it enabled us to further rely, depend, and lean on Him.  It allowed us to be closer to Him.“

“Suffering has no purpose unless it draws it us closer to God, which I think is why He allows it and created it in the first place. . . It is very difficult to conncect with God when we feel able, strong, and self-reliant.  But it is often only in our weakness, need, and insufficiency that we allow ourselves to ber open enough to let God in.“

With all aspects of loss, so many things are the same, including betrayal. The author writes about his cousin, the man whose wedding he went to, stole money from a fund set up for them to help them through their recovery.  This is another way this book hit me, on that big word, forgiveness (which I have another book to review on specifically on). He shares how he learned a lot on forgiveness,  how it first hardened his heart towards his cousin and though the reconcilliation was not quite as how he hoped it would be, forgiving him helped him to move on and make peace with others and himself.

Throughout Shattered, Shaken and Stirred, the author gives personal testimony in how this trial has grown him and that there was a purpose, even through the survival and coping.  Though my story is not the same as his, yet, the ultimate goal God has for all of us is the same. I highly recommend this book to encourage you or a friend who may be facing a trial in their life.

“When you endure hardship, know that it is for a reason.  Any valuable tool or piece of equipment needs to be tested and pushed to its limits in the laboratory before it can be ready for service in the field . . .  God is not testing you to see if you are worthy; He is preparing you for something greater than you can imagine.  Just remember that when God starts something, He already knows how it is going to end . . . The most important thing is that your hardship is really a means for you to draw closer to God.  He many not protect you from your loss, but He’ll guard you in it and through it. “

This book was provided for review by The B & B Media Group, Inc. and this review expresses my honest opinion.

A Lemon Fresh Blog Tour With Humorist & Author James Watkins

The following book summary and interview of the author have been provided to me by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.  Just by leaving a comment with this post, it gives YOU the opportunity to win a copy of this book. Post it on Facebook, Twitter and/or your blog, and each one of these counts as an extra entry (leave additional comment and explain for each posting).

Squeezing Good Out of Bad
by James N. Watkins

Publisher: XarisCom
ISBN: 978-0-578-01006-9
Retail: $12.96
Paperback

About the Book:
Sour circumstances left you feeling down? Unemployment, foreclosures, divorce, bankruptcy and cancer don’t even begin to peel the skin off all the bad news in our world today. At a time in history when the evening news contains more bad than good, people wonder if sweeter days will ever come. In steps James (Jim) Watkins. With a fresh perspective on life, love and the pursuit of happiness, Watkins serves readers a refreshing cup of encouragement and hope.

Written from his own experiences with cancer, unemployment and other life-puckering crises, Jim prompts readers to look at the cup of suffering with eyes focused on the true thirst quencher–Jesus Christ. Readers will be pleasantly surprised at the balance of readability and deep wisdom offered within the pages of Squeezing Good Out of Bad. With scripture references, humor-filled lists, and a creative manuscript, Watkins brings the bitterness of hard times and blends it with the sweetness of God’s presence. He’s been there. His transparency is as refreshing as, you guessed it, a tall, cool glass of lemonade.

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of Squeezing Good Out of Badvia Kathy Carlton Willis Communications, gifted to all participants in this blog tour.

Blog Tour Interview:

1. You’ve been in the literary world for a while, give us a quick recap of how you got started to where you are today.

By second grade, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I felt the suspension of disbelief was stretched too thin when the real-live puppet Pinocchio became a real live boy. So I rewrote the ending having the wooden puppet die a painful, prolonged death of Dutch elm disease. (At that point, I’m sure my parents and teachers weren’t sure if I’d become a writer or a life-long patient at a psychiatric hospital.) I later went on to become the editor of my high school paper, worked at a Christian publishing house as an editor during college, and then dabbled in writing while holding down a real job. Since 1988 I’ve been writing and speaking full-time.

2. In Squeezing Good Out Of Bad you give many insightful tips on how to turn around sour circumstances. Share a practical way we can be encouraged during tough times.

My “top ten list” of chapter titles 10-4 provide practical steps for dealing with lemons, but the real secrets are found in chapters 3-1. (Yes, like a true top ten list, the chapters are numbered backward.) Romans 8:28 promises that that God is working all things out for our good to accomplish His purpose in our lives. But we have to read on to verse 29 to find that purpose: “to be conformed to the image of His Son.”

3. No life is perfect. Can you give us an example of how you got through a challenging situation and were able to use these principles to see the good in it?

I think it’s so important that we take our faith seriously, but I certainly don’t want to take my situation or myself too seriously. So I create a mental “top ten” list of what good can come about in this situation. For instance, last year I had radiation for cancer and it totally depleted me physically and mentally. My family dubbed it “radiation retardation.” Because of that, I was fired from a wonderful part-time job because I just couldn’t do it. So, “Top Ten Great Things about Losing My Job”: 10. I’ll be paying less taxes next year. 9. I’ve got twenty hours a week of free time. 8. . . .

Our family is going through something right now that is far worse than cancer, and I can’t see a single good thing that can come out of it. So, at those times, you just keep hanging on–with white knuckles–to the fact that God loves you and the Romans 8:28 is still in effect.

4. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Spare time? What’s that? I’m a firm believer in “redeeming the time” so I try to keep busy doing things that matter for the Kingdom. But after my little brain is worn out–usually around 7 pm–nothing beats a session of “Freecell.”

5. What’s the last book you read and why?

Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr. Unfortunately, the only real reading for pleasure is on airline flights. The King book is research for a book I’m proposing as we approach the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

6. What do you hope readers will gain by reading your book?

I wrote the first draft nine years ago, and even though I have a great agent, we just couldn’t find a publisher. That was before cancer, family crisis, unemployment. . . . So it’s a much more comforting, honest book. And it forced me to not be so flippant and casual about the serious issues people are dealing with. Henri Nouwen talks about “wounded healers.” I think, because of the lemons that have piled up in my life, I can more compassionately offer comfort to those buried under a pile of lemons.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: James N. Watkins is the author of sixteen books and over two thousand articles. He is the acquisition editor for Wesleyan Publishing House, an editorial advisor for ACW Press, instructor at Taylor University and a sought-after conference speaker. He’s won Campus Life’s Book of the Year award and various other awards for writing and editing. He’s married to Lois. They have two children and four grandchildren. His family is the lemonade in his life.

If Jim’s disclaimer isn’t enough humor for you, read on:

When life gives you lemons . . .

10. Don’t confuse them with hand grenades (Identify the problem)
9. Check the delivery slip (Determine if it’s your problem)
8. Sell them on eBay (Profit from the problem)
7. Paint smiley faces on them (Laugh at the problem)
6. Join a citrus support group (Share your problem)
5. Use as an all-natural, organic astringent (Grow from the problem)
4. Don’t shoot the delivery driver (Forgive the problem-maker)
3. Graft to a lime tree for a refreshing, low-calorie soft drink (Take the problem to a higher level)
2. Grow your own orchard (Live a fruitful life despite—or because of—the problem)
1. Give off a refreshing fragrance (Live a lemon-fresh life)

A Blog Tour…Testifying of God’s Sovereignty thru Terror by Night and Blind Sight

The following book summaries and interview of the author have been provided to me by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications, in exchange for receiving these books.  Just by leaving a comment with this post, it gives YOU the opportunity to win a gift basket from the author which will include three books by him: Angel, Blind Sight, and Terror by Night along with a quality 8.5 x 11 of the scorched page and a DVD of Chalk Art Illustrations by the author. These books will be on a blog tour all week and one person will be chosen from all the commenters.  It would be wonderful if one of my commenters won!

Terror by Night:
The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder That Destroyed a Family, . . .
by Terry Caffey with James Pence

Publisher: Tyndale
Hardcover: 288 pgs
ISBN-10: 1414334761
ISBN-13: 9781414334769
Retail: $22.99

(Greenville, TX) – A father denied his daughter dating privileges with a certain young man. Typical teenage behavior might have included pouting, a bad attitude or perhaps even a yelling match. Never in a million years would Terry Caffey have suspected it would involve murder. Yet, in the early morning hours of March 8, 2008, Terry’s whole world turned upside down. His wife and two sons where brutally murdered and burned in the house they lived and Terry was shot twelve times…by his daughter and her friends.

Terry Caffey and James Pence reconstruct this tragic yet strangely beautiful true story of God’s sovereignty, forgiveness and grace in Terror by Night. As if the story of Caffey’s family wasn’t enough, readers will be captivated by the way God ordained the meeting between the Blind Sight author and Caffey with a burnt page from Blind Sight found at the crime scene.

BLIND SIGHT by James Pence

Publisher:Tyndale
Paperback: 364 pages
ISBN-10: 1601454384
ISBN-13: 978-1601454386
Retail: $17.95

No one plans for bad things to happen. No one plans on losing their family. No one knows how to move on after horror strikes. No one. Not even Thomas Kent. After receiving a strange phone call from a long-ago friend requesting Kent to pick up a package at the airport, Kent begins a spine tingling, suspense filled journey in which he hopes to reunite the package (his friend’s children) with their mother, Justine, a traitor in the Fellowship for World Renewal Cult. Twists and turns in this page turning drama make BLIND SIGHT not only a journey of extreme action and thrills, but one of discovering the sovereign plan of God.

MEET THE AUTHOR - James H. Pence is a full-time professional writer and editor living near Dallas, Texas. James is a multi-talented writer who has been published in both fiction and nonfiction. His publishers include Tyndale House, Kregel, and Osborne/McGraw-Hill. James holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in creative writing and journalism from Dallas Theological Seminary. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from Dallas Bible College.

James is also a vocalist and gospel chalk artist, and he regularly uses his talents to share the gospel in prisons. James is the author of Blind Sight, a gripping novel about mind-control cults and coauthor (along with Terry Caffey) of the new book: Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder that Destroyed a Family, Restored One Man’s Faith, and Shocked a Nation.

An Interview with James Pence:

1. You’ve dabbled in a little bit of everything career-wise. Give us a brief summary of your journey so far.

I have definitely had a colorful background as you’ve already mentioned. I guess the one unifying thread that has run through everything I do is the service of God. I knew when I was 14 years old that God had called me into the ministry, and I’ve never wavered from that. And even though that ministry now includes such things as teaching karate to homeschoolersI consider that as much a part of my calling as anything else.

Since finishing Bible College back in 1978 I have been a youth pastor, a camp director, a pastor, a prison evangelist, a gospel chalk artist, a speaker, a singer, a Web designer, a writer, a karate teacher, an art teacher, and a writing teacher. Amazingly, I’m still active in most of those things. I’m not pastoring anymore, and I’ve long since left directing summer camps behind me, but everything else I still do.

It would be a book in and of itself if I were to try to go into the details of all of those different things and how I got started doing each of them. Suffice it to say that I’ve always believed that the talents that we have are stewardships. Thus I’ve always felt that if I have a talent in an area I have a responsibility to develop and use it for God’s glory. And that’s why do so many different things.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. There was a tight deadline for Terror by Night. Tell us a little bit about how you interviewed Terry Caffey and the timeline you had to submit your book.

There was definitely a tight deadline for Terror by Night. I had a total of 12 weeks in which to write it and that included doing all the interviewing with Terry. I’m very happy to say that I was able to meet that challenge, but there were times when I wondered if I could get it all done.

Terry and I got together every Wednesday for several hours and I would interview him. Our first few interviews were just for getting the layout of the book planned. I had to get an idea of the different aspects of the story that needed to be pulled together, sort of like a plot outline.  And then I actually had a plan the storyline based on my discussions with Terry.

It was sort of a cumulative thing, because as we talked each week more questions would come up and I would make notes on those and we would discuss them in subsequent weeks.

I recorded all of the interviews with a digital voice recorder and then transferred them all to my computer.  After that I edited the interviews down into soundbites of two to three minutes all according to topics. Then I put them all on my iPod and would listen to them at every spare moment. My goal was to be familiar enough with Terry’s voice so that the book would sound natural and that it would sound like Terry was doing the speaking or writing.

3. Because of the intensity of this book, how did you deal with the emotional side of writing? Did it ever become more than you or Terry could deal with at one sitting?

This was a very difficult story to write and it was very stressful for both of us, but in different ways. As we went through the interview process Terry began to struggle with depression and had some rough moments. Once or twice we had changed the topic of our discussion because it was just getting to be too hard on him.

For me the stress came from the deadline more than the storyline. The fastest I’d written a book before was 20 weeks, and writing this one in 12 weeks was like running a marathon. Near the end I was exhausted, but still had to get that word count out every day. There were times when I would just become overwhelmed with the size of the task. But there was nothing to do but keep moving forward.

So we were both very happy when this project was complete.

4. You enjoy some great ministry opportunities outside of your writing. Share how God is using your other gifts to reach others for Christ.

As I mentioned earlier, in addition to being a writer I am a gospel chalk artist and a vocalist. I’ve been doing that for over 30 years now and really enjoy being able to use art and music to bring a message to people. For about the last 15 years I’ve been going into prisons with my art and music and sharing the gospel with inmates. That’s been a huge blessing to me.  In fact, I often say that after a prison service I’ve been far more blessed than the inmates. And recently God has begun to open up more doors both in prison and out. Over a six-week period, I’ll be drawing in Florida, Iowa, and Alabama.

One of the great things about chalk art is that even if the people who see a drawing don’t remember everything I say, they will remember the picture and the scripture that the picture represented. I’ve had people write me who saw my pictures 20 years ago and came to Christ through them, and now they are serving Christ in churches and other ministries. That’s one of the great joys of this ministry.

5. With the re-release of Blind Sight, it’s almost like two books releasing at once. What message do you hope readers will take away from reading both books?

I was so excited when Tyndale decided to release Blind Sight a second time. It’s rare that a novel gets a second chance at life. And it’s especially satisfying that both books were released simultaneously. And even though one is a novel and the other a nonfiction book, the message that people can take away from the books is really the same. God is sovereign.

So often we are confused when difficult circumstances come into our lives and we wonder why God would allow that. Sometimes we even get angry with him and demand an explanation like Terry did. But the message of both Blind Sight and Terror by Night is that while God doesn’t explain himself to us, we can trust in his goodness and sovereign grace. We know that he is working all things together for our good and we can trust him in that. Blind Sight communicates that message by way of a novel; Terror by Night communicates the same message by way of a true story.

How the author, James Pence & Terry Caffey met:

Terry Caffey and I met through my karate for homeschoolers class. Back in 2005, his wife Penny brought two of their three children and enrolled them in my class. Erin their oldest daughterand Tyler their youngest son or two of my students. Over time, Erin and my daughter Charlene became very good friends. As a matter of fact, Charlene would often stay with the Caffey’s when my wife and I were traveling.Somewhere in there I gave Mrs. Caffey a copy of my novel Blind Sight. I don’t remember if she read it, but she was a big reader so she probably did. As far as I know Terry had never read it.

About six weeks after his family was murdered and his house burned, Terry returned to his property and stood on the ashes of his house crying out to God. His burden that day was to understand why God had taken his family and left him behind without them.

As he was praying, he noticed about 15 feet away a brown scorched page from a book leaning up against the trunk of a tree. He went over and picked it up and read it. It just happened to be a single page from Blind Sight that had survived the fire.

But it wasn’t just any page. It was the page where my main character, a man who had lost his family in an automobile accident, came to grips with God’s sovereignty in his loss.  When Terry picked up that piece of paper the first lines he read were, “I couldn’t understand why you would take my family and leave me to struggle along without them but I do believe you are sovereign. You are in control.”

It was as if God had saved or preserved that piece of paper to remind Terry that he still cared.

Some time ago, when I was struggling with my own depression over the fact that Blind Sight hadn’t sold very well, I gave my book back to God. And I told the Lord that he would just use it in someone’s life I would be happy. And boy did he use it in someone’s life. From the standpoint of a writer I can think of no greater honor than for God to use my words to change someone’s heart.

A few weeks after I learned of the connection between Terry and my book, we got together and began to discuss the possibility of telling this amazing story in book form.

In Other Words: Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Jennifer’s blog, Scraps & Snippets. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to Scraps & Snippets and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

“If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a Baby in the manger is the truth that this promised Baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!”

by ~ John F. MacArthur, Jr.

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Reviews: God Gave Us Christmas and God Gave Us Love

Here are two delightful books that you might just want to get before Christmas to read to some special little ones in your life.  Both books are by Lisa Tawn Bergren with art by Laura J. Bryant with the stories about a Little Cub, her Mama and Grandpa.

I loved God Gave Us Christmas because the author made it so clear that God is the emphasis – not Santa.  Little Cub asks,

“Can we find Santa, Mama?
He lives ’round here someplace, I think.”

“Hmm.  Santa is hard to find,” said Mama.
“But we can go find God.  God is everywhere.”

The story continues with how Little Cub and Mama find Christmas,  the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus being the best present of all and the awesome truth of God’s love for us.

God Gave Us Christmas is a  40 paged book, perfect to read to young ones to understand more about Christmas, especially when those around are focusing on gifts and Santa.  It would make a special time for grandparents to read to their grandchildren or to read in young one’s Sunday School class.

God Gave Us Love is aanother terrific book to teach children about loving others (even their own siblings) who might be different and understanding how even how we can love someone one minute and the next minute they are so pesky and bugging us!

“Because while we want to love others
as God loves us,
we don’t always feel like loving them.
But when we choose to,
it’s always the right thing.”

Grandpa Bear shares about the different kinds of love Little Cub will experience such as the love between friends, families, moms and dads, and from God. God Gave Us Love is also a 40 paged,  wonderful teaching book and this too would make a wonderful gift.

These books were provided for review by WaterBrook Press and these reviews expresses my honest opinion.

Book Review: Treasured: Knowing by the Things He Keeps (& relating to blog carnival on Grief)

Ihave two memory boxes . . . one in memory of our daughter that was born still, and another of treasures of my son, Matthew.  I don’t get the boxes out often.  I know will need at least one box of tissue.  The ache never really goes away.

Reading, Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps, was a unique look at how God is a collector too.  We can look through His word and find so many treasures tucked away, and the author, Leigh McLeroy done this through each chapter.  Here’s a glimpse of a few of the  chapter titles and how she ties it into our treasures with God:

• A Fig Leaf – The God Who Covers Me
• A Fresh Olive Sprig – The God of New Beginnings
• A Bloodstained Piece of Wood – The God Who Defeats Death
• A Head of Barley – The God Who Gleans Joy from Sorrow
• One Smooth Stone – The God Who Writes on Hearts

From the chapter, A Head of Barley, the author writes:

God is unfazed.  If my life is a story He is writing (and I believe it is), conflict is sure to come.  It is the fuel of the plot – not an aberration.  In God’s authorial sovereignty, every trial and every struggle contribute in a unique way to the richness of the story and build to it’s climax and conclusion.

This month marks five years that our son, Matthew, has been in heaven.  Sometimes it still jolts me . . . the wound reopens. It stings. There are still tears.  There is no real measuring of grief or what to do or what not to do.   It’s still hard to say the order of my children with leaving him out (or pausing wondering if I should leave him out or not).  I have four children in college – should be five.  But then, I think, no, it should not be.  God knew all along the number of Matthew’s days.  But I want to remember him – I want others to remember him.  As I think of grief, and also participating in blog carnival which for this week is on “grief”, if I could share one thing with those who observe those who have said good-bye to someone special – say the deceased one’s name (often); remember special days – birthday, death date, mother’s day, father’s day, grandparent’s day, Christmas, with a card, phone call or hug saying their name.

The chapter in Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps called A Bloodstained Piece of Wood spoke of death.

That’s why death – any death . . . is always affront, always a shock no matter how prepared for it we believe ourselves to be.  Each of us has eternity infused into our souls beneath our bones and blood, and something in us knows it is for a fact.  We were made for never-ending, abundant life by a God who loves us and who went from heaven to earth and to hell and back to make sure we could have it.

I am thankful for the treasure of a bloodstained piece of wood.  Though there are still tears . . . there’s peace.  And for me, it’s such a hope . . . for my soul.  It indeed is etched into us.  Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps was just another affirmation of it along with many other treasures to be reminded of.

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Press and this review expresses my honest opinion.

In Other Words: Are we too busy for Jesus?

“Martha was busy for Jesus,
and that left her too busy to be with Jesus.”

by ~ Jon Walker
Growing with Purpose: Connecting with God Every Day

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ig sigh . . . this quote kinda pokes me in the ribs, especially with the season of Jesus birthday celebration coming upon us, it’s SO easy to get lost in the “to do list”.  We get so busy with the parties, shopping, decorating (lights up, tree picked out – decorated – making homemade decorations, etc.), caroling, cookie making, Christmas practices for Christmas programs, Christmas cards (which means a letter and/or family picture that still has not been taken),  Christmas plays and ballets to attend, dinners to plan, etc. (need I write more?)

Uggg . . . the meaning of the season gets lost in it all . . . the birth of our Savior.  I can easily be a Martha – busy doing things for Jesus, but too busy to include Him, to be with Him, to talk to Him.   Might we after this advent season say like Jacob who awoke from his sleep say,

“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.“
Genesis 28:16

Sad, isn’t it?  This verse fiercely hits my heart to STOP.  Even as a mom, I can be so busy taking care of my children, I am not really with them.  I need to stop, be with my children, and bring Jesus in with me and them . . . remember Him.

Will you, with me, take time each day to remember the awesome Gift we received that gave us eternal life?  If you need something to help you with this pause, look for an godly Advent book.  I highly recommend The Glorious Coming: A Jesse Tree Advent which I got several years ago as an e-book download by my friend Ann Voskamp whose blog is A Holy Experience (a must read blog).

“Be still, and know that I am God . . . “
Psalm 46:10

This week Debbie is our hostess for IOW, sharing on the quote at the top of this post and is writing on it on her blog, Heart Choices. Be sure to visit her site and the links to the other women who have shared on this quote. Then come back here on Friday, for next Tuesday’s new quote for In ‘Other’ Words. Be blessed!

Book Review: Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blase

During this season each year there is so much commercialism taking us away from the real meaning of celebrating the birth of Jesus.  Yes, even Christians get “bored” with Christmas . . . it’s the same thing and the same story each year.  I invite you to read Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blase, to give you another glimpse of what happened that day, when Jesus was born, and the awe that struck so many people.

This book is the retelling of chapters 1 and 2 of Luke, from the viewpoint of the main characters including, Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna. I was taken in as I saw these individuals as real people, with emotions, in the way they may have faced the awesomeness the news they heard.  Listen to an excerpt from Zachariah:

“Even after nine months I was still amazed each time I saw her.  Elizabeth, my wife of many years, pregnant.  How could this be?  The angel was right to bind my tongue.  I had lived the psalmist’s words: Be quiet and know I am God.”

I loved one of Simeon’s interpreted comments:

I am remembered as a good man.  A good man?  Scripture is too kind.  Only the Mighty One is good.

Each chapter begins with Scripture (using Eugene Peterson’s, “The Message”) followed with the heartfelt stories of the individuals.  At the end of each chapter is a page that appears handwritten from the author as a prayer of his.   Inside this 128 paged book you will also find simple, yet beautiful black and white sketches that correlate with each story.

I highly recommend Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas.  You might consider it as a new and different advent reading for this year.

This book was provided for review by The B & B Media Group, Inc.e

In Other Words: Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Debbie’s blog,  Heart Choices. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to Heart Choices and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

“Martha was busy for Jesus,
and that left her too busy to be with Jesus.”

by ~ Jon Walker
Growing with Purpose: Connecting with God Every Day

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

In Other Words: Gratitude

“As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words,
but to live by them.”

by ~ John F. Kennedy

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n just every day normal life, the people we love the most and loves us, we tend to take for granted.  We don’t always show our love – the wrong words spill out – the wrong thoughts come in our minds – and we hold grudges.  We forget to forgive.  We say we love . . . but often, we forget the actions.  We don’t live by it.  And then someone is sick, dies, or God shakes us up, and we remember how dear they are.  Sometimes it’s too late.  By God’s grace, many times we can make amends and work things out.  Or, a holiday, such as Thanksgiving comes about, and we dig deeper into our souls, hearts and minds, and we remember who we hold dear and care about and we wonder why we don’t remember each day, all year ’round.  We give our blessings upon others gathered around a dining room table and we share why we are thankful, and there is renewed hope and love is shown.  But then, do we show it?  Do we really live by it?

Jesus was the perfect example.  He told us He loved us.  And He demonstrated it beyond measure that it is hard to completely wrap our minds around it.  His unselfish love, to make the ultimate sacrifice to die – to be humiliated – to be spit upon – to endure tremendous pain – and completely give Himself up for us.   We have heard the story so many times and I know I need to stop and just think of the things that seem so big in my life  . . . the biggest hurts, rejections, sorrows . . . Jesus also knows . . . and even when I’ve done the same to Him . . . He still loves, not by words (though I know His Word says it) but I can see it all around me.  I see His perfect timing and details in my life and my family.   And then, in return, learning little by little to be Christ-like, to not utter the words to God of promises of what I will do, but to live by it, to show Him my highest appreciation.  Ohhhh, it’s a major work in progress not near perfection by any means.  But I have His assurance to get there!

This week Tami is our hostess for IOW, sharing on the quote at the top of this post and is writing on it on her blog, The Next Step. Be sure to visit her site and the links to the other women who have shared on this quote. Then come back here on Friday, for next Tuesday’s new quote for In ‘Other’ Words. Be blessed.

Multitude Monday ~ One Thousand Gifts

Thanksgiving Week . . . the highlights

131 ~ ten blessings of children in our home
ages 2 – 22

132 ~ two children we held & loved here
forever in Jesus presence
Angela (born still @ 36 weeks) & Matthew (forever 16)

133 ~ three miscarried babies
more treasures in heaven

134 ~ family ~ parents, brothers, sisters
some far away, but held dear in our hearts

135 ~ the heritage of our godly grandparents

136 ~ old friends through the years
even with distance & time
can quickly catch up as if we weren’t apart

137 ~ new friends God brings our way
just at the right time in our lives

138 ~ praying friends,
who are lovingly honest & hold each other accountable

139 ~  our daily bread ~
and, ohhhh, so much more

140 ~ forgiveness

“In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace.”
(Ephesians 1:7)

share your 1000 gifts

In Other Words ~ Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Tami’s blog,  The Next Step. Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to The Next Step and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

“As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words,
but to live by them.”

by ~ John F. Kennedy

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Review: When You Lose Someone You Love

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hen You Lose Someone You Love: Comfort for Those Who Grieve, written by Richard Exley, is a unique book on grief. It is written by a pastor who felt there were not simple books for someone to read after the loss of someone close. He wrote this in letter style to a fictitious person named, David, attempting to address many different stages of grieving, along with the emotions and questions of it all.

I appreciated the simpleness of this book, the author’s prayers at the end of each chapter, and the personal stories of others throughout the book.  I appreciate that this author, a pastor, really wanted to reach out and have something tangible for someone to hold and read and give them hope, much of it from God’s Word.

I am one that has ready many books on grieving after going through the loss of two children and my mom.  I found the letter format to a fictitious person, not really understanding what the loss was of this person (the author did this so it could include so many different losses) yet, it made it seem too unknown and not being able relate as personally.  For me, it made it seem fake.  I think had he written it to “Dear Reader” would have been more personal than “Dear David”.

A couple times the author referred to a time period of when a person would be through the grieving process:

“Grief is a slow process and often takes as long as two years to complete its healing work.”  (page 32)

At another point he says even after the loss of a child “in the weeks and months of grief” (page 73).  As a mom who has buried both a stillborn full-term daughter and a 16 year old son, and talking with many other moms, the pain and grief will never be completely gone.  I probably am extra sensitive to this (especially since we are coming upon the 5th anniversary date of our son’s death) but, especially with a child, when it’s not suppose to go in this generational order, there cannot be a time put on the ending of grief.  I know it’s taken us longer than two years to finally feel we have arrived at our “new normal”.  For us it seemed more like four years . . . but tears and missing still come.

When You Lose Someone You Love: Comfort for Those Who Grieve is not addressed to just parents who have lost a child, so the author covers many different losses, so I am not cancelling out this book, to say, “don’t read it”.  I do believe it is a simple book, especially for those right after loss, but possibly better geared for those who have lost a friend, parents, older sibling, etc.    It is filled with Scripture and hope from God’s word and may touch the grieving person just where he or she is at with what is needed for that grieving soul.

In Other Words ~ Difficulties

“Life is difficult.
This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.
It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”
by ~ M. Scott Peck
The Road Less Traveled

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am not sure if I agree with the author of this quote! I’ve not read his book, so I am probably looking at this at a totally different angle than he intended.  I agree with the first line . . . life IS difficult.  And, I do accept difficulties . . . but because I accept it, I do not find that life is no longer difficult.  It’s what we do with the difficulties.  We can have a peace, even in the midst of difficulties.

God says we will go through trials and tests.  I don’t like  the pains my family has gone through, especially my children.  But instead of feeling sorry for ourselves (or allowing them to feel sorry for themselves), we can admit we have gone through difficulties, but what will God do with it for His glory and how will God grow us because of it?

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Romans 5:3,4

Psalm 34:19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

James 1:12 gives us hope when our lives on earth are over . . .  “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

I do not find in Scripture that life won’t be difficult, but I find wonderful promises that He will never leave us, that He will grow us, and our rewards are in heaven.   I know others watch as we go through the difficult times, and want to see if we will continue worshiping God or will we forsake Him.  Difficulties do matter to me . . . some of them still sting . . . some of them I will continue to share how God used them because of lessons I’ve learned.  Tears still come from past difficulties . . .  and present ones. But peace and joy can flow through the difficulties.

This week Nina is our hostess for IOW, sharing on the quote at the top of this post and is writing on it on her blog, Mama’s Little Treasures. Be sure to visit her site and the links to the other women who have shared on this quote. Then come back here on Friday, for next Tuesday’s new quote for In ‘Other’ Words. Be blessed.

In Other Words: Tuesday’s New Quote

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lease join us on Tuesday by sharing on the quote below for our weekly, In Other Words. Each Friday a new quote is given here, on Writing Canvas, along with who will be hosting that week’s In Other Words.

Tuesday’s In Other Words will take place on Nina’s blog, Mama’s Little Treasures.  Think and ponder on the quote below and share about it on your blog on Tuesday. Then, go to  Mama’s Little Treasures and leave the link to your blog and visit the others who have also written on it.

“Life is difficult.
This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.
It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”

by ~ M. Scott Peck
The Road Less Traveled

Find In Other Words on Facebook! Meet the hostesses, give ideas for quotes, see upcoming quotes!

Want to learn more about “In Other Words” ~ what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated? Click here!

Book Review: This Is Me: A Kid’s First Keepsake Journal

As a homeschool mom, I look for new and interesting ways to get my children writing, which includes helping them to enjoy and desiring to write. I’ve also had them write in journals.  Some have hated writing in journals (but I’ve treasured the books of my older ones, especially Matthew’s), while a few continue without my prompting.  This is Me: A Kid’s First Keepsake Journal is a great beginning book journal and an ideal means to encourage a child to begin writing (and drawing!).

This book encourages a child to share about him or herself, from just everyday info, how he/she looks, drawing pictures of him/herself, and then writing things such as his/her favorite things, about friends, pets, fears, and special holidays and birthdays.  What I like about the book, is that it prompts for writing, yet gives plenty of space for independent thoughts and drawings.  Another neat feature of the book is at the end there are pages for us moms (or dads) who want to jot down those cute things this child has said (I can picture my children writing in here the cute things their baby brother says).

This is labeled for ages 3-8 . . . I cannot picture doing this with my youngest who will be three in February, yet if he was my firstborn, I probably would have!  I also think it can go for children older than 8, and actually plan on giving my review copy as a gift to my daughter who will be 10 in a few weeks.  I think she will love it!

This Is Me Journal will make a great gift . . . birthday, Christmas, first day of school . . . or even Thanksgiving . . . to start writing of things we are thankful for!  Also, it’s a gift that will keep giving – one mom’s will treasure and will be kept for many years as a keepsake.  It can be a great introduction to scrapbooking too!

You can follow the author, Carrie Lundell, on Twitter: @ThisIsMeJournal (hint:  she occassionally has give-aways by tweeting about her book . . . so watch!)

“In accordance with the FTC regulations, I inform you that I received a copy of This is Me: A Kid’s First Keepsake Journal directly from the author, for review purposes. I review only books I have read, and only state my honest opinion of the book.”