Monthly Archives: April 2010
And the winner is …
Rose in Ohio!
Congratulations! Email me your snail mail address, so I can pop this book in the mail for you.
Of Books and Free Books
Not too long ago my friend Kristina posted about Christian fiction. If you love books and you’re look for a few great authors, check out her post. She allowed me to share my opinions there, too. Together we explore several genres and who we feel are the best Christian authors of each. Here’s a link to the post.
As a side note, if you’re not familiar with Kristina’s blog, be sure to stay a while. It’s fabulous! Anything you want to know about homesteading — from gardening to nutrition to homeschooling and teaching your kids Scripture; from relationships to organization to saving money — you name it, she’s touched on it. It really is a wonderful site.
Okay, now the free books. 
GIVEAWAY #1: Take a quick survey at CCBR (Christian Children’s Book Review) to enter to win one of FOUR copies of This Little Prayer of Mine. Published in 2010, this title is endorsed by National Day of Prayer (coming up on May 6th). The giveaway closes Monday, so don’t delay. The survey will help us know how to better serve you in this ministry. CCBR exists to equip Christian parents make the best literary choices for their children. CLICK HERE to enter the giveaway.
GIVEAWAY #2: Last week I gave away Liz Curtis Higgs’s latest novel. This week I’m giving away a new title from Jane Kirkpatrick: An Absence So Great. Both are award-winning authors. Both are great historical novels. But they’re quite different. If they were on TV, Higgs’s would be an HBO mini-series complete with high drama and elegant costumes. Kirkpatrick’s would be a Hallmark original, moving yet beautifully simple in its delivery. Both offer great content, but in very different tones.
An Absence So Great is actually based on the life of the author’s grandmother. This second book in the “Portraits of the Heart” series follows Jessie Ann Gaebele as she seeks to find purpose and love while living in a man’s world as one of very few female photographers in the early 1900s. The story intertwines wonderful historical details with emotional relationship trials. As a bonus, the author includes actual photographs taken by her grandmother. These add tremendously to the story.
CLICK HERE to read the first chapter.
To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post! I’ll announce a winner on Wednesday.
Read with Me Check-In: Sometime in April
Hey, ladies! (And fellas — if there are any men that read this blog, I certainly don’t want to exclude you.) It Friday; that means it’s time for a Read with Me howya-doin’. So, howya doin’?
I must admit that I’m not doin’ too well. I started the week strong, strong enough to nudge my sweet husband to finish Leviticus, but now I’m flailing. Not FAILING — just flailing.
This could be because I still haven’t finished Leviticus.
Maybe I lost my groove when Ellie got pneumonia last weekend.
Maybe it’s too much to focus on that while negotiating the sale of our house and the purchase of another.
Right now I can think of nothing but Whole Foods’ Pineapple, Mango and Jicama Salsa. (Anyone have a recipe for that? I may need to clone one.)
Yes, there may be some disconnect in my cognitive abilities. (How do they chop the mangoes so perfectly tiny?) I have started three or four blog posts this week, but haven’t been able to get them up. One disappeared for unknown reasons. The others held no cohesion except the avoidance of theological debates. (I’ve already stumbled into free will. Maybe I’ll take on End Times or Creationism vs. Intelligent Design next week. )
And that is how I’m doin’. Talk to me! What’s happening with y’all?
The Schizophrenic Homeowner, The Waffling Disciple
I don’t believe God has a blueprint for our lives, but I sometimes wish He did.
Let me clarify the first point first. God definitely has a plan for us, but I believe that plan involves our character and not our actions. I believe He is more concerned about who we become than in what we do. His will requires our submission and our obedience, but I don’t know that it includes specific details about our jobs (what we do), our houses (where we live), our wardrobe (what we wear), our families (who we marry and how many kids we have or don’t have) or even our budgets (how much money we get and how we spend it). He cares about those things, of course. But those details are trivial compared to our ability to love, our passion for truth, and our eagerness to serve Him fully.
Some will argue that they’re all related and that, if we truly seek to serve Him fully, then the answers to the “little details” will be clear. I agree all of life is intertwined, but if God had a very specific plan for every detail of our lives, then we would be doomed from the very first mistake. How do you get back on track after abandoning the blueprint? You can’t go back in time and “fix” that part of your life.
Or would God just keep re-drawing our blueprints? A new one for each mistake we make. Of course, if He knows everything (which He does), then He would know we would make mistakes (even before make them), which means His original blueprint would include our mistakes. In which case, even our mistakes follow His plan. Logically, couldn’t we then conclude that God plans for us to disobey?
God hates sin and He cannot contradict His nature which means He can’t possibly plan for us to sin. All this forces me to conclude that we have free will and that God’s plan or “will” for us is flexible enough to allow U-turns, side roads and scenic routes. I picture His will more like a map than a blueprint.
Oh, but a blueprint would be really nice when we face massive decisions! Like moving and buying a house (or not) and where to send our kids to school.
I feel a little like a schizophrenic homeowner. Or maybe a waffling disciple. Is it James who says “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no?’” The problem is I don’t know what our answer is.
We made the decision to enter this adventure after much prayer, research and counsel, but we keep going back and forth. We really like our house! It’s a beautiful home with a great yard, and we finally got it the way we really want it. So, why are we doing this? Yes, we want a bigger house and, yes, we want to be in a different school district in case we need to take the kids out of the Academy but so many questions arise.
What if we move, then something happens and we lose our income? Are we being greedy? Materialistic? Are we building our own kingdom rather than God’s?
What if we take the kids out of school and then they get caught up with the wrong friends? Is it better to stay in a small house and keep the kids in Christian school? Or should we get a bigger house and engage the community more? Are we sheltering our kids too much?
What if the new school’s administration is anti-Christian? What if we don’t get along with our new neighbors? What if our current neighbors need us to stay here longer? What if …
When I get going down this path, there is nothing to stop me from thinking we’ll move into the new house only to have it struck by lightning and burnt to the ground the next day. Or swallowed by a giant sink hole. Or the subject of some massive toxic experiment.
It’s ridiculous, and I know it!
I want to be confident in our decisions, but I don’t know what’s best. I want to stop thinking about it all, but my mind won’t let me. There’s too much that is affected by this. (And I’m not even touching the whole #3 topic!!) What if we make the wrong choice and we can’t reverse it? I don’t want all of the repercussions of this one decision to be on my shoulders.
I wish God would send me an email detailing exactly what He wants us to do.
But He doesn’t work that way.
I wish I were more confident in His plan for us.
But I’ve been wrong so many times before.
I wish I could believe that He will still care for us no matter what decision we make. I know it’s true, but I’m scared.
I’m afraid my mistakes may be too big for His grace.
And yet, admitting this is how I feel, I must laugh at the absurdity. Of course, His grace is greater!! No matter what happens, no matter where we are or where we go or what we do, He will still hold us in the palm of His hand. He will still make Himself known. My entire life rests not on this decision, but upon Him.
Oh, Lord, please help me to live confidently in what I know of You. Your love abounds and your grace knows no end! May my faith be the same. Remind me of the thousands of times you have provided above and beyond our needs, of the times You have revealed Yourself in delightful “coincidences.” When I am weak, You are strong. Help me to rest in You, in Your strength, Your provision and Your grace.
And the winner is …
Kristina!!
Congratulations! I’ll get your book in the mail right away.
If you didn’t win, check out Amazon.com where you can currently get it for just $10.19. The sequel comes out Spring 2011. I’m already counting the months!
Thanks to everyone who entered! I have another giveaway coming next week.
Glossing over Resurrection (also Read with Me Check-In!)
I’m back!! First, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Rachel and Becca for taking over for me the last two weeks. If you two will kindly send me your snail mails (via email or facebook), I have a little thank you gift for each of you.
Second, how’s everybody doing? Are you still with us? If so, what are you learning?
I have noticed a number of things in this read-through that I’ve never noticed before. Like how detailed (and repetitive) God’s instructions for the tabernacle and priestly garments seemed to be in Deuteronomy. How Mark’s written “voice” is so different from Matthew’s. I know the Gospels portray different but complementary perspectives of Christ, but the change in tone caught my attention immediately. I’ve jotted notes of different things I want to post about, but today I just want to highlight one that gives me chills. Matthew tells how, when Jesus died, tombs cracked open and a ton of dead people walked out. They were witnessed by many within the city over the next few days! How did I miss that?! Perhaps I was so focused on the symbolism of the torn curtain that I glossed over this miraculous and awesome detail.
And awesome it is!
Liz Curtis Higgs told a story this weekend that directly relates to this. Someone, upon hearing that she was a Christian, immediately demanded that she prove the resurrection of Jesus. That’s a tough request! Her answer? “I know He rose, because He rose me from the dead.”
Liz has the typical “bad girl” testimony of sex, drugs and hedonism. She lived in that pit for ten years before God drew her out of it and unto Himself. He raised her from the dead. He has done the same for all who believe!
We don’t need a sensational testimony of bad behavior. Dead is dead, whether you die peacefully in your sleep or through a devastating car crash or after years tortured by cancer. Scripture tells us that when we place our trust in Christ, we are raised from the dead as new creations. That’s the power of resurrection. Those two verses in Matthew 27 reveal with tangible clarity the truth of all who believe. We, who are dead in our sins, arise days, maybe months or years after our deaths, to a new life, a life abundant with hope. This is only possible because of and through Jesus Christ. All praise be to Him!!
While I am not caught up in my reading, I am happy to say I am catching up. In the Gospels, I am on target to the actual day. Can you believe it? And in the other passages, I am reading twice or thrice the daily assignments to get to April. I am determined to meet this challenge, and since my house is always clean now, I no longer have that excuse. I’ve also chosen not to take on any new book blog tours until I am caught up. (I do still have a couple blog tour commitments to fulfill, but I’ll not accept any new ones. And you know how difficult it is for me to turn down free books!)
Now it’s your turn. Talk to me!
If you’ve blogged about your reading journey, either today or anytime recently, please share your link.
Here Burns My Candle
I know some of you are dying to hear about road trips, home improvements, real estate adventures, and what I’m learning through Read with Me, but I don’t feel like talking about any of those things today. Don’t worry — I’ll fill you in eventually. Today, though, I have much more fun stuff to discuss.
This weekend I attended a one-day women’s conference featuring Liz Curtis Higgs. Yes, THE Liz Curtis Higgs of Bad Girls fame, of parable renown, of … well, I don’t have a third thing, but she’s pretty stinkin’ cool. Author of 26 books, with more than three million copies in print, Liz has spoken in all 50 states and more than 10 foreign countries. And I was blessed to hear her this weekend.
Her theme was “Flawed Women Loved by a Flawless God.” It was fantastic! Having read a few of her books, I expected humor, but this was a whole new level. She was hilarious! I left with sore sides and tears rolling down my face. More amazing than her humor or speaking style, though, was her undeniable love of Jesus. She radiates adoration for Him. It’s really awesome to see her devotion to God, how nothing in world delights her more than knowing Him. It encouraged and challenged me to love Him to greater depths and heights.
Liz, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU. Thank you for loving Him and allowing Him to use you.
The women who organized the event did a great job, too. The whole day provided a wonderful escape, a well of refreshment that included delicious food and spiritual truths. I had my picture taken with Liz, but, unfortunately, when I got home the only photo on my camera was this:
Yes, those are urinals. Hey, when you have over 700 women in a church with a limited number of bathrooms, any stall is free game! The organizing committee did a great job hiding “manly things” so we could have a wonderful day free of … gross, manly things.
In addition to getting some encouragement, a lot of laughs and one very odd picture, I also got Liz to autograph a copy of her latest book so I could give it to one of you! Directions for entering the giveaway are below. I’ll announce a winner on Saturday.
Here Burns My Candle offers a rich, historical drama based loosely upon the Scriptural book of Ruth. I don’t know how you feel about novels based on biblical stories. I truly enjoy them, but am very selective about to whom I’ll recommend them. Some readers find it difficult to separate biblical truth from creative license and author’s imagination. Higgs’s books, though, provide the basis of the biblical stories, but in far removed settings. I would rather call them parallel novels than novelizations. It’s not the same story told again; it’s the same bones with fresh flesh.
Carolyn Custis James asserts in her book, The Gospel According to Ruth, that this biblical story is more about Naomi than Ruth. Rather than telling a romantic story of a young, but faithful widow, it answers the questions pounding a devastated mother-in-law. Is God good for women? Has my usefulness expired? Liz Curtis Higgs follows this theory with her newest title, by focusing on the “Naomi” character as much, if not more than, the “Ruth” character.
Set in Edingburgh, Scotland, during the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, Here Burns My Candle follows the Ladies Marjory and Elizabeth Kerr, mother and daughter-in-law. Marjory, a wealthy Lowland socialite, has never truly accepted her son’s choice of bride. Sure, Elizabeth is strikingly beautiful, but she comes from an unrefined Highland upbringing. To make matters worse, she favors the Jacobite cause, which is the equivalent of treason. Marjory’s other daughter-in-law, Janet, is much more suited to high society and fully embraced the roles of lord and ladies. Elizabeth, however, has more personal concerns, like the faithfulness of her husband, the safety of her brother, the marriage of her mother, and the scandalous gossip encircling her. Few answers come through the faith of her childhood. Could there be another who could help her? When Marjory’s two sons join the rebellion, some relationships are strengthened while others are stretched far beyond comfort.
I really enjoyed this book! It is drastically different in tone than the author is in person. It’s thick with drama and emotion. The author’s attention to detail never wavers. As I said before, I consider this a parallel story, rather than a re-telling. The book of Ruth only devotes a few verses to the life before Ruth and Naomi’s great journey back to Bethlehem. This novel, however, contained over 300 pages of story before I saw any correlation to the Scriptural account. This is not a negative criticism. Actually, I prefer it that way. I like that this book can be enjoyed as an independent historical novel or as a window for better understanding Scripture. It’s a great read.
To get yourself a copy, visit your local bookseller or Amazon.com.
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
- Leave a comment on this post.
- BONUS ENTRY: In your comment, tell me which biblical character you would like to see in a novel — current, historical or otherwise. (Can you see Queen Esther in a sci-fi?)
- BONUS ENTRY: subscribe to this blog.
- BONUS ENTRY: tweet or facebook about this giveaway.
A new milestone
Ellie lost her first tooth last week somewhere in the middle of Ohio. (We caught it in a medicine cup to save for the Tooth Fairy.) She lost her second tooth the very next afternoon. We’ve entered a whole new stage of parenting.
