Posts filed under 'books'
What difference does it make? (Read with Me)
At this point in our Read with Me journey we’ve read a lot of the Bible. Almost half! Some parts are incredibly interesting. Other parts are … well, the catalyst for skimming and the reason many people never make it through a challenge like this.
And So-and-so begat this person who begat that person who begat someone who was killed after he broke a seemingly innocuous law of God, but only after he begat another name I can’t pronounce who only had daughters (the poor wretch) and they all made up this tribe that numbered blah-de-blah thousand people who inherited a land I’ve never heard of.
You all know I hold the Bible in utmost esteem. You also know I’m honest. I am not mocking or making light of it at all. Quite to the contrary! All of Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching and edification. So, why is some of it so boring?
I admit there are days I complete my readings with glossy eyes. I walk away wondering what difference it makes. Since Jesus freed us from the necessity of animal sacrifices, why should I care how many bulls or rams or goats were murdered by which tribes thousands of years ago? What application can I find for my life within the census of an ancient nation?
We’re all reading a lot and I don’t want to burden you with more, but if you struggle with these same thoughts, let me recommend something.
The Power of Praying Through the Bible
by Stormie Omartian
(Harvest House Publishers, 2008; Available in paperback or Kindle)
This title by a familiar author presents a devotional organized in biblical order (Genesis to Revelation). Each incorporates a personal application and a prayer prompt based on the specific Scripture highlighted. Now, not every piece of the Bible is given a devotional. This morning I looked for something on Luke 5 and found nothing. In fact, she skips the whole first ten chapters of Luke. The majority of the book (about four-fifths) is devoted to the Old Testament, which is where most people have trouble finding application anyway.
So, how are you doing? Are you still with us?
Has anyone blogged about their journey? I would love to link up, if you have. Just let me know and I’ll insert a Mr. Linky so everyone can share.
4 comments June 18, 2010
Calling all mothers of tweens and teens!
As a reviewer and Managing Editor of Christian Children’s Book Review I read a lot of kids’ books. A LOT. Since we expanded our reviews beyond picture books to chapter books and more, I’ve been reading a lot of teen and tween titles. Some of them are truly tremendous books. I’m really enjoying them! But I haven’t a clue about age-appropriateness.
My problem is two-fold. First, it’s been a long time since I was a teenager. Second, my daughter is six. Neither she nor I hang out with teenagers.
So, I need your help. How do I determine what content and language is age-appropriate?
How do you, mothers of tween and teen girls, decide how much is too much?
This age range of 12-18 is vast. The expanse of development, maturity and topic relevance boggles my mind. Our culture includes underage drinking, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, eating disorders, violence and so much more. At what point does this go from engaging the culture and facing these problems from a Christian perspective to educating and tempting a vulnerable and curious generation?
The title I am currently reading deals with a girl who gets pregnant just before her 15th birthday. It is told in first person and, while it doesn’t include any details of sex or genitalia, it does get inside her head and the personal thoughts she experiences. Is this one of those situations where you need to understand where someone is before you can clearly grasp the gravity of the mistake? Most kids don’t want to read about someone who is younger than them. However, at what age would I let Ellie read this? Do I want 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds reading about a pregnant peer?
I am not trying to start a debate here, but rather an open discussion. I honestly just want your experience and thoughts on this. We cannot ignore that these issues pervade our culture, so how do we (as parents and families) engage these situations without over-exposing our kids?
TALK TO ME.
6 comments May 19, 2010
Roasting Chickens
Lately I’ve been buying whole chickens instead of chicken pieces. I do this for two reasons. First, it is less expensive. Second, it lasts more than one meal — though be it through more work (de-boning and storing, etc.) — which, by extension, leads to fewer uses of processed meats.
(I admit it: I sometimes use short cuts in my pot pies or quesadillas or what-have-you. It’s just so quick and easy! But I’m trying to get away from that.)
This past Christmas my mother-in-law graciously ignored my husband’s request and bought be a cookbook (in direct violation of his instructions — She loves me so much!): Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen by Maria Helm Sinskey. It’s a beautiful book with all kinds of cool stuff in it. You can learn how to start a garden, cure your own bacon, make your own pasta or jams or yogurts. It’s fabulous! I’ll not share a recipe with you today, but I do want to talk about the technique she uses for roasting chickens.
I’ve always cleaned my chickens then seasoned them on the outside, stuck ‘em in the oven and regularly basted with butter and oil. This works fine, but requires a lot of attention. Another drawback: all the flavor is on the skin. If you don’t like skin (like me), the effort seems wasted.
Since getting this book, however, I’ve changed my methods and am THRILLED with the results. Instead of seasoning the outside of the chicken (the skin), I season the meat.
Here’s how:
After cleaning the chicken, I separate the skin from the meat. I don’t remove it — just separate it. You can do this by starting at the neck and very gently lifting the skin; then slide your hand inside as far as it will go. (You should be able to reach the tail end.) Do this on both the breast and back sides of the chicken.
Note: The skin will stick more fiercely on the spine and sternum. You may need to employ your kitchen scissors to separate it. Just be sure not to cut the skin; you want to keep that in tact.
Once you’ve separated the skin, fill this pocket with a rub or seasoning of your choice. Now, Family Meals offers a very specific blend of herbs and spices. It’s absolutely delicious! But I’ve found that just about any combination gives delightful results. I usually mix about a 1/2 c of olive oil with seasoned salt, rosemary and celery seed.
This technique is fabulous because the skin preserves the flavor and moisture of the chicken while it cooks.
If you want a little more flavor, toss a couple garlic cloves and/or onion wedges inside the cavity before roasting. Cover the bird with foil and cook at 350′ until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165′.
P.S. Happy Mothers’ Day to all of you!
2 comments May 9, 2010
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.
5 comments April 25, 2010
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.
1 comment April 17, 2010
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.
22 comments April 14, 2010
Recovering Joy (and a giveaway!)
Have you been attacked by Hafftoos?
Some days I really don’t want to be an adult. Responsibility is great and all, but enough is enough. I don’t like having too many people depend on me because — What if I fail? What if I can’t make everyone happy? What if I don’t fail and then they expect even more? Can I give more? Maybe I’m not giving enough. All this can make life seem like a lot of work. I mean a LOT of work. And then what I always wanted can feel like a burden. Not because I’ve changed my wants, but because I’ve changed my perspective.
I love having a clean house. Not because I enjoy cleaning; I actually hate cleaning. But I love having a home where my family feels comfortable and safe and happy. Cleaning is less a chore when I remember that I want the results.
No little girl enthusiastically proclaims that she wants to change poopy diapers when she grows up. That’s absurd! But almost every little girl dreams of being a mama. We put up with the dirty diapers, the piles of laundry, the stressful job, all because we want what comes with it — a healthy child, a welcoming home, a successful career. Hafftoos want us to focus on how much we hate the task rather than how much we want what comes with it.
In my little fairy tale, the Father tells the princess to “Seek and remember.” That may mean different things to different people. Maybe you need to seek the Father. Maybe you need to seek a new job or a tangible solution to a problem you face. Maybe you need to remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. Maybe you need to remember how much you love your family or your responsibilities or even just the results of the chores you dislike. I don’t know what it means to you, but I know that God wants His children to experience joy. If we seek Him, He will be found. If we remember all He’s done for us, we cannot help but be overwhelmed by His love for us. And therein we find joy.
Sally Clarkson is a wonderful writer. You may know her as the author of The Mission of Motherhood. She has a new book titled Dancing with My Father that addresses this exact issue. How, when we’ve been worn down by life and burdened by both hurts and blessings, can we rekindle our first awe of God, that inextinguishable joy we possessed as new believers? Through biblical insights and real-life stories (more…)
11 comments March 4, 2010
A Book Review: Angels by David Jeremiah
Do you believe in angels? Everybody kind of believes in angels. The real question is whether our beliefs in angels or spirit messengers or guardians matches truth. Are our perceptions accurate? Do they align with Scripture?
We’ve all heard stories of angel encounters. Jungle natives come to Christ because soldiers in shiny uniforms protected the missionaries the tribe had planned to murder. Someone is pulled from a burning car by fearless men who instantly disappear once the victim is safe. A whole family sleeps peacefully while a fatal gang fight rages literally on their front porch. I’ve shared a story of my own here on this blog.
Do we believe the stories? Are they really angels or is it our simple way of explaining what we don’t understand?
I’ve been reading David Jeremiah’s book on this subject and must say it is an excellent resource. Angels does exactly what the subtitle suggests; it lays out “what the Bible reveals.”
Now, the Bible doesn’t tell us a lot, but it reveals much. Let me explain what I mean. The Bible contains over three hundred direct reference to angels, but it doesn’t have a specific book or passage that explains exactly how angels work or why God uses them. It doesn’t even expound upon the relationship or responsibilities between us and them. There are clues. There are stories. There are glimpses. David Jeremiah pieces all these together to offer an accurate picture in a condense and approachable package.
The content includes discussion about:
- What angels are
- God’s relationship with angels
- How they work
- How they worship
- Jesus’ relationship with angels
- When they appear
- Our relationship with angels
- Famous angels (and lesser known ones)
- Fallen angels and Satan
- Eternity with angels
There are several things I like about this book. The conversational, easy-to-read nature is one, but two attributes stand above the rest.
It is flooded with Scripture. Bookstores contain hundreds of books about angels, miraculous sightings and spiritual encounters. Experience is valuable, but its interpretation is subjective. I want to know the truth and the only way to know that is to study God’s Word. This book does contain relevant stories, but its focus is more on what Scripture teaches us about these heavenly beings.
Its purpose is to glorify God. From the very beginning through the middle and into the end of this book the author repeatedly shines the focus on God. Let me prove this with a few quotes from the book.
“The writer of Psalm 73 shows the right heart when he tells God ‘Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.’ Besides God there is no one on earth and no one in heaven — not even angels — who can give your soul true fulfillment.” (p. 23)
“That, in fact, is the only sufficient aim in a study of angels: that you might draw closer to God. If you study angels and the result is anything less — if you build up only a file of information about angels or a fascination with them or even a supposed relationship with one, but haven’t encountered at least a tug toward humble submission to the Almighty God … you’ve totally missed what angels are all about.” (p. 25)
“Angels can help lift our eyes from this troubled and temporal earth. But they are meant to draw our gaze to the Lord, not to themselves. All glory is due to God, and he has no intention of sharing it with angels … as we go honestly and carefully into a deeper study of angels, our spirits cannot help but experience the desire to worship. If you remember any words at all that you’ve heard angels speak in Scripture, remember especially these two: Worship God!” (p. 56)
“God’s angels always point us to God … [Ezekiel] isn’t being shown this vision just to learn about cherubim, but rather to hear a word from the Lord.” (p. 145)
“Again and again in Scripture we see this pattern: Those who are given the privilege of a direct visible or audible ministry from angels are those with mature hearts who want to encounter God — not angels. … No one got excited about seeing angels. They were excited about what the angels said.” (p. 192)
You can currently purchase the book from Amazon.com for $10.19. It’s a great read, one I highly recommend.
Please note this is a 2009 repackaging of Dr. Jeremiah’s book What the Bible Says About Angels, published in 1996. This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
4 comments February 4, 2010
Trouble right here in River City
I’m told that’s called an “ear wig.” You know, when you start a song that promptly embeds itself in the brains of everyone who hears (or reads) it. I’ve never been to River City and I say “IoWA” instead of “IoWAY,” but I have had trouble and that starts with ‘T’ and that rhymes with ‘C’ and that stands for COMPUTER!
‘T’ also rhymes with ‘V’ and that stands for VISION.
Both my corneas are infected — which means lots of headaches, blurred vision and very painful steroid/antibiotic eye drops (four times a day!) — and my computer is giving me trouble — which means scattered internet, a slow processor and silence on my blog.
While I get all this straightened out, feel free to drop by my Bookshelf (both HERE and HERE). I didn’t quite meet my goal of 50 books in 2009 (probably because I started twice as many books as I finished), but the list is there along with a new list for 2010. You may also want to check out CCBR. We always have new reviews there. We also did a special feature last week on cookbooks for kids.
4 comments January 27, 2010
Living with Less Contest
Here’s a fun opportunity for you.
To celebrate the release of Hearts at Home’s newest book: Living With Less So Your Family Has More, by Jill and Mark Savage, the Hearts at Home blog is launching the Living with Less Contest.
Email Hearts at Home a story or money-saving tip that gives a peek into your daily experiences representing the humor, richness, or spiritual aspects of what it’s like to live with less.
Many of the money-saving entries — possibly yours! — will be posted on the Heart’s blog throughout the month of February. The top five entries will also receive a free book; one winner will receive a basket filled with goodies from the Hearts at Home shop!
For contest details go here!
2 comments January 24, 2010
