Grace Notes

This is certainly a very busy time of year, and I have been guilty of letting that keep me from reading and writing.  I'll try to do better.  I only have a few minutes right now, but I want to share with you a Scripture my pastor shared (in light of the Christmas season) this past Sunday night:       "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty ye might be rich." ~ The Apostle Paul (II Corinthians 8:9 KJV) What a powerful verse!  He had everything and willingly gave it up, so that WE could have EVERYTHING...  I can't emphasize enough each of these words.  I could probably talk a good bit about each word and phrase in this verse.  Just think on it for a while.  And have a wonderful, Christ filled Christmas season! Reese

By:  Max Lucado Published by:  Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2012 If you have never read a book by Mr. Lucado you are missing a real treat.  He does not lecture, talk over your head, and is not dry or boring.  In fact, when I read a book by Mr. Lucado I feel as if he is sitting in my living room sharing a cup of coffee with me.  We are friends, and he values my opinions but is not afraid to share his own from the Bible.  Plus he has a very fine sense of humor, and is excellent at explaining things.  Such is the case in this new book called simply " Grace ."  Herein he gives the Biblical account of grace -- what it is and what it is not.  He presents it in a manner a child could understand, while at the same time being intellectually stimulating.   Some moments are just "a-ha" moments, why didn't I think of it that way before?  To me, grace is a beautiful word.  One of my favorite words.  Because of grace, I have the greatest gift imaginable which is a

Chris Fabry, Author Tyndale House Publishers, 2012 J. D. Jessup wants to get away from life, so he heads to the desert near Tucson, Arizona where he hires on at an organic farm.  The lifestyle is far from the one he is running from, where he was once a musician, playing guitar and writing music from his heart.  Now, his greatest responsibility is to make sure that if he ever sees an illegal, he is to call Border Patrol. One early morning ride changes his life forever.  While checking fences he stumbles across a body, only to find that the "body" is a beautiful young woman, an " ILLEGAL " by the name of Maria, who is near death.  Blocking from his mind his employer's requirement to call Border Patrol, J. D. hides Maria, caring for her wounds as best as he can.  In search of better medical care, and also with the vague thought of persuading Maria to turn herself in, J. D. begins to look beyond himself and care for someone other than himself.   Unfort

By:  Cindy Woodsmall Published September 2012 Book One in the Amish Vines and Orchards Series Once again Cindy Woodsmall has written a book that I could not put down. She left me hanging!!  Now I have to read books two and three, or however many she will write in this series.  Exasperating sometimes. Rhoda Byler is a young Amish woman who is still single, and she prefers it that way.  Although she lives in the home of her parents, along with her two brothers and their growing families, she has her own profitable business.  She is also considered by those outside her family as being peculiar and someone to stay away from.  It's been said that she gets premonitions of things that are going to happen.  She even knew her younger sister Emma was going to die.  And she couldn't save her.  This sense of impending doom is not something Rhoda wants to be known for or deal with.  How can she cope, knowing she was unable to save her sister Emma?  Understandably Rhoda tends to

Can you hear it?  The constant drip... drip... drip of the leaking bath tub faucet.  Annoying enough.  Then it's drip, drip, drip.  And soon it goes to dddddrrrriiiiiiiiiipppppppppp, a nice, steady stream...  What's a girl to do?  She can call her Daddy, or she can look it up on the Internet (watch the video below) and figure it out herself.  After all, she was raised to be independent, to be able to do things for herself.    Okay, so I watched the above video a few times, and it seemed simple enough.  I lined up my tools in the bathroom, took a big breath.... and I couldn't get the handle off.  Yes, I was using the 1/8" Allen wrench, but the screw must have been stripped.  I tried and tried, to no avail.  So I went to bed and couldn't sleep for thinking.  How am I going to get that handle off?  I haven't even started on the real work yet.  I don't want to ask Daddy to drive 30 minutes one way to come to my rescue (he had done just that three weeks

By Liz Curtis Higgs Published by WaterBrook Multnomah Released July 2012 Ladies, if you have never heard of Liz Curtis Higgs, you really need to check her out!  THIS girl's got it.  In her new book The Girl's Still Got It , Liz explores the story of Ruth.  A story completely about women (well, the men do play minor parts, although they are sort of wimpy, all except for the HERO of the story,  wait 'til you get a load of HIM!).  In her characteristic style, Liz tells the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi.  She explores verse by verse, phrase by phrase, and it is not dull or boring at all!  Liz definitely has the gift to transport you back in time, to be able to stand in the shadows and see this story unfold under God's guiding hand.  You will fall in love with the characters.  You might cry, and you will most definitely laugh.  After all, the narrator IS Liz! Take a moment to visit the Liz Curtis Higgs website .  You can get a jump start by watching the

By:  Timothy McKinney Published July 31, 2012 Wow!  What do you say when you get a book with a title like that!  Everyone wants to be happy, don't they?  Unfortunately not everyone is happy.  Happiness can be elusive.  And really, what is happiness?  Is it a result of our actions?  Our emotions?  Can it be as a result of both our actions and emotions?  In "The Power of Happiness" author Timothy McKinney seeks to help us learn how to become happy people.  "The Power of Happiness" is separated into three easy to read parts covering the definition of happiness, determining if you are really happy, and how to be happy.  Through the use of vast amounts of controlled research, life examples, quotes at the beginning of each chapter, charts and graphs, questionnaires and even the suggestion of the use of certain foods and physical/mental exercise, along with a touch of humor to get the point across, Mr. McKinney has made this book an excellent tool for ac

SMALL portion of the nearly 30 pounds of pears "artfully" arranged prior to the great canning adventure. Tuesday evening my pastor called and one of the things he asked was if I could use some pears.  His tree was loaded down, the branches touching the ground, and his wife had put up all the pears she wanted.  Of course I said yes!   My pastor brought over two large plastic grocery bags filled with pears.    So pretty...but if I didn't do something with them, they would spoil before my guys and I could eat them.   Over the years I have done some canning and preserving with one of my grandmothers and so I thought I could do it on my own.    Pears in the process.  You can tell I was already into the project... Of course I used the Internet to research recipes for pear preserves. I found one or two in some old recipe books, but was searching for other ideas.  One of the ideas was for  gingered pear preserves ,which called for crystallized ginger.  Which means

HOUSE OF  MERCY By Erin Healy Published by:  Thomas Nelson,  Publication date: August 7, 2012 Beth Borzoi is a young, gifted woman with a love for her family and animals, who is also an aspiring veterinarian.  Unfortunately, family dynamics in the Borzoi house are tinged with jealousy.  Jealousy between Beth and her older brother; between Beth and her mother.  Good natured teasing goes on between Beth and her youngest brother, Danny.  Her father is her hero and she feels secure in his steadfastness and love.  She and her family own the Blazing B ranch where they raise cattle, and where they also give a home and jobs to men who have fallen on hard times.  Her father has become a hero to some of these men, for standing in the gap between society and the lives they are trying to make right. Unfortunately Beth has a problem, and she takes the matter into her own hands by stealing a good friend's unused, forgotten saddle to use as payment for another friend'

By Joe Kissack Published by WaterBrook Press, 2012 Let me begin by saying if you are squeamish, you may want to skip this book or be prepared to skip over parts of this book.   Joe Kissack's new book The Fourth Fisherman tells the true story of five Mexican fisherman who set out on a three day fishing expedition only to encounter problems which eventually lead to the death of two of the fisherman.  Of being stranded in the Pacific Ocean for nearly nine months with no supplies such as food and water. How did these three men survive?  What gave them the will to go on?   Simultaneously, Joe Kissack was facing his own ocean of problems. Although he was a fairly well off mover and shaker in the television industry, there was something missing in his life.  His life was beginning to crumble and fall apart.   The Fourth Fisherman combines the life and death story of the struggle of the Mexican fishermen with the life and spiritual struggles of Mr. Kissack.  I did enjoy

Path through the woods leading to my camp site. Friday night I spent the night in the woods, by myself except for my dog Duke.  I, the 'fraidy cat.  It was really dark out there.  The bugs were loud, and some lights kept going off -- bright enough to shine through the roof of my tent.  At first I thought it was a plane going overhead, but it was really fast.  Growing up on UFO stories, that was my next fleeting thought.  Yep!  Then I realized it was only lightening bugs, and a lot of them.  Wish I would have thought to try to photograph them.   Anyway, this was my first experience camping alone, and I wanted to do it somewhere safe. So I asked my parents if I could borrow their woods (unknown to them, if I got scared, I could make a five or ten minute run through the dark to their house!  Except they let me borrow their chuck wagon that has headlights, so the trip wouldn't have been so long or so bad).  Really, I wanted to make sure I was in a semi-familiar area whe

I am naturally curious.  I always want to know more.  What is around the corner, why something happened the way it did, that sort of thing.  It shouldn't be a surprise that I'm this way.  I have heard often enough that my mother used to try to get me to quit asking questions, while my grandfather told her to answer them -- how else was I going to learn? One evening not long ago and friend and I left Bible study, and he asked if I was in a hurry to get home or if I could just hang out for a while.  I drove because she doesn't like driving at night (neither do I!).  She pointed and asked if we could find out what was down that road?  Being naturally curious, I said sure!  It was dark and the way was lit only by a few street lights and the headlights of my car.  But we drove down the winding, rising and falling road, looking around, surprised we didn't know what was in this area of town.  I admired a small lake we crossed over, and the lights of homes shining in the l

Published by:  Thomas Nelson, 2012 Have you ever wondered what it would be like living in the times of the kings of the Bible?  What if you were of the house of Nebuchadnezzar?  Say, the daughter of the great king himself?  I love history, the actual life of history.  I always want to know more.  And Tracy L. Higley has certainly satisfied my curiosity and held my attention with this new book, Garden of Madness .  Garden of Madness is set at the end of the seven years of Nebuchadnezzar's banishment, when he roamed as a madman, as a beast, until he submitted to the one true God, the God of the Jews, Yahweh.  Nebuchadnezzar's youngest daughter Tiamat has just lost her husband (whom she was forced to marry to form a political alliance), the son of the imprisoned Jewish king Jehoichan.  Now she is faced with another impending forced marriage alliance to one of her mother's cousins, a prince of the Medes.  Unbeknownst to Tiamat, the mage Shadir is plotting his own ta

Published by:  Thomas Nelson, 2012 I have to admit that that I am an avid fan of Colleen Coble.  When I saw this book up for review, I knew it was what I would be reading next.  Ms. Coble did not disappoint!  Tidewater Inn is a good mixture of romance, mystery and morals. Libby Holladay is a driven woman who restores property to historical accuracy.  History and architecture, attention to details, a love of all things old is her life.  Tidewater Inn begins with Libby inspecting a property for renovations when she receives a phone call from her best friend and partner Nicole who has news about property on Hope Island, which she has been inspecting for a renovation project.  Nicole has uncovered surprising information about Libby's family -- Libby thought she had no one, but now she has a family.  Nicole tells Libby she has also inherited a substantial amount of property from her recently deceased father.  A few minutes later  Libby witnesses via video cam the kidnapping

What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than reading about one of our American heroes?  Yesterday I posted a review on the book Fearless (by Eric Blehm), about the life of Navy Seal Adam Brown. Today I wanted to follow up with some further information, listed below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_L8ca7AKEA&feature=player_embedded www.EricBlehm.com www.theadambrownlegacyfoundation.com www.nralifeofduty.tv/adambrown www.fearlessnavyseal.com Hope you get a chance to read the book Fearless !   Have a wonderful Fourth, and don't forget those who have fought or are fighting for our continued freedoms! Reese

Fearless By: Eric Blehm Published by WaterBrook Press Copyright 2012 I have heard about the book Fearless for a few months now, and even posted earlier that I had read the first chapter of the book, so I was very excited to find that WaterBrook Press was offering the book for review.  I read this book in two sittings, which really would have been one sitting if I didn't plan to get ready for a family reunion at my home over the weekend.  This book is just so good that it was very hard to put it down.  And like really great books, I did go through a few tissues, especially at the end.  I spent about twenty minutes during a drive with my teenagers yesterday excitedly re-telling stories from the book (with them listening wide-eyed). Fearless,  written by Eric Blehm, tells the life story of Adam Brown, a man who should go down in history as one of our American heroes. The book tells the good, the bad and the ugly in Adam's life, including a stint with drugs and a stay in

Anything By: Jennie Allen Published by Thomas Nelson Copyright 2011 Anything .  The word that says so much.  Can you pray that one word, and mean it?  Can you ask God to take anything you have, everything you have, and use it for His honor and glory?  Can you take that one word and let Him DO anything with your life and subsequently the lives of those around you?  Why is it so hard for those of us who profess to be Christians, who profess to have given our hearts to God, give Him anything He asks of us?  Why are we so afraid? These questions are probed thoroughly in Jennie Allen's book Anything (the prayer that unlocked my God and my Soul).  This is a powerful book that really pokes at you and prompts you to make a decision to go all out for God. If God is Who He says He is, what do we have to lose?  If God is Who He says He is, where are we going to spend the most time -- here on this earth, or in eternity?  So what REALLY MATTERS?  What does God want? As Jennie says:

I have been feeling like I need to make some personal comments after having read and posted the book review on Break Through . I have kept quiet on my blog about personal abuse in my marriage out of respect for my two teenage sons. However, reading Break Through has prompted me to give you some personal, insider notes without trying to make a big deal or cast blame. I do feel that at some point in time God will ask me to share, and I want to be obedient, ready and willing when that time comes. But for now, here are some comments from the perspective of someone who has been there. To those in crises situations : There is no shame in seeking help. There is never any reason for someone to verbally or physically abuse you. You did not "make" them do it to you. Be prepared for denial on the part of the offender. It will NOT get better, only worse. To family members of those in crises situations : Unless a person is ready to get out of the abusive situatio

Have you ever heard stories of people finding creatures under the hood of their cars, having driven for miles not knowing they were there?  Well, that happened to me personally, although my distance was only from the Walmart parking lot to my house, maybe 5 miles.  I picked up medicine at Walmart, and when I got back to my car I thought I heard a cat.  I looked around but didn't see one, so thought maybe I was hearing things.  Went through a drive through for dinner and heard it again.  By this time I was praying I wasn't killing an animal and that I wouldn't see it bouncing down the road behind me!  When I got home, before I could pop open the hood of the car, a perky little kitten jumped out.  A cute little grey cat with white markings -- and No Tail.  And no, I AM NOT THE ONE WHO CHOPPED OFF IT'S TAIL!   It was already that way -- I promise!  It's been three days now, and I have found that this is one very loving little kitten.  I haven't told my son