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BOOK REVIEW: The Christmas Singing

The Christmas Singing By: Cindy Woodsmall Published by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group  Copyright 2011 What would you say if the one you loved, the one you intended to marry, suddenly became distant, cold and broke off the relationship with you?  Hurt, betrayed, angry even?  That's what happened to Mattie in the new book called The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall.  When Mattie learns from Gideon that he no longer loves her, and in fact has betrayed her with other women, her life is shattered and she moves as far away from her Amish community as she can.  She builds a new life for herself in the same town as her brother and his family, setting up a prosperous bakery where her creativity is appreciated and earns a good living.  She even develops a new relationship with Sol, an Amish man who loves to hunt.  Mattie and Sol have the kind of relationship where they do not get into each others' business.  It's a comfortable relationship, a relationship where

Merry Christmas

From my family to yours, we are wishing you a joyous and very merry Christmas! Don’t forget the REASON we celebrate... “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Reese

Book Review: For Women Only in the Workplace

For Women Only in the Workplace By: Shaunti Feldhahn Published by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group  Copyright 2011 For Women Only in the Workplace  by Shaunti Feldhahn is an in-depth, statistics laden look at how men and women relate at work.  There are so many points that Mrs. Feldhahn brings out, so many differences in how men and women look at work differently. For instance, men think in boxes which they can conveniently close so they can  work out of another box.  Whereas women tend to think out of several boxes at the same time.  These differences can cause strain on the working relationship.  Men are able to open the "work" box after having closed the "personal" box and be all business.  They take nothing personally, or rather their personal relationships are generally not affected by their work relationships.  Which is why, according to Mrs. Feldhahn, men can have a problem working with someone but then can go out and play golf with the same p

BOOK REVIEW: Night of the Living Dead Christian

Night of the Living Dead Christian  By: Matt Mikalatos Published by Tyndale House Publishers   Copyright 2011 Do you like monsters?  Vampires, zombies and werewolves?  Then you really have to read Matt Mikalatos' ( check out the author interview here ) new book called Night of the Living Dead Christian .  This a light hearted, whacky, not-so-way out there telling of a person's search for Christ.  How do we get rid of sin?  How do we truly become a Christian?  In fact, what really is a Christian anyway? Mr. Mikalatos uses portraits of himself and his family throughout the book.  In fact, he is the narrator and the at-first enemy, soon-to-be friend of the main character Luther Anne Martin (Martin Luther, anyone?), his neighbor.  Mr. Mikalatos, along with a mad scientist and a robot/android, seeks to find the way to rid Luther of his base werewolf ways, all the while fighting off and trying to keep from becoming monsters themselves!!  They run into vampires, a werewolf hunter, a

The Christmas Singing, by Cindy Woodsmall

If you like reading great stories of Amish life like I do, you can get a sneak peak of the new book by Cindy Woodsmall called  The Christmas Singing .  You can read the first chapter  and decide for yourself if this is a book you would like to pick up for yourself or for Christmas gift giving.  If you are interested in purchasing the book, you can go directly to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/ ; when you are ready to check out you can request free shipping on this title or any other by using code CHRISTMAS11 at checkout.  By the way, the code also gives you a 30% discount on the book.  Can't beat that deal!  The Scent of Cherry Blossoms , also by Cindy Woodsmall, is coming out soon.  Check the Waterbrook site frequently for release dates. Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Merry CHRISTmas! Reese

Life Application Study Bible Giveaway!

Good morning, everyone!  I don't normally promote giveaways, but I just heard about a great one going on for the new Life Application Study Bible on Face Book .  "Like" them and immediately receive a free copy of their Life Application Bible Study on the Book of Luke.  Hurry on over!  Sign up every day for great prizes, including the Life Application Study Bible Family Pack (one random winner daily) and an Apple iPad2 (weekly drawing)! Don't wait, check it out today. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed." II Timothy 2:15 Reese

What Christmas Means to Me…

One of my earliest memories of Christmas happened when we were living in Indiana. One evening my parents went into their room to wrap our Christmas gifts and we kids, all six of us, clustered as close to their door as we could without getting into too much trouble. One or two of us climbed into the rocking armchair, leaning dangerously over the back, and in our excitement it tipped over. There were just so many exciting sounds coming from our parents’ room we could hardly stand it! Needless to say Mama and Daddy didn’t get much peace on Christmas morning with six kids trying to get them up so we could unwrap our gifts. Finally they came up with the brilliant idea of allowing us to open one, and only one, gift Christmas Eve. That placated us for a while… Eventually even that turned into opening ALL our gifts on Christmas Eve, and we would have a party. Soon certain foods were expected each year. Foods such as Cheerios Nuggets (yes, it was the 70s). Or Christmas cookies with slopped o

BOOK REVIEW: Restless in Carolina

Restless in Carolina  B y: Tamara Leigh Published by Multnomah Books Copyright 2011 A blond with dreads, dirt under her nails and an attitude.  What an image!  But the family thinks that image must be changed to make a presentable, professional front to impress the environmentally friendly developer who is needed to save the family home and acreage from development into tract homes, or worse still a shopping center or industrial park!  How far will heroine Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan go to entice just the right buyer, and why is it her job, anyway?  In the process can she give up mourning her husband who has been dead for four years?  Can she move on with her life?   What about her presently non-existent relationship to God?  As far as Bridget is concerned, that relationship can stay just as it is, non-existent.  But now there is not only one developer vying for the family lands, but two! One presents the front of wishing to purchase the property to make into his personal estate, which

It's Foggy ...

 Fog rising in the woods at my parents' place.  Photo courtesy of my mother.  Ever try driving down a foggy road, where you can't see very far into the distance?  You drive with a good deal of caution tempered with dogged trust and determination.  That's what happened to me yesterday morning.  The Alabama River snakes it's way back and forth through the hills and valleys of Autauga and Elmore Counties, and alongside Interstate 65 heading south into the city of Montgomery.  I live in Prattville, whose elevation is considerably higher than that of Montgomery.  As soon as I got in the car I knew the drive to work would be anything but fun.  I was right!  Coming down out of the hills and onto the Interstate, I could see maybe three or four cars ahead of me.  I gripped the steering wheel, watched my speed and the speed of others, and headed for town.  What's really tricky is that at one point in the ten miles between Prattville and Montgomery, traffic merges o

Everybody Loves a Good Deal...

The holidays are just around the corner, and you know what that means.  My (extended) family  is very large, so when we all get together lots of food is needed.  I have never been one to use coupons because I have always thought I could get generics or store brands for less.  However, I was recently informed by one of my best friends that I was WRONG!  I don't like to hear that, BUT if it saves money, I can deal with it.  Just show me how to change!!  Southern Savers  is a website for those of us who live in the south, and posted on this site are major food chains and their weekly sales ads, etc.  What I have found interesting about this site is that you can view the weekly ad and see which COUPONS correspond to the sales ad, print coupons directly from the site, print your grocery list and go.  Did you know that some stores allow you to purchase an item that is on sale and apply a manufacturer's coupon plus a store coupon for further discounts?  You all probably already know

BOOK REVIEW: Nearing Home

Nearing Home Life, Faith and Finishing Wells By:  Billy Graham Published by Thomas Nelson Copyright 2011 What is it like to grow old?  Do you even expect to grow old?  Are you thinking about it?  What will you do when and if you retire?  Not just if you plan to retire, but what will you be doing with your time, talent and treasure?  What about your testimony?  How will you relate to those younger than yourself?  How do you prepare for the end of your life?  In his most recent book Nearing Home , Billy Graham asks and answers all these questions and more.  At one point in the book he stated that he had always thought he would die at an early age because of the grueling schedule of the crusades of his youth (he continued with crusades into his 80s!).  He always felt he would precede his beloved Ruth in death, but it was not to be.  It has now been four years since the death of his wife, and he is into his 90s. Much can be learned from this great man of God who has spent his life prea

BOOK REVIEW: As Silver Refined

As Silver Refined Answers to Life's Disappointments By:  Kay Arthur Published by WaterBrook Press Copyright 2011 Do you know how we get purified silver?  Silver that we wear or form into beautiful objects for use or decoration?  It doesn't come out of the ground ready for the mass market.  It must be purified, refined.  The more heat, the right amount of heat, makes more of the dross or impurities come to the surface so they can be skimmed off.  The process is repeated until all that is left is purified silver.  Once the silver is purified it must be heated and poured or beaten into it's finished shape. In her book As Silver Refined , author and well loved and respected Bible teacher Kay Arthur uses the analogy of refining silver in comparison to the trials and hardships that come into every Christian's life.  Yes, God does allow bad things to happen to His children.  And yes, God does bring those trials to His children.  He uses them to mold us, to refine us, to be

I Will Rejoice in the God of My Salvation

No matter what we are going through, whether it be personal struggles or worries about things going on around us, as Christians we can and should put our faith and trust in the Lord.  He is the One Who made us, the One Who created the universe.  Why shouldn't we trust in Him?  Doesn't He ask us to do just that? Here's what the prophet Habakkuk had to say: Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The LORD GOD is my strength. (Habakkuk 3:17-19) Everything Habakkuk is talking about in these verses would affect his livelihood.  If the fruit trees and vines and fields did not blossom, then they would yield no food -- what would he eat or sell for essentials?  If something happened to the animals -- what wou

Thoughts and Burdens on My Heart...

"Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."  Joel 2:12-13 God is asking the Israelites to return to Him.  The reason for their great punishment -- famine, locusts, captivity -- was because they had turned away from Him (see Joel chpt. 1).  They had ceased to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord.  They had refused to worship God.  Instead, they chose to do things their own way. How many times do we do that today?  We choose not to worship God.  Or, as in Joel 2:12-13, we worship Him with our outward appearance (by going to church, quoting Bible verses, saying "the words"), but refuse to give Him our heart.  God wants more than just the actions.  He wants actions coming from a right heart.  In Rom

Come Take a Walk in My Garden...

This past Sunday afternoon I spent an hour or so walking through my yard, enjoying the beautiful  shapes, textures and colors of the fall garden.  Want to see what I found?  Wish you could have been there.  The weather was great!  Here in the South (middle Alabama) the weather is just starting to cool off -- to the upper 70s and lower 80s. We have a large sycamore tree in the back yard that gives cool shade during the summer.  The leaves have just started to fall.  When the tree is bare of leaves, and if we haven't raked up to that point, the leaves are several inches deep.  Of course that's understandable if you know that each leaf is nearly as large as my two hands put together! These zinnias have really taken off since the temperatures have tapered off.  During the middle of the summer the were leggy and drying out.  Now they are so perky.  I understand why they are one of my friend's favorite flowers.  As you can see, they grow up through everything! This tiny pl

BOOK REVIEW: Going Deep

Going Deep Becoming a Person of Influence By:  Gordon MacDonald Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers The goal of all Christians should be to pursue a closer relationship with God.  We should seek to emulate Christ.  I was looking forward to reading Going Deep , hoping it would help me "deepen" my own relationship with God.  In Going Deep , Gordon MacDonald uses fictional characters and settings, along with himself and his wife Gail, to explain how his character was inspired to develop a program in his fictional church to grow young Christians into tomorrow's leaders.  More than half the book is spent looking at the idea of growing these Christians.  How were these Christians to be selected for the program? What would the program involve for these people? The balance of the book takes up the forty weeks of learning these characters went through to become deeper Christians. The book is quite lengthy, and at points seemed to drag on with information that really did

180 Movie

This 33 minute video is well worth the watch. Make sure you have the time to watch it all the way through.  Feel free to share this movie with others, as well as pass on the link ( http://www.180movie.com/ ). Please let me know what you think... Reese

Fast Driving in the Bible?!?

Ever have problems getting your kids/teens to take a real interest in the Bible?  Start reading in the book of II Kings.  Oh, the drama!  Intrigue!  Wild drivers.  Fast cars -- uh, chariots!!   Murder.  Mayhem.  Conspiracy theories. Medical mysteries.  Makeup and hairstyles?!?  Well, it's all condensed in the first few chapters of II Kings and corresponding chapters in II Chronicles.  If all that's in the first few chapters of these books,  imagine what's in the rest of the Bible! I have trouble interesting my teen sons in going to church with me or having anything to do with anything they think might be associated with church, such as youth group.  Although this I don't understand -- they have no problem hanging out with me and my single friends from church during our activities.  The boys' dad is Catholic, which is probably why they want nothing to do with my Baptist faith.  However, when I sit at the table doing my Bible study I can mention things in the Bible

Felled by a Spider's Web

I was trying to decide what to write about this week, praying and asking God to give me wisdom.  On the way to work this morning the sun struck a spider's web by the side of the road and the drops of dew glistened and made the web shine.  I wished I had time to pull over and get a photo, and decided I would sit outside soon and shoot some pictures of webs in my own yard. Because of circumstances I was running late going to lunch today.  I was walking at a fast pace down the sidewalk to my car when I unexpectedly came up on a spider's web.  I love to look at them but I really don't like pulling the mess out of my hair, so I dodged to the side.  Sure enough I tripped and hit the asphalt parking lot next door on all fours!  I was annoyed and a bit humiliated (but I don't think anyone saw me -- I hope).  I got up, brushed myself off and went on my way.  I didn't get far down the road when I started laughing and realized that's exactly what I was supposed to write

God Supplied Her Needs -or- The Right People in the Right Place at the Right Time

I am taking a Precepts class by Kay Arthur with some women in my church, and we are studying the book of II Kings.  I am brand new to the Precepts way of study, but am finding it so helpful and rewarding.  If you ever get a chance to do one of these studies, I highly recommend it.  This evening I was reading in II Kings 8:1-6 .  To recap, Elisha the prophet told the Shunamite woman (of II Kings 4:8-37 ) to pack up her household and go stay temporarily someplace else, because God was going to bring a seven year famine on the land of Israel.  The Shunamite woman heeded the warning of Elisha and went to live in the land of the Philistines.  At the end of the seven years, she and her family came home and she went to the king of Israel (Jehoram) to petition him for the return of her land.  Now at this time Gehazi, the servant of Elisha (see II Kings 5:20-27 ), was asked of king Jehoram to tell all of the great things that Elisha had done.  While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had

BOOK REVIEW: Has God Spoken?

Has God Spoken? Proof of the Bible's Divine Inspiration By:  Hank Hanegraaff Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers Copyright 2011 Have you ever wondered whether or not God REALLY spoke the Bible into being?  What types of proofs are there?  Can it really be proven? What about all the evidence to the contrary?  Using the acronym M-A-P-S in his book Has God Spoken? , Mr. Hanegraaff (also known as the Bible Answer Man) puts forth massive amounts of evidence that yes, God really did speak to us through the Bible.  Here's a sneak peek:  the M in M-A-P-S stands for Manuscript C-O-P-I-E-S, each letter broken down into sub chapters such as Copyist Practices, Oral Culture, Papyrus and Parchment, Internal Evidence, External Evidence and Science of Textual Criticism.  Mr. Hanegraaff goes in depth in all areas, for instance citing under External Evidence the works of Flavius Josephus (the Jewish history), Cornelius Tacitus (born twelve or so years after Christ's death and kno

Fear Not! For I Am With Thee

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness."   Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah 40 and 41 speak of the greatness of God and the weakness of man.  Although God is speaking directly to the Israelites in these passages, these chapters more broadly speak to all mankind.  Since the New Testament, these promises of God apply to everyone who professes Christ as their Lord and Saviour.  Today, 9/11/11, I am feeling the need of refreshment through God's promises.  But before the promises can be fully realized and appreciated, it is important to know Who God is.  Sometimes I feel that we as a whole try to see God as we would see another man, therefore limiting His infinite power.  We cannot move mountains, so how could God possibly move mountains?  We cannot create the earth, or the universe, or something from nothing.  So we place these same limitations o

Remembering September 11, 2001

A nation attacked.  Stunned silence.  Tears flowing unchecked.  Silent gasps for breath.  Eyes that cannot blink or be torn from the screen, lest something is missed.  Frantic e-mails sent to assure of the safety of family and friends.  Fears that other, closer areas of our nation will be attacked.  We live near a major Air Force base... Waiting.  Watching.  Hoping.  Praying.  Please, God!  Protect us and keep us from further harm!  Sitting on the couch with my young sons after the work and school day was over.  Having to explain to them what happened.  How do you explain what is going on to your children?  How do you protect them from what is happening to your country?  To the world?  You hold them close as you cry, knowing that you cannot protect them.  Nothing is ever under our own control... For so long we in America have been shielded from this type of terror, while we have watched it happening in the world.  We live in America!  This isn't supposed to happen here!  That

I Thank Thee

Not too long ago I found this poem in the fly leaf of one of my grandmother's Bibles.  Unfortunately I don't know who the author might be. I THANK THEE I Thank Thee, God, for gifts so free Unmerited bestowed on me, Though men not knowing call me poor, These are the gifts I thank Thee for: A Mother's love while in my youth, A Father's honesty and truth, A faith in Thee whate'er befall, A trust that seeth good in all, A hope as long as there is breath, A life that endeth not with death, A Friend sincere bound fast by love, A God of mercy up above; No man on earth could call me poor And know the gifts I thank Thee for. ~ Unknown What have you found in the Bibles of your relatives?  What are you leaving behind for others to find in your Bible? Reese

Preparing for the Future

Four times in recent days it has been impressed on me from various sources that we are to let go of the past, leave it behind, and press forward.  Once was at the Women of Faith Conference in Atlanta, once was at church, once was through Turning Points Magazine's September issue, and once was through a Christian novel.  To directly quote the novel, "The past is part of who we are. It formed us and shaped us and brought us to this place, but it does not define us. What defines us now, in this moment, is our relationship with God, our desire to serve Him and our pursuit of His will.  We must let go of what was if we are going to embrace what is." 1     I have to admit there are things in my past I am not proud of that have definitely shaped who I am today.  God forgave me and put it behind Him the instant I asked His forgiveness.  But I forgot that and took a long time to forgive myself.  After I have taken care of my past I can look toward the future.  You know, the fu

Women of Faith Imagine Conference

It was an honor and a privilege to be able to attend the Women of Faith Imagine Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend.  Hearing these godly women (and man) speak and sing was truly a blessing.  Next year I hope to go again, and take a lot of friends and family with me!  Next year's theme is Celebrate!  based on Joel 2:21 NCV  "… Be happy and full of joy, because the Lord has done a wonderful thing. "   More than 8,000 women attended the Atlanta event, representing Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Illinois (seriously!) and New York City.  It was incredible hearing these women break into spontaneous song on several occasions, rising in the air as a beautiful sound, praising and worshipping our Lord.  Before I leave them out, let me tell you that Women of Faith has an incredible worship team!  Full of life, energy, joy and praise to our Savior. I would like to share with you some of my personal high points from thi