And the Life Ready woman is..

Thanks to all of you who commented on my recent blog post. I wanted ALL of you to win (after all, you are ALL winners in MY book!) , but alas, there could only be ONE blog reader I could give The Life Ready Woman to..

Drum Roll please.... and the book goes to....

Sonya! Yes, Sonya has won this free book courtesy of Litfuse Publicity and this blog! Congratulations,Sonya!! I will get it to you soon!


Speaking of books, Amazon is offering a free Kindle download for your PC and, to boot, one of my favorite bloggers let me  know about a free book download available right now. It's called Imaginary Jesus  by Matt Mikalatos and it is a HOOT!! It makes you consider which Jesus you are believing in and following.

 I haven't laughed out loud while reading, in a very long while. This one is both thought provoking,  hilarious, and slightly wacky. It's set in Portland.

Portland is unique.I like Portland. We camped near Portland this past summer, and somehow this adds to my enjoyment of the book.

This book reminds me of the song by downhere  called The Real Jesus. Enjoy!

Never Let You Go

Similar in feel to Ted Dekker’s supernatural thrillers, Never Let You Go by Erin Healy is about the struggle between forces of good and evil, and the consequences of wrong choices. Healy, who has co written books with Dekker,  takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of fear and hope. Lexi Gruggen, a single mom with a troubled past, must face her own wrongful past choices and actions while protecting her young daughter from one who is planning to harm her. This story serves up an interesting cast of characters, causing the reader to wonder whether there are actual angels and demons saving or tormenting Lexi’s family.
Personally, this book didn’t grab me as much as I had hoped. The characters may not have been sufficiently developed for me to really care about them. In addition, I realize now that supernatural thrillers are not my favorite genre, and that may be part of the reason.
For those who enjoy Ted Dekker’s writing, this novel will satisfy, even though its plot does seem a little thinner than Dekker’s novels.  There are enough colorful characters and surprising, nasty events, twists and turns to satisfy fans of this genre. And of course, the truth that love wins over evil comes through loud and clear.
I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Sneeze program. Check it out at: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

Nuggets of truth

I’ve enjoyed reading The Joy of the Snow, an autobiography by Elizabeth Goudge (and looking forward to some of her fiction work now).
It’s satisfying to find that someone else has had similar thoughts to the ones you may have been thinking,  and was able to put them into just the right words. Several times in this book I have said to myself, “Yes, she’s right. That’s true for me, too.”
The author’s father, a devout Christian man, towards the end of his life, said, “When I come to the end I shall be saying to God ‘Let me go back and try again’.”
Sometimes I feel that way. That if I could start over, I’d use my time more wisely. I’d think less about doing and just do it. I’d know how to balance work and recreation, wants and needs, calm and busyness,  giving to others and taking care of myself, loving God more and thinking about ‘me, me, me’ less,  and on and on..  Then I wouldn’t feel guilty about having wasted so much time and energy on unnecessary things. 
I think maybe Jesus is the only one who had no regrets about his life. He knew the perfect balance for how to spend His time. He didn’t do things to impress others, to feel better about himself, or out of guilt. He did everything with pure motives. He did everything for the glory of God.
I pray that my life will look more like His as the days and years go by.

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is a devotional- type  book of truths from the book of Proverbs written in a humorous, down to earth way. This book, written by Patsy Clairmont (one of the original Women of Faith conference speakers)  is  most applicable to women in midlife, although anyone can glean from her insights.
Most of her examples are taken from her own life, and she deals with a variety of relevant issues including anxiety, taking advice, forgiveness, facing fear. Some of these may be ‘heavy’ topics, but she has a gift of incorporating lightheartedness into the mix. She IS funny!  At the end of each short chapter are questions that would be great discussion starters or journaling ideas.
This would be a great gift book or a keeper—helping women to see God’s wit and wisdom through the ‘straightforward counsel of Proverbs’.
I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Sneeze program. Check it out at:  http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

Of Tea-gowns and other Female Clothes

I’ve been reading this very enjoyable autobiography  The Joy Of The Snow by Elizabeth Goudge. I’m learning much about life in England in the Edwardian age, through the eyes of Elizabeth, remembering  her life as a young girl and only child.  
Life was very different for women back then. Take clothes, for example. Most were homemade, sewn by nannies or other women in the household who were good with needles. Interestingly, an hourglass-shaped  ‘dummy’ was used to fit the clothes, and no matter the woman’s shape, all the clothes in Elizabeth’s home were fitted to the dummy. It seemed that it wasn’t unusual to stuff the ‘empty places ‘ with filling of some sort. Mmmmm….
Then there were Tea-gowns, which actually weren’t worn to tea at all. These were a cross between a housecoat and a dress, worn during those times when one felt poorly. If you were seen in one of these, it meant that ‘even though you were up, you were only just up’. .. I guess that’s like sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt or sweater in our day? I think I could have lived in a Tea-gown last week. What does your ‘tea-gown’ look like?
In our culture, as age creeps up , we women tend to do things that will hopefully keep us looking younger (at least we fool ourselves into thinking so!). But in the early 1900’s in England, the women changed their dress to celebrate their old age – wearing soft dresses, shawls or lace scarves, and a lace cap – to hide the grey or thinning hair. And then they sat down by the fire or in the garden, depending on the weather, and watched the grandchildren play. There weren’t a lot of expectations put on older women. I wonder if this made them age  more quickly? They probably weren’t much older than 50 or 60 years at this point. 
I thought this quote from the book was quite humorous: “ I suppose it is on balance a happy thing that old people are put on the shelf less early now: but I do have days when I hanker for a lace cap.”

I’m definitely not even close to being ready to be ‘put on the shelf’. And a lace cap? Maybe one day I’ll have a hankering, too.

A Good reRead

Re-reading, we always find a new book." C.S. Lewis
So, what book (besides the Bible)  have you read several times, and know that you will probably read it again?
Although I do own quite a few books, I really haven’t read a lot of them more than once. But there are a few that beg to be enjoyed over and over.

My favorite reread of all time  is Joy In the Morning by Betty Smith (who also wrote A Tree Grows In Brooklyn) , a novel set in the American Midwest  in the 1920’s , about  a young newly married couple and the struggles they overcome  as they begin their life together. Great characters, excellent writing.    I had originally borrowed it from the library, but then came across it at a yard sale and quickly snapped it up for about 25c. Since then I have reread it several times, and will do so again. It is that good. 
How about you? What’s your favorite reread? 

Thin Places

“I live in the midst of holy moments, yet only in retrospect do I really see them. I claw at the seams of life, questioning God’s ways, seldom realizing that if I’d stop clawing, I would capture new glimpses of Him through the thin places.  God woos me from behind the veil through the tragedies, beauties, surprises, simplicities, and snatches of my life I might overlook.”
So begins Mary DeMuth in her poignant memoir Thin Places.  Hers is a story of a childhood none of us would wish on anyone, and the  subsequent journey through her teen and adult years. More importantly, hers is  a story of hope, because she relates how God has met her in those places and has healed and continues to heal her. 
I love this book because of Mary’s  honesty,  her willingness to name the family secrets that kept her from being free, and just that fact that she writes so well.
I can relate to her struggles and experiences  in a lot of ways, even though my story is very different from hers. We all deal with pain and disappointments in our lives, because there are no perfect people on earth,. We all attempt to cover up our shortcomings (or some of them)  at some point or other, as well. It seems we have this need to look like we have it all together, when really, freedom comes from being transparent. That takes courage. A lot of it.
I know it’s a journey to saying “This is me, warts and all”. I hope that I am moving further along the road  everyday.
I recommend this book to… everyone. And then, pass it on to a friend!

The Main Thing

How would you finish the statement: ‘God’s main thing is that He wants me to be  ______ .’ ?   Well, according to Free Book* by Brian Tome,  God wants us to be, you guessed it,  free. Brian believes that this is what the Bible tells us over and over in so many ways. It is not a book of restrictions, but rather a book about love and freedom.  I have to agree that if we are not free, nothing else really matters. 
Freedom isn’t about ‘no boundaries’; in fact, all of us are slaves to something. It comes down to ‘who or what do you want to follow?’. 
Our society, Tome  believes, are slaves to fear and we can never be free if we are afraid to take risks. And it shows itself in various ways. Whether it’s  insuring ourselves and all we own up to our eyeballs, or hiding who we really are, or collecting stuff, or avoiding the next big pandemic, following rules that God never intended for us,  or even avoiding  any  risks or adventures--we are bombarded by the ‘stay safe’ creed. We’re even afraid to get to know people who are very different from us. And this brings bondage.
The cost of freedom ultimately was paid by Jesus, but we still have the day to day choices to make to help us stay free.  And we have been given tools to grow in freedom.
Free Book*  is practical, down to earth, and a breath of fresh air, so far removed from the usual fare. The author is funny and transparent and isn’t afraid to be a little offensive to those of us who are more religious than we care to admit. He made me think. 
I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Sneeze program. Check it out at:  http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

Lose Yourself In This One

Lucia, struggling with her weight, her marriage, and extended family issues,  covers up her pain by bingeing and taking responsibility  for everyone else’s problems. Her older beautiful, talented sister is a charismatic leader of  Abundant Life Ministries, a popular TV ministry,  but all is not as it seems. When a horrible event occurs, both women must face their personal hurts square on.  Sullivan Crisp, a quirky but caring Christian counselor enters the scene; he, however, has his own demons to battle.
The characters in this book are well developed and the plot moves along. There are enough subplots to keep the reader wondering what is going to happen and how everything will come together in the end.
If you enjoy contemporary fiction with a touch of humor and great insight into the human condition and how God uses others to help heal us, you will enjoy Healing Waters.  This book follows Healing Stones, and is the second book in a new series  by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn.
I’m looking forward to reading the recently released  Healing Sands very soon!

Forgotten God

I’ve read two books by Frances Chan lately, but this is the one that intrigued me more and it did not disappoint.
Seeing as our pastor is doing a series on the Holy Spirit, this book fits right into the conversation. According to Chan, the Holy Spirit is the forgotten God. Of course, he is writing from a western context.
I’ll just share a couple of nuggets from the book, which really made me think about where I’m at spiritually. Who knows, you may want to read it, too.
“The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.”
“ Given our talent set, experience, and education, many of us are fairly capable of living rather successfully (according to the world’s standards) without any strength from the Holy Spirit. Even our church can happen without Him. Let’s be honest: If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming. … People are more likely to describe  the quality of the music or the appeal of the sermon than the One who is the reason people gather for “church” in the first place.”
“I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn’t come through, then I’m screwed.”
“If you have not known or experienced God in ways you cannot deny, I would suggest that you are not living in a needy or dependent way.”
There are no formulaic answers in Chan’s book, but he does mention it has a lot to do with spending time with God and listening, asking the Holy Spirit to change us, knowing His Word personally (not just what others say about it), looking to God for answers, not spending so much energy and resources trying to figure things out for ourselves, and it’s about being willing to look foolish to others (even our Christian brothers and sisters).
This was a great read. I hope that I won’t forget about what’s struck me and carry on as usual.

The Gospel According to Lost

Ever wondered if there are deeper meanings to the characters and storylines and plot twists in the TV show Lost? According to author Chris Seay, a huge fan of Lost, it’s all about our common struggle with   good and evil – within ourselves,  with others, and even with God.  Everyone loves a mystery (and that is the attraction of Lost) and all of us deep down want to know truth; Seay often weaves Biblical insights throughout the book.
This book confirmed to me  that Lost is best watched in community with others, because it’s then that we can bounce ideas off of each other and share ideas about motives, the why’s, and the how’s. As Seay says, this show is all about ‘mystery’ and the search for answers.  And we all want answers.
Read this book if you  enjoy delving into the possible meanings behind the characters and events, and what we can learn about God and ourselves.  Think of Lost as a parable—a great way to tell a story with a deeper meaning.
I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program. Check it out at:  http://brb.thomasnelson.com/