Wow, I listened to this as a book on CD. Just finished it. The actors who depicted the husband and wife in this book were fantastic.
This is one of th...moreWow, I listened to this as a book on CD. Just finished it. The actors who depicted the husband and wife in this book were fantastic.
This is one of those books that I can't stop thinking about. Gillian Flynn brilliantly has depth-of-character in her characters and characters they are.
I didn't give this a 5 because I had a tough time with the incredible amount of usage of one particular foul word.
But disturbing and the book makes me mindful of someone I used to know who I am so am thankful I no longer do.(less)
" . . .take simple steps of intentional gratitude . . .and watch and see what God does." Shelley Hitz, from 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge
Shelley Hitz...more" . . .take simple steps of intentional gratitude . . .and watch and see what God does." Shelley Hitz, from 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge
Shelley Hitz's new book, 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge: Finding Freedom from Self-Pity and a Negative Attitude uses the idea that if people practice a habit for 21 days, they can create a new pattern of thinking and living. Hitz chose to implement this strategy in her own life after a season of loss and transitions. She quit her job as a physical therapist, sold her Ohio home, lived with debt issues for seven years, moved to Belize with her husband CJ to become missionaries and then moved to Colorado. During this time, she found herself mentally, spiritually and physically exhausted. She decided to change her outlook and used gratitude to accomplish this task.
By handwriting 21 thank-you notes, one each for 21 straight days, Hitz found herself a different person at the end of her experiment. She learned that in her positive memories lay a deep well of restorative nourishment. Here she found people who had helped her in her career, in her faith journey, in her education. She used "remembering" to take her into a bright future, one that, by looking back, she could go forward, full of the hope her gracious Savior promised.
This is a short book, big on life-changing ways to create a full expression of who we long to be and can be, if we put into practice Hitz's suggestions. Each day is a short mind-jog to get you thinking about whom you might want to thank. Accompanying these ideas is an application. Sometimes these suggestions are prompts more than they are questions to get you thinking. In particular I like Hitz's challenge on Day No. 10 - "Write out at least five spiritual blessings you have been given."
This book is a happiness booster; while it challenged me to look inward, the sole intent of this was to get me to act outwardly by getting me to think about how much I have and have been given by the people whom I have encountered over the span of my life. . . and to thank them, one at a time.
This is a wonderful book. Gift this book to you. You'll feel like a million bucks and you will change the countenance of the world as you practice these gratitude lessons. (less)
Book Review of Shelley Hitz’s Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy by Julie Saffrin
When life upends, and unfairly so, what do you do?
Shelley Hitz’s me...moreBook Review of Shelley Hitz’s Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy by Julie Saffrin
When life upends, and unfairly so, what do you do?
Shelley Hitz’s memoir-self-help book, Hope in the Midst of Tragedy will help you journey through the disorder, unknowns and not-in-control feelings that come. You’ll find a friend in these pages as you live and experience Hitz’s account of learning to cope with the unexpected. Hitz’s father went into a coma and came out with traumatic brain injury (TBI) after being assaulted in 2009.
Your circumstances may be different, but we are creatures of emotions and where there’s hurt, there’s most likely anguish. Hitz describes her feelings this way: “My emotions have been up and down today, ranging from sadness to grief to guilt to anger to fear,” she writes. “They say this is normal to have a flood of conflicting emotions in this part of the crisis response called “recoil.” Normal or not, it’s not very fun!”
Recoil. Curling inward, lashing out. What a great word to describe the springing of our emotions. Ordinary reactions to disturbance.
But Hitz doesn’t leave herself or us there. Nor does she give us, as Simon and Garfunkel sang, “false hope.” She gives us “hope,” an action word. If you like picture words, envision, as some ancients did, its definition, “leaping with expectation.”
These leaps are sometimes barely visible to the eye, yet, how isn’t this how much of change happens – in small increments? Hitz’s “hope” comes from signs from above and everyday life, in the beautiful and sometimes simple ways such as her father’s squint of trying to understand what’s being said to him as he comes out of coma. In this moment, any movement at all brought hope.
Where Hitz could have chosen to live in anger toward someone who hurt her father, where she could have blamed God for allowing this awful circumstance to happen, Hitz instead, chose to embrace loving God through some hard, dark days.
Her books reads in diary form so we experience her inches gained, some miles lost, with her. Because of this, we experience her emotional range too. We applause in the minor and major milestones too.
Her Scripture choices were so comforting. Take the time to look at the ones Hitz does not write out in her book. They are true sources to heal a heart.
The From My Heart to Yours sections are designed for you to apply to your circumstances. I love that she gives her readers a way to ponder and express themselves too.
The beauty of Hitz’s writing is, she gets to the heart of what she’s feeling but then uses Scripture to help her journey toward healing. And just as it takes time for her father to restart his life, so too, does this give Hitz permission to allow God to gently teach her. And we, in turn, are given this chance as well.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who yearns to find comfort while going through life’s unexpected detours. You will feel refreshed and hope-filled as you know you are not alone in your journey. Hitz has gone before you and she offers you the joy she has found in the process. This is a book that is heartfelt, yet so inspiring. (less)
"My husband Jon and I obeyed God and waited to be intimate until we married. We longed for children born ou...moreInfertile woman authors post-abortive novel
"My husband Jon and I obeyed God and waited to be intimate until we married. We longed for children born out of our love for each other," said Joy DeKok, Rochester, Minn., resident and author of the book, RainDance. "But God said, "No."
Though Rain Dance is a work of fiction, the story's premise is Joy's decades-long journey with infertility. Her novel begins with her main character's encounter in a doctor's office with Stacie, a woman about to abort her unborn child.
Joy's heart for post-abortive women began in 1971, two years before the procedure became legal in the U.S. Joy was in eighth grade. "My 14-year-old friend had an illegal abortion. Nothing was the same for her afterward. I believe she pulled away from her friends because we didn't know how to understand her loss. I still think about her."
Joy believes the grieving process between infertile and post-abortive women is similar. "For the infertile woman, grief is about a child never conceived. For the post-abortive woman, it is about a child conceived and never born. We both miss the children we will never hold," she said.
As divine irony would have it, it is because of her childlessness that Joy came to write Rain Dance. "I was cleaning house one day when God gave me the idea for the book. I remember saying to God, 'I do not want to do this. Ask someone else.' But the story grew in my heart." Months later, Joy began the outline with the words tumbling onto the page.
The writing did not come without the reopening of old wounds for Joy. "Hurtful comments have not changed in all these years. People still say if infertile couples would get rid of the sin in their lives they'd conceive. If this were true, no one would conceive because we're all sinners."
Joy found comfort in John 9. "Jesus said the reason for the man's blindness was not because of his sin but to bring honor and glory to God," she said. "God used that to heal the brand left on my heart by unkind words."
The reaction to her novel has been remarkable. It has comforted young women just beginning their infertility journey as well as post-abortive women. "even though [post-abortive women] are forgiven by Christ, they are afraid for other Christians to know," Joy said.
"They are afraid of the judgment. I understand that. As an infertile woman, I have felt such judgment too." Women who have buried their secret for years have written Joy or visited with her after a speaking engagement. "I'm a Stacie too," is often how they begin the freeing and healing dialogue of confession.
With one in four women, churched and unchurched, having had abortions, Joy longs for the day where women unveil their secrets and feel safe from judgment in doing so. "I believe with all my heart if women who have not had abortions would make it safe for women who are post-abortive to talk about their experience, the abortion issue would radically change," she said. "The gospels are so powerful because they are eyewitness accounts. It's one thing for me to tell about the lies and horrors of post-abortive women. It's another thing completely when it comes from them."
It is Joy's hope that women will eventually feel free to share their stories. "It is essential that we love post-abortive women. They are our friends. By allowing them to share their stories, aside from the healing that occurs, perhaps it will prevent another woman from taking the same action," Joy said.
"While God didn't let a child be conceived in my womb," she said reflectively, "He conceived this love in my heart for post-abortive women."
Rain Dance is currently available as an e-book. For more information about Joy, please see her website, www.joydekok.com (less)
Review of My Scripture Journal: Gratitude by Heather Bixler
For my summer devotional read, I am using My Scripture Journal: Gratitude by Heather Bixler...moreReview of My Scripture Journal: Gratitude by Heather Bixler
For my summer devotional read, I am using My Scripture Journal: Gratitude by Heather Bixler and enjoying it.
The format is so simple that it might cause one to consider it trite or maybe even not worth the time. But if you are looking for a short guide that allows you to explore Scripture, one that does not spoon-feed you answers, then this book/journal is for you.
Benefits of this guide:
First, the format is easy to do. Bixler makes it clear the key to retention of Scripture memorizing is repetition. I agree. Bixler has seven different activities, one per day, to help us improve our chances of doing so. Though Bixler’s guide is designed for an 8-week study, I chose to do it in days rather than in weeks. I wanted to delve into Scripture more than I wanted to memorize.
Second, Bixler’s study puts one in a contemplative mood. For me the two most beneficial parts to this study are Day No. 5, which asks you to read a chapter in Scripture, and the Discussion Questions. With each Scripture verse and chapter I read and studied, new revelations came. One version of Scripture of Psalm 71, “Put your ear to the ground and listen, give me space for salvation,” had me investigating the phrase “put your ear to the ground.” I found fascinating stories of people who had done this and what they heard. One story, in Iceland, people put their ear to the ground and heard Lake Kleifarvatn draining. I wrote a paragraph about gratitude and how importance listening is. For when we listen as though our ear is to the ground, we’re focused, looking for that something in being grateful, that no one else is seeing or acting upon. Bixler knows the power of contemplating Scripture and I am so glad she has explored it in this way.
Third, this study can be done individually or in a small group. I chose to do this as a self-study, but this study would work very well meeting a friend once a week to discuss or with several women.
Lastly, Bixler’s study works to train your brain to think about gratitude in fresh new ways. Scripture tells us that when we read it, we will be changed because we did so. When I stilled myself and I worked my way through these lessons and allowed the Holy Spirit to work on my heart, I received some wonderful, personal insights about gratitude. I loved that Bixler just simply guided me through this. My responsibility was to give myself the time and quiet to allow God to speak to me, which is Who I want to take direction from.
What you’ll want to have near you as you work through Bixler’s Scripture Journal.
1. A Bible. 2. A journal or spiral notebook to use as you work through this. 3. Three versions of Scripture. I downloaded the YouVersion® app for my phone but something like www.biblegateway.com would work just as well too. 4. Post-it® notes for you to place around your home.
A book for a writer to pick up again and again and learn something. My some favorite lines:
"The first step in becoming free of fear is to accept yours...moreA book for a writer to pick up again and again and learn something. My some favorite lines:
"The first step in becoming free of fear is to accept yourself as a writer. None of us creates ex nihilo (out of nothing)." - Wow, does this take the pressure off. If we are the sum of people that we've met, then might it be possible that our writing reflects the sum of all that we have read?
"The second, understand that all our memories are already fiction." How interesting. Taking non-fiction to make it fiction.
"Third, write it first; fix it later. Tess Gallagher, in her poem, 'Each Bird Walking,' wrote, 'Tell me . . . something I can't forget.'" . . . How do we know what readers won't forget? Most likely, you reader won't foget what you yourself can't forget-what burned most deeply into your own mind." Translation: Resist the urge to stop creating the world you want.
Delightful short vignettes of ways in which couples show love to one another. My favorite? Writing messages with a toothpick into a newly opened jar o...moreDelightful short vignettes of ways in which couples show love to one another. My favorite? Writing messages with a toothpick into a newly opened jar of peanut butter.(less)
Read this book to see how God really works, as he did in Oswald Chambers' life.
Here are examples of what I mean:
"Unless the life of a missionary is hi...moreRead this book to see how God really works, as he did in Oswald Chambers' life.
Here are examples of what I mean:
"Unless the life of a missionary is hid with Christ in God before he begins his work, that life will become exclusive and narrow. It will never become the servant of all men, it will never wash the feet of others."
What any humand being has done," he had heard a preacher say, "any other human being is capable of." Though I have never been able to confirm a source, this sentence made me think of once hearing about Mother Teresa, when asked why she ministered to the poor, responded that when she looked at herself, she saw Hitler there. This made me stop in my tracks. The human heart is capable of untold evils.
A motto to live life by from Chambers' diary: "The reading in 1 Samuel 8 struck me impressively, viz. that in any dilemma produced by providential circumstances, the temptation is to yield to ordinary common sense rather than wait for God to fulfill His purpose. God's order comes to us through the haphazard."
"I refuse to worry."
Without anxiety, he welcomed each day and its developments under the sovereign hand of God.(less)
Makes one vulnerable to God - Augustine is so brutally honest with God one can't help but by moved.
Favorite lines:
"May your mercies, my God, make grat...moreMakes one vulnerable to God - Augustine is so brutally honest with God one can't help but by moved.
Favorite lines:
"May your mercies, my God, make grateful confession of that to you from the innermost parts of my soul!"
"For you evil does not exist at all, and not only for you but for your created universe, because there is nothing outside it which could break in and destroy the order which you have imposed upon it."
"Corruption does harm and unless it diminishes the good, no harm would be done."
"If the [Bible's] writings about him were wrong in so describing him, everything else would be suspected of being a lie, and there would remain no salvation for the human race based on faith in these books."
"There is abolutely no way corruption can injure our God- no act of will, no necessity, no unforeseen chance - since he is God and what he wills for himself is good, and he is that same good."
"Your omnipotence is never far from us, even when we are far from you."(less)
Though inaccuracies abound, this book opened my eyes to the beautiful plateau in France that saved thousands of men, women and children -- refugees -...moreThough inaccuracies abound, this book opened my eyes to the beautiful plateau in France that saved thousands of men, women and children -- refugees - many of them Jewish - from the horrible dictators of World War II(less)
Thought-provoking and wonderful book. Perhaps my favorite of the four Crosswicks Journals.
Sentences I love:
"Affluence tends to bring with it a stupor,...moreThought-provoking and wonderful book. Perhaps my favorite of the four Crosswicks Journals.
Sentences I love:
"Affluence tends to bring with it a stupor, a flatulence of spirit. It is difficult to laugh freely as long as we are clutching all that we have accumulated and are afraid to lose."
"I would like to travel light on this journey of life, to get rid of the encumbrances I acquire each day."
"In a Good Friday sermon Alan talked about the human desire to play God. We all have it. The trouble is that we want to play at God rather than be like God. We forget that playing God, if we take it seriously, involves a love so great that it accepts the cross."
"As it takes both male and female to make mankind, so it takes both Good Friday and Easter to make Christianity." (less)
A book that provides a circle of support and will change your life if you have, had, or know someone who has cancer.
A person doesn't live long before...moreA book that provides a circle of support and will change your life if you have, had, or know someone who has cancer.
A person doesn't live long before he or she encounters someone who has cancer. Not saying anything seems easier than saying the wrong thing. But Debbie Church, an oncology counselor diagnosed in December 2008 with Stage IIIA breast cancer who subsequently had a double mastectomy, has something to say about that. "Put your fears to rest and listen, just listen," she writes in Don't Ever Look Down.
At first, the title loosely refers to mountain-climbing, a sport about which Dick, Deb's husband, is passionate. But as the book progresses and this couple learns to face a new normal, the title takes on significance, first as it refers to Dick's protecting words to his wife once the bandages are removed and secondly, as it relates to how to take on cancer and survive it day by day.
Though this is a non-fiction book, its structure and style immediately brought to mind Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey's fictional, Joanna's Husband and David's Wife, where chapters alternate being written by wife and husband.
In Don't Ever Look Down, whether it's a chapter written by Debbie or one written by Dick, each is given full expression of their personal points of view in a no-holds barred way. Dick tackles such subjects as "mercy sex" and what it's like to be a pastor who has wrestled with God about the whys. He writes about questioning God with "Why her?" Dick said, "She has done nothing horribly wrong to deserve this. Would `deserving' even be a good enough reason for getting cancer, anyway?'"
Dick also isn't afraid to say when seemingly well-intending friends have gone too far. One person said that God allowed Debbie to get cancer so that He could get Dick's attention. Dick writes, "Honestly, this is very disturbing to me. I could not believe God would use the suffering of my wife just ... to teach me a lesson or something." We don't expect pastors to share their deep sorrows like that, yet because Dick was willing to walk and talk about being in a hard place, we, as readers, are given permission to, too. His chapters really give a male perspective, wisdom and counsel to a subject that is often not addressed in self-help cancer books.
Debbie's words are a day-by-day guide to what survival looks like. She also writes of others under her counsel who had cancer and how she coached them through each stage of the disease. She is not afraid to say what she's thinking. When you read Debbie's chapters, she writes in such a beautiful way, that she reaches out to the reader to guide and offer wisdom, even if a reader does not have cancer.
The Churches' children, Scott and Mary, are also given an opportunity to tell what it feels like when a parent gets cancer.
Certainly the book is for other cancer fighters and for those who are looking to help them as the book tackles telling other family members, gives practical ways for people to come alongside their loved ones and ways to help them. That Debbie is an oncology counselor adds to the credibility of the book; she tells the reader about what to expect and goes a long ways toward alleviating the unknowns and fear. Deb writes in Chapter 11, "Perhaps the best way to combat fear is to take definitive action. Do something that puts you back in control."
But this book is also for the everyday reader. Especially readers who: — are looking to be more compassionate, — want to learn how to grapple with fear, — are a caregiver to someone who has cancer, — are wanting someone who has been through the cancer trenches to give it to you straight yet in a way that is tender-hearted, — are a husband and want camaraderie in how to love your spouse, — want to strengthen your marriage, — want to know more about how to live, heartfelt and ankle-deep, in the human condition.
This little book is bighearted in content and takeaway; you will benefit from adding it to your library. (less)
This is Sheaf House Publishers’ second time-travel book. Its first, Seasons in the Mist by Deb Kinnard, won an award, and deservedly so, especially if...moreThis is Sheaf House Publishers’ second time-travel book. Its first, Seasons in the Mist by Deb Kinnard, won an award, and deservedly so, especially if you’ve a love of Cornwall, England.
Furr’s book, Quest for the Nail Prints takes us back to Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. As many of us know, book covers can make or break a book’s sales. When I purchased Quest for the Nails, I thought the cover aptly fit the book’s premise of going back to the Holy Land. The hole drilled through the book, though, threw me. I thought it a gimmick and, as I read along, became somewhat annoyed by it. Seemed like a lot of wasted space on every page. But as I sank deeper into the plot, the hole seemed to disappear, only to come around again at the book’s end and take on a significant meaning for me. Now I love that hole.
Furr takes risks in Quest for the Nail Prints, something readers will discover and wrestle with. I love that Furr answered some questions for me, in particular, the man carrying a jar. Quest for the Nail Prints takes readers on a journey between modern day and the first Holy Week. Three modern day travelers involuntarily journey to 33 A.D., where they live and breathe with the people with whom Jesus traveled and lived during the last week of his pre-resurrection life.
The characters in this book are human. The modern-day Christians in Quest for the Nails don’t always live the Golden Rule. They judge, they ignore, they hesitate, they fail. At times, they embarrassingly do so while Jesus is looking on. They are full-heartedly human. This made for a surprisingly realistic, relatable and hence, personal, perspective.
Though Quest for the Nail Prints is clearly a work of fiction, it is an interesting exploration of the “what abouts, ifs and buts” of living in the land when Jesus did. One cannot read this book without feeling near to Jesus. Furr puts us in the main character’s heads and even at times, in Jesus’s head.
I don’t know about you, but at times when reading Scripture, I’ve wondered why Jesus’s disciples didn’t say what I think I would have said or acted in a more courageous way. Furr explores that in Quest for the Nail Prints and makes us walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. It’s one thing to read the history of Jesus and the disciples in Scripture; it’s another to live Scripture after it has already happened. The book puts a spin on WWJD and makes the reader think, “What Would I Do?” if faced with the opportunity to live during Holy Week with Jesus; to speak or act, given the same scenario. I became more compassionate for the disciples; they didn’t have the hindsight that I do or the time travelers do.
Furr makes the story come alive of Mary washing Jesus’s feet with expensive perfume. The scene is simple yet profound. A gesture of love given, received, and then given to Mary again. A perfect, lived-out circle of blessing.
I might as well say this at the get-go. For the review of Land of Nimrod, you will find some bias. I cannot help...moreCaptured Brilliance of ordinary people
I might as well say this at the get-go. For the review of Land of Nimrod, you will find some bias. I cannot help myself. For 246 pages, I was transported to England at the turn of the last century, where life is worked out by rain, train, walks, tea and more tea.
Land of Nimrod, which released late in 2011, is the third and last of Sue Russell’s Leviathan trilogy. Though one can follow the storyline well enough to read the work as a stand-alone work of fiction, I would recommend starting with Book 1, Leviathan with a Fish-hook and move to Book 2, The Monster Behemoth, as you will not want to miss Russell’s deft story-telling abilities, her characters and how they live life. All books are available as e-books so you’ll have no shipping charge worries. Perhaps the titles of these books don’t appeal to you. Don’t let them scare you away. We Americans like clear, cozy names for our books. All you need to know in making your buying decision is that these books are modern-day tales of ordinary people walking through life in 2001.
A well-developed cast of characters walk and talk with God to figure out life as best they can. One of my favorites is a modern pastoral couple Roger (said the French “Roget” way) and his wife, Claudine ― who enters a room with “a flurry and flounce of layered clothes, a faint perfume, a breath of summer in January.”
The third book opens with a delightful repartee between Eileen Randall, a Christian, and her husband Josh, whose marriage to Eileen has him, as he tells it, “beginning to bear fruit,” and “feel the influence of your faith . . . sort of like a cloud around you.” In their fifties, they are fairly newly wedded. Theirs is a marriage where each person knows and sees the good that exists in the other.
The British have a delightful sense of humor and Russell captures it well with these two lovable characters. In one scene, Josh is on the phone with his son Martin. Josh clearly wants to hear the juicy details of some good news but angles it in such a way so as not admit it when he says to Martin, “Tell me all the details, because Eileen’s bound to grill me the minute I get off the phone.” Delightful.
And now, I take a deep breath in this review because life throws us curveballs (I realize this is an American phrase regarding baseball. I wonder, does cricket have curveballs?) Russell does not spare them either and I, as a reader who loves the writing and storyline, must go along for the ride. One phrase stayed with me through the book’s reading: “Can you let me know what I have to do next? . . . If I know what is coming, I can cope.” Isn’t that what we want in life – someone to tell us what to do next to make life bearable? How much simpler the road of life would be. But just like I had to reach the book’s end by reading it, we must go through life. As Josh says, “It’s time . . . to be grown up. To make decisions.”
To help our cast of characters, the book heavily references both the book of Isaiah in the Bible as well as Gerontius, a poem written in 1865 by Cardinal John Henry Newman and set to music by Edward Elgar in 1900. Though one need not be familiar with either to grasp Russell’s meaning by using these pieces, I found myself wishing I knew of Gerontius to deepen my reading experience of Nimrod.
I loved the daily simple, honest way in which Eileen lives as a Christian. Russell allows us to read her thoughts and prayers, from her doubts about what being in God’s will looks like, to just talking to God as if he were standing right next to her such as this prayer, “You made me, and you make me somebody. Make me the person you want me to be. Whatever it takes.” I believe God loves it when we interact with him in this way.
Russell’s writing made me stop and think, particularly with regard to grief and our ability to think about the future. One of my favorite lines is this one: “So the world goes on, never asking the reason why. Sparrows build nests, daffodils open their petals whatever the weather, the earth turns towards the light.” The difficulty in working through grief and its awfulness is that we humans, unlike other living things in creation, can and do experience loss. Grief is grief because we have the God-given capacity to think and plan for the future and deep down we know we’ll be forced to face it without our loved ones to experience the days with us. Russell says it beautifully, “I know it’s part of the human repertoire,” yet she goes on to remind and comfort us about who is in control, “ . . . it is love that holds creation in existence, moment by moment, breath by breath.”
Russell’s Nimrod is not like any Christian book I have read. Her characters are real, sinful but working on their redemption. Take the time to read, to marinate in the profound truths found inside of it. This book is a gem, captured brilliance of ordinary people living the Christian life as best they can. I highly recommend it. (less)
If you want to read now people become evil, read this book. Makes me sad to see how Stalin could have chosen a different path and instead close to kil...moreIf you want to read now people become evil, read this book. Makes me sad to see how Stalin could have chosen a different path and instead close to kill millions and millions.
I cannot imagine intentionally putting out a death order on my son. What a despicable man.
Incredible book, written by Tolstoy's grandson. (less)
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