Recently there was a lot of media attention about the man in California that had predicted the end of our world. I read that there were people that not only believed this man, but in anticipation of the predicted cataclysmic event they committed suicide.
About this same time I read an article that John Piper posted it is entitled
In Awe of Jesus Christ. I was especially moved by the next to the last paragraph.
"Nothing greater can be said about the knowledge of Jesus than that He knows God perfectly. All reality outside God is parochial compared to the infinite Reality that God is. What God has made is like a toy compared to the complexity and depth of what God is. All the sciences that scratch the surface of the created universe are the mere ABCs compared to Christ's exhaustive knowledge of the created universe. And this knowledge of the created universe is as a dewdrop on a blade of grass compared to the ocean of knowledge that Jesus has of the Being of God Himself. God is infinite. The universe is finite. Knowledge of the infinite is infinite. Therefore to know God, as Jesus knows God, is to have infinite knowledge. "
I read that paragraph several times, slowly and then aloud. It is both beautiful and profoundly deep. We are given just a limited revelation of God. He is so vastly greater than what we understand. When I think about it, what I think I know, is less than a smidgen, compared to the vastness of the infinite God.
To me it is presumptuous for the created to predict something opposite to what God the Creator has stated in His Word, and that is a grievous error.
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36 NIV
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Roundabout
I found several posts on various ideas about Christian fiction. Some are controversial, all are thought provoking. If you have time to read some or all of the posts let me know what you think?
"Theology is at the heart of what defines Christian fiction." See blog post written by Mike Duran.
http://www.speculativefaith.com/2011/02/04/guest-blog-mike-duran/
"So perhaps non-Christians need to grow a thicker skin." E. Stephen Burnett
http://www.speculativefaith.com/2011/05/05/critiquing-critics-of-christian-fiction-part-3/
"Christians who don't like Christian fiction." By Rebecca Luella Miller
http://www.speculativefaith.com/2011/04/25/another-look-at-good-versus-mediocre/
"Temporary kind of Christian literature." by Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://www.speculativefaith.com/2011/04/25/another-look-at-good-versus-mediocre/
And also by Rebecca LuElla Miller:
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/holiness-is-not-a-dirty-word/
From Sally Apokedak "How God Saved Me While I read A Novel.
"Sometimes I wonder if we should worry less about what makes for Christian fiction and just write."
http://www.speculativefaith.com/2011/01/14/how-god-saved-me-while-i-read-a-novel/
"Why Christians Can't Agree About Christian Fiction" by Mike Duran
http://mikeduran.com/?p=12734
Mike believes there are 2 camps of readers: The Holiness Camp and The Honesty Camp. The Holiness Camp believe they must be separate as saints in holy living, where as The Honesty Camp wants to engage the world and they want truth to be the driving force. In his final statement he believes "The debate is really about the nature of Christian witness."
Amy at My Friend Amy has authored several posts on Faith n Fiction such as--
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/2011/04/faith-and-fiction-saturday-we-need.html
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Friday, May 27, 2011
Book Review: When God Says Go by Lorry Lutz
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/WHEN-GOD-SAYS-Lorry-Lutz/dp/1572930985
Paperback $10.19
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://www.dhp.org/Products/When-God-Says-Go%E2%80%94The-Amazing-Journey-of-a-Slaves-Daughter__XW164.aspx
Paperback $10.75
Published by Discovery House Publishers 2002/240 pages/Non-Fiction, Biography, Missionary
Eliza Davis George was the daughter of slaves, born in Texas where segregation was controlled by Jim Crow laws. Eliza grew up in a large family that loved the Lord. Eliza had felt from a young age that God had a plan for her life. She graduated from high school and attended college during a time when many white people did not have a higher level of education. When Eliza wanted to share the Gospel with Africa, their were several white men from the Baptist Convention that did not believe in her. But, a Reverend James Kelly did believe in her, and eventually Eliza was able to sail from America to Liberia, Africa. In those early years Eliza learned much about the country of Liberia, its people, history, and culture. Eliza worked tirelessly to provide clothing and food for the children, whom she felt was her ministry. She lived among them in the type of housing they lived in, eating the food they ate. She endured pestilence, famine, diseases, warring tribes, neglect and slavery of female children, and monsoon rains and mud. When financial support from America ended, she trusted in God to provide, and she never gave up!
I love to read biographies about Missionaries. I've only read a few, but hope to continue to read more.
What stands out to me the most is their ultimate commitment in the Lord and their complete trust and faith in Him to provide. I live a cushy life in America. Even though I must watch how I spend money, and have little money for extras. I am still able to take a shower everyday, eat a meal 3 times a day, have gasoline in my car, I can go to the doctor or hospital as needed, and many other comforts all that I would not like to live without. A missionary though lays it all on the line. Missionaries are given a stipend but they do not become wealthy agents, instead they are God's agents to proclaim the Gospel.
Eliza gave it all away for the sake of Jesus. She had to go, she had to go and tell these people in Liberia about Jesus. Her focus was on the children so that as they grew up they would continue to grow in the Lord, then when they were adults they would be agents or messengers in telling others about Jesus.
What stood out to me the most is Eliza would not take no for an answer, Jesus was her ultimate authority. She did not look to the right or the left, but stayed focused on Jesus and following Him.
I enjoyed reading her life story. I felt the author gave a full perspective to us of Eliza Davis George. Her childhood is examined, as well as the years waiting to be able to go to Africa, her indecisiveness about marrying Mr. George, the love she had for the children, the singular focus of her mission to the children of Liberia, and in teaching and instilling in them a love for and dedication for the Lord and His mission for them.
I was a little unclear about her punishment to the children. The book mentioned her husband was more harsh. I assume that Eliza was strict with the children and expected obedience.
The dynamics of the marriage between Eliza and her husband are brief, and that was okay for me, if too much information about them had been given I believe it would have steered the book away from the main objective, that being Eliza's complete love for and obedience to God's calling.
Thank you to Discovery House Publishers for my free review copy.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
http://www.amazon.com/WHEN-GOD-SAYS-Lorry-Lutz/dp/1572930985
Paperback $10.19
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://www.dhp.org/Products/When-God-Says-Go%E2%80%94The-Amazing-Journey-of-a-Slaves-Daughter__XW164.aspx
Paperback $10.75
Published by Discovery House Publishers 2002/240 pages/Non-Fiction, Biography, Missionary
Eliza Davis George was the daughter of slaves, born in Texas where segregation was controlled by Jim Crow laws. Eliza grew up in a large family that loved the Lord. Eliza had felt from a young age that God had a plan for her life. She graduated from high school and attended college during a time when many white people did not have a higher level of education. When Eliza wanted to share the Gospel with Africa, their were several white men from the Baptist Convention that did not believe in her. But, a Reverend James Kelly did believe in her, and eventually Eliza was able to sail from America to Liberia, Africa. In those early years Eliza learned much about the country of Liberia, its people, history, and culture. Eliza worked tirelessly to provide clothing and food for the children, whom she felt was her ministry. She lived among them in the type of housing they lived in, eating the food they ate. She endured pestilence, famine, diseases, warring tribes, neglect and slavery of female children, and monsoon rains and mud. When financial support from America ended, she trusted in God to provide, and she never gave up!
I love to read biographies about Missionaries. I've only read a few, but hope to continue to read more.
What stands out to me the most is their ultimate commitment in the Lord and their complete trust and faith in Him to provide. I live a cushy life in America. Even though I must watch how I spend money, and have little money for extras. I am still able to take a shower everyday, eat a meal 3 times a day, have gasoline in my car, I can go to the doctor or hospital as needed, and many other comforts all that I would not like to live without. A missionary though lays it all on the line. Missionaries are given a stipend but they do not become wealthy agents, instead they are God's agents to proclaim the Gospel.
Eliza gave it all away for the sake of Jesus. She had to go, she had to go and tell these people in Liberia about Jesus. Her focus was on the children so that as they grew up they would continue to grow in the Lord, then when they were adults they would be agents or messengers in telling others about Jesus.
What stood out to me the most is Eliza would not take no for an answer, Jesus was her ultimate authority. She did not look to the right or the left, but stayed focused on Jesus and following Him.
I enjoyed reading her life story. I felt the author gave a full perspective to us of Eliza Davis George. Her childhood is examined, as well as the years waiting to be able to go to Africa, her indecisiveness about marrying Mr. George, the love she had for the children, the singular focus of her mission to the children of Liberia, and in teaching and instilling in them a love for and dedication for the Lord and His mission for them.
I was a little unclear about her punishment to the children. The book mentioned her husband was more harsh. I assume that Eliza was strict with the children and expected obedience.
The dynamics of the marriage between Eliza and her husband are brief, and that was okay for me, if too much information about them had been given I believe it would have steered the book away from the main objective, that being Eliza's complete love for and obedience to God's calling.
Thank you to Discovery House Publishers for my free review copy.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Book Review: An Eye For Glory, The Civil War Chronicles of a Citizen Soldier by Karl A. Bacon
"It must never be thought that the field of battle falls silent once the fighting stops, for when the guns cease firing and the last echoes die, the wailing cries of the thousands of wounded arise in a pitiable chorus of woe."
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Glory-Chronicles-Citizen-Soldier/dp/0310322022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306424634&sr=8-1
Paperback $11.55
Kindle $9.99
Link for the book @ Christian Book:
http://www.christianbook.com/glory-civil-war-chronicles-citizen-soldier/karl-bacon/9780310322023/pd/322023?item_code=WW&netp_id=830959&event=ESRCN&view=details
Paperback $11.49
eBook $9.99
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310322023&QueryStringSite=Zondervan
Paperback $16.99
Published by Zondervan February 2011/368 pages/Historical Fiction/Civil War/Memoir/
Michael Palmer against the advice of his wife enlists in the Union Army for the Great War of Rebellion---the Civil War. He and his wife Jessie Anne and their children live in Connecticut. Michael manages a dry goods store. After hearing that President Lincoln needed 300,000 more men for duty, Michael feels the urge to enlist. His wife Jessie Anne does not understand at first, but stoically she handles his decision with grace.
Michael and his best friend John Robinson are in the 14th Connecticut Infantry. Their first battle is Antietam, September 17, 1862.
The battles that Michael fought in would become infamous: Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Stony Mountain, and Gettysburg.
The descriptions of these battles are horrific, gruesome, bloody; and the aftermath is of destruction and carnage.
For Michael as the battles continue, his thinking and response becomes: "load, aim, fire; stick, twist, pull."
Until he comes upon a wounded Confederate soldier that in his final moments holds up his Bible to Michael.
I had been anxious to read this book, having heard only good things about it. While reading this story it spoke to my heart on a deeper level than just being swept away by Michael Palmer's experiences of the Civil War.
Michael's story is kindred to any person that has fought in combat. I thought of my own dad, he fought in World War II--D-day the 6th of June 1944 and The Battle of the Bulge. And of my own son's 2 combat tours in Iraq.
Michael Palmer is a fictional character, but the experiences that he endured are a reality of war. For a soldier having available food to eat on a daily basis is not a given, or if there is food it may not be palatable. Sickness and disease, a simple enough problem with feet can become a deadly problem for a soldier. The feelings of loneliness and worrying about family back home. The fears of not knowing if they will survive the next battle is common to all. And all survivor's feel the same way, how to deal with what they've been through, and the death that surrounds them.
The introduction of characters in a story to me is an intricate and exciting thing--I am being given a glimpse of a character with black ink words on white page only, that then conjure and shape the person as if they are standing before me. The more descriptive the character, the more real they become, and the more real they become, the more I become swept away with the story. In An Eye For Glory Karl A. Bacon created his characters, especially those of Michael Palmer and the other soldiers he is with, in to believable men that I can almost picture standing before me. For example: a soldier that is young, too young for battle, with youth and vigor, yet behind that is a fear that rattles him and can be seen in his eyes, his stance. Or those soldiers that were in charge, some were men of valor and just by their demeanor earned the respect of the men they were with. Or that empty look in their eyes, the far away look, that is called the thousand yard stare.
The battle scenes made my adrenaline flow with the fear of what was over that hill waiting for them.
I understood more fully what it was like to be in an Infantry unit dealing with the environment, battle scars both physically and emotionally, and the deep level of commitment that most of us will never comprehend.
The scenes are not softened by hiding the brutal and bloody fighting of combat, instead Karl A Bacon reveals the turmoil, fear, and mania that ensues.
But, the battles that are fought are by men that each have their own stories to tell, and An Eye For Glory is told from the voice of a Union soldier named Michael Palmer. The Civil War is personalized in this account of Michael, it becomes not a war that is written about in text books rather sanitized and unemotionally. Instead it becomes more real, raw, and unforgettable.
I loved this story! I so hope that the author has plans for further books on the Civil War. Maybe a confederate soldier's life will be next?
Thank you to Zondervan for my free review copy.
My own great great Grandfather E. M. Cooksey fought in the 8th Regiment Mississippi "Pinkney Guards" of Newton County and the 36th Mississippi Infantry Company D "The Yankee Hunters".
I do not have a photograph of him. I know very little about him. I know he was mustered in to the "Pinkney Guards" of the 8th Regiment on May 20, 1861. Sometime later he transfered to 36th Mississippi Infantry Company D. He survived the war, and he and his wife and parents moved from Newton County Mississippi to central Texas. I'm told he was often quoted as saying that he "fit in the war." Instead of fought, he fit.
I've also heard a story passed down, that his father had to "hunt" him down in order to take him a new pair of boots.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Glory-Chronicles-Citizen-Soldier/dp/0310322022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306424634&sr=8-1
Paperback $11.55
Kindle $9.99
Link for the book @ Christian Book:
http://www.christianbook.com/glory-civil-war-chronicles-citizen-soldier/karl-bacon/9780310322023/pd/322023?item_code=WW&netp_id=830959&event=ESRCN&view=details
Paperback $11.49
eBook $9.99
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310322023&QueryStringSite=Zondervan
Paperback $16.99
Published by Zondervan February 2011/368 pages/Historical Fiction/Civil War/Memoir/
Michael Palmer against the advice of his wife enlists in the Union Army for the Great War of Rebellion---the Civil War. He and his wife Jessie Anne and their children live in Connecticut. Michael manages a dry goods store. After hearing that President Lincoln needed 300,000 more men for duty, Michael feels the urge to enlist. His wife Jessie Anne does not understand at first, but stoically she handles his decision with grace.
Michael and his best friend John Robinson are in the 14th Connecticut Infantry. Their first battle is Antietam, September 17, 1862.
The descriptions of these battles are horrific, gruesome, bloody; and the aftermath is of destruction and carnage.
For Michael as the battles continue, his thinking and response becomes: "load, aim, fire; stick, twist, pull."
Until he comes upon a wounded Confederate soldier that in his final moments holds up his Bible to Michael.
I had been anxious to read this book, having heard only good things about it. While reading this story it spoke to my heart on a deeper level than just being swept away by Michael Palmer's experiences of the Civil War.
Michael's story is kindred to any person that has fought in combat. I thought of my own dad, he fought in World War II--D-day the 6th of June 1944 and The Battle of the Bulge. And of my own son's 2 combat tours in Iraq.
Michael Palmer is a fictional character, but the experiences that he endured are a reality of war. For a soldier having available food to eat on a daily basis is not a given, or if there is food it may not be palatable. Sickness and disease, a simple enough problem with feet can become a deadly problem for a soldier. The feelings of loneliness and worrying about family back home. The fears of not knowing if they will survive the next battle is common to all. And all survivor's feel the same way, how to deal with what they've been through, and the death that surrounds them.
The introduction of characters in a story to me is an intricate and exciting thing--I am being given a glimpse of a character with black ink words on white page only, that then conjure and shape the person as if they are standing before me. The more descriptive the character, the more real they become, and the more real they become, the more I become swept away with the story. In An Eye For Glory Karl A. Bacon created his characters, especially those of Michael Palmer and the other soldiers he is with, in to believable men that I can almost picture standing before me. For example: a soldier that is young, too young for battle, with youth and vigor, yet behind that is a fear that rattles him and can be seen in his eyes, his stance. Or those soldiers that were in charge, some were men of valor and just by their demeanor earned the respect of the men they were with. Or that empty look in their eyes, the far away look, that is called the thousand yard stare.
The battle scenes made my adrenaline flow with the fear of what was over that hill waiting for them.
I understood more fully what it was like to be in an Infantry unit dealing with the environment, battle scars both physically and emotionally, and the deep level of commitment that most of us will never comprehend.
The scenes are not softened by hiding the brutal and bloody fighting of combat, instead Karl A Bacon reveals the turmoil, fear, and mania that ensues.
But, the battles that are fought are by men that each have their own stories to tell, and An Eye For Glory is told from the voice of a Union soldier named Michael Palmer. The Civil War is personalized in this account of Michael, it becomes not a war that is written about in text books rather sanitized and unemotionally. Instead it becomes more real, raw, and unforgettable.
I loved this story! I so hope that the author has plans for further books on the Civil War. Maybe a confederate soldier's life will be next?
Thank you to Zondervan for my free review copy.
My own great great Grandfather E. M. Cooksey fought in the 8th Regiment Mississippi "Pinkney Guards" of Newton County and the 36th Mississippi Infantry Company D "The Yankee Hunters".
I do not have a photograph of him. I know very little about him. I know he was mustered in to the "Pinkney Guards" of the 8th Regiment on May 20, 1861. Sometime later he transfered to 36th Mississippi Infantry Company D. He survived the war, and he and his wife and parents moved from Newton County Mississippi to central Texas. I'm told he was often quoted as saying that he "fit in the war." Instead of fought, he fit.
I've also heard a story passed down, that his father had to "hunt" him down in order to take him a new pair of boots.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Book Review: The Letter and the Scroll, What Archaelogy Tells Us About The Bible by Robin Currie and Stephen G. Hyslop
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Letter-Scroll-Archaeology-Tells-About/dp/1426205147
Hardback $28.00
Not available on Kindle
Published by National Geographic November 2009/245 pages
Non-Fiction/Bible History/Biblical Archeology
Link for book @ publisher:
http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/books/culture%2C-history-and-religion/culture-and-religion/the-letter-and-the-scroll
and to see more about book:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/mysteries-of-the-bible-scroll
If you clicked on the above link for the book at Amazon you can read the reviews that were written. The reviews are not good. I appears mistakes were made in some of the photographs. As for me, since I can not read Hebrew or Greek, I would not be able to tell if the script is upside down or not. My review of this book will be based on my own opinion with what knowledge I do have.
I was interested in this book and borrowed it from the library because I've been looking for more information on the history of the Bible. Specifically the manuscripts, codex's, papyrus that was used to write the various translations of the Bible. I'm finding it difficult to find these books, especially from our public library.
In the later part of this book, The Letter and the Scroll, there is information about and wonderful large photographs of the oldest known fragment of the New Testament. The fragment is 3 1/2 inches high and less than 3 inches wide. The reading is in Greek and from John's Gospel chapter 18 verses 31-33 on one side and verses 37-38 on the other side. The fragment was bought in about 1920 in an Egyptian market, but it was 14 years later that a student translated it. It is believed to have been written in the last part of the 1st Century C.E.
Picture below is of this fragment.
In one of the final pages of the book is information about the earliest Christian Church which was discovered in Megiddo. This Church was a worship place for believer's, including those from a nearby Roman camp. Remember this was before Constantine legalized Christianity. At this time believer's met in peoples homes. Archaeologist's believe this ruin was the first Church building. Megiddo is in northern Israel. Written on the mosaic floor of this early Church is the names of four women, I find this astonishing that it would be names of women that are imprinted in this wonder! Also, an inscription was found with the words, Jesus Christ (this is the oldest inscription found with His name).
Photograph below is of the mosaic tile. Notice the fish, ichthys--the early symbol of Christ.
The Letter and the Scroll begins at the beginning of the Bible with the Old Testament character Abraham, moving through with the stories of Moses, David, Israel and Judah, the Babylonians and Persians, Romans, and to the New Testament.
I enjoyed this book!
I was fascinated with the photographs and with the information that I gleaned from the earliest of manuscripts. I learned more information about the Babylonians and Persians--which I knew very little before.
This book is not huge on information, it is small, for a lay person such as myself.
If indeed mistakes were made, I hope they will be corrected.
I am still on the hunt for more books on the earliest of Biblical manuscripts. I just made a phone call to a nearby university, I hope they will be able to help.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
http://www.amazon.com/Letter-Scroll-Archaeology-Tells-About/dp/1426205147
Hardback $28.00
Not available on Kindle
Published by National Geographic November 2009/245 pages
Non-Fiction/Bible History/Biblical Archeology
Link for book @ publisher:
http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/books/culture%2C-history-and-religion/culture-and-religion/the-letter-and-the-scroll
and to see more about book:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/mysteries-of-the-bible-scroll
I was interested in this book and borrowed it from the library because I've been looking for more information on the history of the Bible. Specifically the manuscripts, codex's, papyrus that was used to write the various translations of the Bible. I'm finding it difficult to find these books, especially from our public library.
In the later part of this book, The Letter and the Scroll, there is information about and wonderful large photographs of the oldest known fragment of the New Testament. The fragment is 3 1/2 inches high and less than 3 inches wide. The reading is in Greek and from John's Gospel chapter 18 verses 31-33 on one side and verses 37-38 on the other side. The fragment was bought in about 1920 in an Egyptian market, but it was 14 years later that a student translated it. It is believed to have been written in the last part of the 1st Century C.E.
Picture below is of this fragment.
Photograph below is of the mosaic tile. Notice the fish, ichthys--the early symbol of Christ.
The Letter and the Scroll begins at the beginning of the Bible with the Old Testament character Abraham, moving through with the stories of Moses, David, Israel and Judah, the Babylonians and Persians, Romans, and to the New Testament.
I enjoyed this book!
I was fascinated with the photographs and with the information that I gleaned from the earliest of manuscripts. I learned more information about the Babylonians and Persians--which I knew very little before.
This book is not huge on information, it is small, for a lay person such as myself.
If indeed mistakes were made, I hope they will be corrected.
I am still on the hunt for more books on the earliest of Biblical manuscripts. I just made a phone call to a nearby university, I hope they will be able to help.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
Monday, May 23, 2011
The 2011 Christy Awards
The 2011 Christy Awards will be July 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia.
Randall Wallace will be the keynoter and Liz Curtis Higgs the emcee. For more information:
http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/
Link for the list of award nominee's:
http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77:2011-award-nominees&catid=42:news&Itemid=58
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Randall Wallace will be the keynoter and Liz Curtis Higgs the emcee. For more information:
http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/
Link for the list of award nominee's:
http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77:2011-award-nominees&catid=42:news&Itemid=58
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Roundabout
Roundabout is a post that I try to do at least one time per month. I visit all of the blogs that I follow (104) plus a few sites and then repost those that I find that may be of interest to my readers.
From Peter Cockrell author of Already Not Yet:
When Does God Become 100% For Us
SCAN The Scriptures
Anne at Building His Body:
She has a lovely serene blog with inspirational writing.
Road To Entitlement
Jenifer at By His Grace and In His Word Ministries
A Facebook giveaway
May Issue of Christian Fiction Online Magazine
From Vic at Jane Austen's World
An interesting post on 18th Century Children's Books
From Twiga at Journey Through The TBR Pile
Book Review of The Christian Atheist
Kathi of Kathi Easy Writer Macias
Where Else Can We Go
Becky at Operation Actually Read Bible has a series of new posts entitled Taste and See
http://operationreadbible.blogspot.com/2011/05/taste-and-see-jeremiah-2911-13.html
http://operationreadbible.blogspot.com/2011/05/taste-and-see-deuteronomy-64-9.html
Molly at Reviews By Molly
Book Review of People of the Book by Kathi Macias
Update on fellow blogger Sandi Rog, please pray for her.
http://sandirog.blogspot.com/2011/05/battle-and-foreward-to-yahshuas-bridge.html
Dr. Mike Thomas of Harvest of Miracles.
http://aharvestofmiracles.blogspot.com/2011/05/jesus-is-no-showagain.html
From Justin Taylor's Blog
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/05/20/sex-as-a-sign-and-appetizer-of-something-more/
Do you read Books and Culture magazine?
The Gospel Coalition:
John Piper on What is the Gospel?
Lysa an author of Proverbs 31 Ministries, below post from her blog.
http://lysaterkeurst.com/2011/05/self-control-2/
http://lysaterkeurst.com/2011/05/god-i-dont-like-or-understand-this/
and from Renee Swope also author of Proverbs 31 Ministries.
http://reneeswope.blogspot.com/2011/05/there-is-no-one-like-you.html
Beth Moore has recorded a new Bible study on James, but I do not know when it will be published.
From Christianity Today--Atheists in Foxholes
and The Seven Levels of Lying.
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Sunday Salon
In the past week I've read Matthew chapters 12-21 in the NKJV.
Seems strange to be reading so slowly the NT as opposed to my speeding through in 6 days of reading last month the entire NT. But, I am reading this slowly on purpose. I hope to have read the entire NT (more slowly) by the end of the year.
On June 1 I will start re-reading for the 6th time Romans, I've not decided which translation to read yet.
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Sunday Salon
In the past week I read all of Romans in The Interlinear Bible Greek/English NT. This was the 5th time this year I have read Romans. I am in a challenge this year to read Romans 10 times in 10 different translations.
I will never be able to have a Seminary type experience of learning, but I would love to be able to know a few words by recognition, plus their meanings.
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Life Book Movement
The Life Book Movement has big plans for the 2011-12 school year.
What is the Life Book Movement? Founded by The Gideons International, The Life Book Movement is an innovative strategy to reach high school students with the Word of God. The movement is a Christian mission centered on The Life Book, a unique presentation of Scripture designed to engage high school students with the truth of God’s Word, created by Carl Blunt, president and CEO of The Life Book Movement. The Life Book presents a brief overview of the Old Testament and the Book of John using an interactive format with honest student comments and real-life questions in the margins. Readers are drawn into the only story that can change their lives forever.
The Life Book Movement works with churches throughout the country by providing free copies of The Life Book for students to give as gifts to their friends and classmates during school. Blunt’s organization brilliantly takes advantage of a student’s freedom to distribute religious literature by getting The Life Book into the hands of Christian high school students and having them pass the books out to classmates at school—a practice that is acceptable, as long as the books are not distributed by school staff or other adults. In less than two years since the Life Book Movement got it’s start, over half a million Life Books have been distributed and the movement is growing by leaps and bounds.
Summer is almost here, but now is the time to think about mobilizing your students to reach their classmates this fall. Don't miss out! 1.2 Million students will be reached with God's Word in the coming school year and we want Christian students in your area to reach them. If you wait until the fall, you may be too late - books are being spoken for every day.
A full online version of The Life Book is available for you to take a closer look at by clicking here.
Mother of Pearl Mother's Day Blog Series--Final Post
Thank you all so much for following along with the Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. I pray you laughed, cried and were touched by the translucent stories of real life written by new moms, stepmoms, grandmas, adoptive moms, and moms without moms. Iridescent reality. And how poignant that the translucent nacre which coats the sand stuck inside an oyster’s shell is called Mother of Pearl. Mothers surround children with their love and with God’s love so they can grow in grace. I hope you'll join us this December for the third annual 12 Pearls of Christmas series.
AND ... thanks too, to all of you who entered to win the beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. I'm thrilled to announce that the winner is ...
Jennifer (heavensent1)!
Jennifer, please email amy@pearlgirls.info with your mailing address.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. The purpose of Pearl Girls is to connect women so that together, we can make a difference in the world. All proceeds of the Pearl Girls book go in full to two charities: Wings (women in need growing stronger) to help fund a safe house in the Chicago suburbs and to Hands of Hope to help build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda . Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products to help support Pearl Girls.
Please stop by the Pearl Girls blog and connect with us there.
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Book Review: How Huge The Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn
I could not put this book down, more than a page turner, I consider it to be an outstanding story and one I will not forget!
This book was provided for free to me for review by LitFuse Group and Kregel Publications.
Published April 30, 2011 by Kregel Publications
Fiction but based on real events/304 pages
Young Adult
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://store.kregel.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=2520
Paperback $14.99
Link to read an exerpt:
http://store.kregel.com/client/excerpt/978-0-8254-3310-8.pdf
Link for the book @ Christian Book:
http://www.christianbook.com/how-huge-the-night/heather-munn/9780825433108/pd/433108?item_code=WW&netp_id=856137&event=ESRCN&view=details
Paperback $11.29
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Huge-Night-Heather-Munn/dp/082543310X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305131060&sr=8-1
Paperback $11.69
Kindle $5.00
If you would like to read more information about the true story based on this book, I found a few links:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007518
http://www.auschwitz.dk/Trocme.htm
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Chambon.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Trocm%C3%A9
Review:
Julien Losier age 15 has recently moved with his parents and younger sister from Paris to the town of Tanieux. Tanieux is a small town in southeastern France. Tanieux is the town where his father was born and his paternal grandfather still lives. Julien's only memories of this town was visiting his grandfather during Christmas time, "a winter town, a cold, stone village huddled on its hillside." Julien's father is a teacher and his mother originally from Italy has a beautiful operatic voice. The year is 1940 and Hitler's Wehrmacht is marching across Europe, and soon they will be in France. Julien's parents have taken in a boarder, a young Jewish boy named Benjamin. Also weaved in to the story is Nina and Gustav. They are young teenage siblings living in Austria. Their ill father makes Nina promise to leave the country after his death. Nina and Gustav's plight is out of desperation and obedience to their father.
I read this book in 48 hours. I could not put the book down!
There are 3 significant things that I loved about this book.
1. The story is based on real events that happened during World War II. The town of Le Chambon sur-Lignon saved 5,000 Jewish children from death.
This to me was miraculous!
A town of Protestant people, descended from the Huguenot's defended, protected and kept safe 5,000 children. They were Jewish children unloved and hated by the many (Nazi's) that were intent on eradicating them.
2. The use of environment or facial expressions, or props to deepen the impact of the story for the reader. Some examples are:
Julien asked his mother about her experiences during World War I. "Moma looked at him, her face half in shadow.... She was looking at the candle as if it was the last light on earth. He stared at her.... She did not look at him. They sat for a long time, watching the candle quiver in the dark..... She looked at him, and her mouth lifted in the ghost of a smile."
This way of writing has a huge impact, it grips the reader drawing you in, grabbing your heart and twisting it a little.
Another example:
"They sat in silence, while outside the open window, the evening sky darkened slowly into night."
We know from this that the characters fear what lies ahead. They also feel their lives are descending in to the night--the abyss of uncertainty.
3. Christian belief lived out in action. How often I read fiction books that are full of Bible verses (which I love God's Word), yet the characters are mere puppetry. How Huge The Night makes an unforgettable impact because the people live out their faith in Jesus no matter the cost. I am reminded of what Ed McCulley stated in Beyond Gates of Splendor, "I have 1 desire now to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength in to it."
That my reader is bold, vibrant, FAITH.
I highly recommend this book! This book would be excellent for book discussion in a school classroom, or book club. I recommend this book for ages 5th grade and up.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
This book was provided for free to me for review by LitFuse Group and Kregel Publications.
Published April 30, 2011 by Kregel Publications
Fiction but based on real events/304 pages
Young Adult
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://store.kregel.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=2520
Paperback $14.99
Link to read an exerpt:
http://store.kregel.com/client/excerpt/978-0-8254-3310-8.pdf
Link for the book @ Christian Book:
http://www.christianbook.com/how-huge-the-night/heather-munn/9780825433108/pd/433108?item_code=WW&netp_id=856137&event=ESRCN&view=details
Paperback $11.29
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Huge-Night-Heather-Munn/dp/082543310X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305131060&sr=8-1
Paperback $11.69
Kindle $5.00
If you would like to read more information about the true story based on this book, I found a few links:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007518
http://www.auschwitz.dk/Trocme.htm
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Chambon.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Trocm%C3%A9
Review:
Julien Losier age 15 has recently moved with his parents and younger sister from Paris to the town of Tanieux. Tanieux is a small town in southeastern France. Tanieux is the town where his father was born and his paternal grandfather still lives. Julien's only memories of this town was visiting his grandfather during Christmas time, "a winter town, a cold, stone village huddled on its hillside." Julien's father is a teacher and his mother originally from Italy has a beautiful operatic voice. The year is 1940 and Hitler's Wehrmacht is marching across Europe, and soon they will be in France. Julien's parents have taken in a boarder, a young Jewish boy named Benjamin. Also weaved in to the story is Nina and Gustav. They are young teenage siblings living in Austria. Their ill father makes Nina promise to leave the country after his death. Nina and Gustav's plight is out of desperation and obedience to their father.
I read this book in 48 hours. I could not put the book down!
There are 3 significant things that I loved about this book.
1. The story is based on real events that happened during World War II. The town of Le Chambon sur-Lignon saved 5,000 Jewish children from death.
This to me was miraculous!
A town of Protestant people, descended from the Huguenot's defended, protected and kept safe 5,000 children. They were Jewish children unloved and hated by the many (Nazi's) that were intent on eradicating them.
2. The use of environment or facial expressions, or props to deepen the impact of the story for the reader. Some examples are:
Julien asked his mother about her experiences during World War I. "Moma looked at him, her face half in shadow.... She was looking at the candle as if it was the last light on earth. He stared at her.... She did not look at him. They sat for a long time, watching the candle quiver in the dark..... She looked at him, and her mouth lifted in the ghost of a smile."
This way of writing has a huge impact, it grips the reader drawing you in, grabbing your heart and twisting it a little.
Another example:
"They sat in silence, while outside the open window, the evening sky darkened slowly into night."
We know from this that the characters fear what lies ahead. They also feel their lives are descending in to the night--the abyss of uncertainty.
3. Christian belief lived out in action. How often I read fiction books that are full of Bible verses (which I love God's Word), yet the characters are mere puppetry. How Huge The Night makes an unforgettable impact because the people live out their faith in Jesus no matter the cost. I am reminded of what Ed McCulley stated in Beyond Gates of Splendor, "I have 1 desire now to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength in to it."
That my reader is bold, vibrant, FAITH.
I highly recommend this book! This book would be excellent for book discussion in a school classroom, or book club. I recommend this book for ages 5th grade and up.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
Book Review: A Visual History of the English Bible by Donald L. Brake
Sola meaning alone, ground, base.
Scriptura meaning writings.
Together they are Sola Scriptura meaning complete, accurate, authoritative--"by Scripture alone."
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Visual-History-English-Bible-Bestselling/dp/080101316X
Hardcover $19.79
Link for the book @ Christian Book:
http://www.christianbook.com/visual-history-english-tumultuous-worlds-selling/donald-brake/9780801013164/pd/013164
***outstanding price Hardcover $7.49
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://www.bakerbooks.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?nm=&type=PubCom&mod=PubComProductCatalog&mid=BF1316AF9E334B7BA1C33CB61CF48A4E&tier=3&id=DCF74131335D48BFB4E4D47AF39619AA&AudId=2CE59DBC134644E48BA21637B1D727C3
Hardcover $29.99
Published September 2008 by Baker Publishing Group
352 pages/Non-Fiction/History of Bible
With the many different translations of the Bible most of us are not aware of how they came to be. For my generation I grew up with the King James Version. My earliest memories of Scripture memorization and Bible stories were in this version. In 2011 my translations of choice are the New International Version, New American Standard Version, and English Standard Version, (not listed in any order of favorite). I recently purchased and am now reading Romans in The Interlinear New Testament Bible--the literal translation.
I knew little of the Gutenberg Bible or Wycliffe's Bible, or others. These were translations that were written many centuries ago, but each contributed to the Bible translations that we use today.
A Visual History of the English Bible is a great beginner book for anyone interested in learning more about the English Bible. This book does not go in to any detail about the texts that were used to write the Bible translations, such as the Alexandrian text, or Western text. Nor the many other codex's and manuscripts that are used today in writing our current translations. The focus is on the English Bible's that were written starting with the 14th Century.
There is a book by F. F. Bruce that I am thinking of ordering from Amazon that goes in to more deeper waters with the Bible.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/083081258X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1EHN9HKRRJVW95FGEP0W&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846
Hardcover $18.48
After reading A Visual History of the English Bible it has only peeked my interest for reading more about the Bible, especially these earliest texts that were used.
One of the outstanding features of A Visual History of the Bible are the lovely glossy photograph's of the Bibles, manuscripts--many that the author Donald L. Brake has collected for himself.
I enjoyed reading about John Wycliffe. Before Wycliffe only clergy could own and read Scripture. It was not encouraged to own or read the Scripture. People pre-Wycliffe knew Scripture only through songs, poems, and plays with Biblical themes. It was the Roman Catholic Church that forbade the reading of Scripture. As it was with the Jewish leaders during Jesus' time, it was the same for the Roman Catholic Church during the centuries before Reformation---power and control they did not want to loose.
The Gutenberg Bible is considered one of the most beautiful of the Bibles. It is a work of artistry.
A Visual History of the English Bible takes the reader from (brief) early manuscripts to our current translations. Along the way the author Donald L. Brake shares stories from his Bible collecting adventures.
I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading more books on the history of the Bible.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
Scriptura meaning writings.
Together they are Sola Scriptura meaning complete, accurate, authoritative--"by Scripture alone."
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Visual-History-English-Bible-Bestselling/dp/080101316X
Hardcover $19.79
Link for the book @ Christian Book:
http://www.christianbook.com/visual-history-english-tumultuous-worlds-selling/donald-brake/9780801013164/pd/013164
***outstanding price Hardcover $7.49
Link for the book @ publisher:
http://www.bakerbooks.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?nm=&type=PubCom&mod=PubComProductCatalog&mid=BF1316AF9E334B7BA1C33CB61CF48A4E&tier=3&id=DCF74131335D48BFB4E4D47AF39619AA&AudId=2CE59DBC134644E48BA21637B1D727C3
Hardcover $29.99
Published September 2008 by Baker Publishing Group
352 pages/Non-Fiction/History of Bible
With the many different translations of the Bible most of us are not aware of how they came to be. For my generation I grew up with the King James Version. My earliest memories of Scripture memorization and Bible stories were in this version. In 2011 my translations of choice are the New International Version, New American Standard Version, and English Standard Version, (not listed in any order of favorite). I recently purchased and am now reading Romans in The Interlinear New Testament Bible--the literal translation.
I knew little of the Gutenberg Bible or Wycliffe's Bible, or others. These were translations that were written many centuries ago, but each contributed to the Bible translations that we use today.
A Visual History of the English Bible is a great beginner book for anyone interested in learning more about the English Bible. This book does not go in to any detail about the texts that were used to write the Bible translations, such as the Alexandrian text, or Western text. Nor the many other codex's and manuscripts that are used today in writing our current translations. The focus is on the English Bible's that were written starting with the 14th Century.
There is a book by F. F. Bruce that I am thinking of ordering from Amazon that goes in to more deeper waters with the Bible.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/083081258X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1EHN9HKRRJVW95FGEP0W&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846
Hardcover $18.48
After reading A Visual History of the English Bible it has only peeked my interest for reading more about the Bible, especially these earliest texts that were used.
One of the outstanding features of A Visual History of the Bible are the lovely glossy photograph's of the Bibles, manuscripts--many that the author Donald L. Brake has collected for himself.
I enjoyed reading about John Wycliffe. Before Wycliffe only clergy could own and read Scripture. It was not encouraged to own or read the Scripture. People pre-Wycliffe knew Scripture only through songs, poems, and plays with Biblical themes. It was the Roman Catholic Church that forbade the reading of Scripture. As it was with the Jewish leaders during Jesus' time, it was the same for the Roman Catholic Church during the centuries before Reformation---power and control they did not want to loose.
 |
| Wycliffe Bible--the beginning of the Gospel of John. |
The Gutenberg Bible is considered one of the most beautiful of the Bibles. It is a work of artistry.
 |
| Detail of the Gutenberg Bible--unknown Scripture. |
I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading more books on the history of the Bible.
Blissful Reading!
Annette
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Sunday Salon
Mother's Day is difficult for me. My Mother died March 2, 2008. She had been sick with Alzheimer's for about 18 years when she died. I was 26 when she first started showing signs of this disease. I know I will see her again, yet I miss her so and still grieve for her.
 |
On April 25 dad had a skin lesion (not cancerous) removed from his left arm in the bicep area.
On May 1 dad fell in his bedroom. He cut his right ear and a small cut and bruise on his right arm in the bicep area.
Dad has spinal steno-sis and both his rotator cuffs are torn. Although this is not new, his back at the belt line has been especially hurting and stiff---could have been from his fall a week ago.
Dad is becoming more frail, weak, unsteady on his feet, tired, and forgetful. Dad is 88.
My 51 year old sister in-law Melody that lives in Michigan has a serious undefined health problem. She is in a hospital and as of yet they've not found out what has been causing her to pass out.
My doggie Schotzi has for 2 weeks had a tumor on his back left paw, on the top of his foot. A needle aspiration was done this past Friday and the Veterinarian believes it is a histiocytoma (benign tumor). The doctor though has not ruled out yet a mastocytoma (cancer), because the specimen was considered not conclusive. Schotzi is a miniature Schnauzer and he is 5 1/2 years old. I adopted him from the Animal Shelter March 2010.
Since the beginning of the year I've taken my dad to the doctor for various appointments 12 times.
In January my husband had a head injury--1 visit to the ER, 2 follow up doctor appointments.
My doggie 3 times in the past 2 weeks.
My daughter in-law twice in the last week.
Our house is still for sale, the market in our area is so-so. We go through spurts in having people to want to come see the house. I am steadily continuing to go through things and will be having another garage sale next Saturday.
My sister JoAnn came to visit this past week. It was so wonderful to have company, especially to have her companionship and support.
I did not read at all in the past week. Weird? But, I had a great visit with my sister and I've been busy with dad and Schotzi.
This morning I finished reading A Visual History of the English Bible by Donald L. Brake---really interesting!
Hoping this next week will be an enjoyable week of reading.
I've been to see Soul Surfer--the movie, twice in the last week. A wonderful movie! I'm still hearing the Hawaiian music re-playing in my mind. I'm still thinking about the beautiful tranquil scenery. Hawaii sounds really good about now after the past month. I'll have to visit it in my mind.
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Mother of Pearl Series Day 8
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
POST 8: 5/8 Sunday (Lucinda Secrest McDowell)
Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
Each Life is Unique by Lucinda Secrest McDowell
“God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. II Peter 1.3 (NIV)
Moms, God wants you to know that He has given you everything you need for life --- your unique life. He does not plan to give you what you might need to live the life of your best friend, or your neighbor, or even your favorite mother-model. No, God has called you to the life that He planned. I suspect that for most of us, it didn’t turn out to be the life we thought it might be… so long ago when we were young and dreaming of ‘growing up.’
On Mother’s Day I often recall my own dreams to one day be a mother. I grew up playing with dolls and looking to my own Mama as a model for that particular role in life. However, by the time I reached my thirties I was still not a mother! God did, however, have a plan. It just wasn’t what I imagined.
My own unique life would find me becoming a mother through the adoption of my first three children who were ages 9, 7 and 4; and then much later giving birth to our fourth child. Of course I was shocked when God revealed this to me, but I was ecstatic as well. It’s as though I could hear Him saying, “Well, you’re not getting any younger so I’m just going to just give you a jump start with three at one time!”
A huge blessing! A huge adjustment! A joy and a struggle. Change is often like that, isn’t it? We finally get what we want then we have to deal with it. May I just offer a bit of advice if you just got a great answer to prayer, but perhaps not in the way or form you imagined? Just receive it. Embrace it. And be willing to move forward into a new paradigm for your life. So what if you’re not like all the other mothers you know? So what if you’re not like your own mother? So what if your family unit is different? I guarantee God has a plan.
Not only did he want me to embrace my own story, but He called me as a mother to do perhaps one of the most important tasks of all --- to nurture my children to live their own unique lives. Not for me to try and squeeze them into what I hoped and dreamed they would be. Not for me to try and live my life through them. But to recognize how God made them, gifted them, and called them to their own special place.
All of my 4 kids are different from one another. Let’s take sports, for instance: I have one child who wins gold medals in international tennis competition, one who is a born equestrian, another who competes nationally in obstacle course shooting matches, and yet another who manages to dance onstage in 3 inch heels, do cartwheels and splits while singing at the same time. Now, honestly, I do none of these things. And yet they do.
I don’t remember placing my order with God for these things. But I do remember when that tennis player turned 9 years old and I enrolled him in Special Olympics for the first time and how it changed his life… and ours. I remember getting a counselor job at an exclusive summer camp so that my daughter could take English riding classes. I remember being a Cub Scout leader (even though I knew nothing about boys) so that son could one day become an Eagle scout and pursue his love of the great outdoors. And yes, I remember enrolling my preschooler in dance lessons. Later when all the little girls were scared to go on stage for the recital, she exclaimed that she had endured a whole year of lessons just so she could go on stage.
Don’t compare yourself to someone else. And don’t live vicariously through your favorite reality show star. Live your own story. And Moms, raise your kids to embrace the unique life God has for them.
Remember, He has given us everything we need for life!
Lucinda Secrest McDowell, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, is the author of 10 books including “Role of a Lifetime,” “Amazed by Grace,” “Spa for the Soul” and the new Bible Study “Fit and Healthy Summer.” She is an international conference speaker and enjoys being a Pearl Girl from “Sunnyside” – her home in a New England village. Visit Cindy at www.EncouragingWords.net
“God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. II Peter 1.3 (NIV)
Moms, God wants you to know that He has given you everything you need for life --- your unique life. He does not plan to give you what you might need to live the life of your best friend, or your neighbor, or even your favorite mother-model. No, God has called you to the life that He planned. I suspect that for most of us, it didn’t turn out to be the life we thought it might be… so long ago when we were young and dreaming of ‘growing up.’
On Mother’s Day I often recall my own dreams to one day be a mother. I grew up playing with dolls and looking to my own Mama as a model for that particular role in life. However, by the time I reached my thirties I was still not a mother! God did, however, have a plan. It just wasn’t what I imagined.
My own unique life would find me becoming a mother through the adoption of my first three children who were ages 9, 7 and 4; and then much later giving birth to our fourth child. Of course I was shocked when God revealed this to me, but I was ecstatic as well. It’s as though I could hear Him saying, “Well, you’re not getting any younger so I’m just going to just give you a jump start with three at one time!”
A huge blessing! A huge adjustment! A joy and a struggle. Change is often like that, isn’t it? We finally get what we want then we have to deal with it. May I just offer a bit of advice if you just got a great answer to prayer, but perhaps not in the way or form you imagined? Just receive it. Embrace it. And be willing to move forward into a new paradigm for your life. So what if you’re not like all the other mothers you know? So what if you’re not like your own mother? So what if your family unit is different? I guarantee God has a plan.
Not only did he want me to embrace my own story, but He called me as a mother to do perhaps one of the most important tasks of all --- to nurture my children to live their own unique lives. Not for me to try and squeeze them into what I hoped and dreamed they would be. Not for me to try and live my life through them. But to recognize how God made them, gifted them, and called them to their own special place.
All of my 4 kids are different from one another. Let’s take sports, for instance: I have one child who wins gold medals in international tennis competition, one who is a born equestrian, another who competes nationally in obstacle course shooting matches, and yet another who manages to dance onstage in 3 inch heels, do cartwheels and splits while singing at the same time. Now, honestly, I do none of these things. And yet they do.
I don’t remember placing my order with God for these things. But I do remember when that tennis player turned 9 years old and I enrolled him in Special Olympics for the first time and how it changed his life… and ours. I remember getting a counselor job at an exclusive summer camp so that my daughter could take English riding classes. I remember being a Cub Scout leader (even though I knew nothing about boys) so that son could one day become an Eagle scout and pursue his love of the great outdoors. And yes, I remember enrolling my preschooler in dance lessons. Later when all the little girls were scared to go on stage for the recital, she exclaimed that she had endured a whole year of lessons just so she could go on stage.
Don’t compare yourself to someone else. And don’t live vicariously through your favorite reality show star. Live your own story. And Moms, raise your kids to embrace the unique life God has for them.
Remember, He has given us everything we need for life!
Lucinda Secrest McDowell, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, is the author of 10 books including “Role of a Lifetime,” “Amazed by Grace,” “Spa for the Soul” and the new Bible Study “Fit and Healthy Summer.” She is an international conference speaker and enjoys being a Pearl Girl from “Sunnyside” – her home in a New England village. Visit Cindy at www.EncouragingWords.net
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Mother of Pearl Series Day 7
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
“A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.”
Amish proverb
I arrived late in the night in Rhode Island, anxious to meet my two-day-old grandson, Blake, after a full day of flying. My daughter and son-in-law had just returned home from the hospital and felt like they had been in a train wreck. There was stuff everywhere. Already, the needs of this little eight-pound bundle of joy were enormous: an all-terrain stroller, plenty of diapers, onesies, spit-up rags, an assortment of pacifiers to try out until he found the ideal one.
And he was perfect.
I know, I know. “Every mother crow thinks her own little crow is the blackest.” But this little dark eyed, dark haired boy really was perfect.
I spent the next seven days (and nights) getting to know this little guy. His schedule (he had none), his hunger cries (very similar to his every other cry). His pirate look--one eye open, one eye squeezed shut, as if he was still surprised by all that had taken place to him in a week’s time.
I felt surprised, too. How could my baby possibly have had a baby? How could I be a grandmother? I had just turned fifty-one. Shockingly young! How could a kid like me give up playing tennis three times a week to settle into knitting and crocheting and Friday night bingo? And shouldn’t I alter my appearance to fit this new label? Give up my jeans? Switch over to below knee-length calico dresses, thick black socks, practical shoes, gray hair pinned in a topknot. Think…Aunt Bee on Mayberry R.F.D.
As soon as people knew my daughter was expecting, I was bombarded with advice from my well meaning friends—even those who weren’t yet grandparents. “The best way to avoid getting on the nerves of your daughter and son-in-law is to not say anything. Ever.” Or “You’d better pick your nickname or you’ll be stuck with something hideous, like MooMoo Cow.”
What should I be called? Granny? No…reminded me of The Beverly Hillbillies. Grandma? No…sounded like The Waltons. Grammy? No…it was already taken by the in-laws.
But no one really explained what it meant to be a grandmother. I didn’t know myself, not until I held baby Blake in my arms. In that moment, I realized that he was one of mine. He belongs to me. He will be on my mind and in my prayers, every day, for the rest of my life. There’s a bond between us that can’t be broken. He has altered my life forevermore.
I had become a grandmother.
POST 7: 5/7 Saturday (Suzanne Woods Fisher)
What is a Grandmother? by Suzanne Woods Fisher
“A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.”
Amish proverb
I arrived late in the night in Rhode Island, anxious to meet my two-day-old grandson, Blake, after a full day of flying. My daughter and son-in-law had just returned home from the hospital and felt like they had been in a train wreck. There was stuff everywhere. Already, the needs of this little eight-pound bundle of joy were enormous: an all-terrain stroller, plenty of diapers, onesies, spit-up rags, an assortment of pacifiers to try out until he found the ideal one.
And he was perfect.
I know, I know. “Every mother crow thinks her own little crow is the blackest.” But this little dark eyed, dark haired boy really was perfect.
I spent the next seven days (and nights) getting to know this little guy. His schedule (he had none), his hunger cries (very similar to his every other cry). His pirate look--one eye open, one eye squeezed shut, as if he was still surprised by all that had taken place to him in a week’s time.
I felt surprised, too. How could my baby possibly have had a baby? How could I be a grandmother? I had just turned fifty-one. Shockingly young! How could a kid like me give up playing tennis three times a week to settle into knitting and crocheting and Friday night bingo? And shouldn’t I alter my appearance to fit this new label? Give up my jeans? Switch over to below knee-length calico dresses, thick black socks, practical shoes, gray hair pinned in a topknot. Think…Aunt Bee on Mayberry R.F.D.
As soon as people knew my daughter was expecting, I was bombarded with advice from my well meaning friends—even those who weren’t yet grandparents. “The best way to avoid getting on the nerves of your daughter and son-in-law is to not say anything. Ever.” Or “You’d better pick your nickname or you’ll be stuck with something hideous, like MooMoo Cow.”
What should I be called? Granny? No…reminded me of The Beverly Hillbillies. Grandma? No…sounded like The Waltons. Grammy? No…it was already taken by the in-laws.
But no one really explained what it meant to be a grandmother. I didn’t know myself, not until I held baby Blake in my arms. In that moment, I realized that he was one of mine. He belongs to me. He will be on my mind and in my prayers, every day, for the rest of my life. There’s a bond between us that can’t be broken. He has altered my life forevermore.
I had become a grandmother.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, and The Search, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Friday, May 6, 2011
Mother of Pearl Series Day 6
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
POST 6: 5/6 FRIDAY ( Holley Gerth)
Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
When Mother's Day is Difficult by Holley Gerth
I have a confession (anyone surprised?). I have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day.
On one hand, I love celebrating all the women who have made a difference in my life (thanks, Mom!).
On the other hand, a long journey of infertility has left my heart with some tender places.
On May 8th, we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day once again. For many, it’s a time of appreciation and joy. For others, it can be one of the most difficult days of the year. This is often true for women facing infertility, families who have recently experienced the loss of a mother, and many other painful situations.
At one point in my life it seemed as if I couldn’t take another step. In addition to infertility, I was facing several other losses. I felt as if I were in a dark cave. But then I sensed the Lord gently and lovingly speak to my heart, “You may be in a cave, but you still have a choice. You can sit in despair or you can diamond-mine your difficulties.” I decided I was not leaving that time in my life empty-handed. I was taking every hidden blessing I could find. Of course, I still had difficult days. But choosing hope made a difference.
As a reminder, I now wear two rings. The one on the fourth finger of my left hand represents my commitment to my husband. The one on the fourth finger of my right hand is a simple silver band inscribed with the word “hope” and it represents the commitment I have made to God and myself to hold onto hope no matter what happens.
The story of an inspiring woman named Terrie also reminds me to hold onto hope. She endured the loss of four pregnancies and waited seventeen years before adopting a little girl. She told me, “I think one of the most important parts of this journey is learning to trust God. I don’t mean the flippant kind of trust. It’s easy for people to say, ‘You just need to trust God.’ It’s much harder when you’re in the middle of all this pain. But he is trustworthy. Through it all, God has given us an amazing story. I wouldn’t have chosen this road, but he has been with us. I can look back and truly say every step was worth it.”
I don’t know how my journey will end and you probably don’t know how yours will either. I also don’t know how many of you will be silently grieving your losses as we sit in church together on May 8th. But I do know that God sees each one of us. He knows how many hairs are on our heads and how many cares our in our hearts. Whatever you’re going through this Mother’s Day, you’re not facing it alone. As King David, a man who experienced many losses in his life, expressed in Psalm 34:18 NIV, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May God surround you with love, fill you with hope, and give you strength for each moment—especially this Mother’s Day.
Excerpted from When Mother’s Day is Difficult.
Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer for DaySpring, a cofounder of the popular web site (in)courage, and licensed counselor. Holley loves chocolate, coffee, Jesus and connecting with the hearts of women through words. Her next book, a devotional titled God's Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman (Harvest House) will release this July. You can find Holley online through her blog Heart to Heart with Holley.
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Mother of Pearl Series Day 5
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
POST 5: 5/5 Thursday ( Shellie Tomlinson)
Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
A Mother's Day Wish by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Heads up: Margaret McSweeney deserves a medal, or at least a commendation for giving everyone a much deserved Mother’s Day rest. Okay, y’all can be seated. I’m glad you agree, but you’re supposed to be taking a load off, remember? Oh, and full disclosure—Margaret didn’t know I was going to say that so I hope she leaves it in, and no, I didn’t do it just because I’m ridiculously nostalgic about the theme of her community, although I am. As the Belle of All Things Southern, one who is southern to the bone, I have a thing about pearls.
When I was a teenager, add-a-pearl necklaces were all the rage. They may not be as wildly popular anymore as they were back in the day but I still say they’ll always be a classic concept: a gift of a single pearl on a dainty chain given with the intentions of adding other pearls on important holidays and special occasions. Today, I see add-a-pearls as a beautiful reminder of the accumulated wisdom we learn from our mamas. Oh, sure, we snicker as young girls because not all of their advice strikes us as useful and some of it seems positively fossilized, but hopefully, over time and with the Father’s blessing, we gain enough perspective to see that these mama-isms—the important values and the silly little lagniappe— are all increasing in value with the years. By the way, that’s my Mother’s Day wish for each of you, that we’d each take the time and the responsibility to thread these precious heirlooms into treasures worthy of bequeathing to the next generation. Mother’s Day...
May I be honest? I’m looking ahead to the annual celebration with somewhat mixed emotions. I’m not feeling very Mother of the Year. Instead of cooking dinner for my most deserving mama and enjoying her company, instead of reveling in the love of my husband, kids, and grands, (known as the Baby Czars of All Things Southern), I’ll be on the road, touring with my latest book “Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy.” I’ve got Mama’s gift bought, wrapped, and ready to be delivered by my beloved hubby, and my grown kids understand that I didn’t choose the release date, but the facts remain: I won’t be there. (Shameless plugs time, anyone? My daughter blogs at Kitchen Belleicious and is raising funds to build an orphanage in Rwanda at Shelter a Child http://www.shelterachild.com/ and my daughter-in-law celebrates the daily details of getting to know the Holy One at Providence, http://providence-carey.blogspot.com). I won’t get to enjoy Mama tickling the ivory from the piano bench of Melbourne Baptist Church and I won’t be overdosing on baby sugah. Sigh.
But, then, I mentioned mixed emotions earlier, didn’t I? Well, before some sweet soul cues the violin music, perhaps I should lighten up and come clean on what Mr. Harvey would call “the rest of the story.” It so happens that while the 8th of May will find me miles from home, it’ll also find me in Savannah, Georgia where I’ve secured myself a little reservation at that famous establishment belonging to Mrs. Paula Deen, the Queen of Southern Cooking. Indeed, y’all, I’ll be suffering for Jesus at The Lady and Sons. I know. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Regardless of where you spend it, I wish you each a Happy Mother’s Day. I’d love to think that everyone reading my words had a mother like mine, a woman of faith who taught me from childhood of the Risen Savior who saves souls and anchors lives. But, dear reader, if that’s not your past, I hope you know it can be your future. I pray you’ll be the one that begins such a legacy, and that you’ll be moved to start building that heritage today.
I’d love to see y’all on the road somewhere. Watch for me, and I’ll watch for you. I’ll be the one with an empty glass of sweet tea looking, always looking, for a refill.
Hugs,
Shellie
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, known as the Belle of All Things Southern is a radio host, columnist, author, speaker and founder of the All Things Southern online community, www.allthingssouthern.com. She loves meeting, greeting, laughing and learning with the whole wide world or as many who wander her way. Shellie once dreamed of writing great important things that changed the world, only once she started writing the world grinned and christened her a humorist. Shellie saw this as a problem at first, until she discovered that the laughter softens hearts, builds relationships, and invites her into people’s hurting hearts where she can share her own, which is exactly where she wanted to be all along. Look for Shellie’s latest book, Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy wherever fine books are sold.
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Mother of Pearl Series Day 4
Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
Blissful Blogging!
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
POST 4: 5/4 Wednesday ( Tricia Goyer)
Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
Adoption, a Mother's Greatest Gift by Tricia Goyer
I held the small baby in my arms, wrapped up in a receiving blanket to keep her warm from the chill of the delivery room, and a voice spoke to me. "Congratulations, Mom."
The congratulations came from an unlikely source--the grandmother of this child, the mother of the sweet birth mother who chose adoption for her baby girl.
To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Thankfulness filled my heart--to God who'd answered my prayers and to the birth mom who'd chosen our family for her daughter. I also ached that my joy would be another's heartache. Working with teen moms for ten years, I was often an advocate for the young mother. I knew that while the weeks and months ahead would be a time of celebration for our family, they would be ones of heartache and grieving for this woman.
Adoption is a wonder and the beauty, and the sacrifice of it is never so clear as on Mother's Day. My new daughter is one-years-old now and she huge is a part of my heart. Her life is a gift to my days and her smile can make even the most dreary afternoon bright. I can honestly say there is no difference in the love I feel between her and my three other children. If anything the love feels even more special because she was an unexpected gift. John and I learned about her life just 2 ½ months prior to her being born. The years of prayers to expand our family were answered quickly and beautifully.
The sacrifice of adoption makes my heart ache, for I know on this Mother's Day another woman will be thinking about my daughter—her daughter. As I rejoice, I'll be crying tears for her. I'll also be sending up prayers that God will wrap His arms around her in a special way.
This Mother's Day I cannot help to think about Christ's sacrifice to make our adoption into God's family possible. Maybe it's because just a few weeks ago we were celebrating Easter, but I'm reminded anew that my gain required His loss, His pain. The greatest love, it seems, is not shown with flowers, chocolate or a diamond bracelet. The greatest love is shown when, because of your love for another, your desires and comfort are laid down for the greater good of someone else.
As Ephesians 1:3 says, “How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son” (The Message).
Perhaps you know an adoptive mother. Take time this Mother's Day to let her know that the beauty of her gift is not missed by you. Also, take time to thank God for adopting you into His forever family, thanking Jesus Christ for His sacrifice. I wouldn't be the mother I am without this Gift of Love.
I held the small baby in my arms, wrapped up in a receiving blanket to keep her warm from the chill of the delivery room, and a voice spoke to me. "Congratulations, Mom."
The congratulations came from an unlikely source--the grandmother of this child, the mother of the sweet birth mother who chose adoption for her baby girl.
To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Thankfulness filled my heart--to God who'd answered my prayers and to the birth mom who'd chosen our family for her daughter. I also ached that my joy would be another's heartache. Working with teen moms for ten years, I was often an advocate for the young mother. I knew that while the weeks and months ahead would be a time of celebration for our family, they would be ones of heartache and grieving for this woman.
Adoption is a wonder and the beauty, and the sacrifice of it is never so clear as on Mother's Day. My new daughter is one-years-old now and she huge is a part of my heart. Her life is a gift to my days and her smile can make even the most dreary afternoon bright. I can honestly say there is no difference in the love I feel between her and my three other children. If anything the love feels even more special because she was an unexpected gift. John and I learned about her life just 2 ½ months prior to her being born. The years of prayers to expand our family were answered quickly and beautifully.
The sacrifice of adoption makes my heart ache, for I know on this Mother's Day another woman will be thinking about my daughter—her daughter. As I rejoice, I'll be crying tears for her. I'll also be sending up prayers that God will wrap His arms around her in a special way.
This Mother's Day I cannot help to think about Christ's sacrifice to make our adoption into God's family possible. Maybe it's because just a few weeks ago we were celebrating Easter, but I'm reminded anew that my gain required His loss, His pain. The greatest love, it seems, is not shown with flowers, chocolate or a diamond bracelet. The greatest love is shown when, because of your love for another, your desires and comfort are laid down for the greater good of someone else.
As Ephesians 1:3 says, “How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son” (The Message).
Perhaps you know an adoptive mother. Take time this Mother's Day to let her know that the beauty of her gift is not missed by you. Also, take time to thank God for adopting you into His forever family, thanking Jesus Christ for His sacrifice. I wouldn't be the mother I am without this Gift of Love.
Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Beside Still Waters, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. www.triciagoyer.com
Blissful Blogging!
Annette
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