Thursday, May 30, 2013

Not beloved

First of all, I don't claim to know everything.  Sometimes God will show me something, and I like to share it because I think it may help someone else like it helped me. 

I went to a fast food place for lunch today.  The drive-thru line was long, so I went inside.  As I was getting my drink and waiting for my to-go order, an older woman walked in carrying her adorable grandchild.  I said, "Aren't you cute!" and the grandmother said thank you.  It appeared just on a cursory glance that the little girl might be special needs.  (I am not saying anything bad about special needs children.  I believe that all children are important.  I will use this statement to make a point later in the post.)

So why do I bring up my lunch hour vision?  Well, I have been struggling lately with feeling loved on an all-around basis.  By my family, by my friends, by God.  It's nothing that anyone has done in particular, I think it's an attack by the enemy.  I've had problems with this all my life.  So as I was leaving the restaurant, I get hit with the thought that that child's mother probably loved her whether or not she has Down's Syndrome.  Then it hit me that God is the same way.  He loves all His children no matter what issues they have, and believe me, I have a lot of issues.

Of course, this made me feel better for about 10 minutes and then the insecurities started rolling back in.  This is obviously something I need to work on.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Driving in the dark

When I take a trip to a new place, I generally like to look on a map so I have a good idea of where I am going.  Fortunately, I have GPS on my cell phone, and getting lost is usually not a problem (unless I don't have the address right - but that's for another blog post).  

The Christian life is a journey.  If you are a born-again believer, you know where you're gonna end up.  However, everyone's journey is not the same.  Some things happen the same for everyone - birth, school, college (or not).  So here's where the path gets a little difficult.  The early stages are easy - you're not driving the car so someone is basically telling you where to go.  As you get older, you might get out for side trips but the trip is basically planned.  It's the part of the journey when you get your own car and start driving yourself that the path sometimes gets hard.  You may have had an idea of where you want to go, based on dreams and plans and friends.  However, that may not necessarily be where you end up.

My journey has been a lot like that.  If someone had told me a couple of years ago, that I would be where I am at today, I probably would have laughed.  But it's beginning to look like I'm stuck on Boring Boulevard and that my journey may end on this road.  I really don't think so, but the path ahead is dark and it's hard to see where I am going.  My headlights are flickering so I don't even know what the next mile will bring.  

My GPS is not working.  The only thing I have is a Road Map.  The thing about a road map is that you have to open it for it to work, and I won't open mine.  I am beginning to think that my car is on the back of a semi, and I'm actually going backwards.  A person would think that I would have made a lot of progress, seeing as how I don't have passengers and I don't have to make that many pit stops.  I really feel like I am going backwards.  Or nowhere.  Basically the same thing I think.

So what do I do about my journey?  Get off the truck?  Make sure my head lights are working properly?  Maybe open my road map?  Am I going to see any of the destinations that I've dreamed about?  Are there even any scenic spots on my journey?  Or have I missed them because I'm too busy changing the radio station or staring at the odometer?  Either way, I think it's time for a fill-up (and a check to make sure there is not a leak in the gas line) and I can't get that done typing on a computer.  So I'm going to go check in with the Mechanic, and maybe I'll take some time to look at the Map.

How is your journey going?

Monday, May 27, 2013

I am Anne Elliott

Have you ever wondered who you would be if you lived in the world of Jane Austen's novels?  Wonder no more.  Here is your chance to find out.


You can find it here:
http://www.strangegirl.com/emma/quiz.php

Monday, May 13, 2013

This book "stole" my heart: a Book Review of Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

I feel in love with the Archer family while reading Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer.  I was more than excited to spend some more time with them (or more like Crockett) in Stealing the Preacher.  Crockett Archer is on his way to seek a position with a church when he is kidnapped from a train by masked robbers.  Crockett thinks he is on his way to serve God in the Piney Woods of Texas, but apparently God has other plans.  Crockett has several detours along the way, but he does not stop this from seeking God's plan for his life.  

Joanna Robbins knows that her father will bring her something for her birthday, and although it was what she said she wanted, a preacher it the last thing she expects to receive from her father.  Joanna is longing to see her deceased mother's last dream come true, the dream of seeing her father find salvation.  She also longs to see their country church come back to life.  Will Crockett be the one to help her with these dreams? 

This is a question I really wanted to see answered by the end of the book.  The book is fast-paced, full of action, romance, humor, and also many thoughtful moments.  The reader is drawn in from the first, and it is very hard to put the book down.  Believe me.  I had it read in the first day, and I've re-read it a couple of times since then.  

This is Karen Witemeyer's fifth book, and this one was probably my favorite.  Mrs. Witemeyer has a way of taking ordinary people and making them extraordinary by showing what a person can be with the help of Christ.  I love the way that this is made evident through her books.  If you've not read any of her books, I recommend you give them a chance.  This book can be read as a stand-alone, but if you read it, you will want to read Short-Straw Bride as well.

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  My opinions are my own.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

It's very late and the house is quiet....

I should probably be asleep.  But I'm not, and it's not insomnia that is keeping me awake.  I'm thinking, and thinking and thinking and thinking.  I really think that I am an old British soul trapped in an American body.  In the last couple of years, I have really discovered a love of British literature, the Bronte isters, Austen, etc.  Especially the ones that have been made into movies (and yes, I know this is not a complete sentence).  These new movies have introduced me to new British actors.  It's no wonder I'm still single.  I've got my heart set on a tall, dark, brooding British gentleman from the 1800s and what's my luck but they are all deceased.  Well, I won't lower my standards.  Haha.

That was a tangent.  What I've really been thinking about tonight it how bad my life is not.  I deceive myself sometimes (with the help of a roaring lion) that my life is horrible and that I'm really a nobody.  Then I see differently.  I hear the stories of others' lives and see the people that I do mean something to, and I know that this is not true.  I may not have material things that I think I need, or have all the relationships that I think I need, but what I do have is sufficient.  If I don't take the time to recognize these things, they might be taken away.

I want to let go and just live, but something stops me.  I need to LIVE before death takes the opportunity away from me.  I need to LOVE before the opportunity to show love to that person is taken away from me.  And I need to LEAVE this blog alone for tonight, because it's late and I'm thinking too much and I have church in the morning.  Good night.

Review of Love in the Balance by Regina Jennings

I dare say that there is nothing that puts me in a positive mood quicker than a good book.  With all the good books I have read lately, my positive moods have been endless.  I want to share about one of these books with you.

A story that combines Christian values and historical romance, Love in the Balance is the second book by new author Regina Jennings.  Love in the Balance is the story of Molly Lovelace and Bailey Garner.  Molly and Bailey were introduced in Sixty Acres and a Bride, which was Mrs. Jennings' debut novel.  In the first book, Molly comes across as a shallow, selfish girl.  She is older in this book but some of her younger self still shows through as she tries to find a balance between her love for Bailey and her obedience and honor to her parents.  Bailey has his own struggles as he also seeks a balance between his love for Molly and knowing that he needs to prepare for the future before they can be together.  Throughout all of this is also the struggle to see where God is leading in all of this.

This story had me ensnared from the beginning.  There were several unexpected turns and it was hard to put down.  Whenever I read a book, I will try to guess what is going happen as the story unfolds.  I think it is the mark of an excellent author who can keep the reader guessing to the end and Regina Jennings does that with this book.  What I expected to happen in the story is not what happened at all and I really liked that about this book.  Mrs. Jennings grabs the reader's attention from the first and does not release them until the end of the book.  

Molly and Bailey's love goes through many trials, and I wondered until the end what would happen.  If you enjoy historical romance, then this book is a must read.  First, pick up a copy of Sixty Acres and a Bride.  After you read these two, join me in the wait for the third book (not out yet but I'm positive it will be as good a book as the first two).  Happy reading!

blogging

It's very hard to write a review over a contemporary American book when I've got classic English authors on the mind.