Five Minute Friday - Choose

It is time again for Five Minute Friday.  I am needing this today because I am feeling empty.  So you ask yourself....what exactly is Five Minute Friday?  Well it is a time when we write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Lisa Jo posts on her blog at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. And then +we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FMFParty (It stands for Five Minute Friday Party). No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation. Unscripted. Unedited. Real. It started because she’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And she figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing. So now on Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write without worrying if it’s just right gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes. Your words. This shared feast. It’s easy to join in, just: Check what the prompt is on Lisa's blog. Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog. {And if you don’t have a blog, no worries! Just leave your writing as a comment on her post} Link over here and invite friends to join in.  Using the blue linky tool at the bottom of her Five Minute Friday post and enter your link. It will also walk you through selecting which photo you want to show up in the linky. Your post will show up in the Five Minute Friday linky. It is easy peasy.  Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you! Our most important requirement for participation: There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. Ok, so let’s write for five minutes flat. All on the same word:

 CHOOSE
 

Go:   

To choose or not to choose that is my question.  I am sitting in an empty rclassroom filled with student's desk and trash scattered everywhere.  I could choose to clean it up, work on lessons for next week, read a book....but instead I choose to blog.  It is Friday and I am empty.  It is time to choose to open up my mind and let my fingers and thoughts go wild.  I have already got my sermon done for Sunday morning.  I decided earlier in the week and chose to get a handle on this so I could do taxes during the weekend.  This is something I chose to do.  My sermon is from Matthew 17:1-9 and it is about choices....When God is calling us we can choose to listen and obey, or choose to go the other way. I remember a story my dad once told about making choices.  It seems there was a little boy in the drug store with his mom and there was this glass jar with penny candy in it on the counter.  The little boy looked at the candy....and then at his mom....and then at the owner over and over again.  Finally the owner told him to choose a handful of the candy....but the little boy just kept standing there.  After a while the owner reached in took out a handful of candy and gave it to the little boy.  The mother was embarassed.  Why did you not choose your own candy and get it she asked?  The little boy said....I chose to let the owner get a handful for me.....because his hands were bigger than mine.  So....we have a choice in life....Do we choose God's plan for our lives....or do we choose our own plans?  If it comes down to me making that choice....I am picking God's plan...cause his hands and plans are bigger.   Choose wisely my friend.

Throw Back Thursday - Remember When?

 

I was a huge Beatles fan.  I was 10 years old when they stormed the shores of America and I fell in love with them on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Our Elementary School, Belvedere, had a Halloween event each year and we would dress up and parade across the stage in our costumes.  Great fun.  Here is a little sample of one of those costume years.  We are the Beatles.  I am the tallest one.  I have been this height since I was in the 5th grade.  The curly haired girl is Kathy.  The one with her foot on the tree was Carol, my BFF since we were 5.  We ae the same age.  The tiniest one is her sister Hon, Cathy.  She is three years younger than we were.  Life on El Prado was a blast.  I wish every child in the world could have the same childhood I did.  It was blissful. 

 

A Road Unknown

 

About The Book:  Elizabeth is at a crossroad. Will rumschpringe lead her away? Or bring her home? She's been given the chance to experience life outside of her community, away from the responsibility to care for her eight younger siblings, but Elizabeth Bontrager can't decide which road to take. Goshen has its charms and pressures, but Paradise, Pennsylvania, sounds . . . well, like paradise. And it's also home to her Englisch friend, Paula. Decision made. Elizabeth is Paradise bound. But will the small town live up to its name? When Elizabeth meets Paula's friend, Bruce, she quickly learns he wants more than a friendship. And the same might be true of Saul Miller, her new boss at the country story that sells Amish products to the Englisch community. As the two compete for her attention, Elizabeth is surprised to realize she misses her family and becomes even more uncertain about where she belongs. She has a choice to make: return home or embrace this new life and possibly a new love?

Show more

Show less

 

About The Author:  Barbara Cameron has a heart for writing about the spiritual values and simple joys of the Amish. She is the author of more than 35 fiction and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies, and the winner of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Barbara currently resides in Edgewater, Florida. Find out more about Barbara at BarbaraCameron.com and Amishliving.com.

My Thoughts On The Book:  This was my first book by Barbara Cameron so I had no clue what to expect.  I found the basic storyline quite inviting and there was a fresh and different look at traditional  Amish fiction I've read in the past. The story moved along at a good pace and the characters were very intereting.  I loved the theme of following God's plan for your life.  All in all this novel should appeal to all fans of Amish fiction.  They will surely find enjoyment in this story.  I cannot wait to read, Crossroads,  the next book in the series.   I enjoyed the little snippet of the second in the series at the end of the book and the discussion questions were quite thought provoking.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book through Litfuse and their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*  

Wet and Nasty Wednesday Hodge Podge - Volume 164

Another week has come and gone.  Another week of unstable and weird weather.  Today we have rain....only!  I am praying that is all it is.  I would like to complete a full week at school.    Here are Joyce's questions for the week.  All you have to do is answer them on your own blog, then jump back to her blog and share answers with friends old and new-

1. What is something you'll never forget about the age you are right now?  Accepting the call to fill a pulpit.  I would have never thought that would be me.
2. What's a household chore you've never done? How have you managed that???  Obviously I have not managed that because there is not a household chore I have never done.  When you are a single mom you learn to do it all. 
3. Does nature shape our personalities more than nurture? Explain?   Yes sometimes!  I raised a daughter who was her mother's child even though she had not been in her life since she was 4.  She had many of her birth mom's character traits and very few of mine.  Her aunt once told me that nature definitely won out over nurture when she was concerned.  I raised her brother....and he was nothing like his mom.  He grew up to be like the people around him.
4. Friday (February 28th) is 'Something on a Stick Day'...funny because Zoanna over at A Penchant for Pens recently sent me an idea for a question relating to this topic. What's your favorite food eaten on a stick?  CORNDOGS!!!!!!!  I only eat them at fairs and such....but I love them!   I have to admit too...I loved skewered meat from a grill!
5. Which of your five senses do you treasure most, and why?  I treasure them all....but I guess sight would be my most treasured.  As an amateur photographer there is nothing like it...to through a lens of a camera and see beauty.
6. What's the best music, theatre, or sporting venue you've been to? What made it great?    Little River Band, Michael Martin Murphy at the Ampitheater in Columbus/Phenix City.  The acoustics are wonderful and the music and scenery are just perfect.  Camelot at TPAC in Nashville, and James Taylor at the Ampitheater in Nashville. 

7. It's the last week of the month...in five words or less bid adieu to your February. Filled with snow so GO!
8. Insert your own random thought here.  Did you know that Saturday is National Peanut Butter Day(it is also National Pig Day but....I am not talking about pigs right now).  Do you like Peanut Butter?  What is your favorite way to eat it?  I personally love peanut butter and will eat it straight from the jar. 

10 Days Without - A Rebellion Against Apathy

 

 

About The Book:  A Rebellion against Apathy.  A Strategy for Action.  “Life is full of good intentions, but for too many, our good intentions never become good actions—they don’t move us forward, draw us closer to God, or make a difference in the world.
Good intentions are cans of paint that could have become amazing works of art…but never did.”  —Daniel Day, in Ten Days Without.  Daniel Day could tell you all about his love for God and his desire to live as a follower of Jesus. But it took a simple but radical experiment to move from simply talking about it to actually living like it. For ten days at a time, Daniel chose to abandon a certain “necessity”—a coat, a voice, shoes, media, furniture, legs, touch—and to blog about it to raise funds and awareness for organizations that are doing amazing things to make a difference in the world. And then he invited others to join him in the experiments and spread the vision. Together they served God and others—and experienced significant personal change in the process. Ten Days Without is the story of their life-altering adventure.  Ten Days Without is a compelling story and practical guide that will equip you and your friends to break through walls of convenience and indifference, and join a movement that is confronting apathy and ignorance around the world to make an impact on people’s lives in a God-honoring way. Ten Days Without is where our good intentions end and making a difference in the world begins.

 

About The Author: Daniel has a B.S. in Business Administration from Appalachian State University, and is a graduate of the Focus Leadership Institute. In 2005, he spent a summer in Romania with Livada helping run a summer camp for orphans. Daniel spent two years as a sales associate for Cornerstone Bookstore in college, where he also lead worship for Campus Christian Fellowship. He then became the Director of Marketing for Asheville's Fun Depot and Brookstone Lodge in Asheville, NC. In 2010, Daniel became the Director of Content and Marketing for Axis, and is now a Broadcast Producer for Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. Originally from North Carolina, Daniel lives in Colorado with his wife Rebecca, and their three kids Noah, Finley, and Ava.  Connect with Daniel:danielryanday.com,  facebook.com/danielryanday, and  twitter.com/danielryanday.

 

My Thoughts About The Book: I was very excited to read this book about Daniel Ryan Day who decides to go 10 days without shoes to raise awareness of the threat diseases poses to those who are impoverished and go without footwear. His comment about how important shoes are in a public restroom really made me think deeply.  I never realized that when entering a public restroom your shoes are protective clothing for your feet.  Day blogged  about his experience, in hope of raising money to buy shoes for the needy. When he fell short of his goal I was surprised to see him not throw in the towel.  Most people would have seen this as failure.  Day did not.  His "failure" stirred his heart, his compassion, and his conviction and he moved on to another "project."  the book was a good read, however, it was lacking the inspiration I thought it would have.  The back cover boasted about the book being a "compelling story and practical guide will equip you and your friends to break through walls of convenience and indifference." I did not feel compelled.  It was an ok book.  I think youth ministers, teenagers, and young adults would get more out of this book than I did. 
 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.* Thank you for allowing me to participate in this review

The Waiting

Show more

Show less

About The Book:  Jorie King has been waiting for Benjamin Zook to return home to Lancaster County so they can marry. When news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie finds comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. That friendship ripens into love, and it seems that they are meant to be together. But when the unexpected happens, their worlds are turned upside down once more. Will Jorie trust God to lead her into the arms of a new man?

About the Author:  In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook...the latter two with sporadic results.  Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.  After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn't even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. "That's why there's no food in this house!" said her slightly insensitive sons.  Undaunted...Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple awards). With help from an agent, she went on to sign contracts with Revell Books for twenty plus books.  Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never

My Thoughts On The Book:  This book was yet another awesome Suzanne Woods Fisher story that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride from page one until the final page. I cannot tell you how many times I found myself crying while reading the book.  The characters are so real and so very charming and you instantly fall in love with each of them. The story had a number of  twists and turns that  kept you guessing right up until the end.  I absolutely love the way Fisher handles the Amish faith  and life in hjer stories.  You can tell she has done her research.  I am a huge fan of Fishers and I really love how she is able to  pull me into the story and make me believe that each thing happening could actually happen.  I cannot wait to read book three - The Calling.  I am going to start it tonight.  I read and reviewed this book because I wanted to and not because I agreed to.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book through Paperback Swap at my request. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Practical Guidelines

My Scripture today came from Matthew 5: 38-48.  We looked at some Practical Guidelines for Consecration

Ok, so in order to be consecrated we have to first understand the word.  Consecration means to dedicate yourself completely to God’s purpose, priorities, processes, power and person. Learning to wholly trust in Jesus Christ for all aspects of life. To set oneself apart from the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life for the purpose of serving, loving and glorifying God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and mind. We consecrate ourselves to the Lord with our mind, emotions, will, attitude, behavior, resources, time, talents, relationships, vocation, skills, family, culture, finances, plans, priorities, service and lifestyle. Consecration is a moment by moment process of yielding all of our rights to the Lord. The daily renewal of our consecration is not by the flesh, but by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit as an act of worship.

The sad part about that is that there are many hindrances to consecration -

1. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not of the Father, but is from the world.

2. It is not what is on the outside of a man that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart, hate, envy, jealousy, lust, deceit, and evil desires.

3. Some seed fell among the thorns and because of the worries, riches and pleasures of this life the seed was choked out. Failure to continually present ourselves completely to the Lord in yielding our principle rights to Him for all aspects of our life and ministries.

4. Our consecration cannot be sustained by anything except love and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through His all sufficient grace that we are able to continue with a whole-hearted lifetime of service in the will of God. We cannot manufacture a human strategy because of our old sinful nature that wars against the Spirit that lives within Christians.

So if your wheels are turning like mine were as I worked on my sermon for today I wanted to see  some examples of Consecration -

1. Although He was God and possessing the fullness of the attributes of God, Jesus did not make this equality with God a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained. He stripped Himself or emptied Himself of all privileges and rightful dignity, so as to the form of servant in that He became like men. He humbled Himself and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even death on the cross.

2. Abraham consecrated Himself and his only Son to the Lord when he said, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." (Gen. 22:5) Abraham placed on the altar the most valuable thing in the world to God - his only son Isaac.  Could you?  I thought long and hard about this and wondered all week could I take my only child, Kat….and do this???? 

We don’t just wake up one morning and think….yep…today I am going to be consecrated.  It does not work that way….but….there are a number of Motivators.

1. As we commit ourselves completely to Christ, His church and His great commission we are able to experience the fullness of His power, His processes, and His productivity. It was hard for Jesus to bear the cross, but He endured the cross despising the shame and successfully finished the work that God gave Him to do.

2. It was hard for Abraham to offer up Isaac on the altar, but forever he is referred to as the ’father of our faith’. It was hard for Moses to leave the comforts of Pharoah’s palace, but he chose to endure affliction than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

We all have areas in our lives to Consecrate to God -

1. Learn to yield your body, your attitudes, your actions, your responses to difficult circumstances, your eyes, your tongue, your ears, your time, your talents, your gifts, your future, your past, your friends, your family, your speech, your vocation, your prayers, your schedule, your health, your wealth, your interpersonal relationships, your right to comfort, your troubles, your fears, your worries, your pleasures, your problems, your uncertainties, your challenges, your opportunities, your rights to success, your rights to promotion, the leadership that God places over you, the organization of your life, your internal and external cleanliness, your image, your reputation, your followers, your assignments, your responsibilities, your possessions, your life, your love, and everything should be dedicated 100% to the Lord. Paul wrote, "May the God of peace sanctify you through and through and be wholly consecrated to God. May your spirit, soul and body be preserved sound and complete and found blameless at the coming of our Lord.   And if we do these things….there we will see the results of Consecration -

1. A life that is dedicated completely to the Lord is blessed with a transformed mind to understand greater spiritual perspectives that are unknown to the non-Christians or to the immature believers.

2. A consecrated life is filled with fruits of the Holy Spirit that include, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control of which there is no legal sanctions. A consecrated believer enjoys a victorious life over the pressures, problems, and opposition that so often defeats weaker Christians.

3. A consecrated person is able to accomplish even greater works than Jesus because of His promise. Jesus said in John 14:12, "He who believes in me the works that I do will he do also and greater works than these will he do because I go to intercede for him to the Father."

4. One who is consecrated enjoys the purity, holiness, and blameless guilt free heart that is free from feelings of inadequacy, unrealized potential or discontent. A consecrated lifestyle realizes the fullness of God’s power as the Spirit facilitates one to accomplish all that the Lord wants to realize in and through you.

5. A consecrated Christian has many great rewards, responsibilities, and joys for eternity to look forward to in heaven. Jesus said, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:44)

There is nothing in this world like loving God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. There is nothing that compares to being made holy and blameless.  Amen?

I am a Lighthouse

Today in my Children's Sermon I am talking about lighthouses.  I thought it was a pretty good concept so I figured I would share it with you guys first.  You know....kind of a trial run.  Does anyone recognize this picture? That’s right, it’s a lighthouse. Have any of you seen or visited a lighthouse? Up and down the coastlines by the ocean you will see these kinds of buildings. They come in different styles (show the pictures I’ve brought), but all lighthouses have one thing in common – the purpose or mission for which they are built.

What do you suppose lighthouses are meant to do?  Having grown up near the ocean I know that the ocean can be a dangerous place. The waves, currents, tides, and rocky shores can be very dangerous for ships at the best of times. And in a storm, ships need to know exactly where the coastline is so they don’t crash into the rocks and sink.

I love lighthouses.  I have since I was a child.  My parents used to take me to see them on our little Saturday exploring jaunts.  I actually wanted to be a lighthouse keeper when I was young.  I have collected them over the years, at first just ones I had actually been to, but you know how that goes....when people see you have more than one of something they tend to give them to you as gifts and they lose their specialness.  Today as I was working on my Children's Sermon for church I thought....why not use a lighthouse theme?  I try and use a visual each week of something they can relate to and understand.  We don't have many lighthouses in this area...we are landlocked....but I think they will get the point.  You see Jesus taught us that those who follow him are like lighthouses. You and I have a mission to fulfill – to reflect the light of Jesus. What we do and say can help people see what’s dangerous and what’s safe. For example, being selfish and cruel and forgetting God’s commandments will hurt people and cause many problems for many people. Living like that is like a ship sailing in stormy seas.

Praying, worshiping, and showing kindness help us and others live good and God-pleasing lives. And we don’t do this only for friends or for people we like. Jesus asks us to love and care for all people – even our enemies. If we reflect the light of Christ, we are like lighthouses. We may not be perfect, but we can do our best to follow in Jesus’ way. Others can look at us to see how a righteous life can bring joy and peace to them, too. We have an important job to do, shining with the light of God’s love and working for a better world.  Next time you see a lighthouse...remember that you are a lighthouse for the Word and Shine On!

 

 

Five Minute Friday - Small

On Friday’s we silence the inner critic. The loudest of all naysayers. And on Fridays we remind ourselves that The Word is for us and loves us and welcomes us. Your words are safe here. 
So come and write with us. Together. On one word for five minutes. Here are all the details. And then link up your post or leave it in the comments. But remember, the one must rule here is that you visit the person who linked up before you and encourage them in their writing.
That’s it. The gift of encouragement – pass it on.  Today the word is the one that’s been beating hard in my heat the last couple of weeks. Today the writing prompt is SMALL. Ready?  Set? 
GO!

I initially thought about writing about my smallness in comparison to God's greatness....but not today....Today I want to share my daughter with you. 

 

My daughter will be 34 in a few months.  I will be 60.  She is leaving for Moldova and the mission field this summer.  So, I have spent my week thinking back on when she was small.  I thought about those moments in the wee small minutes of the early morning when I would hold my small bundle of joy and we would rock....just the two of us.  I would trade nothing for those moments.  She was my first child and I will never forget how small she looked in the doctor's arms as he handed her to me in the Delivery Room.  Her wee small hands wrapped around my pinky finger and I knew right then and there that she would hold my heart forever. 

She laughs about trips we made when she was small.  If she does not remember a certain event then she always asks, "What?  Was I 2, 4, 6?"  All the magical moments of her life seemed to take place when she was small.  So let me tell you about what small can do. 

When she was a year old, she could talk a good bit and ordered her court around with authority.  Her favorite songs were Tura Lura Tura (The Irish Lullaby) and Sweetest Little Rosebud.  I tweaked it a bit so it was about her.  I am not even sure if it is really a song....but to her...it was and always will be. 

By two she could sing every single word of "Chattanooga Choo Choo."  Once when she and my mom stopped at a friends little Pack a Sack store, some engineers and train workers were there getting snacks, this small little bundle with a fluff of red hair slide over to the window and asked the engineer, "Pardon me boys, Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo."  The engineer guys loved her and made it a point to stop and see her at least once a week.   What can small do? 

By three she was reading alone, and could print her name. Somewhere in the last 34 years she grew up......but God does have a sense of humor....because she is still....smaller than I.  I stand 5'5" flat footed....and she is only about 5'3".  I wish I could call some of those moments back when she was small.....and not let a single event pass by without experiencing it to the fullest.  I will tell you mother's out there.....the house work and stuff will be there long after they are gone.  Enjoy the small moments because all to soon they will pass away.

The Little Moose Who Couldn't Go To Sleep

About The Book:  From the award winning creative team who brought you The Uglified Ducky, winner of the 2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award, Rapunzel and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Bully Goat Grim comes the fourth fractured fairy tale from Maynard Moose. The Little Moose Who Couldn’t go to Sleep practically named itself. Part cautionary tale, part travelogue, Little Moose will take you places no moose has been before, well except Mother Moose. Nevermind that. If you want to do well in school, impress your parents and show up your siblings, a good night’s sleep is essential. So grab a cup of tea, hang on for a ride into space and learn the secret of, uh, of MAHHH Dingy-Ding!

About The Author:  Willy Claflin is the author of three award winning childrens' books: The Uglified Ducky, Rapunzel & The Seven Dwarfs, and The Bully Goat Grim. A fourth book--The Little Moose Who Couldn't Go To Sleep---will be published in March, 2014. This series, told to Willy by Maynard Moose, also a famous storyteller, is illustrated by the brilliant James Stimson. Each book is accompanied by a live field recording of Maynard, telling the tale in his native Northern Piney Woods.Willy is a favorite at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, and at dozens of regional festivals across the land. He tells original and traditional stories. He's also well-known as a singer-songwriter, and performs traditional ballads and blues. Willy is a member of the National Storytelling Networks' Circle of Excellence.  Many of his audio recordings are also award winners. His latest one man show is the story of his great-great aunt, the notorious and mesmerizing Victoria Claflin Woodhull. The first woman stock broker and the first woman to run for president (1872), she ran and lost on the Free Love Ticket. Willy records and performs with his son, Brian Claflin, and he lives in San Francisco with his wife and business partner, Jacqueline Darrigrand.

My Thoughts On The Book:  I am not a huge fan of reviewing children's books, but every now and then I will pick one that looks good and I have to admit I loved the plot of this book. It was absolutely adorable.  The moose vocabulary in the beginning was cute and it was a unique way to make the story fun.  It reminded me of Mother Goose meets Dr. Seuss and I am a huge fan of both.  As a High School English teacher my biggest problem with the book was that I did not like the grammar usage.  I stuggle with students with poor grammar and this would just add fuel to the fire.  I have an issue with teaching children poor grammar.  I understood the fact that the language spoken in the story was moose....but could moose not have used better grammar? 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book through Netgalley.com. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Windy Wicked Weather Wednesday Hodge Podge

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge...add a link to your own answers (Hodgepodge posts only please!), and then be all neighborly-like, link up to From This Side Of The Pond, then go forth and visit the bloggers who linked up before you. Here we go-

1. What's the biggest change since your childhood in the way people think or act?
I remember being afraid of what would happen to me if I misbehaved out somewhere and the teacher was ALWAYS right.  Now, that is not the case.  Kids don't even show their mom's respect and the parents come to the schools and scream and yell at how their little babies are being mistreated.   The police are not respected, no authority is....but kids...or their parents.  Please and Thank You seem to be something of the past.  I was flipped off by an old lady last week....COME ON!

2. The Olympic Biathlon involves cross country skiing broken up with two or four rounds of target shooting. Which part of that would stress you out more? Or would you love them both equally?
I love to shoot....but this would be a major stresser for me. 

3. February is National Canned Food Month...what is your most purchased canned food item? What was in the last can you opened?
I made baked beans on Saturday.  I need two cans of beans to make this.  I also made a poor man's pie and since my frozen fruits are all gone I used canned ones.  I prefer fresh....but will use certain brands of canned or frozen if needed.

4. What river (anywhere in the world) would you most like to cruise?
I have to agree with Joyce on this one.  It would definitely be The Rhine hands down.  I would love seeing all the ...castles, vineyards, and fairy tale towns in The Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland. One of those bucket list things for me.

5. It's the middle of the night and you can't sleep...what do you do? Count sheep? Toss and turn? Watch television? Or do you get up and do something productive?  I read, crochet, do productive things, write, read my Bible, pray.  It depends on why I can't sleep.  I am very quiet and use minimal lighting in the house. 

6. How important is keeping your cool?  In my line of work keeping my cool is a must. Blowing up is not going to do anything constructive with my kids.  It just makes them over react as well...and then I end up apologizing.  I grew up with a mother who could cut you to the core in a matter of minutes and I have never wanted to follow her example.

7. I've got white stuff on the brain so why not run with it? White lie, wave the white flag, white knuckle it, white wash a situation, or white as a sheet...which phrase could most recently apply to your own life in some way?  White knuckle it....when we were hit with Snowmaggedan and it took me twice as long to drive home on slick ice and roads you could not distinguish because of the snow covering it....yep...definitely a white knuckle moment for me.
8. Insert your own random thought here.  Here is my random thought for today.  I learned this lesson yesterday due to a spider bite and students who enjoyed freaking me out.

 

Who Is The Daddy?

I was flipping through my MSN this morning and found an interesting article.  As a teacher I could not help but bring it up and read it.  The article was by Sandra McNeill and I got it off of Channel 6 out of Detroit.  It was a worthy read so I felt I needed to share it with you this morning. Be sure to read the father's comment on the right side of the paper.
 
ROMEO, Mich. (WWJ) – The principal of Romeo High School has called an outraged father to apologize about a controversial homework assignment.  The 9th grade biology worksheet sent home with students this week featured questions about a mother trying to determine the identity of her baby’s father.  Possible answers included: the cable guy, the mailman, the cab driver, the bartender and the guy at the club.  “The goal is that the students are understanding blood types and DNA and possibilities based on the makeup of the two parents,” explained Romeo Schools Superintendent Nancy Campbell.“But, again, this painted a picture, I think, that was not appropriate,” she added. “My first thought when I saw it was that it certainly been worded better.”  Unamused, a parent sent the incomplete assignment back, with the note: “We teach our children not to sleep around.”  Campbell said the teacher, who got the worksheet from a teaching website, has apologized.  “Teachers use all kinds of different resources that are available to them,” Campbell said. “[This incident] brings in awareness for all of our staff to, you know, be more thoughtful and reflective about the items they use when they put them on a homework assignment.” According to Campbell, only one parent complained.  Romeo is located in Macomb County, about 30 miles north of Detroit.  When I was in junior high (that is what they called it back then) we did an experiment about eye color/dominant/recessive genes.  I took part in this activity because to be honest it was better than listening to Mr. Baker lecture.  The activity took most of the period and we were to turn in our results for a grade at the end of the period.  When I got my paper back the next day I had a very bad grade and a comment from Mr. Baker saying I must have been adopted.  You see....both of my parents and my little brother had chocolate brown to black eye color.  My eyes are blue/gray.  All three of the other people who lived in my house had jet black hair and mine was strawberry blonde.  Something was not quite right scruffy.  I went home in tears....my parents had been lying to me for 13 years.  No wonder there was no photo album of me as a tiny baby.  This explained everything....at least it did in my 13 year old mind.  A week past and my mom did something that made me mad.  I stared at her and yelled...."It's ok....go ahead and mistreat me....I know I am adopted."  It was like I threw ice water in my mom's face.  My mom's eyes filled with tears (talk about feeling like a heel), she took my hand and took me to her closet where there were hundreds of family pictures in Whitman chocolate boxes.  There nestled in the boxes were pictures of me and my mom in the hospital, AND....my blue eyed grandparents!  Talk about recessive genes baby!  I was full of them.  My parents had the Native American genes...and I was toting those wonderul Scottish/Irish characteristics.  The only thing about me that looks Native American is my high cheek bones....and wrinkles.  My mom went to school with me the next day and refreshed Mr. Baker on the difference between recessive and dominant traits.  I learned then that teachers need to be very very careful with what they say, how they say it, and need to see if there is another safe way to put facts.  You never know who is going to take it to heart.  I did.

The Choice

 

About The Book:  With a vibrant, fresh style Suzanne Woods Fisher brings readers into the world of a young Amish woman torn between following the man she loves--or joining the community of faith that sustains her, even as she questions some of the decisions of her elders. Her choice begins a torrent of change for her and her family, including a marriage of convenience to silent Daniel Miller. Both bring broken hearts into their arrangement--and secrets that have been held too long. Filled with gentle romance, The Choice opens the world of the Amish--their strong communities, their simple life, and their willingness to put each other first. Combined with Fisher's exceptional gift for character development, this novel, the first in a series, is a welcome reminder that it is never too late to find your way back to God.

About The Author:  In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook...the latter two with sporadic results.  Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.  After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn't even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. "That's why there's no food in this house!" said her slightly insensitive sons.  Undaunted...Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple awards). With help from an agent, she went on to sign contracts with Revell Books for twenty plus books.  Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.  Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

My Thoughts About The Book:  I am a huge fan of Suzanne Woods Fisher and have read many of her books and must say I have enjoyed them all.  This book is no exception.   This book is the first in a series  so I got to meet the characters from the very beginning.  This was nice.  I was immediately drawn into the book and felt as if I had known Carrie for a long time.  This was my first Amish book that was filled with so many life altering issues.  I could not believe all the problems that just kept popping up.  I felt as if I had been taken through years of Carrie's life, but instead it was just a short period of time when she is touched by multiple deaths of key figures in her life, a real arsonist and another who went to jail for arson, an evil stepmother, a brother and father with hemophilia,  three men that she is attached to,  ex-cons,  an Amish man who leaves his life to become a baseball pro,  and many other things.  It reminded me of a soap opera of sorts.  Even with the overload of tragedies  I can't even begin to say enough good things about this book.  The Choice is set in Lancaster County, PA.   This book was so easy to read, and so hard to put down, ask my husband.  One of Suzanne Woods Fisher's must read books.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book through Paperback Swap.   I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*


 

You Cannot Straddle The Fence.

Today I preached about choices in a round about way.  My sermon was called: YOU CAN GET WITH THIS OR YOU CAN GET WITH THAT (THE CHOICE IS YOURS)-DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20 AND MATTHEW 5:27-31 was where I got my inspiration.

What a world in which we live. It seems as if the world moves at an ironic or opposite path. It seems as if today’s society marches to the beat of a different drum than the past generations’ societies. It seems as if what was BAD has become GOOD. It also seems as if what was GOOD has become BAD. The anti-hero now stands as the “hero” in the public eye and the hero now stands as the “anti-hero” in the public eye. Nobody wants to fight the good fight but it seems that everybody wants to fight the bad fight. The media shows us predominantly “BAD” news and just a small amount of “good” news. Sex, violence, drugs, dysfunction, and disharmony rule society.  You know it is sad when the number one movie in the country  was, Hannibal (which portrayed a psychotic, human-eating, conniving former doctor as the hero).  It made $58 million dollars in ticket sales in one week alone. I was not one of the many who saw the movie. I don’t like those kinds of movies. The bottom line of the matter is that whether good or bad stands—in the words of the rap group Black Sheep—YOU CAN GET WITH THIS OR YOU CAN GET WITH THAT. YOU CAN GET WITH THIS OR YOU CAN GET WITH THAT.  You can get with this or you can get that is what Moses was virtually saying to the Israelites. Listen to Moses speak throughout Deuteronomy 30:  15-20. 

God has brought us from making bricks without straw and being tortured by Pharaoh and the soldiers of Egypt. God has brought us from running through the desert to crossing the Red Sea on dry land. God has fed us manna in the wilderness of Sin. God has fed us water from a rock in the middle of nowhere. God gave me, Moses, the teachings and rules for you to follow throughout your lives. We have wandered in the wilderness some thirty-odd years but we will soon get over to the Promised Land. I will not get there with you but you will get there. YOU CAN GET WITH THIS—This is all of the commandments, decrees, and ordinances with God has given me and you can become successful and have a good life…or  YOU CAN GET WITH THAT—you know…all of things that make you forget God’s goodness and benefits and bring trouble to you and find sure failure and destruction. YOU CAN GET WITH THIS—this being ….loving the Lord, walking in the right ways, obeying God’s teachings, and holding fast to God and find long life and prosperous things. YOU CAN GET WITH THAT—you can be turning your heart away from God, not listening to sound instruction, serving other Gods, serving people, serving places, and serving the wrong things and discover the way to destruction and death before you get to the Promised Land. YOU CAN GET WITH THIS—know that God has taken us from the slavery of oppressors and being nobodies in Egypt to get toward the promised land of hope, salvation, and a land flowing with milk and honey (prosperity). YOU CAN GET WITH THAT—turning away from the direction of the promised land and going back to slavery, going back to poverty, and going back to your so-called comfort zone. YOU CAN GET WITH THIS OR YOU CAN GET WITH THAT.  But let me tell you…..you cannot get with both!  You have to make a choice….and that choice will have consequences.

 The relationship between God and the Hebrew nation begins as a very personal one that becomes less personal as time goes on. The biblical history of Israel shows us a playful nation that likes to challenge its relationship with God by playing games with God. The game is a very stupid one which the nation plays because it constantly goes through the up-and-down cycle of highs (blessings) and lows (curses). The game becomes more and more destructive as the nation’s leaders play around with the rules of the teachings by performing tasks for an outside show rather than performing tasks to obtain health living and positive connection with God. The remembering of the teachings became more important than following the teachings. Tragedy is what we should see happening in our minds.

My brothers and sisters, here it is….2014…..and we are still very much like the Hebrew nation of that day. God has taken America from the one of the countries of the New World to the greatest economic, financial, and military power in the world. God has taken the slaves in America from their slavery and plantation driving of the North and the South to owning property and running businesses. God has taken the uneducated in America from being PhD’s.  He has taken people to the Eastside of Manhattan, New York  and put them in penthouses far beyond the Underground Railroad.

We called on God when we were down and forgotten. We knew the Lord when we were in trouble and needed some help. Oh, when we got somewhere and knew somebody we were quick to forget about calling God’s name and truly recognizing the blessing of God for what they are. Oh, my brothers and sisters when we got a few extra dollars in our pocket (whether legal or illegal), when we got a few houses in our ownership, when we got a little education under our belts, or when we got earned a few degrees behind our names we forgot all about from where God brought us. Our money has IN GOD WE TRUST but the last thing the government would love for us to have on our minds is God. Let an unexpected death, let an innocent child be abused or killed, let a bigwig be stricken with illness and it seems the media and government quickly tries to call on God’s assistance. We played the game and tried to forget God and tried to turn the presence of God off and on like a faucet. God is not a faucet to turn on and off….oh no!  GOD IS I AM THAT I AM.

The bottom line remains that YOU CAN GET WITH THIS—loving yourself, loving your neighbors, loving God…. and moving in positive directions which will benefit you or YOU CAN GET WITH THAT—despising yourself and all those around you….and bringing more heartache, failure, and disappointments in your life. You can do what is best for you. You can do what is not best for you. You can build up yourself and the community. You can tear down yourself and the community. YOU CAN GET WITH THIS OR YOU CAN GET WITH THAT BUT THE CHOICE IS YOURS….and there are consequences.  Which choice will you make?

The Smell of Old Spice in the Air

 

I don't know what is going on in my mind right now.  I find my Dad on my mind a lot these days. Sometimes when the breeze blows just right I can smell Old spice or Avon's Old Country and it sends a chill down my spine.  Have you ever experienced something like that?  It is weird.  Our birthday's are coming up soon so I am sure that is what has him so close to me.  I have this overwhelming feeling of needing to just be wrapped in his arms and rest. I can remember singing  songs to him and he would just sit and smile.  He was so proud of who I became and loved me even when I was not loveable.   It has been 5 years since he went home to be with Jesus and I still miss him like it was yesterday.  There is not a day I don't think about him.  So these videos are in memoriam of my Dad "my Super Hero" who passed away in the autumn of 2009, I dedicate these songs to him and want to say "I love you... Daddy, forever and ever".  Amen

That's My Job

 

Silver Haired Daddy of Mine

 

Daddy's Hands

 

It Is Well With My Soul

 





Five Minute Friday - Garden

 

There are not enough words for me to tell Lisa Jo how much I love Five Minute Friday.  At a time when I felt as if my well was empty there she was.  So what exactly is it?  It is a time when we write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Ishe posts here at 1 minute past midnight EST every Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FMFParty (It stands for Five Minute Friday Party). No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation. Unscripted. Unedited. Real. It started because she’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And she figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing. So now on Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write without worrying if it’s just right gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes. Your words. This shared feast. It’s easy to join in, just: Check what the prompt is on my blog. Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog. {And if you don’t have a blog, no worries! Just leave your writing as a comment on her post} Link over to Lisa Jo's blog by clicking here and invite friends to join in.  Using the blue linky tool at the bottom of her Five Minute Friday post enter your link. It will also walk you through selecting which photo you want to show up in the linky. Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky. Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you! Our most important requirement for participation: There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

The word for today is:  

Garden

Go:

As I sit and look at this word I am quietly humming the tune to one of my favorite hymns, "In The Garden."  A friend once told me when her mother died that in order to deal with this significant loss she had to find a Happy Place.  I did not understand what she was talking about then....but when I lost both of my parents in an 18 month period I found myself searching for my own Happy Place and found it in the beauty and the peace of Mrs. Betty Jean's and Mrs. Shirley's flower gardens.  I have never felt so happy or at peace.  The smells of the flowers, the beauty of them, the vivid colors and the company of two very special ladies helped me get through a really rough patch in my life.  Both of these wonderful ladies opened up their gardens to me and let me heal.  It was there that I heard these words coming to me from Psalm 46:10.  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The key words for me....are the first ones....Be Still....and in the garden....that is what I am....still.  Bathing in the beauty and the fragrance of God's handiwork....and for a shining moment....I am at peace.