Monthly Archives: April 2012

Finding Our Way Home, A Fiction Review

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

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Finding Our Way Home by Charlene Ann Baumbich

When principal ballerina Sasha Davis suffers a career-ending injury at age thirty-eight, she leaves her Boston-based dance company and retreats to the home of her youth in Minnesota.  Finding she cannot live alone, Sasha hires a live in assistant.

The assistant is Evelyn Burt, as opposite Sasha as she could be, being a large young woman with a 9 ½ shoe size.  We soon find that each of the characters have wounds which they can help one another heal.  Starting out as Boss and Employee, they soon find themselves as dear friends.

This story was rather slow in the beginning, the characters didn’t quite fully develop.  As the story continued there were sweet moments, but overall it lacked depth. Introducing premarital passion and marital intimacy was a topic that seemed very out of place in this story.

 The Christian message was very weak and vague.  I found the reference to “faith” and “grace” completely undeveloped and awkward in this story.  I was bothered by the fortune telling, talisman and magic represented in the story, as though these were messages from God.

The front cover compares the story to those written by Jan Karon and I didn’t find the comparison true at all.  This is just not a book I can recommend.

This book was provided to me by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Glory Hallelujah! 1000 gifts

16 Monday Apr 2012

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This past week so much time was spent out of our home, or occupied by online training that kept me from some of the normal rhythm of home.

Home, that word brings so much joy and peace to my heart.  It wasn’t always so, but God has healed so much, forgiven much, changed much in my life.  He has given me a new heart, that seems to beat more strongly day by day.

It is amazing to think, nearly 9 years ago I was in physical heart failure…and even more so, spiritual heart failure.  While the surgeon replaced a valve and stitched me back together, the LORD’s scalpel went even deeper.

Looking back at my life used to bring shame, fear, pain.  Now most days a reminder of the days behind stir a wonder and joy within me.

There is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  The old has passed away, the new has come.

Glory Hallelujah!

giving thanks with joy #926-946
This community in which we live, filled with others on a similar journey as us, and always full of encouragement

High school doesn’t look so daunting this morning
Cheerful girl up an hour earlier than usual, practicing piano and reading
Laughter as cousins fellowship, olders hide eggs, youngers find eggs
Monopoly in the dining room
Stories with a grand nephew
Garden planning
Sunshine
Rich joyful sounds from the fingers of 3 different ladies, at various times during the day, on the piano
  Beautiful red tulips on the corner
Sunshine after rain
Blue clear skies, no pollen in the air
  Teaching opportunities
Good books
Sweet daughters sewing buttons
Lunch with precious daughter
Snuggles with darling daughter
The opportunity to share with others a burden of my heart ~ child trafficking

This Moment ~ Time Alone with My Precious Mae

13 Friday Apr 2012

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This Moment, a time to treasure, savor and tuck away to always remember.
joining Amanda at SouleMama

Galileo by Mitch Stokes, a Review

12 Thursday Apr 2012

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Galileo, by Mitch Stokes.

This book is one in the Christian Encounters series.  From the front cover flap:  We learn about life through the lives of others.  Their experiences, their trials, their adventures become our schools, our chapels, our playground.  Christian Encounters, a series of biographies from Thomas Nelson Publishers, highlights important lives from all ages and areas of the Church through prose as accessible and concise as it is personal and engaging.

And from the back cover:  It’s no mystery how profound a role Galileo Galilei played in the Scientific Revolution.  Less explored is the Italian innovator’s sincere, guiding faith in God.  In this exhaustively researched biography that reads like a page-turning novel, Mitch Stokes draws on his expertise in philosophy, logic, math, and science to attune modern ears with Galileo’s controversial genius.

This book was sent to be for review, and I was very excited to receive it.  But to be honest, I have struggled through the book.  Rather than reading like a page-turning novel, I found myself very distracted by all of the annotations and index references.  It felt that much of the story was left for the reader to discover by gathering the resources listed in the index.

After reading Galileo I do have a little more knowledge of the Catholic Church’s counter reformation and the Inquisition which finally did condemn Galileo.  There are thoughts expressed in this book which have helped me put into words some of what I am hoping to communicate as I look to teaching some science classes in the next year.

                “In 1605, Francis Bacon had famously said that God gave us two books to study: his world and his Word.  Because God is the author of both books, they can never-when properly interpreted-conflict.”

And

                “…science as a natural outworking of a Christian desire to know God and his creation”

There are others who I know that have read this book and did not find it a troublesome read at all, and it may be that in another season of life I could have a seat and enjoy this story.  So, while I have not enjoyed this book, and it has been a labor to read, I am thankful for what I have been able to glean and feel confident that it can join other reliable resources on our science book shelves.
This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.  I review for BookSneeze®“>I review for BookSneeze®

sketch Tuesday, Something that Starts with B

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

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Two weeks of a fever and ache virus seems to have influenced this week’s sketch.  To join in or see other creative works visit Harmony Art Mom.

Always Thanks to be Given

09 Monday Apr 2012

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This practice of Eucharisteo has become a habit, that even while in bed with fever and pain the gifts run through my mind.  What greater gift can a practice give?

It was a sad pondering the week following, as I tried to make up for a lost week with hurried busy work, when I struggled to find even one gift in the day.  There I find a nugget of truth.  Gratitude is more easily found in the quietness of a spirit that seeks rest in the Holy Spirit, , even on a busy day.

Gifts given while marme is sick in bed with fever and pain… through #925

popsicles which lowered the internal heat
Sweet girl who read me to sleep and sat with me a long while
Husband who tended to me, knowing just how I felt, as it is the virus he just suffered through
Children who want to love on me and be close, even as I protested, I didn’t want to share the sickness
 Soft blankets
Rice cuddlers on my aching knees and ankles
Cold water
Warm tea
Motrin
 Inhaler
Allergy meds and antibiotics to deal with the “other” symptoms
No sore throat!
Two soft stuffed animals tucked in with me by my sweet youngest, which I did wake and find myself holding
Quiet days to be home to recover
Audio books to listen while I rest

Praying for Your Future Husband, a review

05 Thursday Apr 2012

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Praying for Your Future Husband, Preparing Your Heart for His by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer.  This book was published by Multnomah and provided to me by Waterbrook Multnomah for a review.

 “…no one had ever asked me what could be done to change this dilemma of an unbalanced between god-honoring young women and their male contemporaries who were slow to seek God.  What could I tell her?

The words that came out of my heart were, “You have work to do, dear God-Lover Girls.  You must start praying for your future husband now.”

“What sort of changes will God bring about in the life of your future husband as a result of your praying for him now?  We don’t know.”

“As you pray for him, what sort of changes will God initiate in your heart?  We don’t know that either.” 

“but we do know there’s only one way to find out.”

 This book reads as a conversation between the reader, the authors and other women whose stories are told in part.  Each chapter covers a topic over which the reader is invited to pray for her future husband.  There is a Scripture passage to introduce the chapter and Robin and Tricia  each share what is on her heart or a piece of her own story.  There are scripted prayers to help the reader begin to form her own prayers and encouragement to look inside her own heart,   The book is like a journal, with places to write the reader’s own thoughts and discussion questions.

The topics covered in this book are:

Pray for His Heart
Pray He Will Be a God Lover
For Patience
For Understanding
For Trust
For Loyalty and Faithfulness
For Strength
For Protection
For Intimacy
For “The List”
For Contentment
For Commitment.

There are closing thoughts from Robin and Tricia as well as Scriptures to pray for the reader’s future husband.

This book could be a useful tool in disciplining young adult women.  There is discussion of painful mistakes, regrets in relationships so I only recommend this book for high school and older young women.  It is my hope that girls can hold onto their innocence and not have idea planted to early into their minds, and this book does discuss a slightly more mature content than preteen and early teen girls might think about.

The authors appear to have a real desire to encourage young women to allow God the timing and purposes in their lives that lead up to marriage, to pray over their future husbands and to prepare their own hearts.  The younger generations need this kind of encouragement, mentorship and love.



This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.