{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

This book, UNSTOPPABLE by Nick Vujicic, is an encouraging read.  Not only does Nick share the wisdom he has gleaned from his own struggles and victories, but he also share numerous stories of the struggles and victories of other people.  With each victory experienced after heartache and struggles, Nick is an example of one who believes every life is a gift from God, and a gift to be lived to the fullest.

He says, “God finds ways for us to use bad things for a good purpose.”  This sentence hit home for me.  There have been some bad things in my life, and it’s been difficult to believe that God will make something good out of them.  But, allowing God to show me how to use the bad things for a good purpose.  That makes more sense.

If you are looking for an inspiration read, this book is a bit long, but definitely inspiring.

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

 I’m so ready for routine and schedules to resume in February.  We didn’t intend for our Christmas break to continue on into a Winter Break, but life brought us quite a few changes and challenges and tremendous blessings.  We have stacks of books waiting to be read, and since this book Goodbye to Yesterday is such a little read, I did manage to finish it.  It actually only took a little time one afternoon.

Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda E. Brunstetter is part 1 of 6 in The Discovery series.  A sweet Amish fiction that reads easily, this story took me away from my own challenges for a little while.

As the story began to unfold and pick up a little speed I was surprised by the abrupt ending.  Just 121 small pages long, the story is to continue in The Silence of Winter in March of this year. 

While I did enjoy the story, that abrupt ending caused me to think about the size of the book.  I’ve waited a couple of days to write this review because I needed to think it over.  As a family we’ve read some great read alouds designed to be read daily, with cliff hangers at the end of each day’s reading.  This book wasn’t written in the same way, but it does seem strange to have a story printed in a short book form, and to have to wait a couple of months for the next segment of the story.  It’s really just a little more than a booklet in size. I’m curious to read what others think.

I recived this book in exchange for an honest review from HANDLEBAR — 207 Reber Street, Suite 100, Wheaton, IL 60187

We received two letters from Guatemala this past week!

Lesbia wrote in response to some questions we sent her in the fall.  One specific question I had asked her was about her father.  She always asks us to pray for her grandmother, her mother and herself, because they are “all alone.”  In this most recent letter from Lesbia, she was more open than ever before.  It seems that we have been granted a level of trust, that I cannot share the letter in full here.  We treasure this letter as an open door to a deeper relationship with this precious girl and to pray more specifically.

Now from Carlos,

 

Mae skipped cheerily into the house one day this past week singing, “Two letters Marme.”  In our home, getting sent to check the mail box is like a special treat, as each of us really look forward to those cream colored envelopes from Compassion International.  Seeing  “A Message from your Sponsored Child” is exciting to every member of the family.

Here are the 2 letters that arrived that day.

From Neema, Tanzania and from Lucia.

In case you noticed the similarities between the two letters, Neema and Lucia live in Tanzania and actually attend the same Child Development Center.   As they grow their different personalities are sure to be more noticeable.

We are also part of an online community that sponsors a young man through Compassion.  Earlier in the month we received a couple of emails with a scanned letter from Obwini, as well as a link to a song he mentioned in his letter.  I hope you enjoy!

“>Obwini’s Favorite Song



Genesis 4:7 ~ If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.

A portion of this verse has been often quoted in our home, as an encouragement to resist temptation to sin.  But this week the verse as a whole spoke quietly to me, “Here is a wonderful reason to pursue the establishment of good habits.”

Pondering this, I asked myself, “how does one do well?”  Getting past the “Sunday School” answers, words like cheerfulness, punctuality, attentiveness, orderliness, kindness, diligence came to mind, reminding me once again of another common phrase.    “Laying down the rails,”   By continuing to pursue good habits, rails are laid down that keep one moving along the track of a life well lived.

Good habits make it easy to move forward each day, despite the circumstances.  And the opposite, bad habits open the door to temptation, sin.

A fresh encouragement to press on with habit training in our home, in my own life.

Genesis 6:8  “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

Grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Grace in the Old Testament!

In January of 2011 I set out to read the Bible in a year.  It took 2 years and 8 days, it was wonderful, but not enough.  Now I’ve set out to read it again, this year and I’m seeing things in Genesis that I haven’t seen before.  Like “GRACE” in the eyes of the Lord.

And how did Noah find grace in the eyes of God?  The next verse says “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation.  Noah walked with God.”  Genesis 6:9

Last week I wrote about establishing habits to “do well.”  And here I find the first habit.

Walk with God.

It is nearly the middle of January and this blog has been quiet during the online community conversations about the New Year and goals.  We did mark the turning of the year, but even that we didn’t do on the actual day.  Life happened without regard to the days marked on the calendar, and so I find myself with a head cold on this chilly Sunday in mid January, posting my 2013 goals.

This new year has a different feel than ever before.  While I have pondered simplicity and decluttering of my life many times over past years, the landscape ahead of us now insists on the letting go of many things while we embrace what lies ahead.

Just before Christmas we said earthly good bye to Builder’s and my paternal grandmothers.  As the New Year dawned, we saw the diagnosis of early dementia in my mother, and began assisting my step father in her care.  In just a few weeks our first granddaughter is due to be born, and will be living with her momma (our 2nd oldest daughter) in our home.

Life ending, life beginning and so much in between.

Here are my 2013 goals, in simple style.

Read through the Bible, again, this time in 1 year
Memorize Psalm 91 and Colossians or the Sermon on the Mount
Read 24 books
Listen to 12 audio books
Learn to follow my husband
Learn about 5 new birds, and their calls
Learn about 5 trees in my local area, and observe them through the 4 seasons of this year
Become a peacemaker
Replace current products with items better suiting my changing skin care needs
Continue my fitness habits of strength training and cardio activity

It’s the 11 o’ clock hour just a little more time until 2013.
It’s a whole new year full of laughter and fun! With mysteries
To solve and challenges each day. We can’t wait for 2013 it’s
Fast on it’s way! We had wonderful times in 2012
We’ll say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new with
A toast to the new year and some silly fun!

Activity: get out the noise makers and special glasses.  Have a toast. ~ bubbly fruit drinks


So tell us, how do you ring in the New Year?