Rumours, Real or a Hoax?

Recently we've received quite a few forwarded emails that seem quite legitimate and usually they are about something that is concerning -- like the latest one about a movie about Jesus and his disciples being gay. These emails often get forwarded quickly because they seem so real -- and some are real. HOWEVER, a lot aren't. In fact, most aren't.

The one about the gay Jesus movie was a hoax. But it got a lot of Christians in an uproar. And the emails flew!

Recently we've received one about Christians preachers being banned from the TV/airwaves. Again this sounded legitimate, and concerning. However, again, it is an old email that is being forwarded over and over. Both of these examples are old emails -- a few years old! Yet they are still being forwarded as "true".

I have a suggestion -- before you forward any email, check to see if it's true first! There are sites available that will let you know if they are a hoax. The one that we check often is "Snopes".

Take some time, do a search and see what you come up with. And THEN, if it is legitimate, forward it on! Thanks!

What Is Worship About Anyway?

I was flabbergasted when I read this article.

In Seattle, Mars Hill churchgoers regularly tweet throughout the service. In New York City, Trinity Church marked Good Friday by tweeting the Passion play, detailing the stages of Jesus' crucifixion in short bursts. At Next Level Church, outside Charlotte, it's not only okay to fuse social networking technology with prayer; it's desirable.

On Easter Sunday, pastor Todd Hahn prefaced his sermon by saying, "I hope many of you are tweeting this morning about your experience with God."

What is "twittering"? (tweeting)

Voelz and David McDonald, the other senior pastor at Westwinds Community Church in Jackson, Mich., spent two weeks educating their congregation about Twitter, the microblogging site that challenges users to communicate in 140 characters or less. They held training sessions where congregants brought in their laptops, iPhones and Blackberrys. They upped the bandwidth in the auditorium. (Finding God on YouTube)

* * *

A while back I saw a guest at our church typing into his
Blackberry during the sermon. I thought that he might be making sermon notes (and maybe he was). But now I wonder if he was answering emails or "Twittering".

Can we ever leave electronic devices alone? For an
HOUR?

Do our minds have to be constantly going? Can't we just "be
still" and listen to God's voice?

It used to be that cell phones were the big annoyance. In
restaurants, movie theatres and sometimes church. Now Blackberrys?
Texting? Where will this end?

Or will it ever?

It seems to me that we are so fixed on our gadgetry that we cannot enjoy silence and calm. Many times we don't greet those walking past us because we're involved in a cell phone conversation already. All of our "quiet" times are filled with gadgetry.

And now worship services too?

What is worship about anyway? Or better still, WHO is
worship about? It's about HIM. God. Jesus. It's FOR
Him. It isn't about us!

Think about it.

And leave the gadgetry at home.

You'll enjoy it.

THE HEART OF WORSHIP, by Michael W. Smith
Verse 1:
When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart

Bridge:
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

Chorus:
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Verse 2:
King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath

Bridge:
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

Chorus:
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Chorus:
I'm coming back to the heart of worship,
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

Tomato Soup Recipe

I thought I'd archive this recipe here so when (I hope) I'm bombarded with fresh, garden tomatoes, I can make some of this! And it's gluten-free too (as long as the stock doesn't contain gluten)!

Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
5 medium very ripe tomatoes, cored and
cut into 8 pieces each (or 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped
pinch of sugar
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup whole milk (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs fresh chervil or 12 leaves fresh flat-leaf parsley

Warm the oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes or untilvery soft but not brown. Add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme and sugar. Raise the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the stock and bring to a boil, then boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Transfer to a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until smooth.

Strain the soup through a medium fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the milk (if using). Season with the salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 minutes.

Place equal portions in each of 4 shallow soup bowls. Garnish the chervil or parsley.

Maison du Fort, Quebec City

1987

today

1987

My neice Emily and I were talking this past weekend about Quebec and Quebec City. I'd been thinking about Quebec since that's where Andrew & I went for the first week of our honeymoon and it was our anniversary on Saturday.

I still have a file of "wedding receipts and confirmations" so I hauled it out today and found how much we paid for our week's stay here -- $150. per person, including "daily continental breakfast, two dinners at "the table d'Hote", taxes and service. That was in 1987. The current price for the two-bedroom/kitchen penthouse suite that we had is $275. per night! (not sure if that's per person or not...)

It wasn't as beautiful in 1987 as it is now, but the views were spectacular -- we could see the Citidel from our kitchen and bedroom windows and the St. Lawrence River and Plains of Abraham from the livingroom windows. Since it is located in the old Quebec City, it is close to everything and the night views were spectacular! From the cobblestone streets to the horse & buggy rides -- lots of walking to do and places to see!

Climbing those stairs to the penthouse was probably the worst part! Lots of exercise!

We'd love to go back -- and maybe take the kids along for a taste of Quebec culture. Maybe one day!

I Believe in Miracles

On my walks lately I find myself singing this song so I thought I'd share it here today. It's a song that I remember from my growing up years -- when my sisters would have young people's at our house and I would listen in! ~D

Creation shows the power of God

There's glory all around,

And those who see must stand in awe

For miracles abound.

Chorus:

I believe in miracles

I've seen a soul set free,

Miraculous the change in one

Redeemed thru Calvary;

I've seen the lily push its way

Up thru the stubborn sod

I believe in miracles,

For I believe in God!

I cannot doubt the work of God

It's plain for all to see;

The miracles that He has wrought

Should lead to Calvary.

Chorus:

I believe in miracles

I've seen a soul set free,

Miraculous the change in one

Redeemed through Calvary;

I've seen the lily push its way

Up through the stubborn sod

I believe in miracles

For I believe in God!

The love of God! Oh power divine!

'Tis wonderful to see

The miracle of grace performed

Within the heart of me.

(Chorus)

By Carlton Buck and John Peterson

1956, Singspiration Inc.

Don't Forget you're a Christian!

Recently my friend Susanne posted about her son, Keegan, yelling out the door to his friend "Don't forget you're a Christian!" I told our kids about the post and we got a kick out of it but also a good discussion. The gist of the discussion was that we should all be as bold as Keegan to speak about our faith! How true!

"Don't forget you're a Christian!" has become a saying in our home. At first is was a joke, and now it's still said with humour, but also with a reminder of the boldness that we need. When my kids left with their friends the other day, I yelled "Don't forget you're a Christian!" Their friends looked at me oddly, but it was a starting point for a good conversation. When I left to deliver my papers the other day my daughter came out of her room, said "bye" to me and then said "Don't forget you're a Christian!" That got me thinking...

If we thought about our status as Christians more often, what differences would it make in our day-to-day lives? Would we respond differently to the annoying cashier at the store? Would we respond differently to the person who jutted out in front of us on the road? What about our conversations with our neighbours? Would we speak differently? Would we speak more boldly? How would we respond to the person who annoys us at church? How would we respond differently with our family members?

From the mouths of babes!

Yes, being a Christian is a way of life. It's who we are when we are saved by His grace. And it should affect our every choice, our every action.

Thanks, Keegan, for the reminder!

DON'T FORGET YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN!

Expelled!

Last week we watched "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed", a documentary by Ben Stein. It was very interesting and we recommend it. Of course this documentary is controversial and I'm not sure from what viewpoint Mr. Stein hails, but the documentary looks into allegations of scientists being denied tenure and even fired if they even mention the possibility of there being an "intelligent design" behind the creation of our world. Mr. Stein questions why scientists would get so angered at this possibility.

I'm not going to argue whether or not these allegations (about the documentary) are true or false, however, I do know that there is a bitterness that comes up (and even hatred) if Darwin's THEORIES (yes, I believe they are theories, not fact) are even questioned. Last week while driving home from visiting my mom I tuned into a talk show where the host was saying how stupid Christians are who believe that the ALMIGHTY GOD created the world. He was saying "How can they be so stupid to believe such a thing?" I thought, "How can you be so stupid to not believe it?? To believe that a "big bang" created all of the awesomeness of this earth instead?"

But I know "why?". Because I have faith and, as scripture says, creation all around me tells of His awesomeness and that He IS the creator! The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1).

And besides that, science itself declares that God is the "Intelligent Designer". You don't have to believe that. But all around us, and even in the intricateness of our bodies, there is proof. Science has come a long way over the years, but it still hasn't been able to stop death, sickness, and the sorrows of this world. We can get transplants, but we need many drugs to avoid rejecting those life-saving transplants. People are living longer but they are still dying. The bible says "The fool says in his heart "there is no God." (Psalm 14:1). And I believe that.

~~~
Our family purchased this DVD last year and it's really good. We highly recommend it. You can choose to believe Darwin's theories, but I recommend that you at least consider the science that Dr. Jason Lisle shows in this DVD. Here's a synopsis of Dr. Lisle's DVD:

In 1859, Charles Darwin published his infamous work On the Origin of Species. More than any other, this single work changed the way the world viewed the origin of life and relied heavily on natural selection and mutation to support its claim. In this new DVD, astrophysicist Dr. Jason Lisle (Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder) systematically dismantles Darwin’s claims and shows that the very things Darwin used to propagate his ideas actually undermine them! Dr. Lisle also refutes the dating methods most commonly used to support the evolutionary timeline (billions of years). This DVD clearly shows that God’s Word is the final authority in all matters on which it touches—science included!

~~~

We highly recommend this DVD.

Answers in Genesis website

Good Reading!

I'd promised to have some book reviews on this blog last summer already! It hasn't been that I haven't read anything good, I just haven't posted about it here as promised! So now that we're all down & out here with the flu, I am doing some reading, I wanted to take this opportunity to recommend "The Claire McCall Series" by Harry Kraus, MD.

I got the first one out of our church library and avoided reading it because it looked like one of those typical Christian-ish love story novels where the beautiful woman has gone through so much trouble in her life and needs a good man, and gets exactly that. A handsome one too! HA! I hate predictable stories.

Well, these novels are not predictable in the least. Because they are written by a doctor, they are filled with medical jargon and information -- not overwhelming but informative and I found that it added another dimension to the story. I felt like I was learning something while being entertained by the story.

This series is about a surgeon-to-be who finds out that her father has Huntington's disease -- which means that she has a 50/50 chance of developing the disease herself. If she has it, it will put an end to her surgery career. That is the gist of the story -- there are many twists and turns and mini-stories throughout the book -- involving all kinds of issues and situations. Nothing predictable (IMO) or "typical".

I highly recommend the first two (Can I Have This Dance? and For the Rest of My Life) -- haven't read the third one yet...but I will as soon as it arrives! I will read more of Harry Kraus' books -- his writing is very, very good!

How True!

The Legacy I Leave

This is one of my favourite songs...thought I'd share it here. ~D

Legacy by Nicole Nordeman

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me

And I enjoy an accolade like the rest

You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery

Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best

At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much
I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights

We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'

But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides

The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough

To make a mark on things?

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace who

blessed your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile

To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy

It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile

Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy
Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred

Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

REAL babies...

Everyone knows I love babies but I guess now I'll have to be more specific. I love REAL babies...here's a crazy (IMO) story!

Perspective

I can get upset that my window gets condensation on it, that I have to wipe it every morning, and that the condensation blocks my view...

Or I can thank the Lord that I have a window,

And that He paints a beautiful picture for me

every day!

Spiritual Vacuuming

This is a devotion from a few years ago that I had saved in my bible. I pulled it out recently when we had to deal with some books that had come into our home and did not fit the Phil. 4:8 guideline that we try to go by. I love the vacuum cleaner analogy! I have asked for Susanne's permission to post the devotion here and I am thankful that she has allowed me to do so. ~ D

Dawn,
Yes, you have my permission to use the devotion House of Holiness. Please note the following with the devotion: © 2005 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
Blessings, Susanne Scheppmann

September 29, 2005

"House of Holiness"

Susanne Scheppmann

Co-Editor of Online Devotions,

Proverbs 31 Speaker Team Member

Key Verse: Psalm 93:5,

"Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord." (NIV)

Devotion: My husband, Mark, likes a clean house. Fortunately, for me, he also enjoys vacuuming. We joke that our vacuum covers more miles per week than a NASCAR racer. The noise of suction vibrates throughout our home on a daily basis, picking up small particles of food, dirt, dog hair and who knows what else.

Now here is the weird part, most of the time I do not notice or can't see what the vacuum collects off my floor, until I empty the vacuum bag. Shock washes over me each time I replace the dusty bag of dirt. I realize all that appalling stuff snuck into my carpet uninvited.

While my home stays clean from sundry floor dirt, keeping my home in a state of godly holiness requires daily diligence also. Psalm 93:5 describes God's house as, "holiness adorns your house for endless days." I believe our own homes should reflect holiness also, because God commands us, ". . . be holy, because I am holy. . . (Leviticus 11:44, NIV)." In addition, in the Old Testament the priests in God's house were told, "You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean. . . (Leviticus 10:10, NIV)."

Although, these verses apply within the Old Testament laws, we are called to be holy priests today. Twice in 1 Peter we are told we are a "holy priesthood." So, I must ask myself, What is common or unholy in my home? What has snuck into my life that God considers appalling in His sight?

The way I determine if something needs to be removed from my home-life is by asking the following type of questions:

Would my favorite outfit be modest enough to wear to the door to invite Him into my home?

† If Jesus were sitting with me, would I read this book?

† Could I invite Jesus to watch my favorite afternoon television show and watch it guilt free?

† Would I want to share my popcorn with Him as I watched the latest video released?

Even though our answers might differ to what we believe is appropriate for our own homes, we must be diligent to seek God's heart on what spiritual housekeeping He desires in our lives. For myself, a good guideline is found in Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things (NASB)." These words from the Apostle Paul help me to determine what needs to stay and what needs to go in my home.

An example of this type of decision applied recently in my own life. I had watched a movie on TV that I enjoyed, so much I decided to purchase it. However, when I began to watch the movie, the vulgarity of the language shocked me. I realized the network television had edited the profanity from the movie. It was not honorable, right, pure, or of good repute. I discarded the movie into the trash. Unknowingly, I had brought "spiritual dirt" into my home.

Just as I clean my grimy floors frequently, I battle to keep my home godly. Now if you will excuse me, I hear my husband running the vacuum. I believe I will go run a spiritual vacuum throughout the house, because I often bring home bits and pieces of things that God would not find pleasing to His eyes. How about you? Do you need to run a "spiritual vacuum" throughout your home?

My Prayer for Today:

Lord God, reveal to me anything in my home that would not be pleasing to You. Help me to discard books, movies, or any other type of entertainment that I would not be proud to share with You.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

History Photo

See how many faces you recognize from history! (click to enlarge)

If Cars were like Computers!

According to Snopes this is not true, but it's still funny & I thought I'd share it with you! ~D

At a recent computer exposition, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: "If General Motors had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, GM issued a press release stating: "If General Motors had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason, you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive -- but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "General Protection Fault" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time GM introduced a new car, car buyers would have to learn to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

1930s Wife -- Take the Test!

97 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

This was hilarious! I thought I'd fail because of putting my cold feet on Andrew's, but alas, I did okay!!! HA!

Ministry Appreciation Month!

Did you know?
- Those in ministry and their families often deal with loneliness, criticism, and financial burdens. They also live with the stress of trying to please the God who called them to ministry while meeting the expectations of their congregations.

- Christianity Today shared that 17% of pastors are experiencing burn out and another 40% are headed for burnout.

- Time magazine reported that 80% of pastors' wives feel unaccepted or unappreciated by their husband's congregation.

- According to Focus on the Family, 4 out of 5 pastors feel their families are negatively impacted by unrealistic expectations.

~~
Since I have three brother-in-laws who are pastors, this issue is close to my heart. You don't have to spend a whole lot of money on your minister -- just let him know that you appreciate him and his work. Pray for him and let him know that you're praying for him. And maybe send him a card to encourage him and his wife! Click here for free ministry appreciate e-cards that you can send.

Something to Ponder...

John Wesley's Holy Club Questions

These are 22 questions the members of John Wesley's Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago.

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?

3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?

4. Can I be trusted?

5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?

6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

7. Did the Bible live in me today?

8. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?

9. Am I enjoying prayer?

10. When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?

11. Do I pray about the money I spend?

12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

13. Do I disobey God in anything?

14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?

16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?

17. How do I spend my spare time?

18. Am I proud?

19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?

20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?

21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?

22. Is Christ real to me?

My Paper Route

I have a paper route. No it's not my kids' route. It's mine! Why? Well, here's the story...I love walking for exercise but like a lot of people, I was finding it difficult to get out there and actually walk. Life has a way of getting in the way of whatever you want to do...especially exercise...then I saw an ad looking for a paper delivery person -- and the route was the route that I usually take when I walk! So, after consulting with my hubby, I called the number and went in to meet the woman who later became my rep! That was over 7 years ago!! LOL It's been a fun job -- most times anyway. I've met my neighbours and gotten to know quite a few of them. Most of them are nice, happy people and there are alot who are sad, lonely and some who are downright miserable. I've met them too. There are some who think that they are better than I am because I'm just a lowly paper carrier! And their attitudes are very evident! HA! I think I'm pretty smart -- I mean, I get paid to WALK!

The worst part of the job? Delivering in the lousy weather. Lousy weather to me is icy weather. Trudging through the snow isn't easy either, but it's great exercise and I remind myself of that. Really hot weather isn't easy either -- on some streets there aren't very many spots of shade and that makes it difficult. The other negative aspects of the job is that I need to deliver my papers when they need to be delivered -- however, it forces me to take my walk so that's good! Sometimes it's inconvenient to deliver them -- when we've got other plans or finding a replacement during holiday time. But most times it works out.

I have fallen as least once per year while delivering papers! The worst time was when I broke into a jog and slipped on some wet leaves. I was bruised all along my leg for a few weeks! Then I've slipped on ice and I've tripped in the summer too! It always feels like everyone is watching when I go down -- and sometimes I am being watched! Once while I was talking to the mailman I slid down. Embarrassing!

I've had people stop their cars beside me to chat -- sometimes scaring the daylights out of me because I'm deep into my thinking or praying! Once our mail truck slowed down beside me to let me know how fast I was walking (he clocked me on his odometer!).

The best part of the job? Getting to know the people on my route. I have made some good friends from this job -- I have had some good chats with some neighbours and I always get waves when I'm walking down the street! It's funny but now I wave to everyone who passes by because I've been told various times that "I waved at you, but you didn't wave back!" Oops!

Sometimes getting to know people so well has it's drawbacks -- like this past spring when a single man on my route passed away unexpectedly. He died while on vacation. It really hit me hard. It's not that I was great friends with this man, it was just that we spoke to each other on a regular basis and he had become a part of my life. And then he was gone. A few times after he died I accidently delivered papers to his empty house! Routine is sometimes hard to break.

Last winter I got my first Christmas gift from one of my customers! That was a nice surprise. They gave me a nice card along with some chocolates (that turned out to be gluten-free -- yah! they didn't know that I can't eat gluten) and a Tim Horton's gift card! They didn't know that I love gifts, but this one was really appreciated!

Once I had a customer come out and give me mittens to wear -- I usually don't bother with mittens because it's awkward to grab the papers with mittens, plus when I walk I warm up so much that I'm sweating by the time that I'm done. But the gesture was very thoughtful.

There are certain times that I've learned I shouldn't deliver my papers -- like around the late morning on Saturdays. Why? Because it will end up taking me hours (instead of 1 hour) to deliver them -- because of all of the people that will come & chat with me!! Of course I like chatting, but I also like to get the papers delivered so I can get on with my other activities!

My pedometer gets a good workout when I deliver my papers. I get around 7,000 aerobic steps each time! (I aim for at least 10,000 steps per day, so on paper day it's very easy to get my steps in.) My route is about 4 km long.

Lately I've been an in-style walker -- my kids bought me an MP3 player for Mother's Day! So now I get to listen to some great music while I walk along. Don't worry -- I still stop to chat with the people -- they wouldn't let me get by without that!

Want to get paid for exercising? Sign up for a paper route! The other benefits? Get to know your neighbours, get a tan, get some thinking/praying time -- share your love of God with your neighbours! And you get to keep the extra samples or coupons that come with your papers! I'm still using up the 75cents off per loaf of bread coupons that we got a while back!! Whoo-hoo! ~ D



I'm taking a blog break for the month of August! Stay tuned for more book reviews (I hope!) come September!

Shenandoah Series by Michael Phillips

Last summer I participated in a book reading program at our local library in which you read books during the summer and review them for the library and win prizes. It was fun because I love reading, but also because I won a free book. BUT, our library doesn't have the program this year so I thought I'd review the books that I've read here, on my blog instead.

The series that I just finished is written by Michael Phillips and is called The Shenandoah Series. There are four books in this series and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed all four of them. In fact, they kept me wanting to read more and I was tense when I finished a book and had to wait for the library to get the next book for me!

The story is set in the 1800s in the Southern United States, just after Lincoln pronounced the Emancipation Proclamation, making the black slaves free. This story has a unique twist in that it is about two unlikely friends -- both around the same age, both orphaned by marauders who went around killing families -- one friend is black, the other is white. Now this may not seem unlikely to you (it wasn't to me) -- the fact that a white would/could be friends with a black person -- but in those days, in that time (and perhaps still now, I sure hope not though), blacks were not seen as persons and it was not accepted that whites would have anything to do with blacks. I cannot fathom that myself, having grown up in a basically multicultural society and having black friends myself. But I have heard that in the Southern States, even now, this sort of racism exists.

Anyway, without giving the story away, I would highly recommend this series. I did find that the first few chapters of the first book (Angels Watching Over Me) went slowly and I got frustrated at the author. But once I made it through those chapters, I was hooked! Let me know what you think!


Here are some excerpts that stuck with me:

That's the trouble with people of all colors -- they judge folks by what they see, which is usually only on the outside. But it's what's inside that counts. That's what makes a person who he or she really is. And sometimes it takes a little work to dig down inside and see what someone's made of, what kind of stuff their character has in it. That's just about one of the most important things in life -- learning how to do that, learning how to find out what people are made of.

...right then the words I'm sorry were too hard for me to say. They ought to be such easy words for people to say to each other, but for some reason they're not. People seem to choke on the two words that would make the world such a kindlier and happier place.

That's the way life is -- you learn thing slowly, especially things about yourself. Sometimes it takes a lot of years before some of the best things in life sink in. If you're trying to get rid of it, self-centeredness seems to gradually fall off you through the years. It's probably not because it gets easier when you get older, but that it gets easier because you've been practicing so long at it.

I think what might make forgiveness so hard for some folks is that they expect other people to be perfect. They especially never want anyone to do or say anything that might hurt them. But when it comes to looking inside themselves, they don't expect their own actions and words and attitudes to be perfect. And they make all kinds of excuses for themselves when they aren't. At least that's the conclusion I've come to from trying to figure myself out. I can be so cantankerously mean-tempered when I'm looking at somebody else, and so sweet and forgiving and understanding when looking at myself. Doesn't make much sense, does it? It seems like we'd want to treat everyone else the same as we do ourselves.

Growth is one of those things you can't see up close. You have to stand back to see how something or someone has changed as time has passed. ...What an amazing thing it was. God had been so good to us!