Thank You, God, for Blessing Me by Max Lucado-a book review

Thank You, God, for Blessing Me is a delightful short children's book.  And by short, I mean short.  It was only a few pages long.  However, the book covered a wide variety of things that the main character is thankful for.  It incorporated many different aspects of Hermie's life.  I thought it was a great book to teach thankfulness for the things we have in a simple way to children.  I would highly recommend this book for a parent with a young child.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program.

Blessed

I've barely written anything lately other than book reviews, and even those have been scarce.  But I do have one story that I immediately thought I needed to put on here, even though it's taken me four days to do so.

Black Friday was a crazy day.  I went to Kohl's at midnight, then to Boston Store.  I got home around 3:30am and went to bed.  I had been in bed from about 9-11:30 before that.  Anyway, I slept until about 7:30, when Mike came home, so that I could go back out again.  I went to ShopKo and Menards.  I was going to go back to Boston Store because I wanted to exchange what I got for a bigger size.  I was starting to get hungry.  My system is all messed up when I don't sleep right.  So, I pulled into McDonalds drive through to get a couple things off the dollar menu.  When I pulled up to the first window to pay, the girl asked me if I knew the people in the car in front of me.  I had no idea who was in there, especially not from the back, and I didn't recognize the car.  She proceeded to tell me they asked what I ordered and then paid for it.  So, I didn't have to pay.  It was only $2.10, but still.  How nice!

I've read about this sort of thing happening, but it's never happened to anyone I've known, and now it happened to me!  I was driven to tears and really blessed by this.  It's such a small thing, but really meant a lot.  There are actually nice people in the world still.  Thank you, whoever did this.  I'm sure I'll never know, but I hope it blessed you as much as it blessed me. 

The Love and Respect Experience, A Husband Friendly Devotional that Wives Truly Love-a book review

The Love and Respect Experience Devotional is one I would highly recommend to a couple looking for a devotional book to read.  Unlike most devotionals, this one does not have to be done every day.  There are 52 chapters, in a sense designed to do one a week, but the author, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, does not demand that.  In fact, he states that couples can take it at their own pace.  He also gives suggestions for how to go about doing the devotional.  He goes so far as to even suggest reading it separately, then coming together to talk about it.  He designed this to be more friendly to husbands, in that it is not something that is supposed to be a drag for them to do, but rather thought-provoking and a time to grow in the Lord.  Eggerichs gives a word to the husbands in the beginning of the book and the wives as well.  This is not meant for a time of emotional connection.  It is a time to come before God and learn more about the marriage, but without passing blame.  I really like the approach Eggerichs has in this.  He is very intent on his purpose for this book.

I think the book is set up very well.  The reading part of the devotional is about three pages long, nothing that is going to take hours to read, but there is enough substance there.  Each devotional ends with items to pray about.  It's not a printed prayer, but suggestions for prayer.  They each begin with thanking God for something, then add prayers of petition as well.  The back of the book contains further questions couples can use to discuss. 

One doesn't have to have read the Love and Respect book in order to do this devotional.  Each chapter uses concepts from the book, but he also gives an overview in the appendix.  Concepts like the Crazy Cycle are discussed.  Basically, without love, she won't act with respect, and without respect, he won't act with love.  It's a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.  Eggerichs recognizes that it is not possible to always stay out of this cycle.  I like that he is realistic and encouraging.  I definitely recommend this book.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program.

Save Your Marriage in Five Minutes a Day-a book review

Save Your Marriage in Five Minutes a Day was a difficult book to get through.  It offered some helpful suggestions for daily activities one can do, but this book was definitely not written from a Christian perspective.  I did not realize that when I offered to review this book.  The book offered some suggestions that could be helpful---things one doesn't normally think of.  However it also offered other suggestions that I do not believe are appropriate for a marriage.

For example, the book suggested a couple watch some porn together.  Really?  Porn?  For a married couple?  Aren't our bodies to belong to one another only?  Isn't it lust, adultery, a plain sin to be viewing pornography?  I had a serious problem with this and it really turned me off to the rest of the book.  The book seems to be highly focused on sex and seems like that is the reason why a person should work on their marriage daily, to get sex.  Seems to me that there should be much more to a marriage than that.


Maybe some people in the secular world would enjoy this book, but I really did not.  I could take away a few things from this book that might be helpful, but when I think about them in context with the rest of the book, no Christian perspective, I don't know that it is worth it.  I would not recommend this book to anyone I know.

I received this book free from the publisher for this review from booksneeze.com.

Sleep...

I meant to start this a few days ago to keep track of things, but that obviously hasn't happened.  Wednesday evening we started Elizabeth in her crib after co-sleeping since she was about four months old.  I just couldn't take the waking up 7 times a night anymore.   I've been totally sleep-deprived, though I've managed to function quite well, all things considered.  Although, that may just be my silly mind thinking that, and since I haven't really been sane for months, I could be way off.  Anyway, I was prepared for the worst.  Well, not prepared.  Can you really be prepared for what you're going to experience, especially when it's expecting your child to cry for several hours?  Now I really don't believe in the cry-it-out method.  The thought of her crying for an extended period of time, even in my presence with me trying to soothe her, was hard for me to wrap my mind around.

I am grateful to say that I have been pleasantly surprised by how well she's done, all things considered.

Night 1:
Put in bed about 9:30 (yes, I realize this is very late, but Mike was in IL that day, so we waited for him to be home)
Cried for an hour
Fell asleep at 10:30, slept for 2 hours.
Awake at 12:30.
Cried for an hour, this time more mad.
Asleep about 1:30, slept for an hour and a half.
Awake about 3, for 45 minutes, more whimpering than all out crying.
Asleep about 3:45, slept until about 6:15.
I got up with her and took her downstairs to the recliner we nap in.  She nursed back to sleep and slept til about 8.

Not bad for the first night.  I expected much worse.  I was very hands on with her, though I did not pick her up.  I don't know if I should have let her nurse back to sleep or not, since that's such a strong sleep association, but at least it wasn't in bed with me.

Night 2:
Put in bed about 8:15.
Whimpered ever so slightly, but laid right down and stirred for about 15 minutes, no crying!
Slept until 11:30.
Cried for about 35 minutes.
Asleep just after midnight, slept until about 5.  Five hours in a row!  I can count on my fingers the number of times she's slept that many hours in a row in her whole life.
Asleep about 5:45, didn't cry while awake those 45 minutes.
Slept until about 7:10.

I was more hands off the second night, but still there.  The last time she woke up, she held my hand to fall asleep.  I don't want to make that a habit, but it was only once, and if it got her back to sleep, well hey.  She let go in less than 10 minutes anyway.

Night 3:
Put in bed about 9.
Slept until about 1, sat up in bed, cried "mommy" but I told her to put her head back down, she did, so was only awake about 5 minutes. 
Slept for 20 minutes, exact same thing as previous happened. 
Then I got her up from bed about 7:15 this morning!  Sure, she stirred throughout the night, and I believe put herself back to sleep on her own!  I couldn't believe it!

I am truly amazed by how well she's done.  I expected much worse.  Now, if I could only sleep.  I've just been so used to having her right there next to me.  I always know she's breathing.  It's nice to cuddle up with her.  Even though I woke up frequently before, I usually got back to sleep within 5-10 minutes.  Now I lie awake for hours on end.  In the past three night, I think I've not even gotten a full night sleep with all of the hours combined.  I don't know if it's that I was just so used to her, or if it's adrenaline, or what.  I hear her every move and always turn to peak at her.  Oh, we kept the crib in our room next to my side of the bed.  I thought it was too drastic to put her in another room, especially since she's been with us for so long.  I don't honestly know if I would sleep at all if she were in another room right now.  That'd be too drastic for me.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to sleep.  Watching the minutes go by on a clock for a few hours in a row is not my idea of a good night. 

I am so thankful for all the prayers we've gotten over this.  For one of the first times in my life, I can really feel the prayers of others.  I don't think there's any way I could have gotten through this without them, and I don't think Elizabeth would be doing as well as she has been without them.  I pray these good nights, getting better by the night nights, continue for her.  Thanks for all your prayers!

Love & War Devotional for Couples

John and Stasi Eldredge have put together an 8-week devotional book. Five days a week, one can read the devotional for the day. Each day begins and ends with a Scripture verse, with the exception of a few that contain a quote from a reputable source. Also included each day is a prayer based on the subject of the day. The devotional is short and will not take much more than 5 minutes to read per day.

The subject matter of the book is what I would have expected from it, based on the summary published on the back of the book and what one would read if looking up the book. It is different from other marriage books in that it did not just have a section on communication, money, sex, etc. It went deeper than that. There was not much new to me in here, but I am pretty well read on the subject. There might be some new ideas to some people. There were some excellent reminders though, such as Satan is the enemy in your marriage, not your spouse. Or, you can never be completely fulfilled by your spouse, only God can do that. The book did admit that couples will have problems in marriage, that it is not easy. A lot of books don't do that. It gave one a real perspective on marriage.

While I think the book is a good read and could be helpful, I would have liked them to go a little deeper. I would have also liked more personal examples from the Eldredge's lives. The cover of the book states, “The 8-week adventure that will help you find the marriage you always dreamed of.” With a statement like that, I hoped for great things, but I don't think it delivered on that. This book could be helpful to a marriage, but seems a far cry from helping the marriage become the one you've always dreamed of.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Missing

Wow!  Where did this week go?  I suppose being gone Sunday/Monday made the week seem to start later.  What a great time we had, for the most part.  Church on Sunday was great (more on that later).  Monday I spent the day at Trinity while Mike was at work.  So fun to catch up with people I haven't seen in months, or even a year or two.  I miss the community there so much.  I loved my boss and the music department.  I miss working with them.  It was so great to be in a Christian environment all the time.  Oh well.  While I miss my job and the people, I have a totally new life now.  It was fun to show off Elizabeth, shy as she is.  She did warm up to a few people, so that was good.  She also got to experience the much-missed Panera.  Yum!  We need one here!  Amen?

Easter service at Arlington was great!  I couldn't have asked for more.  Oh how I miss the amazing pipe organ, orchestra, and choir, and real music!  They played Beethoven, Ode to Joy and Hallelujah from the Mount of Olives.  It was great.  Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Crown Him with Many Crowns, Hallelujah What a Savior, and more.  Great sermon that pertained to Easter.  I miss this church.  It's not just because I like the style of music, it's because it speaks truth and works with the message.  It's appropriate. 

I got to see several people there as well that I haven't seen for a few years.  We sat next to a friend of mine whom I stood next to in choir for several years.  She has a grand-daughter about the same age.  Elizabeth sat on her lap and drew outlines of hands.  It was really cute.  I saw the sweet organist, and her husband, who used to conduct the orchestra.  I'm glad they're still around and active as they're aging.  I saw my flute buddy, whom Elizabeth really took to.  I've never seen her get so buddy buddy with someone so quickly.  My past just went right before my eyes as I reconnected with these people, reminisced about years past, and briefly mentioned the future.  My heart was warmed.  I miss good solid friends.  I know it takes a while to really develop those friendships.  I need to be patient.  It's harder being in a different place in life now. 

Ah...what a great time...

My Holy Week Attitude

It's Holy Week.  Certainly doesn't feel like it by the weather outside.  But is it about a feeling?  No.  Christ came into this world, died, and rose again.  It doesn't matter that our week doesn't feel like the season of Easter.  The fact of the matter is that, it is! 

I have to admit, it has been rough to get my mind around everything and be reflective of this time of year.  I do have a reason.  Perhaps not a good reason, but a reason for my bad attitude.  I've noticed so many changes in the Church over the last several years, and in my view, not good changes.  It makes it very difficult to have a good attitude.  I'm not talking just about the church we're attending now, it's happening all over.  Things of the past, traditions, meaningful events, are being thrown out the window and replaced by what our culture seems to like. 

I attended the Maundy Thursday service last night.  I figured this would be the best of the services being put on this year by our church.  I could really focus on what Christ did for me, and the music was appropriate, and the service, for the most part, worked.  While groups were going up for communion, the background piano music played appropriate songs that turned my mind to the amazing work Christ did for me. 

Today is Good Friday.  We decided we weren't going to attend Good Friday and Easter services at our church this year.  In the past, the Good Friday service has been a complete joke.  The head-banging music is anything but reflective of what Good Friday is actually about.  Songs had nothing to do with the day at hand, didn't focus on Christ going into the grave.  In fact, there were songs of the resurrection last time I was there.  Really?  What day is it?  Christ can't rise until he's been put in the grave.  The preaching has been less than stellar as well.  Now it's a combined effort from many churches, so things will vary.  But let's get our act together and put together a service regarding the day that it in fact is!  I was asked to play flute for a piece, and really struggled with what to do, since we said we weren't going to go.  Then I learned that Pastor Jon will be preaching, so at least the message should be good and appropriate.  I also rarely get to use my gifts anymore, so this was another opportunity for that (but that's another issue).  So, I decided to do it.  We decided to give it one more try.  I don't have high expectations, but I hope this service will honor Christ's death and not be a mockery like I've seen it in the past, at least in my view.

I have a degree in church music.  This stuff is very important to me.  It drives me nuts when things aren't cohesive, aren't appropriate, aren't well-planned.  This is about worshipping our Lord, so why do we let things slide and seem to not do our best in planning?  We are going to Illinois to go to church on Sunday.  It was actually my idea to visit the in-laws and go to church somewhere where I hope the service will be pleasing to the Lord.  Imagine that.  Not something I suggest often.  After last year, we just couldn't go here anymore.  It's one big show.  While planning is great and needs to happen, this was a down to the exact minute type of plan that made one feel tense.  It was just so showy.  Many congregants didn't participate in many of the songs.  This is Easter Sunday!  Shouldn't we be rejoicing and lifting our voices in song together? 

For the record, we are not going to the Lutheran church.  No way!  Tons of people who come to take communion on Easter, because that and Christmas are the only days they go to church.  I cannot stand being in that environment.  People receiving communion who shouldn't.  Talk about me getting a bad attitude.  At least that one is biblical, for certain.  While I like tradition, it's not everything.  There should be a reason behind why we do something.  My sister-in-law has been complaining about the fact that their church isn't doing a Tennebrae service this year.  I think this kind of service is fabulous.  Great meaning to it.  I wish there were more of those around here.  But, the reason she's complaining is because of the tradition.  No care as to what it really means.  When just told that it will not be similar to a Tennebrae service, the only reason she's going to is to hear a particular person sing Via Dolorosa.  While that is a great song, that's why you're going to church?  Really?  Jesus took on all our sins and died in our place.  Does that not matter to you?  Has our culture so lost the meaning of what events took place during Holy Week?  It's sad.  Really sad. 

While my attitude is probably not where it should be, I hope to be able to recognize ALL the events that took place during these few days, and thank my Lord and Savior for what He did for me.  Amazing.  This song tells it all:

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, Who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
"It is finished!" was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we'll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

God Gave Us Two by Lisa Tawn Bergren—a book review

God Gave Us Two is a precious children's book about a mother and father explaining to their child that they are having another baby, only this book uses polar bears. The Little Cub questions whether she will still be loved, how can she love a new baby when it cries, can she move if she doesn't like the new baby, and so forth—all questions a child would probably ask, if old enough to understand what is happening. Mama and Papa bear explain they will still love her as well as her new sibling. They constantly repeat the phrase, “God gave us two.” Two to love, two to be the parents of, etc. The book portrays that children are a blessing from the Lord. If you don't want the ending given away, do not read this last phrase, but I thought it was a clever play on words how the repeated phrase ended up being just that in the end. God gave them two, twins! Now Little Cub is the big sister to both a little brother and little sister. The illustrations are cute and delicate, and show the love of a family. My one and a half year-old daughter enjoyed the book as well.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Max on Life by Max Lucado-a book review

Max on Life is a book that asks Max Lucado questions from various aspects of life, and he answers them to the best of his ability. It is cleverly divided into sections all beginning with the letter “H,” that of hope, hurt, help, him/her, home, haves/have-nots, and hereafter. Common questions related to death, money, marriage, children, eternal life, are asked. Lucado begins each section with a hand-written answer to a letter someone wrote, then seeks to answer more questions.

While the book cannot possibly answer every question in every area of life, he picks major ones. The answers are concise. They rarely take up more than one page, and occasionally bleed onto a second. It makes it easy to read. A particular subject is simple to find since the book is divided into categories. Lucado uses Scripture in a lot of his answers, though I think he could have used more. At times, there seem to be a few proof-texts, but most of it is true to the context of Scripture. This book may not appeal to those stronger in their faith or who have been Christians for a long time as many of the questions are those that young Christians, or even non-Christians, may ask.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program.

Secure Daughters Confident Sons by Glenn T. Stanton—a book review

Gender matters. It makes a difference if one is a male or female. One of the first questions everyone asks when someone is having a baby is, is it a boy or girl? Everyone wants to know, because gender matters. Our initial judgments of someone are based on our views of maleness and femaleness. How we perceive someone else has to do with them being male or female. Glenn T. Stanton discusses the differences in boys and girls. Even if a parent has what has been termed a “tomboy,” she will still possess some female qualities and go about life in feminine ways, though it may be more subtle. As a somewhat “tomboy” myself, I was skeptical at first about this book, but the way Stanton explains in great detail the differences in males and females, I do have to say that I do possess the female qualities more so than the male ones. The first part of the book discusses these differences and how to help our children grow into the men and women God has created them to be.

The second part of the book focuses more on the role of the parents. Parents need to teach their children how to be boys or girls. Responsibility is put on parent to teach. Children need both a mother and a father. They see different aspects of their boyness or girlness by having both parents. A girl can learn a lot from her father about being a woman just as a boy can learn a lot from his mother about being a man. Parents are an example to their children of these qualities, especially in how they treat each other. Children also need to witness built-in qualities that are specific to each parent that are prevalent across each gender. For example, dads tend to roughhouse and be more physical with their children, encouraging them to prepare for what might come in the future. Moms, on the other hand, tend to nurture and protect their children, trying to keep them from ever getting into harm in the first place. Parenting styles may be different because of this, but that does not mean one parent is wrong. Children need both of these aspects to grow up to be healthy adults. This concept became incredibly real to me through this book. Just because my spouse does things differently, doesn't mean he's automatically wrong. We need to work together in the areas of discipline, play, and so forth, to give our children a healthy balance in life.

Stanton gives many personal examples from his life, so he is easy to relate to. He includes many studies that have been done on subjects pertaining to this book, including scientific studies that aren't necessarily Christian research, which helps solidify his writings. He also uses many biblical principles to validate his points. This was a great book with helpful insights for anyone with children desiring to raise them to be the men or women God created them to be.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

"Pop" Tarts

I am going to start out by saying that I do not condone eating Pop-Tarts for breakfast on a regular basis, especially for a young child.  However, Sunday morning can get a little crazy around here with having to be to church by 8am.  I usually let Elizabeth sleep as late as possible and just get her dressed at the last minute, often times not giving her breakfast, or maybe something she can eat in the car.  She's not a big breakfast fan anyway, and, I know she gets animal crackers at church, so it's not like I'm starving her. 

The other Sunday though, she woke up a little earlier.  Mike took her downstairs with him to eat breakfast.  I didn't think he'd give her Pop-Tarts, but he did.  I was showering or something.  One of her favorite words is "pop."  Mike told her they were "pop-tarts" to which she quickly caught on.  She's just starting to talk and repeat lots of words, but they're usually not real long words.  He would ask her, what kind of tarts do you have?  She would respond, "pop!"  It was so cute.  I just had to share this story, mostly so I don't forget it, but also because I think it's just hilarious.  But it gets better...

About a week after eating the Pop-Tarts and repeating the pop frequently that day, we were eating some blueberries.  Mike made a comment about them being pretty good for being fresh blueberries, as he doesn't really care for them much plain.  I proceeded to say I thought they were kind of tart.  Right after saying that Elizabeth speaks up and says, "Pop!"  I can't believe she made that connection.  I was, of course, using tart in a totally different sense, but it was so funny.  I didn't expect that one. 

Sabbath by Dan B. Allender--a book review

Sabbath by Dan B. Allender—a book review

The fourth commandment, found in Exodus 20, is “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Because this is one of the Ten Commandments, Allender writes this book about the importance of observing this day of the week. Delighting in this day is a prevalent theme throughout the book. “The Sabbath is an invitation to enter delight. The Sabbath, when experienced as God intended, is the best day of our lives” (p. 4). Allender gives personal examples and suggestions of how to delight in this day, especially through enjoying God's creation. He recognizes the fact that most Christians do not observe this day or even think twice about it.

This book, overall, has some interesting points to ponder regarding how to observe the Sabbath, points that I have never given much thought to before. For example, delighting in the day, rather than just resting and not working, is a new thought to me. I have tended to be somewhat legalistic on how to approach the Sabbath, so this book was refreshing in that regard. Experiencing new parts of God's amazing creation brings us into closer relationship with Him and is something we can truly delight in. It gave me a new perspective.

On the other hand, Allender did not address the issue of rest, other than saying there is more to the Sabbath than that, or that one doesn't necessarily even have to rest at all. In the passage in Exodus above, God commands His creation to rest and make it holy. Other passages throughout the Bible indicate this concept as well, such as when Moses was leading the Israelites in the wilderness and they were to collect manna for the day before the Sabbath as well as the Sabbath. While I understand the need to make it holy in ways other than rest, not working, and not being caught up in legalism, I thought leaving this important piece out of the equation did not do justice to these Sabbath verses.

I would recommend this book to someone looking for new ways to approach the Sabbath. Otherwise, I was somewhat disappointed. I was hoping for a book encompassing the whole of the Sabbath, to challenge me. I have read books by Allender before and have appreciated his writing, but in my opinion, this is not one of his best books.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program.

Price vs. Value

This past Sunday I heard a very profound statement during the sermon at church.  If I were to remember one thing, this would be it:  "Our society knows the price of everything but the value of nothing."  The sermon was on the first set of verses of Mark 14.  How true this is.  I pondered this for quite a while and admittedly did not catch much in the following minutes because I was left running that statement through my head.  I have been wanting to write about it for a few days now and have had even more time to think about it. 

As a bargain shopper, with coupons always in hand, never a person to pay full price for anything, I was thinking about how this affected me.  Sure, I know what the price is of things.  I try to get that price down as low as I can.  But do I sometimes take a cheap price for a crummy value?  Just because something is cheap doesn't mean it is worth much of anything.  I probably tend to take this too far and risk losing some value on things.

Mary used a jar of perfume on Jesus that cost a year's wages!  Would I have done something like that?  Unless it was something inherited, I probably would not even have something that expensive in my possession.  And even at that, I may not have thought much about it because it's just perfume, right?  Why would I want that?  I'm guessing it had more significance back in those days.  But still.  I'm so hard up on spending money.  I want a good deal.  I try to be wise in spending, not frivolous. 

Regarding value though, I was also struck by a comment someone made to me on Sunday.  Asking how Elizabeth was doing in the nursery, I responded with the usual up and down answer.  Sometimes she's okay, sometimes not.  She can't be on her own long without her mommy.  Sure, it seems the price I have to pay right now is extremely high.  I don't ever get a good night's sleep, I don't ever get time alone.  Actually, this person said, so, is this the only hour you have without her all week?  Yes!!  It's true!!  That hour during early service is my only hour without her all week. That is no exaggeration either.  She sleeps with me, so she's there all night too.  This cost may seem high to some, but I hope there is a lot of value in this.  I hope my daughter will be secure and know mommy's there for her.  I hope all this time spent with her will be for the good, that she'll value what I value, come to know Christ, and so forth.  If that happens, no price can be too high.  I want her to become God's child.  I love you, Elizabeth, and I want what's best for you, even if it means a high price for me to pay right now. 

The Goodness of God – a book review

How many times have you heard the question, “if God is a good God, why is there evil and suffering in the world?” I always have had a simple answer for this, and that was “sin.” While sin is part of the reason for evil and suffering, I have learned there is so much more to this answer than just sin. How do we explain goodness? Randy Alcorn states, “The very act of calling evil a problem presupposes a standard of goodness” (p.39). God did not create evil, He allowed it. God created a perfect world, but He knew Adam and Eve would fall. We are born into sin, therefore, evil and suffering will take place in our lives. Along our journey we become more like Christ through our suffering. Alcorn goes as far as to say, “the best answer to the problem of evil is a person—Jesus Christ” (p.48). Jesus suffered the most humiliating death and took on Himself ALL the sins of the world, not just some, but all. He can empathize for anything we have or are going through. Because of Jesus, our suffering can one day end. We can live with Him forever, pain free. He will establish His kingdom again on the new Earth, where there will be no more suffering or evil. What a great end to the story! God is put in His rightful place in this book, as well as Satan and humans. God reigns over all and is in control.

The Goodness of God is a great book for understanding more about the problem of evil. Alcorn attempts to explain the problem from current worldviews, such as open theism, or atheism. He explains that these other views do not really have an answer but rather question the characteristics of who God is. This problem cannot have an answer without a Christian biblical worldview. I appreciate the interaction with some of the current theologies in today's world.

Having had some seminary training, I was a little concerned before reading the book as to how Alcorn would use Scripture throughout this book. However, I think his use of Scripture is dilligent, without proof-texting. Often when we hear a sermon regarding the problem of evil, the text always seems to land somewhere in Job. While the book of Job and his suffering is used in this book, it was not the main focus, which was a nice relief. The redemption of Christ from our suffering was a highlight as well as verses that stated as Christians, we will experience suffering in our lives. It's inevitable.

This book is a great read for understanding more about why there is evil and suffering in the world. It is simple, yet profound. I cannot even begin to summarize it as well as Alcorn. I highly recommend this book as there is most likely something new anyone can pull from it. For example, one of the comments that struck me most in the book is this: “Might God be limiting sin all around us all the time? If God permitted people to follow their every evil inclination all the time, life on this planet would screech to a halt...I believe God is in fact restraining a great deal of evil in this world, and for this we should thank Him daily” (p.59). This is one of those topics I hadn't though about before. Do we realize how much evil there could be? God is sovereign over all and is in control of this world.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

As Time Goes By

There have been so many days when I've wanted to make a post and I'm sure I won't remember everything now.  Here's what our life's been like lately.

Elizabeth turned one and a half a couple weeks ago!  I can't believe it.  Did we really make it this far?  Seems like such a short time ago that she was born.  It is so fun to see all the changes in her.  She is getting more and more fun as she understands more and is beginning to talk.  It's frustrating to not be able to understand everything she's trying to communicate, but I think that's pretty normal for this stage. 

This past weekend we left her with my parents for a few hours while we went to the Sweetheart Banquet at church.  This was the first time since she was born that we went out without her.  I'm not sure if that's sad or crazy or what.  She was okay for part of it, but I guess she screamed at the top of her lungs, like I know so well, when it was time to eat supper.  She didn't really eat much.  I thought that would have been the good time of the evening, since she is usually interested in eating.  At least she was able to calm down.  That is something that she was never able to do before.  It took being by mommy again in order to stop crying.  Progress.  She's still very attached, but at least she CAN function without mommy. 

Finally, we have our first bout with the flu, at least, I think that's what it was.  She threw up several times.  This is the first time.  She maybe had spit up a handful of times in her infancy, but has never actually thrown up.  It was really crazy to deal with.  So sad watching her go through it.  She didn't know what to make of it and seemed scared when stuff was trying to come out the wrong way.  I think it was a 24-hour thing.  She's doing a lot better now.  It's so nice to not have to change outfits six times in a day.  That was my all-time record ever!  I'm not one much for changing clothes throughout the day.  I've done 7 loads of laundry already this week!  Yikes!  I hope this bug has left our house and won't affect anyone else, or come back to her.  No fun.  Goodnight all.

Next One?

Before I dive in, I'm trying to figure out what blogs are all about.  Are they for just sharing general information, updates on family, and so forth, or are they for complaining, seeking input, gathering ideas, or just whatever one wants to make it?  I don't want to always complain, as this pessimist has the tendency to do.  I want this to be beneficial for myself as well as my readers (if I ever get any).  I'm new to this blogging thing so I'm still trying to figure it all out.

Today, I am going to complain.  Sorry!  But I think those of you who have a young child over the age of 1 may understand.  What is it with other people's comments?  Actually, this happens throughout pregnancy as well.  People seem to think it's perfectly acceptable to speak their mind and give advice, or ask stupid questions of the pregnant woman, or make assumptions.  That's common.  Maybe this is just as common, but I haven't experienced it before.  People are asking about the next child!  Is it any of their business?  No!!  Just like many events that occur during pregnancy is no one else's business. 

We were at a family gathering this past weekend, and my aunt was bugging me about when I was going to have the next one.  I said not now rather authoritatively.  I am NOT ready for another one right now.  I love my daughter to pieces and wouldn't trade her for the world, but she is difficult, at least for me.  She doesn't sleep on her own, is still being nursed, is very attached to me, etc.  Until some of these things change, no next baby, unless of course, God decides to surprise us, but I think we've got that pretty under control.  Is it anyone else's business when we're having the next child?  We can wait longer if we want.  What if we were trying and having difficulty?  We're not, but I think I'd be quite offended by this comment and hurt as well.  It'd bring me back to my desires of wanting one which would be quite upsetting if we were trying.  I just can't believe how some people have the nerve!  Do you know what it's like having a child?  No!!  Stay out of it then!  My brother bugged me about this issue this past Christmas, as that's when we told the family last time we were pregnant.  I expect that from my brother, a little sibling rivalry, of course.  But he didn't pursue the issue either.  Until we feel ready and feel lead by God to have another child, we are NOT having one right now.  Sometime I'd like to be able to sleep more than a couple hours at a time and get some rest before lugging another baby around inside of me.  I think I'd go nuts if I were to be pregnant right now. 

Anyway, I apologize for the outburst here, but some people just need to keep their mouths shut.  Have you ever experienced anything like this?  How did you handle it? 

I'm off to get ready for bed now with my beautiful daughter.  Sweet dreams.

Heat

I am attempting to make another blog post.  This is more of a complaint than anything though.  I am so cold!!  Our furnace has not been working properly since last Thursday!  That's almost one whole week without heat!  We've been using space heaters, but it still does not get to the temperature one would normally have it set at.  Even for me, the one who doesn't mind cooler insides, is freezing.  61 or 62 degrees just doesn't cut it.  It doesn't help that I have a cold, and now am wondering if I am somewhat feverish.  Every time I go upstairs to change a diaper, I get incredibly cold again.  We've left the heater off up there until bedtime.  Poor Elizabeth's buns when she gets changed.  That has to be so cold.  Good thing she hasn't had any accidents in the middle of a change.  :) 


It should get fixed tomorrow.  They told us, first thing in the morning.  What does that mean to a heating guy?  7? 9?  There's a huge difference there.  Guess we'll find out in the morning.  It just means probably being ready a bit earlier than normal, just in case "first thing in the morning" really does mean 7.  Oh the joys of home-owning.  We're really learning about that.

I'm off to bed.  Hopefully it will warm up quickly in there.  Tomorrow I am going to enjoy the heat like I've never enjoyed it before.

First Blog Attempt

I can't believe I'm actually doing it.  I am writing my own blog!  I so enjoy reading those of my friends, and even many others I come across.  I want some interaction and input as well.  As a first-time mom, I want input and ideas from others.  I don't yet know how to make this fancy, as I'm not real tech-savvy, so bear with me on that part.  It should be about the content, not the prettiness of it anyway, right? 

Feel free to leave me comments, let me know you've come on board, etc.  I look forward to the times ahead.