Beautiful Feet

Help for single ladies

2011-11-02T17:37:00.002-04:00

Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid is a fun yet spiritually deep book, aimed at single women. This book, according to the author, "is dedicated to all the ladies who may not feel as overjoyed to hear of yet another friend's recent engagement. This is for the young ladies who, as happy as they may feel to see a friend marry the person of their dreams, have that little ache in their hearts that says, “God, when will it be my turn?” My story is all about how to wait with contentment for your husband that God has chosen just for you." This book feels almost like sitting down with your girlfriends over a cup of coffee or tea and talking openly and honestly about how it feels to be single and what we can do to help those feelings.
Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid is a shockingly honest look at the author's life and relationships, with her friends, her family and her former boyfriends. She chronicles several times she's been a bridesmaid, but she's not made it to the altar herself, to the shock of her Haitian family. Through speaking about the end of one of her romantic relationships, she outlines the way she sought the Lord through and in her pain and how He healed her heart. She says, and I agree, that one main problem we as God's children have is how impatient we can get while waiting for His perfect timing, especially where romance is concerned.
This is a great book for singles of all ages, from late adolescence on. It includes discussion/study questions at the end of each chapter, which would be ideal for a Sunday School class or small group. It also shows two Biblical examples of waiting on God's timing, Sarah and Hannah.
I found much encouragement in this book, being a single, never-married person in my early thirties. This book reminds me that God is in control and He is working all things for my good. There are several important Biblically-based lessons to be learned through this book for all women of God.
*I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Careful what you wish for

2011-10-21T14:02:00.002-04:00

What if your fondest prayer was finally answered? Would you really be as happy as you thought you'd be?
In Sunrise on the Battery, Mary Lynn finds out the answer. She's a typical society mom, totally devoted to her kids and husband, and experiencing something of a spiritual awakening. This includes meeting with a prayer group once a week. Her most fervent prayer is that her husband Jackson will come to know the same Lord she has experienced. When that finally happens, through his meeting with their priest, the results are far from what Mary Lynn thought they would be. Jackson's new-found faith is being acted out in ways that are radically different from how Mary Lynn thought their lives would be.
I found this story both challenging and engaging. I totally identified with the characters and felt they were very vividly drawn out, almost to the point that they felt like real people I knew. I could identify strongly with Jackson especially, who read voraciously, mostly to make up for something he felt he missed in his education. I also love the imagery Beth Webb Hart uses to describe the Spirit's moving in people-e.g.-"...(Mary Lynn) felt a burning in her chest, like she had fallen asleep facedown on a heating pad. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it felt full of energy, and she sensed that God's love for her, something wholly undeserved, was working its way into her very bones. It was the best feeling she'd ever known. She did not want the burning to end."
I truly enjoyed this book and found it a good story and also thought-provoking about how we all live out our faith. It also shows that our prayers being answered do not always end up the way we thought they would.
I received this book free from the publisher and am not required to write a positive review, but one of my own opinion.

A fun read

2011-10-19T15:16:00.000-04:00

In Cherished, we meet two women, Kelli and Heather, who are going through difficult changes in their lives. Kelli is moving to a new city to be closer to her family, and also seeing for the first time since high school her former boyfriend who broke her heart. Heather is a church-goer and choir member, but she was also involved with a married member of the church's staff.
Kelli was a musician in high school, but after she and her boyfriend Brian broke up, she gave up music and devoted herself to her studies. When she moves back to her hometown, her sisters-in-law eventually persuade her not only to take up music, but to reconnect with Brian, who is a recording artist.
Heather meets Kelli and becomes good friends with her, as they both encounter the Lord Jesus for real and are discipled by Kelli's sister-in-law Cyn. They and others in their family and close friends struggle with forgiving both themselves and those who have done them wrong. In so doing they grow in a close friendship with each other and the Lord. Kelli finds peace with something terrible she and Brian did in their past through their musical venture.
This is a wonderful example of how the Lord truly works all things out for our good. This book is a fun, wonderful reminder of the Lord's faithfulness to His people. It also shows us, above all, that He cherishes us.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Curiosities of the Civil War

2011-08-01T17:36:00.001-04:00

I found this book to be extremely interesting. I have long been a student of history, and the American Civil War has always been interesting to me, even as a child. In this book are many anecdotes, about every aspect of life during the war. This book includes information about subjects that are not touched on in a lot of histories of the war, such as friendly fire. Also interesting was the anecdotes about people who were unknown before and during the war, but would go on to make a great contribution to it later on. Such people as Walt Whitman and Elias Howe were mentioned. It is fascinating to me to see these great historical figures playing their part, however big or small, in this great and terrible conflict.
I found of particular interest the anecdotes mentioning the area in which I live, Northeast Georgia. This one mentions Athens and UGA, about twenty-five miles from where I went to college. "Experimenting with ways to increase the power of large guns, Pvt. John Gilleland of Georgia's Mitchell Thunderbolts developed a double-barreled cannon. Balls linked by a chain were designed to 'mow down Yankees as a scythe cuts rye.' When put to use, however, it was found that precise coordination of firing was impossible. In a few test rounds, linked cannon balls 'whizzed around in erratic fashion' and killed two or three Thunderbolts.
This experimental weapon is commemorated by a historical marker on the campus of the University of Georgia at Athens." (p.163)
I think this is a great book, and would be a welcome addition to any history buff's library, especially as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Max on Life by Max Lucado

2011-04-18T11:44:00.000-04:00

   I have been a long-time fan of Max Lucado's work, and this book lives up to the expectations I have of his works. In Max On Life, Max answers many questions he has received on topics such as marriage, prayer, etc. whether by email, letter, or face-to-face, from a Biblically grounded perspective. What results is a book that probably everyone could find something that is helpful to them in. It is peppered with humor, as are all his works, but it overall conveys both the author's and God's love, compassion and concern for all.
   I found this book very interesting, entertaining and enjoyable. I also found it very applicable to my life in several areas. This book is both fun to read and very practical. I think I will return to this book often because of the pearls of wisdom Max includes in it, about many topics I struggle with on a regular basis, such as prayer, temptation, and irritation. On irritation Max writes, "Every pearl is simply a victory over irritations." I know that I will think of this often, when I wear any of my pearl jewelry!
   I think this book is wonderful, and would be a great gift for people in all stations of life.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Midevent Survey

2011-04-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

1. What are you reading right now? The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins
2. How many books have you read so far? 1, and about a quarter of another.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Finishing The Brotherhood
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? No
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Only bathroom breaks, and a shower break
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How many are doing it!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Have better snacks onhand!
9. Are you getting tired yet? Not really
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Only using a Kindle or other ereader

Read-a-thon update

2011-04-09T14:38:00.000-04:00

Since my last post I read Colossians and 1 Thessalonians, and I finished up Unconventional which I started earlier this week. Next I am reading The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins.

Dewey's Readathon 2011

2011-04-09T13:16:00.001-04:00

1)Where are you reading from today? My bedroom in Dawsonville, GA.
2)Three random facts about me…
1. I was an aunt before age 4.
2. I did the 3Day Walk in Atlanta last October
3. I have 2 cats and 2 dogs
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Unconventional by JJ Hebert and The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I would like to finish Unconventional and get about halfway through The Brotherhood.
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Have fun!

Dining With Joy

2011-02-02T17:23:00.000-05:00

In Dining With Joy, we meet Joy Ballard, the host of a regional cooking show, who has a secret-she can't cook. She took over her father's cooking show when he died, but she cannot cook herself. Her behind-the-scenes staff have helped her keep her secret, until she is challenged to a "throwdown" of sorts, with another cooking show host. There, though her colleague and cohost Luke does his best to help, she is exposed. Then she and Luke have to go about rebuilding both his reputation as a chef and their lives. Once all their lives are in shambles, both Luke and Joy come to realize that maybe what happened, including Joy being exposed as a fraud, was a part of God's plan for their lives. They find that God really does bring beauty from ashes.
I really enjoyed this book. It offers a vivid painting of what life and the people that inhabit South Carolina's Lowcountry really are all about. It also discusses their cuisine in detail, even including a few recipes at the end of the book! What this book really teaches is that we may plan for our life to be one way, but through our families or other uncontrollable things we end up in a totally different place. Even though that may happen, this story gives the reader hope that God can truly not only bring us to a place where we are truly satisfied with our work, but also bring us the perfect person or people to share your life with. This story is also a vivid reminder that though things seem to be at their worst, everything can turn around in just a short time and be at their best.

3Day training update

2010-10-07T15:03:00.000-04:00

September 13- I donated the money from Mother's coworker and our neighbor online.
I walked Levi but after I did my chest really hurt.
September 14-I ordered some postcards to send as reminders from Vistaprint.
I emailed a restaurant about possible sponsorship.
I went to the Nike store to look at shoes. The salesgirl who helped me was named Sarah. She told me her mom had had breast cancer. I told her and the other salespeople about the 3Day to tell them what I needed the shoes for. They all seemed to know what it is. I gave Sarah my information and my card, and she may want to walk next year.
The donation from Mother's coworker posted.
September 15-Sarah added me on Facebook
September 16-I got a blue sleeping bag at Target, that's rated to 30 degrees.
My twitter friend Jay gave $25, and he filed for matching.
September 17-A friend sent me an email in response to a follow-up I sent everyone. She promised me a donation in a couple weeks.
We went to the Nike store. I took my old shoes in and put them in recycling. I got some white shoes with a pink swoosh. They're not Nike plus, so I have to get a sensor case. I got pink laces at Reebok where Mother got shoes. Sarah helped me at Nike. The lady who rang me up told me her sister was fighting breast cancer when I told her about the 3day. I gave her my card. She thanked me for walking.
I got Nancy Brinker's book Promise Me at Wal-Mart. I was so glad it was there; I thought I'd have to order it.
September 20-My friend Sara gave $20.
My friend Barbara gave $50.
September 21-I posted a prayer request on Kevin and Taylor's facebook page, and they wrote me back.
I called the church and got on the prayer list.
September 22-I put my donation link on a lot of my Facebook friends' pages.
September 23-The postcards I ordered came, and they look great.
September 24-I gave all my virtual pets' friends pink plushies and wrote them about the 3day.
September 26-I gave out some of my postcards at church.
September 28-Mother gave my postcard and business cards to a coworker at Home Depot-she told her about the 3day and how much we need to raise, and the girl said she could do it (her parents are wealthy).
September 29-My cousin Wendy gave $25.
September 30-I got foot lotion at Ingles for after the 3day.
October 2-We went to Dahlonega and talked to people in several stores about sponsoring me-I got several outright nos, but there were also a few who seemed interested.
October 3-I talked to the Starbucks manager about hanging up my postcard-she told me she couldn't, but to talk to Kroger's customer care. I did, and the boy there let me hang up my card. He also told me that the manager might let me have a fundraiser.
I got a pink ribbon bear, socks, and notebook, and also pink star sunglasses at Target.
I got a hot pink breast cancer shirt at Wal-Mart.
October 4-I logged almost 5000 steps.
October 6-I walked 1.34 miles. My sensor died about 2/3 of the way through my walk. I also logged about 1700 steps.
When I turned on the radio this morning, Kevin and Taylor were talking about the 3day walk and those who walk in it. What they were saying really encouraged me about the walk. I wrote them a note on their Facebook page thanking them.
My twitter friend Lori gave $25.
October 7-Kevin and Taylor wrote me back.
I did an online chat with the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Nancy Brinker, about her book Promise Me, put on by Prevention Magazine.

3Day training update

2010-09-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

August 8-I got our magnets on our cars-mine on the driver's door, Mother's on her back bumper.
August 9-I walked 4.37 miles.
August 10-A fellow walker, Gabrielle, tweeted me and said if I'd give to her she'd give to me. A bit later she gave $40! I got her hooked up with the 3Day Tweeps.
I did 30 minutes on the elliptical.
August 11-I didn't walk because I felt weak due to mucus/sinus problems.
August 12-I fell out of bed and woke up on the floor. I got a bad bruise on my face and a bump on my head.
August 13-I got a $50 donation in the mail from a neighbor lady whom I met on one of my walks.
August 17-I worked out 30 minutes on the elliptical.
August 18-My mom got me a hot pink T-shirt.
August 19-My mom got me a hot pink jacket and capris.
I called the 3Day coaches and spoke to a lady named Dana about my training and my not being able to walk. She reminded me the training plan is just a guideline and not set in stone. It made me feel better about not walking.
August 20-My Superpoke Pets friend Kitty gave $10.
August 22- I logged 2700 steps (about 1.3 miles) at Kroger and Wal-mart.
August 23-I walked 4.15 miles.
August 24-I worked out 30 minutes on the elliptical.
I tweeted my friend Pam about how she got businesses to sponsor her, and she emailed me how she did it.
August 25-I walked 5.07 miles. I saw a flock of 19 Canadian geese on a big yard. They were there for my whole walk.
My cousin Jo gave $100!
August 26-I worked out 45 minutes on the elliptical.
My friend recommended a company where I can get a shirt made-I emailed them and think they may be a good place to get a shirt made.
August 27-I walked 15.08 miles! About 3.5 miles in I sat on a bench and ate a granola bar. At 7.5 miles I sat and ate pizza stix. At about 11.5 miles I sat and ate a little pack of Craisins. At 13.5 miles I started eating my sport beans. At 14 miles I started drinking my orangemint water.
August 29-My dad gave me a $100 donation over lunch. I logged 2300 steps.
August 30-I walked 2.61 miles.
I deposited the check from my dad and donated it online.
Some donations I sent in posted.
August 31-I worked out 45 minutes on the elliptical.
The locations for the opening and closing ceremonies posted-opening is at Lake Lanier Islands, closing is at Turner Field.
I logged 1135 steps, about half a mile.
September 1-I walked 6.47 miles. My orange cat friend let me pet him twice.
I logged about 2300 steps.
September 2-I worked out about 45 minutes on the elliptical.
Through a Facebook post from a fellow Tweep I found out that the people who give to me online can leave me a message. I got several nice ones, from my friend Kitty, from our neighbors, and found out from my cousin Dawn that my cousin Pam had had breast cancer.
September 3-I walked 8.1 miles. At about 3.5 miles I walked to a bench, sat, and ate a granola bar. I saw a crane on the beach. At about 4.5 miles I saw a lady watering her plants. I stopped and talked to her for a few minutes. I gave her my card and told her about the 3Day. She said her sister had had breast cancer and she would give.
I wrote a note on my friend Anita's Facebook wall. She wrote me back, asking how to give. She said her mom, who is battling breast cancer, is doing better. She thanked me for walking and said maybe she'd walk next year and we could team up.
My mom called from work at 6. She said her boss let her make a lot of copies of my donation form and gave her a $100 donation.
September 4-I walked 6.23 miles.
September 5-I logged 4800 steps, about 2.29 miles.
September 6-I walked 5.15 miles.
September 7-I sent messages/posted notes to all of my Facebook friends about the 3Day.
September 8-I walked 6.56 miles. I saw a crane, and a rabbit.
My friend Anita gave $50.
September 9-We went to Cumming. At my doctor's office I told the receptionists about the 3Day and gave them my cards. I found out one of them was a breast cancer survivor. At Target I got a pink journal to go in my pack, and and a charger for my ipod.
I logged 2100 steps, about a mile.
September 11-Another of my mom's coworker's gave-this time $25.
At about 7:30, our chocolate Lab Levi and I went out for a little walk around the block. At the corner there were some people cooking out. I spoke to them a bit, about baseball and other things. Then I told them about the 3Day. They seemed interested in it, so I ran back to the house and got my card, went back and gave it to them. One of the gentlemen gave me $10 cash. The lady with him was acting as if she'll give more later.

Outlive Your Life

2010-09-10T15:04:00.000-04:00

I have been a long-time fan of Max Lucado's, and this book once again reminds me of why. In this book Lucado, through anecdotes, parables, and Scripture, encourages and pushes Christians to do more than just live an average life. The whole premise of the book is reminding the reader that God almost exclusively, except for the Incarnation, used the average Joe to accomplish His goals for and among humanity. Max takes the reader through the first 12 chapters in the New Testament book of Acts, pointing out the similarities between the early Church fathers and the average churchgoers of today, and prodding us to get out of our comfort zones and actually do something to change the world we live in and be a true reflection of Christ and His teachings.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. I felt challenged. I was reminded, through the parables and anecdotes shared, of how truly blessed we are in this nation, compared to a great part of the world's population. There are so many people who are dying of diseases that we in the West have conquered, who are starving to death when we here usually wrestle with obesity, who long for freedoms we take for granted. It should be our job as the church to assist those who are in need, no matter where they are in the world or their situation. Christians should be known for our compassion and giving, and this book reminds us of that, and of why that should be-because that is what our Lord was like and what He asks of His body. This book is a wonderful encouraging help to anyone who is wanting to be more like Jesus.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Resurrection in May

2010-09-09T14:47:00.000-04:00

In Resurrection in May, Lisa Samson once again weaves a tale about someone undergoing profound physical and emotional transformation. At the center of this story is May Seymour, a young woman who is probably typical for women her age-she is a socialite, dating frequently, clubbing. In the throws of a hangover she encounters a kindly old man, Claudius, who helps her through her hangover. She tells him she is leaving soon as a missionary to Rwanda. What happens to her there, on that trip, changes her life and scars her permanently. She is unfortunate enough to be a witness to the Rwandan genocide of 1994, and is the sole survivor of the village where she was ministering.
May returns to the States, to the care of her parents, greatly scarred, both inside and out. When her father sees she is not recovering well, he contacts Claudius, and May goes to live with him on his farm and recover. She remains there, on that property, for years, developing a case of agoraphobia. Even after Claudius' death she cannot make herself leave, because of fear. Finally through the help of her faith and loving friends, she experiences a rebirth and makes her life much better because of it.
I truly enjoyed this book. The transformation that takes place in May is a wonderful thing, as are the relationships portrayed between Claudius and May, and with some of her other friends, most notably Ruth, her neighbor, and Eli, an old college classmate. This book is a wonderful read for anyone, but maybe especially someone who has been through a very traumatic experience and lived to tell about it.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

3Day training update

2010-08-07T20:44:00.001-04:00

July 11-I chatted on Facebook with a high school classmate, about my sickness and the 3Day.
July 12-I walked 3.35 miles.
July 13-I went to Family Christian Stores, and got a compact hot pink NIV Bible, to go in my backpack on the 3day. It's very lightweight and more durable than the paperback one I had.
I went to my stepmother's funeral. While there I got to talk to my aunts and my cousin, and they all said they were going to give later.
I did 15 minutes yoga.
July 14-I walked 5.21 miles, though I felt weak from the summer crud and thought I'd only be able to do about 2. I saw a rabbit, and some Canada geese grazing.
July 15-I did 30 minutes yoga.
July 16-We went to Gainesville. I got my eyes checked at America's Best. I chose some pink glasses, to wear on the 3Day. I gave a donor card to the man who helped me choose glasses.
July 17-I walked 6.42 miles. On a large yard facing the lake, I saw a flock of 10 Canada geese grazing. They were there almost the whole time I walked. I walked a bit with a lady and man who were walking a pair of big boxers. I talked to the lady most. I told her about the 3Day and asked her to give. She said she might.
I went to the park and walked a lap on the track to see how many steps are in one of my miles-I found it to be about 2100. It helped me convert the totals on my pedometer to miles.
July 18-As I logged on for the day I saw I was getting an email from the 3Day-I opened it and found that my aunt Betsy and uncle Ricky had given $100!
After church I spoke to some people about the 3Day and breast cancer, especially my friends Angela, JD, and Cindi. Cindi told me her uncle had breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy.
I walked 2300+ steps at Wal-mart and Kroger.
Aaron gave me $1.45 he won at his grandpa's playing poker.
July 19-I walked 3.24 miles.
July 20-I did 30 minutes yoga.
July 21-I walked 5.4 miles. I waited until after my favorite morning show went off at 10 to walk and it was a little harder because of the heat. I met a man mowing his grass, and stopped a bit to talk to him. I asked if he'd like to give and he said yes.
July 22-Through conversations on Twitter, a lot of us walkers there has formed an unofficial team-Team Twitter. One of the girls is going to design a logo/shirt for us.
Also I read a blog entry by a Chicago walker about walking alone that made me feel better about it.
July 23-I set out at 6:40 AM, aiming for 10 miles. I had my pack, with a frozen bottle of orangemint water in it. I felt pretty good. About halfway through, I walked back to a point on my route where there's a bench, sat on it, ate a granola bar and read some Bible verses from Isaiah. Then I kept walking. I honestly didn't think I would really be able to do 10 miles, but I wanted to go as far as I could and at least beat my best distance, which was 6.43 miles. When I had almost reached the mileage where I would head home, I saw a car backing up from a driveway so I got onto the grass. When she got out on the road she had her window down. I talked to her a bit. She apologized because she hadn't seen me. I gave her a business card. She said she knew I was training for the 3Day, I guess from word of mouth or the fliers I gave out earlier. I asked her to give-she said she would, because I was working so hard. I was able to walk 10.14 miles!
When I got home I was soaking wet. I put on dry clothes and cooled down. My feet, especially my big toes, are sore. But I feel great. I cannot believe I was able to walk 10 miles!
On the Team Twitter front, Julie (@knittingbagel) is designing our logo.
The Boston 3Day is going strong-Kristen and others have posted great updates and pics.
July 24-My mom, Aaron and I left home at 8:20. We got breakfast at McDonald's, then headed down 400 to Peachtree Road UMC, where the Preview Expo was being held. We got there about 9:30, so we were able to park pretty well, in the shade. The church was HUGE. We went inside and I got signed in. The vendors were just setting up, but I looked around. I bought two round stickers that say Walker Girl.
They had stations where people could make signs that are put out on the walk route, and where we could write letters that'll be given to us in camp. Aaron made a sign that had a big ribbon (it was red, I don't think there were any pink markers) drawn on it, that said, Brandee walk for the cure. My mom wrote me a note.
Several outfitters had booths, as did several sponsors. I got a couple packs of AA batteries, some sunscreen samples, a big REI bag, candy and brochures.
I went to a couple clinics, about life on the 3Day and blister care. In the process of going from one to the other I found several of my Twitter friends-Pam, her teammate Shannon, and Lilly. Later we found Abby. I went to the injury prevention clinic with them. After it, I looked more at the outfitters. I bought two pairs of padded socks, which will hopefully help my feet and some cherry sport beans. I got some cute stickers, a couple 3Day DVDs, and a bunch of coupons and fliers. We went to a packing seminar. After it we found Tammy and got pictures made. Pam made some of me,with the Atlanta banner. I took my camera but the batteries were dead. I got sample size hand sanitizer, and a printed ziploc to put toiletries in.

Abby, Lilly, Tammy, Pam, me, and Shannon.

July 25-I did a 3Day habitat for my virtual pet, Elizabeth, with my donor link.
I got pink crocs with a grey plaid lining to wear in camp. I got pink ribbon charms to go on them, along with a Star of David and an Israeli flag.

Pam sent me the photos she made of me, and they're great. I changed my profile pic to one of them on everything but Twitter, where I've not been able to.
I put all the word magnets I got at the Training Kick-Off on a magnetic board I got.
July 26-I walked 3.32 miles.
I got a $25 donation from my cousin Debbie.
July 27-Carol, the lady I met on my 10-mile walk, gave $50.
Julie is designing a magnet for my car. Cat is getting some kind of wristband for our team.
I worked out on Mother's elliptical-like machine for 30 minutes.
I went to the bank, and deposited the money Debbie sent and $10 I had in our coin jar. I donated it online.
July 28-I walked 5.31 miles. As I left the house I saw the flock of geese grazing down by our club pavilion. On about my first or second lap they were over on the big yard next to the water. I also saw a turtle by the road.
July 29-Julie sent me the magnet design, and it's great. I ordered 2 from Vistaprint.
I did 45 minutes on the machine.
I went to the bank. I gave my business card to the teller, in the hopes she'd give. Instead she asked when the 3Day was, and acted like she wants to do it too. I told her I'd bring her a DVD.
July 30-I walked 11.1 miles! I stopped about halfway through, sat on the bench a bit, and ate a granola bar. On my next to last or last lap I saw a lady in a red VW bug. She had her window down, and asked if I was still training for my event. I said I was, and gave her my card. She said she would give to me. Also about then I refilled my water bottle, using the spigot on a house.
Julie designed a couple logos for Team Twitter, and they're adorable.
We went to Cumming. En route we talked about what I still need. I said, when we get a sleeping bag and pad, I can keep it if I want to do it again. I honestly thought my mom wouldn't like me doing the walk again, but she acted like it wasn't a big deal if I do.
July 31-I walked 5.14 miles. I saw a lady walking a dog who looked a lot like our dog Gracie. I gave her my card and asked her to give.
I got a $25 donation from my aunt and uncle in the mail.
There's a Cafe Press site with clothes with the Team Twitter logo on them that Julie designed.
August 1-My Twitter friend Jay has started a Team Twitter to walk in the 2011 Atlanta 3Day! I'm hoping very much I can be a part of it.
August 2-I walked 4.15 miles.
August 3-Cat got a 3Day Tweeps site sat up.
I went to Chick-Fil-A and spoke to a manager about a donation-I was told I needed to talk to their marketing director. I went to Wal-Mart and spoke to a manager there about fundraising-he said that corporate would not let them allow people to raise money there, it raised too many complaints from people.
I went to the bank and spoke to the teller I talked about the 3Day with. I gave her a DVD and ring.
I did 30 minutes on the elliptical.
August 4-I walked 5.06 miles.
August 5-I did about 45 minutes on the elliptical.
A $25 donation from one of our neighbors posted.
August 6-I walked 12.11 miles. About 4 miles in I took a break and ate a granola bar. After another 4 miles I stopped and ate a pack of pizza sticks. I refilled my water bottle, again with a spigot on a house. With about a mile and a half to go, I opened and ate the pack of sport beans I got at the Preview Expo. When I hit the 11-mile marker I started to drink the bottle of peppermint water I had with me. I put it in the freezer for a couple days, then put it, wrapped in a towel, in my walking pack as I left. By the time I was nearly done it was almost thawed. Between the sport beans and the mint water I caught a second wind, somewhat, and felt good when I finished.
August 7-I walked 7.24 miles.
I went to a local bike shop and got some more sport beans.
The magnets I ordered from Vistaprint came, and they look great. My mom and I are going to put them on our cars, and hopefully get some donations.

Status report

2010-07-11T16:27:00.000-04:00

June 27-My friend Anita gave me a pair of pink ribbon earrings. She also told me that her mom has breast cancer.
June 28-I walked 3.27 miles.
June 29-I did 25 minutes yoga.
June 30-I walked 5.5 miles.
July 1-I sold my friend Betsy and her daughter Hope 8 of my old books for $8. Hope and I watched the 3Day DVD.
I did 30 minutes yoga.
July 2-I walked 4.22 miles. I walked all over our neighborhood, and put fliers about the Walk in mailboxes.
My cousins donated $50! Also the donations I sent in posted online.
July 3-I walked 3.35 miles. My sister-in-law promised me a $50 donation later on.
July 4-A dear friend promised me a donation later on.
July 5-I walked 3.4 miles.
July 6-I did 15 minutes yoga.
I called the 3Day coaches to cancel my RSVP to the Super Clinic in Buford Saturday-it sounded a lot like the one I went to at North Point. I spoke to a lady named Maggie.
July 7-I walked 5.31 miles.
I braided a bracelet with the pink embroidery floss I have, and tried to braid my hair for the first time. The bracelet looked better than my hair, but my hair looked OK.
July 8-I got a $50 donation in the mail from some cousins.
I did 30 minutes yoga.
July 9-Starting Thursday morning, I have felt very weak, mostly because of what I believe to be an allergy attack. This is causing much sinus drainage, mostly in my nose and throat. I was able to do yoga Thursday, but did not feel up to walking 8 miles. My family and I went to a bowling alley/arcade and had pizza for lunch, and between all that and grocery shopping, I logged 2745 steps.
July 10-My legs felt pretty sore, and I felt weak, though stronger than yesterday.
I have been faithfully following the 24-week training plan, though I have modified it so that my day of rest is on Sunday instead of Monday. The only reason I have not walked is illness, yet for some reason I feel very guilty when I have to miss a day (or two). I know this is just a bump in the road to doing the 3Day, yet somehow in the moment it seems very discouraging. I am praying I feel well enough to meet my training goals for the next week.

Mystically Wired

2010-07-06T18:49:00.000-04:00

In Mystically Wired, author Ken Wilson explores the inner workings of the most mysterious of all organs: the human brain. This book explains how we can calm down the busyness that defines most of our lives and thought processes and experience more peace and stillness before God, which results in more of Him and in His presence.
Mystically Wired is divided into two sections. In the first, the author presents relevant scientific findings that spiritual practices, such as prayer, can have a true calming effect on the brain's activities. The second delves into practices people can integrate into their daily lives and routines to calm their minds so that they can be more fulfilled and peaceful in prayer.
In the first section, Wilson introduces the premise that our brains "are adapted or designed to reach beyond the limits of the ingrown self to connect with the wonder of life beyond the self, including the life of God" (p.3) He also goes over the fact that many of us have trouble connecting, like when we call someone but the line is full of static. Also many of us like to control our prayers, i.e., to do what we think our family or church family would find acceptable, not what we feel the Lord or Spirit nudging us to do.
The second half goes over simple ways to connect more fully to the wonder of life beyond the self. There are several of these. Among them are holding those we love in our memory before God, the source of love. Another is, during moments of excessive worry or stress selecting a word, phrase, text or image as our focal point-a name for God or a visual or other sensory image from a psalm. Another is praying at fixed intervals of the day, perhaps using liturgies from the Catholic or Episcopalian traditions, and celebrating seasonal holidays such as Pentecost and Christmas as well. Wilson also suggests getting out of our urban environment and going to nature to pray.
There is much to be found and applied in this book, but the main thought really is: We can learn how to pray, and Jesus can teach us. That is truly what this book is all about, and it encourages us to take a small step of some sort into that direction as we follow the Lord.

Status report

2010-06-26T17:46:00.001-04:00

June 13-I walked 4.22 miles. I took a pack of pizza sticks with me. I sat at the top of a hill, in our boat storage area 2 times to rest and ate them. I wanted to do 5 miles but didn't think I could.
June 14-I walked 3.41 miles. I took a short break.
My cousin Jane called. She said she got my letter, and wanted to know who to make the check to.
My lumbar pack and buttons from the 3Day shop came. I love them. The pack is able to be carried several different ways.
June 15-My uncle Jim called, saying he got his letter.
I did 20 minutes yoga.
June 16-I walked 5.27 miles. It was very humid. I saw the orange and black cats. I didn't have to stop and rest.
In the mail I got $25 from my cousin and $50 from my uncle.
June 17-I did 30 minutes yoga.
I walked .57 miles with the dogs. Part of it was trying to get Grace out of the dog's pen across the street. I ran a little with her.
June 18-I walked 6.39 miles.
I have the beginning of a blister on my big toe.
June 19-I walked 5.12 miles.
June 20-Saturday evening my grandnephew Aaron told me our neighbor Lance wanted to talk to me, so after I got dressed I went and talked to him. He gave me a $100 donation!
Coming in from seeing Lance, I stumbled and twisted my right foot a little. I tried to put on my tennis shoe, but it hurt. I got my dad to come and get us so I wouldn't have to drive. After we got home, I put it up and wrapped it in an ace bandage, and put ice on it some.
June 21-My foot felt much better. I went shopping in Cumming and only felt a few twinges.
I did 15 minutes yoga.
June 22-I walked 3.29 miles. My foot felt OK.
June 23-I walked 5.1 miles.
June 24-I did 30 minutes yoga.
June 25-I left home at 7:30, meaning to walk 7 miles. About a mile and a half in I had to stop and rest. My right leg hurt. I sat, caught my breath, and listened to my favorite morning show on 104.7, through the radio in my iPod. After that I had to stop every lap, which is a little over a mile. I felt light headed a little, especially toward the end.
I carried my lumbar pack with me-I like it, especially as a waist pack or slung over my shoulder with the strap. Training, using it as a regular backpack is too hot. On the event that way may be OK. It didn't bump me at all any way I carried it.
I think maybe several things made my walk as bad as it was-I only made it 6 miles, I had to cut home across the lake and up through the woods, and it took me over 2 hours. (Only 3.7 miles is recorded because of an error on my part.) One, it was the first walk I had with the pack. Two, either PMS or some illness seems to have weakened me. Three, it was about 80% humidity. It was like the perfect storm, and a miserable walk was the result. I thought for a while it was the pack, so on my last loop through our boat storage area, I stowed it between some sheds.
One good thing-I was crouching in the street resting when a small black lab came to me. She licked my hand a bit. Her owner saw us and asked if the dog was scaring me. I said no, and told her about our chocolate lab Levi, who outweighs her by about 50 pounds. She said she's seen me walking a lot. I told her about the 3Day, and asked if she'd like to give. She said yes, so we went in her house so I could give her my email address, but then she decided to give me a check right then. She gave $25.
When I got home I was drenched in sweat. My bra was soaked. I've walked that far (and farther) but have never sweat so much. I'm very glad the walk I'm participating in is in October, when it's cooler and less humid. I think if ours was before Labor Day here it'd be pretty bad.
I put seven miles on my training log because I logged about 2,000 steps at Wal-Mart.
June 26-I walked 6.25 miles. It went much better than yesterday's walk. I felt pretty good when it was over.
I helped a 3Day friend from Twitter get going on the Nike plus website.
Yesterday, through someone I follow on Twitter (I think) I got led to a blog entry about a lady who is running the Chicago marathon to raise money for World Vision, whose work partly is to help those in Africa who don't have access to clean water. On the blog she is keeping about her training program, she put this verse: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7) This verse has really inspired me last night and this morning, and also the song by Twila Paris, How Beautiful. I'm thinking of changing my team name (at this point it's just me) to Beautiful Feet. I can't think of much better tidings than an end to breast cancer once and for all.

Status report

2010-06-13T14:21:00.001-04:00

May 30-I printed my letter and donation forms, and took them to church. I gave out several. Also my friend Mary, and Todd, who preached, prayed with me over the envelopes.
I got a pair of blue shorts to walk in.
May 31-I walked 3.25 miles, in light rain.
At the end of my walk, a car passed me-he rolled down his window and said something like, even in the rain? I said, I have something big to train for. Later, I was out on the porch calling Grace, our dog. He lives next to us, and he asked what I'm training for. I told him about the 3Day, and asked if he would like to donate. He said he would, so I came in and got my donation form and a business card and took it to him. We had a nice conversation about the 3Day, what made me do it, and the Lord-they're believers too.
June 1-In response to the entry I wrote on June 1, my friend from school Kesa wrote me a nice note on Facebook.
June 2-I walked 4.14 miles .
I ordered more business cards with printed backs.
We got stamps. I stamped envelopes, put our address on some, and put the SASEs in the original ones.
I called the 3Day coaches, and spoke to a lady named Carol. I asked if the things in the shop would be available at the Preview Expo. She wasn't sure so I called the 3Day shop and asked-they said no. I also asked about shipping-it is about half the price to ship if you order over the phone.
June 3-I did 30 minutes yoga.
June 4-I walked 5.94 miles. I saw a rabbit. The black cat at see on my route let me pet him.
June 5-I walked 4.11 miles.
June 6-I tweeted some celebrities I follow about the 3Day, and Mandisa retweeted me.
June 7-I walked 3.72 miles.
I called the 3Day shop, and ordered a set of buttons and the lumbar pack I wanted.
My new business cards came, and they look great.
I printed my letters, stuffed envelopes, got them ready to go, and put them in the mailbox.
June 8-I did 15 minutes yoga.
June 9-I walked 4.2 miles.
My teeth, especially my false front one, hurt badly. It hurt so much that I was crying. It was just throbbing. I knew it was my sinuses because the pain kept jumping around my mouth. I tried to eat but I would accidentally bump my teeth and it hurt very much. Finally at about lunch time I called and was blessed enough to get a doctor's appointment that day. At the doctors' I spoke to a physician's assistant and then the doctor. He thought I have a sinus infection, and maybe some allergies. He gave me an antibiotic, a tablet that is bigger than the seizure pills that I take.
June 10-I woke up in less pain. I did 30 minutes yoga.
I was unable to train on Friday and Saturday because my infection and the antibiotic made me a bit dizzy and weak. I am getting better every day, thankfully. My appetite is returning to normal. These trials in my training seem to be a real test of my will, but I am determined to not give up and meet my goal of doing the 3Day walk.

Discouragement and the 3Day

2010-06-01T16:27:00.000-04:00

It may just be brought on by a bout of hormonal emotion, but yesterday evening and today I have felt great discouragement about my 3Day journey, especially the fundraising efforts. Over the long weekend I addressed envelopes to all our extended family, and I also edited my fundraising letter, mostly by trimming it considerably. Last night, and really the night before, my mom raised the issue that I should not ask for a donation of $50, because she knew some in her family would not be able to do that. I told her, several times, that those who run the 3Day have said that it's best to name a figure, instead of just saying "give what you can", which is what she was wanting me to put. (I think I see where the fundraising advice is coming from--we as outsiders do not really KNOW anything about anyone else's financial situations or their ability to afford anything.) She, as usual, would not listen to me. Sometimes I feel like I am the only positive person here. My mother, and as a result, my grandnephew, is angry a lot and very negative. I am doing my best to keep a positive mindset about this whole process, but it is very difficult here, because I seem to fight opposition at every turn. It seems like no matter what I say at times, it starts an argument with one of them. My grandnephew in particular has a very short fuse. I avoid conflict here at every turn; yet sometimes it cannot be avoided, like when I am alone with the boy.
Also this weekend, I edited my letter a bit and distributed it to some at my church, along with my donation forms. I am going to print them out and put them in some mailboxes around my home, which is in a lakeside community where a lot of summer people come up on the weekend. I have also sent out several emails to friends. I have kept my facebook status and twitter status mainly about the 3Day, always including my fundraising link, yet they have resulted in NO donations. The only donations I have gotten as yet have been from a girlfriend at church, my neighbor, and from a friend of my virtual pet Elizabeth. I do not know how else to promote this to my friends. I have thought of sending them all personal emails. I am totally underwhelmed at their response, and totally disappointed. I was also hoping to spread this abroad at our church some, but I could never get a firm answer from our leadership about doing it. I had the thought of trying to get someone to walk with me, so I am not in Atlanta in October among a sea of strangers, but I couldn't get anyone to even express interest. Again, I am totally disappointed.
I am hoping to take advantage of the increased population in our neighborhood until Labor Day by possibly having a pink lemonade stand and maybe selling homemade pretzels and other baked goods. My grandnephew could help me. I am loving the fundraising ideas I hear from the 3Day community, but most of them take money to do or put on, and that is in short supply here.
I have to fight this discouragement with all that is within me, and remember "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" (Eph. 3 20).

2010-05-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

May 24- I walked 4.18 miles. My orange striped cat friend let me hold him, and on my second and third passes of his house as I went by he was chasing me down the road.
May 25-We went to Cumming. I got pink envelopes at Office Max. I got some blue shorts to walk in at Target.
May 26-I walked 4.13 miles.
I got over 100 miles in training. I went to Longhorn to celebrate. I had a coupon for a free appetizer-I got fresh potato chips with BBQ dip (which is great), grilled citrus chicken and fries. It was all great. My waitress was great. I watched Spongebob and How I Met Your Mother on my iPod. I brought part of the chips and most of the dip home.
May 27-I did 30 minutes yoga.
I got my letter written!
May 28-I walked 5.3 miles.
We went to the elementary school for a pizza party, and I gave my grandnephew Aaron's teach my 3Day business card.
May 29-I walked 3.19 miles. At the bottom of a big hill, where the road is over a small creek leading to Lake Lanier, I saw a goose, a gander, and 5 goslings.
My mother was reminded about how much I have to raise, and so she gave me all her saved change. It filled a large pickle jar more than halfway.

3Day training update

2010-05-25T14:01:00.000-04:00

May 17-I walked 3.78 miles .
May 19-I walked 3.69 miles .
May 20-I did 30 minutes yoga.
May 21-I walked 5.75 miles. At mile 1.3 I stopped because my shoe felt too tight. I pressed pause, and it somehow reset the iPod, so it erased my workout. I started it again, and I got 4.45 more miles.
I called the 3Day coaches with a question--can I break up longer distances on the schedule? I spoke to a lady named Nancy, and she was very helpful. She said it's OK to break up the distances some.
I did almost 6 miles. I cannot believe I did it. I thought I was unable to do 5 miles, so it surprised me greatly I got nearly 6.
May 22-I walked 3.05 miles .When I got to where the orange striped cat I've been petting lives, he was standing at the end of his driveway. It's like he knew I was coming and was waiting for me.
The dog stepped on my shoe and made a hole in it and my sock.
I got a tweet of encouragement from Heidi this morning.
May 23-I walked .21 miles with Levi.

The Map: The Way of All Great Men

2010-05-18T14:49:00.000-04:00

The Map: The Way of All Great Men

The Map, by David Murrow, is a great book for men everywhere. It reveals a long-ignored life pattern found in the Gospel of Matthew. The first half of the book is a fictional journey in which the author spins a tale of intrigue concerning how he first discovered the map, that is the pattern of life.

The map consists of three journeys, which occur in life, and also as seen in the life of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew. The first journey is the journey of submission, as displayed in Christ's life in Matthew 1-7. The second journey is that of strength, as demonstrated in Matthew 8-25. The final journey is that of sacrifice, as displayed in Matthew 26-28. The author uses a diagram of a mountain to illustrate this: on the left side of the mountain is femininity, and on the right is masculinity.

In the first journey of submission, which usually occurs in a man's life as he goes through childhood and young adulthood, he is moving toward the feminine side of the mountain. As he moves into the second journey, he moves back toward the masculine side of the mountain. Finally, in the journey of sacrifice, he moves up the mountain and more towards a balance between the masculine and feminine. While the journeys are never truly completed, i.e, one can begin before another ends, unlike a physical journey.

Morrow also points out that this pattern of the three journeys can be seen in other Biblical characters, such as Moses, King David, and the Apostle Paul. They can also be seen in secular culture, such as in movies, television and literature.

In this book Morrow also points out a weakness in many churches: they are more geared toward women and more feminine that masculine, so many men get bored in attending church. The Map was a response to this partly, and partly an attempt to help men on their spiritual journey, no matter what stage of their journey they are on. There is much to be found in this book, for both men and women.

Update

2010-05-16T18:36:00.000-04:00

May 5-I walked 3.23 miles.
May 6-I did 20 minutes yoga, on our porch.
May 7-I walked 3.28 miles .
May 8-I walked 3.43 miles. At the boat ramp I saw 2 geese and their goslings. I walked a bit slower than usual.
May 9-I got pink M & Ms and 6 more pairs of pink ribbon socks at Kroger.
May 10-I walked 3.66 miles. I saw an orange striped cat, and he let me pet him twice.
May 12-I walked 4.02 miles. I saw a turtle in the road.
May 13-I did 30 minutes yoga.
May 14-I walked 3.56 miles.
May 15-I walked 3.79 miles. I saw a little turtle, and a couple of cats, one of which I think was a Maine Coon cat. He looked a lot like my cat Harry, who died in December 2008.

This week I have felt tired and have felt leg and foot pain, due to walking and also to pollen. However I have kept on walking, and I feel better both physically and mentally because I have done so. I have truly loved every bit of this journey and am looking forward to all that is to come. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Update

2010-05-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

April 23-I walked 2.65 miles. I found a nickel along my route.

April 26-I walked 2.74 miles.

I joined more challenges on Nike+ , and set a goal there.

April 28-I walked 2.82 miles. I felt bad so I thought maybe I wouldn't be able to walk, but I was.

April 29-I did 15 minutes yoga.

April 30-I walked 3.04 miles. I found a quarter at the McDonald's in our Walmart.

May 1- I went to the Training Kick-off at New Balance North Point. I got there a little early, but there were already a lot of people. Star 94 had a radio truck there, which actually helped me find it. Karen, who ran the Get Started meeting I went to, was there. I got shoelaces and a magnet set free. They had water, pink lemonade and breakfast, too. First we went in the store and the staff talked to us about choosing and buying shoes. I used their computer and found my instep and heel are my main pressure points. I met some nice ladies.

At about 8 45 we went outside to prepare for our walk. We did stretching and a little aerobics to music from the radio truck, including All The Single Ladies. Then we set out. We walked all the way around the mall. I had several nice conversations with fellow walkers. The one I talked to most was a lady named Kristen. She's a biologist, and we talked about genetics and peoples' predisposition towards diseases, including addictions. Later I gave her my business card, and she said she knew me from Twitter .

I also walked with a couple ladies who had the 3day lumbar pack - they said they liked it and it was large and comfortable. We walked 3.46 miles -I finished pretty close to the front. I got to show some others my iPod and the Nike+ system, and they all seem to really like it.

I also met a lady named Heidi, who lives in Cleveland. We talked about fundraising and other things.

I got a pink water bottle that came with a pen in it. It was a giveaway to those who spent more than $100, but one of the staff had pity on me and let me have it for $10.

I beat my best distance ever, at least as long as I've had Nike+. Yet it wasn't that difficult and seemed to go really quickly, because I was talking to everyone. All in all it was a wonderful experience, and I'm very glad I was part of it. I think it was kind of a preview to the event itself; it was awesome to be a part of that long line of walkers.

I noticed that my hands swelled during the walk.

Later, when I got home, I found the beginnings of blisters on my heels. I think that between the distance and my new shoes I got blisters.

Heidi found me on Facebook and added me. Both she and Kristen sent me nice tweets.

May 2-This morning my heels were hurting. Friday evening my legs really hurt, but all that did last night was my feet.

Tonight I read Kristen's blog about this year's training. She's got some great posts, with one that really encouraged me about fundraising.

I showed my mom the lumbar pack, and she said we could get it when she get paid.

May 3-We went to Cumming. At Office Max I got some stationery for my letters. It has orchids on it.

Kristen wrote about me today in her blog , and included a picture with me in it.

I walked 3.16 miles . I thought it was going to rain all day, so I didn't think I'd be able to walk, but it cleared up about 2.

May 4-I walked .52 miles with Levi.

May 5-I walked 3.23 miles .

Update

2010-04-22T16:24:00.000-04:00

March 24- I walked 2.5 miles. I joined a couple new Nike+ challenges.
March 26-I walked 2.52 miles. My nephew's girlfriend gave me $1 in change for the walk.
March 27-I walked 2.77 miles, part on the trail by the lake and part in the road.
I have blisters on both heels, and the right one's pretty painful. The blister on my toe is nearly well but becoming a callus.
March 28-I found a dime in the road in front of our house. My sister-in-law promised to save her change for me.
March 30-I walked 2.9 miles. My mom gave me a pair of Reeboks that don't rub my heels, so I barely felt my blister. While I walked I decided if I could beat my best distance I would have fresh mixers pasta for lunch-I beat it by .13.
I found a great blog by a fellow walker.
March 31-I walked 3.07 miles.
The business cards I ordered came, and they look great.
I woke up on the floor (I may have had a seizure that caused me to fall out of bed) and my left thigh is badly bruised. My left ankle is also a little tender.
April 4-After our church service, I went on stage to speak to my sister, and before I did so I spoke to the man who ministered that day and got him to pray with me about the 3-Day. He prayed a nice prayer, and said his sister has breast cancer.
April 7-I have felt sluggish and weak this week, about since I fell out of bed. Also my bruise and ankle are still sore.
April 9-I got a small journal to carry in my waist pack on the event.
I went to a Fit for the Cure event at Belk in Lakeshore Mall. I got a hot pink ribbon.
April 11-I got a pink shopping bag and pink ribbon socks at Kroger.
April 12-I walked 1.09 miles. I beat my best mile time.
April 13-I went to a Get Started meeting at the Cumming library. It was led by a nice lady named Karen. It was good, and I met a lot of nice people. I gave out a lot of business cards.
April 14-I walked 1.3 miles. My bruise is almost better but my leg is still a little tender. I found a penny in the road.
I ran in Kroger before I picked up my grandnephew to see if they had cake, and saw an old classmate from high school. I told her about doing the walk.
At about 4 someone from the 3Day called. They were calling all the team captains for a check-in. I talked to her about my bruise. She said I was doing the right thing by easing back into my training and by putting ice on my leg. I also asked her if I could get a digital copy of the DVD so I can put it on my iPod.
April 17-We went to the Nike outlet. I talked to a couple salesmen about the 3Day. One of them went and got a couple different shoes, one of which was the Air Miler, which I saw online and wanted. List price is $88--the price on the box was $25. When we went to pay for them they rang up at $10. It was awesome.
April 18-One of my girlfriends gave me $20 for the walk at church.
April 19-I walked about 1.4 miles-I did something wrong and mistakenly erased the workout from my iPod.
I put some change I had saved plus my girlfriend's money in the bank and donated it--there was actually more than I thought there was in the jar.
April 20-I walked 1.46 miles.
April 21-I walked 2.25 miles. I found a quarter in my car.
April 22-I did 20 minutes of yoga. My neighbor saw me getting out of my car when I came home from the store today, called to me and reminded me to come over because she'd promised me a donation when I spoke to her yesterday during my walk. I went to her house and used her computer to make a donation.
I feel so encouraged about this every time I find a coin somewhere or something that's essential to my walk is severely marked down.

Read-a-thon update #2

2010-04-10T18:17:00.000-04:00

Since my last update I read Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos (and really enjoyed it).

Read-a-thon update

2010-04-10T14:46:00.000-04:00

Since my last post I have read Psalms 46-50, Proverbs 10, Matthew 21-24, and the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah in their entirety. Here's what I'm reading next-

Read-a-thon

2010-04-10T09:58:00.001-04:00

I am participating in Dewey's read-a-thon! Check out their site here http://24hourreadathon.com/
I am reading from Dawsonville, GA, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
At the moment I have 2 books in my to be read pile- Bo's Cafe by John Lynch et al. and Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos. I'm also going to read the Biblical books of Isaiah and Jeremiah.
I would like to finish at least one of the books.
Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/jerusalemlover
My face book page is www.facebook.com/defenderofzion

Weekly journal

2010-03-24T17:41:00.004-04:00

March 15-I went to Michael's and got 3 different shades of pink embroidery floss. I may make bracelets or bookmarks, and either give them to my donors as a thank you or sell them.
I told the teller at my bank about doing the walk, and gave her one of my donor cards.
I wrote my cousin Staci on Facebook, asking for her prayers as I do this. She wrote me a nice note back.
March 16-I was a bit depressed/upset and wanted to do something productive so I went on a walk. I was able to walk almost 2 miles.
When I got home my mom and nephew were in his room. Mother said when the Walk comes through Buford, she and my sister-in-law Debbie at least would come and cheer for me.
I had on 2 pair of socks while I walked, and where the seams meet rubbed my right pinkie toe and made a blister. It happened because my walking shoes are tighter fitting than the boots I usually wear.
I formed a challenge on Nike+ to track my training walks mostly, and ultimately the Walk itself. If I can find team members to walk with me, they can put theirs there too.
I made a playlist to listen to on my walks-it ended up being 36 songs.
I tweeted about my walk and blister-my sister Julie said she did four miles on Sunday, and she had a blister on one of her pinkies also.
March 18-I walked about 2 miles-the iPod acted screwy so I'm not sure of the exact distance. I met a sweet cat and his owner who lives near us. I talked to her about the walk. I also had a nice time of worship while I walked. I felt like David on the back 40.
March 19-I walked 2.07 miles-I felt bad and on thought I'd be able to do one.
March 20-I ordered some business cards with my donor information on them from Vistaprint.
I walked 2.16 miles-I felt weak and thought I wouldn't be able to walk at all, but I was able to do 2 miles.
My walker handbook came. It also came with a nice button.
I made a training schedule, based on the one in the handbook, but where the week starts on Sunday.
March 21-I gave out some more donor cards at church. I gave my friend Jeannie my extra 2010 3Day DVD. I spoke to our elder about maybe making a widespread announcement to our church to rally support from there.
A friend I made through my virtual pet Elizabeth, gave $10 to sponsor me-my first donation!
March 22-I walked 2.56 miles.
I got some pink shoelaces.
March 23-I walked 2.5 miles. I walked on the opposite side of our home to where I usually walk, to see how long that loop is.
Near the end of my walk, I saw a lady who lives near us, and gave her my donor card. She is going to try to publish my info in our club newsletter.
I joined a couple Nike+ challenges.
In the car on the way home from school, my grandnephew Aaron and I were talking about musicians. I said, not everyone is a musician. He said, not everybody is doing the 3Day Walk, but you're doing it. I thought it was sweet.
I am feeling anxious about meeting my fundraising goal, though my walk is 7 months away, and I have told relatively few people about my walking. This morning the road I walked on was right next to a pasture with cattle in it, and I thought of this verse-"For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills." (Psalm 50 10) Also I see all kinds of birds in the trees around my home as I walk, and they reminded me of this verse-"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for Your Heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are?" (Matthew 6 26) Seeing the animals this morning reassured me once again that my doing this walk is truly of the Lord this year, and that He has provided for my signing up for the walk and for all I have need of do the walk.

Weekly journal

2010-03-14T18:49:00.004-04:00

I want to keep a journal of my experiences and feelings as I work toward my ultimate goal of doing the 3Day walk in Atlanta, GA this October, from the beginning.
March 2-I sent an email to 7 of my friends asking for prayer about doing the event, and wrote a note to my friends on Facebook.
March 4-One of my friends wrote me back, offering to contribute to both my registration fee and my fundraising goal.
March 5-I went to my mother's room to ask her a question, and in the course of the conversation I told her I wanted to do the 3Day walk. I was kind of afraid of her reaction; I was pleasantly surprised by her offering to pay for all the gear I need to do it. I was so grateful, to her and the Lord. It was as though He was reassuring me this was His will for me to do the Walk this year, after wanting to for so long. She also gave me $10 extra to cover my registration fee.
March 6-I started doing some yoga, to ease menstrual cramps mostly, but also as part of my training. I walked our chocolate Lab, and while I was gone I lost the Nike+ sensor that fits in my shoe. I was upset because a new one would cost me $20. I looked for it for a long time, and finally found it. I think it fell into a pile of leaves on the side of the road, and as I was looking I kicked it into the center of the road where I found it easily.
March 7-I went to church. I spoke to several of my girlfriends about the walk.
March 8-I went to our church and met up with the headmaster of our Christian school, who'd promised me money toward my registration. When I finally got with her, she gave me double the amount she'd promised me. I got officially signed up for the Walk. I sent out my first fundraising email, and put fundraising widgets on my blog and Facebook page.
March 9-I called the 3Day Coaches and spoke to a nice lady named Jody. She helped me set up a team. I called it Walking by Faith. She was very encouraging. She was on the crew in Atlanta in 2009.
I set up a pink habitat for my virtual pet.
I was able to see the list of walkers near me on Tuesday night.
March 10-As I was doing yoga, I had Kevin & Taylor (104.7 The Fish) on, and I heard one of the 3Day ads.
I found a map online of the 2009 Atlanta walk. It started at Lake Lanier Islands and went through downtown Buford. The camp was in Duluth.
"Christ isn't a sleepy spectator, watching us run from His throne in heaven. He's not in the bleachers, cheering us on from beyond the clouds. Rather, Jesus is wearing His jersey and He's running beside us, strengthening our spirits and encouraging us to keep going. Even though we often feel that we are the first to run the race, Christ has laid down the footprints we are called to follow, and we can run as though we can win." Sex, Sushi, and Salvation, p.160
I posted a fan page for myself on Facebook.
"Pain is weakness leaving the body."-on back of Marines' shirts, on EM:HE
March 11-I found an underground guide to the Walk and others like it that had some useful tips.
March 12-I bought a yoga mat to maybe keep my back from hurting.
March 13-I saw my friend Faith at Wal-mart and told her about my doing the Walk.
I printed some donation forms and also some pages from a brochure and some business cards.
A fellow walker from Huntsville tweeted me, welcoming me to the event. She said she hopes we can get together at the Walk. It was nice.
I posted a prayer request about the Walk on a blog I read, who were doing a 24 hour day of prayer. These are the responses I got--
Lord we ask now for strength and commitment for Brandee and all who would pledge to support the fund raising goal. Speak into the lives of people to be generous in a time of famine.
Brandee -
I prayed for you this morning, thanking God for your servant's heart. I prayed that your passion for reaching your goal would inspire others, and that money would come to you -- beyond what you imagined. And I prayed that you would glorify God as you walk. I'm not even sure what that would look like, but it made me think of a Team 4:13 t-shirt I've worn in races. I'm claiming God's promise for you: "He who honors me, him (her!) will I honor."
Have a great walk!
March 14-At church I handed out my business cards and told people I was doing the Walk.
The man who preached this morning preached a message that was very encouraging to me in my journey to do this. I'm planning to get the CD so I can listen to it again.
After service my friend Barbara introduced me to a lady in our congregation who is a breast cancer survivor. We had a nice talk about the Walk, and she may want to do it with me.
I had lunch with my dad, and he told me he saw the Walk in progress last year.
This is my journey so far. I feel very discouraged about this tonight; I guess I'm impatient and I want everything to happen at once. I also guess I thought that more people would give right away. I am fighting constant negative voices in my mind, telling me that I will never reach my fundraising goal. I need to fight this negativity with all that is within me. I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but sometimes I lose sight of that and get very down about this whole thing. I am sure that the way I came to sign up for this event this year after wanting to for several years, and the support I feel just from the handful of people I have talked to is from the Lord. I am believing that I will persevere and exceed my fundraising goal.

2010-03-08T16:50:00.001-05:00

A major hurdle crossed

2010-03-05T16:03:00.002-05:00

This morning I went upstairs to ask my mom a question. In passing I mentioned I would possibly be able to get work with the census office, and then I said, it'd help me pay for something I want to do this fall. She said, what do you want to do. Then I told her I wanted to do the 3-Day walk. To be honest I have been dreading telling my mom this; I thought she would try to dissuade me from doing it. So I said what I did hesitantly. My mom, however, surprised me. She said, if you do the walk I'll pay for what you need to do it. This was a huge relief to me; I have been worried about how I was going to be able to get all I need to do the walk, especially some new tennis shoes. My mom is willing to buy my shoes, plus anything else I need to participate in the 3-Day, and we are probably going to get my shoes when her tax refund comes in. She was adamant about us getting the shoes soon; she used to run and she knows how important having the right shoes is.

I cannot say how relieved and happy I am about this. It has made me believe that, firstly, the LORD truly wants me to do this, and secondly, that I will really be able to get it done.

A long-time dream

2010-03-02T18:19:00.003-05:00

For several years, I think since I first became aware of the event, I have wanted to participate in the 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer (see the3day.org) . I am not really sure why I want to do it; noone in my immediate family has ever had breast cancer. One of my aunts had it, but she died when I was very young so I have no memories of her. Noone in my immediate circle of friends has had it either, so I have no direct experience with the disease. I guess because it strikes 1 in 8 women it hits closer to home with me than most other diseases. I have long gone out of my way to buy products I see with the pink ribbon on the label that indicates that company supports cancer research. I have felt the desire to do that walk for several years, but for some reason it seems even stronger this year and I am starting to seriously think that I may truly be able to do the event this year, God willing.

The event involves much fundraising, and also training to be able to walk 20 miles a day for three days. I am fairly confident that I can train and be ready to walk. The main hurdle is financial. I am unable to even come up with the registration fee as of yet, not to mention the equipment that I would need. I believe that if the LORD truly wants me on that walk this year He can make a way for it to come to pass, whether that means some generous souls endowing me to walk or me finding a part-time job. I do not know if I will be able to do the walk this year, but I know that the desire to do so fills my heart and it seems to get stronger every time I hear the commercial for the walk on the radio or see one on TV. I pray fervently that this will come to pass this year.

The King And Dr. Nick

2010-02-23T15:38:00.003-05:00

The King And Dr. Nick by George Nichopoulos, M. D.

The King and Dr. Nick was written by the doctor who cared for Elvis Presley during the busy, turbulent years that were ultimately the last decade of his life. In this book the reader is given an account of the relations Dr. Nichopoulos, called Dr. Nick, had with Elvis and those who surrounded him. The account begins with the tragic ending that was the last day of Elvis' life. Dr. Nick gives an account of his dealings on that day, and also of what happened at Graceland, because his son Dean was working security there that day. He then backtracks to cover his entire history with Elvis and his entourage. Also included is the aftermath that Dr. Nick dealt with because a great many people believed that Elvis' death was drug related and that Dr. Nick had a hand in it, though it has been proven that Elvis died of natural causes.

Ultimately Elvis' is the supreme tragedy. He, one of the most gifted entertainers of our time, was forced to battle many demons of addiction and dependency, as well as genetic conditions such as high blood pressure and heart problems. His name was unnecessarily sullied during the investigation surrounding his death, and he was marked as yet another rock god who overdosed. The evidence is against that finding, though, convincing anyone with an unbiased mind that his death was of natural conditions recognized and untreated at Elvis' choice.

I have always had a great deal of respect and admiration for Elvis Presley, and that is what I see reflected in this book, written by his personal physician. I have long wondered about what caused his death, and in this book are the closest we can come to an answer.

Disclosure of materials connection: In return for this review, I was given a copy of the book by the publisher.

The Gospel According to LOST

2010-01-02T10:42:00.004-05:00

The Gospel According to LOST by Chris Seay

I truly loved this book. In this book, Chris Seay delves into the mysteries that surround LOST, and connects it and its main characters to Scripture. As anyone who has seen the series knows, Lost is truly more than just a television show. It is a drama about a group of crash survivors on an island, yes, but it also contains rich layers of symbolism and theories. It has created a culture in itself, connecting people of all races and backgrounds.
In The Gospel According to LOST Chris Seay takes many of the main characters, and names them the patron saints of certain areas, e.g., Jack Shephard: Patron Saint of Wounded Healers. He dissects the characters, discussing many events from the show, their relevance to the story as a whole and the mysteries surrounding each one. He also discusses the character arcs that each one follows as the five seasons of the show have unfolded.
This book is a great book for anyone who enjoys Lost, especially for Christians and students of the Bible. Each character that is covered is not only dealt with in the context of the show and the island, but also in a Biblical context. Through this we can see ourselves in each one, giving us the hope that though we are (possibly) as flawed as this ragged band of castaways and Others, we, too, can be saved. Also included with this book are portraits of those Seay names patron saints, which themselves are worth the price of the book. As we wait anxiously for the final season of Lost, this book is a great companion.
Disclosure of materials connection: In return for this review, I have been given a copy of the book by the publisher.

The White Horse King

2009-12-07T16:47:00.007-05:00

The White Horse King by Benjamin Merkle

The White Horse King is a compelling and interesting book about the only English monarch ever to be titled great: King Alfred the Great. Alfred was a great leader and a wise and learned man. Under his leadership the English people would band together to fight and defeat the Viking raiders who were constantly attacking the island of Great Britain.
Alfred was born in the mid-ninth century in Wantage, Wessex, England. His father was the king of Wessex. Alfred was by no means the heir to his father's throne, having several older, battle-hardened brothers. However all those in line ahead of him died untimely deaths, either in battle or due to illness, so that Alfred was left on the throne.
Alfred became a great scholar before he took the throne, and during his reign, England experienced a revival of learning, particularly Christian learning. Alfred expected those in leadership in his kingdom to learn to read and write at least their own language. He codified a system of laws that ended some of the feuding and revenge killings that had been epidemic in his kingdom. Alfred's reign also signaled a revival of Christian worship.
Alfred was also a very pious and godly leader, even going to the point of sponsoring in baptism one of his chief Viking opponents, Guthrum. However his piety by no means meant he was a weak opponent to face in battle. He stood steadfastly against those Viking raiders who would invade the island of Great Britain and pillage ruthlessly, leaving destruction in their wake. In so doing he caused them to go back to their homelands and raid somewhere else.
Alfred was the first king to unite all the Anglo-Saxons into one kingdom. His grandson would become the first to rule over the entire island of Britain. Merkle writes, "England, and the many nations descended from her, still have Alfred to thank for a substantial portion of the heritage and freedoms that they enjoy today. The title 'Alfred the Great,' so strangely offensive to the modern ear, was well deserved by the Anglo-Saxon warrior-king. Of course these words of unreserved praise are all in need of much qualification. Alfred was, after all, a mere mortal and certainly had his fair share of foibles. Nevertheless, he was a fierce warrior, a devout Christian ever thirsting for wisdom, deeply committed to justice, a lover of mercy, and a king who gave himself for his people. He was practically a myth and a much-needed reality. He was the king of the Whitehorse--Alfred the Great."
Disclosure of materials connection: In return for this review, I was given a copy of the book by the publisher.

Not recognizing our cars.

2009-11-25T09:11:00.001-05:00

Not recognizing our cars.

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Read-a-thon update 2

2009-10-24T19:53:00.003-04:00

Since my last post I read Maggie's Miracle, Sarah's Song, and Hannah's Hope, by Karen Kingsbury. The entire collection, the four books I have read, are 620 pages.

Read-a-thon update

2009-10-24T14:18:00.001-04:00

Since my first post I read 5 psalms, 1 chapter of Proverbs, 4 chapters of the Gospel of Luke, and the books of Haggai and Zechariah. I also read Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury.

Read-a-thon

2009-10-24T09:55:00.004-04:00

I am participating in Dewey's read-a-thon! Check out their site here http://24hourreadathon.com/
I am reading from Dawsonville, GA, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
At the moment I have 5 books in my to be read pile- the Red Gloves series by Karen Kingsbury, and the Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
I would like to finish at least two of the books.
Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/jerusalemlover
My face book page is www.facebook.com/defenderofzion

The Search for God and Guinness

2009-10-16T14:24:00.004-04:00

The Search for God and Guinness, by Stephen Mansfield, is a very interesting, however brief history of the Guinness beer company and its founding family. It highlights the magnanimity of the founding fathers of Guinness, especially in the ways that they cared for their employees in an era and place where such things were unheard of. It shows how some people with money choose to use it to help their fellow man. It also shows the various things that have sprung from the Guinness brand, including the Guinness book of world records, which was created at first to give pubs and bars as a promotional item. I found especially interesting the history not just of Guinness, but of beer itself, which dates at least to the Sumerians.
The Guinness family has also produced several great ministers, who were as well-known as Charles Spurgeon and others. In several generations the eldest son and heir chose instead to devote himself to the work of God, leaving the family business in the hands of their siblings. This is testament to the piety and devotion of the founder of the company, Arthur Guinness, who created the beer in part to relieve Ireland from the scourge of alcoholism caused by whiskey. It did, and it also elevated the lives of all who worked there; they were given medical care by an on-staff doctor, and also opportunities for education and recreation. Dublin, which was once one of the filthiest cities in Europe, was transformed.
This book reminded me once again of what is truly important in life. That which the Guinness family achieved with their fortune should be an inspiration and example to us all, as should their forward thinking attitude and their striving to always produce the best product possible.In the end, though their beer and factory is large, productive and successful, what is remembered by many about them is their devotion to their faith, their generosity with the wealth they had been given, and how they always strived to better the lives of their employees and their families. This is an interesting book which would be enjoyed by history buffs and also those who love Guinness stout.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/3

Musings

2009-10-11T18:23:00.003-04:00

For the past 2 or 3 years I have been able to read the average of a book a day--that is 365 books a year or better. This year, due to laziness, illnesses like sinus problems and migraines, or the busyness of life I have not as yet been able to reach that goal. I have been beating myself up about it mentally for the last couple of weeks. I think I may have to be a little more forgiving of myself. I sometimes expect the impossible from myself, things I maybe would never expect from another person. I cannot predict whether or not I will reach my desired total this year, but I hope to not beat myself up about it if I do.
Another thing I beat myself up about is my inability sometimes to exercise the way I would like to and feel I should. I would like to be able to do the 3-Day walk, but again, illness primarily has kept me from it. I was doing well a while back but was sidetracked by a bout of bronchitis. Last winter I had a serious UTI. Again, I hold myself to impossibly hard standards.

Kyria Blog: Twenty-One Things the World Will Say About Christians

2009-10-10T11:58:00.001-04:00

Kyria Blog: Twenty-One Things the World Will Say About Christians

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Musings

2009-10-08T19:23:00.004-04:00

This past week I realized that I exgaggerate things, especially worries, in my mind, making them far more serious than they really are. The examples that truly made me see this were: there was a rat in my room, and I blew it up in my mind, thinking that the rat would never leave. It, of course, left my room after a couple of days. Another was the power going out and me immediately thinking that it wouldn't be on for hours; it came back on in about 15 minutes or so.
On a car trip with my mother I noticed again how different we are. She responds with anger almost consistently where I would respond with a crying outburst. What made me notice this was we were having a discussion; I got upset and started to/wanted to cry, whereas she just got angry. We react to almost everything differently, and even see the world differently. It illustrates once more how much the Lord and His Word can change a person's way of thinking.

Ladies, run out and buy this book

2009-10-05T12:30:00.003-04:00

Marcus Buckingham has appeared on Oprah and conducted career workshops with her, and now he has written Find Your Strongest Life. This book, aimed specifically at women, is designed to help ladies find out which part of their lives strengthens them, as well as learning which parts weaken them.
Buckingham describes nine roles that women fill, and through taking the Strongest Life test at stronglifetest.com
the reader is able to determine which of those roles is their strongest role, as well as learning their secondary role. The roles are: Advisor, Caretaker, Creator, Equalizer, Influencer, Motivator, Pioneer, Teacher, and Weaver. (My lead role is advisor, and my secondary is teacher.) Once the reader has taken the test, Buckingham goes on to demonstrate, through practical tips and personal stories of other clients, how to live so that we are doing more of what strengthens us, and maybe less of the things that we are capable and even competent about, that we do not enjoy or even hate doing. He stresses that just because we CAN do something, and we're good at doing something, doesn't mean that we should choose that as a career. Instead we should find those activities we do that strengthen us, and work to recreate those moments. We should not aim for a balanced life, but should have an imbalanced life that is filled with those activities that strengthen us.
Also Buckingham points out that we, in this country especially, look for our weaknesses and the weaknesses in others. By so doing, we amplify those weaknesses, until they may become truly crippling problems. However, when we look for our strengths and play to those, those weaknesses disappear.
This is a great book for all women, but especially those of us who are struggling to find ourselves and what our true purpose in life is. It is filled with helpful advice and concrete tips on how we can truly do those things that strengthen us, which leads to life strengthening us instead of draining and depressing us, as it does for so many women. I would recommend this book to all, most especially those who are stuck in a career they don't feel fulfilled in, and those who are doing things because they feel they have to. This would be a great gift to most anyone, as we all long to know our true purpose and highlight those areas that are truly our strengths.

Green

2009-09-25T17:37:00.003-04:00

I thoroughly enjoy all of Ted Dekker's work, and Green is no exception. This is book zero in The Circle series, which also consists of Black, Red and White, and also ties into the Paradise novels: Saint, Sinner and Showdown. This book is the beginning and the end of the series. In these novels, a man named Thomas Hunter is able to, for reasons unknown to him, move between the present time and 2,000 years in the future. In the future, however, all spiritual realities are visible, including God, Satan, angels, and demons. The only bridge between these two realities is Thomas' blood; using this bridge, several others are able to switch realities.
In both times, the world is on the brink of disaster, thanks to the forces of evil. However, the situation is more dire in the future. Those faithful to God, a number which represents the church, are arguing amongst themselves, despairing of God's very existence, and lusting for battle with the forces of evil, namely the Horde. In these stories, the reality of sin is represented by a skin disease similar to scabies. The faithful are cured of this by diving into their holy pools, which represents coming to faith in Christ. There are also half-breeds--those who are not Horde, who believe in God, but have not believed in Christ. The half-breeds and the believers join together to battle the Horde, in the ultimate showdown between good and evil, which also includes angels and devils. As the battle comes to a head, the arrogance of evil is evident, but they are proven wrong and defeated. The book ends with what is the beginning of the series, the beginning of the book Black.
This is a wonderful book, a very clear parable/fantasy world which illustrates the true end of all things, as predicted by the Bible. Anyone who enjoyed the Narnia Chronicles would appreciate this entire series greatly.

Fearless

2009-09-08T12:02:00.002-04:00

I really enjoyed Fearless, though this was no surprise to me. I have been an avid reader of all of Max Lucado's works for many years. Fearless really spoke to me in the place I am in my life. This book encourages us as believers to truly rely wholly on God, and look to Him instead of looking at our fears and worries. Lucado addresses about a dozen fears that are common to most people, and counters them with the truth of God's Words on the subjects. As always, he does this through the use of Scriptural verses, historical anecdotes and quotations, personal anecdotes, and well-crafted prose. Overall it makes for a memorable reading experience.
Fearless, like all of Max Lucado's work, is like a shot of encouragement in the arm of the average believer. This book encourages us to keep our focus on Jesus, not our fears, reminding us that as we do so, our fears fall away until all we have is a reverent fear for Jesus. "As awe of Jesus expands, fears of life diminish. A big God translates into big courage. A small view of God generates no courage. A limp, puny, fireless Jesus has no power over cancer cells, corruption, identity theft, stock-market crashes, or global calamity. A packageable, portable Jesus might fit well in a purse or on a shelf, but he does nothing for your fears." (p. 169)
Like all Lucado's work, Fearless is filled with lovely prose, wonderful quotations from great writers, and something that would appeal to readers of all ages. It reminds us of how great our God is, how truly temporary all we fear is, and of the courage we have available to us as believers. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially those in the midst of struggle.

2009-08-26T11:54:00.002-04:00

I went upstairs to the bathroom in my mother's bedroom this morning, hoping to relax my muscles with a warm bath, when I noticed these mushrooms growing there. I have no idea how they got there, but I thought it was neat in a weird way. It's probably partly because of the dampness of the environment in there, and maybe a little due to our cleaning abilities. Either way, I still thought it was interesting that they were there. I think they look a little like parasols.

Let Go by Sheila Walsh

2009-08-17T10:42:00.002-04:00

I really enjoyed Let Go. This book is written especially for those women who struggle within themselves, especially in thinking that they are not good enough for anything (and let's face it, that's ALL of us at one time or another). Walsh goes through many of the destructive and imprisoning thought patterns that many women face and deconstructs them, mostly by reminding us that our God is a God who delivers and He can and will deliver us, because of His great love and grace toward all of us. Each chapter begins first with inspiring quotes, from varying authors and Scripture, and then with a short vignette that presents a real-life situation that most if not all women will face. This book also points out a lot of the destructive behavior those who may mean well in the Church practice, among ourselves and unbelievers.
One of the chapter-opening sketches, that I think is my favorite, is: "She looked at the dress lying on the bed, and it was all wrong. The style was wrong and the color did nothing for her fair skin. She tried it on, and although it fit, it seemed to hang on her as if mocking her shape. She wished she didn't have to go, but she knew how that would hurt her mother's feelings. Her mother had been so excited to show her the dress. Working on such a small budget, it was a miracle her mom had been able to buy anything at all. She would have to go.
She knew how it would be, for she had lived these kinds of moments before. She would stand at the edge of the crowd and try not to make eye contact with anyone. She might offer to help with the refreshments so that she looked busy, and she would get through it as she had done before.
The dance hall was beautiful, lit up like a Christmas tree. Music called to everyone to find a partner and take to the floor. She kept her eyes on her shoes, which didn't match her dress. She was aware of the sounds of laughter and excitement all around her.
But then everything suddenly hushed. She looked up to see what had happened and there he was. Standing in front of her was a beautiful young man holding out his hand to her.
"I...I can't dance," she said.
"Oh, yes you can," he replied. "You've always been able to dance. You just didn't know it."
Let Go is like a shot of encouragement in the arms of women everywhere. It deals with issues such as unforgiveness, judgementalism, temptation and letting go of the past. Each chapter ends with thought-provoking questions and a prayer. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe that all women would find at least one of their issues dealt with in this book, and appreciate the stories and personal anecdotes it contains.

My new car!

2009-08-09T16:01:00.004-04:00

Friday morning we set out to look at a car I found online at Auto Trader's site, in Alpharetta. We arrived to the car lot a few minutes ahead of my dad. Upon arriving there, we looked to see if we could find the car I'd seen. We located what we thought was it, but it was marked much higher than the online price. We found a salesman, showed him my printout, and were assured that it was the same car; it was marked down online. When my dad arrived, he inspected the car and deemed it worthy of a test drive. After the test drive he still liked it, so we went into the office and settled on a price. We ended up getting it for more than $200 off the price they posted on line, and $3000 less than the sticker price. I was so happy that we were able to get it for that price.
It has been wonderful, for the first time in about 2 years, to be able to back up and park like a normal person. It's wonderful to have air conditioning. It's wonderful to not have to worry about the car breaking and me being stranded somewhere. It's wonderful to not get wet when it's raining outside. It's wonderful to not have a steering wheel that gets sticky when it's humid. It's wonderful to be able to lock my car and open my trunk. It's wonderful to have a radio that gets good reception. It's wonderful to have a rearview mirror. It's wonderful to have a car that doesn't leak anything. The only problem is I can't find a way to get my iPod to play in the car. The cassette adapter I have works a little, but it starts trying to flip the tape back and forth and won't play. I got an FM transmitter, but I didn't like it because there's a lot of static on it, and also because I had to change the station a lot to get it to play at all. Overall I am very pleased, and the car seems to be driving better now that I've driven it some.
I am so thankful and grateful to the Lord for leading us to this car, and for providing me with the resources I used to get it--I used the money from the sale of a stock I was given in an oil company who're drilling for oil in Eretz Israel. I signed up for their newsletter and information because of my deep interest and love for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. I think this illustrates Genesis 12:3-"I will bless those who bless you, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

All that's wrong with my old car

2009-08-06T16:13:00.003-04:00

There are probably more things than I can think of, but here is my list of the car's problems:
The rearview mirror fell off
The rubber that goes between the body and the door fell off, letting cold air/water in
The windows don't always roll up
The air conditioner is broken
The reverse in the transmission is shot, so it doesn't back up
It leaks oil and antifreeze
One of the headlights is out on low
The blinkers don't work
The brake light switch is blown, so they stay on sometimes
The fuel gauge is unreliable
The gear indicator is broken
The fuel pump is bad
The radio antenna is broken off, so reception is spotty
My grandnephew lost the door/trunk key, playing in the garage when he was about 3
There's a problem with the ignition switch, so it has to be jiggled with to turn over sometimes
Needless to say it will be quite liberating to have a car that actually functions in every gear the way it should.

Ramblings

2009-08-02T14:01:00.002-04:00

This week I sold some stock I was given and got over $1000 to put toward my new car. I endured two trips to the movies with the brat and company. Mostly I endure this by turning up the volume on my ipod as loud as I can bear it, to block out everything. (This week my artist of choice was Josh Groban.) My parents and I went yesterday to a couple car lots and looked at several possible cars, but alas, none were just right. So the hunt continues as our deadline of school starting nears.
Also for the first time yesterday evening I tried for the first time a white chocolate mocha at Starbucks. I really liked it, and I think if they weren't so expensive I would get them a lot.
Yesterday because of the car hunt I spent a considerable amount of time in the car with my mother. Because of this we talked about what she sees her (and our) future as being. Since I have had seizures since I was 23, she seems to be fearful of me having a real job or any semblance of a real life. She has this idea that I should (and want) to live with her forever, but this is simply not true. I have felt for a long time that the Lord has a special purpose for me, one that somehow involves the nation of Israel, the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. I also have faith that the Lord has something greater in mind for me than to stay here in GA and live with my mother for the rest of her life! I have faith that the Lord wants more for me than for me to work an idiot retail job or work from home online. Neither would be totally terrible, but I am sure that I could do more with what the Lord has given me than that. I feel like He has given me intelligence and knowledge and wisdom and abilities for a reason, and because of that I don't feel right settling for a menial job, either at home or in public. Most of my resources would be totally wasted in those arenas. I am not totally sure what I should be doing, but I feel a real block in my spirit about those areas, at least right now.
I also believe that there is someone out there that the Lord has created for and meant for me. I have been praying for and believing for him for almost 15 years now. I also believe that the Lord has revealed certain things to me about him and our lives together. Some times I feel overwhelming doubt about him and those things, but last night as I was in a caffeine rush from the mocha yet trying to sleep, I decided to remedy this. I decided to take an action of faith when I feel that doubt, especially by making something for him. Today I am doing my best to knit a yarmulke for him. I don't know how it will turn out.
As I say goodbye and good riddance to the old car this week I am going to list all that is wrong with it one day here. Pray for the Lord to lead us to the right car.

Everyday Greatness

2009-08-02T10:07:00.003-04:00

Everyday Greatness, with commentary by Stephen R. Covey and compiled by David K. Hatch, is a wonderful and inspiring book. This is a collection of inspiring stories and quotations, some humorous, some serious. It contains stories by many of the great authors, celebrities, athletes, and leaders of our times, as well as everyday people who did extraordinary things in the face of adversity, drawn from Reader's Digest.
The book is broken into seven sections, with an introduction by Covey in which he defines the three choices that lead to everyday greatness: the choice to act, the choice of purpose, and the choice for principles. The sections of the book are Searching for meaning, Taking charge, Starting Within, Creating the Dream, Teaming with Others, Overcoming Adversity, and Blending the Pieces. These are further subdivided into three chapters named for characteristics, such as integrity, simplicity, and perseverance. Each chapter ends with some inspiring quotations about that subject by people such as Will Rogers, Abraham Lincoln, and others.
One good example of a story from this book is found in the section Searching for Meaning, in the chapter Attention.
"How Love Came Back by Tom Anderson
I made a vow to myself on the drive down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands, or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a commentator on my car's tape player. He was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, "Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love." To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband--that our love had been dulled by my own insensitivity. In petty ways, really: chiding Evelyn for her tardiness; insisting on the TV channel I wanted to watch; throwing out day-old newspapers that I knew Evelyn still wanted to read. Well, for two weeks that would all change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, "That new yellow sweater looks great on you."
"Oh, Tom, you noticed," she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little perplexed.
After a long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, Evelyn's been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me. We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street investment firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum, though I usually hate museums (and I enjoyed it); holding my tongue while Evelyn's getting ready made us late for a dinner date. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new vow to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
"What's the matter?" I asked her.
"Tom," she said, in a voice filled with distress, "do you know something I don't?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well...that checkup I had several weeks ago...our doctor...did he tell you something about me? Tom, you've been so good to me...am I dying?"
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
"No, honey," I said, wrapping her in my arms, "you're not dying; I'm just starting to live!"
To this, Covey adds, Tom "chose to love" by setting aside his Wall Street worries and personal interests to focus undivided attention on his family, chiefly Evelyn. What resulted provides further evidence that in focusing on individuals--particularly those we love the most--we often make the most meaningful and lasting impact. In Evelyn's case, she was so surprised by the attention that she was receiving that she thought something must be wrong--even had thoughts that she might be dying. She turned out to be just fine, but there are many people in the world who are dying for a little attention. See if you can find them and cure them of what ails them."
Everyday Greatness is a wonderful and inspiring book. It would be a great gift for anyone, but especially anyone going through a trial such as illness or a recent loss. It would also be a great gift for someone graduating or starting a new venture in life.

Randomness

2009-07-26T15:38:00.001-04:00

Last night my grandnephew was playing with the phone or something and accidentally dialed 911. A while later the police came, to find my mom and nephew making supper and painting in the kitchen. They said everything was OK so the cops left. Later the boy admitted he'd done it, crying for a while and trying to hide because he thought he was in trouble. He was trying to hide under the stairs and under the sofa pillows. It was intense as it was happening, but it's pretty funny in hindsight.
On Friday afternoon my dad and nephew put the new fuel pump in my car. It was OK then. Yesterday I went to get a burrito, and in the less than 10 mile trip the car died twice. When I got home I saw the brake lights were on, so I thought it was just the battery. This morning on the way to church it did fine. Then after I left church, I was sitting at a red light and the car just died. I was helped to get it onto the median by a man behind me. His wife drove me over to the nearby McDonald's. There my mom, who had been working at the nearby Home Depot, came and met me. We thought then that it was just out of gas, so we got it over to a gas station across the street. Once it had a little gas in it it cranked right up and ran fine. We went across the street to Kroger, where I got more gas and met up with my dad. He followed me home. I thought everything was fine, even later when I went to Kroger and Wal-Mart. I went to the pretzel stand and got lunch. En route home, it started to act like it had been yesterday, and I barely made it home. I don't think I want to drive it anymore after the way it acted today. I can barely go 5 miles in it without it dying. Thankfully we found several good options for a new car this weekend online, and we can cash in our stocks and pay for a new one almost wholly.
I have to say it will be a great relief and a liberation of sorts when I get a new car. The car I have now has had a bad transmission for about two years, and I have been without reverse. This limits where I can go, because not everywhere has a place for me to park. Also I am without air conditioning.
If there is anyone out there besides me reading this, thank you.

Randomness

2009-07-23T13:04:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, because of Spongebob's birthday, they had a marathon of Spongebob all weekend. Friday night they showed the Spongebob movie, and to celebrate my grandnephew and I made the Spongebob pasta I have and mixed it with some spaghetti-os. I have to confess that I watched Spongebob most of the weekend. Sometimes I think I like it better than he does. On that note, Wednesday I got Nick magazine, which had a great poster of Spongebob and many of the characters that have been on the show over the last 10 years.
Last Saturday my mom said we can get the part we need for the car and my dad can fix it. We got the part at Advance, and my dad is coming tomorrow possibly to fix it :)
Last Sunday my mom went to work, and I went with her. Then, in her car, I went to Starbuck's, got coffee, and sat and read until it was time for me to go to church. After church I went to the store and got lunch at the pretzel stand.
Also because of the very difficult week/10 days I have been having, I have fallen in love with Josh Groban's voice, his first album in particular.
If you like vitamin water, you should try the flavor sync. On each lid there's a code, and you redeem it for music at Amazon. Also Kroger has vitamin water on sale now, and you can get 10 for $5.
The people who live here, especially my nephew, are still bothering me, and to combat that I have been keeping my door locked a lot this week. I usually close the door when I hear him moving around in the house, to block the noise. I'm not sure why but right now his very presence annoys me. My mother reminds me daily that he will be going to jail soon, for a DUI he got in March. I wish the justice system operated faster. I have been feeling a lot of silly, conflicting emotions, that when I think about them rationally seem stupid. A lot of them are probably hormonally fueled, as are a lot of my meltdowns. One of them is that no one here cares about me; at least my mother and grandnephew do, and they really do show it consistently. I just wish I could hurry this process along and get my nephew gone. Part of me knows that I need to shine the light of Jesus to all who live here, including my nephew, but most of me just wants to hide in here and not even deal with him.
"...God decreed destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A mound of ashes was all that was left—grim warning to anyone bent on an ungodly life. But that good man Lot, driven nearly out of his mind by the sexual filth and perversity, was rescued. Surrounded by moral rot day after day after day, that righteous man was in constant torment.So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day. (2 Peter 2:6-9)

Real Church

2009-07-18T19:07:00.003-04:00

I found Real Church by Larry Crabb to be interesting, challenging and thought provoking. At the beginning of the book he confesses that he has gotten to the point where he really feels no need to attend church. He goes on to describe at length the kind of church he would enjoy attending.
The church Crabb envisions would fully proclaim the entire Gospel of Christ as described in the New Testament, but would also fully embrace the sinfulness and struggles every believer faces, whether they willingly admit them or not. The main struggle we face is the warring of the two natures in those of us who are reborn: our old, sinful man, and the newly created man that comes with believing in Christ.
The church Crabb describes would be based on spiritual theology, spiritual formation, spiritual community, and spiritual mission. Spiritual theology is our understanding on God and His actions, especially as revealed in the person of Christ. Spiritual formation is the process we as believers are undergoing in becoming more and more like Him. Spiritual community would be a group of like-minded believers being totally transparent with one another, especially about their struggles. Spiritual mission would be taking our knowledge about God and His workings to those outside our community. Crabb discusses each idea in depth and also how the church is failing at or fulfilling these. He willingly acknowledges that this perfect vision will probably never be fulfilled until heaven, but prods us on to trying to fulfill them. He reminds us that though we can experience God on earth, most times we will not. He reminds us of our position in Christ and God, and the hope we have in our future of becoming like Him. He closes with reminding us that Jesus prayed for our unity (see John 17) and said that our relationships as the church would be what drew unbelievers into our body, and few of us are fulfilling that.
This book was a challenging read, though I enjoyed it as well. It truly has gotten me evaluating where I am in my relationship with the Lord, and also how far my church is to the place Crabb sees us all getting to. I think this book would be good for those who are evaluating their walks, and especially for pastors and those in ministry who would like to move their ministries closer to the ideal that Jesus has for all of us who make up His body.

old lists

2009-07-18T12:24:00.003-04:00

IT'S BAD...
--When I'm identifying with Jeremiah-e.g. Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people. Jer. 8:2 In a note in the NIV study Bible-The prophet wants to get as far away from his wicked countrymen as possible. See also Jeremiah 14:8-9
When I'm willing to go sit at McDonald's in Wal-Mart just to get out of here and away from everyone.
When I'd be willing to work retail to get money to maybe be able to get away from here.
When I feel rich if the money I have is in double digits.
When I feel more mature than my sister who's 15 years older than me.
When we feel lucky to get McDonald's.
When I get more interaction with people on Sunday at church than I did all week at home.
When my convict family can all get work and I don't have it.
When I cut my hair and no one notices.
When the Nike+ guy on my iPod is more encouraging of my walking than my housemates.

I WISH I LIVED SOMEWHERE WHERE...
I didn't have to listen to a screaming whining kid all the time
I had someone to talk to who really understood me and was with the Lord
Someone didn't come in my room and take my things without asking while I'm gone
Someone was sympathetic when I felt bad
I wasn't treated like a 10-year-old
I didn't feel like I live in a consumption ward
I wasn't around people who cursed so much
I didn't get snapped at when I make a perfectly innocent remark

A bad day

2009-07-17T20:51:00.003-04:00

This morning started pretty normally: I got up, did my devotions, went about my daily routine. I went upstairs to take a shower, realizing upon getting into the shower I had left something downstairs. I then found that my towels had gone missing; upon investigation I found that the boys had them. This is just one more insidious way they are creeping in here, and for some reason it really upsets me, and of course no one else here gets it.
I went to Gainesville. My first stop was Starbucks for coffee. I had a little trouble parking there but the stop went without incident. I made a quick stop at Target and left without getting anything. When I left there my car wouldn't start. Upon investigation I found that the brake lights were on (again), draining the battery. I got them off after a minute. I put the hood up and sat in the car for a few minutes, hoping someone would stop and help me by jumping me off. Finally I turned the switch to see what would happen and it started normally. I then went to best buy and checked prices on something, and to FCS. There I sat and read an entire (130 pg.) book. I bought 2 books, and got them for less than half-price. Then I went to Cici's for lunch. I ate and watched a favorite NCIS episode on my iPod. When I left there, intending to head for our hometown Wal-Mart, my car would turn over but would only stay running a few seconds. I was thinking it was the battery again. I called my dad, who fortunately had the day off. While I waited for him I did my Bible readings for the day. When he arrived he diagnosed the problem as being the fuel pump, not the battery. He got it running again, then followed me the fifteen or so miles to my home. When we got here we looked online at possible prices for a fuel pump and found a new one would cost about what the car is worth. We decided to look in earnest for a new car and not use my old one. Which is good and bad. Good-I'll be getting a new car pretty soon probably. Bad-I'll be stuck here, totally dependent on others to drive me places, like a prepubescent adolescent. I pray that something good comes from this. Sometimes it's hard to believe that.
A little after we all got home and my dad left, we all set out to the store. I have learned the best way to deal with these trips-stuck in the back seat with a squirrely seven year old-is to turn up my ipod loud enough to drown them all out. This is what I did today. I ran in Wal-Mart, got drinks and chex mix, and picked up some photos. Then I sat at McDonald's and had a sundae until the others came.
Almost always on these trips, I feel 1)like I've regressed to being a child, and 2)like it's 3 against 1 in there, and I'm the odd one out. No matter what the seven year old does to me, if I say anything about it, I get yelled at. Which is a big part of why I try to blot everything they do out with my music. At least it is positive.
I don't know why but right now I just hate the rowdiness that my nephew and his crowd bring to this house, and that includes the seven year old. I am at the point now where I just hate the sounds of them moving around, coughing, etc. I do not want to interact with them at all. (If you haven't guessed, they weren't made to leave.) This may make me a horrible Christian, but I don't know how to do otherwise right now.

It has finally happened

2009-07-08T19:23:00.004-04:00

The day that I have been longing for for a long time has finally happened. This morning my mother walked into the room my 28-year-old nephew has been living in for over 4 years and decided she had finally had enough. He is an alcoholic and a total slob. The room was so dirty that she had to pull up the carpet to get rid of it. She cleared out the room which resulted in about 5 bags of trash. She has threatened him with this several times but has never carried it out. I was thinking that she would probably never make him leave, but this morning she proved me very wrong, and for that I am very grateful. I have been wanting this for many months; I am the one who has to listen to and deal with him the most. He lives pretty close to my room and my bathroom is next to his room. Now I don't have to worry about dealing with drunks when I have to go to the bathroom, and I don't have to listen to his yelling, especially at his son. This will lighten the financial load tremendously on my mother, and will also improve the way his son acts. My nephew can be very belligerent when he is drunk, which is most of the time. When he is drunk he can be hateful and mean, and he picks on the kid and they get in shouting matches a lot. I think this happening is very positive and will be a good step for us all.
Also yesterday in the store I found something I'd been wishing for-BBQ Chex mix. I cannot tell you how long I have wanted this.

Our first complete shawl

2009-07-06T13:14:00.002-04:00

My friend Anita and I are trying to start a prayer ministry at our church. This involves knitting and crocheting shawls to bring comfort and prayers to those who are hurting because of grief or sickness. Yesterday afternoon we had the first one blessed by our pastor at church. It's for a lady who has cancer. The picture is of it just as I was finishing it. Anita crocheted a border around it and added some charms to it, then we and our pastor and the lady's daughter prayed over it and anointed it yesterday. It was a wonderful experience overall.

Family craziness

2009-07-04T16:22:00.004-04:00

This morning my 7 year old grandnephew came in my room and asked me for 2 pieces of bread. As I was talking to him about it I asked him why he yells so much. (He screams like a banshee a lot, especially at his father.) He said he doesn't; I raised my voice at him to demonstrate how I hear him talking a lot--our whole downstairs area is open, so I hear a lot of what goes on from my lower story room. He got upset that I raised my voice to him and ran off in a huff, crying, which is another common occurrence. I don't know if this is normal or abnormal for a child his age.
This afternoon we all went to Wal-Mart. En route my grandnephew was playing with my mother's bag; she got onto him and I tried to tell him that he hates it when one of us touches anything of his, yet he continually does it with our things. Of course I got scolded for saying anything. Sometimes I feel like it's 3-against-1 at our house. Everyone is on his side. What I have to say is a valid opinion and may even be right, but if I'm right then he's wrong, and they're not having that. It's kind of like Obama and the media right now--they thrust him into power, so he can do no wrong.
I feel so disconnected from almost everyone I am related to. I act differently, I apparently think differently, I find different things entertaining and interesting, etc. A great deal of this is due to the Lord, but some of it is just my personal preferences. I feel closer and more connected to my church family than I do almost everyone I'm related to. When I hear the word brother or sister, my church family is what I think of, although I have 3 natural siblings and 4 step siblings. I feel sometimes I was switched at birth with someone, and that person lives now in a household of believing scholars and totally sticks out there, the way I do here. I wish I could make myself like things like barbecues and long boat trips and things, but to me they're just uncomfortable places where you roast in the sun and get bug bites. I don't like the food that much, and I don't drink, so that eliminates a real reason to go there. Also I feel awkward and uncomfortable around them, with the exception of my teenaged and young adult nieces. A lot of them are crude, and I don't especially like that. But as Jesus said, "Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me." (Matthew 10 34-37)

Spiritual blindness

2009-07-04T10:33:00.002-04:00

Right now I live in a house (and extended family) full of unbelievers. My mother and 7 year old grandnephew are probably the best of the lot, as I'm not sure they are unbelievers. My mother just curses like a sailor, but with the way a lot of our family acts, sometimes I want to too. My nephew, however, is different. He lost his mother (my sister) less than three months ago to alcoholism, but he continues down the same path as hard as he can. I tell people sometimes I feel like I live in a consumption ward, because he coughs all the time, yet he keeps smoking. His mother was like this--she spent over half a year in jail for a DUI, got clean of alcohol and tobacco, and on the night she was released she was drinking and smoking. It continually amazes me the level of blindness to the repercussions of their actions these people have, and the deepness of their denial. I know that "whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (2 Cor. 3 16), but how hard is it to grasp that your addictions are not only killing you but destroying your family, especially your children?
I tell people sometimes that these people make me feel so smart. I was blessed enough to get in church and with the Lord just as I was hitting puberty. At 14 I got involved with a youth ministry, and when they started their own church about a year later, I went with them, and that's where I still attend. There I got the first Bible I really studied and read, which has been a major theme in my life. I hung around with the youth group in high school. I have never drank or smoked. I have never had sex, having made the True Love Waits pledge around 1994. Thus I broke several trends in my family. Half of my nieces had babies as teenagers. I also completed high school and college, the first in my immediate family to do so. As I look back on my life, the decisions that I have made have been heavily influenced by the Lord and His church, and considering the path my family has followed, I know I have chosen the right path. And I am thankful I did not have to experience all the problems these supposedly fun things have caused them.

Getting better & other random thoughts

2009-07-03T20:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning I went to the doctor for what I thought was a UTI. I was honestly dreading it because I had one back in December and its treatment was an antibiotic that made me dizzy and very weak. For the whole week I took them I could barely keep my eyes open and couldn't eat anything. I thought maybe I'd caught this one early enough that that wouldn't be necessary but wasn't sure. So I gave a sample, the doctor tested it and said I didn't have a UTI. He examined me further and then said I had a yeast infection, probably caused by poor hygiene in my case. He wrote a prescription for a pill--1 pill, taken once. I was relieved to say the least. I took it yesterday and I already feel better. This is confirmed by the fact that I had 2 fairly large glasses of soda today at lunch, and felt no discomfort. The last two weeks or so every time I had anything carbonated I felt pain. I am so glad that this problem was less severe than I thought and so easy to cure.
Also, random thoughts I have sometimes:
1) Why are the kids in Trix commercials so freakin' stingy? It's not like there's a finite amount of cereal in the world. Maybe Trix is bad for bunnies, like chocolate is for dogs.
2) Am I the only one who hates the sounds of people eating? I cringe mentally every time some commercial comes on that has vivid sounds of someone eating the product. Seeing people close-up chewing is almost as bad.

Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl

2009-06-29T17:39:00.005-04:00

I really enjoyed Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl by N.D. Wilson. From the beginning it draws you into it, with very descriptive language and random thoughts surprisingly strung together in a coherent manner.
This book begins with the author comparing this world as we know it to a carnival. It goes on to explore this world, especially the insect kingdom and the earth itself. The author invites us to truly marvel at the vastness of our universe and to appreciate and thank the God who made it all. He mentions the fact that what holds the world together is truly the breath of God, and that if He so chose all things would cease to be.
This book contains some wonderful descriptive language and some wonderful, memorable images and phrases. The book is peppered with the author's imaginary conversations with the great thinkers of the past. An example: "Jean-Paul Sarte, in his play No Exit: Hell is other people. A writer for Wired modified that slightly: Hell is other people's music." (p.168) It also contains some wonderful images of God and some wonderful names for Him--the Poet, the Painter, etc.
This book is a wonderfully vivid experience, and it helped me see God and His creation with a new, clearer focus. I would recommend it to anyone who believes in God or is struggling with their faith.

Hormonal rant

2009-06-25T18:40:00.001-04:00

Today is one of those days that I wish I could just get in my car and never come back home. My nephew and grandnephew have been gone for the last 3 days, but returned this afternoon. Of course they went down to the lake behind our house and my nephew promptly got drunk and passed out, leaving my 7-year-old grandnephew unattended. Sadly this is not an unusual occurrence. I feel hormonal, weepy, and drained, and because of sinuses/allergies, my throat is sore. Also everything I eat seems to be giving me diarrhea.
I had to run to the store again this morning because I needed more cranberry juice (I'm trying to ward off a UTI). Also at the grocery store I found a little coffee grinder for $10--six dollars cheaper than the cheapest one Wal-mart had. I also got a nice cup of Pike Place Roast from Starbuck's. I am 31 years old and I think that I am really starting to love coffee.
As usual during this time of the month, I hate even the sound of my nephew and grandnephew in this house. I thought that maybe the way my sister died would've shocked my nephew enough to stop his destructive behavior, but that doesn't seem to be what is happening. The real victim, however, is his son.

A great book

2009-06-24T13:56:00.002-04:00

I have to say that I love David Gregory's book The Next Level. (His previous works, Dinner With A Perfect Stranger & A Day With A Perfect Stranger are great, too.) It is a story, really a parable, about a young man, Logan, who goes to work at a company called Universal Systems, Inc. His job there is to go from level to level (there are five) and determine what each level's greatest problem is. As he does so he discovers how differently people can interpret things, and how far off the truth people can be led because of little rumors. He first meets the director of the company, and reports directly to him as he diagnoses each level.
Each level seems to represent a belief system somewhere in the world.
On the first level, noone is really working for the company; they spend their time at work doing their own thing, working on things that have nothing to do with their job. I think this level represents those people in the world who don't subscribe to any particular belief set.
On level two, the employees have a very strict level of conduct, regulating even the kind of furniture polish used and the number of candies employees are allowed to have at their desks. Their adherence to these rules consumes much of their time and they do not do much work either. I think this represents those people who subscribe to a belief set but get so caught up in the don'ts in their religion that they forget to do the dos. An example is the Pharisees in the New Testament. Also there is an international division of this level that helps a great many people overseas.
On the third level, there are five major departments and eight minor ones. Logan meets with the managers of the five major departments and gets very varied answers from them about the whole purpose of the company and their work. I think this level represents the religions of the world other than Biblical Christianity and possibly Judaism, although the argument could be made that Level Two applies to the Jewish faith. Each department seems to symbolize Islam, New Age teaching, Buddhism, etc. Because they disagree on the overall purpose of the company, they are unable to work together toward a common goal, and also are working to please themselves, not the company.
On level four, the environment is nicer--they have coffee bars, nicer workstations, etc. They are aware of the owners of company and are trying to please them. Yet they are still working mostly to please themselves; i.e, they want to do what THEY want, not what their bosses want. I believe this represents a good portion of Christianity, who try to fit God's plans and desires into theirs, not the other way around.
As a bonus assignment Logan assesses Level Five, where people work exclusively with the Director, his father the Shareholder, and the Advocate. Those who work here basically go down to the other levels and help other people by doing menial tasks such as filing, cleaning etc. Here on this level Logan sees displayed the companies true product: self-giving love. It was first displayed by the Shareholder and Director, then they were joined by others in the company. Also mentioned is a sacrifice made by the Director: he was framed by a former employee for a crime he did not commit, yet he allowed himself to be found guilty to keep the company afloat.
I believe the characters of the Shareholder, Director and Advocate throughout the book represent the members of the Trinity. The one Logan interacts with most is the Director, who represents the person of Christ. The Advocate is the company's chief counsel, and fills a troubleshooting role, representing the Spirit. The Shareholder is the Director's father, and represents the Father. The real secret of level five is that the people who work there have learned to have the Shareholder and Director's outlook on things, and they work for their goals. This makes them the happiest and most profitable group in the company.
In the end Logan is offered a job on any level he wishes, including the fifth.
I think this is a wonderful parable and it really makes you think about how people in the world believe.

2009-06-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

For once it is peaceful and quiet here at our house; my nephew and grandnephew have gone to visit his dad for a few days. I have been reading some books I bought last week today and knitting a little on a shawl I'm making. I'm also trying to ward off another UTI and what feels like a sinus infection.