A fun read

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."

Spiritual blindness

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.

Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl

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.