I Lift Up My Soul

I Lift Up My Soul by Charles Stanley

This is a good start for someone who isn't in the habit of reading the bible or praying daily. It is short and to the point each day and has a bible verse and lesson to think about each day through the year.

The Falling Away by T.L. Hines

Dylan Runs Ahead is a member of the Crow Tribe of Montana and is as unique as his name. A man who has spent years trying to run away, not ahead...of his past, his culture, family. He finds that he is a "chosen" one. But chosen by which side?? Good or evil?? This book keeps you guessing up to the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it!

The Jesus You Can't Ignore

Just finished up with a new book...The Jesus You Can't Ignore by John McArthur.

A very good read...one that I will be reading again. Mr. McArthur takes you on a journey, well documented by Scripture, through the days of Jesus's ministry and focuses on his dealings with those in religious power in those days....primarily the Sanhedrin, scribes and Pharisees. This Jesus is NOT the meek and mild man so portrayed in most mainstream churches today, but one that stood and delivered scorching reprimands to those in power. The overall point of the book, is that if you are going to follow the footsteps of Christ, then you need to be willing to refute those that mislead and mis-teach God's word today, not looking for the "common ground" as most organized religions seem bent on doing these days.

I was not paid for my review and these opinions expressed are my own. I received a free book from BookSneeze to read and review.

Driftwood Lane by Denise Hunter

Meridith Ward has created a very well ordered life for herself. She's an health inspector in the big city of St. Louis,who's a stickler for the rules, has a fiance who is an accountant and is as "order oriented" as she herself is. Suddenly, one phone call breaks the order of her life into a thousand pieces. She has been named gardian of three young siblings she has never met from a father she has been estranged from since he left her as a young child to be raised by a manic depressive mother. Suddenly, she is thrown into a mix where nothing is ordered and finds herself in Nantucket, trying to run a bed and breakfast that is falling apart and a handyman that makes her feel as unsettled as the ocean during a storm.

This is one in a series of books by Denise Hunter called the Nantucket Series. I'd like to read the others if they are as good as this one.

I received a free copy of this book from BookSneeze to read and review. I was not paid for the review and the opinions expressed are my own.

Read "A Summer Secret"

A Summer Secret by Kathleen Fuller. A wonderful book for anyone, but an especially good read for a child between the ages of 8 to 16. Very well written and the characters just came alive for me. A story about a young Amish girl wanting a place she can call her own and be by herself once in awhile. She finds it in an old abandoned barn...one she and her siblings have been warned to stay away from. Soon she notices that things are moved or missing in her secret place and vows..along with her brother...to find out just who else is using her place. The book gives a glimpse into Amish life and is not only a very good read, but interesting as well.

I received a free copy of this book from BookSneeze to read and review. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Vertical Self by Mark Sayers

I don't usually read "self-help" type books, but I found this book to be very insightful. It opened my eyes to just how much we, as a culture, choose who we are by how the rest of the world sees us and not by what the true inner person is. Thanks to our "media" culture, we now can pick and change who we are on a whim, where our identity isn't based on our own sense of self, but in the imagery we choose at any given moment.

The "vertical self" is one in which one strives to cultivate spirituality so that one moves upward on the path of becoming the person God meant us to be, for man was created in the image of God. This includes growth, character, humility,contribution to society, faith, goals, etc.The "horizontal self" on the other hand is one in which the person's sense of self is derived from media images, outer appearance, peers, and so are confused about who we really are...because we only know what the media tells us we should be or can be. Our identities are subject to change in an instant thanks to passing fads and the opinions of those around us.

There is a study guide in the back that helps you take what you learn from the book and apply it to your own life....to learn to be who you are meant to be, not what the world tells you you should be.

The new health care bill

I can say, as one of the millions of uninsured Americans, that our government...OUR government..doesn't seem to be listening these days. Every single person I have talked to, well, let's re-state that...every single WORKING person I have spoken to about this bill is against it. Yes, we need health care reform, but the reform needs to start with the drug and insurance companies. Our drugs and procedures cost sometime as much as 4 to 5 times more here in the US than in other countries. For the SAME drug, the SAME procedure.

The only people that I have spoken to that WANT the new bill to go into effect are those that don't pay for their own health care...in other words, those on welfare or those that don't work.

I already pay for millions of people to have health care...including those on Capitol Hill by the way. As a self employeed individual, I am taxed to death. Workers comp, commercail insurance, health insurance for husband and children, car insurance, home insurance, life insurance, State unemployment insurance, Federal unemployment insurance, medicaid, social security just name a few. Add in all the other taxes that we don't even think about ( federal taxes on my phone lines, food tax here in TN, property tax, wheel tax...) it is a wonder we have any money at all.

And now they want me to pay for everyone to have what I don't have the money to provide for myself?? Of course, by government standards, they feel that I SHOULD be able to provide my own health care insurance, after all, we make decent money. The problem? They don't take into account the amount of money that THEY siphon off!

My vote might not count for much at the moment considering how things are going in Washington, but you can bet your bottom dollar ( which is all many of us will have left if Obama gets his way) that my vote will indeed count in November.

Latest Read

Well, actually, I am in the middle of two books. A Star Wars series about Darth Bane( Path of Destruction) and another "self help" book called The Vertical Self. One for pure pleasure...I was suprised that I like the SW book as much as I do. I think because there isn't so much scifi terms in it. I don't care how a hyperdrive works, I am more about the characters and how THEY work! The Vertical Self is how to live in the world we have today with God as your guidepost. I'll let you know how they both turn out!

Catching up with old friends

I have a friend I met a few years ago and my husband and I got together with her and her husband a few times. We emailed each other often. They went thru a divorce and when she moved we lost track of each other. Thank goodness for Face Book. We found each other there so this evening we are getting together for dinner and a catching up.

You know, time is something you can't get back. And I am sure if I had really tried, I could have found her...or not lost her in the first place. I can't get those lost years back.

So if you have a friend that you haven't been in contact with, don't wait. Give them a call...write them a letter....email them...whatever it takes. Don't let another day go by that could have been enriched by having your friend in it.

Global Warming

So I am sitting yesterday perusing the newspaper and start reading the "to the editor" section. A local fellow was ranting about a cartoon that had ran the day before. Something about Al Gore and global warming. Obviously not a "pro" Gore cartoon as this fellow was extremely put out that the local paper wasn't taking global warming seriously enough. He even wrote a few "future" newspaper headlines that he assured us we would be seeing in the near future. Among those was " Severe drought causes losses among local farmers" and " Diseases on the rise: Mosquitos abound".

Now, let's see....to have an abundance of mosquitos don't you need an abundance of water?? In a severe drought??

My own thoughts on global warming is that it is mostly hype intended to wring a few dollars out of the public. If you go back and look at the world's climate history, you will see warming as well as cooling trends. For crying out loud, the earth was practically covered by glaciers just a few thousand years ago. Yes, a few ice shelves are less than what they were years ago, but there are also glaciers that are activelly growing. Hotter years?? No, not really. 10 years ago, we had a summer here with temps over a hundred numerous days. Last year, not bad. This winter? One of the coldest we have had in a long time. Most claim that the earth's temp has risen 0.7 degrees. And it has. What they don't tell you is that most of that occured BEFORE 1940. And there has been no discernible increase since 1998 which there would have been if the greenhouse effect theory was correct.

As far as money? Well, let's see. I can purchase "green" power from my electric company...for quite a bit more money. Everybody is going "green". Lots of money in there. And let's not even talk about the thousands that people are paying to lessen their "carbon footprint"

Do I believe we need to use renewable, clean energy sources? You betcha! But I believe alot of the hype behind the so-called global warming is just that..hype.

Currently Reading

The Dome by Stephen King

Not my favorite, but a typical Stephen King story. A small town finds itself cut off from the rest of the world by a "dome". Things go from bad to worse as the people try to deal with having to rely on the town's elected officials and police dept. It doesn't help that those in charge have serious moral as well as mental flaws. About 3/4 of the way thru it and while it is an "ok" read, it probably isn't something that I would pick up again anytime soon. And this from someone who has read some of her favorites over 25 times!

First day

So am I crazy or what? I know nothing about blogging, never even read a blog today and here I am...starting my own. Must be senility creeping up on me.

Who knows, it may eventually save my sanity