Stranger At Home Review

There is something about reading books written from times gone by.  The use of words seem to be thought provoking and able to flow in a lyrical way.  I commented in a blog post 10 years ago about the eloquence of language a hundred or more years ago.  When I saw that one of the categories was reading a book that was over a hundred years old, I knew exactly what collection I would go to.  Lamplighter has taken books from times past and edited them to show the character of God and Biblical truths.  They are definitely books that I want my children to pick up and read.

Stranger At Home by Mrs. Sherwood is a story of Elvira who was allowed to live with her indulgent grandparents for 6 of her childhood years.  After their death, she returns home where her adjustment to the rules and boundaries set by her parents is more than rough.  Having reached the breaking point, her father declares that the family will provide for her basic needs but not give any more instruction or correction making Elvira essentially a stranger in her own home and teaching her and the reader a lesson on discipline and correction.

2 other stories are included in this book.  The Coveted Bonnet, author unknown, follows Virginia Clark as she learns that the consequences of disobedience and covetousness can sometimes be deadly.  The Cords of Sin by Charlotte Tucker is more geared toward parents to remind them of their duties as parents to teach them diligently and to show what consequences there can be when that duty is put to the side.

If you are looking for books with Biblical truth, morals and strong character, I recommend any of the Lamplighter series.

White Rose, Black Forest Review

I have always been intrigued by World War II.  It probably began when I was introduced to Carrie Ten Boom's book, The Hiding Place, as a child.   In high school and college, I would visit the library and check out book after book with true stories of those who had endured the Holocaust and war saddened by what they went through but yet marveling at the times that God allowed miracles to take place and lives be saved.  When I saw this book, White Rose, Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey, come up on my Amazon Kindle First Reads, I grabbed it as not only was it set in a favorite time period but it also was written in 2018 fulfilling another of the challenge books.  While I am not a big fan of electronic books, it came in handy as I read it while on a recent trip to Ireland.

Franka Gerber, a German girl who is all alone due to the deaths of the rest of her family, finds an unconscious but hurt Luftwaffe airman in the wintry forest near her family's summer cottage.  Having medical training, she chooses to try and save him even though she loathes everything that his uniform stands for.  Soon it appears he is not who he claims to be so the journey begins to figure out his true identity before the Gestapos finds them.

This book was so enthralling that there were times I would look up from reading and think I was sitting in the middle of WWII.  The characters came to life and I couldn't stop reading until I learned their fate.  If you are a history buff, I highly recommend this page turner!

Respectable Sins Review

I'm a little behind on posting book reviews due to a crazy few months but I have been reading.  I pulled Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate by Jerry Bridges because it had been quite a few years since I had read it.  The ladies in our church had done it as a Bible study probably about 10 years ago and I remember it being very convicting and thought provoking. Since one of the challenge books was about Christian living, I thought I would see what areas of my life could use some attention. Let's just say I still have a long way to go.

Jerry starts off with an overall look at sin starting off with how we, as the Church, have looked the other way and allowed so many to slide by without being dealt with. He also takes a chapter to give direction on how to deal with sins.  Then we delve into 14 different sins from Ungodliness to Worldliness and how they can abide in us without sometimes being noticed.  I know I couldn't read through them without being convicted in just about every single one.  Jerry has a down to earth, let me be transparent way of writing so you don't feel alone in your struggle with these sins.  He wraps up the book by encouraging the reader to be humble, pray through the areas, seek input from others and lastly, remember that God is forgiving to those who humbly seek it.

I highly recommend this book as one to help you along your journey to be more like Christ!

Humor for a Woman's Heart review

This second book is one that I have had sitting on my shelf for quite a few years.  I will take it down occasionally when I want or need something lighthearted to read.  I read it recently because 1) I came across it while pulling books off my shelves to have our floors redone and 2) the book I was in the middle of reading is very thought provoking and I needed a break.

Even though Humor for a Woman's Heart has the word woman in the title, I would recommend this for anyone.  Whether you are single, married, a parent, like to travel or been a child, you can enjoy these light hearted stories that help us to look at life with a smile.  Many of them will also help us get our thinking back on track such as In the Throes of Mother Henhood reminding me that while I can't always be with my children, God will be.  A lesson I need today and in the days to come as my girls spread their wings more and more with some traveling quite far from the nest.

If you are looking for some light reading or some giggles, I recommend picking this book up.  I'm counting this book as one of my choice on the 2018 Reading Challenge.

Choosing to See review

Have you noticed a shortage in tissues lately?  Don't worry, the supply will go back up now that I am finished reading Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman.

I have been a fan of Steven Curtis Chapman from way back and his song, I Will Be Here, holds a special place in my heart as my husband recorded himself singing it to be played during our wedding.  I was not familiar with his wife, Mary Beth, but remember well when I heard of the tragedy that struck their family in May of 2008.  My heart as a mother hurt for them as I can only imagine the pain of losing a child but then to have another of my children be the one who had responsibility for the accident can only add unbearable ache.

I had heard bits and pieces about Mary Beth and her book so I have been intrigued to read her story but did not take the time until finding the 2018 Reading Challenge where the first book was a biography.  As a storm was coming our way that could possibly keep us at home for a day or so, I ran to the library to find a biography.  The first one my daughter and I saw was this one so I decided to finally learn more of Mary Beth and her family's journey.

The first half of the book focused on her childhood and young adult years focusing on her spiritual struggles with faith.  I enjoyed hearing how she and Steven met and their early years.  Her transparency regarding her struggle with depression and how that led her to lean more on the Lord was refreshing.  The rest of the book focused on the day of the tragedy and the up and down journey of the next 2 years.  This was the part of the book that my trashcan was overflowing with tissues as my heart broke putting myself in her shoes as much as possible.  Many of the last chapters contained blog posts that Mary Beth had written over that year and half.  Her transparency into her thoughts, feelings and emotions as she fought to have some kind of understanding of why her family was put through this tragedy was encouraging that if the Lord ever chose to have me face a similar suffering, I can have hope that clinging to the Lord is the only way I could make it through.

I encourage you to read this but if you are hormonal, menopausal or cry at the drop of a hat like I do lately, have a few boxes of tissues nearby.

SaveSave

March 2nd Photo

This is my oldest daughter and her first car.  She saved up diligently from her jobs and the opportunity to buy came about through a family at church.  We are so thankful for how the Lord provided.  The price of the car was the exact amount of money she had in her savings account!  We are definitely in a new season of life.

February 28th Photo

This is my 2nd oldest sitting in our sycamore tree.  This is not something she does real often but today it was for a very sad reason.  Her rabbit died very unexpectedly.  We found him just laying in his hutch.  What makes it worse is this was the 2nd rabbit she has had in less than a year and the first died also.  He had escaped the hutch and was found dead on the property.