Unlocked

Unlocked

by Karen Kingsbury

I received this book for Christmas from my in-laws and was excited to start reading it since I forgot to bring a book with me for our Christmas vacation. I have heard of Karen Kingsbury and know she is quite a popular author, though I had never read any books by her before. After reading this I am eager to check out more she has written because this was a most excellent book.

I don’t want to give everything away because I would encourage you to read it for yourself, but I can give a brief synopsis. The story is about a family with a boy with autism and a school with kids like most schools today. The boy is definitely higher functioning but as a girl from his past befriends him he starts to show signs of progress. It’s a really beautiful story of how we all need to look beyond the surface and love people the way that God sees and loves them.

Random Musings from my Reading:

Bullying is horrific and really needs to stop! I wish there was a cure all but I know that bullying is as old as time and not something that can be controlled completely. However, I wish there were more consequences or more adults willing to get involved. It’s really sad. Especially with the rate of teen suicide as high as it is today. When will it end? I know that teens don’t necessarily think things through completely and that’s part of the problem, but the bigger part is us not doing our part to love like we should.

Along with that problem of bullying is, I think, an undeserved and ridiculous emphasis on sports in our society. I don’t think it’s fair to say that all athletes are bullies. But I do think that sports figures in society and even at the school level if they are good enough get “special” treatment. Don’t get me wrong, I like sports. I played sports throughout my schooling. I just think that our society as a whole has some things very backwards. You see it in the pros especially with athletes making exorbant amounts of money. It’s such a huge business now! But you know what, odds are not many of us are going pro and we need those math, science geeks in our society to contribute. We need those muscians to bring us soothing tunes to help us get through the day. We need those ordinary people like myself to work and do ordinary jobs so the world keeps turning. We need to appreciate each gift and talent and cultivate it and not just focus on one thing. Ok, I’ve said my piece on that.

My last thought is on autism. This book especially struck a cord with me since my husband works with kids with autism. I don’t spend any time around them but I get to hear all his stories. This book was really eye opening to me on just how diverse a disorder autism really is. It was also a struggle to read what the families with these children go through. We know that God works together all things for good, but I have to admit it would be a real struggle if it was me and my child in that situation. One of the cool things though that I have heard about and read again in this book is that autistic kids really do comprehend and understand more about the world around them then I think we realize. And there are sometimes “keys” if you will, that can unlock the world of communication to them.

Go check out this book and be prepared for a journey into your own heart.....

The Joy of Fearing God

The Joy of Fearing God

by Jerry Bridges

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” - Psalm 111:10

We heard a sermon a while back on the fear of the Lord, but I came away still unsure exactly what this “fear” looked like in a practical sense. I borrowed this book from a friend and I have to say I think it definitely shed some light on the issue.

So this fear we are to have is not an afraid kind of fear but is described as “filial fear” - an indescribable mixture of reverence, fear, pleasure, joy and awe which fills our hearts when we realize who God is and what He has done for us. This kind of fear is what gives us proper perspective in life and helps us keep our priorities strait. Our main goal in life should be glorifying the God whom we fear because of who He is and what He has done for us.

Some of the ways we fear God is by dwelling on his nature. This is one of my favorites and it was neat to know that it pleases God. Just thinking about the grandeur of God is incredible. Seeing the natural world and wonders of the intricacies of life always brings my thoughts to God. I will never understand how any can say there is no Creator. And then I look up in the sky and see a billion + stars (at least in North Carolina). Wow, God, Wow! He is so big. He also rules the nations and holds everything in his hand. We can never truly understand His ways.

One of the ways I still need to grow in this area of fearing God is trusting that He is sovereign despite circumstances. I know that things often go a way different to what I hope or plan for. I have a choice to make. I can get upset or as the book says, I can “bow before God, whose infinite wisdom and sovereign power somehow, in ways we don’t understand cause all these events to work together for His glory and our good.” I definitely could stand to dwell on that more.

This next quote from the book made me cringe because I know that I’m not there yet. “Occasionally we hear that some public event has been ‘canceled to circumstances beyond our control.’ The fact is, however, that all circumstances are beyond our control. We are absolutely dependent on God for the carrying out of our plans. The person who fears God not only acknowledges this, but delights to do so. He or she finds great joy in realizing our dependance on the moment-by-moment care of our loving, sovereign, heavenly Father.” Do I delight in my dependence on God. I probably find myself complaining more than delighting. I will be working on that his year for sure!

We also glorify God by enjoying Him which is another cool thought. God wants us to enjoy Him and His gifts. He is our provider and protector. He guides us and shows us great love and compassion. I need to enjoy God and what He is doing and continues to do in my life. He is so good.

I’ll leave you with a few other quotes from the book that really stood out to me. They are actually quotes from JI Packer but they were in this book and they are really good. Dwell on these thoughts and they will lead you to dwell on the one who enables us to think and fear Him.

“Living becomes an awesome business when you realize that you spend every moment of your life in the sight and company of an omniscient, omnipresent Creator.” -Packer, Knowing God

“The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God’s hand, but a humble acknowledgement of helplessness and dependence. When we are on our knees, we know that it is not we who control the world; it is not in our power, therefore, to supply our needs by our own independent efforts; every good thing that we desire our ourselves and for others must be sought from God, and will come, if it comes at all, as a gift from His hands.” - Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

Listen

Listen
by Rene Gutteridge

What would happen if conversations you had in the privacy of your home went public? Would your words bring life or death? This is the question explored in this book.

Like it or not, our words have power. The written word as well as the spoken word have the power to cripple or uplift. How we use our words is so important. We can use our words to harm others or to encourage them.

The small town in this book is turned upside down when private conversations begin to show up on a website for all to see. Who is behind this and what are they trying to get at? In the mean time allegations and judgements are passed as everyone tries to decipher who said what about who.

An interesting experiment and in some regards what keeps us glued to reality tv. (the drama) What we say comes from who we are. Granted we all say things in anger or frustration, but we still need to be careful what we say, which means we need to be careful what we think, which is why God says to take every thought captive.

After this read I will definitely pause to think about what I am saying and if it is something edifying or not.

"Commercial"ism at its worst

I recently saw a commercial for the Toyota Highlander and I have to say I think that my perception of Toyota just went down quite a few notches. I was really disheartened by the message it was sending to kids and adults.

Not only was the message that you are a “lame” parent if you don’t buy an expensive car with all the bells and whistles, but you are also “lame” if you enjoy life and your family time. You also need to be plugged in all the time because, well, that’s just cooler.

We never had entertainment systems in our cars. We never had the nicest cars. I know we thought our parents were crazy at times, but so what? Doesn’t every kid think that at some point? But I’ve never met a kid that wasn’t thankful for quality time with family. I never look back on times we spent in the car and think, boy I wish I could have just plugged myself in and had no interaction with anyone.

As I mentioned I am appalled that the commercial doesn’t even insinuate but point blank says that because the parents enjoying life in their “small” car don’t have the Highlander they are “lame.” What message does that send to our kids and parents? You have to have the best to be cool! I don’t think we need any more messages like that out there! It’s bad enough our kids get it from movies and tv and magazines and school, now commercials too and commercials for things beyond them? And this kid wasn’t even a teenager. He was probably middle school age.

Argggh…I hate the commercialism of our world and the lack of family values that 99% of media instills. People can swear up and down that it’s just a commercial and doesn’t have any effect but I tell you what, if that’s you, you are wrong. If advertising did not work it would not be on the air so much. It’s a lucrative industry all about the benjamins and I’ve personally had enough. I have to sit through and rip up commercials left and right these days and this one was too much!

If you are a parent I’d encourage you to practice dissecting commercials as well. Sit down with your kids, watch a commercial, even on YouTube and ask them what the message is that the commercial is sending? And discuss what God says and what the Truth of the matter is. Discuss why the commercial is selling lies and why their message does not provide what it claims to.

I did a google search on the commercial just to see what I could find and I found that many feel like me. I am glad I am not the only one! I found this article which I think sums up my feelings nicely and also shows the commercial so you can see for yourself. I also agree with his thoughts on the Windows phone commercial too.

http://blogs.trb.com/features/family/parenting/blog/2010/11/2011_highlanders_antifamily_co.html

Life Discipler

I recently received a new product to review called Life Discipler. It really is unlike anything I’ve seen before and kinda cool. It’s a little electronic gadget, about the size of a pedometer, which has more than 1500 verses stored on it arranged on 44 subjects. You can search for subjects and scrolls through the verses or pick a subject and have the alarm sound to remind you to look at another verse.

I thought that it sounded kind of neat when I first got it. Any tool to help me learn God’s word and be constantly immersed in it throughout my day is a good thing. I thought the subjects offered were definitely applicable to life, though not every verse seemed to fit with the subject it was under. I tried it out for about a week, mostly at work. I set the alarm for 1 hour the first day just to get used to it, but I found myself wanting more. So the rest of the week I set it to go off every ½ hour.

This worked great for most of the day. I was loving the reminders from God’s word. It was very encouraging. I loved that you could set a verse that came up as a favorite or as one you want to memorize as well. This will be great when I am waiting in line somewhere and I can just pull out God’s word and work on memorizing or reviewing it. However, sometime during the afternoon the alarm would just stop going off. I checked the battery but it was fine. If I turned it off and on again then it was fine. So that is a quirk that might become annoying if you are expecting it to work for long periods of time. But I guess that’s a small inconvenience.

I don’t know if it’s something I would use everyday, but it did do a great job of keeping God’s truth fresh in my mind. The MSRP is $29.99 and you can find this gadget at lifediscipler.com and Family Christian Stores. Could be a good gift if you know someone into gadgets.

They are offering a 20% discount now at lifediscipler.com if you use the coupon code GROW20. It’s good through Dec 30, 2010.

The 7 Minute Difference

The Seven Minute Difference & The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner

by Allyson Lewis

                                       

I signed up with Buzz Blogger to try out items and review them which seemed like a fun idea. My first assignment was this book and workbook which were sent to me. How can you go wrong with a free book? I am under no obligation to give a glorious review but to just share my honest opinion. So let’s get on to it already.

When I first received the book and looked it over I had two thoughts run through my mind. The first was, “Maybe this can really help me figure out how to do something with my passions in life.” The second was, “Oh boy, another self help book.” Now the workbook struck my fancy a little more because I am a very list orientated person.

I decided to stay open minded as I ventured in, and the first few chapters of the book were great thought provokers. Though I did not sit down and define my goals and passions yet I mean to go back through and do just that. I think it is a great starting point for those of us trying to figure out what we should be doing with our lives. And honestly, isn’t that most of us?

After the first few chapters, though, it felt like it was much more orientated to those in the business world who are trying to further their career. It was hard to relate everything to normal life outside that setting. If you are in the business boat, please read this book because it is totally geared towards helping you make small decisions to make you better at what you do. But if you are like me and not at all there then I wouldn’t really recommend this book.

It’s ok and has some great principles about pursuing passions and perserverance to finish the race but I just didn’t see that it was a book that was going to change my life. Maybe I’m just a skeptic though. You could check it out and see if her ideas work for you and let me know.

The workbook I really like though. Even though I still think it is very geared towards business tasks it does have some very practical items to check off, such as how much water you’ve drunk and what you’ve eaten for meals and snacks. You can never have too many daily planners as far as I am concerned.

If you’d like to find out more about this book and workbook or purchase a copy please visit http://www.the7minutelifesystem.com/

Muslims, Christians, and Jesus

Muslims, Christians, and Jesus
by Carl Medearis


In light of events in our country and around the world in the last decade I was curious to learn more about Islam, what it teaches and how to reach out to those in our country who are Muslim. I do not agree with the idea that they are our or even Israel's enemies, not as a whole. This book is a great tool for any Christian. I was challenged not just in my thinking about Muslims but also in how I approach evangelism in general.


First of all I learned many things about Islam that I did not know. I had no idea there were so many similarities between what the Qur'an says and what the Bible says. Obviously there are some major differences but Medaris focuses on the similarities seldom mentioned. It's a great starting point for conversation to start on common ground. The most common ground we actually share with Muslims is our faith in God and love for Jesus. He stresses again and again about bringing it always back to Jesus. He is highly respected by Muslims and most, according to Medearis, are open to talking and learning more about His life. It's a great reminder that we are not the converters. God draws people to Himself. God does the heart changing and saving, not us. 


I think the biggest challenge for me personally is the fact that I am not called to save people or even teach people the bible per say. I am called to love God and love others. I do want to share Jesus with people because I want them to have the hope I have and I want them to go to heaven because hell is going to be no fun. However, I should not go into relationships with the hope that they one day will become a Christian. If they do, great, if not, that is not my choice. If I love God with everything and love others with all Christ gives me and let His love flow through me it will make a difference. Of course that would mean sharing Jesus when the opportunity arises, but not forcing it. I think sometimes I put too much pressure on myself to share, to share to share. But really I just need to love, to love, to love. 


Whether it's Muslims, or co-workers, or neighbors or family or whoever. We are called to love those around us. I know it's such a simple concept. You'd think it would be easy to grasp. But as Christians and churches I think we put too much emphasis on "saving" people and not enough emphasis on actually proactively loving people. I probably heard this from someone else so I can't take credit but it was something to the effect of "Nobody cares about what you have to say until they know you care about them." 


So getting back to the book...It's a great read for tips on conversing with Muslims as well as sharing Jesus in general. My challenge to myself and to you is to love people better. There is no way you can ever love too much! "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." -Galatians 5: 22-23