BOOK REVIEW: Unplanned

This book is not what you might think. It is not a holier-than-thou rant at the abortion industry, or a right wing field day against abortionists. It is one woman's story, and a woman pivotal to Planned Parenthood at that. It is sensitively told, with great humility and honesty. 

Abby Johnson grew up in a Christian home, but, as happens so often with young people, wasn't able to defend her beliefs when she came face to face with a Planned Parenthood recruiter at a college job fair. Within a few minutes her mindset shifted enough to apply to be a volunteer, escorting women to and from their cars at the Bryan, Texas clinic. Gradually embracing Planned Parenthood's official mission to reduce abortions by providing access to birth control, she eventually became so passionate about the organization that she was offered the position of clinic director.  And between college and the end of her career with Planned Parenthood, she had two abortions of her own. 

But.

But the volunteers with Coalition for Life who stood at the fence line of the clinic day in and day out over those eight years befriended and prayed for her. She came to believe that they truly did care for her. She also saw them care about the women who came to the clinic, much as she did from her side of the fence line. And on the day that, after several key life events, she knew she could no longer be involved in the abortion industry, it was to those friends on the other side of the fence line that she ran...igniting a media fire when Planned Parenthood took legal action against her for doing so. Within hours, she was a national news story. 

Unplanned is riveting. I read most of it in one sitting, because Abby's story is so compelling and so thoughtfully told. I believe what sets this book apart from other pro-life books is her insistence on showing readers the genuine, though biblically erroneous, belief of many Planned Parenthood employees that they are helping women in crisis. She points to many employees who are uncomfortable with the organization's priority of abortions to make money, and indeed with the issue of abortion itself. In fact, as of the writing of the book, 116 former Planned Parenthood workers have left the industry through the assistance of the non-profit organization founded by Abby and her husband Doug (And Then There Were None). Abby now speaks around the country about her experiences, a firm advocate for the unborn.

I won't give away the reveal of the final chapter but suffice to say--it's a huge God thing! 

You can read more about Abby Johnson here, and if you'd like to read the chilling first chapter of Unplanned, go here (caution: upsetting content, though not gratuitously so). 

I received this book for free for purposes of this review from Tyndale Publishers. 

When Trash Attacks

Ewww, really? That's the picture to accompany this post?

My kids groan and say I can spiritualize anything. True. This morning it was my wrestling match with the trash truck.

Lately I've felt like my life is pretty much up to my neck. Commitments and circumstances have made me feel pretty overwhelmed, and some recent health problems have topped it off. Part of trying to get things into balance again is taking back up the walking that I really love. It allows me to listen to worship music or a Bible study podcast. I can pray or think for 30 minutes out in the fresh air without any interruptions.

So. This brings me to the trash truck.

I'm walking along, thinking, enjoying the fresh air after a couple of brief sprinkles (sorry, Buffalo), when a trash truck pulls ahead of me. I've just begun a fresh block of sidewalk, and it's an extra long block. The trash truck is on the same side of the street as I am, and the driver is stopping every house to pick up cans and dump them overhead into the truck. I quickly realize I'm in trouble, because he and I are at the same pace. I get a few steps ahead when he pulls in front of me and, as the hydraulic arms put each can back down, a burst of foul garbage air belches into my immediate future.

Suddenly I laugh out loud. This is my LIFE!!  This objectifies my tug of war with my circumstances and commitments...just when I think I pull ahead, here come the challenges. It feels like I will never be able to escape them! Plus,it's just an awkward thing to keep pace with the garbage man, y'all.

I look ahead to the end of the block..and see another block to my usual route which is probably the truck's next destination on its route. I decide to walk much more quickly and see if I can pull ahead. We're neck and neck for a few houses, but then I break ahead. As I push myself to walk faster than I have in awhile because of my health problem, I realize I don't have the pain I thought I would. The truck falls farther and farther behind. My air is clear again and the noise fades. Finally, I make it to the end of the second block, cross the street, and the truck turns and disappears.

So. This brings me to the spiritual lesson.

 Job said to him had been appointed "months of futility" (Job 7:3). That meant that what God had allowed him to suffer would come to an end. He hadn't been appointed futility for the rest of his life, but for a certain season. We know that God restored Job's losses and blessed his future more than his latter. The trash truck fell behind. Job pulled ahead.

Paul said he counted all things as garbage (grin)  that he might win Christ. He said "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Philippians 3:13, 14. The trash truck fell behind. Paul pulled ahead.

When trash attacks, pull ahead. Doing so will push you to grow, and you may be surprised to find strength you didn't know you had. You may never had known it had you not been keeping pace in the garbage race. Pretty soon your air will be clean again, and your trash truck will fade from view.

I've now spiritualized the trash pick up. You're welcome.

BOOK REVIEW: The Underground Girls of Kabul

Hidden in plain sight are the bacha posh of Afghanistan--young girls chosen by their families to be boys during their childhood years in order to improve the family's social standing. This is not a transgender experiment, some sort of odd sexual trend, but rather an adaptation to a culture which values boys and crushes girls. Jenny Nordberg, in The Underground Girls of Kabul, explores this fascinating phenomenon.

Threading through the book is her budding friendship with Azita, a woman who defies many of Afghanistan's edicts about women being hidden away in burkas behind the closed doors of their homes. Azita holds political office and is devoted to improving her country. However, because she has had no daughters, she and her husband have chosen to make their youngest daughter into a boy. Although others in the city know these boys are really girls, they choose to accept them as boys, allowing these families improved social standing: a family with no sons is frowned upon, and the wife is mocked. Yet Azita suffers many of the difficulties of Afghan women, including an arranged marriage to an abusive husband.

Nordberg profiles a number of bacha posh from a variety of circumstances, highlighting the perhaps heretofore unknown prevalence of this strange cultural dynamic. As she does, she remarks upon the phenomenon of bacha posh as, really, an underground revolt against the patriarchal system of Afghanistan.

I found this book very interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which was simply learning more about the social climate of this area of the world. As someone with a graduate degree in psychology, I found the idea of bacha posh very curious and interesting. I doubt that anyone could read this book and not come away with a new compassion for the extreme hardships women face under these political, religious, and social edicts.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.

REVIEW: Journey to Jesus DVD Curriculum

Journey to Jesus: Building Christ-centered Friendships with Muslims is a six episode DVD curriculum appropriate for small group teaching. Interspersed with teaching sessions that illustrate the faith of Islam and the different approaches we can take to sharing the gospel are three role play dramas. One mini-drama shows us a Christian woman befriending a Muslim woman, one shows a Christian and a Muslim man, the final one involves two male college students--you guessed it, one Christian and one Muslim.

I found the curriculum interesting. To me, the takeaway on the course is the importance of building relationships with Muslims, finding common life ground from which to begin an eventual sharing of the gospel. The teaching session about the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam was most instructive to me, because now I know more about what Muslims believe about Jesus. The session that describes the different types of Islam and the way these types break down across the Muslim world was helpful as well.

Although as a woman I found the drama about the two women to be the best role play for me personally, the one between the two college students got my attention because of my involvement in youth ministry. The young Christian man was clearly unable to articulate his faith, a fact which made the Muslim student (who knew his Koran inside out and upside down) openly contemptuous. We are always praying that our youth will have sustainable, defendable faith when they enter college, and to that end I will share this curriculum with our youth pastor.

I think this curriculum would work well for churches seeking to better understand the Muslims in their communities and reach out to them in friendship, love, and the gospel of Jesus.

I received this curriculum for free from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for this review.

BOOK REVIEW: Willie's Redneck Time Machine

Once again, the Duck Dynasty does not disappoint! And that's a fact, Jack--to quote Uncle Si.

Willie's Redneck Time Machine is the first of four choose-your-own-adventure books by John Luke Robertson (with Travis Thrasher), the other three being Phil and the Ghost of Camp Ch-Yo-Ca, Si in Space, and Jase and the Deadliest Hunt. This book is pretty much as many books as the reader wants it to be, all in one. Let me explain.

You are Willie Robertson, discovering an odd outhouse in the back yard. At the same time, you realize John Luke is nowhere to be seen. Upon closer inspection, you realize the outhouse is actually a time machine, and at that point the choices begin: do you step inside, or wait outside to see what happens? Depending on your choice, you are directed to turn to different pages...and at the end of that chapter, you have two more choices (occasionally, there is only just one). The fun just multiplies as you go on to have adventure after adventure. There are even different endings possible to the story--but once you've ended, you can always go back to any point in the book and make a different choice than you did the first time, ending up somewhere completely different. Sound like fun? It is!

On top of that, all the Duck Dynasty characters are to be found in the adventures, saying and doing pretty much all the things you would expect them to. I found that I heard their voices in my head as I read the (very believable) dialogue. It was like hanging out with people I already "know."

My 10 year old son, who isn't a big reading fan, really enjoyed this book. He said it was "full of adventure" and carried it around everywhere he went, even reading in the car on the way to church or football practice. I can see this being a great book to have on hand for times when young ones are sick with the flu, or if you have a kiddo down with a broken leg; using their imaginations and choosing where to go next in the story could definitely alleviate times of boredom or get their minds off feeling crummy.

I received this book for free for review purposes from Tyndale Publishing.

Enjoy!

Rear view mirror

How good are you about checking the rear view mirror when you drive? I check it often, but sometimes I get to relying on the side ones too much. A couple weeks ago I almost caused an accident because a car that wasn't in my side view would have shown up in my rear view--but I didn't look back before changing lanes.

Um, what's the spiritual point here?

Tuesday night I sat alone in the prayer room. For various and completely reasonable reasons, none of the other prayer moms could make it that night. I thought about just going outside to watch kids play the ongoing epic saga of capture the flag, but felt instead God tug on my heart to just be alone with Him. So I sat in the prayer room, opened my Bible to read through the chapter for the Bible study that night, and prayed.

As I prayed, I remembered. I remembered praying before there were prayer moms. Before I ever knew there would be prayer moms. Before I ever thought the words "prayer mom." When my oldest son was in jr high and God had me in a 7 year holding pattern of praying for His green light to enter youth ministry, I used to arrive early to pick him up. I didn't know any of the youth kids or the leaders, so I didn't go inside; I just sat in the car, listened as strains of a worship song or the Bible study wafted out through the open doors if it was a warm night, and prayed.

I prayed for those kids and leaders I didn't know. I prayed for the spiritual battle I thought I understood. My heart would pound and sometimes I would cry, though I didn't know why. I just knew God had planted this passion of prayer for youth in my heart, and this was the only thing I could do with it.

It's been 10 years now since God called the prayer mom ministry into existence. And as I remembered those nights in the parking lot, I also remembered many things during the years between then and now. I remembered lots we'd shared together in prayer through the years. I also remembered times we were variously so broke we were putting change in the gas tank to get to meetings, or were really grateful for the leftover food at some event that someone suggested we take home for our families. I remembered times of spiritual oppression so heavy we could barely drag ourselves to meetings. And hard times of fasting that brought powerful spiritual fruit.

See, it's good to remember. This morning I read this in Jeremiah 2:

“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,
    how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,
    through a land not sown."

It's good to remember because sometimes we forget. God says remember when you were so broke you couldn't pay attention and I sent you home with those leftovers? Remember when you were crying in the car because the battle was so fierce in your family and I showed you My power in every situation? Looking back, you remember that He led you through the "land not sown"--which would mean it was hard, dry, wasn't producing any crops.

Jeremiah 4:1, 3-4 says,

"Return to Me...break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts." 

There's something about looking back that's good. Because I don't know about you, but sometimes I forget. I take things for granted. Ok, it's Tuesday...hop in the not-jimmy-rigged car, park where I belong now, go inside to talk with kids and leaders I know, pray about the usual things, eat some nachos, head home. Now it's not "wilderness..a land not sown." Now it's "(my) unplowed ground" and I'm being warned not to sow among thorns. I'm being urged to "return" and to cut away the places I've become complacent so that my heart is once again tender like "the devotion of your youth" when "as a bride you loved Me."

This is a transparent post, but hopefully it challenges you to look back on your own "land not sown" that He led you through..and then to readjust your "go forward." God never says go back and live in those years--He says remember them and return to that attitude of heart.

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16

Check the rear view mirror. 

That heart-thing: not a crazy daydream

I'm laughing as I finally sit down to write this, because I've tried three other times today to do so, and that very fact highlights the point of this post.

Do you have something you believe God has called you to do? Something that you think about often, that just seems to be a direction your life is supposed to be heading? I do. Over a year and a half ago I felt like God was stirring me to a new thing, and I've been obedient to just surrender it and acknowledge that I don't have a clue how to get from here to there. I'm beginning to think it's all just a crazy daydream rather than a calling from my Creator.

Last night I was thinking about this thing and it just feels so far away given many circumstances of my life (such as, two busy sons who need me every time I sit at the computer). I fell asleep praying Philippians 2:13--"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good purpose."

This morning He reminded me through Isaiah 55:8 that His thoughts aren't mine, and my ways aren't His. He does not think the way I think. He does not get from here to there the way I would deem plausible. No. In fact, He specializes in the impossible. Excels at the extra-ordinary. He uses the weak to shame those with power-point maps of their career roads (ok, that's a paraphrase, smile--the Word actually says,"to shame the wise" in 1 Corinthians 1:27).

He gave me (and you) that "thing" in our hearts that is His good purpose. And if He gave us the want-to, He will give us the "oomph to" (another paraphrase). It is Him working in us both to will and to do, for whatever reasons He has for us to do this thing down here on earth while we live and breathe.

So what do I do? As my pastor reminds us often: keep it simple, silly. I will surrender each day to Him and ask Him to help me hear His directions for it. I will do the next thing. And I will grab opportunities to do the thing He has called me to do, one small step at a time--this post being one of them.

By the way, it is now 4 days since I first started this post, because the "next thing" in front of me hasn't been this--it's mostly been those two busy sons. But here it is. I hope that encourages you in your purpose-thing.

Someday

Who's going through something out there?

Maybe the better question is: who isn't going through something out there?

If we're honest and real, most of us will admit there is some kind of trial, difficulty, challenge going on in our lives. Maybe more than one. Probably more than one. I'm raising my hand right with you.

In the midst of the whatever-it-is, we can find strength in God's Word--but you probably knew that already. We often encourage each other with verses that speak of God's strength in the midst of our weaknesses, His power to handle our circumstances, His provision for our needs. And we're right to do so. We need those verses. I need those verses.

But today I read a verse that got me thinking about things a bit differently. I read this:

"In that day they will say, 
'Surely this is our God;
we trusted in Him, and He saved us. 
This is the LORD, we trusted in Him; 
let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.'"
Isaiah 25:9

See, someday we'll be on the other side of this thing. Someday, God will have brought an end to it and it will be behind us. Someday we'll get to look back and say, wow that was a rough one--but it's over. We made it through. We hung in there and held on to Jesus and He helped. He's a good and faithful God. Wow, is He good.

Can you go stand in the someday with me for a minute? Put yourself there, on the other side of whatever it is that's facing you right now. The illness. The empty checkbook. The relationship. The regret. Whatever it is...go stand in the someday. Because you are gonna get there--that's a promise that threads through from Genesis to Revelation. And if we can stand there long enough to feel what it's going to be like on the other side of this something, we can go back and face it with new courage and hope.

What's the key? "We trusted in Him, and He saved us." It doesn't say we have to be this or be that or do this or do that. Trust in Him. That's it. Keep it simple, saint.

Hang in there. Hold on. Trust God.

What is your "something"?

Today and every day till it's over, let's remember that there's a "someday." Because there's a Someone. 

BOOK REVIEW: Dancing on the Head of a Pen

Dancing on the Head of a Pen, by Robert Benson, is a beautiful book about the process of writing. Written in short chapters--with a warm tone of voice and simple metaphors to illustrate different aspects of the writing process--this book gives heartwarming advice to anyone who seeks to write a book. Because I am (of course!) writing a book, I found myself captivated by this one.

Gently passing through aspects of writing such as self-discipline, the importance of daily writing, and reading others' writing for inspiration, Benson gives kind hope and encouragement to those of us navigating our way through this art called writing. He suggests ways to draw inspiration for writing, and how to choose an audience for whom to write. He even tells how you might know your book is done.

I love the thread that runs through this book of letting life itself show you what and how to write. He encourages writers not to lose touch with the beauty of a neighborhood stroll or the practical lessons gleaned from talks with neighbors. Ultimately, it is recognizing that God knows what you are to write and when you are to write it..and will fill you in on the plan if you'll just listen long enough to hear it.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes. If you would like to learn more about Robert Benson, go here. If you'd like to read the first chapter of this book, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Revangelical

Warning: don't read this book if you are comfortable in your Christianity.

Challenge: read this book if you are comfortable in your Christianity.

I seriously challenge every Christian who checks "evangelical" on his or her list of what-niche-I-fit-into to read Revangelical. I needed the wake up call, and you might need it too. Evangelism means bringing good news...but too often we don't. Too often people looking at the evangelical movement from afar would instead say, with Gandhi, "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Lance Ford draws from his own experience as a mainline evangelical and his progression through a transformation into a revangelical...people who, in his words, "seek to live their lives as Good News people of the Kingdom of Heaven, even if it costs them the American Dream."

Beginning right between the eyes, Ford addresses our political stances and then moves on to our "tweetable gospel"--the one that often starts and ends with the sinner's prayer. We give ourselves pats on the back for leading people to Jesus, but then sometimes walk off and leave them there--without the meaningful investment in their lives that will help them walk in this new life (#prayedtheprayer #savedfromhell #awesome).

He goes on to challenge the way we often get fired up with devotion to right-wing talk show hosts and authors who incite us to develop an "us-them" mentality against our fellow human beings...rather than get our wisdom and direction from the One who died for them. He points a finger at our self-righteousness. He confronts our attempts to hang on to what we deem ours, whether it be a standard of living, a political position, or a border. He even likens us to Pharisees who don't "see" "sinners," forgetting that that's who we are every day. Jesus had much to say about self-righteous religious leaders who tithed meticulously but were unmerciful to those they deemed "unclean."

Yes, sadly, sometimes as evangelicals we deem certain people "unclean."

Revangelicals are those who realize we have become Pharisees, repent, and begin looking at the example of Jesus for how to bring Him to our families, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Revangelicals realize we are to be salt and light, people that others are drawn to. Remember that the "common people heard Him gladly"? Revangelicals are heard gladly by others because they are willing to get involved in doing life with them.

Ford gives examples throughout the book of revangelicals who have made a demonstrable difference in the lives of those around them. I liked this because it helped me to put pictures to what he presents.

Here's what I appreciate about this book: it doesn't advocate condoning sin. I've read books in which the pendulum swings so far to the left that we are told to embrace things the Bible says are sin, out of an ooey gooey love shift. Ford makes it clear that what the Bible has always said is sin, is still sin. However, fulfilling Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4 means getting inside people's lives, as He did. Rather than pointing at their sin, point them toward heaven so that, between your example and the truth of the Word, they decide to make life changes. Now that's good news.

I received a copy of this book for free from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for this review.

Why pray for our youth?

As I am embarking on my pinterest career, I created a board about praying for youth--since that is one of my primary passions--and looked for pins to build it. Um, I didn't find much. Maybe I'm searching with the wrong keywords, but I don't see much about why it's so critical to pray for our teens.

For the past 10 years, I have led an intercessory prayer team for our youth ministry simply known as the "prayer moms." We are a group of ordinary women who have no special training in prayer, no special qualifications. We are just moms of teenagers who feel that God wants us to stand in the gap and pray for them. We meet weekly to do so together, but also pray individually every day for our youth pastor, youth leaders, and youth kids. How we specifically do that is subject matter for another blog, but the point is that we believe the young people of this generation need consistent intercessory prayer as they begin and grow in relationship with God prior to heading out into the world of college and beyond.

Here are the main reasons we do so:

1. Kids need truth. Ever since the Bible and prayer were removed from our public schools, secular humanism has crept in. Relative truth has replaced absolute truth and created an atmosphere of confusion for teens who need firm boundaries and parameters for decision-making. Kids need the absolute truth of the Bible to steer their lives.
2. Kids need salvation. Statistics show most Christians make their decisions for salvation before the age of 18. Kids need to have real encounters with Jesus while they are still in their formative years. 
3. Kids need sustainable faith. Not only do teens need to have real relationships with Christ, they need to be grounded in active faith. They need to know their Bibles for themselves, and pray for themselves, and apply godly counsel to their own circumstances. 
4. Kids need spiritual protection. The enemy is real and he never takes a day off. His goal is to steal, kill and destroy--and at all costs prevent our kids from walking out into the world saved, walking in sustainable faith, and knowing absolute truth. He plays dirty and hits below the belt. They need intercessors to step out onto the spiritual battlefield and ask God to help them. 

Encouraging moms to pray for the youth of their churches--or neighborhoods--or whatever--is my passion, because I believe it makes a difference. We have seen many answered prayers during the past 10 years as we have consistently and diligently interceded for the youth of our church. If you want to know more about this, email me at momspray4youth@yahoo.com. 

BOOK REVIEW: Evergreen

Are you an empty nester? If so, you may relate to the struggle John and Ingrid Christiansen experience during their first Christmas alone in Susan May Warren's Evergreen.

As Ingrid wrestles with her conflicting feelings--sadness at her empty house and gratitude for her children's independent lives--John looks forward to a trip away. When that is thwarted, and they are thrown into the role of temporary parents to Ingrid's nephew, Ingrid's long-simmering bitterness over an issue John didn't even know bothered her is stirred to a flame. Both struggle to reconnect with the love they used to feel for each other, but the Christiansen home is unusually frosty this Christmas.

Told in Warren's characteristic warm style, this novella is yet another reason to love the Christiansen family. As Warren's series on this family continues to expand, readers will find Evergreen a delightful interlude between  longer installments in the family's lives.

For more information on Warren and the Christiansen family series, go here.

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my review.

BOOK REVIEW: A Short Walk to the Edge of Life

Talk about a take-your-breath-away adventure! Scott Hubbartt, in his book A Short Walk to the Edge of Life, takes the reader on a journey that changed his life--and his perspective of it--forever. Similar to an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive," Scott embarked on what he confidently thought would be an 8-10 hour hike in a Peruvian canyon to explore his wife's family history. A decorated Air Force veteran who had completed Survival, Evasion, Rescue and Escape training, he assumed he could handle the elements. He couldn't.

This book strikes right to the heart of what we all must admit before God: we're helpless without Him. Scott found, as he wandered for four days without food or water, that God will miraculously provide when we call to Him in admittance of our utter dependency upon Him.

Need some reminding as to Who is sovereign over your life? Take this journey with Scott and see how it changed his relationship with God..it just might change yours, too.

Read the first chapter here, and find out more about Scott Hubbartt here.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for this review.

Red sweatshirt days

My mom's been gone seven months now. Although the funeral is now a poignant distant memory, there are days when the loss of her hits me like a hurricane and I am immediately out-of-breath overcome with sorrow. It can be a John Denver song in the grocery store or the fragment of a poem that I hear her say in my mind. And in that moment, all the grief is fresh and I just miss her, brand new, all over again.

Going through her belongings, in her house, was the hardest thing I've ever done. It was even harder than the funeral, because the only experiences I've had in the Oregon house are--experiences with her. To walk in that house and see her place on the couch empty, forever, was devastating. To walk through the kitchen and realize I would never hear her sing while preparing a meal or doing dishes ever again on this earth, was like a sock in the gut. To go into her bedroom and open up her drawers was to ache in a way that can't be consoled.

My brother had thrown away or donated most of her clothes in the past few months, but he'd kept some items he thought my sister and I would like. When he offered me an unremarkable, rather tattered red sweatshirt, I turned him down, because not only was I trying not to take home more than I really "needed," but also because I couldn't imagine a purpose for it. Then he explained: whenever Mom felt lonely or sad, my Dad would say, "It's a red sweatshirt day." That meant she should put on one of the red sweatshirts he always made sure she had, as kind of a security blanket that meant he loved her and would be close to her in spirit all day. My brother said, you need a red sweatshirt. I took it.

It took me about three weeks to open up the boxes I brought home from Oregon. When I did, I was overwhelmed with memories of her and of my father in pictures, love letters, and tiny memorabilia. But it was when I lifted out the linens and clothes I'd brought home that I lost it, because they smelled like her...like her house..and again the grief hit me like the waves at WindanSea when I was 17 and Alan was teaching me how to body surf.

A red sweatshirt day. The only problem? Here in San Diego it was 85 degrees, and a sweatshirt wasn't called for.

But I get the point, and the red sweatshirt is easily accessible for when the weather cools. I have a feeling there will be a lot of red sweatshirt days before the Lord calls me home and my mom and I see each other again. Until then, aside from the tangibility of a piece of clothing, is the growing sense I have that, as I've said before, heaven really isn't that far away. Sometimes as I read my Bible and pray, I feel like it's really just on the other side of me--like just a shroud of unseen substance separates me from her. Like she's really actually looking over my shoulder, or my dad is sitting on the chair next to me--we just can't touch each other.

Heaven is real, and it's close, and when we get there
     "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new." Revelation 21:4, 5a

"...there shall be no more red sweatshirt days."

BOOK REVIEW: All for a Sister

What a delightful book!

This is the first time I have read a book by Allison Pittman, but it won't be the last. All for a Sister is a truly fun story about two women whose lives are woven together by their parents' deceitfulness...to a heartwarming end.

The book is told through a refreshing mix of viewpoints and genres (memoir, current events, and the occasional screenplay vignette) that left me unable to predict around the next turn--which is unusual in many of today's novels. It truly illustrates the truth of Romans 8:28, that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose." Although God is not a frequent reference in this book, the plot nonetheless highlights His goodness to those whose lives have been determined by others' sins.

I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from Tyndale Publishing.

BOOK REVIEW: Strangers at My Door

"I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home." Matthew 25:35, NLT

Have you ever wondered what it would like if you truly welcomed into your home anyone who happened to knock? That's exactly what Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove did, and Strangers at My Door is the book that tells about his experiences in doing so.

Organized thematically rather than chronologically, Wilson-Hartgrove takes us through what it looks like to "Open the Door," "Lean(ing) In," and experience "Gifts From Beyond." We are reminded that when we look into the face of those who have been cast out by society, we have to confront our own part in that as members of society. Are we willing to truly look into the eyes of those who are homeless...truly get involved and be Jesus' hands and feet? Or do we simply walk up the steps to our homes and close the doors behind us?

I appreciate Wilson-Hartgrove's honesty. He reminds us that the knock at the door is "always an interruption," and that he doesn't always answer it when he should. He quotes Dostoevsky: "Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams." Yet he has opened his door hundreds of times over the years and has been Jesus to those who needed to eat, or drink, or be given clothing, or receive friendship.

The knock at the door also brings us into a shared experience of hurt with hurting people. He says, "Prayer isn't the power to stand down the waves of suffering that crash over all of us. Prayer is holding the hands of those who will stay with you, being present. It's learning to trust that a way will open." As the leader of an intercessory prayer team, sometimes I want to pray a solution into someone's life when really, I'm supposed to sit beside them and pray with them, waiting together for the answer.

However, in two other roles of my life I have to push back a bit against Wilson-Hartgrove's book. First, as a wife and mom I find myself wanting to know more about his wife and children's experiences as he has run Rutba House over the years. As the protector of my children, I do have reservations about the wisdom of taking in men right from prison into the home where my kids sleep. I would like to know if there were ever adverse events that arose through the years of this ministry.

Second, as someone who worked for years with the homeless in my big city, I am perhaps a bit calloused to the approach that those without homes simply need unconditional love to set them back on their feet. I know that sometimes the homeless really need to show an investment in rehabilitation to make it valuable to them. While I don't think Wilson-Hartgrove is naive--I do hear wisdom in his words--I would have liked to hear more about ways he holds his houseguests to a certain degree of accountability; where are the checks and balances?

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It challenges me to remember those who are hurting and hungry when I walk along the street or around my neighborhood. It challenges me to remember that Jesus wants us to remember to care for strangers, because sometimes they are angels. And it challenges me to remember that whenever we do these things to the least of these, we do them to Jesus.

I received this book for free for review purposes from Waterbrook Multnomah books. This is the author's website, and if you are interested in reading the first chapter of the book, go here.

BOOK REVIEW: Stand Strong

Nick Vujicic knows a bit about bullying.

Born without arms or legs, Vujicic endured taunts and teasing from bullies as he was growing up. In his new book, Stand Strong, he reaches out to young people who are going through similarly difficult times. Drawing from his faith and writing in an easy conversational tone, Vujicic challenges kids to deal with their bullies firmly but without retaliation. He emphasizes internal confidence over external action.

With chapters such as "Owning It," "Create Your Safety Zone,"  and "Rise Above," young people are given strategic suggestions for increasing their confidence in Christ and handling unkind behavior from bullies. He encourages kids to create a "bully defense strategy" that they will use if threatened with violence by a bully. He takes on the perennial question: do I fight back?

Vujicic is kind and friendly, and isn't afraid to poke a bit of fun at himself. I believe this will help young people identify with him and therefore take his advice to heart.

To see Vujicic's video introducing the book, go here, and for more information about the author himself, go here.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

BOOK REVIEW: The Waiting

This is the most beautiful book I've read this year.

The Waiting, by Cathy LaGrow (with Cindy Coloma), is the story of a 17 year old girl, Minka, who gave her daughter, conceived in an assault by a stranger, up for adoption. It is the story of how Minka wrote countless letters over many years to the girls' home that facilitated the adoption, asking the staff to pass on her love to that baby--which, because it was a closed adoption, they could not. It is the story of Minka growing into a young woman, a wife, a mother, a widow, a senior citizen...and never forgetting to pray for that daughter, trusting God to watch over her. It is the story of a heart's desire that, after nearly 80 years, seemed about to go into the ground with Minka as she neared 100 years of age.

But then, Minka prayed an impossible prayer.

And, because this is also a story about God's faithfulness...He answered.

If you have ever found yourself having to trust God for something over which you have absolutely no control, you need to read this book.  If you have ever doubted that God can put impossible circumstances together for your good, you will find hope in these pages.  If you have ever wondered whether God really does answer impossible prayers, you will wonder no more. This story testifies to the fact that God knows where His kids are at all times, and that when we delight ourselves in Him, He gives us the desires of our hearts.

I received a copy of this book for free from Tyndale Publishing company for review purposes.

BOOK REVIEW: Girl at the End of the World

Girl at the End of the World, by Elizabeth Esther, is a dramatic and sensitive look at the inner workings of a cult. Esther grew up in the fundamentalist Christian cult called The Assembly, which was founded by her paternal grandfather. She grew up with a desire to please Jesus and her family by being legalistically devoted to the teachings of the cult; however, as a teenager she found herself confronted with the unhealthy atmosphere of her home and church. The heartwrenching challenges she faced to leave the cult (and her family) as a young married mother keep the reader riveted, rooting for her to break free and find a healthy relationship with Jesus.

However, leaving the cult was only the first step of Esther's healing. Anxiety attacks that had a crippling effect on her life had to be addressed in therapy, her marriage had to be renegotiated outside the confines of the authoritative influence of the cult, and family relationships needed restoration.

I read this book in two days because of Esther's engaging style, admiring the courage it took her to reach back into difficult memories and tell her story. It is important for cult survivors to do so, in order that others may be encouraged to confront similar situations. If you have ever wondered what it is like to live in a cult, this book will give you an accurate picture; I have a friend who spent 10 years in a cult, and the story she tells is very similar to Esther's. The road to spiritual health is a long one, but it is one worth walking.

For more on the author, go here. I received this book for free for review purposes from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers.

BOOK REVIEW: And Life Comes Back

To read And Life Comes Back, by Tricia Lott Williford, is to hurt and heal at the same time. After her husband unexpectedly dies in her arms, 31-year-old mother of two Williford gets off the floor, turns to the process of grief, and brings us along.



Already a writer, Williford uses her abilities to chronicle her journey through grief, from the first terrible moments to the day she is finally ready to let go and restart her life. She even pauses to give her readers some advice, whether they are encountering others who have lost loved ones or whether they are the ones who are hurting.

My mom died just a few months ago. It was also unexpected, although she was elderly and had some minor health problems. Still, I viscerally understand that feeling of--your loved one is just...gone. He or she is never coming back. Williford's emotions, thoughts, actions, are all so understandable to me, although the circumstances of my grief were different. She uses the pillars of support in her life well, from her band of close girlfriends to her therapist to the baristas at Starbucks, where she sought daily refuge.

I especially was moved by the letter she wrote to her newlywed self, giving her glimpses of what her life would hold during the 10 years she would have with her husband. I also felt the conversations she had with her young sons about their father's death were compelling, because they were marked with honesty. Kids need honesty.
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What am I left with after reading this book? Exactly what I've felt since my own loss occurred: love your family every day. You don't know how long you have with them. Try to remember that when you get frustrated over things that, in the scope of eternity, do not matter. Williford did that during her marriage (although of course no marriage is perfect), and she has beautiful memories to draw from until she sees her husband again.

Interested in the book or the author? Go here.

I received this book free for review purposes from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers.

BOOK REVIEW: Blood Moons Rising

Blood Moons Rising, by Mark Hitchcock, is a simple-to-read, to-the-point look at the current prophecies about an upcoming lunar pattern. In 2014/2015 there will be what is called a "tetrad"--an occurrence of complete lunar eclipses ("blood moons", for their reddish hue) on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles for two consecutive years. Several noteworthy prophecy experts point to this upcoming tetrad as a sign of epic, imminent activity by God...perhaps even the Rapture of the church.

Interestingly, I just read a book by a respected author and pastor that mentioned this phenomenon last week; previously it was unknown to me. Hitchcock takes a thorough look at all elements of the prophecy, first expounding what its proponents have to say and then progressing through biblical passages to look at how these views line up. 

I appreciate this book's readability. Whether or not you are a Christian, you will easily be able to follow his train of thought, because his approach is down to earth. It isn't filled with a lot of "Christian-ese." For instance, he narrates through, and then provides a chart of, the end times "schedule' predicted in the Bible. If you are curious about the upcoming blood moons and how they line up with biblical passages that refer to the sun and the moon, you will find easy to understand answers here. 

I also appreciate the author's respect for the prophecy experts he quotes in the book.

I like especially that Hitchcock encourages readers, rather than becoming fearful or anxious about end times scenarios, to do four things (based on 1 Peter 4:7-11): "keep our heads clear, our hearts warm, our homes open, and our hands busy." 

I received this book for free, for review purposes, from Tyndale Publishers. 

Homeschool blessings

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Today I loved being a homeschool mom because...

First, the opportunity to take my time in the morning with my Bible, coffee, and journal is precious. I don't have a deadline to meet...a certain time I need to get myself in the shower or out the door. If God's speaking, I get to sit and listen. If the checkbook needs balancing, or emails need answering, I can take an extra 15 minutes and do it. My kids will usually sleep till I wake them up, and although I do have a basic schedule in place, it's flexible. We start when we start, and we finish when we finish.

This morning I did kick some butt when I woke them up, because we have indeed fallen into the winter sludge, but they responded pretty well and we worked hard, together. When we have a good school day, we all get to share in that ownership. We do it as a team.

Next, I love that I get to read and talk with my boys as we go. We read good books (historical fiction much of the time, interesting textbooks the rest) and have natural conversations about the world events they cover. I believe this cements the information into their minds and hearts. I love when they take an idea and question it, or apply it, or challenge it. That's knowledge building.

I also love that I can give my boys breaks when they need them. Because they are boys, they get squirrelly and restless. I can send them outside to shoot hoops for 10 minutes and then pick the books back up again.

Last week math facts fell completely out of one of my sons' heads and he melted down over his math lesson, which was introducing a new concept. We have been able to go at his pace, slowly, step by step, until the math facts came back to roost and the new concept made sense. He feels so much more confident now than if he'd been rushed through in a traditional classroom and made to feel dumb for not understanding. Same has gone, in the past week, for his cursive lessons and his writing class project. I am so thankful that I get to listen to him, identify the point of trouble, and work from there baby step by baby step. Today, we had success moments in all three subjects--priceless!

Different days bring different reasons for gratitude. This is our 9th year homeschooling, and although not every day brings those success moments, I've not had any "ohmygoshI'msendingthemtopublicschoolTOMORROW!" days in a really long time. Thank You, Jesus, for bringing me--and my kids--home. I am going to bed feeling blessed.

BOOK REVIEW: Brenda and the Loveladies

Miss Brenda and the Loveladies, by Brenda Spahn and Irene Zutell, is a delightful book! 

Brenda Spahn is an unlikely candidate to rehabilitate a group of female ex-convicts, but God rarely chooses likely people for His work down here. A wealthy woman in her mid-50s, Brenda hears God's call on her life after facing jail time herself for some groundless accusations. Rather than go get a social work degree or fast and pray for further direction, Brenda just barges into a work release program one day--and the story begins. 

Filled with hilarious anecdotes that really would make a fantastic motion picture, Brenda and her girls all have lots to learn about redemption--and the fact that there is THE most epic Walmart story I have ever heard makes the whole book worthwhile! I spent 20 years working with disadvantaged teens, and I love that God's forgiveness and promises are a constant theme every time Brenda talks to her girls. 

Having journeyed the past three months through some sad life events, I so appreciated the "grace, God, and gumption" that the subtitle promised in this book.  Go get this book. Period. If you need further convincing, go here for more about the Loveladies. 

I received this book for free for review purposes from Waterbrook Multnomah. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Holy Land Key

Do you look at today's headlines and get a little nervous? Do you ever wonder if we are in the last days? What does the Bible say about world events as we approach the second coming of Jesus Christ? 

Pastor Ray Bentley, of Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, speaks right to you in his book, "The Holy Land Key: Unlocking End Times Prophecy Through the Lives of God's People in Israel". He is a seasoned man of God, trained up under Pastor Chuck Smith (the founder of the Calvary Chapel movement). He has led his church to love and honor the nation of Israel, and has developed significant personal relationships with those in its leadership, such as the late Ron Nachman (founder and mayor of Ariel) and the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He lives Genesis 12:3, that those who bless Israel will be blessed. The pastor of my church has similarly close friendships with Israeli leadership, and I had the privilege of hearing Ron Nachman speak at my church. I find everything Bentley represents about these national leaders to resonate with what our experience as a congregation has been through the years. 

The Holy Land Key discusses prophecies that have already come to pass, such as the regathering of the Jewish people back into the land in 1948. It also examines prophecies being fulfilled in our current days. Then it takes a look at prophetic signs through the culture of the Jewish people, such as seasons and feasts. Bentley takes an in depth look at the Old Testament prophecy of Daniel's 70 weeks. The book also examines God's pattern of revealing prophecy in layers--first in the natural world, then in the spiritual. All this is done in context of the position of the Jews throughout history. The testimony of how the Ninth of Av has been connected to no less than 12 hugely painful events in Jewish history is compelling--and chilling. 

The most interesting portion of this book to me is the upcoming significance of the blood moon "tetrad" in 2014 and 2015. This is an occurrence of a total lunar eclipse (hence the term "blood moon", as the moon appears red) on both the day of Passover and the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, two years in a row. Read about why this is biblically significant, and what kind of things might be upcoming for Israel--and the world--this year and next. 

This book is sobering, and yet soothing. To be reminded that we are in the palm of God's hand through such "interesting times" gives me peace, "even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea" (Psalm 46:2).  

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for review purposes. 

To learn more about the author, go here.

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Three funerals and a wedding

"Sorrow is better than laughter,
    for sadness has a refining influence on us.
4 A wise person thinks a lot about death,
    while a fool thinks only about having a good time." Ecclesiastes 7:3, 4 NLT

I know that there is a movie called, "Three Weddings and a Funeral," but I haven't seen it. However, in the last three months I have lived the reverse of the movie's title.

On December 17, while my husband and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary out of town (the first time in 26 years that we celebrated early), I got the phone call that my mom had died of a sudden heart attack. Although she had had health concerns in the last few years, and indeed had just been at the hospital that morning for a fainting episode, the doctors did not feel there were any urgent medical issues. They had sent her home, and I was planning to call her that night.

But there was no phone call. Only this phone call.

Because it was a week before Christmas, my niece was imminently expecting twins, and my mom had lived out of state, we decided to postpone her funeral services until February.

Tears, texts, sobs, calls, tears, plans. Sleepless nights, sad days as our family began walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

Christmas came--and we smiled. Babies came--and we laughed. Pockets of happiness.

But before my mom's funeral services were held, I attended two other memorial services. Two weeks to the day after my mom died, a close girlfriend lost her stepfather in a similarly sudden fashion. Three weeks after my mom died, I stood with some dear friends as they said goodbye to their 18 year old son. Heartbroken for my friends, I wept with them, prayed with them, loved them.

And two days before my mom's funeral, I was at...a wedding. It was very hard to go, with my heart in preparation for such a sad day in my own life, but I am glad I did. Happy for these friends, I rejoiced with them, smiled with them, prayed for them, loved them. A pocket of happiness.

Finally the days came for my mom's funeral and burial. Our family held tight to each other and walked through the valley, surrounded by my church family who wept with us, prayed with us, loved us (and fed us and blessed us in a hundred other ways).

I have thought about many things in the past few months. One thing I have thought a lot about is the truth of the verse at the top of this blog. Sorrow does have a refining influence upon us. It has reminded me, threefold, that when you stand at the graveside only two things matter: what you did with Jesus, and how you treated your family. What you did with Jesus determines your eternity. How you treated your family determines your legacy.

My mom loved and lived Jesus, and she is in heaven. She loved and lived for us, and her legacy is a beautiful foundation for the rest of us to stand on as we all bump up a notch in the family line up.

I have also been well reminded that there are pockets of happiness in this life, and they are important. Babies, weddings, holidays...they are God's gift as we walk down here. And for them I am thankful.

From here? Well, I've come up with a hashtag that goes on all my family-related Instagram posts now: #loveyourfamilyeveryday. And, lately I have had this song on repeat in my car, and it pretty much sums it up.

Love Jesus.
Love your family.
Laugh in the pockets of happiness.
Be ready for eternity.

BOOK REVIEW: It Had to be You

Families. They are complicated places sometimes. We somehow end up stuck in roles that never were ours to play. Enter Eden Christiansen, stuck in the role of her hotshot hockey star brother Owen's caretaker and chief cheerleader; a role she is weary of playing, but unable to pass off to anyone else...including Owen.

Enter Jace Jacobsen, wildly famous enforcer for the same hockey team Owen plays on. He's also stuck..stuck in his role as the bad guy who the media--and women--love. He's endured dangerous injuries and struggles with crippling migraines that could kill him, but though he also is weary of his role, he feels unable to step out of the spotlight.

Enter Sam, widower father to Maddy, stuck in his role as less-than-perfect champion of her fragile health. As her heart transplant fails due to his unintended negligence, he has to make dangerous decisions because he feels he has no one else to help him.

All of these characters collide in Susan May Warren's It Had to be You, the Christiansen family follow up to Take a Chance on Me. In this story, the characters from the first story take a distant backseat as we get to know Eden,one of Darek's sisters. We watch these three characters each come to terms with their stuck life roles, ultimately finding that God sovereignly loves and directs our lives. I love this family! I was blessed with a free copy of the book by Tyndale House Publishers for review purposes and already can't wait for the next novel!

This is a wonderful story for you if you have ever felt burdened by a life pattern that you just can't seem to break. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Trust God for His perfect design for your life.

Here is a Q and A with author Susan May Warren.

BOOK REVIEW: Sun Stand Still

Sun Stand Still, by Steven Furtick, is a 40 day devotional book that challenges the reader to, every day, evaluate his/her faith and stretch it to new levels. Drawing on the "audacious" prayer of Joshua in Joshua 10, Furtick proposes that each of us can and should pray for the things that seem impossible. After all, our God can and still does do impossible things!!  He may or may not ever again make the sun stand still, but He just might break an "impossible" addiction in your family member's life, provide an "impossible" amount of money to save your home from foreclosure, or heal your "impossible" disease when the doctors have given up all hope.

I am using the book as an assist to some spiritual goals I set for this year, and have kept my journal nearby to take notes when I read each day. Furtick has a great way of condensing important spiritual truths into short statements that easily imprint on my memory to carry with me for the day ahead. I find myself encouraged, as several times God has met me in the Scripture passages that accompany each day's devotion. (Note: read them!! Don't just assume you know what the passage is--read it for God's fresh living and active word to you).

I would recommend this book to  those who are facing "impossible" situations, or who need a jolt to revive discouraged faith, You can find out more about Steven Furtick here, and more about Sun Stand Still here (you can download a sample chapter of the book if you would like).

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing.