October 23, 2011

Book Review: Money- God or Gift

Money – God or Gift is not one of those books that I have had sitting on our bookshelf for years like the ones I was talking about in a previous post, but I could easily see it becoming one.

We received Money from our Pastor at Sojourn Community Church, which he and our leadership team give to all of our covenant members to stress the importance of giving and why we should give as the body of Christ.

Tyler (My Mister) and I have always been regular givers, but after I read this book, it really made me examine why we give. Do we give out of obligation and routine, lacking praise? Or do we give out of thankfulness, worship, and praise to God for everything he has already given us? There’s a difference and Jamie Munson articulates the difference so well.

Are there some practicals in this book? Yes, but practicals were not the theme (although in one of his appendices he lists other books for further reading, including Dave Ramsey’s works). Munson always kept pointing back at the heart and the “why?” of our giving and used the meat of Luke 12 to support every point.

We can actually do a lot, even manage our finances well, without even asking the Spirit to guide us. The appearance of good stewardship is not enough if your heart reeks of pride and arrogance. The appearance of poverty in the name of Christ is null if we continue to allow our fear of the world to supersede our fear and love of Christ. Are we faithful and wise managers? Or are we financial fools?

Great book, Mr. Munson. ★★★★★

(I should disclose that my star ratings are not as accurate as others. If I like a book at all, it’s going to get five stars. If I didn’t like it, it’ll probably get none. It’s all or nothing :] )

***Update***

This post has been getting more traffic. I should be clear and say that I was not paid to endorse this book. I truly enjoyed it.

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October 18, 2011

Book Review: A Path through Suffering

A super sweet friend lent me the book about a week or two ago, so though I don’t own it, it was the first book I wanted to read on my “read-a-book-a-week” reading plan so that I could return it to her as quick as I could. (Ranting side note: when borrowing books/movies from people, it’s courteous to bring them back at a reasonable time. I will be instituting this library system soon: Knock Knock Personal Library Kit)

While reading this book, I was shown again how perfect God’s timing is. Reading A Path through Suffering coincided with my study of 1 Peter, which is all about suffering as a Christian. Elliot expounded on all those truths as well and it was God, in his mercy, showing me through the various people Elliot has wrote, how possible suffering as a Christian really is.

I love this book. Five stars. Elisabeth Elliot knows suffering so she has articulated how to suffer well and how to share in Christ’s suffering amazingly. She also covers from the little sacrifices to the major heartaches; all count as suffering and all need to be offered up to God. Why? Because you have another chance to die to yourself and to take up your cross, WILLINGLY take up you cross and follow Him. Most of us consider “taking up your cross” as suffering well when suffering comes, but Elliot also displays in various ways that we need to know that it’s coming and take it up, knowingly and willingly, not begrudgingly, when it does arrive.

She also mentions that in the life that we’re living, the life that’s apart from eternity, suffering is going to happen, but we were made and also entrusted with the Spirit to endure and rejoice in it also. We were made to obey God, even through suffering. “[Obeying the will of God is a simple thing but very rarely is it an easy thing.]” I liked how she mentioned that Jesus told us to consider the birds and the lilies and from that her chickadee metaphor: “We rarely consider a bird in his precious simplicity – the chickadee, wearing his little black cap and gray suit, whistling tinily, doing nothing but what he was made to do. I would like to do nothing but what I was made to do.” (p.160)

She has a lot of flora metaphors in the book, at the beginning of every chapter and then riddled throughout the chapters as well. I can honestly say that I really didn’t appreciate them very much really, that is until the very end. She mentions that for a flower to be able to give new life, it has to let go of the seed and die. The flower is just too weak to hold onto the seed, so the seed falls to the ground, hopefully burying itself in soil where new life can begin. We should be the flower, allowing things to fall from, or in some cases fall onto, us. The flower doesn’t disobey and hold onto what it should not. It obeys. It dies to itself. The birth of one thing means the death of another.

I pray that through any and all of my sufferings, I would be able to die to all the terrible pieces of me so that my life in Christ would shine through all the more.

Thank you, Elisabeth, for being faithful and obedient to writing this book. Thank you, God, for the mercy you’ve shown me by sending my friend, Rebecca, to give it to me to read.

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October 8, 2011

Read! Read like the wind!

I just finished reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan, about a year and a half after I bought it. That’s what happens when you lend people books and completely forget about them, but that’s beside the point.
I’m so thankful the Holy Spirit inspired and guided Mr. Chan to write this book. So incredibly challenging and honestly, convicting. I realize that I don’t allow the Holy Spirit to transform me the majority of any given day. Chan’s writing is really easy to read, but I think my most favorite thing about his books are the little biographies he includes throughout. It’s encouraging to hear about what the Spirit is doing through people. I can’t believe I waited two years to pick up and finish this book.
That being said, there are tons many books on my bookshelf that I need to finish reading; some that I have had for years and have completely allowed it to slip through the cracks, like Forgotten God. So now I have a new goal for myself. For the rest of this year I’ve decided that I’m going to strive to read a book a week. Now, depending on the book, this could be completely ridiculous or completely attainable. For the sake of being able to keep this goal, I’m choosing books, similar in size to Forgotten God, that I already have on my bookcase.
Here’s that list:
  1. Oct 9 -15 // The Path of Suffering by Elisabeth Elliot
  2. Oct 16 – 22 // Money by Jamie Munson
  3. Oct 23 – 29 // The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (One of Hubs’ few contributions to our book collection.)
  4. Oct 30 – Nov 5 // A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’engle (I can’t remember if I read this in middle school)
  5. Nov 6 – 12 // The Reason for God – Tim Keller
  6. Nov 13 – 19 // unchristian by David Kinnaman The Reason for God – Tim Keller (After starting this book, I realized how loaded it is. Going to need more than a week.)
  7. Nov 20 – 26 // Searching for God Knows What – Donald Miller
  8. Nov 27 – Dec 3 // Jane Austen by Peter Leithart
  9. Dec 4 – 10 // Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (That’s right. I’ve never read it & I’m going to need a light-hearted book to break the seriousness) Where Has Oprah Taken Us? by Stephen Mansfield (Update: 10/28/2011 – I replaced Charlotte Web’s because I am going to read this current book for a BookSneeze.com review.)
  10. Dec 11 – 17 // Catch 22 by Joseph Heller (Again, never read it. Don’t judge me.)
  11. Dec 18 – 24 // A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester
  12. Dec 25 – 31 // Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (I cannot tell you how many times I’ve started & stopped reading this book. I will ring in 2012 with this book. Period.)
Now that this is up, let it be known that I’m not going to be strict with the schedule. Charlotte’s Web is extremely short. Catch 22 is considerably longer. I’ll probably finish Charlotte’s Web in a few hours & the next day or two start Catch 22, giving me extra time to go through it.
When I finish a book, I’ll give a short review of it on here. I already do this on a excel spreadsheet on my desktop (nerdy, I know), so it won’t take long to just copy and paste from that.
Anyway, that’s going to be my book reading journey. No more buying books until I’m at least half way through and on schedule with this list. And you can hold me to that..

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September 30, 2011

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

Would it be wrong of me to say that “Wild at Heart” is just a male version of “Captivating”? Or maybe it’s “Captivating” that’s a female version of “Wild at Heart”. I liked reading “Captivating”, I think a lot of women would, but all women are not the same and do not have the same struggles. As for the male population reading “Wild at Heart” I think it would either be a love-it or hate-it type of book. Again, all men are not the same and do not enjoy glorifying God in the same way as this book suggests. My husband does not hunt, never has hunted, and we both come from families that have never hunted. If “Discovering the Secrets to a Man’s Soul” means to go out and enjoy the Great Outdoors, I think many Christian men might feel they fall short. However, I do think that some men would enjoy reading it and, in fact, I do know some men who have enjoyed reading it. As a woman, I can’t really dissect this book in the same way a man can, but I do think that this book will be enjoyed by many (and probably has been enjoyed by many), but I think men should embrace any gift that God has gave them and seek that in understanding themselves and glorifying God.

 

*Booksneeze Review

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September 26, 2011

Dad



Name: Dewey “Joey” McDonald Jr., 56

Died: Monday, September 19, 2011, in Beaumont

Dewey Joe “Joey” McDonald, Jr., 56, of Beaumont, Texas passed away September 19, 2011 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. He was born September 11, 1955 in Port Arthur to the late Dewey Joe Sr. and Geraldine O’Quinn McDonald Wade. He was a sales manager for Drago Supply.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, September 23, 2011 at Melancon’s Funeral Home, 1605 Avenue H in Nederland, Pastor Deamon Scapin officiating. Interment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Groves. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Thursday, September 22nd from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
Joey is survived by his daughter, Jenai Hamilton and husband Tyler of Houston; son, Dewey Joe McDonald, III of Nederland; grandson, Quinn Hamilton; brother, Dwain McDonald of Beaumont; and sister, Laura Bonin of Beaumont. He is preceded in death by his parents.

~~~~~~~~~~~

We buried my dad on the 23rd of this month. The past two weeks or so have been the hardest of my (nearly) 24 years. I think the roughest thing I have to come to grips with is that as life goes on, I’m going to have to meet death more and more. But God is still good.

You know, most of us, the lucky ones, typically rely on our parents during a great part of our lives. You grow up, your parents are the providers, caregivers, protectors. I remember my dad picking up heavy things, taking care of some business, doing things without anyone else’s help. Growing up, I watched him, the strong guy, capable of doing anything he set his mind to. Two weeks ago, I watched him go from struggling to walk to completely immobile. From struggling to speak to completely silent. He struggled to breathe for a long time and, eventually, he couldn’t even do that anymore.

James 5:11 says, “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” After I read that the other day, I didn’t understand. Why are people who remain steadfast considered blessed? Why do people who endure trials considered blessed? After more reading, digging, and questioning, it made sense to me. The answer was in the last part of that scripture. We undergo trials and sufferings so that God can show us his compassion, mercy, and grace. The ESVSB says “steadfastness ultimately leads to perfection.” No trials, no steadfastness, no perfection. I’m not sure that’s entirely sound logic, but it makes sense in my head. For me to come out of the other side of Dad’s death and still be able to say that God is good is a testament of God’s faithfulness, not mine. God is always there; he graciously let me feel him the entire time I was enduring all this with Dad.

I watched my Grandpa Mac, my dad’s dad, die of lung cancer when I was in 4th grade. Now I’ve watched my dad die of the same thing. You’ve got to be some type of crazy to think I’ll allow my husband and child (and future children) to even be around smoke. You might think that I’m being overprotective, and if you do think that, then you probably absolutely cannot understand what I’ve recently witnessed.

I could blame smoking for causing the lung cancer and killing Dad in the end, and believe me I do. But this didn’t happen apart from God’s sovereignty. God’s timing is perfect, even in death. He still deserves glory in all things, including this. I’m just thankful he gave me the friends and the faith to endure it all. Now, I’m praying the same for the rest of my family.

Love you and miss you, Dad.

~~~ Minor update ~~~

Eight days before Dad died, he spoke with me briefly about a song he wanted at his funeral, Rock of Ages. It’s the last thing he wrote on a piece of paper for me to have. I kept that paper, and I honored his wish. Rock of Ages was the last song played at his funeral.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyes shall close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown,
And behold Thee on Thy throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

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September 9, 2011

Slowly but surely

Slowly but surely, I’m getting this etsy business started.

I just recently started a blogger page for LaLaBanjo. The more I say “LaLaBanjo”, the more I think it fitting.

I’m searching and working on getting custom sew-on labels made. I have a few things nearly etsy ready. Just taking my sweet time since I have a very active 7 month old who likes to giggle and take up all my time.

Stay tuned.

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September 2, 2011

The Journals Worth Having

I’m going to do something I haven’t done before. I’m going to type up what I’ve written in my personal journal. I’m a CHRONIC journaler. I journal everything and I even have most all of my journals since the six grade. I did have a kitty cat diary from elementary school but it got lost in one of our moves. Digressing: I don’t EVER share anything I write in my personal journal. EVER. Not even my Hubs is allowed to read it/them, though I do share most things in conversation with him anyway. But I just want to share this because after I wrote it, I realized again how beautiful and gracious God really is:

Yesterday, as Quinn [son] & I were driving around, taking care of some business but mostly killing time, I drove by some thifty/junk stores and realized how neat it would be if I could get my hands on a used personal journal. Really any used journal would do, but hopefully it would be the journal of an adult lacking the propensity of writing aimlessly like that of a boy-struck teenage girl, but one that would write more so with the purpose of sharing his or her life on paper. How neat I thought it would be if I could read the inner thoughts of a person, less like spying on someone but more like just reading a book, an unintentional autobiography. Kind of like the Diary of Anne Frank.

I just finished my daily study in James and there was a cross reference in the margin to a scripture in 1 Timothy. I remembered learning that the Timothys were written while Paul was in prison, knowing he was to be executed soon. I began thinking and realized that I have Paul’s journal in front of me. His life, his thoughts, his last letters. I got somewhat emotional. First & second Timothy is what he had to say in his final days/years of life and the thing is that it’s all about Christ and enduring the suffering of this world. He means what he has to say. There’s no aimlessness in his speech. It’s sad knowing this, but it makes it so much more beautiful. “This is what my brother in Christ had to say toward the end of his life.”

Though most of the other books of the Bible, as far as I know, aren’t letters written by people knowing they’re going to die almost immediately soon, I do realize that I have the journal of Moses, Paul, David, James, and so many more people whose journals are worth having more than any other in existence.

These are only a small part of God’s grace and mercy on us. And they really are so beautiful.

I really have no idea why I got as emotional as I did, but I feel almost wooed by God. “You yearn this thing, but I’ve already set it before you.” He’s saved me with the cross and he continues to court me with and in his Word.

You can call me crazy, but I still think this is absolutely beautiful and beauty is always in the eye of the beholder!

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August 25, 2011

This one is for the ladies

I started an etsy shop, LaLaBanjo.

I chose “LaLaBanjo” for one because that’s the name of my two dogpups (canine version of manchild), Viola (Lala) and Banjo (aka Bub). Now that I’m thinking about it, LaLaBub would have been a cute name too, but LaLaBanjo is permanent. AND for two, because literally every other shop name I could think of was already take.

It’s pretty fresh as in I uploaded the shop banner like ten minutes ago. So now I need to just list things.

I figure I’m crafting all the time. Pretty soon, I’m going to run out of places to store all my creations so really I just need to sell them.

Right now, I’m knitting a bunch of cute headband/cowl type things which will look super cute with leggings, boots, and cardigans this fall. I just need to embellish those little bad boys and they’ll probably be the first to go up. We’ll see.

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August 25, 2011

To keep me sane

Sometimes to keep myself sane, I have to do something a little arts fartsy. I start to get that itch once I haven’t done anything in a while. Between having a baby, adjusting to parenthood, packing, moving, unpacking, I’ve finally reach another time in my life where I actually do have some free time during the day. So here are some projects. Some big. Some small. All finished.

Cheeseburger Cupcakes. Not cheeseburgers the size of cupcakes, but cupcakes that look like cheeseburgers. Found via pinterest. Super cute and fun to make.

Small project. When you have a baby who is enjoying his naptime, the last thing you want is someone ringing the doorbell unleashing the floodgate of frustration all because they want to give you something you know you will never use. Simple printable found via Google search.

Embroidery hoop rings simply displaying fabric. This project was awesome because it’s a big effect with minimum purchase and minimum effort. I already had a ton of left over fabric from other various projects. And the hoop rings were all under $2 a piece at my favorite craft store. Stretch. Tighten. Cut. Hang. Pinterest find.

Yarn wreath with our house numbers. This one took some time. Winding all that yarn around BLEW, but it was another minimum purchase project. Styrofoam ring – $5 plus 40% off. Numbers – maybe a buck? Already had the ribbon, yarn, and little flower embellishments. Blog find.

Insulating curtains. My latest project. This one is a need. We’re having a hard time keeping our 90 year old house cool in the +100 degree weather we’re having in Houston, TX. It’s had been getting upwards of 80 degrees inside and that’s with our AC going NON-STOP! This is no good when I baby that can’t nap in the heat. Bought fleece and some cute prints and I’ve been going to town on them with my sewing machine. We lose the natural light in our house (boo) but I’d much rather a dark cozy house than a bright hot house.

I’ve been knitting too, but I don’t have any picture of the cute knitted headband/cowl things I’ve been making. I’ll photograph them when I’m wearing them this fall! And if it ever gets cool enough to wear them.

So I’m living on a new (project) motto I saw on a printable: “Finished is better than perfect.”

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August 19, 2011

Things that make me smile…

I find that when life get heavy I usually search the interwebs for something that will make me laugh or smile.

So I go here:

Courtesy of AnimalsWithCasts.com

 

AnimalsWithCasts.com always cheers me up. It’s kind of sad, but it’s so cute. Is that wrong?

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