Verses of Comfort

During my Bible study of Paul, I learned that he encountered some truly frustrating circumstances. His trials and his faith in the face of those trials are an inspiration to me. After all, if he can keep on with what God wants him to do even after being beaten, stoned, flogged and imprisoned, why can't I?

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. I Corinthians 10:13

For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.  II Corinthians 1:5

Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. II Corinthians 1:9

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  II Corinthians 4:7

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  II Corinthians 4:17

Reading List for R

Encyclopedia Brown, Sobol
Fantastic Mr. Fox, Dahl
Freckle Juice, Blume
Sebastian Superslueth, Christian
Tales from the Back Pew, Thaler
Hank Zipzer, Winkler
Boxcar Children

Reading List

Lakeshore Christmas, Wiggs
Visions in Death, Robb
Flight to Heaven, Black
Hurricanes in Paradise, Hildreth
Oceans apart, Kingsbury
Shades of Blue, Kingsbury
Forgiving Ararat, Nazareth
Sensible Shoes, Brown
The Socialization Trap, Boyer
The Me I Want to Be, Ortberg
Going Rogue, Palin
Sticky Fingers, Martin
Some Like it Lethal, Martin
Heaven is for Real, Burpo

"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis

From the book "Mere Christianity", buy C.S. Lewis. Page 148-149, the second chapter on Faith:

"Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian home [Heaven] is good actions, or Faith in Christ...Faith in Christ is the only thing to save you from despair at that point: and out of that faith in Him good actions must inevitably come. There are two parodies of the truth which different sets of Christians have, in the past, been accused by other Christians of believing: perhaps they may make the truth clearer. One set were accused of saying, 'Good actions are all that matters. The best good action is charity. The best kind of charity is giving money. The best thing to give money to is the Church. So hand us over $10,000 and we will see you through.; The answer to that nonsense of course, would be that good actions done for that motive , done with the idea that Heaven can be bought, would not be good actions at all, but only commercial speculations. The other set were accused of saying, 'Faith is all that matters. Consequently, if you have faith, it doesn't matter what you do. Sin away, my lad, and have a good time and Christ will see that it makes no difference in the end.' The answer to that nonsense is that, if what you call your 'faith' in Christ does not involve taking the slightest notice of what He says, then it is not Faith at all - not faith or trust in Him, but only intellectual acceptance of some theory about Him. The Bible really seems to clinch the matter when it puts the two things together into one amazing sentence. The first half is, 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling' - which looks as if everything depended on us and our good actions: but the second half goes on, 'For it is God who worketh in you' - which looks as if God did everuthing and we did nothing."

Boring Books

I recently read The Pagan Stone, by Nora Roberts and Fearless Fourteen, by Janet Evanovich. I was really not impressed by either one of them and felt cheated by the boring endings.

I've read Nora Roberts for years, I get her writing. It is a lot of the same thing over and over again - especially in her trilogies. Three girls and three guys and they're just perfect for each other. They have some sort of 'paranormal' issue to work through, where each one is a key to solving the puzzle. Each guy and girl couple ends up married and pregnant. Usually, the first book in the trilogy is the best, the second is the worst and the third is decent. Even though I know the basic storyline, I still enjoy her books occasionally. I just felt that the Pagan Stone, which is the third in the 'Sign of Seven' trilogy, rambled and circled and rambled. It just felt like she was desperately trying to fill pages and it really just got boring. Also, the climax of the book was confusing and, well, anticlimactic.

I've also read Janet Evanovich for years. I love her sense of humor and how Stephanie Plum is almost 'normal'. (No one could really eat that much cake and still be thin!) I enjoyed Lean Mean Thirteen more than many of the other installments in the series. Fourteen was really kind of a bummer. She too circled and seemed like she was trying to fill up pages. Plus, Stephanie didn't end up in a life-threatening pickle, like she usually does. Hopefully, Fifteen will be an improvement over this one...

What I've Learned from "Squeaky Green"

I've just recently read "Squeaky Green," by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry and I liked it! Its an easy read and gives some great tips for detoxing your home. Since its due back at the library, here are my notes:

1. Living Room

• Leave the shoes at the door.
• Use a steam carpet cleaner (2x a year) instead of a shampoo-er
• Use vegetable, milk based, low VOC paints, rugs and carpets.
• Use microfiber cloths to dust.
• Don't use ammonia based glass cleaners. Use vinegar instead.
• Older furniture has less harmful materials. Buy furniture that is certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
• New car/carpet/plastic smell is not good.
• Clean the vacuum every 6 mos.
• Use non-toxic paint strippers.
• Buy PBDE-free furniture.
• Particle board is made with formaldehyde.
• Get a high efficiency pleated furnace filter.

2. Kitchen

• Get rid of antibacterials.
• Get rid of chlorine bleach.
• Replace plastic microwave containers with glass/Pyrex.
• Use wax paper instead of plastic wrap.
• Buy phosphate free dishwasher detergent.
• Buy produce locally.
• Don't buy cleaners that say "toxic, corrosive, caustic."
• Use a microfiber mop with non-toxic floor cleaner.

3. Bedroom

• Buy a PBDE-free mattress, such as organic natural latex.
• Buy un-dyed linen, organic cotton or bamboo sheets.
• No-iron (sheets or shirts) are treated with formaldehyde.
• Use paraffin wax candles only.

4. Bathroom

• 'Hydrosol' in beauty/body products means nothing.
• 'Extracts' just means water.
• Try to buy 95% or higher of natural ingredients in beauty/body products.
• Triclosan in toothpaste is dangerous.
• Buy bar soaps that are EDTA free.
• Avoid lotions, shaving gels, shampoo and toothpaste that don't have parabens or other "-abens".
• Buy an non-PVC shower curtain and liner - like hemp, cotton or canvas (which are also machine washable).
• Put the lid down and then flush.
• There's propane in aerosol air fresheners. Use essential oils instead.
• Hang a sprig of eucalyptus from the shower head. It released essential oils and helps relieve congestion.
• Squeegee the shower.

5. Laundry room

• Use nontoxic, concentrated un-chlorinated bleach that's biodegradable or hydrogen peroxide (16 oz.)
• Use 1 cup of white vinegar in the "clean" cycle on the washing machine.

6. Kids' Rooms

• Use paints and markers certified by the ACMI.
• Check out www.thegreenguide.com, it has a list of clean and dirty arts and crafts supplies.
• By organic cotton, snug fitting PJs instead of the flame retardant ones.
• Buy PVC free toys (AKA: the #3 in the recycle triangle or the letter "v").

7. Pets

• Avoid flea shampoos and collars. Use eucalyptus oil or cloves instead, as well as feeding dog a few cloves of garlic daily.
• Give the dog a bath 1x a week with a natural soap.
• Use PVC free toys.

Step by step...

Financial Peace - I'm Ready to be Wierd! (Part 3)

I know that Christmas is not an Emergency, according to Dave Ramsey. But, we are postponing our Financial Peace mission until January.

Financial Peace - I'm Ready to be Wierd! (Part 2)

The wierdness has begun! We just completed our first week of our re-launch in our Financial Peace Planner. I did well with my goals. I prayed every day to be a good steward of our money. We did the Cub Scout activities and had a couple of nice dinners together. I did not exercise - I ended up coming down with a cold after getting my flu shot. I finished Chapter 2 by Sunday.

Chapter 2 asks many questions:

1. Do you have stuffitis? Surprisingly, no. Things like getting rid of extras, buying brand names and top of the line purchases left our way of thinking a couple years ago! We do, however, tend to spend a little bit more on something that we REALLY want.


2. Are you using money to camoflage your feelings? Another somewhat surprising no. This is another line of thinking that has almost died in our past. Sure, it would be nice to go on a shopping spree. But I'd much rather have heat in the winter, gas in my tank and food in the fridge.


3. Are you vulnerable to get-rich-quick- schemes and bad investments? Not any more! I fell for Mary Kay, hook, line and sinker. I'd rather get rich slow than dump money into MLMs and other schemes and get nowhere but further into debt.


4. Are you a lazy money manager? Yes, and I'm trying to get better. I used to let my husband have total control over the finances. He's such a pleaser though, that when I asked if we could afford something, he would mentally tabulate which bills we could put off, so we could get what I wanted. THAT wasn't what I was asking for! So, we are trying to work together as a team, and discuss our finances weekly.


5. What would you do with $1,000,000? a. Give 10% to our church, b. Pay off all our existing debts, c. Set up college funds for our kids, d. Set up a retirement fund for us, and e. Have some fun - buy a house, travel, etc.

We were also challenged to set a date that we will have a $1,000 emergency fund established. My Wonderful Husband thinks we can have it done ny December 22, 2008. So that's what we're working for!

Our Weekly Goals

• Spiritual - Continue to pray daily for financial wisdom.


• Relational - Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving with our families.


• Physical - Work out at least 3x a week.


• Mental - Read Chapter 3 by Saturday, 11/29.

I'M READY TO BE WIERD!!!

Financial Peace - I'm Ready to be Weird!

My husband and I are getting ready to re-start Financial Peace baby steps. We recently paid off many, many thousands of dollars in debt and only have about $4,000 left! Problem is, the end is in sight and we are slacking off a bit.

I kind of gave myself, and him, a kick in the pants when I started mapping out all the things that we want to do within the next 10-15 years. I realized that we need to kick it into gear if we ever want to have these amazing experiences:

• Go to Disney World twice - next winter and when our youngest is 5 (probably in 6 years).
• Go to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary - in 2011.
• Buy a new, somewhat larger, house within the next 5 years.
• Go to Europe for our 25th anniversary.
• Pay for 4(?) college educations.

And of course, save up a nice chunk of cash for retirement. I really want to be those people who live VERY modestly now and just have tons of money in savings for the emergencies and the fun. That means that WE NEED TO QUIT PISSING OUR MONEY AWAY NOW!!!

So, I hauled out the dusty Financial Peace planner, erased all my marks from before and we're back at it. One chapter per week, until we're done.

This week's goals:

• Spiritual - Pray EVERY day for help with finances.
• Relational - Continue to work on Boy Scout Activities and have at least one nice meal per week, all together.
• Physical - Exercise 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week - taking Wednesdays and Sundays off.
• Mental - Finish reading Financial Peace, chapter 2 by next Saturday 11/22/2008.

I really want this! We have been paying for our credit mistakes for the past 10 years and I am sick of having debt hanging over my head!

So, in the words of the awesome Dave Ramsey, "Call me weird - Just don't call me broke!"

I'm ready to be weird!

The Shack

I finished The Shack by William P. Young late last night. Wow, what a book!

I'll admit, I was both horrified and intrigued when a friend described this book to me. Their description was about a man who's daughter was murdered and how he deals with it. I immediately thought that the book was going to be a very dark and tortured look into this man's soul. Boy, was I wrong.

This book is about a man who's daughter was murdered and how he deals with it. How he deals with it alone and then through God.

I am in awe that a regular guy could write such a powerful book. I learned so much and there is still more to learn from this book. I definitely need to read it again. Mr. Young put the Father, Son and Holy Spirit into terms that I had never really imagined before. He made them totally relatable, loving and dynamic instead of distant, angry and silent as I once thought they were.

This book has inspired me to reevaluate and renew not only my relationship with God, but also with all the people who are in my life. I am now understanding more clearly specific events that are depicted in the Bible, such as the fall of man and the death of Christ, and I am more understanding of how Christ can work in my life and how I can work my life through him. I want to say more, but I can't give the plot away.

Definitely a must read...more than once!

Don't Let Me Loose In a Bookstore!!!

I love, Love, LOVE to read. I have been reading everything I could get my hands on ever since I can remember. I could seriously go bankrupt in a bookstore if I ever let myself go. I typically read up to 3 books at a time and always have several "on deck".

Books I Am Currently Reading
The Hollow by Nora Roberts
Serve God, Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth, MD
The Shack by William P. Young

Books "On Deck"
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen
The One Year Bible, NLT
Lost New York by Nathan Silver
Dog Training for Dummies by Jack and Wendy Volhard
Dog Tricks for Dummies by Sarah Hodgson

Wow...My "On Deck" pile is getting a bit small.

Books I'd Like to Read Soon
Squeaky Green by Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan
Paper or Plastic by Daniel Imhoff and Roberto Carra
The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts
Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
Kill Chain by Meg Gardiner
Cross Country by James Patterson
6th Target by James Patterson
...In Death Series by J.D.Robb