Reading, Writing & Pondering

I have been on Facebook, Blogger and Twitter for awhile now. . .but lately I wasn't sure how that fit in with God's plan for my life. I wasn't sure how I could use today's technology for good and not just be wasting time on-line. Brandon Cox, founding pastor of Grace Hills Church in northwest Arkansas, shares his view of how Christians can use technology to grow relationships and spread the gospel in his new book, Rewired. Rewired offers advice for both church leaders and church members on how to use technology in today's world to both grow churches and grow church members in relationship with one another, and with God. I found this book to be helpful in offering advice on using social networks, both in theory and in practice.Cox offers reasons why he thinks Christians should be involved in social media. He also offers advice on the specifics of how to use social media. He asserts it is God's nature to be social and that we should use the latest technology...

Sheila Walsh is a Woman of Faith speaker (as you probably already know). . .and she hears the voices of many women. . .women who've faced challenges in their life She is also a woman who has been through a few of her own storms. She brings her knowledge from both listening to others' stories and sharing her own, along with God's Word, to write a book geared to remind you that God is with you in all of those storms, The Storm Inside:Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You Are . The Storm Inside offers so much encouragement to anyone facing a life storm full of swirling emotions such as: Heartbreak Disappointment Shame Regret Fear Insecurity Insignificance Despair Rage Sheila helps the reader see that God is always with us in the storms. With His help, we can "navigate by what we know is true no matter how we feel." Each chapter is full of examples from a real life and from the Bible. The chapters all close with some things you can...

I'm not sure other girls my age had a Hope Chest, but I come from an old-fashioned family. I got my blue Hope Chest sometime when I was a teenager. My mom got this old chest, lined it in blue fabric painted it up for me. The trunk matched my room that had carpet in varying shades of blue (the shade of the trunk), pink and purple. . . Now I had a beautiful blue trunk Hope Chest. . .and it was time to begin filling it. ..  We filled it with pillowcases I had embroidered in 4H, doilies and sheets that were heirlooms inherited from a great grandparent, Ralph Lauren pillowcases and wash clothes I gleaned while working at a department store internship, and other household items. We shopped sales, auctions and rummage sales back in those days to find things we knew that I would NEED to make a house a home. . .Then, to add to my stash, we put aside "Hope Chest" items like dishes, silverware, glasses, and that sort of thing in more boxes tucked in my parents' basement to...

When someone hears that they have a terminal illness, they can have heavy hearts. . .and those who know them have heavy hearts. But in Heavy: Finding Meaning After a Terminal Diagnosis by Kristen Neva and Todd Neva, I felt a real sense of hope and encouragement in their situation as they turn to God in facing their challenges. Todd Neva was diagnosed with ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease. If you aren't familiar with this disease, it is a neuromuscular disorder that results in total paralysis and eventual death in those with the disease. . .often fairly quickly. Todd is a happily married man with two young children dreaming of a long life with his wife, Kristin, when they received this news. This book is their story of how they wrestled through the first year of this illness and how they kept their faith in God throughout their time. . .all while sharing their feelings and struggles quite honestly. I found this book to be well-written and enlig...