Wow, it's been ages since I have updated with a post not about a book I read! First of all, I should fill you in on what has been going on in my life these past few months.

My husband has been working with his "new" job for almost a year now, and while it is a great job, with a good deal of security, he wasn't pleased with it since he only had a part time position. We have been praying about a solution to this problem for nearly as long as he has had the job, for either him to be able to get a second part time job, or for me to be able to find a way to bring in income while staying at home with our young son, or for a full time position - just whatever God had in mind for us. We talked about the fact that maybe God wanted us somewhere else, maybe closer to our family, in another state. Maybe God didn't want my husband at that job, maybe He wanted him to be closer to home instead of having to drive an hour almost each way. Whatever He wanted for us, we knew that we just had to wait to see what His plan was.

And then we hit a bump in the road...literally. My husband was on the way home from work in his car that already needed a fair amount of work, when he was beside a construction truck. He heard a noise as he passed it, but figured it was just that the truck had hit a rock or something, and that all was fine. As he pulled into the gas station near our house to fill up, he noticed that there was a large bolt in one of his tires. And when I say large, I mean it. This thing was about four inches long! It's a miracle that he was able to drive all that way with it in his tire! Fortunately, his tire was easily replaced with the spare, but we knew we had to replace it soon. And we knew we had to find a way to do it on a budget that was less than when he was unemployed. Through careful driving, and alot of prayer and help from God, the spare tire lasted a few weeks, but our car troubles weren't over yet. The car was over-heating, but driving it carefully and making sure the liquids for the engine were kept up with allowed him to keep taking the 45 minute drive to and from work each day. Then, another problem.

At about 9 one night, my husband called me, telling me that he was a few miles from home and the car had broken down. He was able to call a good friend to pick him up, and thankfully, he had been able to get our car into a parking lot so it would be relatively safe for the evening. The friend of ours was able to lend us his car for a few days, but we'd need to get it back to him soon, so it was anything but a permanent solution. The following Sunday evening as I laid in bed, I prayed, asking God for a solution, whatever His will was, we wanted to do it. If He wanted us here, we needed something to come around, if He wanted us back with our family, we needed a sign showing us His will. I knew that we couldn't do this alone. But as I prayed for our financial situation, I had an enormous calm wash over me, a feeling that everything would indeed be okay.

The next morning, my husband got the call telling him he had a full time position. Earlier that morning, his mother had called, letting us know that we needed to pick us out a car and that she would buy it for us outright. As I prayed that day, I weapt, knowing that God had a plan all along, and even when we forget that He is directing our life, He knows excatly how He is going to provide for us. His providence is the most amazing thing, and it makes me think back to the verse in Matthew about how God cares for us.

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" - Matthew 6:26 (NASB)

Book Review: In Constant Prayer

I got a book called "In Constant Prayer" by Robert Benson from booksneeze.com for review purposes. When I signed up to get this book, I was really excited. The reviews I had read on it were good and it seemed like something that I would really enjoy and get alot out of. When I recieved it, I was still excited...until I started reading it. It is written from a Catholic world view, while I am Protestant. This is not really a huge deal, I was just suprised by it and decided to give the book a chance anyway. I would probably recommend this to someone who is familiar with Catholic terms, but I however, am not. It was a difficult read because of this, as I am not really familiar with Catholic traditions and whatnot. There is a nice little glossary in the back of the book, which helps, but I just couldn't focus well enough on it because I kept feeling like the book was not meant for me. There is also a study guide in the back and I could see a Sunday School class going through this book. Honestly, this book just wasn't for me, but I still think it is overall a good book.

Book Review: FamilyLife Marriage Bible

I recently recieved the FamilyLife Marriage Bible from booksneeze.com and after a month or two of using it, I think I know it well enough to give a good review on it. When I first ordered it, I don't know why, but it didn't hit me that this is a Bible, but it is. Which I have no issue at all with, I was pleased to have a new Bible, though this is NKJV instead of my prefered NASV. That is my biggest issue with this bible, though it's not a huge enough issue to keep me from using it, I just use it in conjunction with my standard NASV. This bible contains 52 couples devotions spread out through the Bible, with an index in the back that lets you look them up easily. It also has romantic and parenting FAQs and "intimate moment" ideas spread throughout. Another issue that I have is that there is not much of a reference on most pages, which again I can use another bible for, but it would be nice to have it all in one bible. There is a good amount of room in the back of the bible for notes, but not a ton of margin space on the actual bible pages. One thing I am really enjoying about it however, is a 30-day walk with Jesus plan that is found in the back. It is basically a chapter or so from the New Testament that you are to read each day, with a little paragraph of explaination. Overall, a good Bible, but I would recommend you have a more literal translation as well, and a bible with larger margins to accompany this one.

The Gospel According to Jesus

Here's my second booksneeze.com book review, enjoy!

"The Gospel According to Jesus" by Chris Seay was a mediocre book. While I liked the subject matter and I think that it was well written and even amusing in parts, I think that the majority of what was written really just mimics the gospels, Romans and Acts from the Bible. To me, I could just sit down and study those books of the Bible and probably come to the same place, though I do see purpose for others for this book, it just wasn't for me personally. I can see lots of potential for a bible study group for new believers. The book has a nice way of ending each chapter where the author talks to friends of his who are pastors or thelogians, and it is nice to be able to read a sort of interview in a relaxed sort of way with other evangelicals. There is also a prayer in each chapter which is a nice way to get a clear picture of something specific to pray for when reading the book, which is again good for new believers. There is a pretty interesting section of the book that talks about the findings of a survey the author had done for this book about what people think of righteous. All in all, the book isn't bad in the least, I just think that it is more suited for the new Christian, or someone that isn't yet a believer.

Review: Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright

I recently recieved "Seeds of Turmoil" by Bryant Wright from booksneeze.com. If you haven't heard of it, booksneeze allows bloggers to sign up and choose from a variety of books they have available and then they will send you the book free of charge. All you have to do is then review it on your blog and a website where the book is sold (like amazon.com) and that's it! So, here is my very first book review, curtesy of booksneeze.com !

"Seeds of Turmoil" is about the biblical roots of the conflicts in the middle east. Mr. Wright did, in my opinion, a good job of keeping statements fairly unbiased, though he is a Christian, so if you think that you would be offended by reading a book written from a Bible-believing perspective, then this is probably not the book for you. Wright walks the reader through the promise God made to Abraham, as well as how one man's sin really has had a huge shaping on the conflicts in the middle east that we are still seeing to this day. Scripture is inserted into the book often and is explained throughly, as well as alot of secular history of the region and battles over this small, but signifigant piece of land. After going through the history of the region and how Israel came to be a country again, Wright goes on to explain the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian perspectives over this land and why it is so signifigant to each group. I learned alot more from this book than I expected to, and having finished it, I would recommend it to a friend. Even if you aren't too familar with the bible or bible names and terminology, there is a glossary in the back of the book and Wright makes everything very easy to understand. Also, for those interested there is a section in the back of the book prepared for if you would like to have a group study using this book. All in all I think this is a fantastic resource, and a very interesting read.

Long time, no post!

Hello there everyone! It feels like it has been ages since I last posted anything on this blog, and really, it has. My computer is still out of comission, but I am okay with that, even if it does take away from the time I am able to really sit down and think about my blog and other things. Gabriel has been getting more and more mobile, and in a couple weeks he will be 8 months old. I still can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday we were getting in the car to go to the hospital to welcome him into the world. He is also teething, which is a unique experience. I mean, I know we all teethe, though we can't remember it and I had heard many moms describe the long nights associated with teething, but it's just something that you don't fully understand until you are there I think. I feel so blessed to have the friends that I have, that have been there and know what I am going through and are able to offer helpful advice. A friend gave me some "teething tablets" which are a homeopathic pain reliever for babies teething, which is nice since I don't really like to give Gabriel tylenol or anything unless he is running a fever. Also, I've found that a simple washcloth with an ice cube in it and a hair tie to fasten it shut works wonders for a teething baby. Gabriel has started a bit on baby food, which is exciting, but all in all, most days I end up with more splattered on me than what ends up in his tummy I think. But that's okay, I love to see the look on his face when I feed him something new. That first bite always comes with the same reaction, a "what in the world are you feeding me?" kind of look, but then by bite two or three he has usually warmed up to it and is opening his mouth before I can get another spoonful for him.

Also, I was recommended an author by my mom and I went to the library and checked out a few books by her. Her name is Karen Kingsbury, and while I haven't finished a book yet, I am thouroughly enjoying the book I am reading by her. It is called "Just Beyond the Clouds" and it is a fantastic, inspiring book so far. I am almost finished with it, and I regret reading it too quickly, but there is always another book I can pick up to go to next.

I hope you all are having a blessed day!

Computer Woes

This past week I have been dealing with computer woes. I had Gabriel on my lap and he knocked a toy onto my computer, and well, it turns out: computers don't like that very much. Eric narrowed it down to it being the video card, which it's nice to know what's wrong with it, but we still can't get it fixed right now. So now, I am using Eric's computer to blog, though the blogs will be fewer and further between for a while. Though, this has taught me a valuable lesson: technology feels like a must, but it isn't. Think about this one for a minute. Our children's generation will never know what it's like personally to live in a culture where most people don't have a computer. Or cell phone. Or internet. Or MP3 player. I am a fairly young mom - I will be 21 this fall, but I still remember vividly a time when we didn't have a computer. And even better, I remember when we didn't have the internet, much less high speed, or MP3 players. Gabriel won't know what that's like. He will probably be tempted to play on the computer or a game system all the time, but it is my job as a mother to make sure that he works too, and plays outside alot. My mom and I were talking about it the other day. When she was a kid, and even when I was, during the summer kids were gone from the time they got up until the sun started to set, playing outside, running around. Now, it's pretty rare that I see kids playing outside at all. I want to put a focus on the simpler things in life with my family. Reading a book in the shade a a warm, sunny day is such a sweet, pleasant thing. Having a picnic in the park. Splashing around at the beach or a pool. There are so many things that God made for us, His creation is such a testament to His power, we should spend more time in it. Myself included, I don't spend as much time as I should outside, but I hope to once it starts cooling off a little bit.

I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait for fall when it is nice outside and comfortable weather!

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to seperate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39