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Saturday smiles: thankful edition

April 27, 2013

Photo courtesy of Stock Exchange | www.sxc.hu

I’m away this weekend, attending a writers conference and presenting a workshop as part of the one-day event. So, today, I focus on what I’m thankful for.

That my husband’s job is flexible with his time off so we didn’t have to hire a sitter or a beg a friend to watch the kids while he worked and I went away.
That my husband enjoys spending time with the kids and has a day full of fun planned with them.
That my kids look forward to having a Daddy-Kid weekend so much they don’t even seem to realize I won’t be there.
That my husband supports my writing and speaking dreams and encourages me to do things I think are unthinkable.
That my friend Carol would let me tag along on her speaking gig and participate in it as well. (She’s as cool as her name would suggest.)
That at the end of a rough and eventful week I can still be thankful for family and friends and praise God for His goodness.

What are you thankful for this week?

5 on Friday: Things my kids know because of their dad

April 26, 2013

I’m dedicating today’s post to my husband, who is playing superdad this weekend as I go out of town for a writer’s conference. Here are five things he teaches our kids (that I don’t):

1. Dads can cook. And sometimes they make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

2. There is a wide world of Jelly Belly candy flavors.

3. You can slurp up a goldfish (or whale or penguin) shaped cracker off the table without your mouth touching the table.

4. Anything can be a hat.

5. You don’t have to take life too seriously. (Or sometimes it’s okay to play in the rain.)

Jewel of the Old West: Review of All in Good Time by Maureen Lang

April 24, 2013

I can’t resist a historical romance set in the Old West, and Maureen Lang’s latest, All in Good Time, set in 1880s Denver, Colorado, doesn’t disappoint. (Also I really love the cover. She means business!)

Dessa Caldwell is on a mission to open a home for women who want to leave a life of prostitution behind. To fulfill her dream, she needs a bank to approve her loan application, and so far, no bank will take a chance on a charitable organization’s success. Hawkins National Bank is her final hope for a loan. An initial meeting with bank clerk Tobias Ridgeway gives Dessa hope that her loan might be approved, but it’s the bank’s owner Henry Hawkins who must give final approval.

Hawkins is skeptical about Dessa’s potential for success but he’s drawn to her passion to live and work in the city’s roughest neighborhood. As their paths continue to cross, both Dessa and Henry must decide if the secrets they are keeping about their respective pasts will keep them from their futures.

This was my first read from Lang, and I was most interested in the main character’s ministry to women leaving prostitution. The story developed a little more slowly than I usually like, and I had almost no interest in Henry Hawkins at the beginning. He’s a recluse because of the secret he keeps and comes off older than he is. I couldn’t picture him as the hero or love interest in this story, especially since I liked Dessa so much. She’s a strong woman with drive and determination, as well as a compassionate spirit.

But as the story progressed, I grew to like the direction it was heading, although the pace never did accelerate. But that doesn’t mean it was a boring book. Far from it. I’ve heard good things about Lang, and I have another of her books awaiting me in my to-read pile. I wouldn’t say this was the best book I’ve ever read, but I liked it enough to read more from this author in the future.

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In exchange for my review, I received a copy of All in Good Time from Tyndale House Publishers.

When you can't forget a face: DVD Review of Mother India

April 23, 2013

Global poverty is easy to ignore.

Until you learn its names and faces.

Mother India, a documentary releasing today, does just that, introducing viewers to a “family” of 25 orphans living near a train station in India. Filmmakers David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha traveled to India for two weeks last year seeking to tell the story of life as an orphan in a country where an estimated 31 million children are considered orphans.

“Each of these young lives is much more than a statistic,” Trotter said. “Every one of them has a name, a face and a story.”

That’s what I found valuable about this documentary–the personalization of poverty. Because as Scheinoha added, “The bottom line is statistics go in one ear and out the other. People need to hear stories and see the reality of what it looks like for millions of Indian children who are orphaned.”

When you hear one girl describe how she was tricked into having sex for money, and you see the tears she sheds over her rescue, you can’t ignore the plight of the poor and orphaned.

When you listen as another girl describes how she lost two of her fingers because of her boyfriend’s jealousy, and how she still grieves the loss of a baby–“I cut myself when I remember him”–you can’t go back to the way things were.

These kids, whose experiences have aged them beyond their years, are escaping the daily pain through drug use, sharing needles and dying of HIV and AIDS. They barely “earn” enough money begging and washing the floor of the train to eat each day.

Take a look at the trailer for a preview of the film.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa2GPfhd5wg]

Sometimes, the scenes are too much, and I want to forget.

But how can you look away when you’ve seen too much?

The filmmakers found themselves faced with this question. Their intent was to document. But when they got to know the youngest members of this group–a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old, siblings–they asked what else they could do.

Mother India is a sobering reminder of how extreme poverty is in many parts of the world. It is also a call to action to provide help for India’s orphans.

This is no pleasure film, but it is worth your time (less than an hour). And it will melt your heart.

For more information, visit www.31million.org.

GIVEAWAY

Word Films, distributor of Mother India, is offering a copy to you. Leave a comment on this blog between now and noon (Eastern) Friday, April 26 for a chance to win. I will pick a winner using Random.org and Word will send a copy of the DVD to the winner.

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In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of the Mother India DVD.

How 'release' is changing me

April 22, 2013

I began this OneWord journey four months ago. You can read about what I learned in January and February in previous posts.

“You have set my feet in an open place.”

Psalm 31:8

At times, in my life, I feel trapped. Unable to move beyond the boundaries I, or others, have set for me. I want to escape but don’t see a way out. And I don’t always know what it is I’m trying to escape.

But in the months since adopting “release” as my OneWord for the year, I have felt freedom like never before.

“Release” has become more than a word to me.

It is the words of the psalmist to his Lord, “You have set my feet in an open place.”

An open place where I can run or sit or look up at the sky. Where I can feel the sun on me and see for miles.

This is how I feel four months after hearing God whisper, “Let go” when I needed a word for the year.

It is seemingly small decisions.

Like cleaning out my e-mail inbox so I no longer have 300 unread messages. (Let it go, Lisa. If you didn’t read the blog posts the first time, you aren’t going to read them now.) And unsubscribing to lists I’m no longer interested in. And saying “no” when I can’t do the task someone asks of me.)

How did I not know there was freedom in saying “no”?

It is lines from a poem from a brother in ministry that speaks to my writing and the whole of my life.

What if, writing, I always seem to leave

Some better thing, or better way, behind,

Why should I therefore fret at all, or grieve!

The worse I drop, that I the better find;

The best is only in thy perfect mind.

Fallen threads I will not search for–I will weave.

Who makes the mill-wheel backward strike to grind! – George MacDonald, Diary of an Old Soul

I will weave. These words embedded in my soul when I read them. I’ll stop looking for something better and I will do the thing I’m called to do.

It is quotes on social media that affirm the power of letting go.

“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.”
― C. JoyBell C.

And,

“Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.”
― Ann Landers

It is song lyrics from reluctant prophets like Mumford & Sons, particularly “I Will Wait.”

I’m drawn to these words: “a tethered mind freed from the lies” and “now in some way shake the excess.”

It is this prayer to surrender everything I have to God: “We release from our hands to Yours the things and people we have held too tightly.” (The Power of a Praying Wife devotional by Stormie Omartian).

It is the very difficult decision to let a dream die. To weep and wail and feel your guts being ripped out because you have believed that this thing is the ONLY thing God has for you.

It is choosing to embrace the wilderness because it might actually be where you live.

It is becoming indifferent in a good way. “This is a state of wide-openness to God in which I am free from undue attachment to any particular outcome and I am capable of relinquishing whatever might keep me from choosing for love.” (Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton, 119)

It is the peace that settles afterwards. Like dropping a pair of heavy bags you’ve been lugging through life and melting into the couch.

With “release” comes “rest” and “relief.”

And this realization that Jesus meant what he said.

If you lose your life for His sake, you will find it.

By letting go, I have found life.

One word.

It seemed so simple.

I suspect I have much more to learn.

5 on Friday: More blogs I read regularly

April 19, 2013

After my initial blogs I read regularly post, I discovered five more blogs I frequent. Here they are:

Dr. Kelly Flanagan, a licensed clinical therapist who writes about redeeming all areas of life for wholeness.
Joel Kime, who offers thought-provoking questions related to sermons at Faith Church in Lancaster, Pa.
The Green Grandma, who has opened my eyes to a new way of living that is healthy and environmentally friendly. Lots of giveaways and tips for moms and babies, too.
Mandy Masala, where my friend and college roommate Amanda writes about learning to cook Indian food the way her husband likes it. She inspires me to try new food!
Scenes of Life, where Dave Schroeder, a college friend, writes about movies, writing, books, among other inspiring topics. I appreciate his take on these topics.

Who are you reading online these days? Share your recommendations!

Embracing uncomfortable: Review of Wrecked by Jeff Goins

April 18, 2013

The subtitle to Jeff Goins’ book Wrecked sounds like the sort of thing you’d want to avoid: “When a broken world slams into your comfortable life.”

And, I’ll admit, this was not an easy book to read. Not because the writing is confusing or the structure unclear.

No, Wrecked is a book that lives up to its name.

If you aren’t wrecked already when you read it, you will be. But don’t let that scare you away.

Goins offers stories and practical life advice for how to embrace what makes us most uncomfortable and live a life of radical obedience, even when the “adventure” looks more like “mundane.” Being wrecked means we’ve encountered something outside of our comfort zone and have made a choice to not go back to the way things were.

I’m afraid I’m not doing the book justice. When I read a book these days, I dog-ear the pages where I’ve read something that resonates. Almost every other page in Wrecked is dog-eared. Goins is a gifted storyteller, and his advice sounds more like gentle yet challenging encouragement from someone who’s traveled the road already than mandates from someone without a clue what they’re talking about.

To be wrecked begins with an experience that pulls you out of your comfort zone and self-centeredness, whether you want it to or not. … Being wrecked means everything you believe–everything you know about yourself, your world, and your destiny–is now in question. (34-35)

Before reading this book, my life got wrecked by a change in circumstances–financial, emotional, spiritual. All of it. Over time I’ve wondered if this is a good thing. Goins’ book offers stories that assure me I’m not alone and that even when it’s painful, being wrecked has the potential to foster deep change.

But it’s not enough to be wrecked. It’s not enough to see and walk away. Goins challenges us to commit to work that affirms what wrecked us in the first place.

Change always happens when you come down from the clouds and deal with the messiness of life. When you turn a mission trip into a lifestyle. … Real transformation happens when you commit. (92)

Although Goins draws from missions experiences and stories, this book is for anyone called to something by God. As a wife/stay-at-home mom/writer, I found the principles and stories in Wrecked meaningful and applicable to my situation.

It’s a small book, less than 200 pages, but each chapter is full of life-giving truth. I judged the book by its length, thinking I could breeze through it. Instead, I found myself reading a few pages and setting it down for a couple of days. In the places where I’d been wrecked already and thought I had moved past, I found the book wrecking me all over again, giving me a gentle nudge to take another step out of the comfortable life.

Even now as I revisit the pages I marked, I find myself lifted by the words.

If you’ve had an experience (a mission trip, a major life change, an encounter with poverty) that has wrecked you and you don’t know what to do now, this book is for you.

If you’re looking for your life’s calling, this book can guide you in finding it.

It would be good reading for high school and college grads who want to live the story God has for them.

As Michael Hyatt says in the book’s foreword, Wrecked “is not designed to make you feel overwhelmed by the world’s problems. Nor is it designed to make you feel guilty for not doing enough. No, it’s more than this. It is an invitation to lead a wrecked life–one that is shaken up but transformed by confronting the world’s most difficult challenges. It’s about living the life we are so often afraid to live. … It’s about stepping into the pain and discovering fulfillment in the most unlikely places.”

You’ve been invited to be wrecked.

The choice, now, is yours.

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In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of Wrecked from Moody Publishers.

For when you need a Downton Abbey style fix: Review of The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

April 17, 2013

I won’t lie: I’m having Downton Abbey withdrawal.

Which makes great timing for the release of Sarah Ladd’s debut novel, The Heiress of Winterwood.

Ladd’s novel takes place a century earlier than the Downton series but it had the same ability to sweep me away to another time and place.

Here’s the gist of the story:

Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s baby. She’ll risk everything to keep her word-even to the point of proposing to the child’s father-a sea captain she’s never met.

When the child vanishes with little more than an ominous ransom note hinting at her whereabouts, Amelia and Graham are driven to test the boundaries of their love for this little one.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she’s forced to examine her soul and face her one weakness: pride.

Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. And away from the family he has sworn to love and protect.

Both must learn to have faith and relinquish control so they can embrace the future ahead of them.

I loved the love and loyalty Amelia Barrett displayed in keeping her friend’s promise and raising a baby that wasn’t her own. She was willing to risk everything–her inheritance, her reputation, her engagement, her family–to keep the child. It’s a position few of us would have the guts to take, and I admired her boldness at proposing marriage to a man she’d never met for the benefit of his daughter.

Ladd creates a believable conflict between the characters and provides enough suspense at just the right time to keep the pages turning. My only regret when I read these sorts of stories is that they’re over too soon because I couldn’t put them down.

There were a couple of scenes from Captain Sterling’s point of view that I found unrealistic. I doubted a sea captain would notice the fabric of the drapes or the style of clothes a lady was wearing. But it was a minor hiccup and didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.

The setting is enchanting, and I look forward to reading more in this series.

For more about the author, click here.

Now for the goodies:

Sarah Ladd is celebrating the release of The Heiress of Winterwood with a Downton Abbey Kindle Prize Pack Giveaway!

One winner will receive:

A brand new Kindle Fire
Downton Abbey, seasons 1-3

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 30th. Winner will be announced on 5/2/13 {HERE}.

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

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In exchange for my review, I received a free digital copy of The Heiress of Winterwood from the publisher through Litfuse Publicity Group.

What I tell myself when I have a bad parenting day

April 15, 2013

My husband starts a new shift this week, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but the long days of solo parenting are something I’m still adjusting to. Last week, after a couple of days where I didn’t see my husband for more than 12 hours, I had to give myself a parenting pep talk before I hurled myself into the pit of despair. (Okay, I know that last part is straight stolen from The Princess Bride, but seriously, isn’t that an apt description?)

Here’s how it goes. Maybe you need to hear this, too.

Hey, Mom.

It’s okay.

You’re tired after a 12-hour-day of parenting, and that’s okay. You want your kids to go to bed at 6 o’clock so you can finally have a minute or two to think before you collapse from exhaustion? Yeah, that’s okay, too.

You’re frustrated that the kids won’t listen and you just want to scream? That’s okay. Because it’s frustrating that neither one wants to take a bath until you flip a coin and someone loses the toss and now both kids want to take a bath at the same time and you have two naked children running through your house. Find someone who wouldn’t find that aggravating and then hire them to watch your children while you sneak out of the house for some “me” time.

I know you feel bad that you aren’t “enjoying the moment” while your kids are still young, but after changing a dirty diaper three times in less than 30 minutes at bedtime, “enjoying the moment” isn’t high on the list of feelings.

And you don’t want to complain because you have two kids and some people have none, and your kids won’t battle hunger, thirst or disease on a daily basis, and other kids on the planet will. But hear this: you’re human. And God understands. He’d rather hear you whine than pretend everything is peachy.

You may feel like a bad mom because your family has eaten ~~leftovers~~ peanut butter and jelly for three nights in a row because that’s all the effort you can put into dinner, but remember that your kids love PB&J and probably think you’re the coolest mom ever. You’re doing fine.

Above all, take a deep breath and remember that you are not alone. Moms everywhere get frustrated and impatient and tired. You aren’t superhuman. Heck, some days you barely feel human (Mombie, anyone?) and no one expects you to do it all and perfectly. (And if there are people who expect that of you, you have permission to write them into a novel someday as the villain.)

Tomorrow is another day. Yeah, that’s cliché, but it’s true.

For now, quit beating yourself up for all that you’re not and remember all that you are.

Beloved. Chosen. Redeemed. Work-in-progress. New creation. Forgiven.

Also, you’re a damn good mom. Even when you don’t believe it.

The same goes for you.

Whatever kind of day you’re having, whatever your motherhood circumstances, give yourself some grace to get through the day.

And if you find yourself in the company of a stressed-out mom, find a way to encourage her.

A little bit goes a long way.

Saturday smiles: thankful edition

5 on Friday: Things my kids know because of their dad

Jewel of the Old West: Review of All in Good Time by Maureen Lang

When you can't forget a face: DVD Review of Mother India

How 'release' is changing me

5 on Friday: More blogs I read regularly

Embracing uncomfortable: Review of Wrecked by Jeff Goins

For when you need a Downton Abbey style fix: Review of The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

What I tell myself when I have a bad parenting day

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