BOOK REVIEW: Tithing test me in this

I was looking forward to reading a book about tithing. I was excited to read a book that I believed would back up my belief about tithing. I was disappointed with this book. I was hoping and looking for more Scriptural input and a case to be built about the importance of tithing. This book was comprised of several personal testimonies of people faithful in tithing. I cannot deny that these people have been used by God and blessed by Him. I appreciate their giving to the Lord and His work. I am slightly uncomfortable about people speaking publicly in detail about their tithing habits. I believe that it is a very personal thing that should be done in private.

All in all, I would not recommend this book. I was not impressed by the content. I found the author to give too many intricate details that, to me, didn't need to be included.

I received the book Tithing test me in this by Douglas Leblanc complimentary from BookSneeze and have in no way been paid for my review of it.

Almost Heaven

I varied from enjoying this book to wishing I wasn't reading it. Parts of this book are very sad and almost depressing. It was so hard to read about a man who had a very difficult life. I have been blessed in my life and could not relate to many parts of the book. However, I could see this book being very helpful for those who have experienced extreme life-altering experiences.

The author lets us into the main characters life and thoughts, as well as, into the thoughts of the angel sent to watch over Billy (the main character). I found myself wanting to skip over the chapters where the angel's ideas and thoughts were discussed.

Having said the above, I thoroughly enjoyed the last section of the book. I loved how the author created such a character that lived his love for God t the fullest. He leaned on the Lord throughout his life. It reminded me of the importance of SHOWING God's love to others.

I received this book complimentary from Tyndale Media Center. I received nor will I receive any compensation for the review of this book.

Dirt

We had a young man come by yesterday and present his vacuum and air purification product for our company. He was demonstrating to us what our vacuum and other cleaning tools miss in my weekly cleaning routines. It was quite impressive. I thought my home looked clean and I believe it would to anyone's naked eye. However, we were shown proof that there was underlying dirt that had not been picked up.

This morning while I was washing my floor, I began to think of that more and wonder how much "dirt" I am missing each day in my own life. Again, to the naked eye, I appear to be a good Christian woman who loves the Lord. I attend church regularly, I talk to the Lord, I teach my children about Him, I lead music at church, I work with the Sunday School children, etc.... This all is true. However, all of that will not make my heart clean before the Lord. I don't believe I would be able to handle the evidence of the dirt within me, if He were to come in and demonstrate His air purification and vacuum system to me.

As amazing as it was, we chose to not purchase the product we were shown yesterday. Currently, the cost was more than we would currently be comfortable with paying. The amazing thing is that Jesus has given me His purification system FREE OF CHARGE! He not only gave it to me, but He bought it for me!!! Another bonus is that I am able to accept this gift each day. I am able to use it to rid my heart of the dirt within daily. If I had to see the evidence all at once, I do believe I would fail before I even began.

How many people have every said, "This house is a mess!" That's how I feel about my heart somedays. It is just a mess and needs a good cleaning! I'm so appreciative that I have been given the most efficient cleaning tools.

By the way, it did give me great joy that the young man said our house was actually very clean. =)

Year-End!

When I hear those two years, I automatically think of a lot of effort and work being involved. Year end for my accountant husband, means extra hours and less time at home. He has to balance the accounts and start the year fresh.

It's got me thinking that maybe I should be doing the same in my personal life. I need to run some "financials" on my personal life. Some of my "accounts" have balanced very well. Some need some extra work balancing. I wonder if I were to run some reports titled "Martin", "Victoria" and "David" how they would look. Would they be balanced? Would they alert me to the necessity of making changes in how I operate this upcoming year. Would they show that I have given proper love and attention? My prayer is that my total would not be "in the red", but that there will be a nice healthy and thriving balance.

One of the hugest accounts we will ever manage as humans is our "time". Unlike many other accounts, our time will only ever decrease. We can increase our love account, but that is not possible with our time account. I wonder if I were to look at an actual Journal Entry titled "Time" if I would be ashamed. How many of my days, hours, minutes and seconds have I used in a responsible fashion? Would there be enough lines showing that I put my children as a priority? Did I put my husband as a priority? Did I give a good amount of time to my Lord?

Financial Statements do not lie. They tell you the truth about your operation. My prayer is that my financial statements will be those that reflect a woman living a balanced life.

So... Good-bye 2010. Thank you for what you taught me. 2011? Bring it on!

Book Review: Fearless by Max Lucado

Fearless is a must read for everyone! There is not a specific age group that I would recommend this book to, because it would be beneficial for all. I have never read anything from Max Lucado before, but that will definitely be changing! Mr. Lucado has a way with words that allows the reader to clearly understand what he is saying. He is so down-to-earth and matter of fact. He remains positive throughout the book and each time I would read, I would be left with a happy feeling within. He allows the reader to see how much each of us fears things that more often than not, never come into existence. I am so excited that I can now pass this book on to others to read. Thank you Mr. Lucado for such an inspiring book in such an unsettling world.

I received the book "Fearless" written by Max Lucado from Book Sneeze to read and review. I was not paid by them to do this review.

Do You Like Your Friends?

I have always encouraged my children to be wise in their choice of friends. That being said, I also encouraged them to be friendly to all. Too many times, I have seen people treated different or not as well due to many things beyond their control. Some of these being, but not limited to, the way they look, the type of clothes they wear, where they live, where they work, who their family is, their financial status, etc.... Some may respond, "...but that is high school behavior..." Is it really? I'm sad to report that I have been guilty at times of discriminating behavior. Ouch!

The world we live in is full of anti-discrimination rules and laws. However, it is still a very big discriminatory world. When I discriminate against someone, I have basically taken the place of God and put myself above that person. I have seen too many times where people are treated differently because they may not attend the same type of church we do, or wear the same type and/or brand of clothing, they do not raise their children the same, etc.... I think it's time we band together and say "ENOUGH!" We have all been created in God's image. When I discriminate, I am saying that God's creation is less than perfect. Yes, we are all less than perfect thus the reason Christ's blood was shed, but I have not been given the authority to be the one to judge. My husband often says, "I have had two very big revelations in my life: 1) There is only one God 2) I am not it." That basically sums it up!

This does NOT mean that I cannot encourage my children to make wise choices when it comes to choosing friends. If you ask my children what I say about the way we should relate to other people, they will tell you that Mom says, "You don't have to like them, but you have to love them." I'm SUPER happy about this, because there's some people that no matter how hard I try, I just can't like! However, I can love them. I want my children to make good choices in their friends. I also want them to befriend those who may be different. A little love can go a long way.

I am not a big advocate of having a "best" friend. I like having several close friends. I think friends should help balance you as a person. I don't want a friend who is exactly like me. I want friends who help me to be a better me. I also want to BE a good friend. The Scriptures tell us "...a man that hath friends must first show himself friendly." This will never fail to be true. This is something I have talked about with my daughter often. Girls are emotional and need emotional ties to people. I don't want her to put all of her confidence in one "friend". Guess what? People are human! The only place I want her full confidence is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one that will NEVER let her down in her life. I want to be remembered as one that had many friends and one that showed myself friendly.

I would consider my husband to be my best friend here on earth (yes I know I said I'm not an advocate of best friends, but this is different!). He is the one that I share everything with. Not talking about him, I got thinking today about my friends. I asked myself "do I like the people I choose to spend my time with?" The answer is definitely Yes. I hope that others can say the same about me!

New Life

Wow. There's a lot of meaning in that small word. Our life has totally and completely changed these past few weeks. Although I had a peace about our decision, I was still apprehensive about what the future would hold with enrolling our children in school.

The first day or two was tough for me. It was the first time I let go of totally controlling their education and entrusting them to someone else. It's the first time my babies have been gone from me everyday for ALL day. The Lord really blessed us through a friend to confirm our decision. This friend said one night he felt to pray for our family really hard and to focus especially on our children. Upon praying, he said that he was impressed by the Lord that we made the right decision and that if we would continue to teach our values to our children at home, all would be fine. What a blessing! This touched Martin and I so much and just further confirmed our decision.

Victoria is thriving. She is my social butterfly. She loves to be out and to be busy. She loves her teacher and the business of school. She is part of Service Squad at her school which has enabled her to feel like she belongs and has a place right away.

David is doing amazingly well. I prayed that he would be given the right teacher. Guess what!?! I couldn't have picked a better teacher for him if I had handpicked her myself! She is totally perfect for David. He is doing exceptionally well. The structure of school is proving to be very beneficial for our son. He is excited and is doing great.

I sit back and watch in awe. It's amazing how God can change the course of our path so quickly. What's more amazing is that He knows exactly what we need! This is turning out to be the very best decision for our family. It has helped to teach me another lesson in following the Lord's leading even when I don't understand it. It reminds me of the beginning of a song that I love...

Oh rejoice in the Lord
He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end
Of the path that I must take...

In closing, I encourage each of you to follow what the Lord is leading you to do. There is no greater path in life that we can trod.