It’s springtime in Texas and that means it’s Bluebonnet time! Woohoo!
Picture a Day – The Drummond Ranch
For those folks for love watching The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network, you know why I was excited to visit Ree Drummond’s new store The Mercantile in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
On the way to the store, we passed the now famous Drummond Ranch.
Beautiful countryside in Oklahoma, even in winter when things are brown and bare.
Picture a Day – Behold the Man – Thorncrown Chapel
Even on a cold winter day with the trees bare and a cold breeze blowing the Thorncrown Chapel was beautiful. From the outside, we could see the warm glow of a light inviting us in. A somber and beautiful place. I couldn’t help but reflect on the crown of thorns that Jesus willingly bore on His way to the cross. He willingly went to the cross to bear our sins. His atoning death on the cross paid the penalty for my sin. My sin debt was paid in full that day over 2,000 years ago. Thank Father for giving Your Son. Thank You Jesus for bearing my sin, so one day I could be clothed in Your righteousness. Thank You Holy Spirit for opening my eyes to see the truth in Scripture of my sin and my need for a Savior, Christ Jesus is the Promised Messiah. Jesus alone is The Way, The Truth and The Life and no one comes unto the Father except through Him.
Has your sin debt been paid in full? Have you been clothed in the righteousness of Christ?
If not, today can be your day of salvation if you will repent of your sin, believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and confess Him with your mouth.
Wouldn’t you like to know with absolute certainty, that no matter what happens to you in this life, your eternity in heaven is secure in Christ Jesus?
Picture a Day – Looking Forward
I’m looking forward and very excited at the prospects of hummingbirds soon returning to north Texas. It will be a few more weeks, but they are likely in route from Central and South America. They will only be around for six months, but I hope to enjoy them each day they are here.
This little girl’s picture was taken in central California back in 2011.
Picture A Day – Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart
Feeling grateful today. After some significant knee pain for about a month, I went to the orthopedic doctor. He was able to give me an injection in my knee and already the pain is significantly lower.
I know that all health and healing is from the LORD. I know that He uses sickness and pain in our lives for His good purpose and plan. I can trust God who is good and sovereign in all things.
I’m prayerful that the pain relief will last and today give thanks with a grateful heart. I give thanks that He has helped me each day in dealing with the pain.
Abraham Living the Life of Faith by Gregory Brown – A Solid Bible Study That Will Challenge You and Help You Grow
I’m grateful when I come across a Pastor or Bible study teacher who is sound in their theology because it’s rooted and grounded in the Bible. Pastor and teacher Gregory Brown is one of those men. He studies to show himself as a workman approved and accurately handles the Word of Truth.
That’s why, I was eager to read Pastor Gregory Brown’s newest Bible Teacher’s Guide, Abraham: Living the Life of Faith. I’ve been privileged to study the book of Genesis in-depth several times under solid Bible teachers. Even though I’m familiar with Abraham’s story, Pastor Brown shares some sound interpretation of the passages and brings some new insights in this man of God who is foundational to both the Jewish and Christian faiths. He does this through the sound exposition of the Scripture.
Not only does he examine Abraham’s life and his faith, both his victories and failures, but Pastor Brown helps the reader to ask some challenging questions and apply what they are learning to their own lives.
You may wonder, what you can learn from a man who lived over 4,000 years ago. Is his life relevant to you today in a much different day and age? I can answer that with a resounding yes. Abraham, who was called by God and is known as a friend of God, is a Patriarch whom we can learn much from.
Do you ever wonder if God still calls people today? As a Christian how well do you respond to trials? Do you know any believers who seem to be falling away from their faith or are friends of this world? Do you ever do battle with fear, doubt and discouragement? Ever find yourself struggling with a sin, time and time again? Can you have victory over that sin? What promises in the Bible belong just to the people whom God spoke to and which ones can you as a Christian know with confidence belong to you too? These are just some of the areas Pastor Brown delves in to.
If you want a quick one minute Bible reading for each day with a clever quote, this book may not be for you. But if you want to better understand the Bible and who God is as He has revealed Himself in the perfect and inerrant Word of God, Abraham: Living the Life of Faith may be just what you are looking for. If you want someone who will deal with you straight, someone who preaches the Word in season and out of season, someone who will reprove, rebuke and exhort you with patience and instruction, then I encourage you to read Pastor Gregory Brown’s newest Bible Teacher’s Guide – Abraham: Living the Life of Faith. This book would be good for a group study and also for the individual.
I would like to thank Pastor Gregory Brown for the opportunity to read Abraham: Living the Life of Faith. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
If you would like to know more about Pastor Gregory Brown, please take a look at his website: Gregory Brown. On this website, you can learn about additional resources that are available.
Control Girl by Shannon Popkin – A Painfully Good Book – It’s a Keeper
Not that I would like to admit that I’m controlling, but when I saw Shannon Popkin’s new book Control Girl – Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of Control from Seven Women in the Bible, I knew I wanted to read it. Perhaps the Lord had something He wanted to me learn about being controlling.
How come it’s always easier to see a behavior, attitude or action as sinful and wrong in someone else’s life but be oblivious to it in my own life? I guess in some respects I let my sin blind me to the reality that being a control freak is not good and may be downright sinful. God used Control Girl to make me more aware of my sinful propensity to be controlling.
In this book, Shannon does an excellent job unveiling the tendency in some women to be controlling. She does this by being open and transparent with her own life and shares the negative and hurtful consequences of being controlling. More importantly, she takes the reader to examples from the Bible of real women, that lived in a different day and age, who also had inner control girl issues. Through Scripture she shows examples from the lives of Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Rebakah, Leah, Rachel and Miriam on why and how our control girl may spring into action and how it effects our relationships. Being a control freak may not be conducive to our own happiness and reflects and impacts our relationship with God.
This is an excellent book to help people who struggle with control issues to see it for what it is. Being a controlling person is sinful and not something we should leave unexamined and unfettered. But we can have victory when we repent, trust God and surrender control to Him.
I found this book to be painful as I recalled examples from my own life of being a control girl. Things that as I look back on, make me want to cringe. How in the world did I not see that as wrong back in the day?
Warning…you may find this book to be painful and direct in confronting sinful controlling tendencies. But Shannon manages to it with tenderness and grace and from the vantage point of someone who has addressed the issue in her own life. This is also an encouraging book to help us walk in a manner that honors and glorifies God, trust Him and help us to treat people with loving respect.
I highly recommend Control Girl. If you think you have control issues, read this book. If you have a loved one who struggles with control, you may want to read this book to better understand what may be going on beneath the surface that rears its ugly head as being controlling. This book is a keeper, you may want to reread it and make notes as you go along.
I would like to thank the people at Litfuse and Kregel Publications for the opportunity to read Shannon Popkin’s new book Control Girl. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
Shannon Popkin’s ‘Control Girl’ Blog Tour and Prize Pack Giveaway
Are you trying to stay in control of your quest for peace, joy, and security . . . and you’re exhausted? Shannon Popkin’s debut book, Control Girl, is a must-read for anyone with a heart that craves control. Join Shannon as she shares what she has discovered about her own control struggles and about God from studying seven Control Girls in the Bible. Whether it was Eve’s desire to know instead of trust, Sarah’s inability to wait for God to move, or Rebekah’s controlling hand on her family’s future, each of these women’s stories contain warnings and lessons for us today.
Learn how to give up control to God and become a Jesus girl! Enter to win a prize pack that will help you give up your Control Girl tendencies.
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of Control Girl
- A Vera Bradley tote
- A rose gold arrow bracelet
- A set of Moleskine journals
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on February 21. The winner will be announced February 22 on Shannon’s blog.
Picture of the Day – A Room with a View
Absolutely love this view from the Marland Estate in Ponca City, OK. Love the colors and the veiled view through lovely curtains. We visited in December when the landscape was brown and bare, but beautiful nonetheless.
Picture of the Day – Pioneer Woman Statue
Love this sculpture, Pioneer Woman Statue, by artist Bryant Baker. We saw this beautiful piece when we toured the Marland Estate in Ponca City, OK. It seemed like the perfect picture for the Scripture on the Proverbs 31 woman.
Picture a Day – The Mercantile
On our recent trip to Oklahoma, we planned to visit Ree Drummond’s new store The Mercantile. For any of you who watch The Pioneer Woman this may be on your list of places to visit.
Saturday is a busy day for The Mercantile and this particular day it very cold outside. They graciously provided heat lamps for people waiting for their turn to go in the store. Pawhuska is a small town. They have some beautiful old buildings. Hopefully they too will be restored.
Flora’s Secret – by Anita Davison – Enjoyable and A Nice Surprise – I look forward to reading more books by Anita Davison
Since mysteries are one of my favorite genres I was excited at the opportunity to read a book by an author whose work is new to me. That’s why I selected this historical fiction by Anita Davison, Flora’s Secret.
Flora’s Secret is the story about a young governess, Flora Maguire, who is accompanying her charge Eddy Vaughn as they journey home to England on the maiden voyage of the Minneapolis. Any hope for smooth sailing is quickly abandoned when Flora finds a dead body at the bottom of stairway. Is it an accident or murder? Spunky Miss Maguire is not one to be easily deterred and will do whatever she can to get to the bottom of this man’s untimely death. Thrown into the mix is a shipboard romance with a fine gentleman Mr. Bunny Harrington.
I really enjoyed this book. The main characters well developed, interesting and very likable. The author did a great job in describing people and scenes. She gave enough details for the reader to imagine the scenes, but not too much. The characters, Flora and Bunny, where very likable; people I would want to know. I’m hopeful their story will continue in another book. Other characters were intriguing and it was fun to try and figure out who the good guys were and the bad guys were.
While this book is not from a Christian writer and publisher, I appreciated the fact that the story was told and developed without profanity and sexually explicit scenes. It’s clean historical fiction, a mystery with a bit of romance, that focused on developing characters and the storyline. This was the first book I’ve read by Anita Davison and I look forward to reading more of her books.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Aria Publishers for the opportunity to read Flora’s Secret by Anita Davison. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
Eyes Behaving Badly
With each passing year, I find that I’m more and more grateful that I don’t know what future holds. If I did have foreknowledge, I’m sure I would spend more time worrying and being anxious. Instead I know Who holds the future.
The LORD entrusts me with today and calls me to trust Him and call out to Him in prayer and with thanksgiving.
My eyes behaving badly started a few months ago, when I was reading my Nook in bed. As I looked at the screen I realized that not only could I see the screen, but the time from our alarm clock (which was situated about six feet away and three feet higher) appeared to be behind the screen. Okay…so that’s a little weird.
At my yearly eye exam, I mentioned it to my eye doctor. Dr Brandon Marsh did some additional testing and informed me that I had a condition called Strabismus. It’s also knows as a wandering eye or lazy eye. My right eye was intermittently turning outward instead of staying focused on what was in front of me and in sync with my left eye. My doctor set up an appointment with a specialist who deals with this condition. I left with a business card in hand and an appointment a few weeks away.
Good golly, how in the world could I have developed this condition and not been aware of it? When I got home and looked in the mirror all of a sudden, I could see what the doctor was talking about. Since there was no precipitating event, like an accident, it’s a bit of a mystery what caused it.
With each passing week, the condition seemed to be happening more frequently. I was relieved that I would soon be seeing the eye specialist. The one catch, the doctor’s primary practice was working with children.
Talk about feeling awkward, I walked into the office for my appointment with Dr Cynthia Beauchamp and lo the office was filled with children and their parents. Okay, so I’m feeling a little self-conscious.
But that uncomfortable feeling didn’t last because after an examine, the doctor said she could help me. I would need surgery on my eyes to weaken the outer muscles of my eyes, so they would be correctly positioned and focus together.
I was most grateful to hear that this condition could be corrected. After praying and talking with my husband Chris, I decided to move forward and have the surgery. With the holidays coming up quickly and vacation, the surgery would take place in the new year.
The Lord went before me and worked out the details that concerned me. Not only did I need an examine from my primary care physician, I needed blood tests, x-rays and a letter from her and a cardiologist that I would a good candidate for outpatient surgery. The clock was ticking, but thank You Lord, I was able to get everything that was needed to the eye doctor within the allotted time frame.
As the day of surgery approached, I was more grateful. Everyday tasks, like walking down stairs and even driving became something that I needed to pay extra attention to. Using good quality eye drops and blinking helped when my eye started to wander.
Yesterday was the big day. We headed out early for my appointment arrival time of 6 am. Though some distance away, the traffic was light and we got there ahead of schedule. The Ophthalmology Surgery Center of Dallas is one hopping place. The waiting room filled up quickly by time I went back in for my surgery. As I walked back with the nurse, we passed many, many bays where patients were being prepared for surgery.
I didn’t have to wait long before they took me in for surgery. I was a little nervous, but overall the Lord gave me peace. During the waiting period I was able to pray.
Thankfully, I was given general anesthesia so I was completely oblivious to what the doctor was doing. The anesthesiologist gave me plenty of anti-nausea medicine which helped me greatly.
When I awoke from surgery, I had my eyes closed for quite a while. They had put some ointment in my eyes which made my vision very blurry. Once I was sufficiently alert and not ready to toss my cookies, they released me. Of course, my eyes were very sensitive to light so I put on sunglasses.
I kept my eyes closed most of the way home and opened them briefly to navigate the steps to go inside. After a brief nap, I stayed awake most of the day. Closing my eyes, even briefly, helped the discomfort and pain, as did good quality eye drops.
If I had an Indian name, today it would be Susan Red Eyes. Instead of white, my eyes are very, very red. There’s some pain, but minimal. Much better than I expected. At the end of yesterday, the double vision had already improved. When I awoke this morning, I was back to seeing double. I’m prayerful that will be resolved in a few days.
The main reason, I decided to go forward with the surgery is that I didn’t want my wandering eye and seeing double to get worse and impact my ability to drive safely and navigate stairs. Safety was a primary concern.
Also, I found that was I was increasingly self-conscious when I recognized my eye was on the move. Until, the condition was diagnosed I was unaware of it as was my husband Chris. But we both became hyper aware of it. He said it was strange to be talking with me and all of a sudden one of my eyes was looking elsewhere.
After personally experiencing a wandering eye, I can tell you first hand if someone you know has this condition, when you are looking at them focus on the eye that’s looking at you. For some reason, even though my right eye was looking elsewhere, my brain was focused on what was in front of me. I know that I felt very self-conscious about it, others may feel likewise.
I am so thankful to God that getting this corrected was possible. I thankful for the excellent healthcare I’ve had here in north Texas. I’m thankful for good insurance.
But most important, I know that all health and healing come from the LORD. He is my Great Physician. He is my Healer. He walks with me at all times. If God was not willing to heal me, I pray that I would be praising God and trusting His greater work within me. I can’t imagine how people do life without the LORD.
I’m so grateful for family and friends who were praying with us and for us. I’m grateful for my husband Chris and his steadfast support and help, not just during this season, but every day.
Of Poetry and God by Daniel Kerdin – Enjoyed reading this book; it’s one I’ll read again.
Recently, I was contacted by author and poet Daniel Kerdin to see if I would be interested in reading his new book of poems, Of Poetry and God. As a fellow poet, I was excited to read Daniel’s new book in which he shares about his faith.
I am so glad that I was able to read this collection of Daniel’s poems. I especially liked the ones that focused on people and events from Scripture. Some of the poems sparked my imagination and others caused me to reflect on my own life and God’s work in the lives of His people. As I read the poems based on the Bible, it made me want to reread those passages Scripture again, so I could better understand and appreciate the words Daniel used in his poems to capture the scenes.
Some of my favorites are A Shepherd’s Tale, One the Road, The Blessing and Redemption. In his poem, Wordsmiths, Daniel put into words the experience what writing poems is like.
In the poem, Hail, Queen of Heaven, you will see the view of Mary from a Catholic view, which contrasts greatly from the Protestant view of what the Bible teaches about Mary. There were a couple of poems I didn’t really connect with or understand. But overall, I really liked Daniel’s poems.
If you like Scripture or poems about faith and life, you may enjoy Daniel Kerdin’s book, Of Poetry and God. This is a book I will read again. It was an enjoyment to read the work of this wordsmith.
I would like to thank Daniel Kerdin for an opportunity to read his new book, Of Poetry and God. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
Word Clouds
Word Cloud from QuizzStar on Facebook
Word Clouds on Facebook are fun
As I wait to see what words I use most
But it got me thinking, what would the Word Cloud reveal
If it followed me around each day
What would be exposed if it recorded every word spoken
Every word shared in a text or email or online
Would they be words of life or death
Words that build up or tear down, truth or lies
Would it reveal my sinful, selfish heart
Or my love for the Lord
Would it be good and pleasing to You Lord
Or would it reveal why I so desperately need a Savior
Even more sobering
What if there was a Word Cloud that captured my thoughts
The thoughts I edit out, because even this sinner knows
There are some things that shouldn’t be said
Lord I know that You record my every word, thought and deed
There will come a day when I will give an account to You
Thank You Lord for providing Your Son, my Savior
To pay the penalty for my sin debt
If I were to be cast in to hell for eternity
I could never pay for all my sins against infinite Holy God
Thank You, Jesus, for dying for my sin
That I might be forgiven and granted eternal life
Thank You for the gift of Your Word which sanctifies me
Thank You for the Holy Spirit who dwells within
Help me to live each day
Mindful that I will give account to You
For every thought, word and deed
Help me to choose well and live out of love for You
Susan Wachtel
December 22, 2016
The Candidate by Lis Wiehl – A Mixed Bag
Since I like books with mystery and intrigue, I decided to read author Lis Wiehl’s new book The Candidate – A Newsmakers Novel written with Sebastian Stuart. I’ve watched Lis on Fox News and like her keen legal analysis and hoped that would translate into a good book. Unfortunately, I found The Candidate to be a mixed bag.
What’s good? I found the plotline intriguing. Is top Presidential candidate, Mike Ortiz, as good as he seems at first glance? Or will Erica discover there is something nefarious going on behind the scenes when she takes a closer look? Coming on the heels of a very contentious election cycle this should be a very interesting book.
The story is action packed and the main character, Erica Sparks, is somewhat interesting. Her background is revealed during the course of the story but there was not a lot of depth to this character. I liked her fiancé Greg, while not perfect, he showed himself to be there for Erica in the end. But overall I found the characters were not well developed. What the reader learns about the characters is very surface level details, some action of course, but there seemed to be an obsession with physical appearance. In fact, it was almost to the point of distraction.
What’s not so good? The story was predictable. After the first big event in the book, I found myself guessing what the next plot development would be throughout the book.
While somewhat veiled, there were some rather sick sexual relationships in this book that cross the line in a book released by a Christian publisher. While not described in detail, enough is said that makes it clear what’s happening. Also, Lis took a swipe at Donald Trump by including a nasty comment from one of the characters about him. It was unnecessary to the story and not value added. My overall impression was Lis tried to be edgy.
If this book had been published by a secular publisher, I would only put a cautionary note about some of the content which may be offensive to people of faith.
I have higher expectations from Thomas Nelson Publishers. On their website, this publisher is self-described as, “Thomas Nelson is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years.”
There was nothing whatsoever Christian about this book. There was nothing about faith. There was one curse word as I recall and I appreciate that there was very little profanity. But some of the content of this book was not fit material from a Christian publisher.
I would like to thank BookLook for the opportunity to read The Candidate by Lis Wiehl. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
Chosen for Greatness by Paul J Batura – Fascinating, Interesting & Heartening
As an adoptee, I’m always curious to read stories about people who are adopted or parents who adopt children. That’s why I was excited at the opportunity to read author Paul J. Batura’s book Chosen for Greatness – How Adoption Changes the World.
I found Chosen for Greatness fascinating, interesting and heartening. In this book, Paul tell about the lives of sixteen famous people who were adopted, including Steve Jobs, Babe Ruth, George Washington Carver, Scott Hamilton, Leo Tolstoy and more. They come from various walks of life and over hundreds of years. The chapters are short, but the reader learns about the adoptee, their pre-adoption circumstances, birth parents and adoptive parents. Most fascinating is to see God’s providential hand in the life of each of these people. In their lives, you can see how perfectly God brought these orphans to just the right parents.
It was sobering to read about the difficult circumstance these children were born into. It made me pause and give thanks for the times we live in. I also saw a resilience in the human spirit. Children and parents who could have easily given up, though perhaps wayward for a season, found a way to persevere and achieve greatness in this life. I found it encouraging to read about parents who adopted children, made a lifelong commitment and sowed into these young lives the seeds that God would use to make the children into the men and women He called and gifted them to be.
Since I’m adopted, I found it particularly interesting to read about what these adoptees felt about their adoption and birth parents. Though sometimes drawn to meet and know their birth parents, they knew their parents were the ones who adopted, cared for and raised them. Parenthood is less about blood and more love and commitment.
This book is written from a Christian perspective. Many of the people whose story is told were Christians or exposed to the Christian faith. I appreciated the reminder from Scripture and the life of the Lord Jesus Christ that adoption is part of God’s story. For His only begotten Son and for those whom He has chosen and adopted as His own.
I highly recommend Paul J. Batura’s book Chosen for Greatness – How Adoption Changes the World. This would be an ideal book for someone who is adopted, or those who have adopted children or know someone who is adopted. Or if you just want to read an interesting book and learn what shapes people’s lives, pick up Chosen for Greatness.
I would like to thank Regnery Publishing for the opportunity to read Chosen for Greatness by Paul J. Batura. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
#ChosenForGreatness
October Pumpkinfest at the Dallas Arboretum
Veterans Day 2016 – Thank You for your Service & Sacrifice
God Bless the USA & Thank You Veterans
Susan's Blog 