Book Review for “Zora and Nicky”- Christian Romance

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Zora and Nicky” was not your typical Christian romance. I loved it. Two different worlds, two different religious backgrounds, but one chance at a life they both wanted. Clean romance. Some adult content. I say great for ages 16 and up. I give it five stars and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Time With Gabriel

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Gabriel and Papa

My youngest grandchild, Gabe the Babe, has been at our house since Friday. His parents are in Hawaii. My daughter is having a hard time being away from her little 13 month old, but we are having a great time. Sure getting up at night to pat his back until he goes back to sleep and the winey, crabby boy who is getting some new teeth can try our patience, after all we aren’t young anymore. However, the rewards are great. I keep him weekday while mommy and daddy work, but this is different. I rock him to sleep, give him bath time, and watch my hubby interact with him, just like he did with our children when they were young. We never thought we could love anyone the way we love our children. We know better now.

Proverbs 17:6 (NLT), “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.”

So, maybe I haven’t wrote a thing, other than this post, and the house is a little messy. I do still have a few flowers that need to go into the ground and we took a walk when the sun came out instead of planting (it has rained for days). I’ll be glad to give him back to his mommy, but I will be sad too. This ten days is a reminder that life is short, family is so important, and we all need to slow down.

 

Book Review for “Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits”- Christian Romance

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This is a clean, Christian romance without being preachy. Each chapter heading starts with a quote from “Pride and Prejudice”. I am not sure where the “Cheese Grits” part comes in except as a recipe in the back. Definitely a modern, southern twist on the original book. I really liked it, a fun read. I give it four stars. Good for teens and up.

Heart Strings or Stomach Strings?

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Psalm 7:9, 26:2 (KJV), “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins…Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”

We all have strings; David called them “reins.” Reins are used to control, or guide a horse. We have all heard the expression that someone was “playing on our hearts strings” or were “tugging on our hearts strings.” This is exactly what I am talking about. So, with that picture in your mind, ask yourself, “Who controls the reins of my heart.”

Maybe a better question is whether those reins or strings are even connected to your heart. I know people who have strings connected to their stomach. Our stomach represents appetite. It can be a hunger for food, for escape, for sex, for stuff, for fame, fortune, or all of the above. They are ruled by their own lust, by greed, by what they can get, or have. The strings to their hearts have been severed. If God was to try the strings to their hearts, He would find them disconnected. I always think of ancient Rome (and modern day America) when I think of being ruled by appetites.

They were ruled by their appetites. Their cry was “bread and games!” As long as their stomachs were full and they were satiated with entertainment, they were more than happy to follow along wherever the government chose to lead them. In Rome’s case, they were led to their own ruin. Whenever a country or an individual allows their stomachs to rule, their appetites to govern, they are on the fast track to ruination. Even allowing our hearts to lead us can be a rocky path, unless those heart strings are in God’s hands.

So that takes us back to my original question, who controls the reins of your heart? Do you allow another person, a hobby, your job, your children, all idols, to hold the reins? Or do you give complete permission for God to hold the reins?

He will do a better job. If I can return to the horse analogy, and we think of the person holding the reins as the rider, the one who controls or guides us, it’s easier to understand, easier to hand over control. After all, He knows where we are going. He knows where we need to jump the fence, where we need to gallop and run, and where we need to go slow and steady. He knows when our job is like a draft horse, who works hard, and when our job is like a war horse and we need to lead the charge. He knows when we need to carry those who are sick or tired, make those little ones laugh and smile, and when we need to just show off our beauty. The one thing He will never do is put us out to pasture. We are always in His service and He can use even the oldest and most battle scarred.

I want to cut all those strings to my stomach.

I want to give control of my heart strings to the One who loves me best.

How about you?

Devote Your Day to God

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Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT), “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Sometimes I feel like I have the strength of a wet noodle. The day seems so much longer than my energy reserve or my nerves seem more frayed than the cuffs of my favorite sweater. Something unexpected comes along and the though goes through your head, “give me a break,” or that last minute request from a loved one just about sends you over the edge. On those days my husband says, “I feel like I have been going a hundred miles an hour.” My favorite one seems to be, “I feel like I have been drug through a knothole backwards.” Do you ever have those days?

It took me a while to discern a pattern on those days. I can pretty much predict when they will come now. They don’t have so much to do with what does happen during the day as what didn’t happen during the day. If I jump out of bed (honestly I never jump, I roll and yawn, and shuffle) without spending some time in prayer that will not be a banner day. My daily schedule during the week starts with a time of devotions, bible reading, and prayer. Since I am an empty nester, it is much easier now to do this. When the kids were at home, and when they were little, it was much harder. Now, I set my alarm early so that I have time to pray with my husband before he leaves for work. Then I am up to let the dog out, make my coffee and unload the dishwasher, I found I have just enough time to do this while coffee is perking and dog is doing his thing. Next, I am back in my bed, with pillows propped, bible in hand and doing my daily reading. At this point in the day I just read through my bible, either chronologically or straight thru, it usually takes me about a year to do this. After my reading time I either talk to God about what I have just read, and then pray, or I pray and allow Him to talk to me while I pray. I keep a prayer journal and my daily entries help me see answered prayers.

This is my favorite time of the day. The house is quiet, I am not distracted by jobs that need to be done, and I am comfortable with my coffee. If I start my day this way, the world, the devil, or my own stupidity can throw me a sucker punch, but it doesn’t knock me down. There are some days that things don’t work out, maybe my grandson is coming earlier, or my husband needs some help with something in the morning, and my morning routine is altered. On those days, I make a point of finding some time later in the day. I determine to have a thankful heart and keep the lines of communication open. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it isn’t a “magical” routine that promises a good day. It also isn’t something I have to do to earn God’s blessings for the day. If we are on vacation, have company, or something else gets in the way, God isn’t sitting in heaven thinking, “you’re on your own today, you didn’t devote yourself to me this morning.”

What those times do, especially first thing in the morning, is remind us that God is good, that He loves us, and we have that special time of fellowship with Him. It builds a relationship with our Father. That way we burn for Him instead of getting burnt out. Burn out happens when we don’t take the time to refresh ourselves in Him. That fire inside of us, is supposed to be like a beacon to the lost, not a forest fire that destroys our lives and those around us. Let’s face it; life can be overwhelming at times. When we stay rooted and grounded in Him, in His word, we can not only face it, we can overcome it. I read a good Christian fiction book where the main character talked about “devoting” herself every morning. I always called it “devotions” but her version is so much truer. We are saying, by that set aside time, “Father, I am devoted to you and I devote my day to you.” What a great way to start each day.

David knew this.

Psalm 5:3 (NIV), “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

So did Isaiah.

Isaiah 50:4b (ESV), “Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.”

Maybe your mornings are crazy busy. I guarantee you that if you just set your alarm for an extra fifteen minutes and devote that time to God, make it a habit, you’ll wish you would have tried it earlier. For those of you like my children, who have little ones that get up between four am and five am, use their nap time as your set aside time. I used to nap with my little ones, however if I had known what a difference it would have made, I easily would have given up those power naps. I would have had more patience with my kids, I would have not felt so frazzled at the end of the day, and I am sure that my relationship with God would have been so much better than it is now.

I challenge you, put away that phone, turn off the computer, get up early, do whatever you have to do to give God a purposeful time during your day. It may feel like you are wasting time at first, especially when you have a million things to do, but trust me, it’s will be the best used time of your day. I used to try and do it before bed, big mistake, I was so tired and stressed at the end of the day I either fell asleep or my mind jumped around like a ball in a pin ball machine. Those times now are reserved for some reflection and thanksgiving.

At one point in Martin Luther’s life he was faced with a large day ahead, when he proceeded to begin his usual two hours of morning prayer time, an assistant said something like, “you are too busy to pray today,” Martin’s reply says it all. “I am too busy not too pray.” He realized that He needed the strength and peace of God for his day.

Don’t we all?

Psalm 143:8 (NASB), “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.”

Book Review for “Thicker Than Blood”- Christian Fiction

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I enjoyed this book. I read the second one first, each book can be read as a stand alone, so I had to go back and read this one. I loved the writing style, the characters are real and face real life situations. Some romance, some action, and a good storyline. Will definitely be reading more by this author. I give it five stars. No swearing or sexual content, it does talk about not living right (smoking and drinking), so I can recommend for teens and up.

Make a Difference: Ways You Can Help

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Yesterday I wrote about making a difference in someone’s life. After giving it some thought I realized that it can sometimes be hard to know how or what to do. So today I am giving you some ideas, websites, and some encouragement. First and foremost, if you want God to continue to bless you and to give you seed to sow, you need to be giving God His 10% and that does not go to a charity. It goes to your local church, the one you attend on a regular basis. Next, you should be regularly supporting that same church in any outreaches and missions.
Charities that I support or have supported (Please do your research! Some “charities” give more to their administrators than to the people they are supposed to be helping)

Samaritans’ Purse

Feed the Children

If you are crafty, can knit or crochet:
Hats for the homeless

Knit a Square

Send a card, package, or a letter to a serviceman or woman:
Any Soldier

Help a wounded soldier:
Wounded Warrior Project

Another opportunity if you can either knit or crochet is to make hats for newborns and donate to hospitals, or for adults and donate to nursing homes.

Here are some places to volunteer your time:
• Nursing home or hospitals-rock babies, push wheelchairs outside, visit or play board games with the patients.
• Daycares or schools- read with those learning to read students, help study, lunchroom supervision, playground supervision, decorating classrooms.
• Local food pantries- give out food, pick up food, load boxed, unload boxes.
• Abuse shelters
• Homeless shelters
• Soup kitchens
• Big Brothers or Big Sisters
• Sew clothes for the poor (there are several organizations who take donations, including “Little Dresses for Africa”
• Make Christmas shoeboxes (Part of Samaritan’s Purse “Operation Shoe Box”)

One on one:
• Offer to babysit for neighbors or young parents at your church (free of charge).
• Make a meal for a shut in, or new mothers, or anyone who is unable to cook for themselves, or for your busy Pastors and/or Church staff.
• Invite someone that doesn’t have a family to dinner.
• If you are a handyperson, offer to help with home repair.
• If you are mechanically inclined, offer your services to single moms, elderly, or widows.
• Volunteer in your Church’s nursery or youth program (if you don’t want to teach, make a snack, or decorate the rooms, do craft time).
• Volunteer to clean your Church, or to do the same for the elderly, or those new moms.
• Send out birthday cards to those without family.
• Take someone else’s children school shopping if they are low on funds.
• Bring a box of groceries to a needy family, or mail them a gas card.
• Find a missionary and support them financially, or donate goods to help their outreach (again, do your research!) If they only travel part time, offer to mow their yard, or water their plants while they are away.
• Take your Pastor’s out to lunch.
• Donate funds to your local Christian schools. They do not get government funding and still have to pay for staffing, heat, and supplies. (Here is the one I used to teach at, my daughter graduated from this wonderful school, New Testament Church Christian Academy P.O. Box 90 Merrill, Wisconsin, 54452. Your gifts here are tax deductible.)

Ok, I think you are getting the picture. The point is to invest yourself into someone other than yourself, or your own family, whether it is some “one shot” deals or ongoing commitments. Most Charities want you to commit to monthly giving, but I never do that. I send what I can, when I can, or when God lays it on my heart. Be led by His Spirit in your giving and you’ll never go wrong. Some of your giving is tax deductible, some is not, but don’t ever let that be your motivation in giving. Our motivation should always be the same thing that motivated Jesus, love.

Without any reservations, I will include our Church and our Ministry here.
What we do:
NTC Ministries is a relationship based Apostolic Network of ministers, churches and ministries Advancing the Kingdom of God across the globe. We are actively seeking to develop positive, cooperative, mutually beneficial relationships with ministers, churches and ministries. We facilitate connections and bring mutual support between ministries regionally, nationally and internationally. Those who God adds to our network become Partners working together with us in cooperation not competition to advance the Kingdom of God on earth. You have an opportunity to make an impact around the world.

By our collective efforts NTC Ministries has had a global impact with churches, ministries, Bible colleges, schools, orphanages, radio, television and outreach programs in Australia, Burkina Faso, Congo, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Wales.

• Planting Churches •Providing Apostolic Oversight• Prophetically Bringing Support to Your Ministry Goals. • Providing Biblical Counsel to those in Five-Fold Ministry • Leadership Development & Biblical Church Government • Planting Bible Colleges and Schools of Ministry

• NTC Bible College • National & Regional Meetings • Licensing and Ordination for qualified ministers • Providing inclusion in our 501c3 group exemption for churches and ministries • NTC Resource Center • Opportunities to Develop Your Broadcast Ministry • Missions Impact Opportunities

Who we are:
Founded by Apostle Dr. William and Pastor Pam Hohman in 1986, New Testament Church boldly proclaims a faith and grace based message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church’s ministries and outreaches include Christian day care, 3 and 4 year old pre-school, a K-12 Christian academy, a Bible college, a Christian radio station, and “His Hands Extended” food pantry. NTC Ministries supports missionary works in over thirty countries, including a Christian television station in the Philippines as well as works in a number of countries in Asia and Africa; these include orphanages, medical clinics, schools, colleges, and other missionary work. If you would like more information on NTC Ministries you can contact us at N2519 Hwy K, P.O. Box 90 Merrill, WI 54452. (715) 536-8554

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