Friday, January 22, 2010

This is the Day that the Lord has Made by Rev. Greg Bishop

Photo courtesy morgueFileWhy are we in such a big hurry for this day, or week to end?

We use a lot of catchy phrases like "Thank goodness, it’s Friday," or on Wednesday we say, "Hump day, only two days 'til the weekend," or "Boy, you can sure tell it’s Monday, can't wait 'til 5 o'clock." Then Sunday evening it’s "Where did the weekend go?"

I want to encourage us to look forward to every day of the week. Each day has it’s purpose. Enjoy every day and appreciate the fact that you have today, and today is like no other day.

We need to individually decide how to be productive mentally, physically, and spiritually as we enter into each day. I can only offer a suggestion, you must decide how to make your own agenda Sunday through Saturday.

S - Start the week off properly. Worship with your Christian brothers and sisters. The Word of the Lord says for us to assemble together (Hebrews 10:25), and the purpose on Sunday, of course, is to give praise and worship to our heavenly Father, Who is worthy of all our praise.

M - Make an extra effort to do a good deed today. Make Monday a smile day. If you go to the fast food drive-thru, be pleasant to the person at the window. They could be having a bad day and your smile and kindness might just brighten their entire week. You may even want to try it at the bank, the grocery store, maybe even Wally-World. It really does work most of the time.

T - Take time to be alone with your Lord. He wants to hear from you and He wants to speak to you. We are important to Him. Remember He gave His very best for His children. We shouldn't just confine this to Tuesday, it should be the norm for every day. Just make a special effort today.

W - Walk with integrity. don't give anyone a reason to condemn you. The Bible tells us to refrain from even the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Doing so will ensure no one can legitimately condemn us for any reason.

T - Talk to someone about the Lord today. It will not only help them in eternal matters, but it will give you a sense of obedience to the Lord. The Holy Scriptures tell us to be prepared in season and out to give an account for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15). we're busy people and we don't always get a lot of opportunities to witness as we would like, so make the best of every opportunity. wouldn't Thursday be a great day to tell someone about Jesus?

F - Finish the work week with a sense of accomplishment. Know that you've done your best. You've heard the old adage "don't worry, be happy." Jesus mentioned this. He was telling us that worrying about things won't change them. If you know you've done your best, rejoice in that fact.

S - Saturday is my day of rest, as it probably is for many people. I believe we all want to look back on our previous six days and feel a sense of accomplishment. Be good to yourself today. don't dwell on the things that didn't go exactly the way you would have liked. Instead, concentrate on the good things from each of the days of this past week. And look forward to next week for what it is... a blessing from God.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMossWhen I received Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss free to review it for Moody Publishers, I expected it to be just another book about being thankful. But it's really so much more!

This is a book about being grateful in all things... not the happy blessings of life, but the hard-to-handle tragedies that we face. Not the "I'm thankful that you're teaching me through this, Lord," but "I'm thankful for this... for this sickness... for this financial ruin... for this...[insert your own tragedy here].

It's not something we want to even consider, let alone attempt to do.

But DeMoss shows us how tightly woven the theme of gratitude and giving thanks in all things is with the gospel message we love. And she helps us discover how we can be grateful and give thanks in all things.

Joni Eareckson Tada wrote the foreward in the book. And for someone who has faced the trials that she has to be able to recognize that God is bigger than our trials and heartaches--when her trials and heartaches seem so much more severe than mine!--I have to at least try to understand the message of this book. I don't know that I fully "get" it... but I see the need for it. I believe you will, too.

Definitely one worth reading.

Purchase Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy.

The Silent Gift by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley

The Silent Gift by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy KelleyI received The Silent Gift by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley from Bethany House to review, and I have to say, this was a hard book for me to read.

The writing is excellent, of course. The story is gripping, it draws you in and holds your attention. But the tragedy the characters face was more than I, personally, wanted to "live" through within its pages.

This is the story of a woman who almost drowns at the very moment of giving birth to her son, and because of that trauma, the boy is born unable to hear or speak. She learns, as he grows, that the boy has a special gift, however, and their saga begins.

What was so disturbing to me were the unbelievably harsh circumstances the characters were forced to endure. Just at the moment when it seemed as if things couldn't get worse, they did. There are times when a book imposes too much pain into my spirit, and that troubles me emotionally. This was one of those books.

It's a bittersweet story, some would say heartwarming. And of course, it's not hopeless. There are good things that happen in it. And God does prevail. It's just that the book haunted my spirit and it's not one I would choose to read again.

Purchase The Silent Gift.

Regret-Free Living by Stephen Arterburn

Regret-Free Living by Stephen ArterburnWhile I've heard of Stephen Arterburn for years, I have to admit that Regret-Free Living is the first of his books that I've read. Now, I've found a new author.

Expecting a dry, preachy discourse about "moving on," I was very pleasantly surprised to find this book laugh-out-loud funny in places and filled with practical ideas for living without regret.

Like everyone else, I've done things I would change if I could, but sadly, can't. Using examples from his own life, as well as illustrations from others, Arterburn reminds us that we're all in the same shape and that letting go of what we can't change makes for a much happier and more peaceful life.

The writing is honest and open, holding back none of--what I would consider--embarrassment or pain of past mistakes. That takes a lot of courage, which I admire. And to do so with humor, drives his point home without hitting us over the head with it.

Definitely worth the read. I give this one five stars!

(I received this book free as a reviewer for Bethany House.)

Purchase Regret-Free Living.