"Fearless" by Max Lucado

I’m afraid of heights, snakes, spiders, the dark, the bus stop on the corner down the street, water deeper than I can touch, and countless (I’m sure) other things. So when I saw the title of this book, I decided it was for me.
Lucado spends this book attacking the roots of our biggest fears – fear of not mattering, of failure, of death, of violence. He clearly and engagingly dispels these fears with truth from Jesus’ life and words while on earth. Fearless is short on practical strategies for overcoming fear of spiders. But it abounds with Christ-centered truth, reminding us that true fearlessness lies in keeping our eyes focused on Jesus – the calmer of the storm, the raiser of the dead, the healer of the blind and lame.
I needed to hear this message. Our world is driven by fear: Get the H1N1 vaccine! Take the government’s bailout money! Don’t let your kids walk down the street alone! How many daily decisions do I make based not on God’s truth but on my fear? Fearless artfully asks this question in a casual, fun, never preachy style that makes it enjoyable to read.

I wrote this review as part of Thomas Nelson's book review blogger program.

Uninterrupted Conversation?

While talking to my sister on the phone, she repeatedly tells me I should write down all the random things I say while trying to have a normal, adult conversation. She thinks it would be hilarious. So here goes.

-"Julia! Get off the piano!"
-"Ethan, stop torturing your sister!"
-"Kylie, no screaming!"
-"No! That's hot!"
-"Kylie, stop writing on your arm!"
-"Julia! Get off the counter before you kill yourself!"
-"Ethan, make your bed like I told you to!"
-"No you may not eat cookies right now."
-"Julia's doing WHAT???"
-"That's nice Ethan, but I'm trying to talk on the phone right now." (after he's been talking for 5 minutes without caring that I'm obviously not listening.)
-"Ethan, will you please help Julia off the table?"
-"Kylie, stop eating crayons!"
-"Go outside!"
-The sign that I've finally given up: "Yes Ethan, please start a movie."

I'm pretty sure I can fit all these into a 15 minute phone conversation - and probably more. These are just the ones I hear myself saying most often - or that I remember saying most recently anyway. So, if you'd like to have my undivided attention, call at nap time. Of course, I might be sleeping... =)

Christmas music

We have a strict rule in our house. No Christmas music 'til after Thanksgiving. Caleb hates it when the stores start putting out Christmas stuff in September. He thinks it ruins Christmas - by the time it gets here, we're all sick of it.
Well, I'm breaking the rule this year. Chris Tomlin released a Christmas CD, "Glory in the Highest", and I couldn't resist. I downloaded it from iTunes. I'm listening to it right now. I love it! I just won't play it when Caleb's home for a while. =)

"Green" by Ted Dekker

Thomas Hunter has spent his life world-hopping, leading followers of Elyon in two realities towards the Great Romance, battling absolute evil. Now his world is shattered. Teeleh, evil incarnate, is savoring his impending victory. Thomas desperately searches both worlds for the key to victory, only to fail repeatedly. Will Elyon intervene?
Ted Dekker has again written a riveting, complex novel. It’s deeper than basic good versus evil, posing questions such as: Should Christians turn the other cheek instead of fighting back? And why doesn’t God make Himself visible to a world desperate for physical proof?
Although Green is marketed as the end or the beginning of The Circle series, I would have preferred it to just be the end. I didn’t love the ending that tied it back to the beginning of the series. I wanted the perfect “happy ending” - although that unpredictability is what draws me back to Dekker’s books. I also am not a huge fan of Dekker’s graphic depictions of evil – some of which I could’ve done without in this book.
That being said, I don’t own many books because I don’t consider most worth reading more than once. But I own The Circle Series – now including Green. Green is too good to put down. I highly recommend reading it – along with the rest of the series.

Book Review Blogging

I know usually my blog is full of random and (if you agree with my sister) hilarious stories about what goes through my head most of the time. But I heard about this program Thomas Nelson publishers does. Basically they send you a free book (you get to pick which one!) if you agree to write a 200 word review about it on your blog and post your review to one consumer site such as amazon.com or christianbook.com. I heard the "free book" part and was sold! And since I "review" every book I read to my poor husband who probably couldn't care less but listens very patiently anyway, I figured it would make him happy too. Besides, if I can get books I would've bought otherwise for free, it's saving him money! =) So, what follows is my first book review for Thomas Nelson. It's about Green by Ted Dekker - a book I've been dying to read and told Caleb he was going to have to buy me for Christmas. Does that make my review biased because I already assumed I was going to love it?
If you want to be a book review blogger too, you can learn more about it at http://brb.thomasnelson.com/.