Saturday, August 25, 2012

Take My Life and Let It Be



Take My Life and Let It Be (originally written by Frances R. Havergal, 1836-1879, sung by Chris Tomlin)

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31) Soli Deo Gloria! To God alone be all the glory!

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
I dedicate myself completely to Your glory and service, Lord! Take me, mold me, and use me, please. In Jesus's name, I pray. Amen!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Friday's Fave Five #72

It's time for another Friday's Fave Five (hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story).

My Fave Five this week:-
1. I'm glad that my daughter is taking Krav Maga (Israeli self-defense). Very practical and effective :)!

2. At a Twitter party yesterday, I won $50 JCPenney gift card.

3. "Get to Give"! Hoops of Hope founder Austin Gutwein is celebrating his new book "Live to Give" with a give-back giveaway. One winner will receive a Kindle Fire and have $250 donated on their behalf to the charity of their choice! Click to enter and for more info.: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13528976/livetogive

4. I'm excited about the new game show, "The American Bible Challenge". You can read about it and enter to win a The American Bible Challenge t-shirt and a Zondervan NIV Quest Study Bible at http://fivesavedbygrace.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-american-bible-challenge-and.html . Ends 8/31

5. My 19 year old daughter, Alyssa, entered Intel's A Momentary Lapse contest. Please view and vote for her entry (Slow Motion Basketball...only 1 min. 8 sec. long) at http://youtube.com/myinteledge?x=us_showcase_2091_4. Thanks so much! You can vote once per day through Sept. 11th.



Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Book Review: Making Sense When Life Doesn't by Cecil Murphey

About the book:

Beloved author Cecil Murphey empowers readers to discover the good in every situation and to make life better because of adversities.

Sometimes life gets messy. It’s cluttered with too many demands. Companies downsize. Love relationships end. Trauma hits. When chaos erupts, every person has a choice to make—to decide whether it’s the worst time of life, to find comfort in the way things used to be, to move on because change is forced, and then resent everything that happens, or to say, “This can be the best time of my life. I can try the things I wanted to do but never did.”

In Making Sense When Life Doesn’t, Cecil Murphey’s compelling stories, hope-filled insights, and gentle encouragement move readers with messy lives to the stunning realization that life won’t ever be perfect, but it can be good…even exciting!

Meet Cecil Murphey:

Cecil Murphey has written or co-written more than 125 books, including the bestsellers 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (with Dr. Ben Carson). His books have sold in the millions and have brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world.

Murphey stays busy as a professional writer and travels extensively to speak on topics such as writing, spiritual growth, caregiving, significant living, sexual abuse, and recovery.

Prior to launching his career as a full-time writer and speaker, he served as pastor of Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Metro Atlanta, as a volunteer hospital chaplain for ten years, and was a missionary in Kenya for six. For more information, visit www.cecilmurphey.com


MY REVIEW:
This book reminds me a lot of The Noticer by Andy Andrews. “After all, every one of us is always in a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or headed for a crisis. Crisis? That's just part of being on this planet.” (The Noticer, page 83)

It seems that life gets messy, sooner or later :). You may even be experiencing its messiness right now. Don't lose hope. In Making Sense When Life Doesn't: The Secrets of Thriving in Tough Times, Cecil Murphey offers wisdom, practical insights, and encouragement to help readers get excited about living their lives, not in spite of crises, but because of crises. We can use our trials as lessons from which we learn and grow stronger.

There are 58 chapters in the book. Each chapter is short and concise. When I was reading, I felt like I was being given a pep talk by a coach on the game of life. Each chapter ends with a sentence or two that captures the heart of that chapter (a take-away point). I'm a bit curious why the author who used to be a pastor, scarcely quotes Scriptures in his book. Maybe he doesn't want to appear too preachy? Mr. Murphey uses real-life stories (of his own and others) as examples to demonstrate his points. He repeats several times that he is a serious Christian and for the most part, he seems to have Biblical worldview on life in general. This book covers many topics such as failure, change, rejection, pain, mistakes, waiting, exercise, forgiveness, secrets, jealousy, anger, enemies, power, success, principles, and more. It's an easy read and it's motivational. I appreciate the author's transparency and his sensible advice.

"My hurting friends don't need my advice; they need my compassion." (page 71)

"If I expect certain behavior that I don't get, I can become angry. Or, I can change my expectations." (page 116)

"I need my opponents. They often speak the truths that my friends won't." (page 134)


~I received a complimentary of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review. The opinions are my own. You can find more reviews on this book here.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Book Review: Living by Faith by David Venable


This book was written to be used as weekly devotions for 78 weeks. However, it can easily be used for daily devotions. Even though these devotions were originally given as sermons, they do not sound preachy at all :). Each devotion starts with a Bible reference for reading and meditation and ends with a prayer. Each devotion is about 2 1/2 to 3 pages long. It's easy to read and the author gets the points across quite effectively.

Living by Faith
addresses how faith affects different aspects of Christian living, such as trials, temptations, giving, worship, unity,...even voting. The author shares his own experiences, offers practical insights, and encourages readers to live for God and live by faith. Faith is the backbone of Christianity. The author shows us how relevant faith is to our daily life and how we can apply God's principles while living a life of faith and obedience. When I was reading the book, I felt like an older brother in Christ was just having a conversation with me, giving me great advice. This is an encouraging devotional that will help strengthen your faith and challenge you to grow closer to God!

"We need to reckon ourselves dead to the world in Christ...Our real life is in heaven, not here. Do not compromise eternal life for an earthly reward. It is not worth it." (p.33)

"Jesus came to save us from our sin. He did not come to save us from trouble...The Christian life is the most difficult of all to live. It is the narrow way, not the broad road. You must die to self, not indulge self." (p.205)



~I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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