Taste and See

Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life by John Piper is not really a devotional to read before you go to sleep, but that is where I read it.  I really like that the 125 daily meditations are short but they are thought provoking and they are challenging and they have me underlining and highlighting and wanting to discuss them with my husband (who is sleeping already).  Piper's writing are deep and real.  He shares with the reader his deep faith and a lifetime of listening and obeying His Supreme God.  God has given him wisdom and he shares it with us boldly and pushes us to look beyond what we see and to go under the surface of our lives to taste and see God with renewed zeal.  This is not your foo-foo devotional.  Piper calls us to take a good look at our lives and the difficult world around us and to step up to be the disciples Jesus called in Matthew 28.  I received this book free from WaterPress for my honest review.

ELECTION YEAR

PEOPLE SPENDING 

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 hours on Facebook or social media

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 minutes in God's word

AND THEN WE COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR CANDIDATES!

Under the Surface

GO DEEP

LIVE BRAVE

WALK BOLDLY

NO REGRETS

Reset

I met him at "Famous Dave's", my husband's favorite restaurant.  He was a young energetic college student with a passion for life.  I connected with this passion that led to prayer that led to a power beyond all of us and paved a path for the future.  My son-in-law and daughter joined him in fervant prayer for this new movement to reach the people around them.  None of them knew that God was about to do something greater and more than they imagined.

The college student was Nick Hall, now the author of his first book, "Reset". This book is proof that one life can impact a generation.  This book shows us how "Jesus Changes Everything" (as the subtitle says) when you "Reset" your life with Him.  This book tells how one heart turned towards God and saying yes can stir the people around you and start a movement that cannot be stopped.

God is on the move and the message of this book confirms that.  What a great blessing to review it.
Thank you Waterbrook Press for this honor.

FAVORITES QUOTES CONTINUED...

"I HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE ALOT OF MONEY, BUT I KNOW I WON'T BECAUSE I'M PRAYING GOD'S PROTECTION AGAINST THIS."  [A.TOOPS]

"I WAS WRONG ONCE, AND THEN I REALIZED I HAD MADE A MISTAKE."  [M.WILLOUGHBY]

Four Stories of Love & Family

My favorite stories always have an element of intrigue, mystery, and love with twists and turns and of course, happy endings.  That is what the four stories are in "Amish Christmas at North Star" by Cindy Woodsman, Minday Starns Clark, Amanda Flower and Katie Ganshert.  The stage is set for the reader in the beginning and the whole book is a fun and relaxing read interwoven with the lives of real people who are connected in the most unique ways.

This book is one of those books you look forward to picking up during a break in your day and sitting in your favorite chair with a cup of coffee, and you will not be disappointed.

I received this book from Waterbrook Press for my honest review.

TEXT OF THE YEAR

Text of the year  (so far):

"I know mom.  I value your opinion but follow God before you :)"

QUOTES AND THOUGHTS

Songs run through my head. 

 I love the lyrics.  

Here's one of them from this morning.

Reading is my favorite hobby.  This year I'd like to put down my favorite quotes.

Here's one:  

"Biblical change is not the absence of struggles 

but the freedom to choose holiness in the midst of our struggles".  (C.Yuan)

THE JAM YEARS - WALKING

I grew up listening to my mom's Patsy Cline album.  One of my favorite songs was "Walking After Midnight". 

Last year I listened to my hubby whistle over and over and over again "Walking in a Winter Wonderland".  Now I'm listening to him sing the Mylo Hatzenbuhler version "Walk Until My Pants Will Fit Again" over and over again.

A few mornings ago I woke up with the chorus of the song "Step by Step" going through my head.  It's an old praise song by Rich Mullins. The lyrics are a prayer that say "I will learn to walk in Your ways".  The full version is right here.  The first 3 minutes are a testimony. It's a beautiful video.  

Or you can listen and sing along with lyrics. 

In January of 2015 my hubby and I attended the Be In Health "For My Life" Conference in Georgia.   It changed our lives. We stayed a second week for the "Walk Out Week".   We are walking out this life differently because of this teaching.

In April we walked in one of the most beautiful places in the world - the Grand Canyon and we stopped to enjoy it.  

Walking around our farm is our main activity with lots of family and friends visiting every year.  June brought a wonderful celebration of walking out 70 years of marriage for our parents, John and Dolores Haugen. 

In November we walked (hiked) up the Inspiration Point - enjoying a family weekend.  

I love words.  And many times when I'm praying for people, the Lord impresses a word or words for that person on my heart.  So for our Christmas with our family I gave everyone a pair of socks with a word or words on, encouraging them to WALK for the Lord.

For "Grandpa's Christmas" - we WALKED around Jericho, tearing down the walls of our enemy by listening, following instructions, and praising and shouting out loud. We gave everyone a pair of shoes as a visual reminder of this. 

Today my morning devotions again confirms this walking theme.  "The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him, though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand."  Psalm 37:23-24

So whether I'm walking after midnight or Jerry is walking till his pants fit again, we WILL be walking step by step with our Great God in 2016. 

Happy New Year!