Til the Storm Passes By

This was the only page left in a book of sheet music found in the remains of a home destroyed in the tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

My Rating: 9/10
Genre: Christian Nonfiction
Subject: Our relationship with God
Pages: 192

My Thoughts: This was one of the most difficult books I've ever read. There were a few times when I wanted to put it down and forget that I'd ever downloaded it to my Kindle. That would have been easier than reading things that were convicting me to my very core. The author speaks of "lukewarm people" and I know in my heart that in many ways, I am lukewarm. You know what God says about that? It's right here In Revelation 3:15-17: "'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked..." Thinking about God wanting to spit me out of His mouth was very disconcerting to me, to say the least. I could relate, though, because I can't stand it when people are on the fence about an issue (I'm referring to politics here). If God feels that way about me and some of my actions, then I am extremely ashamed. I have resolved to no longer be lukewarm, but boiling hot in my love for God, and to make it my top priority to remember Matthew 25:40, "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" It's a demanding and daily relentless kind of task, but my heart is convicted and I pray that it stays that way.

To get a good idea of more of what this book contains, check out the quotes below:

Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C. S. Lewis wrote, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."

No wonder so few people want to hear from us about what we ourselves feel is a boring, guilt-ridden chore!

There is nothing better than giving up everything and stepping into a passionate love relationship with God, the God of the universe who made galaxies, leaves, laughter, and me and you.

I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come into contact with is Christ.

Even now there are thousands of beings in heaven watching what is going on down here - a "great cloud of witnesses," the Scripture says. It reminds me that there is so much more to our existence than what we can see. What we do reverberates through the heavens and into eternity.

Recommended: Most definitely, yes, but be aware that it might just change your life

Spring!

This has happened to me every year for at least the past 2-3 years. But I don't realize it until it warms up again and awakens my winter-numbed senses. I love spring! The daffodils around here are starting to perk up and peek out, and the forsythia bushes are budding as well. Something about this time of year simply makes my soul glad. Pretty soon, we'll be having thunderstorms, too, which are so raw and natural they take my breath away. The mad grey clouds behind the fresh and new green leaves on the trees make a sight that is purely stunning. And then Easter comes, with the hope and happiness that it brings, knowing our Savior has risen!

I've always thought of myself as an autumn lover, and I am. But spring definitely has some strong points as well. Take time to enjoy some of the joys of the renewal season.

Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford

My Rating: 10/10
Genre: Fiction
Setting: New York City
Pages: 198
Topics: divorce, food, blogging, finding oneself
Main Characters: Rachel, Adam, Arianna, Gael, Ethan

My Thoughts: I was about 1/3 of the way through this book when I realized it was fiction. Somehow, I got confused and thought the author had written a book about her experience with blogging and divorce. Once I got that figured out, that helped me see just how awesome the writing was since it felt so real and true. You have to love Rachel, and you have to hope for the very best for her. It was a pleasure to share in her self discovery, not to mention the secondary characters, which were also amazingly created and portrayed. I was very pleased with the ending of the book, and I cannot wait for the sequel to Life from Scratch.

Recommended: Yes!

Notable Quotes:

I cannot think of anything more unappetizing than fish that has been pulverized into a spread.

Sitestalker gives me a PhD in paranoia.

It is a wonder anyone is born at all, when you consider all the things working against conception.

I Love You, Ronnie by Nancy Reagan

My Rating: 9/10
Genre: Nonfiction
Setting: America
Pages: 189
Topics: love, America, patriotism, marriage
Main Characters: Ronald & Nancy Reagan

"[During his gubernatorial campaign], a student accused him of being out of touch. 'You grew up in a different world,' the student said. 'Today we have television, jet planes, space travel, nuclear energy, computers...' 'You're right,' Ronnie answered. 'It's true that we didn't have those things when we were young. We invented them.'"

My Thoughts: The quote above is just one of the many reasons I love Ronald Reagan. He had such a special way about him. His humor and candid demeanor was like the icing on the cake, for his poetic heart was dedicated and true to his Nancy, the love of his life. This book, written by Nancy, features the letters, doodles, and telegrams sent to her over their 52 years of marriage (plus 1 year of dating). Nancy also shares with us the background story of their life together - how their careers and goals changed to lead them to the White House.

It was a pleasure to read this book, and a comfort to know how much in love the Reagans were. On this, the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan, I'll close this review with one of many of his poignant quotes, one I believe is quite timely:

"Each generation must renew and win again for itself the precious gift of liberty, the sacred heritage of freedom." ~ President Ronald Reagan, November 3, 1986

Recommended: Most definitely!

371 days

I always take a huge sigh of relief after my yearly gynecological appointment. I dread those things more than words can describe. Today wasn't too bad, quick and relatively painless, but I would still rather have an ingrown toenail than have to go through it. You'd think after so many years, I'd just get over it, but I can't. My doctor is friendly and helpful and gentle; it's not that. I. Just. Don't. Like. It!.

So, anyway, my next appointment is 2/10/12. 371 blissful days away!

Angelica by Arthur Phillips

My Rating: 4/10
Genre: Gothic Fiction
Setting: London, England
Pages: 331
Topics: ghosts, family, spiritualism, marriage
Main Characters: Dr. Joe Barton, Constance Barton, Angelica Barton, Anne Montague

Synopsis: (From Publishers Weekly via Amazon) Set in Victorian England, Phillips's impressive third novel uses four linked viewpoints to explore class, gender, family dynamics, sexuality and sciences both real and fraudulent, ancient and newly minted. Joseph Barton, a London biological researcher, orders his four-year-old daughter, Angelica, who's been sleeping in her parents' bedroom, to her own room. Joseph's wife, Constance, resists this separation from her child and the resumption of a marital intimacy that, given her history of miscarriage, may threaten her life. Soon Constance notices foul odors, furniture cracks and a blue specter that appears to attack Angelica while she sleeps. When she reports these supernatural visitations to the unimaginative Joseph, the rift between them widens. Desperate, Constance turns to actress-turned-spiritualist Annie Montague for help. Phillips (Prague) captures period diction and detail brilliantly. At its strongest, the multiple-viewpoint narration yields psychological depth and a number of clever surprises; at its weakest, it can slow the book's momentum to an uncomfortably slow (if authentically Victorian) pace.

My Thoughts: This is the kind of book that makes me rethink my reading rule of "finish what you start." I was so disappointed that the book was so-so in the first half (enough to keep me plugging along) and then went downhill from there. I'm a slow reader anyway, but this book took me about 3 weeks to slog through. Towards the end, I thought to myself, "What is he even talking about now?" It's really a very awful feeling, to be so confused at the end of a book, after investing time and effort to try to understand the author's contorted writing. I figured something would wrap up or be explained, but no. I have no clue who or what was at fault for causing the distress (a ghost? the mother? the father? the maid? the child?). And there was nothing remotely redeeming about any of the characters, even though the author described them all down to the utmost painfully minute detail. I hardly ever rate a book lower than 5 or 6, but this one is a solid 4, and that was just for the first half, which at least made a tiny bit of sense.

Recommended: No way