Bloging Break

Hey all. I'm taking the rest of this month off from blogging at this blog. A review or two might pop up, but that's pretty much it. I will still be blogging over at my other blog: http://authorheatherhart.blogspot.com/ but I just need to get caught up, and cutting down on the number of blog posts I need to write is one of the ways I'm doing that. Thanks for your understanding and patience, and I will plan on being back next month!

Summer Reading

I have a plan! 

I use to be an avid reader, however somewhere in the last year or two, I have lost the determination I once had. Don't get me wrong, I still have the desire to read. I just seem to lack the time. Thus, I have stacks of books that I have collected that are just a waitin' to be read. I have no foolish idea that I could read them all during one summer and still have a job and kids that like me, but I'm hoping to put at least a dent in my stacks of unread books.

 Many of these I have ordered or purchased from various stores, but an equal number of them I have won off of blogs, websites or been given by various people. So I have made a priority listing of the order in which I hope to read them. I have set aside a two hour block of time to read each day, though I have no expectations of it being uninterrupted. I'm hoping that with that time, I can a book a week (although I will reassess my goals if that turns out to be unrealistic).

So without further ado, here's my summer reading list:

1. Mirror Mirror... Am I Beautiful? by Shelley Hitz (I've actually read this one before, but I'm reading it again.) 
2. Bringing Up Girls by Dr. Dobson
3. The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges
4. 1000 Days by Jonathan Falwell
5. Uprooting Anger by Robert D. Jones
6. Lazarus Awakening by Joanna Weaver
7. Hiking Home by Lezlie Allison 
8. The Fear of God by Arnold L. Frank
9. The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges
10. The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

(By the way, I realize there are 12 books in my stack, I really want to read the last two, so I had to include them even though I doubt I will get to them.)

I can think of no better way to end a post about books then to include a review of the one that I just finished. The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney is a short yet powerful book about keeping the Gospel the main thing in your life. I've been reading it for weeks on and off and finally managed to finish the last page today. :) Did I mention that I hadn't been making reading a priority?

This book starts out with an inspiring portrayal of Timothy reading the letter that Paul wrote to him from prison. This letter didn't hold a new profound truth to get Timothy through the tough days ahead, but a reminder of what had already been done. The point being that we don't need a new revelation to get us through, we simply need to remember what Christ has already done for us - because it is enough. We need to remember it daily and center our lives upon in, and that's exactly what this small book will help you do. It's short enough that you might possibly be able to finish it in an hour or two of uninterrupted reading time, however I moved through it much slower to soak in all of its goodness. Either way, I highly recommend "The Cross Centered Life" by C.J. Mahaney and will probably be quoting it for many years to come.

I've also registered for my local library's summer reading program. I'm blessed by a library that has a reading program for every age group (babies to adults). Last year I even won one of their raffle prizes at the end of the summer (not that I ever read any of the books in it... but I do use the cool bag, bookmark and notebook - and the chocolate lasted less than an hour before I devoured it all). So I'll be posting book reviews, and logging my reading there as well.

Happy Reading!

Mr. Monday

My Mr. has been incredibly sick. After two emergency doctor visits, I really think he is on the mend. However, even though he has been home from work for a week, I don't feel like I've seen him much at all. I miss my healthy Mr.! Thus, I'm canceling Mr. Monday this week, and just asking for prayers for his quick and total recovery.

Much obliged,
          ~Heather

Feelings vs Truth

Last night my son and I had a little conversation about feelings. He was struggling with some thoughts that he was classifying as feelings, but we both knew that his feelings were just imaginations. We talked about feelings vs the truth. Just because we feel something, doesn't mean that it's true, but then again, even if we know the truth it can be hard to ignore our feelings. I told him the best thing to do, is to focus on what we know to be true and acknowledge the other as false - a lie.

Oh how I needed that pep-talk today!

Let me back up a bit for you. I didn't blog on Wednesday, and I'm just now pulling together today's post that is normally up by 7am. My husband is sick, my mom is here visiting, I can't seem to get caught up with work, I received a list of typos from a reviewer for the book I published last week, and my kids act as if I never spend any time with them. I feel like a failure. And that's exactly how Satan likes it and I know it! God on the other hand, would rather I focus on the truth - His truth:

• He is accomplishing His good work through me, that He designated in advance for me to do. 
• He has the power to heal my husband, and will provide for us in the meantime.
• He blessed me richly by bringing my mom to spend time with me and giving us quality time to spend together.
• He is doing amazing things through my book that was published last week - it is bringing Him glory despite the typos!
• He is the perfect heavenly Father of my children and will provide for all of their needs, including their need of me.

All of my false feelings of failure can be countered by God's never changing truth - and I'm certain that yours can too. Will you trust your feelings or your God?

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

~Joshua  24:15b