Tina The Storyteller

I remember the first time I heard about Imaginary Jesus .  Joel told me that I should read it because he had enjoyed it so much.  I did not read it, mainly because the cover was just a little too much for me at the time and I think I had confused it with another book that he read around the same time that I was not interested it.  Well, earlier this year, I had the opportunity to read it and really enjoyed it.  Matt Mikalatos does a wonderful job of exposing the reality of modern Christianity.  We often create Jesus in our own image and put great limitations on what Jesus can do in our lives.  Mikalatos does this with great humor and creativity.  There are various imaginary Jesus' that Mikalatos encounters in the book, my favorite is probably Magic 8 ball Jesus.  He has a few set answers and you never really know which one you are going to get when you pray.  I enjoyed the book so much that I recommended it to my book club and they gracio...

TrueU is an educational series geared towards college students and young adults. The question that is covered in this, the second of the TrueU series, is “ Is the Bible reliable ?” There are 10 thirty minute video presentations from Dr. Stephen Meyer that cover the evidence behind the reliability of the Bible. Each session presents the arguments against the reliability of the Bible and then states the reasons to believe that the Bible is historically accurate. Dr. Meyer does an excellent job of presenting the information in a non-judgmental easy to understand fashion. The length of each session makes it more conducive to a class slightly longer than an hour, which might not fit in well with most church time restraints. The guide book is good for capturing the main points of the sessions. And the questions are geared towards getting the participants to a place where they will be able to use the information in a real life setting. As far as an apologetics course, it is well done ...

I am very thankful for walking!  It has been a really great prayer time for me and I've been working with God about some really good stuff.  I love how God is always able to give me new eyes on old problems. I am thankful that on occasion I have people walk with me! I am thankful that VBS is next week and we are going to have an awesome time teaching the kids about Jesus!! I am thankful that our cat guests seem to be getting along, except for when the sun comes up around 5:30 and they decide to determine who can yell the loudest and run the fastest. I am thankful that we only have one cat, I never knew that cats lounge in the middle of the walking zones so much. I am thankful that today is the last day for the local public schools.  It's going to be a great summer. I am thankful to be giving something a second chance in the hopes that good things will result.  I am thankful for you, my bloggy friends!! What are you thankful for?

I am a fan of the long thread and I almost peed my pants when I heard that the lady behind the blog, Ellen,  was creating a book about sewing! The video is a little preview of  1,2,3 Sew  I cannot wait to get a copy, okay, I'm not going to wait any longer, I'm going to go order a copy right now! You should, too!! PS You could win a copy of the book by sharing the video and letting Ellen know on her blog. Check it out here .

I can't believe that next week will be the end of my 90 day Veg Bad challenge!!  It's amazing.  I must admit, when I have company, I did not do as well as I could, but over all, we have changed into a family that used to maybe throw a veggie into the mix if we remembered, to one that puts it as a priority in our shopping and eating adventures. I even saw Joel get a salad the other day with his lunch! I'm going to share a recipe from Martha Stewart today.  I don't normally count corn as a stand alone vegetable, but this recipe is just too good to not share.  If you click on the title, it will take you to the web page so that you can see the picture of them.  They are oh so good.  We've had them twice already! Grilled Corn Disks from Martha Stewart Living, August 2005 Cut ears of corn into rounds about 1 inch thick, brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on a medium-hot grill, cut sides down, about 2 minutes per side. ...

This week, I am exceptionally thankful that we got to spend time with our beautiful Mari!  She is so wonderful to have in our home, just love that girl! I am thankful that Joel had a few days off and used them to rest, rejuvenate, and take a few walks with me. I am thankful that my sweet little Hannah is growing up.  I am constantly amazed with what she is capable of.  Including being genuinely friendly and conversational with people that she has no history with. That is truly a gift from God. I am thankful that I have taken up walking.  It feels good to get up and walk a mile in my shoes just to see how I'm doing. As every summer, I'm thankful for the pool.  It's good stuff. What are you thankful for?

It's very rare for me to get so involved in a series that I read every book within a two week period and then wander around on a book high wondering when the author is going to release another one, even though I know that she just released the latest one!  But that is exactly what happened when I read Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang.  I loved it so much that I searched for another of her book's on Amazon and found  Whisper on the Wind  via Kindle.  I tore through that one as well.  I went on another search for the first book in the series, Look to the East .  I found it through interlibrary loan and loved it as well.  It was wonderful reading through the entire series.  I may have to go back and read them in the written order now that summer is here and I can enjoy them by the pool.  Here's a little bit about Look to the East , the first in the series... Look to the East is set in France during World War I.  The ...

If you have been to a Women of Faith concert and enjoyed the music, then you will enjoy the cd, Rejoice . It is a compilation of songs the Women of Faith worship singers. Titles include Beautiful Redeemer, You Brought the Sunshine, and Great is Thy Faithfulness.  Rejoice has been recorded in a studio, so don’t expect the force of the chorus of women you would get at the conference. The sound is clean and enjoyable. My favorite song is Forever Reign. Not only is the message of the song one that I truly believe, but the instrument solo at the beginning of the song is just beautiful. I have listened to the songs several times and grow to enjoy  Rejoice the more times I hear it. I have cried numerous times as I have been brought into a state of worship with the help of these wonderful young women. The songs all flow together to create a seamless worship experience. The words of each song are included in the cover booklet, along with photos of the singers performing. Rejoic...

That night, Nate had the dream again. He was walking down that same path and it just ended. He saw his family at the table. But this time, something was different. They were not all happy and laughing like before, they were sad and crying. They still did not respond to him, no matter how loudly he yelled or how he moved. He went to his mother again and this time he looked into her face and saw her deep sadness. She looked at him and saw him. Her look was accusing as if he were the reason that she were so sad. At that point everyone at the table stopped what they were doing and pointed at him. He started to back away until he found himself in a corner surrounded by all of them. Nate crouched in the corner putting his hands over his head trying to shield himself from their accusations. Then he felt a loving hand, the same one that he had felt before and he opened his eyes to complete and utter darkness. He knew that it was the same person from his last dream and fear and curiosity filled...

I'm thankful for our pool is open and that we have been able to go and enjoy ourselves. I'm thankful that we have our dear sweet sister coming into town this weekend! I'm thankful that we got our AC fixed before the heat of the summer occurred. I'm also thankful that my sweet daughter is learning about things all the time. I'm thankful that I've been able to walk every morning this week.  I've given up running for now. I'm thankful to discover things about myself, even if they make me a little sad at first. I'm thankful that my book club is coming over today and we're going to have a great discussion!

These are all from a recent trip to Greenfield Village.  One of my favorite museums!