Thankful, Grateful and Blessed!

Thanksgiving is a lot of things; chief among them is that its a time of reflection. A time to really sit down and think about the blessings that have come your way the past few months. This year Thanksgiving is vastly different for me. It’s my first holiday without my grandmother - and her absence is deeply felt. She is missed daily. Over the past month I have been dealing with a lot. An increase of hours at my second job, people’s mercurial moods, and my mothers health. It’s been a stressful few weeks but I have refused to give in to it. I’ve kept God firmly in sight. I’ve been reassured about his promises and his love. And even though I am sad today I am thankful. I am thankful for family, and having the chance to connect with my uncle. I am thankful for my fathers continued good health. I am thankful for good friends. I am thankful for all of the fond memories of my Grandmother. God continues to smile upon me today and everyday. I hope that today you are taking time not only for football and turkey and family but for praise and thanksgiving. Have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

Review of Jesus Wants to Save Christians: Learning How to read a Dangerous Book by Rob Bell and Don Golden

Wow. All I can say is Wow. What an amazing book. Rob Bell really hit one out of the park with this one. I don't even know where to begin with this book. I will say that Rob Bell's examination of the Exodus and what it means for those the follow Christ. What really blew my mind is how Bell shows us that God is doing a "new thing" when Christ comes into the world. That Christ is ushering in a new Exodus. He is here to do what Moses did with the people in Egypt but on a much grander scale. Moses was just saving one group of people; through Jesus God is saving all of Humanity. I also was very taken with how Bell explains the role of the modern church and how we have lost our way. As the people of God we have some how become comfortable and so "blessed" that we are indifferent to the cries of those that are hurting. Just as the Bible teaches us; Bell explains that Christ is a servant to humanity. He was born to serve and so are we. That through serving others we are worshiping God because God tells us to "listen" to the cries of those that are needy. I would definitely have to agree with Bell; the modern church often misses the plot of the Jesus story and has become to comfortable with not sharing their faith with those that need it to most. As one once said; sometimes we are the only bible that anyone will ever see. This book is definitely now one of my favorites. One that I will be talking about for months and months.

Here are a few quotes that I loved
"God who is defined by action on behalf of the oppressed. God is about giving the good gift. Jesus is God's good gift for the healing of the world. The church is Jesus's body, a good gift for the healing of the world"

"A Church is an organization that exists for the benefits of nonmembers...this blessing extends even to our enemies"

"Everybody would understand their role as priests. That everybody would worship God by serving each other. That those wouldn't be two things, but one. This is why God continually mentions the widow, the orphan, and the refugee. Remembering them, caring for them, serving them is worshiping God"

My life right now....

These are 9 of the 13 digital galleys I received today. The publishers I requested them from have very strict guidelines and I am super blessed to have been given such an awesome chance to read these for My blog, goodreads and tumblr. So big thanks to Tyndale, Random House, Thomas Nelson, Kensington Books, Poisoned Pen Press and Oxford University Press.

A note on the passing of Dr. Maya Angelou

To me authors are icons and rock stars and when a literary giant passes away it leaves a gap somewhere in the world that will never be filled. Such is the case with the ever beautiful Dr. Angelou. When Dr. Angelou spoke you listened; she spoke and wrote with a wisdom from God and with a mothers touch. Dr. Angelou will be truly missed amongst those who she touched simply by writing.