Apr 16, 2010

Frustrated

I am trying to make some changes to my blog. They aren't really turning out how I wanted them. Oh, well. I'm getting tired and the lyme has been kicking my butt lately. So, I guess the blog will stay this way for now. I'll update it and change the background soon. Good night.

Apr 6, 2010

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman


I chose to read this book because I was curious about why Amish novels are the ‘big thing’ right now. I personally know Amish people, and I was curious to see how they were depicted and what type of story lines could be written around such a quiet, spiritual people.

Plain Promise is a ‘Daughters of Promise Novel’ which the book states, “focuses on one woman and her journey into the Amish Community”. This book is about the relationship between an Amish girl, Linda, and her English mother, Josie. Josie comes back to the small Amish community seventeen years after giving her daughter up for adoption to an Amish couple. The story entails the emotions felt by all sides, Linda, Josie, and Josie’s adoptive parents. While new relationships are being forged, old relationships are being put to the test. It is a story about change and hope.

The book focuses mostly on the Amish and their way of life, interjecting some of the German vocabulary into the story (don’t worry; there is a dictionary of the words used). It explains how the Amish live simple lives of faith and how family is the most important thing to them. I was very eager to read this book because it is set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and I have family there. My family is friends with Amish people, and I have spent time in their home and observed their culture firsthand. Most of what the author wrote is true of the Amish. The only thing that I found to be different is that the author has the characters using German words when speaking with non-Amish people, and from my experiences, they do not do that, the will only speak German to each other.
Other than that, what is depicted in the book is true.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was written well, and the story was moving and touching. The story was wonderful and it definitely flowed well and was an overall good read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction that is heartwarming and wholesome.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Apr 1, 2010

Reflecting on what Christ has done

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

Tomorrow is Good Friday. I like to reflect on what Jesus did for me. I don't ever want to forget, so for me, on Good Friday I think about how much He suffered and sacrificed so that I can be saved and have freedom in Him.
Over the past year, even through the times when I've felt totally alone, Jesus has been preparing my heart to know how much He loves me. It's one thing to hear about how God loves us. It's another thing to truly believe it. For a long time, I don't think I truly, deeply, believed it. But, during this trial, walking this hard road, I have learned, felt, and experienced the overwhelming love of Christ Jesus. Sometimes it brings me to tears.
So, on this Good Friday, maybe we all should take the time and realize how deep His love is for us. It's unbelievable and overwhelming.