Spring Reading Thing - Hosted by The Musings of a Book Addict

Books I hope to read between now and June 20, 2013:

Non-fiction:

Unglued Devotional - Lysa TerKeurst
As Silver Refined - Kay Arthur
Girls With Swords - Lisa Bevere
Made to Crave - Lysa Terkeurst
Calm my Anxious Heart: A woman's guide to finding contentment - Linda Dillow
Desperate:  Hope for the mom who needs to breathe - Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
The Virgin Diet - JJ Virgin
Live Like You Mean It - Kathy Troccoli
The Bible Cure for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia - Don Colbert, MD
Whirlybirds and Ordinary Times - Katie Savage
Spaghetti for the Soul - Kathy Troccoli
Raising Maidens of Virtue - Stacy McDonald
Give it All to Him - Max Lucado
Kisses from Katie - Katie Davis
Chronicles of Downton Abbey - Julian Fellowes


Fiction:

From a Distance - Tamera Alexander
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Penny - Joyce Meyer
Any Minute - Joyce Meyer



I plan to update this list as I finish these books - and - add more :-)

Happy reading!

Gina Marie

Stepping out of my comfort zone - baby steps at a time!

  Over the last year, I have noticed that God has challenged me to act immediately when He starts prompting me to do or say something, rather than putting it off until I can "fit" it in.  I think my human nature - the part of me that loves planning, organizing, and attending to the details -  tries to understand the beginning, middle, and ending of something before I jump into it.

 I am not a spontaneous and outgoing person as a general rule - - oh, but the LORD is definitely stretching me and encouraging me to go out of my comfort zone step-by-baby-step... and the experiences He gives me when I am faithful to listen to Him and walk by faith really take my breath away!

  

Today, I feel led to share that God is stretching me and pushing me to the edge of the nest.  He knows that my life up until this point has prepared me to take my first flight with my wings of faith; I am just peering over the edge of the nest and feeling the wind lifting my wings.  I am just about to jump  - -- how about you?

 

 Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, God is growing me, stretching me, and making me get really close to the edge of the nest as He is bring me to the end of myself and to the beginning of me living and moving each moment through His strength and faith.  

One of the biggest areas that God is challenging me in is being able to let go of perfectionism and live in the moment.  

Can anyone else relate?  It's hard to even admit that, but God is reminding me that His Grace is all sufficient and able to cover where I come up short.  

Just like a mother bird watches over her precious hatchlings, the LORD watches over me and is ready to swoop down and lift me up on His strong wings of Deliverance.

Praise you Father - just like the birds don't worry, neither will I be worried about tomorrow as you have each day in your Hand and YOU will provide for my needs and keep me safe..

^{Matthew 6:24-34 24} 

 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  

²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 

²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 

²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,  

²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  

³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 

 ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  

³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[d] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.  

Five Minute Friday: Rest

I don't think that the word rest has been a word I've known and used much for the first 35+ years of my life.  It was literally a "four-letter word" and I don't think I ever chose to put that word into practice by my own free will.

I wasn't a hyper child, but I was busy.  I wasn't a hyper teen-ager, but I was driven.  I wasn't a hyper adult, but I was always setting goals and making plans - - - and then exceeding them and making more.

It's interesting for me to look back and see that over this last year this word has taken on a new meaning.  I have encountered many health struggles and challenges that have taken my abilities away and have made me have to adjust to limitations for the first time in my life.

That has been very hard and painful for me.

At the same time, I have been learning the meaning of what it means to rest in the peace and promises of the LORD in a way I have never had to before.

Before hitting this physical wall, I was always able to put off the need for a balanced life; I was addicted to accomplishment and achievement.  Rest seemed like something you would do in retirement, when you had time to kill or a body that wasn't functioning at high levels anymore.

I will always wonder if me avoiding rest for the beginning of my life has been a huge factor in the health problems I have developed now as a late 30-something.  I will never know.

What I do know is that rest is considered a blessing from the LORD - and I am grateful for His lessons and Grace as I learn how to embrace a more balanced life and the rejuvenation that comes from resting in Him.

Psalm 16

A miktam^[a] of David.

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.”
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful^[b] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 62^[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
² Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

³ 

⁵ Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God^[c];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

Psalm 116:7

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Return to your rest, my soul,
    for the Lord has been good to you.

Review of: "Mr. Science Teacher"

I had the opportunity to connect online with Mr. Matthew Poston, a.k.a. Mr. Science Teacher, a few weeks ago where I was asked to step into the role of a student meeting him for a tutoring session for the purpose of this review.   It was a very enjoyable experience and one I would highly recommend to others without reservation.

It's been over 20 years since I was in high school chemistry -  and I still remember some of what I learned way back then - but after meeting with him, I can honestly say that I learned something new and had fun at the same time. Because of his methods in teaching this concept, I don't think I will forget what I learned in our session either.  Talk about a win-win!

I want to point out from the start that I was very impressed with the professionalism of this teacher and his website and materials; I have also taught in an online environment (4+ years).  Because of that, I was able to go into this session with the background knowledge of what it takes to engage a student through the Internet while going in to this session "playing" a student.

Mr. Science Teacher has what it takes to be a successful teacher and tutor online because the presentation is simple, charming, and engaging.   He is a great conversationalist and I felt comfortable talking with him and hearing his background and passion about engaging students and helping them become successful in Science and Math, his other subject of expertise.

The format that Mr. Science Teacher uses covers all of the learning styles, and that makes it a wonderful resource for every student and their needs.  He talks to you one-on-one in real time (auditory learner) while he writes on an online whiteboard and includes colorful images and graphics to support the learning process (visual learner) .  In addition to that, the student is encouraged to write on the whiteboard along with the teacher, showing the real-time evidence that they have learned the material.

Since I am a visual learner, I enjoyed getting to see what I was learning as I heard the Teacher explain the concepts to me.  It was fun to write on the whiteboard and hear from the Teacher that I was doing such a great job in learning a special concept in Chemistry centering on the Periodic Table of Elements.

I wholeheartedly endorse Mr. Science Teacher and his services through Mr. Science Teacher.com.  I enjoyed getting to sample his tutoring and teaching abilities online and I know that investing in his services for your student needing Science and Math tutoring will be an enjoyable experience and a worthwhile investment.

I wish Mr. Matthew Poston and Mr. Science Teacher all of God's best and much success in teaching many students in the future to love learning about Math and Science!

Find his website here
Find him on Facebook here 
He will be at a homeschooling convention this year, maybe near you!  Learn more here

* I was given a tutoring session online for free in exchange for my honest review *