Today has been a very blogful day. There are often times when I go weeks even months between installments. But I have recently received so many incredible books as a part of the Waterbrook Multnomah Launch teams that I can't wait to share them with everyone! I'm voraciously reading which is true joy!
The latest book I have read is a beautiful gift for families. The book is titled, Dear Grandchild, This is Me. A Gift of Stories, Wisdom, and Off-the-Record Tales, published by Waterbrook and Multnomah. I received an advanced reader's copy of Dear Grandchild, This is Me. A Gift of Stories, Wisdom, and Off-the-Record Tales from Waterbrook & Multnomah as a member of the Launch Team for an honest review.
The charming book is a guided writing activity for grandparents to record memories and geneology for their families. There are so many things that I love about this book that I don't know where to begin.
Some of the features listed from the Waterbrook & Multnomah website are:
* Built-in envelopes to stash special, private letters for specific occasions in your grandchild's future.
* A sheet of adhesive photo corners to adhere photographs and special memories throughout.
* Off-the-record questions to prompt fun stories.
* A family tree to track your ancestry.
* Space to share your favorite recipes, or those passed through the generations.
* A world map to showcase your travels.
I have shown this book to many friends and family and there has been a general consensus that not only are the pages and artwork wonderfully designed and drawn but the inclusion of the envelopes for special notes is truly unique as they are accompanied with prompts for the note writing. Dear Grandchild, This is Me is such an exceptional way to pass on family stories and create a superb legacy for the family.
I may not have any grandchildren as of yet, but I am excited to work on filling it out for future generations to enjoy and learn more about me. I encourage every grandparent to check out this marvelous book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47HyT1WTR10&feature=youtu.be
#Waterbrook&Multnomah
#DearGrandchildThisIsMe
About Me
- Laura Miller
- I am a recently retired high school educator who is learning to spend time doing what I want to do. This is a new challenge in its own sense. It's like walking into a buffet and knowing you can eat all you want and not get full or gain any weight and for once you have absolutely no idea what you want. But I look forward to the journey of figuring it out.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Something Needs to Change
Powerful, thought-provoking, dynamic, empowering...these words describe the newest book by David Platt. Platt's story titled: Something Needs to Change: A Call to Make your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need, details his journey through the Himilaya mountains as he meets the people in the villages who survive there. I received an advanced reader's copy of Something Needs to Change: A Call to Make your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need from Waterbrook & Multnomah as a member of the Launch Team for an honest review.
Platt shares his thoughts and emotions about all that he discovers as he experiences the physical and spiritual needs of the high mountain culture. While learning about the people and their spiritual beliefs, he delves into his own, questioning his core understanding of the gospel and God's will for the world.
In the first chapter of the book, Platt explains his approach to writing this book. "I'm most naturally a preacher who makes use of exposition and explanation to communicate his points. But as I've mentioned, I don't think we need more exposition and explanation. I think we need an experience...an encounter that takes exposed and explained the truth to a deeper level in our hearts than it would ever go otherwise." He then throughout the compelling expedition takes the reader boldly through the trials and shocking conditions of the mountain people and those Christians who choose to live and work among them to care for their physical bodies as well as share the gospel of Jesus in the hope to save their spiritual future also. When asking their guide, Aaron, what he saw on his first trek through the mountains that made him want to continue to live among the people and help them? He replied, "The region we are in right now includes about nine million people. Out of that nine million, there are probably less than one hundred followers of Jesus. The reality is, most people here have never even heard of Jesus...That's the spiritual condition. The people are also severely impoverished and disadvantaged. When I first came to these villages, I found that half the children were dying before their eighth birthday. Many weren't making it to their first." It was then that the guide knew he had to devote his life to the needs of these people.
Platt's storytelling ability allows the reader to feel they are part of the adventure, to find joy in sharing the message of Christ and anguish learning about the persecution of those who follow Him.
I can not possibly praise Platt's book enough. He is right that - Something Needs to Change.
#Something Needs to Change
#ChrisPlatt
#Waterbrook&Multnomah
Platt shares his thoughts and emotions about all that he discovers as he experiences the physical and spiritual needs of the high mountain culture. While learning about the people and their spiritual beliefs, he delves into his own, questioning his core understanding of the gospel and God's will for the world.
In the first chapter of the book, Platt explains his approach to writing this book. "I'm most naturally a preacher who makes use of exposition and explanation to communicate his points. But as I've mentioned, I don't think we need more exposition and explanation. I think we need an experience...an encounter that takes exposed and explained the truth to a deeper level in our hearts than it would ever go otherwise." He then throughout the compelling expedition takes the reader boldly through the trials and shocking conditions of the mountain people and those Christians who choose to live and work among them to care for their physical bodies as well as share the gospel of Jesus in the hope to save their spiritual future also. When asking their guide, Aaron, what he saw on his first trek through the mountains that made him want to continue to live among the people and help them? He replied, "The region we are in right now includes about nine million people. Out of that nine million, there are probably less than one hundred followers of Jesus. The reality is, most people here have never even heard of Jesus...That's the spiritual condition. The people are also severely impoverished and disadvantaged. When I first came to these villages, I found that half the children were dying before their eighth birthday. Many weren't making it to their first." It was then that the guide knew he had to devote his life to the needs of these people.
Platt's storytelling ability allows the reader to feel they are part of the adventure, to find joy in sharing the message of Christ and anguish learning about the persecution of those who follow Him.
I can not possibly praise Platt's book enough. He is right that - Something Needs to Change.
#Something Needs to Change
#ChrisPlatt
#Waterbrook&Multnomah
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
May It Be So
The Lord's Prayer taught to us by Jesus and recorded in Matthew chapter 6 verses 9-13 is His response to the disciples request to be taught how to pray. Justin McRobert's and Scott Erickson's book, May It Be So, is a 40-day study to contemplate your life, loves and how God is in, and around all the parts of life. I received an advanced reader's copy of May It Be So from Waterbrook & Multnomah as a member of the Launch Team for an honest review.
The book is designed to enhance prayer life and understanding of The Lord's Prayer. What I liked about the book. I liked the way each section highlighted a particular line or part of the prayer. Images are included with thoughtful statements to help the reader/participant form a deeper understanding of the prayer's section.
Another part of the book that I have found very enjoyable is the short vignettes that are included at the beginning of each new section of the prayer. The stories illustrate various sections and help the reader remain focused on the content of the study. I heartily recommend May It Be So to anyone wanting to enrich their prayer life and build a deeper understanding of the Lord's Prayer
The book is designed to enhance prayer life and understanding of The Lord's Prayer. What I liked about the book. I liked the way each section highlighted a particular line or part of the prayer. Images are included with thoughtful statements to help the reader/participant form a deeper understanding of the prayer's section.
Another part of the book that I have found very enjoyable is the short vignettes that are included at the beginning of each new section of the prayer. The stories illustrate various sections and help the reader remain focused on the content of the study. I heartily recommend May It Be So to anyone wanting to enrich their prayer life and build a deeper understanding of the Lord's Prayer
#Waterbrook&Multnomah
#McRoberts&Erickson
#MayItBe
Sunday, August 4, 2019
The Dog Days of Summer
The saying, the dog days of summer came from a Greek star patterns, who knew. I always thought that it meant the days were so hot that you wanted to lie around in a puddle like a tired dog. For me, the dog days of summer is quite a literal thing. I have happily spent my entire summer with a special little dog. Her name is Sydney.
4. Play, and then play, and perhaps play some more. Play with things, play with friends, just take time everyday to play.
Sydney has been a project in motion since last October, when I first began to even consider the idea of adopting another dog into our family. I had not yet healed from the loss of my dear 4 year old pet, but was beginning to think about the possibility that I had enough heart back to want to take another dog into my home. Then the thought that perhaps a furry little friend might eventually make it into my classroom at a local high school continued to grow in my mind. I decided to broach the subject with my principal during the October teacher conferences. He was optimistic about the possibility. On April 15th, Sydney was born and she become officially part of our family June 22.
So, my summer has been raising a puppy. We've got an awful long way with much training and learning to happen before she will ever be ready to go to school, but along the way, Sydney is teaching me so much, maybe even more than I am teaching her. Okay, probably much more than I am teaching her. Let's face it, my main goal the last 6 weeks has been to keep her from going potty and pooping in the house. I can confidently say we are at about a 80-90% success rate. She's 4 months now so it's doable.
However her list of what she has taught me is so much longer.
1. The joy of seeing young children love on a puppy is one of the best things in the world.
Dogs give unconditional love, and so do kids.
Watching the joy of our neighbor's girls when we brought her home and everyday that they play with her is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
2. It's important to take time out everyday and just look at the world around you. There are many wonders in your home and yard. Birds, pesky squirrels, small toads, and even just the grass is amazing when you spend time contemplating its purpose and creation.
3. Make friends even when people (or the family cat) are resistant to your attention. Building relationships is vital to survival.
4. Play, and then play, and perhaps play some more. Play with things, play with friends, just take time everyday to play.
5. Learning can be tough but don't stop learning. It's important to continue to hone your skills.
Sometimes it is easy to focus and sometimes you just don't want to listen, but do it anyway.
6. Finally, when you are tired... nap. Rest. Rejuvenate. You will be better for it and this also helps you grow as you become fresh for new adventures in the world.
It's my true hope and desire that Sydney can learn all the things she needs to so that she may come to be in my classroom and comfort so many as they work through their days, beginning August of 2020, but if she only helps me enjoy life then I will be eternally in her debt.
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