The Search Committee, book #15

Just finished this this morning.  Still on the fence about how I feel about it.  There were some funny parts, but the others parts seemed very unrelated.  Books like this remind me I am no real english major, I flunked Freshman English three times!!!  All I know is what I like and don't know, but I don't always get themes, character development, etc.  I'll be curious to see what my Book Club Buddies think about it....

A mismatched team of seven hit the road in an Econoline church van on a mission to find a new pastor. They don't agree on much other than the stops at Hardee's for coffee and a biscuit. But they stick to the call, trying to slip undetected into worship services across the Southeast--all in hopes of stealing a preacher for their congregation. Each member is wrestling to balance their own busy life and personal struggles. And they're trying to keep their issues to themselves. Forced to spend countless hours together, these very different personalities from different generations begin to bond. And their lives are profoundly changed as they love and support each other through the difficulties in each of their lives. (picture and description at Amazon)

Dear Mom, book #14

 Seems fitting that this book about teenagers is #14, when Rebecca will be 14 this August.  I'm just random like that.

And, yes, this is nonfiction book #2 in one week and I'm starting another one tomorrow.  I have no idea what has gotten into me.  

But this book has ROCKED MY WORLD!!!  It says it was written by Melody Carlson (a popular YA Christian author) but I'm pretty sure it was actually written by Rebecca Campbell.  Melody takes on the persona of a girl teen when writing this book, thus making it seem like your daughter is actually talking to you.  And I'm pretty sure Rebecca Campbell would be saying these very things to me if she could.  For example, page 4:

..say I'm striving to be kinder to those around me.  I know it's the right way to be, so I'm thinking kind thoughts and asking God to help me change this area of my life.  Suddenly my younger sister, without even asking, borrows my favorite Lucky jeans and returns them ripped and dirty and buried in the bottom of my dirty-clothes hamper.

Well, that kindness goes right out the window.  Can you blame me? Yes, as a matter of fact, you can blame me, and you do.  After baby sister runs crying to you, saying that I just called her mean names and threatened her life (which may or may not be true), you side with her.  You put on your stern face and point out that I'm being selfish and mean, which really aggravates me. 

I cannot help defending myself, which only makes me look worse.  Okay, it makes me look way worse.  My voice gets loud, and my anger flares.  Will I back down? Will I admit that maybe I've been a bit harsh or a little cruel or even slightly vicious to baby sister?  Will I apologize right then and there?  Probably not, but I'm thinking about it.  Maybe I even want to bury the hatchet, but not when you're forcing me, Mom.  Not if you're scowling and shaking your finger at me ...

Well that pretty much how things start out and go "downhill" from there.  But oh my stinkin' cow did this book open my eyes and take all my question mark pieces I had about her and start putting them together.  Not all of them, for as the author says numerous times, "maybe I will, and maybe I won't.  Remember, I'm just a teenager."  All I all, I do see improvement coming to our relationship if I can just remember the things I learned.  Each chapter had a short list or two of the highlights, so I think I am going to copy those and just reread them every day.

Highly, highly, highly recommend to anyone with pre-teen or teenage girls!!!

Hear your daughter’s heart…
without the angst, arguments, or arm-wrestlingRaising a teen daughter can be like trying to chart a course underwater. You can drown in an ocean of one-word answers, defensive conversations, and unpredictable outbursts, and never get anywhere. Popular teen girls’ novelist Melody Carlson helps you cut through murky, deep, uncharted and seemingly unsafe waters so you can hear what your daughter’s really trying to tell you through her anger, silence, and mixed messages:

“I need you, but I won’t admit it.”
“I’m not as confident as I appear.”
“I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom captures your daughter’s heart and soul. You can know your daughter’s hopes and fears, doubts and dreams about her identity, guys, friendships, and even you. And you can connect on a deeper, more intimate level that will carry both you and your daughter through the stormy seas of life.

(picture and description from amazon.com)

The Frazzled Female, Book #13

Ok, no I did not just read this book yesterday, but I could have, if I didn't have anything else to do.  But wait, I'm a Frazzled Female so I couldn't have had a day with nothing to do!!

I actually worked through this precious devotional book after the new year and mostly finished in mid-February.  Then I started with James from my BFF Beth Moore :) and didn't have the time to go back and recap what I learned from this.  But now, James is done and this morning I went back and reabsorbed this awesome book!  

I went through and made notes at the end of each of the six sections (one for each week) and ended up with no less than nearly 50 good things I want to remember.  I believe this book is one that is staying downstairs handy, and not shoved on a bookcase upstairs to be lost until I rediscover it again.  

I have done Cindi's short Bible Study on this before, but this particular book was a donation to the library so I grabbed it up.  I'm not even sure how long I have had it, but I thought it would be good to do this season.  I had no idea the roller coaster it would take me on!  What I love about Cindi's books on this topic is that she not only discusses the spiritual aspect, but also ties in practical information.  She takes verses that we all know and love, and totally applies them to handling your crazy, frazzled life.  And not in an "un-theological" way, but in a way that makes you realize God really does care about the dirty dishes and laundry piled up AND your attitude towards it!!!  

Here are a few of the high points of the book for me:

1. Thinking positively does not come naturally.
2. An accumulation of common daily hassles sneak up on us and rob us of joy and a positive attitude.
3. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that we have to change our thought process.
4. What is in your life that the power of the Living God cannot handle?
5. We should let God schedule our day because when He is in control we can actually get done what needs to get done.
6. We should make Jesus the priority in our lives ~ we are the priority of His!!
7. Lord, when I am in a situation that makes me really mad, help to just make it not matter.
8. Sin is a THIEF that will rob you of God's blessings.
9. God doesn't want you to stay in a place of hurt, but He allowed these things to happen to bring you to a repentance.  And boy did He open my eyes to something that was BIG in my life and I didn't even see the sin in it!
10. Even when you don't feel free, you still are.

Ok, enough about me...  

If you are stressed, fatigued, overwhelmed, frustrated, and just outright exhausted to the core, you probably have the "Frazzled Female Syndrome." If you don't do something soon, your constant juggling-act will leave you a useless mess. Cindi Wood, author and speaker, teaches the "strung out and frazzled" how to manage the stresses of life with a close relationship with Jesus Christ. This 30-day devotional journal assists you in finding God's peace in the midst of chaos.(picture and description from christianbook.com)

O:)
Melissa

Secrets over Sweet Tea, Book #12

Like my new, catchy title?  Original, hunh?  Looks I only have about 113 books left for this year to make it to 125...


Instead of reading the book I needed to about how to deal with crazy teenagers I decided to jump into this one since once again Book Club was sneaking up on me.  Man, oh man, again Denise caught me off guard, made me laugh, cry, and do some soul searching for myself.  I know this book was probably hard for her to write with her history, but it was so very powerful!!!  Again, highly recommend!!!  


Secrets can be funny things. We think they keep us safe, but more often than not, they spill out when we least expect and make a mess out of everything. It’s a truth Scarlett Jo Newberry knows all too well—a truth Grace Shepherd and Zach Craig are about to learn the hard way. As the lives of this boisterous pastor’s wife, polished news anchor, and beleaguered divorce attorney intersect in the tree-lined streets of Franklin, Tennessee, scandal threatens to topple their carefully constructed worlds. Grasping at survival, they embark on a journey of friendship and courage, desperate to find a way back to laughter, love, and life. (picture and description from amazon.com)

O:)
Melissa