I haven't shared any songs in awhile so I thought I'd share some that have been a blessing to me recently. These are mostly newer to me artists.
A friend introduced this song by Katy Nichole to me,
Sarah Reeves is a singer my husband heard on a podcast he follows and shared her music with me.
Lydia Laird is one of my favorite to listen to; I love her voice and the lyrics to her songs are wonderful.
Jeremy Rosado is a singer we heard at a festival in the fall and I was so blessed by his testimony, love for others and lyrics.
We are Messengers isn't new but this song has really blessed me.
In Jesus Name by Katy Nichole
Details by Sarah Reeves
This I know by Lydia Laird
Come & See by Jeremy Rosado
Close by We Are Messengers
Bonus: This song was released by Dolly Parton after the passing of her husband (Carl Dean) of almost 60 years! What a beautiful tribute and testament to a long-lasting marriage.
In my last post I mentioned that I would post the finished oval mat/doily that I was making. It's more of an eye shape than a full oval but I do love how it came out. I was looking for a way to brighten up the table for Valentine's Day. I had some leftover red cotton yarn from a previous project and some leftover white. The yarns are not the same weight as the red is technically a 4- worsted weight and the white is a baby cotton 2 - fine. Despite this I think it still worked up nicely; however, I do want to do another doily for spring/Easter using just the fine weight. The pattern I used is a free pattern from craftorator.com
Another area that I wanted to add interest to is our front door. Due to the fact that it is mostly window I haven't tried to decorate it much. This year for Christmas I decided to use an adhesive backed hook and hang a decoration. I really liked having something on the door. After Christmas, I was trying to decide what to put up and remembered that I had had a tree of life wreath craft pinned for awhile. All of the supplies for the wreath can be purchased at the dollar store; so I figured even if it came out awful I wouldn't be out much money. I used the instructions from The Shabby Tree. The wreath came together nicely and I love how it looks on the door.
So, that's the bit of crafting I have been doing. I'm currently waiting for some yarn that I ordered so I can start on another hat project. I'd love to hear and see what you have been crafting!
I realized the other day that I hadn't blogged about all the books I'd read in 2022. Looking back I did a post in July Titled Mid-Year Reading Roundup. By that point in the year I had read 13 books and was reading 3 others. I ended up reading 21 books in total for 2022 (Goodreads says 20 books but that did not include one I was re-reading). Today I'll give my thoughts on the 5 books not mentioned in that previous post.
1) Open Your Eyes by Dr. Farid Mostamand - This book is written by a son about his father's work in Herat Afghanistan treating a form of conjunctivitis. The subject matter and stories had so much potential but the writing was cumbersome so I didn't finish the entire book. I'm not sure if the language translation was the issue or just that the son is a doctor and not really a writer. Either way, I did enjoy reading about the advancements his father was able to make and the children whose eyesight was saved because of his treatments.
2) Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever - Like many others I was upset to hear of Anthony Bourdain's passing. He was very open about his struggles with addiction and mental health issues. I loved watching his shows on travel and food and enjoyed his frank communication about how he saw the world. This book is a collection of stories from people who knew Bourdain at different stages of his life. It was interesting to read but also sad to see how dark some of those times were for him.
3) The Earthspark by Vanessa Thurgood - This is the first in the Comstock Chronicles series and is also Ms. Thurgood's debut novel. I really enjoyed this book. It is a fantasy book where old elemental powers are once again released (Earth and Fire are explored in this book). I loved this series even more after reading the authors page. She stated how after having kids she struggled to find clean fantasy that wasn't too YA; so she wrote her own. My 12 year old is currently reading this and enjoying it as well. I have since read the 2nd book in this series and look forward to reading the next ones which are scheduled to come out this year.
4) The Ship Who Searched by Anne McCaffrey & Mercedes Lackey - This is the first book I've read by either of these authors. It was a recommendation from my husband and I really enjoyed this read. The story is of a girl who is turned into a brainship (think cyborg ships) and travels through space. There is a bit of romance (more flirting) but it is very light, nothing graphic and overall this was a really fun read.
5) The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh - One of my girls recommended this book to me and it was a very fun read. This is a YA fantasy book where a girl is taken to a spirit realm. This reminded me a lot of the Anime movie Spirited Away (one of my favorites!) so I really enjoyed this story.
About ten years ago my sister-in-law messaged me and said "I just read this book and I think you'd really like it. It's free for the Kindle right now." The title, and the fact that it was free, both caught my attention so I decided to try it. The book she was recommending was The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ by Kelly Minter; the book studies through the virtues listed in Colossians 3:12-14. At the time, I had never heard of Kelly Minter; since then I have also done Kelly's study No Other Gods with our moms group at church and Finding God Faithful: A study on the life of Joseph with another group of ladies. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these studies and love Kelly's style. It really is like a conversation with a friend.
As I was first reading through The Fitting Room I knew it was a book that I would want to have as a hard copy; there was so much I wanted to underline. I bought the book and read through it again. The great thing is that there is a study guide with questions in the back of the book. I did the study on my own and then a couple summers ago read through the book yet again and did the study again with a small group of ladies from church. It didn't feel repetitive as there are always new things to learn from Scripture and I noticed that because I was in a different place in my life I had different answers to some things.
In the past year or two I have really enjoyed listening to podcasts. They are great to put on while I'm cleaning or doing other tasks. Last month I started listening to the Culitvate podcast; which is Kelly Minter's podcast. I immediately was drawn in because she speaks the same way she writes. She is real and practical in her teaching. I noticed that she had done a podcast series on the same Colossians passage she wrote about in The Fitting Room. Even though I have read her book and done the study a couple times; not only was the podcast series a great reminder but there were also new nuggets of wisdom that I found so helpful.
One of those nuggets of wisdom was the following statement;
"We can live out the virtues from a place of security because we are chosen;
We can live out the virtues from a place of calling & purpose because we are holy;
We can live out the virtues from a place of belonging because we are dearly loved."
~Kelly Minter
If you'd like to listen to the series on these virtues you can find the Cultivate Podcast here. The specific episodes for this series are episodes 22 through 26. You can also find the book The Fitting Room through Kelly's website store. I just noticed when looking for the link that the book is actually on sale right now through her website.
What are some of your favorite studies? Maybe ones you've done more than once.
I'm always looking for great podcasts. Share your favorite podcast in the comments.
When I was in elementary school, the curriculum used music to help with Scripture memory. To this day, I still find myself singing those songs in my head when I read certain verses. Music is a wonderful way to learn Scripture. There are many songs written that may not be exactly Scripture but that radiate Scripture throughout the verses. This is true of the song I want to share today.
A few weeks back I was driving and a new-to-me song came on Spotify. As I listened I was wishing that I wasn't driving because every line of this song had me thinking of different Scripture verses. Later that week I printed out the lyrics to the song and today I took a bit of time and matched each line to a Bible verse (sometimes two). The beauty of this song is that it is ALL about Jesus and Who He is. I'll post a lyric video for the song at the end but here are the lyrics written along with the corresponding Bible verse(s).
Can you think of any other Scriptures that this song references? I'd love for you to share.
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
By: Sovereign Grace Music
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
"Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture."~ Psalm 100:3
Greatest treasure of my longing soul
"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." ~ Psalm 107:9
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."
~Psalm 42:1
My God, like You there is no other
"remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God,
and there is none like me." ~ Isaiah 46:9
True delight is found in You alone
"Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments." ~ Psalm 112:1
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God," ~Isaiah 61:10
Your grace, a well too deep to fathom
"and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."
~ 1 Timothy 1:14
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8
Your love exceeds the heaven's reach
"Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds." ~ Psalm 36:5
Your truth, a fount of perfect wisdom
"For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth
come knowledge and understanding;" ~ Proverbs 2:6
My highest good and my unending need
"As for me I am poor and needy, but the LORD takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!" ~ Psalm 40:17
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock,
in whom I take refuge, my shield, and
the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." ~ Psalm 18:2
Strong Defender of my weary heart
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" ~ Psalm 27:1
My sword to fight the cruel deceiver
"Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the
wicked by your sword," ~ Psalm 17:13
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and
discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." ~ Hebrews 4:12
And my shield against his hateful darts
"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."
~ Proverbs 30:5
"In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming darts of the evil one;" ~ Ephesians 6:16
My song, when enemies surround me
"The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God,
and I will exult him." ~ Exodus 15:2
My hope, when tides of sorrow rise
"Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off." ~ Proverbs 23:18
"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD
never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness." ~ Lamentations 3:21-23
My joy, when trials are abounding
"Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and
send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our LORD.
And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." ~ Nehemiah 8:10
Your faithfulness my refuge in the night
"He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day," ~ Psalm 91:4-5
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will
stand upon the earth." ~ Job 19:25
Gracious Savior of my ruined life
"who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because
of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,
who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel," ~ 2 Timothy 1:9-10
My guilt and cross laid on Your shoulders
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed." ~ 1 Peter 2:24
In my place You suffered bled and died
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16
You rose, the grave and death are conquered
"We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer
has dominion over him." ~ Romans 6:9
You broke my bonds of sin and shame
"He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart." ~ Psalm 107:14
You rose, the grave and death are conquered
"God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible
for him to be held by it." ~ Acts 2:24
You broke my bonds of sin and shame
"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus
from the law of sin and death." ~ Romans 8:2
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace," ~ Ephesians 1:7
May all my days bring glory to Your Name
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the
sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness."~ Psalm 115:1
"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him
with thanksgiving." ~ Psalm 69:30
May all my days bring glory to Your Name
"Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!" ~ Psalm 34:3
"I give thanks to you, O LORD my God, with my whole heart, and I will
As we begin a new year often we reflect on the past year and look forward to what this new year will bring. As I've mentioned in the past; I'm not really one for resolutions but I do have a couple goals for this year and have already done a couple new things. So here are the 4 new things I have for you today:
1) New (to me) Recipe - For those that like to just get right to baking; the new recipe I'm sharing today is for these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins. With prices of pretty much everything on the rise, I've been looking for ways to once again cut costs yet still provide yummy, nutritious meals and snacks for our family. Eggs are outrageously expensive right now; in our area an 18 pack that was $2.99 a year ago was $8.19 last week. The reason for this extreme spike in cost is due to a major bird flu that necessitated millions of chickens being culled. Added to this is the fact that chickens just don't lay as many eggs in the winter due to decreased daylight and temperatures. So, this had me on the hunt for an eggless muffin recipe. I had a lot of pumpkin puree in the freezer and liked that this recipe uses regular pantry items. I doubled the recipe for our family. We all really liked these. They came out fluffy and had good flavor. The only thing I would change is that I would reduce the chocolate chips next time. I used about 3/4 bag of mini-chocolate chips which, even with doubling the batch seemed like too many.
2) A New Crochet Project - As many of you know, I love a good excuse to crochet things...especially baby things. These smaller projects work up quickly and are great gifts. One of the ladies in the neighborhood had a new baby girl just before Christmas. I had been waiting to find out if the baby was a girl or boy before deciding what to make. I found this adorable pattern for a Bobble Ripple Baby Blanket and knew it was the perfect project. I already had several partial skeins of 100% cotton yarn in lovely colors that would work well. I love how this blanket came out. I did not double up the strands as my yarn was a worsted weight already. The only other change I made was that I did two rows of single crochet as the border.
3) New Books to Read - A couple of these books I've already begun but look forward to finishing them in the new year. I set a goal last year of reading 15 books I ended up reading 20 books. I set the same goal of 15 books for this year. We'll see how I do. Here are the 4 non-fiction books that I'm planning to work through for the beginning of this year. I'll be reading fiction books also; right now I'm reading the 2nd in a fantasy series through the Kindle Unlimited app.
The picture is a bit hard to read so here are the books listed (along with the Goodreads links with more information):
Since I did a reading round-up I thought it would be fun to share some new-to-me songs that I've been listening to lately. We went to a Phil Wickham concert earlier this year so a few of the songs are ones I first heard there. The others are ones that I've heard on Spotify or recommendations from friends. So here are 10 songs for the first half of this year.
Since the year is half over I thought it would be fun to share some of the books I've read so far this year; and a few that I'm currently reading and highly recommend.
So far this year I've read 13 books. Here they are in the order I read them.
1) The Book Collectors by Delphine Minoui
This non-fiction book tells the story of the men who built a library in war-torn Syria; finding hope in the books and cataloging them to return to their rightful owners after the war. There is also a documentary which closely follows the book.
2) Full Moon Over Noah's Ark by Rick Antonson
This is a memoir and also travelogue about Rick's goal of summiting Mount Ararat under a full moon. The book details some of the Ark stories in the region as well as his travels in other parts of the Middle East. A fun, interesting read.
3) God Himself by Tony Evans
This small book packs a big punch as Dr. Evans works through some of the attributes of God. A read that I took in little chunks to savor and meditate on the truths shared about the awesome God of the universe.
4) Last Girl by Nadia Murad
In the early 2000's ISIS takes over the Yazidi area of Northern Iraq. This is the harrowing tale of one woman as she loses the life she had, endures unimaginable horrors and fights for those guilty to be held accountable and for the rest of the world to know what happened.
5) Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
This short YA read tells about the Danish resistance during WWII. A quick read but I learned about some techniques used that I had never heard about before.
6) The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy
This fiction book touches on the French resistance during WWII.
7) Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Lathan
One of my girls read this book for a school English class and recommended it to me. As with a lot of people my age I had never learned about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921. This book pretty closely follows the events of those days through a few fictional characters. The book is written on a dual timeline, one in 1921 and one modern day.
8) Jesus Over Every Thing by Lisa Whittle
So this was my second time reading this book; last summer I read it by myself and this winter I read it again as part of our church's Mom's Night Out group. A helpful read as Lisa shares her own journey of trying to put Jesus over everything in her life.
9) The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon
This book somewhat follows the story of the Cleveland torso murderer, also known as "the butcher". While I normally love Amy Harmon books this was my least favorite. I had never heard of the torso murderer so that was interesting to learn about but the rest of the story seemed forced and disjointed.
10) Little Lost Love Letter by Shari Tapscott
This cute love story is another book recommended by one of my girls. It's actually her favorite book. It's short and very cute about a letter that a woman wrote but never intended to be read by the guy she likes.
11) The Girl Who Escaped Isis by Farida Khalaf
This book is another account from a Yazidi woman of the horrors of ISIS and how she has overcome terrible abuses to reach out to others and help them heal.
12) I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Ruta Sepetys is another favorite YA author. She writes historical fiction that brings you into that time. Her characters come alive. This book is her latest and is about the time leading up to the Romanian revolution in the 1980's. I had never heard about this bit of world history and was so invested in the lives of her characters that mirrored so well what the Romanian people faced. This book lead me to do some further reading about Romania; which, to me, is always the sign of a good historical fiction book.
13) Set The Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes
This is the most recent book I read. I'm not sure how I feel about it. While the story kept me interested enough to finish it I can't quite describe it well. It's about a marine archaeologist who searches for a lost ship. There's a bit of romance, but that falls flat for me. The author is good with words and has several memorable quotes but she's too wordy for my taste and while this book includes some mystery, follows a dual timeline, has a bit of romance...all of it somehow falls a bit flat. Maybe it's because I mostly read non-fiction but the ending seemed too tidy and too unbelievable.
Books I'm currently reading that I HIGHLY recommend:
1) Help, I'm Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope by Sally Clarkson
Have you ever read a book where you felt like the author had read your mind? Well, that is this book for me. While reading this book I have often found myself thinking "wow, someone else has had those same exact thoughts?!". I have laughed, cried, underlined a lot and have thanked God for the wisdom He has given Sally to write this book. Each chapter deals with a different area of life where women can, and often do, face real storms. I appreciate her down to earth style that weaves Scripture and practical advice into each chapter. At the end of each chapter there are a few reflection questions, a prayer and an "anchoring act"... a practical step to take to work towards implementing the Scriptural teachings.
2) Praying Through the Bible For Your Kids by Nancy Guthrie
This book is one that I mentioned back in January. As I shared in the post titled Reading Through the Bible in 2022 I am following the One Year Bible Plan with a group of others. I'm using this book as a supplement along with that plan. I have been so encouraged by the devotionals; they are so timely (as Scripture always is!) and each day ends with a prayer to pray for your family or for your children specifically. There are a few of us in the group also reading this devotional and we often will say "did you read today's devotional?" or in conversation "oh, that was mentioned in a recent day's devotional". It has just been a great reminder to always be praying. To remember that God does see and understands our concerns and struggles as parents.
3) Women Who Risk: Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World by Tom & JoAnn Doyle
There are few books where I say "every Christian should read this" but this is one of them. Tom & JoAnn have spent decades ministering in the Muslim World. This book shares just a few of the miraculous transformations of women who have chosen Christ in a place where they truly face death for that choice. God is still very much a God of miracles and each of these stories shows how He is powerfully working in our world. You will be encouraged, challenged and spurred on to pray for these women. This is actually my second time reading this book as I read it on my own and am now rereading it as part of our Mom's Night Out group at church. It is just as powerful the second time through...these women are our sisters and they need our prayers, they need us to know...to see what is going on in our world.
There are very few books that I would say "every believer should read this" but this book is one of those. Garrison does a thorough job of investigating the different Christian movements in the Muslim world. I was challenged in 3 ways by this book:
1) I was challenged to PRAY for our Muslim-background brother's and sisters. When they choose to give their lives to Christ they know that there is a very good chance they will lose family, community and even their lives. Yet many choose to stay underground in their communities in order to share Christ with those they love! What is also amazing to hear is that they speak of such an overarching joy and peace they have in Christ, even in the face of earthly dangers.
2) I was challenged to be more bold in witnessing to others, even those who don't look or act like me. As Western Christians most of us may face ridicule, rejection of what we're sharing but what is that compared to eternity? Every unbeliever, including Muslims, in our own communities need Jesus, reach out with His love and kindness.
3) I was also challenged to evaluate how I have let Western Christian culture invade what the Gospel truly is. Just because others may not worship like us or may have very different conversion stories does NOT mean that they are not brothers & sisters. It's ALL about Jesus! The Gospel is belief in Christ by faith thru Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) confessing our need and proclaiming Christ as Lord & Savior (Romans 10:9-10)...that's it! Setting aside our preconceived ideas of what things "should" look like and keeping to the Gospel is so important.
My heart hurts for what many are facing for Christ but I rejoice in what they are teaching me through their testimonies, I rejoice in the privilege to pray for them and in the knowledge that we will all one day rejoice together worshipping our Risen Savior for eternity.
