The Sacred Echo

"He does not want us to wait alone, but rather to wait on him alone."

At the beginning of the summer I finished the book The Sacred Echo by Margaret Feinberg. I went through it, one chapter a week, with a friend. Wow, what a life changing experience.

This is my first and not my last, (I have already started her book Organic God), Margaret Feinberg read. I have to say, I love her. I felt the entire way through the book as though we were sitting enjoying coffee in my living room. Her story is personal and strong and intimate. Things that most books in this particular genre can lack.

The book tackles the subject of hearing from God and how his voice echos around us. I believe the biggest influence this book had on my own personal journey, is that even I can put God in a box. Yes, sometimes I pray and expect Him to answer in one way and I don't see the very real ways He communicates, intentionally, in many different ways and areas of my life. Often times, repeating or echoing the message He has for me.

My favorite chapter is titled bring them to me. In essence, Margaret challenges us to bring our hardest requests, our most difficult questions to God. What would it mean to us if we accepted the invitation to bring our prayers to God, our heartbreaks and pain, and the allowed Him to provide the answers, to be the one who "...makes sense out of a nonsensical world."

I would put this at the top of your to-read list. Enjoy it with a friend and experience the challenges and reflection questions at the end of the book with them. It will change you. It will change your relationship with our Papa.

Everyone Communicates Few Connect

John C Maxwell, Everyone Communicates Few Connect. A world-renowned leadership expert. Admittedly, this is my fist Maxwell experience. I am new to persuing leadership as a part of my character and identity, this book was and is a great resource.

Most non-fiction books in the area of leadership are sure-fire cures for insomnia. Not so with Everyone Communicates. This is a practicle guide to being a better communicator, a better connecter, with your entire circle of influence.

Not only does Maxwell give examples of how we fail but how we can succeed in the situation or relationship the next time. Repeadly, I found myself thinking, "that is why that didn't work". This book is a tool I will continually use as I journey through leadership.

I would recommend this book to anyone who considers leadership. Even if that leadership is in your personal life and relationships this book has something for all the ways we can become better connecters with the people in our lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”

Water For Elephants

As my first finished up summer read I enjoyed Water for Elephants. It was an intriguing story of one man's journey of remembrance, forgiveness and redemption.

Jacob, the main character pulls you in from the beginning. The book follows him as he reflects on the journey his life has brought him through. It is a story of circumstance and love. And, if you ever wonder how someone may end up working in a circus, this is a pretty good adventure in that way to.

I am never one to give away plot and I am sure you can find a bazillion summaries of the story. But, as an avid reader and someone always looking to connect with the main character, even if it means being disappointed or frustrated with them, I will say this book hit the mark.

It is an enjoyable, quick read and I would highly recommend it.

The Vertical Self

How do you define yourself? Do you wait for the world to tell you who you are? Do you look to the one that created you to show you who He created you to be?

The Vertical Self: How biblical faith can help us discover who we are in an age of self obsession by Mark Sayers is one of my most recent reads.

I would have to say that this book is definitely geared towards a specific audience. I think the intent was to meet a more broad need of those in the Christian world in search for a definition to their identity. I felt, it more directly would help or give insight to those in church leadership, searching for more tools to help in their ministries.

I enjoyed the book. I felt it was insightful and heartfelt. At times I felt Sayers repeated points as someone who is very passionate about something and tries to tell you the same thing in ten different ways. Not a bad thing but made it more difficult in holding my interest for long periods of time.

I do feel this is a valuable resource. In my current role in women's ministry, this book helps define some of the hurdles that come with counseling women beyond the definitions of today's culture and having them see themselves as God sees them.

I will leave you with a quote:

"We all desperately want to move toward our true selves, but our desires, egos, and impulses derail our attempts. Our culture doesn't have answers for the conflicts we feel over our desires. God, however, views our desires as his workshop. He doesn't remove them; instead, he encourages us to redeem them, to use them as fuel to move toward our true self." pg 119

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Redeeming Love

Sometime last summer a friend of mine mentions that she has spent three days sitting on her bathroom counter reading a book. She just couldn't put it down and the bathroom is the only place her kids wouldn't bother her. A few weeks later another friend mentions the same book, with the tale of sleepless nights and overflowing emotion.

About two months ago, the book finally made its rounds to my house. And there it sat due to Girl Scout cookie sales. Then the usually life happens and the book ended up shuffled into my insane pile of books on the arm of my couch. Last week, I was not feeling well and didn't have the energy to do anything productive so I dug Redeeming Love out from under a few other soon to be read treasures.

It was Tuesday night, not much going on in our house, so I started reading at about 9pm and read until 3:30am. I didn't even realize the time had passed. Wednesday night, I picked up the book around 11pm, thinking I would read until my eyes were tired. The next thing I knew, Ted's alarm clock was going off, it was 5:30am. Needless to say, come bed time on Thursday, I finished the book around 2:30 in the morning.

It has been a very long time since a book has pulled me in so completely. I don't usually read a lot of love stories or historical romance, but it came highly recommended. And, I completely understand why. The story of Angel and her life was one we all have experienced, if even in a small way. Learning to accept being loved, in spite of our mistakes, can be a difficult journey.

It's a story of love, forgiveness and redemption and worth every sleepless night and tear shed. Thank you to my dear friends for sharing this beautiful book with me. I can't wait to hear the wild testimony from the next person who reads it.

Ragamuffin Gospel

"Unlike Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, we need not hide all that is ugly and repulsive in us. Jesus came not for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and weak-kneed who know they don't have it all together and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazin' grace. As we glance up, we are astonished to find the eyes of Jesus open with wonder, deep with understanding, and gentle with compassion." ~Brennan Manning

I have read The Ragamuffin Gospel before. This time, I devoured it. I went through each chapter, one at a time. My friend Stacy and I picked apart each chapter with awe and amazement. Each Monday night we talked together of our own understanding of grace, how we accept it, how we teach it, how we live it. I love this book. It is good food for hungry souls.

I have been blessed with the first hand knowledge of God's grace in my own life and Brennan drew out that picture in harmony. He also reminded me to humble myself in judgment of where others have been and where they are going. He reminded me to see God's fingerprint on all people, not just the ones I want to see it on.

If you believe or not, I would recommend you read this book. We have made a pretty good mess out of what Jesus came to do. He died to save the world, not just the few.

Understanding Exposure

I recently took a beginners digital photography class at the local community college. It was quite an experience. I have enjoyed shooting with my Nikon for the past two years but have felt a little inadequate, well maybe more than a little. But, I have always loved it and felt joy when a picture turns into something beautiful that expresses my heart or emotion at a particular moment.

While my one simple class hasn't filled the gap, it has grown a hunger in me to know more and understand more when it comes to my photography. So, to add a special treat to my 75 book reading challenge this year, I will be adding some photography books. Now, I want to put a disclosure out there....I am not a professional photographer....I don't know how truly amazing a book is in the profession realm of photography, but I can tell you what it meant to me.

My first photography read comes by recommendation from Digital Photography School : Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I would recommend both the web site and the book to any beginners or anyone looking for better understanding and more resources to improve their photography.

At first some of the photography terminology can feel like a foreign language. I felt this book gave me practical material with visual examples. Yes, my friends, it is a book with pictures. I borrowed this book from our local library but would love to have this on my shelves as a reference when I am shooting or have difficulty shooting the image I desire. In the few weeks I had borrowed the book, I found myself using in numerous times as a reference when I was in need of answers.

Hopefully with the help of this book and many like it I will find myself less frustrated and more able to express myself and what I see through my photography. If you are interested in seeing my pictures, I post them at: http://blessedamerican.posterous.com/

The Children of Men

I began book number 6 of the year thinking I knew what to expect. I have seen the movie so I wasn't looking for too many surprises. After about chapter 3, I realized this book is nothing like the movie.

P.D. James' book The Children of Men is so much more than any movie could have been. Now, I don't want you to get me wrong. The movie was great. The book was amazing. I wouldn't even compare the two by saying the book is better than the movie, simply because they are not the same. Other than the name of the main character and the concept of a sterile society, there was very little else in common between the two.

I picked this book because it is the second in the Emmaus Readers collection that I am going through this year. Admittedly, I wouldn't have picked this one off the shelf on my own. I was pleasantly surprised. The book isn't full of warm fuzzy's and happiness but it is real. I could connect with James' idea of a depraved society, one lost of hope. I could see the struggle between faith, god and inevitable end. The characters were real, almost so perfectly detailed you could reach out and touch them.

I would highly recommend this book. It is a suspense but one that is richly built on humanity and all of it's imperfections.

Ted's Candy Shoppe

In the Second of our Stolpe Family Night Production comes Ted's Candy Shoppe. This is the combination a few family nights. Yes, the puppets are all hand made. Each one of us created our own puppet. How fun it is to be creative and silly with our family.

Forgotten God

2010 is proving to be a good year for book reading. I am enjoying the challenge. There will be a few books throughout the year that I am reading with a friend or in a small group. I love devouring a book with friends, it makes it even more enjoyable. My friend Janell and I just finished up Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan.

We usually take one chapter a week to read and then discuss. This book was well worth the investment in time. Each week I felt more and more challenged in my personal understanding of the Holy Spirit. The beginning of chapter 5 was a great comfort, speaking on how our confidence comes from the Holy Spirit. It is a beautiful reminder to me that God gives me His spirit in order that I may become the person He already sees me as. I don't need the world to tell me if I am good enough if I can just grasp the idea that "the most powerful Being in universe adores (me) as His own child."

I would recommend this book if you are looking to get out of the typical stereotypes of the Holy Spirit. If you are ready to get a better understanding that living a Spirit filled life is going to call you to action, call you to more reliance on God and call you to believe there are things that can only be accomplished through you if you let the Spirit work; then this is a great book. Let me leave you with this quote:

“The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you into the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be. The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be…”

Mariette

For the 4th book into my 75 book challenge I have read Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen.

I will have to add this to my list of books that everyone should read. It is beautiful. The story follows a young girl, pretty and devout, Mariette, as she joins the Sisters of the Crucifixion.

I love a book that allows me to personally get involved. Throughout the story Hansen leaves it up to me, the reader, to decide my own perspective. Is Mariette truly experiencing ecstasy or is she a young girl in need of attention? If God truly spoke to this young girl, or someone around us, would we recognize it as God or would we do our best to disprove before we choose to believe in the miracle? Do we try so hard to fit people into our experiences and expectations that we miss the power of God that we so desire to see?

"God gives us just enough to seek Him, and never enough to fully find him. to do more would inhibit our freedom, and our freedom is very dear to God." (pg 174)

I didn't know what to expect. I had intentionally not read a review or information about the story before I borrowed it from the library. It is the first book of twelve from The Emmaus Readers: Listening for God in Contemporary Fiction. Each of the twelve books reviewed has a chapter with summary and questions that allow you dive deeper into the stories meaning and purpose. I will be enjoying all twelve of these books this year.

Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl

While home on Christmas break, a seventeen-year-old Senate page takes her dog out for a walk and never returns. A reporter, FBI agent and a Federal Prosecutor are working together on the case.

I felt the basic idea for the book was good. But, it was very ordinary. It was difficult to emotionally attach and live out the experience with any one character. The three professional friends were dealing with their own personal demons while working through the case of the missing girl. I felt it would have flowed better if it had chosen one of the women as the main character.

It took until about pg 150 before I felt pulled into the actually story of the young ladies murder. From that point I enjoyed the story and the surprise twist. If you enjoy a good mystery novel that is clean cut with a splash of Christian morality, this is a decent read.

A complimentary review copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers with no expectation of a positive review.

Since I got this book for free, I would like to share it. If you are interested, I will send you my copy. Just post a comment and a way I can contact you. One comment will randomly be chosen next Wed. Feb 17th.

100% Everything

It's official. I am registered to run in the 2010 Bank of American Chicago Marathon.

Registration is the easy part. You type in your name, your information, your credit card numbers and wa-la you are registered. And yet, for me it is 100% the scariest part. When you hit the send button, there is no taking it back. You can't call the people and say, "I didn't really mean to fill all of that out, Can I have my money back?".

The 100% commitment begins instantly. Click, and you have an email in your in-box that is your receipt and official registration. I am not a good commitment person. When I ran the Knoxville Marathon I didn't register until the month of the race. I was 100% sure I was going to fail during my training and not be able to run it. So, why spend the money?!!

I don't know what is going to happen in the next 250 days. I have 100% faith that this is where I wanna go. I don't doubt I want to run in Chicago. I have 100% passion for the beautiful city, it's museums, it's architecture, and it's culture. My blood pumps a little faster every time I imagine the sound of my feet hitting on the Chicago pavement.

I am 100% excited that I will be running with my friend Sarah. She was the one who challenged me to begin running. She was the one that inspired me when I started my training for Knoxville. This time we will run, side by side, or until she decides to kicks my butt and run ahead. When she runs ahead I know she will be cheering me through the finish. (or vise-versa). If we cross that finish line separate or together, it will be 100% AWESOME!!!

I am 100% sure I won't be the fastest runner there. But this is about beating me, not the best runners in the world. I want to take an hour off my time from Knoxville. I know it is a huge goal but a girl can dream, pursue and run her heart out. You never know......the woman that won New York was 37, there is hope for me yet.

I may not have the best athletic coaches surrounding me during training but I am 100% supported. I have an amazing husband, who is willing to sacrifice his time and money to support my dreams. He will tolerate my diet, my aches, my excitement and my disappointments. And everyday, He will remind me of my dream. I have daughters that look up to me and cheer me on and remind me I need to run. I do this as much for them, I want them to be not only dreamers but pursuers of their passions. I have friends who will push and love in just the right doses. With my family/friends, their encouragement, this is 100% possible.

Above all else, I have 100% strength. Not because of my physical health but because when I can no longer push and I can no longer move, my God will be pick me up in my weakness, dust me off and be glorified.

I am 100% confident that I have no idea what the next 8 months of training will be like, what my life will bring me, what the weather will be like. I am 100% ready.

Moving Mountains

It's day 19 of the Daniel fast. Our family, along with our church family and many churches around the country, began a 21 day commitment to prayer and fasting through Awake21. It has been an interesting experience.

I say interesting because I am much more surprised than I thought I would be. The change in diet has been, well, okay. With more and more people in our country become vegetarians or vegans it is easier to find meat free, dairy free products than I had originally thought it might be. Now, taking out yeast and baking soda was a little more difficult. I was amazed at how many of our everyday products contain sugar. I am not going to say this is easy.

I had one particular evening where I was desperately in need of finding comfort through food and well, not easily done when nothing you can eat is fried or has sugar in it. But, it was such a reminder of how when life gives us grief we turn to things other than God. I wonder how many times I have ignored Him to be comforted by food.

Setting apart time to concentrate on God, to focus on Him has been a blessing. My original purpose has been literally sifted until He has shown me what He has for me. I went in with some major big picture ideas that He has taken and shown me the heart of.

One of the major things I have been shown is how much I worry about what people think of me. In the last 19 days I have seen many an occasion to explain or talk about what I am doing. And, my first thought is always, How do I explain this without seeming like a religious freak?

How do I make sure you understand this isn't a diet thing? How do I tell you how much I want more of God in my life without seeming a little crazy? The craziest part of it all is that for almost a year I have been praying to be one of the crazy people. Seriously. I want to be the person who isn't afraid to pray for someone in the grocery story. I want to be the person who reads her bible. I want to be the person who gets up every day with one intention and that is to glorify my Father. I want to be the person who believes when God tells me that my faith, as small as a mustard seed, can move mountains through prayer and fasting. I want to see mountains moved.

Real

Reality is about the best way I can describe this book. And how all of us that proclaim to be Christians need to be real with our testimonies.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller is book number two for 2010. This book came highly recommended by many and has been sitting on my shelf for over a year after finding it at our local used book store.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I will tell you that it was an enjoyable read. It was neither Christian self-help or the story of a person picking themselves up from the depths of a miserable life. It was just his story and how his spiritual journey. I have to say that I enjoyed his writing style. It was simple and real and I could feel the emotional connection to each of the short stories he told. I like to feel something when I read, I want to love and hate right along with the storyteller and this book gave me that opportunity.

So, I would recommend it. Christian or not, it is a real story of how someone comes to believe in the things that they do based on people and the experiences that they share.

Haiti

I know, I only have about 4 regular readers to my blog and yet I believe my God takes what I give and makes it exponentially more. So I ask you, take a moment to decide how you can help.

People in Haiti are already poor and already in need of help. And now, after this devastating earth quake are in need of more of you. Of us. Yes, the ones who complain about the cold and curl up in our heated homes on leather couches. We have so much. I know, the credit card bills are rolling in from our extravagant indulgences over the holiday. I know, some of us are stretched thin with gas prices and mortgage payments. But still, you have so much.

For a moment, I ask of you, give what you truly can and change the lives of people you will never meet because they need you.



You may ask why Compassion.....because they are real, established and believe in the power of our Lord and Savior. If you want to give to the Haiti Earthquake please consider Compassion’s Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief.

a pit, a lion and a snowy day

So I have official finished one book in 2010. In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson.

I loved it. The entire book. If you ever struggle with fear of failure, fear of looking foolish, fear you are doing the right or wrong thing or fear you will make a bad decision you should read this book.

I was challenged to face my fears and realize how truly irrational they can be. I saw that fear, failure and the butterflies come to anyone attempting to chase their dreams. It really is time to stop waiting for those things to be gone and to chase in-spite of them.

Augusta, GA

Posted via email from blessedamerican's posterous

Augusta, GA

Posted via email from blessedamerican's posterous

to infinity and beyond

well, we sent 2009 out with a bang. Grandma Joanne spent the last three weeks of the year with us and we included a sprint of DisneyWorld, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and SeaWorld in Orlando as part of her trip.

Here we are no worse for the wear and thankful for all of the blessings that came into our lives in 2009.

Now, time for new ideas, change, goals and challenges. We are ready!!

I have made a few "resolutions" and look forward to sharing them with you.

First: I want to read 75 books. I am planning on sharing each one with you. Some will be new, some will be books I have already read, some will be fiction and some will be classics that all of us should take time to read. I love diving in and devouring the written word. I rarely keep track of what I have read so I thought this would be a fun way to see where this takes me. On of the books I am really hoping to finish is the One Year Bible. I have started it every year for about 7 years and never make it past March.

Second: Ted and I will be doing our first Daniel Fast. We are excited to see where this spiritual journey takes our marriage, our family and of coarse our relationships with God. I am hoping that we both make a little time to share with you the experience.

Third: Chicago!! oh yes, I am beginning to train for my second Marathon. Chicago, October 10th.

Fourth: I am so excited to see where we go from here. Ultimately, my goal for each year is to see change in our lives. I want each of us to grow and be different. I want to see what 365 days of life experience brings us to.

So, here we go.......to infinity, aka the adventure of 201o.