Author Archives: Life is For Living book

Favourites

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They told me to come round for tea sometime, so I asked if I could come at 4. We sat in front of the warm fire, drank tea, stroked the dogs, and chatted. The chat went on and on, in a hurry, and when I was ready to leave, they urged me to stay to eat stew with them. I couldn’t refuse.

The conversation moved on, but always centered on books, stories, memories of stories. They have young bookworm girls always in need of book recommendations. “What did you read when you were a young teen, and 15 and 16, that shaped you?” they asked.

Instantly, I knew the book. It was Shadow of the Almighty. I read it before I understood the concepts of evangelization; I just liked the story.

As when someone asks you to lead a song, you suddenly don’t know any songs. And so I was blank when trying to recall anything else besides Jim Elliot’s story. Then I remembered Elizabeth Yates and her sweet word crafting, especially The Next Fine Day and On That Night.

Then it came to me, what to recommend for the young girls: all of Patricia St. John’s books. Each book has a theme Scripture verse that the plot winds around unobtrusively but beautifully. They’re set in all parts of the world, about winsome children with big life lessons in front of them. When I started to talk about the titles and themes in the books, I got goosebumps and almost choked up. The stories are so real and human, and I’m sure they shaped me more than I realize.

It was a lovely visit. After all, what could be better than sitting by a fire with tea, comparing favourite parts of Narnia or Lord of the Rings?!

More Credit Where Due

Posted in life by

Several weeks ago, I posted the story of my sisters’ traumatic experience of being told at the the boarding gate that her airline ticket is invalid. I didn’t write the story to exploit my sisters, or to garner more sympathy for them. My purpose for the post was to alert Orbitz’s PR people that their customers were used wrongly and unfairly. My plan worked, and within 24 hrs, I got a comment from an Orbitz rep who wanted to see if she could help us.

The good news is that they’ve promised a refund for most of the ticket that they had said was invalid. Maybe Orbitz can be trusted after all.

And now, I’m off to fling things into suitcases for my flight tomorrow.

PS–Where Credit is Due

Posted in Sunday School by

As an addendum to the last post: my inspiration about the power of story comes from speaker and author Donald Miller.

Also, a quote from Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp helped to give guidance to my thoughts in the discussion about how much God is interested in our heart’s treasures:

What rules my heart will shape the way I deal with life’s saddest and sweetest moments.

The Rich Young Ruler and me

Posted in life, Sunday School by

I approached teaching the ladies’ class Sunday school yesterday with trepidation because I didn’t want the discussion to degenerate into talking about money and selling all our possessions. Discussions about finances have their place, to be sure, but not in this place, at this time. We were looking at the account of the rich young ruler and the question he put to Jesus: What must I do to inherit eternal life?

Seeing this wasn’t a parable with a commentary, we approached the story as a story. I maintain that story is more powerful than doctrine. Story maps a grid, sets a compass for us, so that we can know what is truth and error, what is wise and good or foolish and reprehensible. An account by which we can make observations such as: this is what a foolish/wise man does, this is how Christ meets a seeker, these are Jesus’ life-giving words, this is how big God is.

So among the few phrases I under-lined as observations from the story were treasure in heaven and kingdom of heaven and with God all things are possible.

It seemed to me that these words were what Jesus really cared about when He spoke with the young man. He still does. He is concerned that our treasures are in heaven, that we focus on His kingdom, and that we never forget how He makes all things possible. In that light, money and selling all that we have are peripheral issues and not the crux of the matter.

I love Luke, and how He puts these human touches on Christ. Luke, the doctor and people-watcher, observed that the young man went away sad, and then Jesus became sad too. I wonder if our treasures sadden Him sometimes.

How quickly our treasures become tangibles like food and appearance. Or intangibles like ministry and people’s praise. He said “Your heart will be where your treasure is.” What is it that we feel we would die without? Is it Christ, who makes me His treasure? If He is my treasure, it will never be shaken or taken away.

We were fourteen ladies in the circle. What would happen if fourteen ladies met their world and went about their work with their highest treasure being their Redeemer and Lord?

My Friend’s New Books

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Michelle and I have done alot of things together, gone on many adventures and dreamed many dreams. But I love how God dreams bigger than we do. We never dreamed we’d both be authors, both have book-birthing stories to compare. Guess I should have known it, knowing how little silence there is when we’re together, and how much we like words.

Finally, this week I got to see her new books: We Build a House and My Brother’s Keeper.

They are both for children, aimed at helping them to adjust to changes in life. We Build a House is Michelle’s own story of building their house, told and seen through her young Adam’s eyes.

My Brother’s Keeper is about a family’s journey of living with a handicapped child. It, too, is written in the voice of the brother. It made me cry, which is another reason why it’s a good book.

I’m proud of Michelle’s vision and skill and creativity evident in these books. I’m proud to show people the books and say “My friend did that!”

Order your copies for yourself and for beautiful gifts from smilesbymiles@gmail.com

My Book is Back!

Posted in My Book by

If you’d like to get a copy for yourself because you’ve just been borrowing a friend’s, or if you want a different kind of birthday gift for a friend, or if you’d like to suggest the book for your ladies’ Bible study group, now is the time to order! The toll-free number, e-mail address, and web site are listed below for your quick convenience.

And if you’re interested in doing a group study, I will email you my basic study guide–for free! Drop me a comment to let me know, and I’ll get in touch with you.

Order from:
CLR Distribution

28500 Guys Mills Rd.

Guys Mills, PA 16327

Toll Free: 877-222-4769

Phone: 814-789-4769

Fax: 814-789-3396

Email: clr@fbep.org

Online: www.Christianlearning.org

Choral Recommendations

Posted in music by

Pretty much the only music I listen to is choral singing. It feeds my soul and spirit with its layers of depth. It’s what I love to sing.And maybe I’m biased and narrow, but I think it’s most like what we’ll sing in heaven.

These are my recent indulgences, and the best choices I’ve made in a long time:

Voce, by Trinity College in Cambridge, England.

The gems on this one is Durufle’s “Ubi Caritas” and Schubert’s “Sanctus.”

Lighten our Darkness is an exquisite collection of evening songs. I love, love the arrangement of “O Gladsome Light.” And the powerful Russian dynamics of Rachmininov’s “Borogorditsye Dyevo.” When I ordered this CD, some glitch happened with their database and John Rutter’s assistant wrote to sort it out. Bravo on their customer service!

I count it a bonus that both CD’s have the song that’s so beautiful, I’d like it sung at my funeral. (Relax– I’m not depressed or tending toward self-destruction.) This is the English translation for the Latin words sung to a most restful, soothing melody:

The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God,
And the pain of death shall not touch them:
in the eyes of the foolish they seem to die,
but they are in peace.

…in pace…

Daily Bread

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On one of the loveliest days of last summer, my family drove to the quay in Cork City where the Logos was docked. It was a delightful visit, meeting the staff, taking a tour of the ship, and of course, perusing the bookstore.

I came home with a small stack of books, but the best choice by far was The One Year Bible, New Living Translation. No matter that I started it when the year was half-finished.

Every night, it’s like sitting down to a meal. I love it. I love the variety of Old and New Testaments, with Psalms and Proverbs every day. I don’t stress out with guilt for skipping over the genealogies and such like, and the portions aren’t too long–actually, I often think they’re not long enough, that the meal was finished too quickly. The translation helps give a fresh message, so I don’t become lulled by words I’ve read all my life. Lately, in Genesis, I’ve been swept up with the narration and God’s amazing understatements.

A long time ago, every day for 40 years, God fed His people a mysterious food. It was unlike anything they knew so they called it “What is it?” The daily snowing of manna sustained them on their rigorous journey because it came from Him whose hand is strength and grace and love.

So when I pray before I begin my nightly “meal”: “Give me today the food I need” I am asking God to send me sustenance and strength that I can never get anywhere else. What He sends is often a mystery, not always acknowledged for the wonder that it is. But it is a wonder, and a beauty, and I love Him for it.

Proceed to Orbitz with Caution

Posted in travel by

With two sisters coming from the US for Christmas, and three leaving after, and major winter storms enroute, I have never heard wilder, more impossible tales of travelling. I am one who loves the open road, and thinks happiness is found in a backpack, ticket and passport, heading for the far horizon. But after their stories of being stranded, misled by representatives, and other injustices, even I, the globe-trotter, quailed at the thought of buying another plane ticket. What kept me from despair at planning another trip was that they had some incredible angel stories too.

But all that was before the craziest story ever: Hannah and Esther were ready to board the plane at Dublin, when Hannah was told that her ticket was invalid.

Void.

No permission to board. No explanation. The. ticket. was. void.

The ticket had been paid, and a routine notice sent two days before. But on the day, the ticket was invalid, and no one can tell us why.

The angels were still on duty. One let Hannah board the first leg of her journey without a pass. The girls heard him on the speaker phone, telling the stewardess to let Hannah onto the plane after the luggage crew was told to get her bags off the plane. Who was he? How did he know to call at that moment? Who else but an angel had the power to make that command to the stewardess?

In Manchester, they had enough time to call dad who was able to buy a new US Airways ticket so that Hannah didn’t have to be stranded with an invalid ticket.

Orbitz, the company that sold the original ticket, has given no satisfaction, no refund, no explanation.

Which is why I studiously avoided them last week and got a ticket on the Delta website.

Growing Things

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During the summer, there was a for-real mushroom growing on a carpet in my house. I was trying to discover the source of the damp smell, and to my horror, found a button mushroom by the leaking radiator. The landlord called a plumber who fixed the leak, and I got a dehumidifier the same week, so now there is no more fungus. Anyhow, it’s too cold for anything to grow.

Except now book stacks are growing like stalagmites on a cave floor. Beside the bed, on the bed, beside the chair, on the desk. Books of writing, women, stories, character studies. I have tickets to fly to the US on Feb. 11 for my 2nd stint of teaching at Calvary Bible School. Yay, yay!

I plan to teach for 6 wks. ‘Godly Womanhood’ class accounts for the women’s studies and character studies and counselling books. And I will be assistant teacher for Christian Writing class, which is why I’m reading Zinsser and Card at the moment. How to inspire writing that is excellent in creativity and Truth? This is my quest.

The stalagmites grow slowly and steadily upwards.