love to paint

This is the next post about one of the booklets. Today I'm going to write about the booklet I read first. It is titled, Help! My Anger is Out of Control , by Jim Newheiser.  It's interesting.  I don't always know what books God is going to bring across my path and what paths He's going to take me down.  I picked up this booklet this morning and I'm glad I did. Anger is something I've had to deal with in my life--just like everyone else I know.  It is an emotion that is part of being human.  But, anger can be very destructive.  This booklet made me stop and consider the sources of my anger and what prompts me to get anger.  It also made me consider my own sin and its ramifications.  I felt the author had some very valuable insights.  The first thing I learned was that anger is our response to our own judgment against perceived evil against us in our lives--it comes from judgments that we make.  The examples the author gave for his ...

My next few posts are going to tackle seven books from a new series that Shepherd Press is publishing.  These are small books that you'd find at a side table at your church.  They're great, because you can sit down in less than an hour and read what they have to say.  The books I've read so far have given me a lot to think about and process. The first booklet is about Depression.   Carol Trahan has written a small and easy to read book. It tackles the type of depression that are part of the normal ups and downs of life. This is not a book for anyone who deals with ongoing, prolonged depression. She says from the get go that she is a biblical counselor, not a medical doctor. Even so, I wish she had included a few questions about how to discern which type of depression you are experiencing and how to get ongoing help. But, as to the material in this book, I liked it. Quite a lot actually. I thought that she made some great points about depression and sadness in t...

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story.  My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard.  Am I questioning too much?  Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way.  But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them.   Recently, I read a book that troubled me.  The book I finished reading was  Guiltless Living  by Ginger Hubbard.  When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...

The Lord has given me an interest in many things that you've probably seen me write about on this blog--anywhere from evangelical feminism to mental health concerns and learning and processing disorders.  My interest in mental illness began during my sociology studies in college.  Since then, God has brought many people into my life who have shared their stories and lives with me.   A few years ago, I read the book The Mind has Mountains: Reflections on Society and Psychiatry by Dr. Paul R. McHugh.  It was a wonderful book that gave me much food for thought about mental health and our society.  If you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend it.  Dr. McHugh goes against the grain of popular thinking in this book and examines the truth of what he saw in his patients.  He was the head of the school of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University for a time.   Since then, I've read a few other books about mental health, including PTSD: Wounded Warrio...

Last week I got a wonderful surprise in the mail!  It was the day before Thanksgiving and it had just crossed my mind that I would love to have a Christmas devotional to read through with my kids this year.  I've had friends who've read through Benjamin's Button and Jotham's Journey over the years (both of which I haven't read but have heard good things about).  But, I wanted a devotional that would take us into the Word and talk about Christmas. In the mail, I received just that!  Shepherd Press published a new Christmas devotional for families this year. It is titled Why Christmas?  Barbara Reaoch wrote 25 days of daily devotions.  So, you can begin with it on December 1st, which is what we'll be doing.  For each day, Ms. Reaoch has written a short talk/devotional, identified a truth to focus on, given several questions to discuss, a verse to memorize, 1 of 4 hymns to sing, and a biblical term or word to explain.  These devotionals would ...

I spend a lot of time reading.  There always seems to be something I am pondering, struggling with, or sorting through.  On the first day of this year, I reviewed a book about suffering titled Be Still, My Soul   http://lovetopaint.blogspot.com/2011/01/understanding-and-accepting-suffering.html .  I enjoyed the book and was encouraged by it.  I read the book because I struggled with understanding the place and purpose of suffering in our lives.  It encouraged me a lot, but I was still left with some questions. How do I cope with the yuckiness of the world? How do I keep it from overwhelming me and not becoming cynical?  How do I keep sight of eternity? How can I best love a fallen world? What should I expect of the people in my life? How do I hold onto hope? As usual, a book came across my path that I hoped would help me answer some of these questions.  I mentioned it a few months ago in this post:   http://lovetopaint.b...

The idea of a commentary for children was very interesting to me.  With a Bible commentary, you can read a passage in the Bible and look to the Bible for insight and help with concepts or words that you'd like to have more explanation for. Nancy E. Ganz wrote a 5 book commentary series for children that has been published by Shepherd Press.  Recently, I began reading the first book on Genesis .  The older edition included the teacher's notes.  Shepherd Press has made them accessible here:  www.shepherdpress.com/downloads.php   This book is interesting.  It was not what I expected it to be.  It does not follow the typical form of a commentary.  With most commentaries, you can look up a passage in the Bible, open the commentary and find comments for that passage.  The entries in this commentary overlap and go back and forth in Genesis.  Ms. Ganz explains in the introduction that this commentary is a compilation of the Sunday sch...

http://www.shepherdpress.com/blog/current-events/the-snowmaker.php I appreciate good reminders. I feel like there's so many things that I'm trying to remember, and often forget. I forgot to really teach my children about the snow today and really enjoy it. I shoveled and got lost in the business of taking care of them. I'm very human. But, I enjoyed Shepherd Press' blog tonight just before I head to bed and the reminder that it is God who made this snow and just like everything else that happens, it is a reminder to trust Him and know that it is He who has created all things. =) I think tomorrow we'll go make some snow chairs and measure how deep the snow is in different places--Monday's math! Are there any good and easy science experiments for little ones with snow? Maybe we'll hypothesize about how heavy the snow is or how much snow we can carry or we can problem solve and try and figure out a way to carry snow... the gears in my mind are starting s...