My husband and I were married before we were believers, and our relationship very much followed the pattern of a worldly romance.  It was only after becoming born-again that we were captivated by the vision of romances conducted in accordance with God’s will.

Rather than seeing God’s limitations on expressions of physical and emotional intimacy we could now see His guidelines as protections for the beautiful, pure love that could spring from a life fully dedicated to Him; a life devoted to staying faithful to one future spouse.

Eric and Leslie Ludy beautifully express this “sweeter song” that God has in mind for His children in When God Writes Your Love Story.  Without becoming bound to outward forms and stifling legalities, the couple holds firmly to a high goal of emotional and physical purity while waiting for God to work creatively to write a unique love story just for you!

This vision is unfailingly positive and inspiring as the Ludys weave together their own personal journey towards marriage with the insights, principles, and applications that they learned along the way.  Alternating between a light-hearted, self-deprecating writing style and deadly serious thoughts about fully dedicating your life to Christ, the Ludys are bang on (in my opinion) in their conclusions.

My husband and I have been married for nine years this fall, but I plan on passing this book along to our daughters as they grow.  I can appreciate that waiting for God’s best can be SO difficult when the world continually trumpets its own plan; this book can be a faithful guide through those trying times.

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God certainly has a unique way of preparing mothers for the arrival of a newborn.  He gets them up in the middle of the night and makes it hard for them to go back to sleep.  He wakes them up multiple times during the night in order to empty painfully distended bladders (oh, look, two tablespoons!)

I’m convinced that it’s all a part of His clever preparatory process.  ”Better ease them into it…get them used to all those night wakings…less sleep…zombified mind processes.”

I’m definitely in training, up last night from 3:30 a.m. until at last 5:30 a.m.  Zzzzzzz………

You don’t need to be around computers long before you hear of someone who called tech support who then went in and accessed their computer remotely in order to troubleshoot an issue they were having.  My nephew does this sometimes for various family members, because he is more technically oriented than most of us.

However, remote control software can be used for more than troubleshooting and technical support, it can also be used when you’re away from home and want to access some information that you have on your home computer when you’re away with your laptop.  Telecommuters can also team together in work groups without needing to share an office, when they can access each other’s data online.

In order to ensure privacy 256-bit encryption – the highest in its class, is used to ensure the safe, secure transfer of data from computer to computer.  Proxy Pro 7 works with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, and while all of the technical specifications are a bit beyond me (I’m not trained in networking and such things,) it does seem to be a high-quality software option for those who require a professional calibre solution.  It’s loaded with features, so if you need remote access, check it out!

Larry found a large paper wasp nest and the children are dissecting it very eagerly.   We’re talking about the layers of insulation and the air that is trapped between the layers to keep the wasps warm, what the nest is made out of, and soon we should find the comb where the wasp eggs are laid.

Right now we’re unravelling it layer by layer to see who can get the largest chunk of wasp paper off.   Oooh, we just found a dead guard wasp, how exciting!

Sometimes I feel like we don’t get a lot of science in, but really – if our children were doing science in school they’d rarely have learning experiences like this .  Informal nature study – hands-on science at its best!

Our family has a fairly diverse range of listening preferences, and it’s rare that we find a CD that the entire family enjoys.  My little ones and I tend to enjoy music that is a bit ‘harder’ than my husband prefers, but even though Lincoln Brewster employs old-school electric guitar solos and riffs in his compositions, my husband still appreciates and enjoys the songs he has written.

Real Life is our first Brewster album, though he’s been on the Christian music scene for some time.  Clearly a seasoned musician and worship leader, Brewster provides solid musicianship with clear Christian themes that it’s nearly impossible not to ‘get into’ as a believer.  My first take on this disc is that Brewster’s musical style is fairly straight forward, it is definitely electric-guitar heavy which always brings to mind ‘80s rock, but that’s not a bad thing in my mind.

The CD opens with some up-beat, get-inspired tracks that are always helpful to pop on when I have a project around the house I need to work on.  Some of my favorites from the disc are the more melodic, thoughtful pieces: “Made For You”, “Whom Shall I Fear” (includes Kari Jobe), and “More Than Amazing” which is arguably the “don’t miss” track of the album.  “Shout for Joy” is an enthusiastic celebration of redemption through the love of God – very upbeat, and another not to be missed track.

My husband is SO picky when it comes to music, so I was so thankful when he said, “I like this guy, he writes nice songs.”  That is high praise coming from him, so this CD will be in regular rotation as an album that everyone in our family can enjoy together!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW AT CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON.COM!

Even when my fingers are bloated, stiff, and painful due to fluid retention, I am thankful for life.

Even when I have semi-painful BH contractions every time I lean over to pick up a toy from the living room floor, I am thankful for life.

Even when my feet look very, very fat, I am thankful for life.

Thankful for this little heart that beats not far beneath mine.  For the little hands that punch and the little feet that kick.  For my older ones who cuddle this new life beneath my skin.

So thankful.

After Bill Dallas was sent to prison for economic crimes related to his real estate and development business, his life entered a tailspin.  Though Dallas had initiated a relationship with God prior to being sent to prison, his fledgling faith wasn’t enough to prevent him from plunging into despair and hopelessness.

It was only after developing relationships with the “Lifers” at San Quentin prison that he was able to learn from their example, re-modeling his life after the example they provided.  Lessons from San Quentin shares Dallas’ experiences in prison and how they worked to reshape his character.  The first portion of each chapter shares his experiences, and the positive examples set for him by prisoners more mature in the faith; the second half relates how everyone can apply what Dallas learned in prison to their own lives.

The lessons Dallas relates are eminently practical, and while we won’t all be faced with living in such cramped quarters and such bland food, we all encounter deserts of the spirit wherein we need to struggle through in order to move on to the plans God has for our future.

At times it does seem that Dallas is becoming somewhat repetitive and stretching out his observations to fill the pages, but there is a great deal of inspiration here.  The writing is accessible, and very readable; somewhat reminiscent of a gift book, you won’t need to struggle to grasp these lessons.

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Though I’ve never read Chuck Black’s allegorical Kingdom Series, our families has truly enjoyed his sequel series The Knights of Arrethtrae. This series is an allegorical fantasy complete with noble knights, dangerous creatures, and temptations to be defeated.  It is set in the period following the Prince’s departure from Arrethtrae, leaving his Knights to fight the good fight and spread the news of the Prince’s imminent return (the age of the church.)

Each title in this series stands more-or-less alone, and Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue (#4) is no exception.  Though it builds upon the events of Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart (#3), our family read it first (we’re about to go back and read #3.)

Lady Carliss is a particularly loveable character for our family filled with girls (I have three daughters.)  While a warrior and true Knight, Carliss also struggles with a heart that longs for one who is not rightfully hers.  She nobly resists, but when Sir Dalton’s life is in danger and she is the only one who has a fair chance of finding the antidote to a poisonous bite, her heart is surely tested.

Filled with intense action sequences, clear parallels to the Christian life, and realistic temptations and victories, Lady Carliss was greatly enjoyed by our entire family.  My seven-year-old is always asking me to read it again despite my initial misgivings that it might be too dramatic for her.

The discussion questions at the book’s end are perfect for leading teens to consider the consequences of escapism and the excessive use of diversionary pleasures as presented in the novel.

Black’s work makes excellent family reading material – parents can discuss parallels between the story and the Christian life.  Tweens and teens can also benefit from reading the book independently, and are very likely to do so considering the engaging content!

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Lego Puppet Theater Time!

Just as we were getting started with today’s reading lesson for our oldest, Larry decided to build a lego puppet theater for our preschoolers to play with while Kaelynn and I did our ‘academic’ subjects.  Well, who can resist a lego puppet theater and a big tub full of plastic and wooden animals to choose from as the cast? She’s acting out a play as we speak; she is providing a short story complete with dialogue, backdrop, narrative, and much more, this isn’t just animals saying their lines!  Our formal lessons can wait a little while as she works on the skills of ‘creative composition’, ‘improvisation’, and ‘drama’ .