Ok, Worry Warts!
Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries
By Kathy Collard Miller
In Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries Kathy Collard Miller takes the approach of relating worries with weather. This was a unique and fun concept because weather is a topic that brings much worry all in itself.
Some of the chapter titles include:
- Dense Fog Predicted – Is it Fear, Careful Thought or Worry?
- Anticipating a Storm: What you Fear May Be the Greatest Blessing
- Catching the Rainbow: How Prayer Alleviates Worry
- Ice Storm: How to Keep Worry From Slipping Into Controlling Others
- Rain Behind You: How the Past Can Cloud the Present
I’ve Been Reading …
Experiencing the Power of the Cross
by Gary Kinnaman
Experiencing the Power of the Cross by Gary Kinnaman provides readers with a fresh new look at the cross. Using exampes from pop culture favorites like The Matrix and The Lords of the Ring, Kinnamon reaches across generations with the message of the cross. The author also uses very relatable examples from his own life. The book is broken down into three parts.
(1) Crossing Gate
In the first section, the author tackles the "new" reality Christians encounter as they grow more like Christ. Using the movie The Matrix as a platform, he describes the cross as "being an entry point into another world, another dimension, a reality of ulimate freedom." Readers are provided with an introduction to the cross in a chapter called "The Cross 101". This section is wrapped up with a lesson on the importance of Jesus’ sacrifice versus the Old Testament sacrifices.
(2) Cross Purpose
The author outlines seven practical theological points about the cross. Scripture is included at the end of each chapter for readers to meditate as they observe Lent.
(3) Cross Way
The author uses the word scandalous quite a bit in this last section and rightly so! When you think about the Christian lifesyle, every action or behavior is called to go against the norm. This section probes the reader to examine their current lifestyle in relation to the cross. The last chapter in this section (and the book) profoundly summarizes what the cross experience is all about… FORGIVENESS. This chapter alone gives the readers plenty to think about especially if one has had problems with forgiveness.
But Lord, I Was Happy Shallow
Lessons Learned in the Deep Places
Marita Littauer, Editor
This book was an excellent read! While the author makes the reader think about the principles presented, the ideas are understandable for persons who are not necessarily bible scholars.
The title But Lord, I was Happy Shallow is sure to attract attention and the stories included in this book are well worth the read! How often do we think how happy we were until God changed the situation … seemingly for the worse? When life does not go our way, we normally turn into whiners and complainers just like the children of Israel in the wilderness. Despite our grumbling, God leads us to our promised land, a place of increased depth in our growth process.
The editor Marita Littauer has compiled over 100 real life stories of struggles and the lessons "learned in the deep places." The writers share from their souls often times with a bit of humor and a whole lot of humilty! The personal experiences cover a variety of topics including marriage, parenting, moving, health issues, church, holidays, friendships, road trips and much more.
This is a great book to give someone in need of encouragement. Often times we think we are alone in our troubles, but that is definitely not the case as one will find out when reading this book.
It’s All Inside
At the first of the year I decided to do something I should have done a long time ago. Deal with my wardrobe. I don’t consider myself a packrat and normally purge the house of unnecessary items quite often. My clothes are a different story. I’m not sure why but I keep old ratty t-shirts, jogging pants with holes (in places that should not be seen), worn-out shoes (is that my toe peeking through), and clothes that looked nice at one time, but now make me pause (what was I thinking).
This cleaning mission was spawned as a result of watching too many episodes of TLC’s What Not To Wear. Unlike other reality shows where the participant has to go through some type of surgery to complete a makeover, What Not To Wear provides the participant with $5000 to buy a whole new wardrobe. My dresser and closet was a spaghetti of clothes I SHOULD have stopped wearing a long time ago. There was no way I wanted the hosts, Stacy and Clinton, to show up at my door.
Thankfully some clothes I did have sense of enough to leave alone. Either my hips had gotten wider or the washing machine was playing a cruel joke. Being in denial, I like to blame the washing machine! While I no longer wore them, they continued to take up space. Well, I placed my sentiments to the side and in less than 30 minutes, I ripped clothes from the hangers and the dresser drawers. Then, I proceeded to place the clothes in a pile to give away and others into the trash can. Mission accomplished! Well … almost?
Any woman knows you have to replace what you no longer own. Right? I’m not a shopoholic, but the empty hangers indicated a trip to the mall to me. Well, one of my favorite stores to go to is JCPenney. I know I can usually count on them to have the conservative style I like to wear and checking out the Spring sale wouldn’t hurt. Speaking of conservative, I can take that to the extreme. I’m attracted to neutral colors like brown, black and navy which are not the most exciting colors in the world.
With a tad bit of boldness I checked out clothes with a little more color. After numerous trips to the dressing room, I noticed a pattern. Where before I rarely would wear “pink,” now I started noticing that pink was not so bad after all. I have heard it is the “in” color. Must be, it was hard to avoid it. Pink was so prevalent, that I found my eyes being drawn to a very nice pair of pink sandals. Keep in mind I’m a neutral woman, so this was out in left field for me. I looked them over because they were really cute, but I was prompted to think. How many other shopping expeditions have I bought something because it was cute? How many times has something cute ended up being forgotten in the back of the closet? Ok, these are cute shoes , but they would not be coming home with me.
JCPenney’s slogan is “It’s All Inside.” While they are referring to their product and services, “It’s All Inside” is so profound. As the days get warmer, we can easily get caught up with pretty flirty skirts, sandals, shades, etc , but what about our innermost parts. In 1 Samuel 16: 7, God told Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” I needed to replace some clothes in my closet only with the basics. The unnecesary purchases would only have me cleaning out the closet again!
Sometimes our heart gets cluttered with unnecessary items, just like our closets and dresser drawers. Unfortuntely, when we let these items or situations build up they cause our hearts to harden. Hardened hearts lack the sensitivity to hear the Holy Spirit and the decision making process becomes complex and messy. Mmmm, I see some connections to my crazy reasoning for hanging onto clothes.
What’s taking up residence in your heart? What needs to be cleaned and thrown out? Check out a little fashion advice below.
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Romans 13:14 NIV
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV
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