Book Summary:
In the everyday stretch and squeeze of motherhood, Tricia Goyer often feels smooshed by the demands of life. In Blue Like Play Dough, she shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own.
As her story unfolds, Tricia realizes that God has more in store for her than she has ever imagined possible. Sure, life is messy and beset by doubts. But God keeps showing up in the most unlikely places–in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child.
In Tricia’s transparent account, you’ll find understanding, laughter, and strength for your own story. And in the daily push and pull, you’ll learn to recognizes the loving hands of God at work in your life… and know He has something beautiful in mind.
Author Bio:
Tricia Goyer is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including Generation NeXt Parenting and the Gold Medallion finalist Life Interrupted. Goyer writes for publications such as Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family, speaks to women’s groups nationwide and has been a presenter at the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) national convention. She and her husband, John, live with their family in Montana.
My thoughts: (You silly, little readers, of course I have thoughts. : ) )
If you've read Tricia Goyer's previous non-fiction you may be expecting discussion questions and anecdotal stories from other Gen X'ers, and, of course, a section for journaling in each chapter.
But, Blue Like Play Dough is simply a peek inside the thoughts and heart of a woman brave enough to bare her soul.
Writing requires blood. Birth always does, and sharing something as intimate as thoughts and shaping them for someone else to understand is a vulnerable and sometimes messy delivery. A pin prick, from a good writer, is often plenty to get thoughts communicated. But, in a work like Play Dough, Tricia had to open a vein and share struggles and challenges that many of us attempt to bury from even ourselves.
Moms aren't the only women who can benefit from the wisdom that Tricia has discovered during her walk of faith. Any woman who struggles with feeling inadequate, alone, like a failure, overwhelmed or ashamed may find a soft, brightly colored nugget of truth that could open her heart to the reality that God loves her very, very much and that He has created an adventure for her if she'll only place herself in His capable and loving hands.
So, homemade strawberry krispie bars can't hold a candle to Eileen...but it's the thought that counts, right. (and sorry for the traumatizing book. ) Happy number 18, Shelby. I hope today is just the beginning of an amazing adulthood. I love you very much.
Yo Mama.
Book Summary:
Caught up in the self-imposed pressure to do and be all the things they think a Christian woman ought to do and be, countless women are working desperately to convince everyone, including God, that they have it all together. Few have any idea that the Creator of the universe looks at them with delight even when they yell at the dog, drive a minivan littered with French fries, or think bad words about that rude clerk at the store.
A Perfect Mess offers hope to every woman who yearns for a vibrant relationship with God but worries she isn’t good enough or doesn’t do enough to merit His affection. With characteristic authenticity, speaker and author Lisa Harper shares poignant stories from her own imperfect life to showcase the real-life relevancy of the Bible in the lives of modern women.
As she guides readers on a story-driven journey through selected Psalms, they will be inspired to experience for themselves how God’s incomparable love transforms the messiness of life into a gorgeous work of grace.
My Review:
Lisa Harper shares some powerful truth wrapped in stories and humor and self-deprecation. Harper covers a baker's dozen of Psalms, the better loved and known like 119, 23, 139 and 51 among them. Life issues and emotions common to all humanity like overwhelming emotions, fear, paths, faith are discussed in twelve simple chapters and roughly 200 pages. Most illustrations are woman focused but a man could find some areas that would either convict or be balm to his soul as well. The format and transparent, honest writing coupled with discussion questions makes Mess a great idea for a woman's Bible or small group study.
Each chapter covers a Psalm and Harper breaks it down a few verses at a time adding illustrations from her colorful life. A dead goat and baggy pants ended up being quite a little story about the love of God and His mercy toward His pathetic little messy ones.
Other scripture and some historical and/or Biblical information is tossed into each chapter as well. Six or seven questions for consideration/study end each chapter. The questions are ones that could be verbalized, given a little time for thought, in a large group or journalized for personal study.
Harper is charming and often funny, but also capable of diving deep into teaching truth and allowing the Spirit to convict the reader's heart. I folded over several pages to go back to and ponder the truth within and I also plan to hand the book over to my anxiously awaiting twenty-two-year-old daughter who will get much out of this simply complex study of human nature and God's divine design.
Stretch 4 Life
Educate, facilitate, increase range of motion, and repair muscular trauma
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX—Flexibility is an important aspect of overall health and well-being. The body has an enormous and amazing way of healing, and incorporating simple stretching exercises can be extremely helpful in speeding up recovery as well as in maintaining good physical fitness. Licensed massage therapist and educator Lori Walter has developed Stretch 4 Life, a proven and effective tool for people of any age and level of muscular fitness. By using this full body stretch routine, relaxation and flexibility can easily be achieved. The Stretch 4 Life DVD and manual are a wonderful resource for anyone who wishes to pursue enhanced health and well-being. This fabulous routine will also help reinforce healthy habits.
With this practical and easy to use program, Stretch 4 Life will enable anyone to achieve increased flexibility. Tailor any stretch sequence you need to aid in your journey to better health. Individuals can get started with only a few simple stretches to begin the healing process. Later, as the range of motion and strength improve, individuals can increase the specialized plan by simply incorporating additional stretches from the manual and DVD.
Lori Walter is a licensed massage therapist and stretch instructor. She has developed this Stretch 4 Life routine over her 13 years of work with the goal to help people heal and repair their structural integrity. For more information or to place and order, visit www.Stretch4Life.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to stretch?
Although the mind is the dominant center of control, by attaining relaxation in the voluntary muscle system, we can influence relaxation in the involuntary muscles and other systems of the body. While the muscles in the heart will perform their jobs without conscious effort, we can assist them by ensuring that the muscles we can control do not become tense and thus interfere with the processes. Instead those muscles can be relaxed, which conserves our energy for those times when we need extra. By learning to relax we have a useful tool for release when life gets more complicated.
What techniques will I learn to help me relax?
Muscle work always has at least two parts. A muscle contracts and shortens or it relaxes and lengthens. In this way muscles also work together but in an exactly opposite and reciprocal relationship. For example, when we bend an elbow, the biceps muscle contracts and the triceps muscle behind lengthens to allow the movement. Sometimes this interaction may be disturbed, as when our foot goes into a cramp. The muscle remains in a state of contraction, which becomes painful because it is prolonged and very fatiguing. Relaxation is the physiological state that follows muscle contraction. To achieve relaxation, we will learn to move in one direction followed by a balance of movement in the opposite direction.
What is diaphragmatic breathing and why is it important?
Respiration at rest is performed most significantly by the diaphragm, and any “action” occurring in the abdominal area is quite passive. In fact, if the muscles of the abdomen are not relaxed and passive, then breathing is forced up into the chest. Diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation of the abdominal wall complement each other by helping us stay loose and keeping our breathing slow and deep.
Why is posture important and can I learn to stand up straight now?
Correct posture is energizing to the system of the body. It is the position your brain likes best and will re-learn it quickly and easily.
My Review:
If you are looking for an instructional DVD on how and why to stretch this may be the one for you. Developed by a massage therapist over years of study and success with many subjects, this DVD is geared toward the instructor who wants to teach the best and most body-friendly stretches, or the student who wants to learn exactly how to do each subtle move.
The format begins with the common questions one might ask about why and what is involved in stretching with a demonstration for each answer. Then several stretches are modeled by two subjects. Proper breathing, muscle movement and beginner, intermediate and advanced techniques are shown and explained. The voice over is loud enough to understand. The movements are slow, studied and repeated.
Those who are looking for a routine or a set of exercises will not find what they are seeking within this DVD.The moves are very basic stretches/warm-ups. And I'll be honest in admitting that I did some skimming because there is a lot of information that I didn't want to sit through. The background music was slightly more annoying than soothing and I appreciated the models willingness to show the techniques but would have liked to see an occasional smile.
I can see the benefit for patients who are beginning recovery, the elderly or those in chronic pain as the moves are designed to repair muscles and increase range of motion as muscles grow more flexible and stronger. Adding these kind of stretching repetitions before bed or first thing in the morning and learning how to do them correctly would be worth the DVD purchase price as well.
So apparently some readers think I'm way too into the grand dogs and have gone so far as to loan out their children to pep up my life.
Thanks...but not so much.
In light of the need to get a more interesting and exciting life, I decided to devote the first Saturday in months wherein I did not have to leave the house until after dark to a creative day.
Yes, I should have done many, many other things. I should have written a few articles to send out for possible publishing...this would have pleased my accountant. He said something along the lines of "make money this year...blah, blah...playing around with a hobby...blah, blah....professional...blah, blah, blah."
I could have thrown together a proposal for three non-fiction ideas I have (which would probably have pleased me in some primitive part of my brain).
I should have cleaned a few closets, organized a few shelves, scrubbed some cupboards (which would have pleased the entire household, the dogs = stale cereal as treats, the others when not having to play "Guess the Gunk" with leftover containers). I did do a few loads of laundry. But the rest of the day was invested in making jewelry.
Oh, I didn't just make it. I was a woman possessed graduating on to greater strength magnifying eyeglasses and stopping only for a peanut butter sandwich when I couldn't stand one more stomach growl. My fingers are sore, my back is hunched, but the jewelry is done, Dude.
So, I had a chance to read this book twice. But I had such a stack of books teetering over my side of the bed that I had to turn it down. (The fact that I was dealing with a firefighter concerned me....fire codes and all that.) But now, I read the first chapter (which you can do, too) and read a few reviews and I'm crabby that I didn't have someone send me the dang book. Shawn was kind enough to humor me with some Dregs Q & A though....
About Shawn:
Shawn Grady signed with Bethany House Publishers in 2008. He was named “Most Promising New Writer” at the 39th Annual Mount Hermon Writers Conference. Through the Fire is his debut novel.
Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn’s work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras.
Shawn attended Point Loma Nazarene University as a Theology undergrad before shifting direction to acquire an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science Technology as well as Paramedic licensure through Truckee Meadows Community College.
Shawn currently lives in Reno, Nevada, just outside of Lake Tahoe. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife, three children and yellow Labrador.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Firefighting burns in Aidan O'Neill's blood. The son of a fireman, O'Neill has a sixth sense about fire and often takes dangerous risks. When one act of disobedience nearly gets a rookie killed, O'Neill is suspended. His weeks off are supposed to be a time to reflect but instead he escapes to Mexico, where another rash act of bravery actually kills him. But only for a few minutes.
Called back to R
eno, he's now haunted by visions of hell and paralyzed in the face of fire. And at the worst time, because an arsonist is targeting Reno. With a growing love interest with one of the investigators complicating everything, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the fires creep ever closer.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Through The Fire, go HERE
If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?
Maybe Paul the Apostle- what was the thorn in his flesh.
Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.
There's many- but how about: "Punch it, Chewy."
How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?
As far as fiction goes, books that feel genuine and real and resonate eternal truth can really impact me.
Where would you most like to travel ----- moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – and why.
Oh, hands down the moon. You get to take a rocket through space to get there.
Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?
Today I was told by someone that a part in Through the Fire made her cry. That's one of the biggest compliments because I know that the words transcended the page and moved her spirit.
What is your favorite word?
Today? Anthropomorphism.
Superhero you most admire and why?
I like Spider-man. I like how he's not indestructible. I think he's easier to relate to then most other super-heroes.
Super power you'd love to borrow for awhile?
Flying.
Favorite chore
I love to season my cast iron dutch oven.
