My Morning Devotional

I just wanted to share with you devotional above that has really touched me. "Jesus Lives" was given to me last year and about 2 months ago I started using it as my devotional each morning. It is so wonderful and uplifiting. Each day covers a subject such as Peace, Temptation, Transformation, etc... and it gives verses that go with each subject helping you understand the Word of God more. I've learned so much in the 2 months I've read it and I look forward to seeing what more it has in store for me. If you are looking for a great devotional, pick up "Jesus Lives" and see what God has in store for you every day!

Summer Bible Study

I'm so excited to being doing Beth Moore's Summer Bible Study for 6 weeks with my good friends Stephanie and Kati! I've really been wanting to do something like this and Stephanie asked us if we were interested in doing it and after checking it out, I was all in! We are doing Jennifer Rothchild's "Me, Myself and Lies" bible study and I'm looking forward to digging deep and seeing what God has to teach me! I know I have a lot of learnin' to do!

And I've told myself I will do it day by day and won't get behind and have to do 6 days of work all in 1 day - come on - I know I'm not the only one out there who has done that before :-)

Happenings

Tuesday night, we went to Cotton Patch Cafe to celebrate Caleb's birthday. Me, Brian, the Estes Fam, Pop and Margaret all went and had a great time and the food was delicious! Caleb opened his presents and was very happy with all he received! Yea for Birthdays!

Tonight, I took two girls from my Sunday School class, Chelsey and Baylee, out to eat. The girls decided on Chilis where they dined on chips and ranch dressing! Just FYI, these girls are Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus' biggest fans so b/c they had seen Miley pour ketchup in her mouth on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, they of course, had to do it too. After Chilis, it was off to Starbucks b/c that is thing to do when you are in 8th grade! Just sharing that info in case you didn't know. All in all, the three of us had a fantastic time!

Picture at Chilis, then at Starbucks

Crazy but fun girls!

My Sister's Keeper

Wow! I did not see that ending coming! Stephanie E lent me My Sister's Keeper to read and I'm so glad she did. Before this, I recently had only been reading non-fiction books. This book is very good and tugs at every emotion. I know it is fiction but it reads just like a true story. You get drawn into the storyline and are anxious to see what happens next. I would give you an overview of the book but I would go on and on so I will let the author do it herself. Here is a quick synopsis of the story from Jodi Picoult's website:

"Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?"

I highly encourage you to read this book! And do it soon b/c they are making a movie based on the book and it comes out in 2009! Now, I have no clue what I'm going to read next but suggestions are apprecaited!

Twelve Extraordinary Women

I finished reading the book, Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur, last night. I really enjoyed this book b/c it took a deeper look into the lives of twelve women in the bible that were extraordinary. In this book you are able to learn so much about Eve, Sarah, Rahab, Ruth, Hannah, Mary, Anna, The Samaritan Woman, Martha & Mary, Mary Magdalene and Lydia. Each chapter shows each woman's lives, their backgrounds, their families, their faults, and their love for God. I love learning new things and I learned a lot about these women and how I can be an extraordinary woman for God. If you would like to read, I would suggest this book. My next book is one given to me by Stephanie: My Sister's Keeper. I haven't read a fiction book in a while so here I go. Happy Reading!

Same Kind of Different As Me

So, my goal lately has been to read more. I am currently on Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur and I will let you know how that is when I finish it. But I wanted to write about the book I just finished - Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Everyone at work received this book around Christmas. I heard it was good but I put off reading it until my trip to Spokane. I knew I was going to have a couple of long flights so I thought this book would keep me occupied - and I was right! It is a story about Ron Hall - a rich Texas art dealer and Denver Moore - a homeless man living in Ft. Worth. It is an amazing story on how each person imapacted the other's life. You read both sides of the story - the chapters are divided up - one being told by Denver and then the next by Ron. It is also a wonderful book dedicated to Ron's wife, Debbie, who was instrumental in getting Ron to work with her at the Union Gospel Mission in Ft. Worth. This book also shows the impact you can have on somebody's life by just being their friend. It really touched me and encouraged me to care for others just as Jesus did. If you are a reader, I definitely suggest this book and I have a copy if you would like to borrow it!