Who is God? A book review

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I finally reached the halfway point of this book but I think I’m going to throw in the towel. I chose Who is God, And What Has He Ever Done For Us? (by David L. Jemison) to read and review because of an ongoing discussion I am having with an atheist. I thought this book might help.

From the Amazon description:
If you are one of those people who are not convinced that there is a God, this book is for you. If you are one of those Christians who desire more power with God, this is the right book for you. If you are one of those ministers who want more power in your preaching and teaching, this is indeed the book for you, and you will all want to read excerpts from it over and over. Many will want to use it for a reference book.

For starters, it is painfully obvious that the book was self-published. I’m sure that there are self-published books that are well edited but this book was not. I’ve found typos and grammar mistakes. There are no page numbers. The formatting makes this book hard to read, especially for someone who is already prejudiced against e-books. The chapters are long, ramble, and I cannot determine exactly how the book demonstrates who God is other than quoting huge numbers of Bible texts with very little commentary to tie them together.

As for content, I’m skeptical of the author’s claims. Very early on, he shares a letter that he says was dictated by God. In the letter, it says that “the inhabitants of the earth had forsaken me, and I had to destroy it by water twice. The second time, I preserved mankind by providing a way for my servant Noah and his family to escape” (chapter two). Unless I missed something in my Bible study, there was only one flood.

The author goes on to say that “ironically, the only negative responses that I have received have been from people who are supposed to be saved, some church members; they find fault with a couple of things. But wasn’t it church people who opposed Jesus, when He walked among men? Tell me; since there are two powers in the world, YAHWEH and Satan, do you think that Satan would write such a letter? I leave it up to you, to judge.” I find this an incredibly poor argument for why I should believe that the letter came from God and no reason to trust the author’s “visions.”

Thank you BookSneeze for providing a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Unfortunately, I cannot and will not recommend this book.

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What’s Cooking?

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IMG_5876Bruno checks out my new Vitamix!

IMG_5877The first thing I make with it: a chocolate mint frappe

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Green smoothies – bananas, frozen strawberries, and a huge handful of spinach
(fulfilling this week’s kitchen challenge).
IMG_5884IMG_5885Fresh orange juice with breakfast.

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One of my favorite features? It cleans itself! Fill it up half way with water, add some soap, and let it blend for a minute. A perfectly clean blender without having to scrub or take it apart.

I have been saving recipes that require a blender or food processor for the past year. I’m so excited to finally have my VitaMix! There are so many possibilities!

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2013 – A year of intention

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My second 2013 resolution isn’t really a resolution, per se. It’s more of an idea, an awareness. I want to be more intentional about how I spend my time. God only gives us a set amount of time per day, per week, per year and I believe it’s our responsibility to make the most of it.

I don’t really have a lot to say about this intention of mine (ha!) to be more intentional. One aspect of my life I can immediately apply it to is my reading.

Last year I had very little forethought as to what books I was reading. A few were selections from my to-read list and a lot were random selections from the library. This year, I would like to be more focused so that I (overall) choose higher quality books. I selected three specific categories – nonfiction, classics, and books that have been turned into movies.

Here is my list for 2013.

Nonfiction
1. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
2. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne A. Grudem
3. The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel
4. 1776 by David G. McCullough
5. Discovering Jesus: Why Four Gospels to Portray One Person? by T. Desmond Alexander
6. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
7. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
8. Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke
9. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

Classics
1. Wives and Daughters
Elizabeth Gaskell
2. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe
3. Middlemarch by George Eliot
4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
5. Tolstoy – title yet to be selected
6. Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas
7. The Grand Inquisitor by Dostoevky

Books into Movies
1. Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally
2. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks – Finished 1/11
3. Master and Commander (Aubrey/Maturin, #1) by Patrick O’Brian
4. The Shunning by Beverly Lewis
5. Middlemarch by George Eliot
6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
7. A Girl Named Tamiko by Ronald Kirkbride
8. Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
9. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré
10. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I am also reading the Gospels and several books on Jesus. I’m sure there will be a few random library selections and other books added to the list throughout the year, plus the Reading to Know selections. It’ll be a great year of books!

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What’s cooking?

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This week’s challenge ingredient is carrots. I love carrots but had no idea what to make. It was fun browsing through VegWeb’s website to find ideas.

I made きんぴら (kinpira)! It’s a Japanese side dish and it’s really good. I made a half serving and will definitely be making more in the future. For today’s recipe, I didn’t have regular sesame seeds so I used the black ones. To be quite honest, I’m not sure I can taste the difference!

I also want to try carrot fries (to go with my sweet potato fries) and taco carrots. I’m pretty sure I already have the ingredients for both recipes.

My husband and I finally started using our fireplace. I bought him a fire starter log and a lighter for Christmas so we built a fire right before opening the rest of our presents. As soon as we built the fire, I was reminded of an old childhood favorite – s’mores.

We found vegan marshmallows at Whole Foods,

…roasted them,

…and made a sandwich with graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.

Yum!

For this batch, we used Whole Foods dark baking chocolate. I want to try another chocolate bar next time and hope to improve the s’more experience!

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What’s Cooking? Sweet Potatoes!

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Judy, over at Patchwork Times has started a new cooking challenge. Last week, the challenge ingredient was sweet potatoes.

Slight problem… my husband hates sweet potatoes.

I decided to make sweet potato fries so that if he didn’t like it, our entire dinner wouldn’t be ruined. Smart idea! He didn’t like them, but I thought they were fantastic!

My fries

I followed these baking instructions. All I did was spray the pan with oil, lay out my sweet potato slices, spray the slices with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Then I baked according to the instructions. Yum!

It will take some experimentation to get the right slice thickness as mine were a bit crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. But they tasted really, really good. I can’t wait to make them again.

Next week’s challenge ingredient? Carrots!

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2013 – An emphasis on Jesus

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2012 was a great year, the highlight of which was finally realizing our dream to move to the Pacific Northwest. I’m not tired of the rain yet!

I am hoping and praying that 2013 will be an even better year. Normally I make a ton of New Year’s Resolutions but this year I am only making two. The first and biggest focus of my year is to spend more time learning about God and my relationship with Him.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves” (John 14:6-11).

This year I plan to concentrate my morning devotions and my Bible study time on the life of Christ. I used to think Jesus was just in the four Gospels but He is actually evident throughout the entire Bible. It was Jesus who spoke to Moses in the burning bush and it was Jesus who appeared in vision to John the Revelator. He is witnessed everywhere between the two accounts.

I already have a number of books that I am excited to start reading.

My Bible and two quarterlies –
“How to Study Your Bible” and “The Spiritual Life”

Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts
Jesus: Pure and Simple
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus
4 additional Sabbath school quarterlies

A. D. Chronicles (a reread)

If I can get through all of these, I will raid the library collection or order additional books on Amazon. I would really like to read The Gospel of John: a Commentary. I can’t wait to get started!

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What’s on My Nightstand?

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What's On Your Nightstand

With everything that’s happened in the month of December (my husband being gone a weekend, a two day trip to Phoenix, Christmas, couch shopping, etc), I’m surprised that I finished so much. Most of the reading was fairly light because I was trying desperately to finish The Brothers Karamazov by the end of the year. Success!

As always, links are to my full reviews on Goodreads.

Bible Reading

  • Hosea
  • 1-3 John

Christian Fiction

  • A Time to Heal (Quilts of Lancaster County, #2) by Barbara Cameron – 3 stars. An easy weekend read.
  • Ten Thousand Charms (Crossroads of Grace #1) by Allison K. Pittman – 3.5 stars. Similar to Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, though not as well written.
  • The Missionary by William Carmichael, David Lambert – 2 stars. Maybe a guy would like it better? Tons of action and no character development.
  • She Walks In Beauty
    by Siri Mitchell – 3.5 stars. Another solid read by Mitchell. So far, all of Mitchell’s books have been good.
  • Courting Cate by Leslie Gould – 3.5 stars. An Amish setting of a modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Before the Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard – 3.5 stars. A Jane Austen style read, though not as good. Very clean period romance.

Classics

  • The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – Unrated for now. I finished this classic last weekend and am still putting together my thoughts. I didn’t really enjoy the story but I thought the author included some timeless observations about morality, society, and everyday life.

General Nonfiction

  • Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat–Not a Sour Puss by Pam Johnson-Bennett – 4 stars. A great cat care book.
  • The Older Cat: Recognizing Decline & Extending Life by Dan Poynter – 1 star. A horribly written and poorly organized book on caring for an older cat.

Memoir

Secular Fiction

  • The Giving Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini – 4 stars. Finally! I was wondering if Chiaverini had written too many books in this series but this was a fun read, way better than the last two.

Currently Reading

I hope to finish the Christmas collection and possibly one more book before the end of the year. I have fun plans for my 2013 reading and can’t wait to start!

Happy January reading!

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Christmas Movies

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We watched a few Christmas movies this season! Just for fun, I kept track of the movies we watched and how we liked them. It’s hard to find quality Christmas movies but there were a few fun ones scattered throughout. The italicized descriptions are attributed to Netflix but the ratings and notes are my own.

12 Dates of Christmas
Unwillingly set up on a blind date with handsome Miles on Christmas Eve, Kate gets 12 chances to relive the date over and over again until she sets things right. At first reluctant to give Miles a shot, Kate learns acceptance from a holiday miracle.

2 stars – It felt reminiscent of Groundhog’s Day (Bill Murray) but with none of the charm. I felt sorry for the romantic interest!

All She Wants for Christmas
A small-town woman with big business dreams works as an efficiency expert at the local Christmas ornament company. But there’s trouble in store, including financial struggles for the factory and a charming stranger who may not be what he seems.

2 stars – I dropped it when the main character starts following her would-be boyfriend around and acting like she’s in high school. I couldn’t handle the fake drama! It wasn’t realistic for her to be so suspicious and clingy about a guy she just met.

Christmas Angel
While writing an assignment for school about Christmas wishes, Olivia Mead begins to notice strange things happening around her. As her wishes start to come true, she becomes convinced that they are miracles linked to a woman she thinks is an angel.

3 stars – This movie barely earned a three star rating as the main character was a know-it-all fifth grader who never really seems to learn her lesson. The message of the movie is a solid one, that we need to leave certain things to God and allow ourselves to admit when we are weak so that He can demonstrate His strength. Too bad the mediocre acting/plot/soundtrack got in the way of the message.

The Christmas Orange
Incensed to discover that Santa Claus has left him only a single orange for Christmas instead of the hundreds of presents he requested in a long, detailed list, 6-year-old Anton Stingley decides to sue Santa for breach of contract.

2 stars – What an odd little animation! I had to look up the significance of a Christmas orange, as the movie didn’t provide any enlightenment.

Christmas with a Capital C
This Christian family film follows the residents of Trapper Falls, Alaska, as they try to mount their annual Christmas celebration despite the interference of a Scrooge-like lawyer who objects to the town’s public displays of Christianity.

3.5 stars – One of the first holiday movies we watched this season and one of the best. It was a very interesting look at religious freedom (or freedom from religion) versus the desire to celebrate a Christian Christmas celebration.

Crazy for Christmas
A single mother is forced to chauffeur a wealthy man around town on Christmas Eve while he gives away cash to strangers. When a reporter pursues the story, a new romance blossoms and the single mother learns the true meaning of Christmas.

3 stars – This was one of the more unique plot lines out of the bunch. The romance between the reporter and single mother didn’t ring true but the relationship between the wealthy man and the single mother was cute.

Dear Santa
When she finds a letter mailed to Santa by a little girl asking for a new wife for her daddy for Christmas, twentysomething Crystal sets out to find the man and his charming daughter, hoping to make the girl’s wish come true.

2.5 stars – A cute story about a ditzy rich girl who discovers that it means more to give than receive.

Holiday Engagement
Hilary’s plan to hire a good-looking guy to act as her boyfriend backfires when she brings him home for the holidays to try and fool her family. The joke ends up being on her when the fauxmance invites real complications.

3 stars – Run of the mill rom-com. Cute but not memorable.

Holiday Favorites: Vol. 4
When a cigar-smoking Santa takes a break from his duties, playful toys emerge from their cheerfully wrapped boxes in “The Christmas Visitor,” one of the six vintage Christmas cartoons and live-action shorts that make up this volume from the Holiday Favorites series. Other titles in the collection include “The Christmas Visit,” “The Candle Maker,” “The Night Before Christmas,” “Christmas Comes But Once a Year” and “Christmas Journey.”

3 stars – It seems odd to mention a cigar-smoking Santa Clause but I remember this animation from my childhood and loved it. It was a trip down memory lane to see the Santa take everyday items from an orphanage and create new delightful toys for the children.

Holiday in Handcuffs
When her boyfriend dumps her just before the holidays, aspiring artist Trudie desperately kidnaps a handsome stranger named David. Intending to present him as her new boyfriend at Christmas, she finds instead a genuine bond forming with her victim.

1 star – Terrible acting, terrible plot, unbelievable romance. I want my 90 minutes back!

Midnight Clear
Stephen Baldwin and K Callan star in this heartfelt tale about despair and the life-altering power of kindness. On Christmas Eve, five small-town residents face loneliness and suicide. But as their lives intersect, they find hope through one another.

3 stars – A depressing but surprisingly believable movie that only offers hope in the last ten minutes. The message that God can bring hope through the actions of a stranger is overpowered by the despair. The characters were depressed and had a reason to be. Not a very uplifting Christmas film.

The Polar Express
A young boy’s faith in the holiday spirit is revived after he makes his way by train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve in this warm-hearted computer-animated tale inspired by Chris Van Allsburg’s award-winning children’s book.

2 stars – I’m curious why this movie was rated so high! We had high hopes but thought the character design was a bit creepy, that the movie is not very appropriate for young children (the scene with the train hobo slamming into the top of the tunnel and disintegrating into snow was disturbing), and the story was a hodgepodge of adventures with no real reason why these select children were chosen to ride the Polar Express. I was hoping a different character would be chosen for the first gift of Christmas! The one thing I enjoyed about it – the gorgeous backgrounds. The scenery was beautiful!

The Santa Clause
A bizarre twist of fate transforms a divorced dad into the new Santa.(Description from Amazon.com)

4 stars – A nostalgic visit to a movie from my childhood.

Snow
Nick Snowden (Thomas Cavanagh) is next in line to take over the duties of Santa Claus. When the bumbling trainee loses his prized reindeer three days before Christmas, he undertakes a journey from the North Pole to California to bring it back.

3 stars – It sounds silly but it was actually a rather cute movie!

Snow 2: Brain Freeze

This sequel to the hit TV movie finds newly minted Santa Nick Snowden in trouble just days before Christmas. When a trip through a magic mirror leaves him with no memory, his wife, Sandy, tries to help him recover in time for his midnight ride.

2 stars – I should have known the sequel wouldn’t be as good as the original!

With two months of mediocre holiday films, it was nice to watch our all time favorite Christmas movie yesterday.

My husband and I both love this movie. It’s our tradition to watch it on Christmas day and this year was our third viewing of it. The movie teaches such wonderful life lessons about working hard, putting family and friends first, and staying true to your moral beliefs. Out of all the Christmas movies I’ve seen in my lifetime, It’s a Wonderful Life is my top recommendation!

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