Second Annual Jimmy in Jasper

This week marks the end of the "Spring" season and the beginning of Summer for my YL camp staff friends. And the best way to kick-off summer is with a little grill out honoring Jimmy Buffet, burgers and margaritas. This year's celebration was a little smaller than the last one but the food was delicious and plentiful and the company even better. We made spicy jalapeno sliders and shrimp burgers with sweet potato fries. There were all sorts of fun chip and dip appetizers plus some peach brandy popsicles and chocolate maple bacon cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. It was a great night, indeed!

Be strong, take heart... and wait

This was a great encouragement for me today, maybe it will be for you as well.

Psalm 27

Of David.

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation —
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face! ”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord

Book Review: The Widow of Saunders Creek

The Widow of Saunders Creek

by Tracey Bateman

I'm continuing to branch out into other genres of books written by Christian authors. This particular book happened to be mostly a romance novel with a little suspense thrown in. It's probably the only way I could make it through a "romance novel". Granted, with the Christian spin it's a little less romantic but not any less cheesy.

The book is about a recent army soldier widow who moves back to her late husband's hometown. She inherited a house that is haunted and also in need of repair. The handyman just so happens to be her late husband's cousin. From the description on the back of the book it wasn't difficult to deduce how the story would go. Throughout the book Corrie, the widow, is learning to let go of her husband. She's also battling with spiritual demons who haunt her home and learning about the love of Jesus. The book isn't too far fetched being set in a place where there is a long history of witchcraft but the dialogue and characters are very predictable.

It was a quick read that I'd deem great for a summer read. It's by no means deep or thought provoking so it's the perfect light read for a day by the pool or ocean. 

*I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own*

Book Review: The Resignation of Eve

The Resignation of Eve

by Jim Henderson

This has been one of the more difficult reviews to write. It also took a bit to get through the book as I tried to critically process my thoughts on what Henderson had to say. I was intrigued by the title of this book and reading more about the reasons women struggle with the church and often end up leaving. While in theory I liked what Henderson was trying to get across to his readers, in practice I think this book was poorly done. 


Henderson's main point is that women are either resigned to, resigned from or re-signed to their role in the church. He uses testimonials from women to describe their experiences in different church and leadership settings. Some women do not believe there is a problem and they are "resigned to" their current place in the church. Some women have decided that they do not agree with the churches stance on women in ministry and have walked away completely (resigned from the church) and the last group is paving their own way. They have re-signed to the church and are fighting to have more say and influence. 


Again, in theory I like what Henderson set out to accomplish. I think there is truth in these three categories for how women feel about their roles and influence in the church. I think what I struggled most with was the strong bias that was presented on seemingly every page. Henderson  even seemed to go so far as to judge women who didn't see things the way he did. And I found myself questioning the scripture he used to describe what he saw as a women's role in church. It may be ironic that I do actually agree that women should have the same opportunities to have leadership roles in churches, including the role of pastor. I just do not agree with how he got his point across.


I received a copy of this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their Tyndale Blog Network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: Not This Time

Not This Time: A Novel
(Crossroads Crisis Center)

By Vicki Hinze

When I received this book I was not aware that it was actually the third book in a series about the Crossroads Crisis Center and an ensemble of characters that actually have some history together. In fact, I didn't find that out until I finished the book. The story is comprehensive on its own but I imagine having some history with the characters would only enhance the book and make getting through the first chapter a bit easier.

The story begins with Jeff, a detective, arriving late to a wedding with all of his closest friends. Just one problem - they all appear to be dead. The story takes off from there with kidnappings, terrorist attacks and conspiracy theories. There are so many little caveats to this story I am having a hard time describing the main plot. Small town scandal and international terrorists threaten to destroy two women who have worked to create a billion dollar company. Throw in a little romance and some Christian perspective and you get one intense novel.

Hinze did a great job of catching and holding my attention from the first pages. There were many plot twists and unexpected surprises along the way that made the book a fun read. And she managed to weave in Christian characters whose faith fits right into the craziness happening around them without it being too cheesy or forced. The same could be said for the romance part of the story line. Hinze managed to pull together two things I don't love (romance novels and Christian fiction) with the types of stories I love most (suspense/mystery novels).

*I received this book free from Multnomah Books as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own*

Road Trip: Raleigh Edition

A few weeks ago I made what is becoming my quarterly trip to Raleigh. It's just close enough to drive to and just long enough for me to stop a few times along the way to see friends in parts of North and South Carolina that I might not otherwise get to see.

The drive up this time around was particularly crazy. I saw no less then 4 pretty major accidents - one shut down the highway and one was literally the car in front of me. By the time I made it through Charlotte I had had enough of the interstates and took some smaller country roads the rest of the way. Fortunately, it did not add too much time to the trip and my sanity and safety was well worth the detour.

The weekend itself was pretty uneventful in terms of sightseeing. It was filled with some much needed rest and relaxation. We cooked some really yummy food, made some baby shower decorations, played games (am I the only one who didn't know Awkward Family Photos was now a board game?!) and just lounged around. The rainy weather was conducive to lots of couch time, reading and snacking. Brad made breakfast every day. Sarah and I spent most of Saturday in our pj's. We joined some of their friends for the Duke/UNC game Saturday evening. And we played with Stella, their sweet black lab puppy, a lot.

On the drive home I stopped in Greenville to visit a friend from my Lake Champion days. It was a short visit but a nice break from the long drive. I think I spent the rest of the drive catching up with folks on the phone. The only other thing a 5+ hour drive is good for!

I came home feeling refreshed and rested, thankful for a weekend away. And thankful for time with dear friends I wished lived closer!

Road Trip: Orlando Edition

At the end of January I made the not-so-long trek home to Orlando. Even though I had been home just a few weeks earlier for Christmas, I was compelled to make the trip since it was Young Life's All Staff Conference. Every four year all of the staff (both field staff and property staff) come together for a few days of meetings and mostly fun. And it just so happens that they stay in Orlando right near Disney. In fact, they basically rent out an entire hotel. So I spent part of my trip with my family and the remainder of the trip visiting with friends who are located across the country and around the world sharing the gospel with high school kids.

The first day in town I met up with a dear friend who is from Orlando. We met at Lake Champion and became close friends when she worked at Sharptop a few years ago. She and I spent an afternoon at her favorite coffee shop in downtown Orlando. It's called Credo and they have a really cool mission. You can check it out at http://www.downtowncredo.com/.

I spent Friday afternoon at the hotel with some Lake Champion friends and we headed over to Downtown Disney to meet some other folks for dinner. The group at dinner was all folks who at some point or another worked at Champion. A few of them are now on staff together at Woodleaf in California. It was such a sweet evening of conversation and laughter. That evening I met up with some former year-longs from Sharptop and then ended the evening with folks I had previously interned with at Champion. It was a long day but so very worth it!

Saturday was basically a repeat of Friday. I spent the majority of the day talking and laughing with great friends. The afternoon was spent by the pool. That evening I was able to sit in on the last session and then spent time catching up with folks.

It was so great have all of my favorite people in one place at one time, even if I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the trip.