Books on a Budget

How would you like to get the information to help you during these tough times and still meet a tight budget? Well, I can recommend some books that are big on advice with tiny price tags.

I recently got the opportunity to review a sample of the "budget line" from WaterBrook Press and I can tell you, they're great.

Just because the economy is suffering doesn’t mean relationships have to suffer, too. The Value Non-Fiction Line (September 15, 2009) offers insightful books on love, marriage, relationships and personal growth. At just $6.99, WaterBrook Press is offering readers on the most limited budgets, valuable resources to help them grow and succeed in their personal lives. Titles include:

More Than A Match (ISBN: 978-1-4000-7489-1) by relationship experts, Michael & Amy Smalley, marriage and family counselors who demystify the science behind compatibility tests to help singles in search of love recognize when the right relationship comes along. They also reveal the specific skills that can transform an ideal match into a lasting love.

Fool Proofing Your Life (ISNB: 978-0-307-45848-3) by Jan Silvious, Precept Ministries (Kay Arthur) radio co-host discusses how attempts at coping with difficult people often fails, because they are what the Bible refers to as “fools.” Silvious provides tools to help readers get along and conduct relationships in a way that honors God, while preserving their own sanity.

How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong (ISBN: 978-0-307-45849-0)
by Leslie Vernick, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 years experience, reveals how God uses the imperfections, difference and sins of a spouse to help anyone become more like Christ.

What Women Don’t Know and Men Don’t Tell You (ISBN: 978-0-307-45850-6)by Michelle McKinney Hammond, best-selling author, speaker, singer and co-host, with Joel A. Brooks, Jr., senior pastor of Christian Life Center, clears up misperceptions, providing women with the information they need to succeed in a lasting male-female relationship ─ both while waiting and after the wait is over.

The Value Non–Fiction Line provides readers with invaluable resources at a low cost, and offers priceless insights to help build meaningful relationship.

I got the chance to review More Than A Match by Michael and Amy Smalley. Their target audience is couples who meet online through a dating website, but their wisdom is appropriate for any couple, dating or married. They discuss how "compatibility" is just the beginning. What makes a successful marriage is WHAT COMES NEXT. They discuss important topics such as how to resolve conflict while still respecting your spouse, discussing the big issues such as finances and children, and they are honest about their own marital bumps in the road to illustrate their points perfectly. From More Than A Match, I can tell you the "budget line" books are anything but cheap.

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In tough times discover…99 Ways (times six) to thrive!

The Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group introduces 99…times six…practical and up-to-date ways to help families flourish despite present economic challenges, priced at just $5.99 per book (WaterBrook Press, July 21, 2009). These books are not only timely, but also inexpensive enough to fit into everyone’s tightening budget.

99 Ways to Entertain Your Family for Free (ISBN-13: 978-0-307-45836-0)
by Mack Thomas, bestselling author of The First Step Bible and father of five.
Offers activities and events sure to entertain and educate family members of all ages.

99 Ways to Stretch Your Home Budget (ISBN-13:978-0-307-45841-4)
by Cheri Gillard, nurse and mother of quadruplets.
Practical ideas on how families can save money around the house.

99 Ways to Increase Your Income (ISBN-13:978-0-307-45839-1)
by Frank Martin, successful entrepreneur and author of over sixteen books.
Provides tips to generate more cash, and rebuild or supplement an income,
while hanging on to existing dollars.

99 Ways to Build Job Security (ISBN-13:978-0-307-45840-7)
by Gary Nowinski, veteran in corporate management and downsizing.
Introduces key strategies to help employees keep their jobs during economic
cutbacks.

99 Ways to Fight Worry and Stress (ISBN-13: 978-0-307-45837-7)
by Elsa Kok Colopy, Associate Editor for Focus on the Family Publications.
Presents skills to guard rest, dream a little, and dive into truth and more.

99 Bible Promises for Tough Times (ISBN-13:978-0-307-45838-4)
by Randy Petersen, seasoned author of more than fifty books and Bible studies.
Gives encouraging and wise words found in Scripture to mediate upon.

Written for families and individuals who are hoping to not only survive but thrive, during tough times. These value-packed, applicable resources offer relevant and reliable insights to endure the current economic downturn, and are sure to appeal to families in all stages of life.

I got the chance to review 99 Ways to Increase Your Income. This book provided an all inclusive approach -- ways to increase the cash you have to spend and ways to spend less and make what you have stretch farther. The information was basic, logically presented with interesting illustrations, and very helpful for those who don't (or won't) spend a lot of time reading about money matters.

These little books are fabulous stocking stuffers! Unfortunately, I don't have any copies to give away, but at these prices, it's easy to buy several.

These books were provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Got Peace?

Bill Porter wrote a book entitled Road to Heaven concerning his search for Taoist and Buddhist hermits in the Chungnan mountains in China in 1989. In this book, Porter remembers a Chinese saying, “The small hermit lives on a mountain. The great hermit lives in a town.”

Recently I was listening to a teaching series by Graham Cooke and he was talking about finding peace in God. He said retreating into the quiet place with God is a skill learned through discipline. He further said no matter what his circumstances or where he is, he can become peaceful in under 5 seconds.

I struggle to find perfect peace, what the Bible refers to as “shalom shalom” in the most ideal circumstances!

Porter goes on to recall a conversation with a monk. The monk was asked, “Is it a good place because it’s quiet?” and the monk replied, “If people are quiet, they can be quiet anywhere.”

I also recall a book (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbers) where the author was discussing her time in Indonesia. She said mothers of young children would take their kids to the doctor (a type of medicine man) if the kids were too hyperactive. She said by American standards, these “hyperactive” kids were practically comatose because they would sit quietly with their mothers for hours waiting to be seen. But the locals thought the inability to sit and be quiet was sign of a serious illness and disorder – to be honest, I agree.

So I pursue peace . . . peace in God, the ability to be quiet, to rest, to listen. I don’t always succeed, but I try.

REMEMBER: I have one copy of White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner I'm giving away tomorrow. To enter the random drawing, send your mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be drawn tomorrow, Friday, November 13th. Good luck.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

I can say, honestly and gleefully, "My husband is NOT the man I married!"

Today he called to say, "Hey! I got off work early today and just went to the bank. Now I'm going home to mow the lawn, but there's a big Red Cross trailer parked next to the bank. Do you want me to go donate blood?"

Of course, I said, "Yes! Absolutely!"

So he donated blood today for the first time. Spontaneously. Out of the blue. Just because it's the right thing to do.

He's been doing a lot of that lately. He's becoming quite the spokesperson for environmentalism and animal rights. He's donating to charity. He's giving blood.

I not only love the man my husband is becoming, I really LIKE him, too!

Pack Your Own Bags!

I thought I'd share a piece of wisdom from Graham Cooke's A Way in the Wilderness:

There's a difference between luggage and baggage. When you go on vacation, you pack your own LUGGAGE. You are excited and happy and you look forward to the process. You fill it with your favorite things -- the things that make you look and feel good, the things that make you comfortable. And you always leave room to bring something back.

BAGGAGE is always packed by someone else and it makes you feel terrible about yourself. It's the lies other people have said about you -- the life they've given you -- that's heavy and destructive and hurtful.

We need to stop carrying around our baggage. We need to leave it at the cross (the execution stake). We don't want to just empty it out -- we want to leave the whole mess there, bags and all, and burn it!

We pack our luggage with God. God is never past/present with us; He's always present/future with us. We pack our luggage and LEAVE ROOM TO BRING SOMETHING BACK (the future version of us we will become).

I've been listening to an 8 disk teaching series by Graham Cooke entitled, "A Way in the Wilderness". He talks about the lessons God teaches us as we go through "wilderness experiences". Graham teaches to love the "valleys" even more than the mountain top experiences because it's in the times of God's hiddenness that we really learn the lessons of how God thinks. If we can live by faith in the wilderness, we can do anything.

Alan Redpath once said, "There is nothing, no circumstance, no trouble, no testing that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has come past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose."

A lot of people I know and love, myself included, are going through wilderness times right now. It's hard. It's unpleasant. It's especially draining when the battles last months or years.

But I have a feeling. A teeny, tiny feeling in the bottom of my heart that a lot of these long, long wilderness times are about to be over. I think we're almost at the end of the valley and starting the climb to the mountaintop.

I hope I've learned well the lessons intended for me.

Mixed Messages

Gandhi said, "My life is my message."

Think about the message you want your life to convey: your priorities, the type of person you are, what you value, the image of how you perceive yourself.

Now think about what message you send in how you live your life?

Do they match up?

Probably not. Don't take that as a scathing criticism; mine doesn't either.

The important question is, "Now what are you going to do about it?!"

To read more, visit today's post on Zen Habits entitled Life is Poetry.

Book Review and Giveaway

Extraordinary, The Life You're Meant to Live, by John Bevere is an excellent foundations book. Unfortunately, in these times, its message probably contains foundational teaching that a lot of seasoned believers should know, but don't . . . or don't apply it to their lives. Basically, John Bevere challenges you out of your spiritual mediocrity and into a life where you are sanctified, set apart unto God, and, thus, able to move in the full power, promise, blessing and authority promised by God. We get in this rut of thinking, "I can't do great things. Only the first century giants like Paul and John could do such things." Or, "I'm just a sinner, forgiven, but warring every day without progress against the flesh." Extraordinary teaches those beliefs are false -- and shows you how to live life better -- as God intended.

I really enjoyed this book overall. Unfortunately, a few of Bevere's scriptural interpretations were off base (in my opinion), but I'm quite sure I don't have it all right either! This was a good book with a relevant message for all believers, new and seasoned alike.

I have one copy of Extraordinary to give away. To enter the random drawing, just e-mail your name and mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be drawn on Friday, October 9th. Good luck!

You can purchase the book here:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307457721&ref=externallink_wbp_extraordinary_sec_0817_01

Below is the summary from the publisher:

Summary:

There’s a question that troubles many believers: “Why am I not experiencing more joy, more hope, more satisfaction, more intimacy, more power, more everything in my Christian life--didn’t Jesus promise that?”

He did promise an abundant life, but too many people are trapped by the curse of “the ordinary.” They have accepted the wrong idea that following God means losing individuality, creativity, and a passion for achieving lofty goals.

Nothing could be further from the truth! John Bevere builds a convincing case, straight from Scripture, for a way of living marked by extraordinary experiences and accomplishments—the life God always intended for his children.

Here is a guide to understanding God’s incredible plans, and how to enjoy a life where he adds the “extra” to “ordinary.”

Author Bio:

John Bevere is an internationally popular conference speaker, teacher, and author of bestsellers, including The Bait of Satan, Drawing Near, and Driven by Eternity. His award-winning curriculum and books have been translated in over sixty languages and his weekly television program, The Messenger, is broadcast around the world. John and his wife, Lisa—also a bestselling author and speaker—reside with their family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visit his ministry website at www.messengerinternational.org.

Book Review

You Were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson is a book most believers need to read. Many believers I know pray without expecting answers from God and actually seem shocked in the event He answers. This is not what God intends. Further, I wonder how we ever got to the point where we stopped expecting God to do miracles in our lives.

Bruce Wilkinson tackles this head on in You Were Born for This. He discusses in clear and practical terms how we can live every day ready to be God's agent for performing miracles, and expect them in our own lives as well. I found this book to be somewhat similar, in concept at least, to Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God series -- that God desires to accomplish His will and perform miracles, He chooses to use people to accomplish His will, and if we will be willing to listen and obey, God can and will habitually deliver miracles through us. If all believers would start to practice the principles taught in You Were Born for This, I think revival would come to the world because miracles would be widespread.

GIVE AWAY: I have one copy of You Were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson to give away. To enter the random drawing, please e-mail your name and mailing address to me at seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be chosen Friday, September 18th.

To buy the book, click on the link below:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601421821&ref=externallink_mlt_youwerebornforthis_sec_0728_01

Summary:

His New York Times phenomenon The Prayer of Jabez changed how millions pray. Now Bruce Wilkinson wants to change what they do next.

Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by a direct intervention from God. Around the world these acts are called miracles—not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn how Heaven works.

In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which he is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can help others experience miracles in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose, and spiritual growth.

You Were Born for This will change how readers see their world, and what they expect God can do through them to meet real needs. They will master seven simple tools of service, and come to say with confidence, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today—and now I know how!”

Author Bios:

One of the world’s foremost Christian teachers, Bruce Wilkinson is best known as the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Prayer of Jabez. He is also the author of numerous other bestsellers, including A Life God Rewards, Secrets of the Vine, and The Dream Giver. Over the past three decades, Wilkinson has founded several global initiatives, including organizations that recruited and trained thousands of Americans to address hunger, AIDS, and poverty in Africa. Bruce and his wife, Darlene, have three children and six grandchildren. They live outside Atlanta.

David Kopp has collaborated with Bruce Wilkinson on over a dozen bestselling books, including The Prayer of Jabez. He is an editor and writer living in Colorado.

The Burden of Communication

I think I've mentioned in the past that my husband is not originally from the United States. One of the biggest cultural differences that affect our marriages is communication. Obviously, communication is essential to a marriage!

In America, we put the burden of communication on the speaker -- it is the speaker's role to communicate his or her point well. If the audience doesn't understand, it is the speaker's job to communicate the point differently/better. In my husband's country, good communication is the burden of the listener. If you don't understand, it's your job to figure out what the speaker was trying to convey. (My obnoxious American attitude is to say, "Yeah, and how do I do that without making the speaker explain it better?!") Incidentally, these cultural differences are not just my opinion and observation, but supported by Malcolm Gladwell in his fascinating book, Blink.

Anyway, I read a quote about communication many, many weeks ago that I can't stop pondering:

"Human nature is such that if two people listen, each feels only half responsible for understanding, and if ten people are listening each feels responsible to be but one tenth." Yasutani Roshi, The Lectures from The Three Pillars of Zen.

HMMM. If that's true (and I feel it is based on careful observation), what does that say for any lecture, sermon, homily, class, etc.?

I'm Back . . . I Think

I know I've been absent from the blogosphere for awhile. I could try to tell you what my life's been like lately, but I wonder if anyone would believe it! Anyway, I think I'm back and, in fact, will have a book review and giveaway tomorrow.

I've been missing the Change the World Challenges, but just wanted to comment on this week's challenge from Reduce Footprints. This week's challenge is to forego all manner of styrofoam containers. This reminds me of an episode of the TV sitcom, Murphy Brown. Murphy does a story on the environment that's so moving, everyone on the show vows not to do anything "ungreen" for a week. This was a progressive message in the late '80s and early '90s. Anyway, one night Murphy works late and is starving. She orders a sandwich delivered from the local bar, Phil's, and is dismayed when it's delivered in a styrofoam box. She struggles with the decision for several minutes, before refusing delivery of the sandwich.

That episode really stuck with me (obviously). So much so that a couple of months ago, I couldn't take the guilt that accompanied my doggie bag from a restaurant. Although I don't believe in wasting food, I also couldn't "stomach" the styrofoam take out container. The solution? I keep a bag of reusable Rubbermaid containers in my car (with my cloth grocery bags). Whenever I need a "to go" box from a restaurant, I get one out of my car and scrape my food into it.

The first time I used my containers, I was a little self conscious. When the waiter saw what I was doing, he informed me he and his wife have been doing the same thing when they go out for the last year! I felt like such a Johnny-come-lately. So now I'm not even remotely self-conscious about it. It just provides me with another opportunity to be an "ambassador for environmentalism". It gives me a chance to talk to the waitstaff, my dining companions or other patrons of the restaurant about green living in a non-judgmental way. Non-judgmental? Oh yeah, did I mention the Rubbermaid containers I use are bright pink with Hello Kitty on them ($1 for 2 at Target)? This not only attracts attention and starts conversations, but allows me to use humor and make fun of myself while getting the message out! ;-)

Feeling Frenzied? Stressed? Overwhelmed?

I feel like someone turned a blender on in my chest and I'm so overwhelmed I don't know where to run first (quite frankly, I just want to crawl back into bed and hide). So when I ran across the prayer below in Joanna Weaver's book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, I knew I had to share it.

And for those of you who are wondering, although the book is excellent, I still look like Martha on steroids and look little or nothing like Mary!

The Lord Is My Pace Setter

The Lord is my pace setter. I shall not rush
He makes me stop for quiet intervals
He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity
He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind and his guidance is peace
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for his presence is here
His timelessness, his all importance will keep me in balance
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility
My cup of joyous energy overflows
Truly harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord and dwell in his house forever.
(A version of the Twenty-third Psalm from Japan)

No Regrets

This past Tuesday, July 14th, marked the 9 year anniversary of my dad's death. I always tell people who have lost a parent, “When both your parents are alive, you think you can imagine how it will feel. When you actually lose one, you feel like you’re part of a secret club and you realize you couldn’t possibly imagine how it would feel.”

I hurt more now than I did when he died. It’s like when you first fall in love with someone and want to spend all your time with that person. When they go away for a day, you miss them. If they were to go away for a week, you’d miss them so much more. If they were gone a month, you’d REALLY miss them. With respect to the death of a parent, you miss them more as time goes on because their presence is missed more and more with each passing day, month and year. Plus, there are more “missed” memories . . . missed holidays, milestones, events you wanted to share, questions you wish you’d asked, etc.

I actually spent the last couple of days writing a "tribute" of sorts about my dad, but now that I'm done with it, I realize it's far to personal to post. So let me give you a piece of advice instead:

If one or both of your parents are alive, cherish your time with them, leave no question unasked, no story unheard, no advice unheeded. Try your hardest not to have any regrets when they're gone.

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself!

Studies show that children do better with more UNSTRUCTURED play time. Not so many "play dates" or "activities" or "lessons". More time spent outdoors with a stick and a box and their imaginations. The benefits? Higher intelligence, more creativity, less behavioral problems. They'll be less bored because they'll know how to entertain themselves and actually like spending time with themselves (making them more of a joy to be around as well).

What do bored children grow up to be? Bored, unhappy, unfocused, unfulfilled adults.

Read this article to understand your adult angst.

http://www.jsonline.com/features/advice/50644417.html

For Rent

English is not my husband's first language. But you'd barely notice if you spoke to him. In fact, one day we were watching a movie and he used the word, necrophelia, which caused me to think, "How long would I have to live in a foreign country before I knew how to say, 'sex with dead people' in that language?!"

Anyway, because English is my husband's second language, he has a great way of wording things. He uses his vocabulary to paint incredible word pictures.

Last night, we were discussing something upsetting. As I was just winding up into full "rant" mode, my husband stopped me cold by saying, "That takes too much energy. I just won't let it rent space in my brain."

How many things to we let rent space in our brains, sucking the energy and joy right out of us? How many of those things need to be evicted?!

How Small Do You Feel?

A lot of people I know are struggling with perspective right now. How big our problems are versus how big they seem. How small our God is in relation to how big our problems are.

I frequently struggle with wanting to control the universe, to be the master of my domain . . . and everyone else's within my grasping fingers!

Yesterday I read the transcript of Mark Batterson's sermon from Sunday, July 21st, and I thought I'd share an excerpt with you (fyi, Mark Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., and a favorite author of mine):

I’ve read so many [Teddy] Roosevelt biographies, I love Roosevelt Island, I just like him, a great man, very cool President. He had an interesting habit – every now and then, he would go out and look up into the night sky with his naturalist friend, William Beebe and they would locate a faint spot of light in the lower left-hand corner of Pegasus and recite the following, “That is the spiral galaxy of Andromeda, it is a large as the Milky Way, it is one of a hundred million galaxies, it is 750,000 light years away, it consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our own.” Then the President would pause and grin and say, “Now I think we feel small enough to go to bed.” I love that. I love that because I think there are moments in our lives where we need to come in for a landing. I think there are moments in our lives where we need God to reveal to us our smallness. What will happen in that moment is it won’t devalue your life or your significance or who you are, it will simply remind you of how big God is and it will help you put things in perspective.

How's that for a little perspective? So NOW how big do your problems seem, how small is your God, and how big are you?!

Get It Done!

Years ago I had a friend who was chronically behind on everything he needed to do. One of the biggest contributing factors to this problem was that he would spend HOURS completing a simple task until it was "perfect". In fact, most of the time, the task was completed when the deadline for getting it done had expired -- without a deadline it would have never been done because it would have never been perfect. It didn't matter if it was an important project or a meaningless task, he agonized over meaningless minutiae to the point where he was woefully behind at work, home, everywhere.

While I understand and subscribe to the wisdom that "anything worth doing is worth doing well", I also understand that a lot of times you need to just get it done.

What is important is to set priorities -- knowing when something needs to be excellent and when it just needs doing -- and achieve balance.

Recently, I read a blog post on the topic of taking Imperfect Action rather than succumbing the paralysis that often accompanies trying to be perfect. You can read it here: http://christinekane.com/blog/why-taking-imperfect-action-is-the-perfect-action-to-take/

Now, are you ready to "git 'er done!"?

REMINDER: I have one copy of Robin Jones Gunn's book, Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes! to give away. To enter the drawing, simply e-mail your name and mailing address to me at seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be announced on Thursday afternoon, June 11th.

Perspective Leads to Gratefulness

Recently I read a quote by pastor and author, Craig Groeschel, that really resonated with me.

Some moms choose what to feed their children. Some moms have to choose which children to feed.

It's impossible to be grateful and angry at the same time. And often times, gratefulness depends on our perspective. Do we whine because we HAVE to go to work or are we grateful we have a job? Do we complain about paying our bills, or are we grateful to have the money to pay them? Are we upset because we have to take care of the kids or we are grateful we have children to care for? Are we angry we are getting older and less able to do things or are we grateful for all we can do in our good health? Do we mourn our gray hair and wrinkles or are we grateful for the wisdom we've earned over the years? Are we irritated by traffic or are we grateful for a vehicle.

Do we see our lives in terms of what we HAVE to do or do we see our lives in terms of what we GET to do or CHOOSE to do?

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself--Part 2

Most of you know I’m a big fan of Thomas L. Friedman, author and New York Times columnist. I strongly recommend his book, The World is Flat, for anyone who wants a clearer understanding of globalization. Lately, he’s been on a “green” soapbox. The other day I directed you to his column and advised, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Below is is another article I think is a must read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/opinion/29friedman.html?_r=1

Also, check out his new book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How It Can Renew America. I just got it from my library!

REMINDER: I have a copy of Clutter-Free Christianity by Robert Jeffress to give away to my readers! To enter the random drawing, just e-mail your name and address to me at http://seewhykinsman@gmail.com. Winners will be drawn on Friday, April 3, 2009. Good luck!

Happy Birthday to Me

I just had the most amazing surprise -- an impromptu birthday lunch! Every Wednesday I have lunch at a Mexican restaurant with a friend of mine who is a pastor. Almost every Wednesday my husband calls during our lunch. Almost every week I "ignore" the call and he usually leaves the voicemail, "I just realized you're probably at lunch . . ."

Today he called twice; the second time I turned the ringer off. A few minutes later my friend's phone rings -- my husband is calling her. "Hello?" she says laughing after she shows me the caller ID. "Well, at least you answer your phone; my wife won't." He told her to have me place his order and he would be there in a few minutes. Two minutes later, another really good friend calls her, "Can I join you two for lunch?" So, we had a foursome -- some of my very favorite people in the world. We had more fun and laughs at this impromptu get-together than I usually do at parties I plan weeks in advance. It just goes to show, it doesn't take a lot of money or time or effort to make someone feel loved.

I am a very lucky woman. Happy birthday to me.

An Answer at Long Last!

Long time readers of my blog will know I have often wrestled with the issue of humility and how to translate the concept into a healthy and realistic course of action. I didn't know where to draw the line between healthy self-esteem and humility. I wanted to avoid false humility. I didn't want to fail to acknowledge the gifts, strengths, calls and talents God has given me just for an "aw shucks, I'm nuthin'" attempt to be humble. I asked everyone I could think of in person and in cyberspace what humility means to them. You can read more about my quesitons on this issue at my old blog address here.

Part of me thought if I gathered enough "pieces to the puzzle", I would finally get my quesitons answered. But part of me couldn't shake the feeling that I just hadn't come across the right explanation and when I did, I would know it.

Well, I've been zapped! The other day I was listening to a Torah Club teaching CD by First Fruits of Zion, a great Messianic Judaism resource. FFOZ referenced a teaching by Dwight Pryor on the subject of . . . you guessed it . . . humility. The quote that made the light go on for me was this:

Humility is not thinking less OF yourself; it’s thinking less ABOUT yourself.

Reminder: If you want to enter to win one of two copies of Outlaw Marshal by Al and JoAnna Lacy, please send your name and mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com; winners will be drawn Friday, February 20th.

Also, tomorrow I'm going to be a guest author at reducefootprints.blogspot.com . Please make sure you check it out and click back there often for all kinds of information and tips regarding how to minimize your impact on this bruised and battered planet. Walk softly over to reducefootprints.blogspot.com.