Chop Chop

I read a statistic yesterday that I've read many times in the past, but it never ceases to blow me away:
In China alone, 25 million trees are made into chopsticks every year.

Below is the Ideal Bite article to read. Definitely check out the links. I was intrigued by the Kwytza Recycled Chopstick Art page -- great products for yourself or others!

http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/chopstick-shop

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself!

Once again, I couldn't have said it better myself. Please enjoy this New York Times article by Thomas L. Friedman, "Real Men Tax Gas":

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/opinion/20friedman.html?_r=1

Inspiration

Yesterday was the International Day of Peace as designated by the United Nations. While this day centers around ending war and human atrocities, I'd like to remind everyone of the following wise words:

The most violent weapon on earth is the table fork. —Mahatma Gandhi

If God is Good

We have all asked the question and probably more than once, "If God is good, then why . . ." Why is there suffering? Why is there unfairness? Why is their illness? Why is there death? Job loss? Divorce? Sexual abuse? War?

Many books have tried to answer this age old question. Some authors use this question to "prove" that God doesn't exist. Some say God does exist, but he doesn't have the power to work miracles in the face of free will. Some say God has the power to do anything, but isn't entirely benevolent and, therefore, allows evil to exist. Some say God created the world, but then lets it run on its own and doesn't get involved with the day-to-day workings.

In his new book If God Is Good, Randy Alcorn attempts to answer this question in a scholarly and comprehensive manner. His book is very lengthy, detailed and attempts to leave no scriptural stone unturned or facet of the question unanswered. This book is an excellent resource for counselors, pastors, caregivers, and anyone who wants to help someone who's hurting. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for someone in the midst of turmoil unless that person is the type who needs to process grief through intellectual undertaking. Because the book is so detailed and long, I can't imagine someone in the throes of trauma having the wherewithal to cull through it. However, since we all go through difficult times at one point or another, it's an excellent book to read so that your faith and understanding are more fleshed out when the time comes for you to undergo a situation that raises the question, "If God is good, then why . . . ?"

Unfortunately, I don't have a free copy of this book to give away. However, you can buy it here:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601421326

Summary:

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.

In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.

Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Book Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Julie of Norfolk, Virginia, and Eliana of Madison, Wisconsin, our winners of Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Book Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Wanda of Winnipeg, Manitoba, our winner of Bruce Wilkinson's new book, You Were Born for This.

Remember, there's still time to enter the drawing for Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson; the winner will be announced Monday.

Book Review

Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson is for women who have lost the intimacy in their marriage due to the baggage of their sexual history. I think this book can be very helpful to a lot of women; however, I don't believe that sexual history is the only reason women lose intimacy in marriage.

By the time most women come to marriage, they have had one or more previous romantic experience, sexual or not, and those bonds, hurts, experiences, perhaps sexual sins, etc., can have a cummulative effect on a woman's marriage and the intimacy of marriage. I admit that I've often told my husband I wish I would have met him before I was hurt multiple times -- I would have been less jaded, more giving, less protective, more hopeful, and, generally, a better wife. So I can certainly see how many women's romantic and sexual histories would have a negative effect on intimacy in their marriages.

Barbara Wilson gives step by step instructions for healing the wounds caused by sexual and romantic history and uses a lot of examples (many personal) demonstrating her points. Her book is easy to understand and engaging. I can certainly see how her book would heal a lot of marriages and would recommend it.

GIVE AWAY: I have two copies of Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson to give away. To enter the random drawing, e-mail your name and mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be drawn Monday, September 21st. Good luck!

To buy the book, go to www.amazon.com or your favorite bookseller.

Summary:

Do you ever wonder why marriage can seem like the end of intimacy and sexual desire instead of the beginning?

Ever wonder why it was so hard to resist sex before marriage—and so easy to resist it now? If so, you’re not alone! Many married women genuinely want to feel more desire toward their husbands…and can’t figure out what went wrong. But there’s good news. In Kiss Me Again, Barbara Wilson shows how powerful “invisible bonds” from past relationships can cause heartache, disappointment, and distance for couples in the present. Then—with sensitivity, honesty, and hope—Barbara walks you step by step toward healing…and a rekindling of the closeness and passion with your husband that you really want.

You don’t have to live any longer with confusion, disappointment, resentment, or shame. You can rediscover desire. You can say Wow! again.

With assessment tools, write-in exercises, and gentle guidance, Kiss Me Again offers a biblical plan for rekindling the closeness and passion women long for in marriage. Because no past is beyond the reach of God’s healing touch.

In Kiss Me Again, Wilson:

· Shares her own story of healing and renewed desire

· Helps women forgive themselves and their husbands for past choices

· Shows readers how to break free from “invisible bonds”

· Explains God’s plan for helping a husband and wife to re-bond

· Includes conversation helps for both wives and their husbands

· Helps couples reignite the passion that they thought was lost

Author Bio:

Barbara Wilson is the author of The Invisible Bond and former director of sexual health education for the Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center in Sacramento. She speaks nationwide to youth and adults with her message of sexual healing, and she teaches frequently in the women’s ministry at the multi-campus Bayside Church in Northern California. Barbara and her husband, Eric, have been married for twenty-eight years.