Though My Heart is Torn

I recently finished reading Though My Heart is Torn by Joanne Bischof. This is a wonderful second book in the Cadence of Grace series.

Lonnie and Gideon's journey continues, filled with heartache and characters wrestling with whys and regrets. While heartbreaking, this story has its hopeful moments, and is filled with the tenderness and realness that Joanne Bischof is known for. The rugged backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains is beautifully portrayed. I can easily imagine myself there, and the struggles of life in the mountains.

I don't want to give away the story, so I won't say more. Just know that I highly, highly recommend the entire series (I just started reading book three!) and any books written by Joanne.

You can find Joanne's website here: http://www.joannebischof.com

Go Pro

I just finished reading Go Pro by Eric Worre. This is a relatively short, easy to understand guide to becoming a network marketing professional. Usually I don't read "help books", but I had to read this for a class. I actually really enjoyed it! So much so that I will read it again and again in the future.

Eric provides so many great, simple tips that really make a difference. It's not a bunch of baloney and it's not crazy difficult. You just have to work hard and probably adjust the way that you've been doing things in your business.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is part of a network marketing (direct selling, home business, multi-level marketing, etc.) company or

is thinking about starting.

You can visit Eric Worre's website here: http://networkmarketingpro.com/

Five Minute Friday - Meet

Haven't done this in a long time, and it's not Friday, but I want to write. Last week's prompt was Meet.

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Meeting up regularly with fellow Christians is a good way to stay encouraged and focused on God. I've definitely noticed that if I'm spending a lot of time with non-Christians, I feel a lot less peaceful, like there's a "disturbance in the force" (Star Wars reference).

When I spend time with godly people, I feel a lot more uplifted, more joyous, and more at peace. Christian friends encourage us, pray for us, and hold us accountable, and that's an awesome thing. So we need to keep doing that! We need to keep going to church, Bible study, and other places where Christians can be found. Then, when we go out into the ungodly world, we have that peace and joy within us and we can spread it to the unsaved people we encounter.

And that includes "meeting" online! Whether in a Facebook group, on a blog, or somewhere else, you can find online Christian community. And you can also spread the joy and peace online in what you say and what you share.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. Hebrews 10:25

That's it for today. You can find more posts about Meet here (scroll down to see the bloggers who have linked up), and you can find out what Five Minute Friday is and how it got started by clicking the button below. Have a great day!

The Wife of Noble Character

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award is an award that recognizes the unique voices of women across the world.

I want to thank Debbie Mitchell for nominating me for this Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Put the Award logo on your blog.
3. Answer 10 questions you've been sent.
4. Make up 10 new questions for your nominees to answer.

Here are the questions I was sent and my answers:

 

1. Did you decide to start a blog or were you encouraged to do so? If encouraged, by whom?

I decided on my own, but I had been reading blogs by other women, which made me realize I could make my own. It was so long ago that I'm not sure, but it was most likely to share book reviews.

 

2. In 2014, what was your greatest accomplishment?

I think I'd have to say starting my current novel-in-progress. I wrote a good solid start, I really love the characters, I participated in NaNoWriMo with this book, and I even designed the cover.

3. What is your favorite Bible verse and why?

That's a really hard question. I have been working on reading through the Bible but I haven't read all of it yet, plus there are so many verses to choose from! The one I'm thinking of right now is Exodus 23:20. "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared." It really helps me to know that God is protecting me and that if I follow His path, things will work out for good.

 

4. If there was a movie written about your life, what would the title of that movie be?

Wow! I really don't know. The Nerdy, Compassionate Writer or something like that. Lol :)

 

5. Do you make New Year's resolutions? Why or why not?

No, not really. I don't see a reason to wait until one certain day to make a resolution. Yes, the first day of the year simulates a fresh start, but really, I'd rather just try every day to do the best I can.    

6. If you could bring back just one deceased relative for a day, who would it be and why?

Wow. Well, thankfully, I've never lost anyone extremely close to me. I'd say my great-grandmother. She was a wonderful lady, and I feel sad that I don't remember her very well anymore. I know it would make my whole family happy to see her again. Thankfully, I know I will see her, some day, in heaven.

 

7. You are a reporter on assignment... Where are you and what's the story about?

I'm in the Galapagos Islands reporting on giant tortoises and tropical penguins! And taking lots of pictures :)

 

8. If Facebook was suddenly gone, would it upset you? Why or why not?

Yes and no. Ultimately, yes, it would upset me. Sometimes I get sick of having to check my notifications, and the fact that I often end up spending a lot of time when I do log on. BUT, it is extremely helpful with keeping in contact with friends and relatives, and making more friends! I have met a whole group of wonderful women online and we stay connected through Facebook. My business also greatly relies on Facebook to share new products, teach classes, stay connected with my team members, ask questions, etc.

 

9. There are so many colors in the rainbow. What is your favorite color and why?

Blue has always been my favorite. There are other colors that I like or used to like, but blue is the one that has stayed constant. I wear blue jeans almost every day. I love the blue sky, clear blue water, blue eyes... It's simply a gorgeous color. And it goes with a lot of other colors!

 

10. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself when it comes to productivity? Is there a certain project that you've never completed?

Yikes. That one hits home a bit. I tend to be most productive on the computer. Researching things, sharing information, planning, writing, and more. With other things, I often fall behind. One thing I never finished was a pillow for my brother. I was attempting to make him this awesome Minecraft pillow for Christmas LAST year, we've now gone through two Christmases and two of his birthdays, and I haven't gotten it made. It was way more difficult than I imagined. But I really should try again. I should be able to come up with an easier version, even if it's not as great as I hoped.   

 

That was fun! Thanks for the challenging questions, Debbie :)

 

Okay, I nominate:

Jessie Gunderson, Lisa Bartelt,  Ladette Kerr,  Heather Manning, Casey Herringshaw, Tracy Finch, Sarah Penner

Your questions, ladies:

1. When did you realize you enjoyed writing?

2. What is your favorite thing to write about? (Life, books, devotions, etc.)

3. What's the best book you read in the last year and/or what book are you most looking forward to this year?

4. If you could go anywhere for a one week vacation, where would you go and why?

5. Who is your favorite Bible character?

6. Do you like to go to bed early or are you a night owl? Do you like to sleep in or are you an early riser?

7. If you could have any job you wanted, what would you choose and why?

8. What is your favorite color?

9. What is your all-time favorite movie?

10. Where do you hope to be (whether geographically, spiritually, career-related, or otherwise) a year from now?

Thank you for stopping by my blog :) I hope you enjoyed my answers, and I hope you'll check in at the other blogs soon to see their answers to my questions.

Five Minute Friday - Long

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The nights are long when I'm here by myself. My husband works until 2 am, and I'm bored, and it's dark, and sometimes I get scared.

When he gets home we make dinner, watch a tv show or two, or even go grocery shopping. Yes. At 2:30 in the morning, we go grocery shopping.

We do most of the same things "normal" people do. Just at a much later time. You don't go to bed as soon as your or your spouse gets home from work, do you?

So we go to sleep around 4. Or maybe 5. And then we wake up sometime later than most of you. So while the nights are long, the days are short. And that makes the nights seem even longer. Especially now, when it gets dark around 6 pm.

But the thing to remember is no matter how long or short our days seem, they are always 24 hours. 24 hours God gave us to live for Him. And I know I fall short of that, a lot.

So I'm trying not to waste the time and trying to figure out what He wants me to be doing with it.

How about you? Do you feel like you spend too much time on stuff and things and not enough on the important? How do you know what's important?

Every Friday a bunch of bloggers write for five(ish) minutes using a word prompt found on Kate Motaung's blog. Then we link up and read each other's posts. Check it out by clicking the button below. You're welcome to join us!

Food For Thought

Wolverine and a pinata...