One.
My parents had a garden {a BIG garden} when I was a kid, and of course I was required {as I should have been!} to help with it. I hate gardens. It could be one of those things I eventually outgrow, but I'm going to be 38 soon, so you'd think if that's true, it would happen to me soon, right? Anyway. Ryan and I have ZERO desire to have a garden of our own, but I have to admit that growing a few things - container gardening, if you will - intrigues me. And that's only because I know it would be cheaper than buying everything in the store. My friend Sarah had a guest blogger this week who shared about some easy things to grow. I have to say the blueberry bushes intrigued me. So if you're a gardener or a wannabe gardener, check out this post!
Two.
When I worked at the station, life was big. There was a grandness about the job, and there was a sense of responsibility and representation everywhere I went. The platform was huge, and much more far-reaching than I probably ever knew. But when I left, I knew God was calling me to downsize. Not just my stuff, although there was that, but my life. Crystal Stine articulates it well here. It's about living a life that is true and saturated with integrity and obedience, even if no one outside the four walls of your house knows your name.
Three.
Virginia Tech Athletics - Patriotism
Kudos to Coach Buzz Williams, VT Basketball Coach. Given the ignorance or disrespect evidenced by most of today's athletes during our National Anthem, he decided to "have a talk with his players”. All coaches need to do something like this with their players!Coach Buzz Williams, VT Basketball Coach Don’t you wish all college coaches would do this? In a few years, there would a re-birth of patriotism on college campuses!
Posted by Changing the Game Project on Sunday, March 6, 2016
Four.
Two of the last women I met before leaving WBCL were Sheila Walsh and Mary Graham, who came to the studio prior to Women of Faith coming to Fort Wayne. They spent an hour on the air with Lynne, and while I've always had a fondness for Sheila {that only grew with meeting her}, meeting Mary Graham was an honor and delight. She was the quiet force behind the women on stage and for that last tour, she joined them on stage. She shared this post this week about her recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's, and my goodness. What a testimony! Read it!
Five.
I'm not happy about it {still, lo these many years later} but here's your reminder of this weekend's big news. If you need me, I'll be sleeping somewhere to try to recoup my hour.
Six.
Right about a year ago, I read Marissa Shrock's debut novel, The First Principle. You can read my review of it here, and I'll mention again that while this book is targeted for a young adult audience, I felt it held great truths for readers of any age. Marissa just released the sequel, an equally fascinating book called The Liberation.
The sequel picks up where the first book left off, in an undisclosed future year, when the world is not as we know it today. Vivica Wilkins is now seventeen years old, a new Christian, a fugitive from the government, and heavily committed to the work of the Emancipation Warriors, an anti-government group that really is her only hope for staying alive.
Vivica undergoes a radical transformation to alter her identity and keep her safe, and she uses her multi-lingual and computer hacking skills to aid the Warriors, with a personal motivation of finding her imprisoned mother and boyfriend, and doing what she can to spare them from execution. Along the way, she finds herself, her country, and her entire world in much greater danger than she ever anticipated, and her faith challenged beyond anything she ever expected.
As I said in my review of the first book, I don't normally read in this genre and truthfully, there are things about it that scare me. Though written as fiction, there is much about this that could easily be our reality in the future, or certainly a version of it, anyway. It is convicting to think about the sorts of freedoms we consider rights at this moment that could so very easily become a battle or grounds for imprisonment.
Vivica {or Fredrica, as she became known in her alter identity} showed incredible courage beyond her seventeen years as she fought mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical battles to stay alive and one step ahead of danger. The storyline was suspenseful from beginning to end, and I'm eager to read the next piece of this story, as I do believe there is more to come.
If you have teens in your life who enjoy reading, I recommend this as a solid Christian book that offers every bit of the suspense any secular book in this genre would give, but with the added bonus of sound Christian underlying values. If you enjoy novels in this genre, but aren't accused of being young, don't let that stop you from picking up this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all.
I would recommend that you read The First Principle before you read The Liberation so you can have a better understanding of the characters, as they do carry from one book to the next. I think you'll enjoy the second book much more if you've read the first part of the story.
Marissa, congratulations on a well-crafted sequel to your novel. Looking forward to the next installment!
* Marissa provided me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own! *
6 comments:
We did a bin garden - huge bins (like more ones from bird seed and rock salt) and then it was contained and easy to manage. We grew all sorts of things.
We had a huge garden when I was a kid. I hated everything about it- the weeding, the bugs, the heat and humidity when working in the garden, the heat in the house when my mom canned the vegetables and finally, eating the vegetables. About two years ago, I had a change in heart and started my own very modest, suburban garden and I love gardening now. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years, you'll be posting garden tips and pictures of your veggies :). Can't wait to read the articles you posted. A blueberry bush? Yes, please!!
Bekah - Thanks so much for including me in your lineup! I agree that the blueberry bushes are the biggest draw for me too. :)
Tamar - I confess that bin gardening does intrigue me. Maybe because, just like you said, it was contained!! Contained is my friend!!!
Maria - Maybe so! I've been known to eat my words many times before. MANY.
Sarah - if you try them and they work well, send me all your tips!! Frozen fruit is so expensive!!!!
Proud of my Alma mater VA Tech there in the BB video!
Thank you for linking to Crystal Stine's post. It really spoke to me today.
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