I’ve been reading this month about forgiveness – it’s a long story really. A series of situations made me realize I didn’t know as much about this Biblical mandate as I wanted.

I knew it was important, I knew we should practice forgiveness, and I wanted to forgive certain people in my life, but when actually trying to forgive, I sometimes found myself hitting a brick wall.

This made me take a big step back and ask myself, “What does it mean to forgive?” How do you keep forgiving someone who injures you over and over? Obviously it would be ideal to minimize contact with this person…but what if you can’t? Continue reading…

I graduated from high school…er, more than a decade ago, which means I can be part of the new generation mumbling about “what they’re teaching kids these days.” It seems the more complex our society becomes, the longer the list of basic things kids should – but aren’t – learning in school becomes.

To piggy back off last week’s blog Smart Money, Smart Kids (if you haven’t read the book – you should!), the following is a list of 10 things no one should graduate from high school without knowing, ranging from the profound to the not-so profound.

We’ll call them “basic career skills” every high school graduate should know:

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This book is long overdue. Millions of American families have used Dave Ramsey’s #1 bestseller, The Total Money Makeover, to get out of debt and plan for the future. But what if you could help the next generation before they go into debt?

That’s exactly the mission of Ramsey’s daughter, Rachel Cruze, and it’s one of the main points behind Smart Money, Smart Kids. Not only to help kids avoid debt, but proactively teach them how to be smart with money as they prepare for their life.

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We’ve entered May, which means it’s the time of year to celebrate mothers. I consider myself lucky to have a mother worth celebrating indeed.

When you get to be an adult, you realize that mom is your silent supporter. When other friends and adults would have turned away in frustration with your repetition of woes and problems, mom is always there. And mom is known for her advice.

I learned a lot of things from my mom. “To always have class” whenever you are unsure of what to do in a situation – what to wear, how to behave, etc.  Always err on the side of having class. Continue reading…

Today, for your reading enjoyment, I’d like to share:

 20 Weird Things About Americans

Not sure who the author is, or I’d be glad to give them credit, but this is a pretty good list (apologies for mild language on #8).

Off the top of my head, here are a few others:

Everything is over air-conditioned. In other countries, air-conditioned means “around 80 degrees.” In other words, just take the edge off. In America, everything is chilled in the summer like the inside of an icebox – a brisk 65-68 degrees. Continue reading…

An avid book lover, I’m often asked for – and interested in – good book recommendations. I decided to make a list, once and for all of the top 5 Christian books that have changed my life (other than the Bible). I’ve read a lot of good books, so this was hard. Being a book lover, there were a few ties.

Some of these are contemporary and some oldies but goodies:

1. C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. OK, this was a tie, because I love C.S. Lewis and each book had equal impact. Mere Christianity showed me the beauty of apologetics and explaining the basics of the faith in a straightforward, philosophical way, while The Screwtape Letters is an exercise in creative thinking – specifically, looking at the great battle of daily life from the perspective of the enemy.

2. Donald Miller: Searching for God Knows What and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. One of my favorite authors, this was also a tie. Mille is most famous for Blue Like Jazz and his modern Storyline. His writing is personal, honest and thought-provoking – three important qualities for any modern author. Always stimulating but never scholarly or preachy, finishing one of Miller’s books makes you feel like you just finished a conversation with a friend.

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If you had to pick just one, would you rather be brave, honest, smart, kind or selfless? Seriously – just one of the above for the rest of your days?

In a nutshell, that’s the question the movie “Divergent” asks, based on author Veronica Roth’s best-selling trilogy.

It’s an interesting concept. The movie’s characters in this young-adult dystopian society live in the city of Chicago made of “factions” – Dauntless (bravery), Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Erudite (knowledge) and Amity (kindness/peace) – and are not allowed to cross their faction’s borders. Each faction is given a role in helping the city succeed, and – as the teenage characters are told, “faction comes before family.”

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I usually don’t delve into Biblical prophecy, but being the daughter of an astronomy buff, I found myself wrapped up in the book Four Blood Moons, by John Hagee.

The book takes its name from the prophecy in Joel 2:30:

“The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.”

A “blood moon,” or red moon is rare, but the appearance of a series of four blood moons (a tetrad) is very rare. Even more rare is a series of four blood moons that include a total solar eclipse – turning both “the sun to darkness” and “the moon to blood” within the same series.
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I went to see Noah this weekend, and given the flood of controversy surrounding the film, I thought I’d offer my thoughts. I had to convince (beg) my movie guest to see it with me, as she was one of the many made skeptical by the media surrounding the film. I was too, but I guess you could say curiosity got to me.

Short review: “Stimulating” might be the best word to describe it. The criticism from early reviewers over artistic license has merit, but I was pleasantly surprised in several areas. I was neither offended, nor can I give a genuine endorsement without an (*) asterisk.

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