Why are You Angry?

Such a sweet story of one pig's insightful ways of helping his farmyard friends... and in the end they all help out little Fatty too...i won't give it away :)

My friend Bap is author and she wrote the book in Thai and asked me to help her with the English...what a fun project. A great read for young and old alike!

Why are You Angry?
author: Bap
22 pages; paperback
2010

The Magical Beans

a colorful little story about valuing the treasure that comes your way.  Bap does a great job in using repetition to help teach without loosing the reader's interest in the story. This little story is told in both Thai and English and has a happy ending.  





The Magical Beans
author: Bap
23 pages; paperback
2010

No Wonder They Call Him the Savior

I was at our monthly dinner/discussion group and the article we were reviewing focused on what in Norway is called "Jesus Meditation", basically a type of imaginative reading of the Bible where you put yourself in the scene and try to picture it with all of your senses. You seek to see the scene with your inner eye while praying to and worshiping Jesus as if you were one of those involved.  When we were leaving, I asked the group if there is an author that is good at writing in this way, and Max Lucado was recommended.      


Max Lucado, author of several books, writes No Wonder They Call Him The Savior and then for 164 pages he gives 33 short, creative examples of how the Savior is who he is and what that means to a world that is in need of such a Savior. He divides the book in thirds with parts called the cross:its words, the cross:its witnesses, the cross:its wisdom.

  

My favorite bit was called: God’s Testimony. Max Lucado brings the reader along on a trip to the out woods of Rio de Janeiro for a day in God’s creation away from the bustling city. He talked with a 70-plus year old farmer and suggests getting out of the libraries, lay down our pens and step into creation to experience a fresh miracles that happen all around us.  He wrote that the time with the farmer reminds us, “there is a certain understanding of God on the cross that comes only with witnessing his daily testimony.”  The last vignette was also very meaningful. The night that Jesus returns to the locked upper room is imaginatively described and what I liked best was the outcome of that incredible encounter with the risen Lord Jesus. (This one was called The Roar).    

As the short stories do not build on one another and each has their own theme, I suggest reading them one at a time to savor the meaning, maybe over the course of a month.  The book was written in 1986 and some stories and use of language is dated to that time period, but most show forth timeless truths that inspire. 

No Wonder They Call Him the Savior
by Max Lucado
164 pages; paperback
2009

the gospel according to Luke

Luke, one of the authors of the Gospel accounts of Jesus, wrote his testimony primarily to a non-Jewish audience so that they could further understand the life of Jesus, who he was and what he taught. Luke wrote this in about A.D. 70.

There are two areas of interest for me this time that I read through the Gospel of Luke…one is the issue of fear/afraid and the other is the personal ways in which Luke includes names in his account. So I will take it from the beginning and introduce us to each person for the first time that they appear in action (I will not list here names of those from the past or names of people who are off-stage but the main actors.) Then I’ll list the passages where fear comes into play. Here we go…

Theophilus (this is who Luke wrote the book for)
Zechariah- a priest
Elizabeth- wife of Zechariah
Gabriel- angel of the Lord
Mary- virgin pledge to be married to Joseph
The Holy Spirit- he over-shadowed Mary so she conceived a son
John- the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth
Joseph- pledged to be married to Mary, hometown Bethlehem
Jesus- Christ the Lord
Simeon- righteous and devout man in the temple
Anna- prophetess in the temple
Herod- locked up John in prison
God- in a voice from heaven said to Jesus at his baptism, you are my Son whom I love…
the devil, later in the book called Satan- tempting Jesus in the desert
Simon- also called Simon-Peter, a fisherman …Jesus went to his house and healed Simon’s mother-in-law
James and John- the son’s of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Levi- tax collector who followed Jesus
Jesus’ 12 apostles (some have been listed already):
Simon
Andrew- Simon’s brother
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James-the son of Alphaeus
Simon the Zealot
Judas the son of James
Judas Iscariot-became a traitor
Simon- a Pharisee that invited Jesus to dinner the night expensive perfume was poured on Jesus’ feet
3 women who helped to support Jesus:
Mary- called Magdalene had 7 demons come out of her
Joanna-the wife of Cruz, the manager of Herod’s household
Susanna
Legion- the name of a powerful demon that Jesus cast into a herd of pigs
Jairus- ruler of the synagogue whose 12 year old girl was dying
Moses and Elijah- met up with Jesus to talk about his departure
Martha- she opened her home to Jesus
Mary- Martha’s sister (she chose what was better)
Zacchaeus—a rich tax collector that now has salvation
Pilate- finally gave Jesus to the people for crucifixion, even tho he tried 3 times not to
Barabbas- a criminal that was released rather than Jesus
Joseph of Arimathea- a member of the Council that was waiting for the King of God and he wrapped Jesus’ body and lay him in a tomb.
Mary the mother of James-she was wth the other women at the empty tomb of Jesus.
Cleopas—one on the road to Emmaus and Jesus met with him


Fear and afraid in Luke
1:12-13 Zechariah was gripped with fear but the angel said, “do not be afraid”…
1:30 the angel said, “do not be afraid Mary, you have found favor with God.”
2:10 angel said to the shepherds “do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy…
5:10 Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”
8:25 when the boat was about to go down and Jesus speaks to the storm and it is calm the disciples “in fear and amazement ask each other, “who is this?”
8:50 someone came from the house of Jairus saying his daughter had died. Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
9:44-45 Jesus was telling his 12 about his betrayal …and they were afraid to ask him about it.
19:21 “I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man.” Part of a parable that Jesus told of a king and some minas.
20:19 “The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.” After Jesus told the parable of the vineyard and the owner sending his son who he loved and the tenants killed him.
21:9 Jesus told his disciples “when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened.
21:11… there will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
21:26 …Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
22:2..it was Passover time “and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.
23:40…but the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God, “ he said…
24:5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “ why do you look for the living among the dead?
24:37… the disciples were in a room talking together saying Jesus had risen when he stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” They were started and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.

The Gospel According to Luke
Author: Luke (who later wrote Acts)
46 page in large leather Bible

The Secret Life of Bees

I do not know if I would have ever chosen this book by reading the back cover. However, I wanted a novel to take with me on vacation (to Vietnam) and I while visiting my friend Regina, she said this was one her daughter Tanya had wanted her to read because of the love portrayed between mothers and daughters. So on that recommendation, I gave it a go.

The Secret Life of Bees takes you back to the summer of 1964 to the hot days of South Carolina as the Civil Rights Movement heats up. It was easy to get caught up in the smell of Carolina jasmine, the dialect of the locals, feel loss and love and taste the sweetness of honey as the story moves in a non-rushed way allowing you to experience life right along with Lily. Lily, a 14 year old white girl won my affections immediately as each page drew me into her life and her fears. Because I did not read the back of the book, i had no idea that i was about to meet 3 wonderfully eccentric black beekeeping sisters (named August, May and June) and I felt like a part of the sisterhood in their pink house. How was I to know Black Madonna worship would be involved? But I could picture it just as easy as I could May's self created wailing wall. August and her patient wisdom shows throughout the book and here is an example of it with Lily about the color of their house:

"All this time I just figured you liked pink," I (Lily) said. She (August) laughed again. "You know, some things don't matter that much, Lily. Like the color of a house, how big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now that matters. The whole problem with people is--" "They don't know what matters and what doesn't, " I said, filling in her sentence and feeling proud of myself for doing so. "I was gonna say, The problem is they know what matters, but they don't choose it. You know how hard that is, Lily? I love May, but it was still so hard to choose Caribbean Pink. The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters."

While reading this coming-to-age-story of love, forgiveness, prejudice, pain and healing, I learned a whole lot about bees and honey in the process. I will never eat honey again without thinking of the bees that make it and I have a feeling August and her sisters will come to mind for quite some time too.
Oh, and another delightful thing about the book was the brief interveiw at the end with the author and a short guide for discussion
.
The Secret Life of Bees
author: Sue Monk Kidd
302 pages; paperback
2002

Humility; True Greatness

Humility; True Greatness is a book that I first heard of by reading the 2011 read list of a friend who serves in China. Next to this title she wrote, " read-again and should read it each year".   That caught my interest.  Later i saw this thin black book on another friend's bookshelf and asked to borrow it. Although it is small, there is a lot packed into it and i would suggest reading the last chapter first as it is a wonderful over-view of the previous chapters and even has "how-to" suggestions in list form (and number 12 will probably make you smile like it did me :)).   If growing in humility is a passion, then this book is a great place to start. The author quotes many authors throughout history and sites various sources throughout each chapter to fuel the pursuit of growing in humility. One suggestion is to ask yourself (and your children), whom do you most admire and why. the answers will give good insight into values and understanding of Jesus' teaching of true greatness.
Now here is Lorraine C's recommendation: The book Humility: True Greatness by CJ Mahaney is a small little book that just struck a chord at the right time, and since most of sin is rooted in pride, I gave it a good read. And I just flipped through it again, I remember being struck by his defining of terms: pride: “is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence on Him.” ... Then he goes through Jesus' teaching and words about humility, and then practical ways to fight the sin of pride, and how to look for grace in other people’s lives. It is certainly worth a read.

Thanks, Lorraine!

Humility; True Greatness 

author: CJ Mahaney

hardback; 174 pages
2005

The Gospel according to Mark

The gospel according to Mark was written by Mark who was a young companion of Paul, Barnabas and Peter and he wrote it about 65 ad. This is an action-filled writing; the shortest of the four gospel records.   

Each time I read through one of the gospels, I see a different theme or something new about Jesus stands out to me.  This time in Mark’s account I encounter Jesus as the great healer…

 

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”~ Jesus

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus heals:

A man with an evil spirit in the synagogue at Capernaum

Simon’s mother-in-law with a fever

The sick and demon possessed and many who had various diseases of Simon’s town

Throughout Galilee Jesus drove out demons

A man with leprosy in Galilee

A paralytic through a roof in Capernaum

A man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue

Many from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan around Tyre and Sidon came to Jesus to be healed or have their demons cast out

In Gerasenes the strong man who lived among the tombs who was tortured by the demon named Legion was dressed and in his right mind when Jesus cast the demon into a herd of pigs.

The woman in a crowd who Jesus freed from her suffering of 12 years of bleeding

Jairus’ 12 year old daughter raised from the dead …Jesus said, “Talitha kuom!”  Little girl get up!

Jesus extends his healing power when he gives authority to his 12 to anoint many sick people with oil and heal them and to drive out many demons.

In Bethsaida and throughout that region the sick on mats and in the marketplaces; all who touched Jesus…

A little daughter of a Greek woman in Tyre healed of an evil spirit

A deaf-mute man of the Decapolis.

A blind man of Bethsaida

After the transfiguration, Jesus healed a man’s son (robbed of speech) and possessed by a spirit…this kind can come out only by prayer.

Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus), a blind man on the road outside of Jericho

Mary Magdalene- 7 demons driven out

And at the very end of Mark’s gospel, he records Jesus saying, “Go into all the world and preach the good news…and in my name they will be able to drive out demons… and they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”   

The Gospel of Mark
author: Mark
28 pages in large leather-bond Bible