We opened our box from Amazon.com with great excitement. We knew that it contained the first two books (and only two for now) of The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (here is my brief review) and North! Or Be Eaten. I had already finished listening to the audio book of One the Edge and loved every minute of it. So I dove right into North! I may be even better, if that is possible. I highly recommend these books. Here is a drawing of the Sea Dragons that appear in both books.
Getting Off Meth
Someone recently told a friend of mine a story of how God changed his life. He was addicted to meth. Several years into using it every day, he gave his life to Christ. But he continued to struggled with it for years. One night, while wrestling with God about it, he realized that had really just been playing around with the issue. He had never truly surrendered it to God. He believed with all his heart that God could free him. He said that in three minutes, with that simple choice of faith, he was free from something that some struggle with for months to be free from. What struck me deeply as I heard the story is that we all have issues of the flesh, lesser issues of addiction. Those things with which we struggle with for years and about which we pray for help from God. I have come to believe that those issues are not habits with which to wrestle with, they are habits to kill by surrender and faith. So I observed my own to identify where to begin. What weaknesses of my flesh do I flop around with, thinking I am fighting some kind of battle? When in fact, I am simply failing to surrender that area of my life to God in faith that he can empower me to live in obedience?
lala.com
I love listening to music. When I am looking for new music, the thirty second samples I usually find are insufficient to really get a feel for whole songs and albums. That is why I think Pandora is a great place to listen to music. It will play music that fits the sound of a genre, artist, or even a song. It is a great way to discover new music that fits what I am enjoy most. The limitation of Pandora is that it usually won't play the specific artist, album, or song you may want to consider purchasing. So when you want to listen to all the best songs of a particular artist or the complete songs of an entire album, go to lala.com. Love it! The only catch (and there always should be so that artists receive proper compensation for their work) is that you can only listen to complete songs one time, then you only get the thirty second sample. Today, I am enjoying listening to all the best songs of Nickel Creek and adding them to my iTunes wish list to purchase sometime.
"Rise Up, O Men of God"
I heard the hymn "Rise Up, O Men of God" this morning. I have always been stirred by its lyrics, especially the first stanza. God is working powerfully in my life these days calling me to "Have done with lesser things."
Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things. Give heart and mind and soul and strength To serve the King of kings.
Rise up, O men of God! The kingdom tarries long. Bring in the day of brotherhood And end the night of wrong.
Rise up, O men of God! The church for you doth wait, Her strength unequal to her task; Rise up and make her great!
Lift high the cross of Christ! Tread where His feet have trod. As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up, O men of God!