Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan

Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan Special Edition

150 Christmas, Easter, and All-Time Favorite Hymn Stories

The concept of this book is so simple, yet so engaging. Print the hymn, words and music, then tell the story of how the author came to write the hymn. Brilliant!!

It is fascinating and enlightening. First of all, I love that the music is included, and is the biggest reason why I chose this book. However, the pleasant surprise was that every hymn also includes a scripture reference.

The stories are truly inspiring and certainly put a new light on the hymn. For example, the author of The Old Rugged Cross spoke of when he was writing the hymn “It was like seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form, and act out the meaning of redemption.” I will now always look at this hymn with a deeper understanding of its intent.  And for me that is the common theme of the book.  Each hymn I study from this book increases the beauty of the words to hymns I already love!

I was also fascinated by the story of The Star Spangled Banner. First I was shocked to see it included in a book about hymns. Then to read the last stanza, including this line: Then conquer we must when our cause is just. And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.” It is unfortunate that this is not a common part of the national anthem to a country that was founded on Christian values.

If I had one complaint, it would be that I am not overly fond of the torn page edges. I cannot thumb through the book easily which is slightly annoying. Other than that little issue, it has blessed my worship time tremendously so I have to give it top rating!


Disclosure: Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

Love on a Dime – A Ladies of Summerhill Novel by Cara Lynn James

This is a fictional story set in 1899 and is about a young woman who is secretly writing popular novels. Certainly not anything like the type of historical romance I have read before. You know the trashy mind-numbing kind - well this is not one of those. Instead it is a book with a main character that feels that God has called her to write these novels that are different because they have a Christian message and she donates all the proceeds to a Christian mission. Meanwhile the man she does not want to be in love with has purchased the company that publishes her books and the threat of her secret being exposed is greater than ever.


The story itself is interesting and it is easy to get caught up in the character’s passion for writing while trying desperately to keep her secret because it will ruin her family’s reputation. This author’s writing style was refreshing in that she used faith and prayer throughout the book and that all of the decisions of the main character were centered on God’s plan for her. The storyline I appreciated the most was the dilemma of who she should marry and that she made the decision based on whose faith was more compatible with hers.

I was not disappointed with this book but didn’t find it to be a dramatic page turner. It was nice light reading and perfect book to have while I was in the airport and on the plane.




Disclosure: Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

why am I always catching up?

So here I am again, months have passed and I have not posted a single thing on my blog....sigh....maybe someday I will get it together.  Any suggestions?  Prayers for me getting it together are also appreciated!!

Anyway, I did find some time while flying to read the book I was supposed review months ago and so I am just now posting that review.  Hopefully I can get back into reading more books and also get back to blogging my bible studies and blogging in general!

catching up...

I am so far behind!!! We had two weeks of swimming lessons then a week of VBS where I was the games leader, this was followed by a week of sniffles and trying to catch up at the house. In addition to that I received a homeschool catalog in the mail and got very distracted in researching kindergarten curriculums. Unfortunately for anyone who reads this blog (and I am not sure that there are more than 2 or 3 who do) the first thing that always seems to not get done is blogging :( I did complete the homework, I just have not blogged about it. I simply have to go back through my notes for week 4 and 5 to make the posts, and then will backdate the entries until I catch up. Can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Daniel Week 5 - Day 1

Belshazar, Fact or Fiction

Today's homework revealed one of those mysteries that I love to hear about.  A portion of Bible history that was eventually confirmed by world history.

King Nebuchadnezzar (I hope that is the last time I have to type that name - sheesh) has long been gone and the current king is named Belshazzar.  Not to be confused with the name given to Daniel which was Beltashazzar.

According to the Bible, Belshazzar was the last king of Babylon.  However, according to other historic records a man named Nabonidus as the final Babylonian ruler.  For centuries this was considered one of the inconsistencies of the Bible, causing many to believe that it was a fictional story.

But wait!  How cool is this which I will quote from the homework, "Behold the words of researchers since the late nineteenth century: "abundant evidence has come to light that demonstrates not only that Belshazzar did live but that he was both the son of and co-regent with Nabonius."  And this also explains why Belshazzar offered the third position to Daniel.  Nabonius was first and Belshazzar was second.

Daniel 5:7 "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."

The Bible is true, complete, and all of it can be taken literally.  Yes, including creation which by the way is so much fun to study with preschoolers!  We are on Day 3 right now and I have beans sprouting on my window sill to show them how God first provided light, then He made dry land and water, then seeds and plants.  It is so cool to see them understand how God gave seeds to put in the ground, and light and water to nourish the seeds to grow.

God reveals answers to Biblical mysteries in His time and for His purposes.  I personally can hardly wait until He reveals the location of Noah's Ark or the Ark of the Covenant containing the 10 Commandments!

Daniel Session 5

The Handwriting on the Wall

Daniel 5:30-31 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain,  and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Prophecy is being fulfilled!  Babylon falls to the Medes.
 
But what caused the handwriting on the wall?  What was the king doing that caused such a response from God?
 
Daniel 5;3-4 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

During their great banquet they started to drink from the gold goblets taken from God's temple.  The NLT states that they then began to drink "toasts" to the various gods of their culture.  They treated the holy as unholy.  The goblets were holy objects from the tabernacle, everything in the Tabernacle was holy.
 
Leviticus 8:10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the Tabernacle and everything in it, thus making them holy.
 
 
This can be applied to us as well, because we are considered holy...
 
Ephesians 1:4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
 
What the king did with the goblets is exactly what Satan wants to do with us.  Treat the holy as unholy.  We of course are holy, but he can make us think we are unholy.  He will do everything he can to convince us we are defiled and that there is nothing sacred about us.  It pleases him when he finds something in us that he can draw us to by toasting to it and making us think we are unholy.  But this is just so not true! We are holy!  Nothing can change that fact.  Isn't that simply mind-boggling!  Nothing Satan can do will change it, we simply need to believe in what God tells us so we can stand firm against the enemy.
 
1Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Daniel Week 4 - Day 5

Break Off

Another look at Verse 27

Daniel 4: 27 `O King Nebuchadnezzar, please listen to me. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past by being merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.'

 The NKJV uses the phrase "break off".  There are things in our lives that we simply have to break free from or make a clean break from.  The homework said this "Some things - substances, activities, relationships - are so toxic to us that moderation won't work... Some things don't need to be cut back. They need to be cut off."

If you have struggled with alcohol or drug addiction, "just one" may be impossible.  If you have someone in your life that is destructive to you, you may have to use "Tough Love" and cut them out of your life - completely!  If there are things in your life that are keeping you from increasing your faith or getting closer to God - cut them out, break free!