John Eldredge and “Waking the Dead”

I read this book for the first time, about 5 or 6 years ago, since then I’ve re-read it 3 times and I’ll likely read it several more times in my life. This book was revolutionary for me, the first time I read it, I had to stop every paragraph or two because I was crying. Lies that I didn’t know I was laboring under the belief of, were exposed and broken.

In spite of all the good that was poured into my life, I was in bondage to a lot of lies, the biggest one being the belief that I was not redeemable, that I was an “apostate” and somehow God couldn’t reach me. I still did the christian thing but was secretly convinced that I was a lost cause. These lies came, at least partly, out of years of struggle against my love for things dubbed “evil” by many of the church people I associated with. Things like the Star Wars movies,  the music of Sarah Brightman and Bon Jovi, Tolkien, etc. I tried over and over to kill my love for these things but to no avail, finally concluding that if I couldn’t stop loving “evil” then I must be “evil” myself. Reading “Waking the Dead” was like having the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. The dark cloud I had lived under for so many years was gone and I could see the Son.

Parents, Wisdom Searches and Homeschooling

One of the biggest things I’m thankful for are my godly parents and their courage to go against the status quo in how they raised us. I am the oldest of 8 children in a Christian homeschool family. Though my parents aren’t perfect and didn’t raise perfect children, they always tried to do what was best for us, and what God was leading them to do, whether it was popular or not.

We had family Bible reading and prayer every morning, they were called “Wisdom Searches,” we read through the Psalms and Proverbs systematically every month.

We memorized Scripture, chapters at a time, and although I can’t necessarily quote it all now, I still remember the essence of it.

We always went to church, churches that taught the Bible. If a church strayed from the truth or if we had simply outgrown a church, my parents promptly found another church.

All of these things have provided a solid foundation for my life, the rock, Jesus Christ. It is now my mission and responsibility to continue to build on this foundation and carry the legacy forward into the next generation.

Thank you Mama and “Deddy” for your faithfulness to Christ!

2010 in Review

Well, this year has come to an end and a fresh new year is right around the corner. Some people look forward to the new year and some people dread it. Some are glad to be out of a “bad” year and hope that the next year will be better, while others fear that the new year will probably be worse. As a Christian, and therefore a child of the King of kings, both of these attitudes seem to disparage and distrust the kindness of our Father and King. While there have been difficulties and trials this year, they have been overcome and have worked for my good. I trust the hand that directs all things, I know He is working for my best. With that in mind I can bid a fond farewell to 2010 and welcome 2011 with open arms.