Finished! And Moving On…

  As you may have known, my “Pre-New Year’s Resolutions” were to finish reading two books before classes started back on 1/9. I am so proud to say that I finished last night! Here are my very amateur reviews of them…

I finished The Shack by William Paul Young first. I absolutely loved Young’s use of language in this book. It made me feel like I was intertwined with the characters and were seeing what they saw. While I still have many questions about the book, it really does challenge the “in-the-box” relationship one might have with God. I identified with the way Young described those who “make time” for God instead of letting him live in and through you. I hope to read it again and try to break it down more.

I turned the final pages of Tricia Goyer’s From Dust and Ashes last night. I was surprised at how much I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I have never been much of a history buff. But there I was, at the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp, crying the same tears as the main character, and feeling the same love of God that Tricia described. I felt convicted as Helene struggled with waiting on the Lord, because I, too, struggle with making hasty decisions without His involvement. I even picked up my Bible right after I finished the book to look up some verses mentioned in the book. I would definitely encourage others to read this!

I so enjoyed my time with the previous books that I have ordered 3 more: A Promise to Believe In by Tracie Peterson, A Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer, and Guys Like Girls Named Jennie by Kerri Pomarolli.  I am looking forward to journeying through those.

What did you think of the two books I just finished? Let me know!

-Brittany

Resolutions BEFORE the New Year

I have decided I want to accomplish some things before the beginning of the new year. Odd, I know, since many people put everything they want/need to do off until they can make them “New Year’s Resolutions.” Well, I have some time off from school while still working my lovely internship here at Abunga.com, and I want to get some stuff done. Here are my goals:

1. Finish The Shack by William Paul Young

2. Finish From Dust and Ashes by Tricia Goyer

3. Start a prayer journal- and commit to it.

The first two are mentioned in my previous blog. The reason that I want to start the prayer journal is because I feel like there are so many things I want to talk to God about, but I seem to lose track of them all. Sometimes I will write them down, but they are usually scattered in different places. And I also feel that if I log each into this journal that I’ll be more committed to praying about them and praying more. Here’s my plan for the journal. First, I have actually already got the notebook, with five subject dividers. I am going to divide the sections by the area in my life. For example, I was thinking of having sections for “Personal,” “Professional,” “Friends,” “Church,” and “Miscellaneous.”

I am going to enter my prayer requests as the arise and check off those that I feel have been “answered.” I know that sometimes He answers them, but I just don’t realize it! We have a prayer list in our church bulletin, so I plan on adding those, too. I also want to add prayers for people who ask me to pray for them, so let me know!

What do I hope to accomplish from this? I want to develop a closer, more meaningful relationship with the Lord. I feel that by having these documented entries and seeing God move through them will help me with my “commitment issues.” Of course, I know that all of this may not be attained by January 1, but I at least want to get it started!

Have any helpful tips for me? Let me know!

-Brittany

Books On My Desk

So I’ve finally decided to see what the buzz is all about. As I’m sure you know, we did an author chat with William Paul Young in October. We had the biggest turnout ever! That really intrigued me, but it wasn’t until receiving The Shack as a lovely gift from my boss that I finally decided to dig into it. I’m only a few chapters in, but I already like Young’s use of descriptive language. I enjoy feeling as though I’m in the book right along with the characters. I’m looking forward to finishing it up, and I’ll probably be back with my own recap for it.

 

 

I was also very intrigued by Tricia Goyer’s author chat from 12/3/08. I decided to order what seems to be one of her most beloved books, From Dust and Ashes. I’m only a few pages into it, but I am already impressed by the reviews from WWII veterans she interviewed. It seems like she really did her homework, and I’m looking forward to digging deeper into it.

 

 

 

My goal is to finish both of these books before returning to classes on 1/9/09. Help hold me accountable! Do you have any comments on either of these books? Let me know!

-Brittany

Cocomotion=Yummy

I used to love hot chocolate so much when I was younger that when I would go visit my aunt on Sundays that she would always have a selection to choose from when I arrived. So we would go through the mundane routine of boiling the water, putting the cocoa mix in a cup, and combining it together. One Christmas, my aunt gave me the best Christmas present I had ever gotten: Cocomotion! For hot chocolate lovers, this item will save you much time and energy. Cocomotion has this magnetic spinner in the bottom center that allows it to swirl your hot chocolate mixture. All you have to do is add your water or milk and the cocoa mix. It mixes it and heats it up for you! Cocomotion is shaped like a pitcher to where you can pour it directly from the machine. It is so great, that you can make enough for just yourself or for a house full. Abunga even has books with great hot chocolate recipes.

While I only use Cocomotion for hot chocolate, there are apparently several uses for it. When I did a recipe search, I found that people have used it for coffee, lattes, and chai. Many have even replaced their expensive coffee drinks with their Cocomotion creations! Trust me; once you’ve had a taste of what Cocomotion can do, you’ll never go back!

Got any cool recipes for Cocomotion or some other similar gadgets? Let me know!

-Brittany

Giving wonder this Christmas – great books for children

I asked my friend Andrew McDonald who happens to be the most innovative teacher I know, e.g. I Skyped into his class to do some Q&A with his students see his site here. He’s a 3rd grade teacher and I asked if he’d be willing to share a few good books he’d recommend for his students with us. He shared a couple books below, with some quotes from his students.  Enjoy!

- Gavin

Christmas traditions are a wonderful way to add enjoyment for families over this upcoming season. Reading awesome books together is a way to capture excitement and give wonder to children of all ages. Even parents and grand parents can remember what is was like to be a child in December through reading a well chosen story. Here are some books that could help jump-start some family traditions of your own!

Teacher’s pick: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

This author gives an amazing amount of imagination through gorgeous illustrations and key words. This is a great story to help children think about what they believe as they read about a young boy who is skeptical about Christmas spirit.

“It is magical and it really brings out the spirit of Christmas.” Connor

“A boy goes on an adventure to the North Pole.” Emilie

“It reminds me of how much I like traveling on trains.” Amera

Students’ pick: Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight? by Jerry Pallotta and David Biedrzycki

This story changes the well known power of Santa’s sleigh (Reindeer) to explore different creatures that could pull a sleigh.

“I love dolphins and I love Christmas and it is interesting that the author changes the reindeer.” -Destiny

Chapter Books: The Christmas Toy Factory by Geronimo Stilton

If you love colorful words, fantastic adjectives, and action that you can laugh through from the beginning to end then this is your book. With illustrations and creatively written words throughout this story takes on an adventure with Geronimo, a mouse who is a journalist.

Books on My Desk: Strengths Finder 2.0

Last year for my birthday I received the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath from a friend. Leave it to me to crack it open only 9 months later. Despite my procrastination, I am thoroughly enjoying this read. Unlike many books I have read, Strengths Finder is very interactive, and you feel like you are participating in the content. You start by reading the introduction which gives you the history of the study of strengths in which Tom Rath has been involved. The major question that seems to have began this study is, “At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday.” After a survey that showed about 2/3 of over 10 million people worldwide either “strongly disagree” or “disagree” with this statement, the team of Gallup scientists decided that this needed to change.

Rath then prepares you for what you will do after you take an online assessment, which consists of over 150 questions. From 34 “Themes and Ideas for Actions,” you are assigned your top 5. Rath calls these “talents” not strengths, because he feels that you cultivate these talents into strengths. Here are my 5 top talents:

1. Empathy
2. Communication
3. Strategic
4. Woo
5. Futuristic

After receiving this feedback, you return to the book to read the descriptions of each theme. Rath even gives you suggestions on how to make this talent a strength. For example, here is one idea for action in Communication: “You will always to do well in roles that require you to capture people’s attention. Think about a career in teaching, sales, marketing, ministry, or the media. Your Communication talents are likely to flourish in those areas.” There are also suggestions on how to work with others who have the same talent(s).

I haven’t gotten through reading about all of my talents yet, but this book has already inspired me to concentrate more on my strengths than on my weaknesses. Hopefully, after completing the book and trying out some of the ideas for actions, I will have a new outlook on work, school, and home. I’ll let you know!

Have you taken the assessment? What were your top 5?

-Brittany

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Did you know that November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month (NADAM) and National Family Caregiver Month? I found a great blog from ConsumerTreehouse that tells about some great resources being provided to caregivers for the month. They also give some information about NADAM, which was launched by President Reagan in 1983. Reagan himself actually had the disease. Take a look at the blog for some more great information!

Abunga.com also has some Alzheimer’s nonprofits that you can donate to at the end of your purchase. Check them out!

Do you have any inspiring stories about Alzheimer’s or a family caregiver? Let me know!

-Brittany

Not Religious, Inc.

As many of you probably saw, we had Dave Schmelzer, author of Not the Religious Type: Confessions of a Turncoat Atheist, on for our author chat this week. Going along with his book, Dave has started a non-profit organization, Not Religious Inc., which also happens to be one of our FANs (Favored Abunga Nonprofits). The mission of this organization is to help foster a different sort of conversation about faith and God that could involve both longtime churchgoers and longtime secularists—two groups that have historically been at odds, but who have found a surprisingly productive experience together in some of America’s most secular settings.

In my opinion, Dave is trying to break through the traditions of religion so that Christians can develop a closer, more meaningful relationship with God. Dave also has the opportunity to reach some other segments that some of us can’t because of his own experiences.

Dave’s chat transcript will be posted by 10/31. Take a look at his advice and views. Don’t forget that when you make a purchase at Abunga.com, you choose a non-profit organization to which Abunga donates 5% of your purchase. Maybe Not Religious Inc. will become your designated non-profit!

Do you have any comments about Dave’s chat? Let me know!

-Brittany

A Morning in the Life of an Aunt

This past Sunday, I was innocently pulling up to my sister’s house to meet her and my other sister before we went to their church, Faith Promise (which happens to be one of our FANs!). I casually walked up to the door and rang the doorbell… and that’s when it started. “IT’S BRITTANY!” I hear screech from the window. “BRITTANY!” I hear screams from the door as it opens. And madness ensues. The two older nephew and niece are running around, hurting each other. The twenty-month-old is running around in a t-shirt and no diaper. He insists on grabbing my keys out of my hand and yelling, “KEYS!” the whole morning. Lastly, my four-month-old nephew lays on the couch, kicking away and not yet dressed. My sister informs me that it is my job to dress him so she can get ready for church. So I become Mommy for about 30 minutes, breaking up fights, wiping off tears, and snuggling.

I am the only sibling in my family who has not reproduced. Luckily for me, I get to take them, load them up with sugar, and give them back. I have a deep respect for my sisters and brother. Everyday, the lives of their precious children are in their hands, and I watch the children flourish as a result. I love being Aunt Brittany. I look forward to learning from them, and in about 10 years, having children of my own. But unlike them, I’ll probably have to read a lot of parenting books! Though I love my niece and nephews, I’ll just settle on giving them back for now.

Do you have any crazy family stories? Leave a comment, and let me know!

-Brittany