tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-305813602024-03-06T21:53:42.089-06:00Terribly InterestingCreating a Home Among the HomelessSteph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.comBlogger1308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-37324500551499306252022-10-02T21:56:00.002-05:002022-10-02T22:06:42.678-05:00Miscarriage | Infertility | HopeI encountered Jesus as a young child in a church pew in the balcony of an old country church. Through a lifetime of trial, I knew he was there. I did not always know or understand what he wanted of me, but I knew I was wanted. We could go through all of the pain and abuse of my life and unpack each tiny detail, but that is not what this is really about. I love what Frederick Buechner said, “Pain Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-35011427031863151442021-05-26T15:04:00.000-05:002021-05-26T15:04:02.012-05:00Read My StoryMy story involves 6 miscarried babies (with a set of twins I went into early labor with to bury), 4 failed adoptions, 3 sibling deaths, abuse, infertility, and loads of trauma. Jesus took it all and made the things that should bring death usher in healing. My dear friend Emily took my story and placed it in the pages of her book. If you are struggling today, you’re not alone. Raising children is Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-69590055304985565562020-08-20T12:35:00.003-05:002020-08-20T12:35:48.947-05:00Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins
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Several years ago I sat in a small auditorium in OKC learning how to bring reconciliation among classes and races. We learned to bring healing by giving place to people who have no place. We alleviate pain by offering a spot in our very lives. There were and are so many things I will never be able to wrap my mind Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-725699907240772602020-08-08T15:36:00.002-05:002020-08-08T15:37:11.538-05:00We Carry Kevan by Kevan Chandler
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I might just love Kevan now. I did not have a single clue what this was about besides these guys carrying a man in a backpack across Europe. Upon opening the book, I saw that the forward was written by one of my favorite authors, Andrew Peterson. He had carried Kevan around the Warren and become a mentor to him.&Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-22578391688463902092020-08-03T11:05:00.001-05:002020-08-03T11:05:42.833-05:00The Story Garden: Playhouse Remodel
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One of my mom goals has been to create spaces that spark the imagination for my children. I used to only read theology books, but I came across a quote years ago that opened up my thinking. I can't tell it to you verbatim or who said it. The gist of it is that imagination is what helps us conceive of heaven and all of Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-52978846979031866512020-07-27T11:41:00.002-05:002020-07-27T11:41:26.056-05:00The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
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I picked up this book at an estate sale. Take all you want she said. I’ve been thinking about this woman who owned this book. I’ve wondered about her life. I’ve wondered about her family and I whispered a little prayer for them. She had a lovely settee and a popcorn ceiling and two mink coats. Apparently I own one nowSteph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-8473925275787306922020-07-17T14:36:00.000-05:002020-07-17T14:36:04.914-05:00The Crushing Depths by Dani Pettrey
The Crushing Depths by Dani Pettrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Crushing Depths is a murder mystery set in the deep blue sea. It was a compelling story about a Coast Guard Investigation into a death on an oil rig. Many sub plots developed and more crimes needed to be solved. A helicopter crash into the ocean at night started this book off and kept me from sleeping. There was a lot of drama Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-38354533562514967022020-07-11T14:16:00.002-05:002020-07-11T14:18:28.811-05:00Stand All the Way Up by Sophie Hudson
Stand All the Way Up: Stories of Staying In It When You Want to Burn It All Down by Sophie Hudson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Sophie has a calm, direct way of speaking that is nurturing to me. She tells stories that are lessons, but you would never know it. I read her book shortly after my brother died and the portion on her grief and losing her mama got me. Her humor always lifts my soul. The Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-33027281328999710462020-07-06T11:22:00.000-05:002020-07-06T11:26:26.719-05:00Prayer of Agur by Jay Payleitner
I read a book. I realize I have shocked you all. This particular book landed in my lap at an opportune time and seemed to fall right in line with every other book God has been using to talk me through grief lately. It fell right in line with the last 5 books I have read over the past month. This is not a shout out type of book review. This is how I saw the Lord speaking to me through another Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-86029168751895483192020-06-23T12:46:00.001-05:002020-06-24T11:24:07.841-05:00Reading, Restoration, and Grief
There are stages of grief. I think I may be in them all simultaneously. Denbigh pointed out that we have lost 18 people in our family in 17 years of marriage. That seems unfathomable and could account for why I feel like I have been run over by a truck. It's been a hard road. Sometimes grief is a deep loss of a person. Sometimes it is the aftershocks of the mess a person caused with what Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-23231370078006462882020-06-02T12:28:00.001-05:002020-06-02T12:40:26.634-05:00The Neglected C.S. Lewis by Mark Neal & Jerry Root
The Neglected C.S. Lewis: Exploring the Riches of His Most Overlooked Books by Mark Neal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is one of those books that you read and feel like you have a mountain of homework in order to understand everything in it. Outside of Lewis' fiction and apologetic work, he has mounds of works that are largely overlooked. He is a man full of thoughtful opinions about the works Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-56447596039163025602020-05-12T12:45:00.002-05:002020-05-12T12:45:30.825-05:00The German Heiress
The German Heiress by Anika Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an interesting and different view of WW2 from the vantage point of the German business owners and citizens who were threatened to comply with Hitler’s army.
I had a bit of trouble getting going with this story. I’m not sure if I didn’t like what was happening or if the beginning didn’t flow to me. After I paced my way Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-66886889946452456012020-04-22T13:12:00.000-05:002020-04-22T14:28:04.941-05:00A Holy Hush : Silence is Healing
It's a gray day here. Gray days cause a quiet hush to fall on the land. They feel like tears. They aren't sad tears per se. I call them tears of presence. When a time of quiet comes and I can hear the gentle voice of the Lord, my eyes tend to water. It's a washing away of sorts. That meek and wild voice of God destroys old things and propagates new ones simply by speaking. Even though the exactSteph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-17116162089324533612020-04-19T11:28:00.002-05:002020-04-19T11:47:26.157-05:00The Simple Folk
I have been wanting to go to Bob Goff's Dream Big seminar for years, but the $3500 price tag was a huge deterrent to me. When I saw that he was opening up an online version for $200 during our quarantine, I immediately purchased it. I have to tell you that I am so glad I did it this way.
He tells you that if you go through the questions too quickly to do them again becauseSteph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-29364305731257590182020-04-08T10:43:00.000-05:002020-04-08T10:43:21.080-05:00Grief is a Gift
On Friday I was on a ladder scraping paint off the back of our house. The rain started coming down, but I was tucked under the eaves so I stayed a few more minutes. I stood there thinking about all of the musicians that had died recently. We lost Kenny Rogers, Joe Diffie, and Bill Withers. As I was thinking of them, as loud as a person can hear internal words, I heard these words, "Grief Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-10244855064626277552020-04-07T15:47:00.001-05:002020-04-07T15:47:04.619-05:00The Engineer's Wife is Fascinating!
The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a completely fascinating story of the woman who stepped up to build the Brooklyn Bridge when her father-in-law was killed and her husband took ill. I cannot remember having heard this story and the extraordinary lengths that Emily Roebling went to in order to see this vision to completion. In a day in time when women didSteph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-39734864201275051242020-04-07T15:12:00.001-05:002020-04-07T15:21:26.321-05:00Human(kind) Inspires Kindness
Human(kind): How Reclaiming Human Worth and Embracing Radical Kindness Will Bring Us Back Together by Ashlee Eiland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love kindness. The concept behind this book is to showcase kindness and lack thereof in a memoir, short story style. She shows us how racism has effected her personally. Her style is Melanie Shankle meets LaTasha Morrison. Her stories of her kind Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-52021454993094800812020-03-27T17:14:00.000-05:002020-03-27T17:14:23.715-05:00I'm Steph. I Strip Paint, Write Words, and Read Books
Hey y'all, I've been stripping paint for about 5 or 6 hours a day. I am about halfway through the back of the house. It's quite a challenge. It's a huge mess. It's a huge mess! I'm hoping to finish scraping by the end of next week so that we can open the pool. We need to change out the liner after a beloved guest accidentally ripped it.
How are y'all doing at social isolating? I read a Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-48039790850668747662020-03-20T11:20:00.000-05:002020-03-20T11:20:21.756-05:00I read Joy at Work by Marie Kondo
This may be my favorite of Marie Kondo's books. It may be because it met me right where I am at or the fact that it goes far beyond the act of tidying. Marie quietly leads us to not only honor ourselves and our spaces, but also how to honor others. Instead of going into work with cluttered hearts and minds, we can bring clear thoughts, and even, you guessed it, joy.
I appreciate Marie. Her Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-49578311821192981062020-03-18T11:24:00.001-05:002020-03-18T11:24:17.701-05:00Home Makeover: Social Distancing Edition
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Painter’s Quarantine: Day 2 This place is big! I am scraping and painting. I ordered a new tool to help strip the paint safely ($500!). It will be here Monday. I have no idea how I’m going to get up high, but I’m going to try. There’s a third floor up there as well that can’t be seen in the photo. Send painting Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-8917991313860197502020-02-29T14:15:00.001-06:002020-03-04T17:33:28.377-06:00Y’all. Read Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen
I feel like I walked this journey right along with Jennie. The enemy loves to pound the inside of my head until I can’t think straight anymore. I wasn’t sure that this was going to be a book I could enjoy. I wonder every time I pick up a Christian book if it is going to be full of nice Christian words or if it is going to tell me how to trust Jesus to fight back hell for me. I much prefer to Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-70875691003285787742020-02-07T11:50:00.001-06:002020-02-07T11:50:15.386-06:00I read Isaiah’s Legacy by Mesu AndrewsIsaiah's Legacy by Mesu Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The story of Manasseh has always gotten to me. How could a man raised in Hezekiah's household and tutored by the prophet Isaiah turn so far into evil? Reading this made think of the ways the enemy has turned my own head as well as the heads of those I loved. We live in a day of sacrificing babies, a culture bent of worshipping sexuality andSteph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-15300891453209685832020-01-27T12:44:00.002-06:002020-01-27T12:44:40.890-06:00Holocaust Remembrance: Books Create EmpathyWe must teach others empathy for all humanity.
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I read The Diary of a Young Girl and the Hiding Place in eighth grade. I can vividly recall the shock I felt sitting in my desk as our class read the books aloud. I had seen much of the underbelly of humanity at that age, but it was still so shocking. In fact, I am Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-71692177588361995782020-01-13T19:05:00.002-06:002020-01-15T16:19:52.245-06:00I’ve Seen the End of You by W. Lee Warren, MD
I've Seen the End of You: A Neurosurgeon's Look at Faith, Doubt, and the Things We Think We Know by W. Lee Warren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I thought this book was going to be more about diseases of the brain. I thought it could help me to understand things going on within the minds of my family members. What I found was something I could barely put down. This is a book about a neurosurgeon Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30581360.post-48755071000689206242020-01-07T00:26:00.000-06:002020-01-07T00:26:07.828-06:00You’re Not Listening by Kate Murphy
A few months back I was sitting in a room attempting to share something deeply personal. The people there started discussing it amongst themselves and formulating opinions out loud about it. No one asked me any questions or dialogued with me about it in any way. My sharing felt completely pointless.
That evening I came home to the first 55 pages of this book in my inbox Steph Cherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15756642169218934097noreply@blogger.com0