Terribly Interesting

I’m sitting in my church late at night because I’m sleeping here with my favorite homeless ministry, Family Promise. I brought along my classic to read for 2018. I am trading in La Mancha for Baker Street. As Don Quixote and Sancho Panza ride into the sunset, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson appear on the scene. I’m reading A Treasury of Sherlock Holmes compiled by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s son, Adrian Conan Doyle. I learned so much simply by reading the introduction. It is said that by reading one book a year that you are among the world’s most educated. What will you be reading in 2018? #drwatsonipresume #books #bookstagram #bookworm #drwatson #sherlockholmes #classicliterature #volunteer #familypromise #rocks A post shared by Stephanie Cherry (@heystephcherry) on Jan 2, 2018 at 9:24pm PST In January of this year, I picked a classic out of a set my dad bought us when I was a little girl. I had never read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Let me just say that I was capti...

If you have ever wanted to know more about the Maccabees, this is a fascinating read. This story occurred during the silent years between Malachi and Matthew.  In the narrative of I, after  Antiochus  IV issued his decrees forbidding  Jewish   religious practice, a rural  Jewish  priest from Modiin,  sparked the revolt with rebel Jewish warriors against the Seleucid Empire by refusing to worship the Greek gods.  I remember the first time I heard this story and I can see now that it was quite slanted. AS I read the story and studied the history, some things had been omitted and some details had been added. For instance, I had no idea how brutal these Jewish warriors were. They were beheading people and slaughtering people who oppressed Jewish worshippers. I had no idea how many battles this revolt entailed and how gruesome they were. The small Jewish army defeated large opposing forces with superior weapons repeatedly. The Jewish fe...

I have been homeschooling for ten years so I wasn't expecting to find much new information when I began reading this book. Thankfully, the thing I have learned in homeschool is to always be learning and willing to learn. Often we need to hear old things in a new way again. That is what Erin's book did for me. From teaching philosophy, to socialization, to the very heart of why we do this, I was encouraged. She breathed new life into an old game. I think everyone should read this. It's full of wonderful ways to facilitate learning and the true end goals of education. It would be great for an educator as well as a prospective homeschooler. Truly the objective is to instill a love of learning. Erin's book is beautifully thought out and backed up with research. If you are a beginning homeschooler or needing a boon in your spirit to press on, pick up this book. I personally highlighted about fifty sections. I thought I would share a few.  9 Publisher Desc...

Many of us feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped to deal with our personal finances. We wonder if we will ever experience financial freedom. We want to make wise decisions and spend money on what matters, but we just don’t know how. Financial advisor Emily G. Stroud is a mom, businesswoman, and entrepreneur. She has two decades of experience with helping people make smart choices about money. She knows that money can be one of the great causes of stress in life—but that it doesn’t have to be that way. Finances, in fact, can be a great source of joy, security, and hope. In  Faithful Finance,  Emily comes alongside you to: Develop a savings plan based on your unique goals Make a monthly budget that actually works for you Reduce your overall debt burden Plan for your children’s college years Insure your life without fear Leave a legacy through estate planning Encourage you to give generously And most importantly, discover the source of true wealth Prese...

Make Your Voice Heard in Heaven: How to Pray with Power by Barry C. Black My rating: 5 of 5 stars Dr. Black always inspires my heart. He has this calm, trusting way about his words that inspire your heart to act on God’s word. He is a man that knows God’s truth is true. His latest book, inspired by his speech from the National Prayer Breakfast, does not fail. From reminding us that we are a people to be praying for each other to reminding us to be intimate, quiet listeners before the Lord, Dr. Black stirs the coals of faith to flame. I was challenged countless times to change and reinvigorate how I pray. The section on cultivating reverential awe spoke deeply to me. Help me think more of you, Jesus. There were many points on types of effective ways to pray. My main takeaways were about personal repentance and how we are meant to be more of an us in prayer. Read all of his books. You won’t be disappointed. “When I was younger, I heard someone in church remind us that, in...

Lois' new book is out today! I cannot encourage you to read it enough. Every one of her books has changed my ideology about what Scripture is  conveying to us. There is much more there than meets the eye. I can't encourage you to read it enough. You will be encouraged to love God more. Your perspective of what God is doing around you will be shifted into something beautiful.  I have known that the Hebrew culture has long been more of a "we" culture than a "me" one. Lois helped me see the depth of all of that. I loved how she said that Southerners had gotten this concept right with being a "y'all" society.  Her explanation of the word love being an action one took instead of an emotion that we respond to helped explain many scriptures. We actively love our neighbor and our enemy even when we do not feel loving. Our Westernized culture has made love about me and my feelings. Love is an outward response to the inward call of God. I don...

You might find it strange that I would have picked this book up because I do not have any adult children. I decided to read it for two reasons.  1. What people say is true. It goes so fast. My kids will be adults in the blink of an eye. Why not go ahead and prepare my heart and head to help them fly on their own and support them as best as I can? 2. Sometimes aging parents can feel like adult children and I need all of the prayer help I can get to support them to the best of my ability. I am truly glad that I picked the book up. It handles a wide range of topics such as blessing & releasing, prayer for spouse, through divorce, a job, health & mental health, prodigal children, and addiction.  It is a rich encouragement reminding me to daily take my cares for those I love straight to Jesus. I wish I could buy a copy for all of my friends with adult children. Buy it. You'll be blessed. So will your kids. Affiliate links are an easy way to support ...