Episode 168 - A Christmas Carol

What caused the miser, Scrooge, to choose his path?

Was it his absence from home or his father’s wrath?

He chose his master passion, Gain- over his intended, Belle, 

She released him with a heart full of love for the man she once knew so well.

He grew self-absorbed, uncaring, and oh so tight,

He might never have changed without his visitors each night.

The ghost of Christmas Past taught a reluctant Scrooge a thing or two,

To the  second shade  he was much more open to learning something new. 

“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all and infinitely more.”

This little book hits everyone at their core.

Thank you for sharing your day with Sheila and Kate and Dickens too,

We wish a very Merry Christmas to each one of you!

The Man Who Invented Christmas is the movie whose title escaped us,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B077MFZMB3/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Please join Kate and Sheila as they continue discussing Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl. 

Part 2 recaps how God encompasses all the kinds of men mentioned in part 1:

 Mr. Command, Mr. Visionary, and Mr. Steady.

We learn that our reactions define us because they are not premeditated so they show what is in our hearts. Luke 6:45…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 

2 Cor.10 says to bring every thought into obedience of Christ. 

“Eve was deceived, she was supposed to be Adam’s helper but she helped herself to spiritual knowledge and acted independently, becoming his downfall instead of his help meet.”

Jezebel and Ruth are two very different women, one lived for self and the other was a beautiful example of a woman with a thankful submissive attitude. Which one would you want to have coffee with?

Being a godly wife is not contingent on your husband being godly, he might be a super jerk but enduring abusive words should not leave one feeling abused when living in the love of God. Women must gain their self-image from what God thinks of them instead of what their husbands might say in selfishness and anger.

Titus 2:3-5 gives eight things God requires of women. We covered:

make wise decisions. Think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, a teenage girl clinging to the back of a bouncing donkey, contractions pulling at her exhausted body, while her desperate husband searched for a place for her to give birth. Her emotional well-being did not depend on her surroundings.

This book is challenging, yes, but there is a delight and peace that comes from leaning into God’s design for us instead of resisting it. 

Probably the most impactful and challenging book we’ve read besides the Bible, CREATED TO BE HIS HELP MEET by Debi Pearl takes us back to God’s Word for a closer look on women’s role. To say this book is countercultural is stating the obvious. Society tells us (Happy wife, happy life)  women are above men and deserve to be served, however that robs us of our true God-given role. “A good help meet has a passion to be of service.”  1 Cor. 11:8-9 tells us why women were created, something that many in our culture omit. 

“NO man has ever crawled out from under his wife’s criticism to be a better man. God stands with you when you stand by your man, but you stand alone if you stand by your rights.” 

We have 40,000 thoughts a day, if we are to have a thankful spirit we need to practice being thankful. Phil. 4:8 tells us what we should think on, Pro.23:7 says as a man thinks in his heart so is he…bottom line: thoughts are powerful! 

Debi Pearl describes in detail the three kinds of men: Mr. Command, Mr. Visionary, and Mr. Steady. The Key is to know your man. Ask God for wisdom and patience, James 1:5. Wisdom is mentioned in the Bible 223 times! If you’re like me, you might’ve been avoiding praying for patience. It often gets swept under the rug along with self-control, while I focus on the love, joy, and peace part of the fruit of the spirit. However, it is not a buffet, I must work on them all, including the Mt. Everest one for me… patience.

This book has been a life changer for both of us, so I guess, in my case, old dogs can learn new tricks, bahaha! Won’t you learn along with us as we dive into discussing God’s role for women eons before Helen Reddy belted out, “I Am Woman Hear Me Roar”.  Roaring is not a fulfilling way to live this earthly walk at all. Change is hard. Are you up for the challenge?

This nonfiction account of our nation's 20th president will knock your socks off.

 Destiny of the Republic, A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard gives readers an amazing glimpse into the past. We get a front seat to the election of a man who did not want to be president but was willing to get out of his comfort zone for the good of the country, appealing to God for aid in the trial before him. He made great strides to bring a divided country together, yet little is known about James A. Garfield, “a man incapable of carrying a grudge, a poor hater but a good fighter.”. 

Fatherless before the age of 2, Garfield grew up in abject poverty. Interestingly enough, so did Charles Guiteau, the man who shot him. What determined their vastly different paths? The big difference was attitude. “Garfield rose quickly through the layers of society, not with aggression or even overt ambition, but with a passionate love of learning.”

Guiteau believed he was entitled to special treatment, his work ethic was almost non-existent. He survived by asking men for money when necessary or just not paying bills when he could get away with it., 

The real cause of Garfield’s death surprised us, pride ended up being the culprit. Please join us as we unpack the sad facts about the disbelief doctors had about germs and the unwillingness of Dr. Bliss to listen to others which caused Garfield to suffer needlessly. “Ignorance is Bliss” is a quote that now has a new meaning. On the other side of the coin, there were helpful caring people who worked tirelessly to help the president (air-conditioning was invented by the Navy and Alexander Graham Bell worked on an invention to find the bullet). Garfield’s many quotes are true gems, “I’d rather be beaten in Right than succeed in Wrong.”

Greetings dear listeners! Please join Kate & Sheila as they review some of their favorite books from A to Z!

A-All the Light You Cannot See & A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

B-Brothers Karamazov 

C-Count of Monte Cristo

D-David Copperfield & Dracula

E-Everything Sad Is Untrue

F-Forest of Vanishing Stars & Frozen River 

G-God’s Smuggler & Giver of the Stars

H-House Rules & Habits of the Household & Hiding Place

I-In His Steps & Imprinted

J-Joyous Leadership

K-

L-Living Fearless & Ladies of the Lake

M-Mere Christianity

N-Nightingale

O-Ordinary Grace

P-Peace Like A River

Q-Quiet by Susan Cain

R-Reading Promise

S-Saving My Assassin

T-Things We Didn’t Say 

U-Unbroken & Unoffendable

V-

W-War & Peace

X-tra special-At Home with Madame Chic

Y-Yours Cheerfully series

Z-Zhivago (Dr.)

We are so thankful for each of you for listening to our attempt to highlight books from A to Z. We hope you can help us out on K & V : )

In this episode we discuss the awesome book Living Fearless by Jamie Winship! We delve into the exploration of themes such as fear, truth, identity, and the importance of confession. We discuss how fear can hinder creativity and relationships, and the transformative power of honesty and seeking God.

Here are some of the key takeaways we found in Jamie's book...

“Reading is the act of listening and speaking at the same time, with someone you’ve never met, but love…”

Join Kate and Sheila as they embark on Daniel Nayeri’s tale of an unbelievable but true journey, in Everything Sad is Untrue. The story describes how Daniel’s mother and her children had to flee Iran after  converting to Christianity. The miraculous and harrowing road to freedom is beautifully told through the eyes of a young Daniel. 

“The Legend of my mother is that she does not stop. And if you don't stop, you're unstoppable.”

Everything Sad is Untrue is written in a traditional Eastern way of Storytelling where “the stories aren't the thing. The thing is the story of the story. The spending of the time. The falling in love.” It allows us to see each other as our true selves.

Daniel tells us about the God who Listens and the God who speaks and the importance of a God that does both. May we implement this in our lives as we practice listening better and speaking kindness often. 

“Love is empty without justice. Justice is cruel without love.” 

“But what you believe about the future will change how you live in the present.” 

What do you believe about the future?

Meet Daniel and his unstoppable mom in this short video. Why this author and his mother fled Iran in the 80's

What do journaling, camaraderie, resilience, bravery, faith in God, and a cowboy from Texas have in common?

Bram Stoker cleverly brought them all together in his masterpiece, Dracula, published in 1897.

He uses journals, letters, news clippings, captain’s log, and telegrams (epistolary format) which invites the reader to join the characters on their journey. We become vampire hunters along with:

 Jonathan Harker, the English solicitor, 

Mina Murray, Jonathan’s soon to be wife, 

Lucy, Mina’s flighty friend, 

Dr. John Seward, Lucy’s rejected suitor #1, 

Arthur Holmwood, aka Lord Godalming, Lucy’s pick of the litter,  

Quincy Morris, rejected suitor #2, a cowboy from Texas and finally, 

Dr. Van Helsing, the oldest in the group, gives guidance and determination in this fearless fight against evil. 

Without a  main character, everyone has equal importance. This talented Irish author illustrates the value of:

Combination: “...we are all more strong together…”

Failure: “We learn from failure, not from success.”

Faith & Humility: “God alone knows what may be in store for any of us.”

Journaling: “Hamlet said, “My tablets! Quick, my tablets!” The habit of entering accurately  must help to soothe me.

Good versus evil can encompass many forms. The term energy vampires would not exist without Stoker’s book. The Bible has another blood sucker in Proverbs 30:15, 

“The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”. Those who take and take and never give have always been around. Bram Stoker gives readers a safe place to be scared while giving readers the  warning to be alert! Are you up for this frightful chase? Please join us for episode 163! Happy reading dear listeners!

”Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality.” Please join Kate and Sheila as they recap,  The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.  Martha Ballard, a midwife in Hallowell, Maine in 1789, was thrown into a murder investigation when a body was found in the river. She was called to do an autopsy and later discovers her oldest son, Cyrus Ballard, while trying to  protect his sister’s honor had fought with Joshua Burgess. When Burgess turns up dead, Cyrus is arrested!

Martha and her husband, Ephraim aptly quote Shakespeare, “If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.”

Meanwhile, the trial of Joshua North (Hallowell's judge) is taking place. He is charged with raping of the young pastor’s wife, Rebecca Foster (who is now with child). Rebecca Foster's fate depends on Martha’s testimony. However, in 1789 a woman was not allowed testify without the presence of her husband. Will Ephraim make it to the courtroom in time?

Martha Ballard is the great-aunt of Clara Baron, founder of the Red Cross. She is also the great-great-grandmother of Mary Hobart, one of the first female physicians in the U.S. She kept a diary for 27 years! Most of her entries included the phrase, “I have been at home”. What homemakers do matter more than they know, or as Martha put it, "Small acts done in love matter."

She delivered over 1,000 babies and never lost a mother in childbirth! Ironically, Ariel Lawhon found an article stating this amazing fact about Martha while waiting at her obstetrician's office.

“One of the greatest skills that I have as a midwife is to sit in silence…To sit and be. To pray and offer comfort… To say nothing when there are no words that can console.”

 Let’s meet this woman of incredible grit and wisdom. Blessings to you dear listeners and readers!

“It’s not how much you have, but what you do with it that counts.”

“Every challenge is an opportunity for growth.”

“We find what we are looking for, if we look hard enough.”

“In the face of adversity, never give up.”

There are a plethora of inspiring quotes like these from Wilson Rawls’, 

Summer of the Monkeys!

Join 14 year old Jay Berry in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma as he and his faithful hound, Rowdy, set out to capture the monkeys that escaped from the circus train mishap. He wants to get the head monkey and collect the reward for him which is one hundred dollars! Which would be more than enough to get his long dreamed of pony and .22.

His sister, Daisy, dons her Red Cross uniform and cares for Jay Berry when he gets into scrapes even, her twisted leg and crutch do not slow her down at all. The family cannot afford the surgery to straighten out her leg, but she remains cheerful and always ready to help.

Who is smarter, Jay Berry or the monkeys? Grandpa and Jay Berry come up with plan after plan to outwit the feisty furry fugitives. Are you ready for adventure, laughs, and family bonded beyond belief ? Join us as we dive into this treasure that shows readers why “Love and compassion are the keys to a fulfilled life.”