1, 2, & 3 John Bible Study Book Review

This is the first time I have reviewed a bible study so please bear with me.  When Tyndale sent the notice out for this review, I was intrigued.  I love the books of 1, 2 and 3 John and was interested to see what this bible study would cover.  This study is really neat in what all it has with it.  The book is in two parts: the text used with all kinds of study notes and the study itself.

The first part includes:
*  complete text of 1, 2, and 3 John in the New Living Translation
*  study notes that cover background, history, geography, and culture that are easy to understand
*  application notes to help you apply God's word to your life
*  Charts, maps, and profiles of Bible people that present biblical truths in unique and helpful ways.  These are taken from the Life Application Study Bible.

The second part of the study has:
*  thirteen lessons to stimulate thought, discussion, and practical life application
*  study questions arranged for group or individual use
*  lots of space to write your answers
*  special application questions at the end of each lesson to help you map out your personal action plan.

I loved having the text, notes and study guide all in one place.  There have been studies I've done in the past that used a different bible translation than the one I use all the time.  Having the translation the study used right at my fingertips was nice.  I also liked the fact that I didn't have to carry a separate study bible with me when I wanted to work in it.  It was so nice grabbing one small book instead of two (one being my very thick study bible) to work on in the school car line.  The questions were thought provoking and helped me understand the text and what John was trying to convey to his readers.  When you were told to read a certain portion of scripture that covered the next set of questions, it also showed you what notes to read and refer to when they were used.  The personal questions showed me how my life has often gotten off track and my focus off God and His love for others.  It also gave me inspiration to make necessary changed to get my life and focus back where it should be: on God and His purposes.

There were a few downsides that I encountered with this study.  When I first started using it, the portion with the scripture was a little confusing.  It is set up like a study bible, with the notes for a particular verse at the bottom of the page and other references at the beginning to the book.  Quite often, there were more notes and references on the page than scripture.  But, after using it a couple of times, I was able to use it with ease and find my place.  Also, the print was smaller than I am used to in a bible study book.  Sometimes I had to read the section I was working on a couple of times because I kept losing my place.  The book is only 75 pages total.  The study would still be awesome if they made the script a little bigger and added a few pages to compensate. 

All in all, I loved this study and look forward to reviewing more in the future.


This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for review.  The thoughts here are all my own and I was not compensated for them or asked to provide a positive review.

Baron

Our beloved dog Baron passed away sometime during the night last night.  Yesterday afternoon, Mike got off work early.  We went together to pick up the kids from school and take them to Mom's.  She watched them while we went to the vet to see Baron.  Dr. Chandler said he wasn't responding to them but hoped we would recognize us.  We loved on him, cried, scratched his belly and chest, rubbed his nose and spend some wonderful time with him.  At first, he didn't respond, but after a little bit, he seemed to know who we were.  A couple of times he raised his head up when Mike would talk to him.  He also made a sound when he wanted us to rub on him.  Dr. Chandler let us spend about an hour with him.  After talking to an Internal Specialist earlier in the day, they both came to the conclusion that Baron had a stroke sometime after the surgery.  His breathing was abnormal, like with a Pulmonary Embolism.  He also wasn't moving or responding like normal, which lead us and the doctors to believe he also had a stroke to the brain.  He also wasn't wagging his tail (which he ALWAYS did) and he didn't "nose *" us when he wanted rubbed (which he also did when he whimpered).
*Nosed is when he would take his nose and use it to bump your hand to get your attention.

He will be greatly missed.  Baron was the end of an era.  Mike and I got him and Gracy for each other as wedding gifts.  They were with us our entire married life.  We got home from our honeymoon on Saturday and picked them up on Sunday.  Now that they both are gone, I don't know what I will do with myself during the day.  I expect Baron to meet us at the backdoor when we come home.  He loved to go outside with the kids and I expect him to come running from the back when the backdoor opens.  I look for him in the kitchen lying under the windows on the linoleum.  I go to ask the kids to feed him and get him fresh water when we eat then realize he's not there.  Tomorrow after church, I will want to rush home to let him outside.  I know I will eventually stop thinking these things but, for now, it hurts. 

God, please take care of my babies.  Let them know they are sorely missed and that they will ALWAYS be in our hearts.  Hug and kiss them for me.  We love you Baron and Gracy!!!

Baron eating a rawhide bone 1/2010

Baron enjoying the snow 1/2010

Baron's surgery

The last two months have been really hard.  It seems like we are getting hit from all sides.  We've had problems with our air conditioner, the van, deaths in the family, and now our dog Baron.  For those who aren't familiar with our pet, Baron is our black Lab.  When Mike and I got married, we gave each other Labs as wedding presents: Gracy was mine; Baron was Mike's.  We lost Gracy last year to cancer.  Before Gracy's cancer diagnosis, we noticed a lump on Baron's side.  The vet said it looked like a fatty tumor.  It should come off but was fine to leave for a while.  Last week, I took Baron in to have some bloodwork done and had a small lump on his chest looked at.  The lump had adnormal cells so I took him in yesterday to have it removed as well as the lump on his side (over time, it had grown quite large).  The doctor was able to remove the small lump quickly but the large lump proved to be more difficult.  It had started taking on a life of it's own, with veins all over it.  Dr. Hooker said the veins were close to rupturing.  If they had ruptured, Baron would have died. 

A few hours after surgery, Dr. Hooker said Baron was doing great.  He was walking around and did very well while in surgery.  Last night, around 8:30, Dr. Hooker called and said that Baron was having some problems and wasn't doing so well.  He was having trouble breathing so she gave him some more pain medication to help him sleep.  She thought he would have a 50-50 chance of making it through the night.  As you can expect, I didn't take the news so well.  I cried and prayed all night long, trusting God to take care of him.  Mike called this morning around 7 and was told Baron made it through the night and seemed to be okay.  The other vet who helped with the surgery, Dr. Chandler, is suppose to call Mike in a little bit to let us know what it going on.  I do not like to wait, especially in cases like this.

Two New Residents in Heaven

In the last five days, Heaven received two new residents.  My Aunt Orpha passed from this life to the next on Sunday; my Aunt Sybil joined her family in Heaven early this morning.  Orpha and Sybil were my grandmother's sisters.  Aunt Sybil and Grandma Gladys were best friends growing up and as adults.  Many times, they lived near each other and their children grew up together.  Aunt Orpha moved out west long before I was born so I didn't get to know her as well.  My knowledge of her is through comments made by her children and other family members.  She, along with all the other Findleys, loved to laugh and talk.  Oh, what a reunion Heaven is having tonight!!  I'm sure God is loving seeing His children meeting again on the other side.  Out of the fifteen children my great-grandmother had, only four are still here.  My thoughts and prayers go out to them: Opal, Helen, Margie and Ted; along with Aunt Orpha and Aunt Sybil's families.  Your sweet spirits and laughter will be missed for a time but we WILL see you again on the other side.  LOVE YOU!!!

Carol, Aunt Sybil, Mom and Jim

Aunt Sybil on her 87th birthday

Let's Do Lunch Book Review

Book Summary:  With Let's Do Lunch, you EAT UNTIL FULL in ALL the food groups, including all you want of unprocessed starchy carbs, the sweetest fresh fruits and fruit smoothies, lean red meat, corn thins, cheese, healthy fats, veggies, whole-grain cereals and crispbreads, dark brown and wild rice, snacks, dressings, condiments, and sauces.  But because these foods stabilize your blood sugar, your body FORCES you to become less and less hungry with each passing day.  Thus, you begin to eat less and less, consume fewer and fewer calories, and lose all the weight you want.

In Let's Do Lunch, Roger Troy reveals:
*  Eat until full whenever you are hungry, no matter how often that is and no matter how many calories you consume (even if you start by eating 10,000 calories a day)-thus eliminating your hunger cravings.

*  Your body can't tell the difference between starchy carbs, so when you eat the Let's Do Lunch starchy carbs, it eliminates your cravings for the fattening starchy carbs.

  Your body can't tell the difference between sugars, so when you eat the sweetest fresh fruits and fruit smoothies, it eliminates your cravings for all the foods made with fattening sugar in them.

My Review:  My curiosity was peaked by Roger Troy Wilson's claims that you can eat until you are full in all the food groups and still lose weight.  His own story is remarkable:  he lost 230 pounds and 24 inches off his waist and kept is off for years using this program.  It is one he developed (with God's help) through trial and error.  The strategy he uses is interesting.  You start out eating A LOT of fruit (as much as you can eat) before meals and for snacks.  You also use beans in place of starches like potatoes and eat your biggest meal (i.e. protein) at lunch.

I'm not sure how I feel about this plan.  On one hand, eating until I am full and not having to count calories or points is very appealing.  You don't avoid any food groups like some programs suggest.  Roger Troy also gives you tips on fighting cravings like chocolate, Cokes, pizza, bread, etc.  I can use these tips in my everyday life.  But, the idea of eating as much fruit as I can EVERY TIME I get hungry sounds sickening.  You do have to do some substituting and keeping it straight while taking care of three kids and a husband is too involved for my lifestyle.  The idea and research behind eating your biggest meal at lunch is appealing and interesting.  The actual application in my household is very difficult due to kids in school and my husband at work.  We like to sit around the dinner table together and talk about the day while eating.  We wouldn't be able to do that on the Let's Do Lunch plan.  I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to try different weight loss options and who can follow the plan.  As for me, it is a little too complicated for me during this busy time in my life.

This book can be purchased at www.Amazon.com.

This book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

Roger Troy Wilson had achieved success in many different areas of his life but just couldn't overcome his only meaningful failure...his obesity.  Then, after trying and failing at diet after diet, he decided the only logical way to find the answers to his problem would be to use trial and error to discover what works and doesn't work.  With the help of God, he came up with those answers and wrote a book that reveals them -Let's Do Lunch.  In the process, he lost 230 pounds and 24 inches from his waist and has kept it off for years.  Wilson and his wife, Anita, reside in Bonita Springs, Florida.

The Saga Continues

In my last post, I mentioned all the things that have occurred in the last two weeks.  The story is not over yet.  Thursday, after picking up the kids, the lights on the van's dashboard came on and wouldn't go off.  After dropping the kids off Friday morning, I took the van to Meineke to have the oil changed, the tires rotated and to see if they could figure out why the lights came on.  Five hundred dollars later, the oil was changed, tires rotated, two belts were replaced (the old ones were cracked), fuel injectors were cleaned and the O2 sensor was changed.  I noticed a whine from the engine area when I left that I had not noticed before.  A few hours later, while I was waiting in the car line to pick Will up from school, the van died completely.  No lights, no radio, no air conditioner, no power for the windows, NO NOTHING!!  Andrew had just fallen asleep and Hannah was in the back.  Did I mention the temperature outside was about 101 degrees and the car line was out to the street?  Yea.  When I called Mike at work, I broke down crying and went into hysterics.  It was not a pretty sight.  After a few minutes (and a few honks) the cars were able to get around me.  Will's teacher was working the car line and told us to take refuge from the heat inside the building.  Mom picked up the kids and took them to her house while I waited for Mike.  We talked to my dad, Dick (Mike's dad) and the Meineke guy and they all came to the same conclusion: the alternator needs to be replaced. 

When I got home from Meineke, I noticed the thermostat was reading 86 degrees in the house.  Come to find out, the capacitor on the outside unit went out and had to be replaced.  God blessed us by having the air conditioner repair man headed home when I called.  We were on his way so he came by and replaced the part immediately. 

Dick came in last night from Dothan to be here for Hannah's baptism.  Daphne stayed in Dothan to help take care of her mom, who recently had knee replacement surgery and lost her husband (and Daphne's dad) last Tuesday.  Mike and Dick are going to replace the alternator in the van today.  I hope they don't have any problems.

Well, enough of my whining for now.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Remember, God loves you and is with you every step of the way.

It's Been A While

I can't believe my last post was on July 16th.  We've been busy around here and I thought I had posted some of our happenings, but I guess I hadn't. 

Oh, where to begin? I will give a brief synopsis now and, hopefully, a more indepth look at a later date.

*  Hannah got her ears pierced on July 17th.  She is so excited and can't wait until she can start wearing other earrings.
*  I had the mole on the side of my nose removed on July 19th.  I've had it for about 25 years and I'm glad to finally have it gone.  The biopsy showed there was nothing to be concerned about (standard procedure).  YEAH!
*  Registered the kids for school.
*  Vacation with Mike, Hannah, Andrew, Will, Melanie and Nathan to Pigeon Forge.  This subject deserves a completely separate post when I have time.
*  I got to visit with a friend I graduated with.  She moved away right after graduation and I hadn't seen her since until I found her on Facebook.  Turns out, she lives in Pigeon Forge!!

The next bit all occurred after we returned from vacation on Monday:
Tuesday:
*  Dad had knee replacement surgery.
*  Our air conditioner decided to stop working sometime while we were out of town.
*  Washing machine wouldn't fill up and would just run.
*  Needed to make cookies for a football team our church sponsored. (Remember, our air is out)
*  While I am cooking dinner on the grill, we run out of gas.
*  Remembering Mom's knee replacement surgery and the nightmare that followed.  Not fun!

Wednesday:
*  Air still out.  Temperatures inside reached 87 degrees in our hallway (the coolest part of the house).
*  Washing machine is still messed up.
*  Kids put dish soap in the dishwasher; soap and water get all over the floor.
*  Bug man is suppose to come out and spray for ants.  Thanks to the good Lord above, he came early.
*  Worried about my dad and his surgery (it went fine but I wasn't able to see him due to everything going on at the house).
*  Remembered it was a year ago Gracy passed away.  Still get really sad when I think about it.
*  Get into a fight over my dad.
*  Find out the air conditioner has a slow freon leak.  Air conditioner man recharged it but said we will probably need a new unit (and a new furnace) before long.   GREAT!

Thursday was MUCH better.  Went to the Pink Palace with my friend Tracy and her kids then saw my dad at the hospital.

The kids started school today.  Yes, I know it is early.  The temperatures this week and the end of last week have been in the 100s with the heat index between 112 and 125.  It is a good thing school started because the kids are busy with school work and not watching t.v. or playing on the computer all day because it is too hot to go outside.

Hannah is getting baptized Sunday.  She is excited and a little nervous.  We were paying the storage unit note and Hannah told the clerk she was being baptized Sunday.  They talked about it for a bit afterwards.  It is neat to see her interested and excited about this.  It is a really big step.

Sorry this post is all over the place.  Mike will be playing his online game with some of his friends in a few minutes so I only have a short time to write.