Lessons from the La-Z-Boy Book Review

Correction:  After this review was posted, the publisher decided to change the name.  It is now called A Pleasing Aroma.  I will post it again with the new cover and new title.  MBJ


SUMMARY:  Is your life characterized by fast food meals, an over-scheduled calendar, and the feeling that life has become nothing more than a blur?  If so, then you need to take a five-minute timeout, prop your feet up in your favorite recliner, and reconnect with the Lord as you read Lessons from the La-Z-Boy.  The easy-to-read devotionals are ideal for busy believers who need a spiritual boost and the encouragement of God's Word to meet the demands of their stressful lives.  With relevant scriptural applications for the challenges we all face, you will find yourself refreshed in the Lord and longing for a closer walk with Him.

REVIEW:  This book is perfect for busy believers.  The devotionals are short, packed full of everyday situations and easy to read.  Dee Dee gives the reader hope by giving incidences from her own life, letting them know they are not alone in this walk we call life.  I highly recommend this devotional to anyone and everyone.

This book was provided by the author for review without compensation.

Dee Dee Wike is a budding author whose life is firmly anchored in her relationship with the Lord and her passion for God's Word.  In addition to having written Good to the Last Drop:  Refreshing Inspiration for Homeschool Moms and Other Busy Women, Dee Dee works as a part-time software support specialist, is a full-time wife and mother, and is a freelance writer for her hometown newspaper and a regional Christian news magazine.  Happily married for nearly twenty-five years, she resides in Tennessee with her husband Steve and their two children, Chris and Joy, where she serves in the Music and Women's Ministries of Central Church.  For more information on her speaking and writing ministry, visit www.deedeewike.com.

Fall-ing For Jesus

The Children's Ministry at our church had an event called "Fall-ing for Jesus" for 1-3 graders and their families today after our second service.  Hot dogs, popcorn, and drinks were available to eat.  There were also games such as a cupcake walk, sack race and a doughnut game (you had 30 seconds to eat a doughnut hanging on a string without using your hands).  There was even a hayride and face painting! 

Will, Andrew and I did the cupcake walk.  Andrew and I won on our first trip around.  Poor Will walked around for about 15 minutes.  He was persistent and it paid off.  He won a chocolate cupcake.  Hannah got her face painted.  Andrew participated in the sack race.  He was the last one to cross the finish line but he did it all by himself.  All of us rode on the hayride before heading home.  It was a nice ending to a fun event.

We all had fun being outside, playing games and visiting with friends.  Thanks Missi, Angie, and Anne for heading it up and putting on the event.  It was fun!!

Busy and Interesting Weekend

The weather man predicted our area would get between 1-4 inches of snow along with some ice on Friday and Saturday.  Instead, we got sleet and freezing rain on Friday.  After the freezing rain, it started raining really hard and continued until late Friday night.  Thank goodness, Mike stayed home and worked from home using his laptop.  The water and sleet froze and everything was covered in ice. It was soo pretty.  Quite a few people in Tennessee and North Mississippi lost power but we were blessed not to.  Saturday we stayed home.  The kids played the Wii most of the day while I nursed a sinus headache and pressure. 

Sunday, we went to church and enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we drove.  The trees, bushes, grass and power lines were covered in ice.  The sun made everything shine, like they were covered in diamonds.  It was stunning!!  Ernie's message was wonderful as was Marty's Sunday school lesson on the first part of Revelation 7.  After church, we went to lunch at Back Yard Burger.  Towards the end of our meal, the power went out.  It looked like maybe a transformer went down because we could see nearby traffic lights were also out.  As we were leaving, the traffic lights started working again.

Once we got home, Hannah and I got to work going through some boxes we had in the attic.  Most of them were toys that had been relegated to the attic about three or four years ago.  (Hannah loss the use of her toys when she got into trouble; now, I don't remember the exact reason why.)  Mike found a box of books for Hannah to read that I had as a child.  They include Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Dana Girls, and Bobbsey Twins.  There were even some of my Little House books!!  I can't wait to read them again.  While Hannah and I were busy, Mike reswept the kitchen and mopped it. Busy, busy, busy!!

300th Post and a Common Theme

Can you believe this is my 300th post?! I am soo excited!! I started this blog almost two years ago and have loved every minute of it. Stay tuned for the next 300 posts. You'll might just learn something new. If you don't, well, don't worry about it! LOL

Our church is doing the Beth Moore bible study called "A Woman's Heart - God's Dwelling Place." This past week, we were looking at God's provisions for the Israelites while they were in the desert as described in Exodus 16. We read the verses about the manna and quail He gave them. They didn't have to worry about their food running out or their clothes wearing out. God took care of their needs and showed Himself to the His people over and over again.

On Sunday, January 24th Ernie continued his sermon series on PASSION: A Life on Fire for God. His topic this week was "Manna in the Morning: God's Diet of Spiritual Growth and Health" and referenced Exodus 16, the same chapter as in the bible study. Each day God is sufficient to provide what we need for that day. Instead of becoming Spiritually Malnourished, by gorging physically but starving spiritually, we need to follow the three principles of God's Spiritual Diet: 1) Eat God's Word daily 2) Eat what is fresh and 3) Digest what we eat by taking what we are learning and living it out. We are spiritual people and we must be fed through the spiritual Word of God.

Then, on January 27th, I was looking at the perpetual calendar we keep in the hall bathroom. The scripture for the day was this: "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are." Matthew 6:25-26

Do you see a theme here?! I am still working it all out and praying for God to show me EXACTLY what it is He wants me to see. But, what I've come up with so far is God wants me to read His word, mull over it, think about what He is saying then live it out. I don't need to worry about what to say to people He brings across my path. I just need to listen to His still quiet voice instead of ignoring it and step out in faith. God will provide what I need when I need it.

Fear and God

Today, in our study of Esther, Beth Moore spoke about Esther's contemplation of going to the king without his asking for her and facing certain death. In our workbook there was a fill-in-the-blank section. It read, "Facing any fear. And if ____________, then _________." Instead of listing in the first blank the fear we are facing now that, if it actually occurred would send us over the edge, we are to leave it blank. If the enemy (Satan) knows what we fear, he will keep torturing us with the thought of it occurring. But, if we give our fears to God, He will be there with us if (and/or when) we actually face it. Here are some quotes from the video:

"Can you imagine living without fear? We can break free of our fear."
"My faith should not be conditional. We need to trust God no matter what happens. God is good and faithful."
"You may be one brave decision away from an important step in your destiny."
"My God will be faithful to me."
"We will never know abundant life if we are in the grip of the fear of death."
"Are we going to die a thousand deaths (fearing death) in fear of the one (actually dying)?"
"Courage is not the absence of fear but that something is more important than fear."
"Death is not our final destination. It is a part of our destiny."

So, in the blank above, we should all put, "And if whatever, then GOD!!!" My God will take care of me. God is bigger than whatever it is we fear. 1 John 4:18 says "Perfect love casts out fear." Since He carries us in the palm of His hand, why should I fear? Even if I was to die, I am going to live forever in Heaven with the glory of God. Life here is temporal; life in heaven is eternal.

If you don't know, or aren't sure, if you are going to heaven to live with Jesus, please let me know. You can know for certain where you will go when you die. I hope to see you there one day (just, hopefully, not anytime soon).

Will's Cute Things At Church

Sunday morning, Will made it to his Sunday school class room before Mike and I did. He ran inside, gave his teacher his attendance sticker then sat down at the coloring table. One of his classmates, a little girl, was coloring. Will asked her if he could color with her. She said yes and they both started coloring. Will's teacher, Stacey, said it was just sooo sweet!! That's my little man!!

When service was over, Mike went to pick up Hannah and I went to get the boys. Will was sitting in the blocks bin reading a book. His teacher said he had been sitting there about 10 minutes or so reading his book quietly in the middle of chaos. The place Will picked to read was where the rest of the children were being loud while playing with the blocks and other toys. His other teacher was just amazed at him.

Side note: God has blessed Mike and me with two kids that LOVE to read and the other that loves to be read to.

Easter 2009

Easter and the days leading up to it were busy around the Jinnette household. Between ball practices, cleaning (or attempting to while the kids were home), grocery shopping and everything else we had scheduled last week, it was surprising that we didn't pass ourselves on the road.

Hannah's friend Gracie spent Thursday night here since they were out Friday for Good Friday. The girls would not settle down until I separated them around 10:30 p.m. Like always, they were asleep in about five minutes. Gracie woke up first a few minutes before 7 a.m. and woke Hannah up. After getting a bite to eat, Gracie went running down the hall, talking in a loud voice and slammed Hannah's door shut. Hannah then went racing after her, talking loudly and knocking loudly on the door. Needless to say, they woke Andrew and Will up. I was not a happy camper because I didn't sleep well the night before. The day did get a little better and the kids got along great with minimum fighting.

While I was checking my e-mail later that day, I saw a note that Grandma sent us a e-card from Blue Mountain. I opened it thinking it was an Easter card. There was a note that said something like "sorry to hear about you hurting your hand. Hope you are better soon. Love, Grandma Loach." Confused, I scrolled upwards and saw it was addressed to Will. After he saw it, he asked if we could call Grandma Loach and thank her. (He can be such a little gentleman.) Nathan and Hannah also spoke to Grandma for a few minutes before passing the phone to me. It was nice getting to talk to her.

Friday night, the kids, Mike and I went to Baskin Robbins as is our custom. Afterwards, we came home and got the kids ready for bed. Mike and I actually went to bed ourselves about 10:30, which is VERY unusual for us (our normal bedtime is between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.). We got to sleep until 8 Saturday morning. IT WAS SOOO NICE!!! The kids were tired from their busy day and slept in. Saturday was spent cleaning house and finishing up some last minute grocery shopping.

Sunday, we went to the 9:25 service instead of Sunday school. We still had some things to do around the house and finish cooking some of the dishes before our guests came over. The early service is called a "blended" service, which is more traditional. The 11 o'clock service is a contemporary service, which is what we like with a praise band and more contemporary type worship songs. The service that morning was nice but I still prefer the second one.

We had a smaller group at our house this year. Mom came over and our friends from church, Susan and Todd with their boys David and Michael. Melanie, Nathan and his friend Coltlin came over and ate then had to leave to meet Coltlin's dad. Patti, Alyssa and Matthew didn't come over this year. Patti didn't want to be around our dog Gracy. She said she would cry about Gracy being sick and didn't want to be around her. We missed them not being there but we still had a nice time. Because it was raining outside, we had an Easter egg hunt in the living room. Susan and I hid the eggs all over, in obvious and not-so-obvious places. Susan hid some in the pile of Lego's that were in the floor, thinking that the kids would never find them. (They were some of the first to go.) Some places we thought would be easy for the kids turned out to be a little more difficult. They were hid on top of the VCR, in a candlestick on the mantle, on the floor in the entry hall closet doorway, under pillows on the couch and in Hannah's sweater on the back of the love seat. One was hid on top of the cloth medallion on the curtain covering the front door. It was in plain sight for Susan and me but the kids almost never found it. The four of them (David, Michael, Hannah and Will) had a blast looking for them. It was almost as fun as if they had been outside.

After everyone left, Mike and I finished cleaning up and got the kids into bed. I was soo tired that I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up around 11 and then Mike and I both went to bed. We were both wiped!! We did get some pictures of the five of us in our Easter outfits. I will try to download them tomorrow and post them on my blog and on Facebook. Most of them turned out great.

Well, this is all for now. I need to go and rest up because tomorrow is going to be another hectic day. All three kids have school; I have a board meeting at church; Hannah has practice at 5:30 at Horn Lake High School; and Will has a game at 7:30 at Snowden Grove (clear across town from where Hannah is practicing). I don't know how or what I am going to feed them. If I make something and have them eat at home, it will have to be around 4 or 4:30. Fun, fun, fun!!!

A couple of scares

Boy, when it rains, it pours. We have had a couple of things happen here that have our family going "WHOA!" Nothing serious, but serious enough.

First, last week Mike asked Dr. Hooker, Gracy's doctor, if it would be okay for her to go swimming. Since we were told not to let her run for ANY reason, we thought we should check. Dr. Hooker said she thought that would be great exercise for her without putting any undo stress on her front paw. Sunday afternoon, Mike took the dogs down to the lake behind our house. He threw the buoy out into the lake for the first time and Gracy swam out to get it. When she got back to the bank, she could hardly walk. She had trouble getting out of the water and could hardly use her back legs. (As a side note, because she is favoring her front paw, she is having to compensate with her back legs, which are have been giving her trouble for a while.) Mike had to carry her some of the way back to the house. Ever since, she has really been favoring her back leg too. Mike checked her out really carefully and thinks Gracy strained or pulled a muscle. Now, the poor girl is limping on her front right paw and her back left leg. Other than that, she seems okay. She is eating good and is still interacting with the family okay. In fact, last night she was rolling around on the living room floor scratching her back and making funny noises. Mike and I are still watching her for signs of major discomfort and pain.

Second, about 2 p.m. today, as I was getting ready to leave to pick up Nathan I got a call from the kids' school. Will accidentally sat on a pencil and got the lead stuck in the palm of his hand. Mrs. Klink, a Guidance clerk, said she had tried to get the lead out with some tweezers but it was too deep. She put some peroxide and a band-aid on it to keep it from bothering Will. Mom called me as I was getting in the car and volunteered to pick up Nathan for me. When I picked up the kids, Alecia, Gracie's mom, told me to bring Gracie by her office. So, my three and I went to the Methodist Minor Medical Clinic to see if they could help. (I had already spoken to Will's doctor's office and they suggested taking him to the Emergency room.) Dr. Politi was able to get a couple of small pieces out but said the rest just turned to a consistency like chalk dust when he tried to retrieve it. He gave Will a topical ointment to deaden the area but Will still felt pain. So, Dr. Politi gave him some Lidocaine. Will started crying really hard because it hurt really bad. My heart still aches over it. We were given a prescription for an antibiotic to help ward off infection and told to watch for signs of possible infection. Will seems to be doing okay. He says it hurts occasionally so we are keeping it bandaged and covered in Neosporin.

Third, we have been trying to get our cabin listed with Fireside Chalet and Cabins to get some rental income. We have had a few set backs but hope to start renting it in the next few days. While we are working on this, we got the standard "Foreclosure" letter from a lawyer's office notifying us that foreclosure proceedings are pending if we don't start paying what we owe. Joy of joys (hear the sarcasm dripping from my keyboard...) We also got a letter from the new Property Owners' Association saying we owe our home owners dues for the last four months and for four months of cable, since we did not have a rental company taking them out for us. Fun, fun, fun..... (sarcasm again).

Can we go to bed, wake up the next morning and everything be right again? It sure would be nice. On a positive note, the Redemption revival was AWESOME!!! The Spirit of God moved in a remarkable way this past weekend. Lives were touched and changed. Saturday morning, we prayed "pockets of prayer" about the city and surrounding area; community leaders; against poverty, drugs, violence, apathy, racism, and any other "isms" that are here; we prayed for God to move in a mighty and miraculous way; to move mountains that stood in our way; and that Memphis would not be known for her past kings (cotton, BB, Elvis, and Dr. Martin Luther, Jr.) but for the King of Kings. Priscilla gave awesome messages and the music was uplifting and powerful. Her brother, Anthony Evans sang with some of his friends. Beverly Crawford also sang and danced. It was an awesome event.

Redemption

Priscilla Shirer is coming to Memphis to teach the area women during a revival at the Cook Convention Center on March 27 and 28. It is a free event open to everyone of any denominational, racial, or ethic background and is sponsored by area churches. We are praying that God will do a mighty work and bring about racial (and any other type of) reconciliation. We serve a big God and He can bring healing to this city and area and destroy the enemy strongholds that are currently here. Memphis will be claimed back for the Lord our God through the work and service of women that are His. If anyone is interested and will be in the area, please come check it out. I can't wait to see what God is going to do in Memphis, TN!!!

Check out the website at http://www.Redemption2009.com/ for more information.

Catching Up

I've fallen behind on acknowledging birthdays and posting our "going ons." Things have been really busy, as usual in the Jinnette household. We have two birthdays today that I need to mention. They are my Aunt Sandy and my friend Wanda's daughter Sienna. Sunday was Christopher Daniel's first birthday. He is Sienna's little brother. Happy birthday everyone!!! You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

The temperatures around here have been really warm, at least for February. The high has been in the mid to high 60s. The weather has great: a few clouds but mostly sunshine. The storm system that hit Oklahoma moved through here Wednesday. We got a little rain and a lot of wind; the gusts were as high as 59 mph in some places. There were tree limbs everywhere. When I left the church after bible study, I had to drive around limbs in the middle of Reynolds Road and some on Center Hill. Some areas in Memphis lost power due to downed power lines because of trees and limbs being blown around.

Today was the end of an era: Hannah flipped a card at school. (Hannah was the only student in her class that had not flipped a card since the start of school this year.) For those who are not familiar with the flipping of cards, it means she got into trouble. Mrs. Herring, the Student Teacher in Hannah's class, was going over the answers to a test. While she was talking, Hannah started flipping through her Science book. Because Hannah's attention was divided between the teacher and the book, she had to flip her card. She was soooo upset when I picked her up today. We discussed it and she understands that she needs to pay attention to the teacher when she is talking and that it could be distracting to the students around her when she is playing with her books.

Saturday night from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., the church is having "Kids' Night Out" to raise money for the family Guatemala Missions trip coming up this summer. All three groups will have dinner and drinks provided. Will and Andrew's groups will be doing crafts, playing, and having loads of fun. Hannah's group of girls will have a "Pamper Parlour" where they can have their nails painted and have some one put make-up on them. The girls part is advertised as being a sleep over without spending the night. Hannah was really excited when I told her what they were going to be doing. Mike and I are going to try to go to Carrabba's for dinner but we will have to see what the wait is like. We are looking forward to having a date night!!

Pictures and Info from Singles Reunion

Below are pictures I took at the Singles Reunion. I hope everyone enjoys looking at them. I'll do my best to label everyone in each picture. If I have mislabeled anyone, please let me know.

(L to R): Kelley Nichols, Scott MacKenzie, Frankie Bartozzi, Jay Stone,
Richard Kirkpatrick, and Judy Bartozzi

My daughter Hannah being silly

Michelle Brown Jinnette and Cathy Wyatt

Front (L to R): Joey Gibson, Jane Page
Back (L to R): Richard Kirkpatrick, John Hammer, Kevin Brasuell, and Sam Wiley

Carole Leake (green top), Mike Leake, and Phil May

(L to R): Jane Page, Helen Davis, Joey Gibson, Kathryn Riley

Front (L to R): Martha Johnson Nicolas, Sarah Nicolas, Abigail Nicolas,
Robin Consterdine Stone, Joey Gibson
Middle (L to R): Judy Bartozzi, Annie Long, Laura Murley Long
Back (L to R): Rob Long, Sonja Solze Peaspanen, Kevin Brasuell, Meg Turner Brasuell

Denise Hammer, Sonja Solze Peaspanen and Meg Turner Brasuell

Richard Kirkpatrick and Jill Carpenter McLane

(L to R): Stephen Nichols, Kyle McLane, Caitlyn Nichols,
Noah Nichols, Hannah Jinnette, and Kelley Nichols

Phil May, Rob Long, Annie Long, and Marilyn Faulkner

Tom Peaspanen, Denise Hammer, and Helen Davis

(L to R): Richard Kirkpatrick, Susanne Medlin's grandson, Nicole Medlin,
John Hammer, and Leslie Stainbrook Phillips

Richard Kirkpatrick, Mike Leake, Carol Leake, Sam Wiley, and Judy Bartozzi

Hannah Jinnette

Andrew Jinnette

Meg Turner Brasuell, Kyle McLane, Scott MacKenzie, Stephen Nichols, and Noah Nichols

Front (L to R): Nia Phillips, Scott Phillips
Back (L to R): Tara Cannon, Tara's boyfriend (don't remember his name), Lisa Hrutkay Conley, Kim Cavanaugh Rache's daughter, Kim, Jeremy Smith, Martha Johnson Nicolas and Dennis Rache's son

Back (L to R): Carol Wiley, Mike Leake, Carol Leake, Rick Gardner, Phil May
Front (L to R): Frankie Bartozzi, Jack Faulkner, and Carol Dice Temple

Partial Group Shot

Sonja Solze Peaspanen, Charlie Conley, and Lisa Hrutkay Conley

Unfortunately, I missed getting pictures of some of the attendees due to problems with my camera. It was great getting to see everyone and we missed all of those who were not able to attend. Quite a few people said they would like to do this again. Maybe sometime in the next year or two, we can try to get everyone together again.

God granted us beautiful weather, comfortable temperatures and great fellowship. Praise to God for everything He provides.

Quick Post

Because it is so late, I am going to try to make this quick. We had our Singles Reunion this afternoon. It consisted of people from our Singles Sunday school class at church who attended in the mid- to late- 90's. There were almost 60 adults and about 30 kids there. IT WAS AWESOME!!! We had quite a few attend who now live out of town: Montgomery, AL; Atlanta, GA; Brandon, MS and Syracuse, NY to name a few. I'll post pictures and more information later. Right now, I am headed to bed. We have church tomorrow and the kids will be up early.

P.S. Update on Andrew and his cloth. Today, he was missing his cloth bad. His nap today was about 20 minutes long (usually it is a few hours) and he was fussy when he was up and about. (He did fall asleep for about 30 minutes on the ride home from the reunion.) Tonight while I was rocking him, he kept trying to put his blanket in his mouth. When I would take it away from him to stop him, he would start laughing. When I put him to bed, the blanket was in his mouth. We will keep trying.

Long Day

We have had a really long day. Last night, Hannah went to a sleepover birthday party. I picked her up this morning around 9:15-9:30. She seemed upset and I asked her why. She was the first to leave and she didn't want to go. She was having a great time. After getting her, we went back to the house to get the boys and headed to church. Service was great!! For lunch, we went to my favorite restaurant, Carrabba's. Of course, we had the zucchini. The kids did really good but started acting out a little before we left. I could tell they were getting bored (plus Hannah and Andrew were tired). We then went to the YMCA to swim. Andrew had fallen asleep in the van so I stayed with him while Mike took the other two in. They said they had a ball. Of course, they're my water babies. Andrew woke up while we were on our way back to church.

Mike and I attended a Godly Parenting conference and the kids went childcare. The kids had pizza for dinner, played games and colored. The conference was great. If you get the chance to hear Art Murphy (or read his books), I would highly recommend it. Andrew fell asleep on the way home but was up and ready to go once it was time for bed. I got him settled down a little then put him in his crib. He wasn't too happy at first but soon settled down. Every now and then I hear him making noises and talking. Hannah and Will went to bed without any problems tonight. I think it was because it was so late (Their normal bedtime is around 8 or 8:30 p.m. Tonight they went to bed at 9.) and because they were sooo tired. Mike and I are going to relax for a bit (and find something to eat since all we had to eat was chex mix and candy) before going to bed.

Lots To Do

The next three months are going to be extremely busy for me and my bunch. Mike is playing softball with our church's men's team. He will be gone Monday nights. Will and Hannah are both playing ball and have different practice dates and games. I am helping to coordinate a big family event for the month of June at our church. The event will be on Wednesdays during June and will help parents teach their families about God and His Word. I am also helping coordinate a reunion for the Singles Sunday school class Mike and I were in before we were married. The reunion is on June 21. If you think about us anytime in the next few months, please pray for us. We could definitely use it!!