Rumors of Glory

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Mother’s Day Video

May 6th, 2010 by Lucille

I made myself a video for Mother’s Day.

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The Vertical Self by Mark Sayers

Apr 12th, 2010 by Lucille

In a time when branding and social media are so popular, this book reminds us that most of us are striving to create images of ourselves that will only leave us feeling empty.
Sayers says many Christians have replaced the command to be holy with the quest for status. We’ve given up finding our true selves because we have lost touch with the real goal to nurture our souls. Instead, even as Christians, we pour our time and energy into constructing an image that we think will make us cool, sexy, and glamorous.

In the past, people looked to church institutions in order to discover their identity. Sayers explains that this was the vertical self. It focused on God to get one’s sense of identity.

Eventually, a shift happened when people began to look forward, rather than backward, and people no longer looked to the vertical self to form their identity.

In addition, the advance of science caused people to consider themselves to be just another animal, rather than the crowning glory of God’s creation. As people shifted to the horizontal point of view, they began looking to others to gain their sense of self. Unfortunately, when others don’t see how cool and sexy we are, we lose our anchor.

Sayers shares a true story:

In Great Britain there is a reality TV show called The Monastery. A group of secular, non-believers go to live in a monk for several weeks. They get to incorporate deeply religious experiences into their lives. The monks have no idea who is joining them, but one of those men works in the porn industry. His experience is so profound that he left his job and joined the church. This is exactly what the point of Sayer’s book is — what the world offers is empty. What God offers is the true thing.

This reminds me of an often quoted phrase from C. S. Lewis:

Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. –The Weight of Glory

I recommend this book. It’s filled with great anecdotes and interesting historical stories. Sayers has poured a lot of time into researching his topic. And best of all, I’m reminded to put my hope in Christ, not the number of comments on my Facebook page.

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The Voice of Psalms — a book review

Feb 9th, 2010 by Lucille

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I love this book. It is a new translation of the Psalms. In that same way The Message made us think about old words in a new way, this literary project does the same thing.

The Voice of Psalms holds onto the original perspective of the Psalms, but adds richness and depth. The foreword says this is a fresh expression of the timeless narrative…that involves translation and elaboration… it doesn’t ignore the role of scholars but it also values the role of writers, poets, songwriters, and artists.

To help the reader understand how the new rendering compares to the original manuscript, italic type indicates words not directly tied to a translation. These words may contain information meant to help the reader better understand the text without having to stop and read footnotes.

Here, let me give you an example:

God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn: when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in the wicked schemes, When you avoid sin’s highway, when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse. For you the Eternal One’s Word is your happiness. It is your focus – from dusk to dawn And in the nights that separate the two – you are consumed with its message. You are like a tree, planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry. Your fruit ripens in its time; your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun. No matter what you do, you prosper. For those who focus on sin, the story is different. They are like the fallen husk of wheat, tossed by an open wind, left deserted and alone.

The Voice of Psalms also offers several reading plans: One for Lent, One for Worship and Praise, and One for Seeking Help.

The best part is that each psalm has a short commentary with questions to stimulate your interaction with what you have just read. I have made this book a regular part of my morning devotional time, and I highly recommend people buy this book.

What books do you recommend for your devotional time?

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The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville - a book review

Jan 22nd, 2010 by Lucille

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This book was pleasant but not life-changing. I am a reviewer for Thomas Nelson publishing. I knew a little bit about Deborah Norville, and hoped I would get to know more about her through the book.

What I found in this book were nice, light, inspirational stories, however, I felt the book could have been written by anyone. I’m sure the fact that Norville’s name was on it, helped sales, but really this is just a book about respect. You won’t know much more about Deborah than before you started it and that is disappointing.

The book addresses the power of respect in the home, within a business environment, and in your personal life. Norville uses lots of real-life stories to make her case and that will appeal to some readers.

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Mental Health: What happens in counseling?

Jan 10th, 2010 by Lucille

Counselling session

Many people wonder what happens in counselor. They may have questions like:

Why would I want to go talk to a stranger about my problems?

How is that going to help?

I can just talk to my friends and family, can’t I?

If I go see a counselor, what will we do? What will we talk about?

If I share personal things, is the counselor going to tell others?

Here is a great video that explains exactly what happens and how counseling helps:

Obviously, Susan is a therapist in Ohio, but there are many counselors here in the Denver area who can help you. Not sure how to find a good counselor? Ask people you trust. If money is an issue, consider going to a university that offers counseling programs — once students finish their master’s degree training, they need to see clients under the support and direction of a supervisor. You help them and they help you! Still need help? Contact me and I will see what I can do to point you in the right direction.

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Posted in Anxiety, Counseling, Depression, Grief and Loss, Happiness, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder | No Comments »

The Sweet By and By - a book review

Jan 5th, 2010 by Lucille

sara-evans

I offered to review this book for Thomas Nelson Publishing. I must mention right away that I am not a huge fan of light “chick lit” so it didn’t surprise me that I didn’t love this book. It’s probably not fair of me to even give a review.

I tend to read lots of non-fiction, deeper theological works, more literary fiction or fiction with intense drama and depth of character. (I hope that doesn’t sound pompous, I just don’t enjoy reading light books with predictable endings).

As I read the book, I was a little confused. I saw that Sara Evans along with Rachel Hauck wrote it. I know who Rachel Hauck is because I follow her on Twitter. I was not familiar with Sara Evans until my daughter came home from college. When she saw the book, she informed me that Sara is a country singer and was on a TV dance show. I’m not really hip on pop culture. Anyway, that would have been nice to know before I began the book. It seems the publisher assumed I knew this, although to their credit it does mention lightly across the top, “multi platinum recording artist.”

Now that you know my frame of mind, I’m guessing that many readers of Christian fiction will enjoy this book. It’s about Jade, a 20-something gal who is about to get married. The setting is in the Deep South where tradition and charm rule. Jade is in a quandary about inviting her mother to the wedding. Her mom was not a good enough mother, divorcing her husband and raising her children during her selfish hippie days. This story is about the healing that must take place before one can move forward.

It reads a lot like a Kristin Hannah book. Lots of quaint scenes but not really a page-turner. At least not for me.

If you read the book, let me know what you think…

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The Shack by William Paul Young

Oct 2nd, 2009 by Lucille

examiner

#1 New York Times bestseller The Shack by William Paul Young has just reached another milestone: ten million copies–eight million copies in print in the United States, with another 2 million in print in foreign translations.

To date, there have been 55 total printings, according to Brad Cummings, president of Windblown Media. As of September 13, 2009, it will have spent 67 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list with more than 50 weeks at #1.

Can you believe there are still some people who have never heard of the book?

Here are my thoughts on the book:

1. I think it’s incredible that Young couldn’t get an agent or publisher in the Christian world because his book was too edgy, and he couldn’t get the same in the secular world because it was too “Christian.” As most of us know, Young’s friends created their own agency and “self-published.” Interestingly, Young never intended to publish the book — he simply wrote it for his children. Don’t you just know all the editors and agents who saw it are kicking themselves!

2. This book wasn’t meant to be a theology book, but a lot of people take it that way. (I have friends who won’t even read the book for fear they’re reading heresy). Thus, the controversy. If people could just open their minds and see that Young was raised by an abusive father and had a difficult time translating a father image onto God. It was easier for him to create loving warm (even female) characters who had traits he could associate with God. This book is a story; not meant to usurp scripture.

3. I spend a lot of time in the book-writer world. Most of my literary friends tell me the book wasn’t that well written, even though there was a good story. I personally, enjoyed the book, but didn’t LOVE it.

4. Obviously the book touched a nerve with people, in a good way. Maybe that’s why it has sold 10 million copies so far.

What say you?

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“What’s He Really Thinking” a book review

Sep 27th, 2009 by Lucille

whats-he-really-thinking

I picked this book to review for Thomas Nelson because I am a counselor. But I set it aside and life got busy….ho hum, I wasn’t expecting much from another relationship book. Way too many of these books promise great things, but in the end, deliver nothing but fluff.

This book was different. What’s He Really Thinking? How to be a relational genius with the man in your life is well worth the time it takes to read.

For one, the author’s voice was very unique. It sounded like it was coming from a wise woman who had learned her material from living it. Paula Rinehart uses her 20+ years of counseling experience to lead us into the heart of men.

The second thing that made the book seem different is that she brought in the latest research in neuroscience. She shows you how the man’s brain is different and how that impacts the way he relates:

Their amygdala tends to be much larger, with far more neurons devoted to action and aggression…the drive to do is quintessentially male.

She explains that the average guy has 40 – 60 times more testosterone than women and that does is costs him his speech.

The value in Paula’s book is that she forces women to confront the differences between genders and to have a sense of appreciation for how God wired men:

Am I going to count love as it comes to me in a male package? Or am I going to spend my life insisting love be delivered in the manner I recognize most quickly – words and empathy?

In a way, this book seems like a woman’s version of John Elderedge’s Wild at Heart. Rinehart focuses on seeing the males in our life as a wonderous gift from God.

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Christians and Depression

Sep 14th, 2009 by Lucille

sad

A friend sent me an Examiner article about Christians and Depression. I highly recommend that you read it click here

I echo the author’s sentiments, except that I would encourage people to consider counseling in addition to medication if they are suffering from depression.

Sometimes people need the medication to help them function as they work through the turmoil of their pain. Some people (especially with bipolar types of depression) need to stay on medication all their lives, but many people only need it for a time, until their neurotransmitter levels stabilize.

Though there are many naysayers, a Christian should never feel bad about having to take antidepressant or see a counselor.

Could you imagine if you broke your foot and someone tried to tell you that you just needed to read your Bible more, rather than go to a doctor to get a cast?

Those who try to make depressed people feel like they are lacking in faith are spiritual abusive. What are your thoughts?

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