Book: Graduation Day

Graduation Day

by Joelle Charbonneau

Length: 304 pages
Format: Hardback
Price: Checked out from school library

How I heard about it: Last installment of the series, after The Testing and Independent Study

Basic Premise: After receiving a coveted internship with the president of the United Commonwealth, Cia finds herself charged with a task she would never choose to accept but dares not refuse.

My Take: 6 out of 10 (scale here)
Ehhhh.

I was disappointed. The pace was far slower than the other two, and there were many moments where I was thinking, "Um...what?" The story felt disjointed and the characters less familiar somehow. By the end, there were still many questions in my mind, not the least of which was, "Is this for real?" because book 2 threw such a curve ball at the end that I was hesitant to trust what I was reading. All in all, I found it to be a slightly dissatisfying ending to what was otherwise an original and innovative trilogy.

Product Review: Norwex Hair Turban

How I Heard:
When I had my Norwex Party, I ended up with lots of free stuff. Like, lots. Like, this much:

Most of what I got was the "hostess package," but then I also got credits with which to buy whatever I wanted. I was sensible for the most part and bought things I knew I would be using to clean my house. But I had heard TeRee talk about the hair turban and was curious. So I text her and said, "I'm considering the hair turban but feel like it's a little impractical..." She immediately text back and said she uses it daily, her hair is 70% dry by the time she takes it down (a feat...she has THICK hair), and she could not recommend it more strongly. So...I put it on my free list.

What I Used:
I used the Norwex hair turban. Normally, I either wrap my hair in a towel and struggle to keep it on my head while I go about getting ready, or I take it down early and have to worry about wet hair dribbles or spots. So I was super excited to try it out.

Application:
But when it came time to wear it, I wasn't sure how to do it, exactly. Between my husband and me, we thought this was probably the most likely method:

But it felt very loose. So I text TeRee who said the button goes in the back. I couldn't figure that out either so she sent me this link. That made WAY MORE SENSE.

Results:
As you can see, it is snug around my head (but not so tight it would cause headaches, like I find hats do) and I can easily go about my business. I can go upstairs, get dressed, brush my teeth, get the kids up, get them dressed and breakfasted, and then hit the hair dryer for 2 minutes or so. It's become a part of my daily routine, so much so that I took it on an overnight trip with me because I could not bear the thought of having to battle with a towel. I LOVE this thing. It might be my favorite Norwex purchase (and THAT is saying something!)

Other Norwex Products I Love:
Bathroom Scrub Mitt & Ergonomic Toilet Brush
Norwex Kitchen Cloth & Cleaning Paste

Perspectives Kick-Off!

I can probably pinpoint about five monumental markers that have shaped my faith. Reading certain books, attending certain events, specific relationships with specific people at specific times in my life.

And taking Perspectives.

Perspectives is a course that examines the worldwide Christian movement from historical, biblical, strategic, and cultural perspectives. At least, that's the tagline. The truth is that Perspectives is a game-changer. I know this because I experienced it when I took it in college. So when Perspectives approached WHC about hosting the class, Grant contacted me to see if I'd be interested in helping.

Um....YES!

Last night was our first class and it was uh-MAY-zing. Nearly 100 people were in attendance (including not one, but TWO former students!) and Sean Cooper of The Traveling Team did our first lesson.

 

I had forgotten that in the first lesson they drive home the fact that the Bible is ONE story. It's often seen as a multitude of stores that involve God, but the truth is, it has a plot structure complete with all the elements of plot. It has a main character and, guess what? I'm not the main character. We are not the main character. HUMANITY is not the main character. GOD is. And when we take verses like Psalm 46:10:

We put the first half on bumper stickers and coffee mugs and home decor. We leave out the last part, why? BECAUSE WE AREN'T IN IT. The truth is, God's heart is for the nations. Not just Westerners. Not just Americans. Not just republicans/democrats. Not just the righteous. Not just the wealthy. ALL THE EARTH. There was so much good MEAT to everything he said. After the first half, my notes looked like this:

I had to get more paper. I didn't look at the clock once. I was writing nearly as fast as he was talking. Things like:

• The Old Testament tells the story Jesus completes and declares the promise Jesus fulfills.
• God didn't give us the "great commission" in Matthew 28:19-20. He gave it to us in Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, John 20:21, Acts 1:8 - there are over 1500 references in the Bible to the "great commission."
• Every epistle is a fulfillment of Genesis 12 - Corinth. Galatia. Ephesus. Philippi. Colossae. Thessalonica.
• Jesus never traveled more than 90 miles from his hometown, yet he reached Samaritans, Canaanites, Centurions, Gentiles, Gadarenes, Romans, etc.

When two hours were up, I couldn't believe it. It was SO GOOD. I went straight home and filled Rick in - I talked as fast as I could because I was afraid something important was going to slip out of my head before I could tell it to him.

I am so excited about next week!

Book: Gone Girl

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

Length: 415 pages

Format: Paperback
Price: Borrowed from a friend 

How I heard about it: My fellow teachers were talking about it

Premise: 30-somethings Amy and Nick have begun to unravel after five years of marriage. Amy's disappearance on the couple's fifth anniversary finds authorities baffled, the public concerned, and Nick, well, neither.

My Take: 8.5 out of 10 (scale here) 

This book was a page turner. It was the perfect thing for me to read while my husband was in the Philippines. Well, actually, maybe the perfect thing wouldn't have involved murder and abduction while I was sleeping alone at night…

Anyway, the book was very intriguing. It was a truly unpredictable plot that had me guessing throughout. I would start to think one thing, and then there would be a plot twist, and then I would think nearly the opposite. It was far more adult than my typical YAL read, but I didn't really mind so much because the plot was sooooo intriguing. The characters reminded me strongly of those in JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. Which I hated because they were terrible, terrible people. The same is true here, but the difference is that the story didn't depend on like able characters. Instead it was propelled by plot and intrigue. I rented the movie and asked Rick to watch it with me that night after he got back. He is an unequivocal master of "calling" mysteries within the first five minutes. For maybe the second time ever, he was wrong.

A Word for 2015

This time of year always causes me to reflect on the year before and look to the year ahead. For the last two years, I have set goals (see them here: 2013 and 2014), but this year I'm doing something different. Every year, at the service that follows Christmas but proceeds the start of the new year, the pastor at my parents' church challenges the people of his congregation to adopt one word for the upcoming year - a theme, if you will. I've seen people do this before - one of my friends blogged about "balance," I saw another guy who chose the word, "truth." I decided to participate this year, because lately I've been disappointingly overwhelmed by my concern for my own skin. I am so wrapped up in how things will affect me that I forget to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbors as myself. So my word for 2015 is: THEM.

Them is my family. My children. My husband. My parents. My brother. Them is my co-workers, my students, my teammates. Them is my church family, my ministry partners, my fellow Christ-followers. Them is the people checking me out at the grocery store, the people serving me at the restaurants, the people answering the phone at the doctor's office - them is everyone else.

I turned this into a journal at school. I was overwhelmed by the BEAUTY of their thinking, their reasoning, their writing. Here's the wordle I created using their words:

Created using wordle.net

Here's to making 2015 less about me and more about THEM.