My Two Cents

For this month's "My Two Cents", I'm thinking of going with a fall theme...so let's see how it goes!

What do you think of when you think fall??

Hoodies, Pumpkins, Apple Picking, Hiking, Bonfires,

 Hay Rides, Kayaking, Hot Chocolate, Sweaters,

Hot Tea, Fall Foliage, County Fairs, Blue Skies, Apple Crisps

These are just a few of the things that pop into my mind filled with colors, cool nights, the noise of snapping fires and watching the steam curl up out of a hot cup of cider!!

 

 

Watch:

 

 

So on one of these cool nights, I would highly suggest watching a feel good movie that you can enjoy as a family, but possibly still need a box of tissues to share with your neighbor on the couch :)

 

I absolutely love this movie.  It is heartwarming, but still deals with some of the serious issues of today like abortion, children with disabilities, divorce, abuse, grieving the death of a loved one, etc. 

The actors are great and I never fail to cry in this movie...no matter how many times I watch it!

Here is an excerpt from the back of the movie: 

 "Sometimes we choose the wrong person to fall in love with .  

Dianne Parker meets and marries the handsome and charismatic Mark McCune, never noticing the quiet attention of his brother David, a soft spoken pediatrician.  Their marriage seems perfect until the birth of their daughter, Julia, a baby with genetic abnormalities...

In the process Dianne learns that love is more than what you feel for someone - it's what you're willing o give of yourself."

 

Read:

 

Are you wanting to curl up with a good book in front of your fireplace or woodstove?  Well I would highly suggest  Elizabeth Musser's book, "The Swan House".

 

It is a powerful story swirling around the racial issues of the 1960's.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

"Mary Swan Middleton has always taken for granted the advantages of her family's wealth.

But a tragedy that touches all of Atlanta sends her reeling in grief.

When the family maid challenges her to reach out to the less fortunate as a way to ease her own pain,

Mary Swan meets Carl - and everything changes.  For although Carl is her opposite in nearly every way, he has something her privileged life could not give her.  And when she seeks his help to uncover a mystery, she learns far more than she could ever have imagined."

Definitely one of my favorite books!

Listen:

Last month I suggested a CD to listen too, so this month I'm going to suggest a downloadable message by Jim Schettler :) (yep, you can still stay close to your woodstove OR you can go for that hike with your headphones!!) I have only heard Pastor Schettler speak once, but it was a message I will never forget!   The title is "Who Is Ahithophel? (A Portrait of Bitterness)

I had no idea who Ahithophel was, but I will never forget because of the powerful message God gave Him!  Here is the link, http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=813111412397

It is just under an hour long and I truly believe you will be blessed by the insight he has into Ahithophel's story as well.  (Pastor Schettler is also really easy/fun to listen too:})

 

Ponder:

 

 

I was just talking about this with one of my girlfriends the other day.  How often do we listen to someone and just stand their waiting for them to finish so that we can jump in and add our thoughts to the conversation?  (Do we even wait for them to finish, but rather wait for them to take a breath...?)

We need to LISTEN to people to understand where they are coming from, what they are going through, what their heart is telling you.  If we listen to reply, then we miss the message they are trying to send us.  We miss so much when we are focused on giving a response, rather then just listening to understand.

 

Pray:

This month I would love to ask for prayer for those who are being persecuted for their faith.  I was going to say specifically those being attacked by ISIS, but so many other people are facing just as horrible persecution...They are just not being covered by the news media.

Voice of the Martyrs is a Christian organizations that helps those who are being persecuted for their faith.  You can go here to check out an interactive prayer map of the world, that VOM made.  It gives you a description of what the conditions are for the persecuted in the different countries and what you can pray for specifically.

 

Meditate:

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"  Isaiah 6:8

Are we fully surrendered to go wherever He calls us?  To help with church VBS, to read to our younger siblings, teach the teenage girls, serve food at a soup kitchen, wash the floor on a mission trip, move to a foreign country to become a missionary there?

 

Praying you have a blessed October!