Book Review: Max On Life

I am a HUGE Max Lucado fan. This is by far his best book ever written. In "Max on Life," Max Lucado takes on 172 questions that he has been asked over the years. Everything from "Who Is God?" to "Why Does God Sometimes Opt For Silence Even When I'm Screaming My Loudest?" to "Exactly Where Is Hell?"

This book is an invaluable resource for believers and non-believers alike. If you are searching, if there's something you've always wondered about, it's probably in this book. Mr. Lucado covers so many different topics. One of my favorite parts is an answer to a question regarding the death of a very young child. Max says, "While we are shaking heads in disbelief, they are lifting hands in worship. While we are mourning at a grave, they are marveling at heaven. While we are questioning God, they are praising God." What perspective!

I would recommend getting this book if you've ever had a question you couldn't answer, or a friend who has lots of questions to which you may not know exactly what to say. The only thing to remember is that when not quoting Scripture (some of his answers don't have any Scripture referenced specifically) that this is one man's interpretation of truth. I tended to agree with most of what he said; I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to review this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Our "Herd"

"I don't know about you guys but we are the weirdest herd I've ever seen." Sid the Sloth from the movie Ice Age

Molly

Moosie

Huey, Dewey and Louis

Stash

Oats, Hay and Chuck

Blackie

Jacob named all of the animals except Moose, Molly and Chuck. The little black cow is Oats. He is too freakin' cute. I told Doug he needed to get me a little brown cow that I could have as a pet. Hay is HUGE already, and Chuck is just ugly. No problems there.

So that's just some of our herd...I didn't get any pics of the turkeys or chickens because most of them are food. The layers are still in the coop getting bigger.

I did waaaay too much already this week so I'm trying to chill. Peace out.

Sooooooo Tired

Jacob has decided that his new wake-up time is between 6:00 and 6:30 AM. So, whether we get a nap or not, whether he gets to bed on time or not, whether we have a busy day or not...does not matter.

Thankfully, I have been feeling stronger (YAY!!!!) than I have been, so I haven't keeled over. Yet. But I am telling you, we ARE taking a nap today....and SOON!

Went to the doctor yesterday afternoon, got more water pills, and more labs to do. Doug had to get to the cow auction, so I didn't have time to do it yesterday. We'll probably go back (to get blood drawn) when he gets home from work today. Then he has a council meeting tonight...the last 3 days have just been insane.

Speaking of cows....we now have 3. Yes, THREE. Good ol' Chuck has really settled down. {It's quite hilarious, because when he's laying down we call him Ground Chuck, and when he's standing we call him Up Chuck...Jacob doesn't really get it, but the other morning we were letting the dogs out and he says, 'Hey, we have Up Chuck today!!"}

And technically they are not cows; they are steers. (I'm learning way more than I ever knew I would know or even care to know!) Chuck has mellowed considerably. The second day of medicating him never happened. I got to watch that one. Talk about stubborn! Doug even went in with the tractor to try to herd him toward Kyle, but Chuck charged the tractor! Then, when the DID finally get him in the stall, it went though the wall of the barn! Now granted, our barn is 150 years old (at least), so it wasn't difficult.

We got a red angus steer weighing in at about 850 pounds (he looks very big) and a little one (400 lbs) that's mostly black with a little white. He's SO cute. Jacob named them Hay and Oats. I told Doug I needed one to have for a pet. I want a totally light brown one. They are cute even when they're grown up. And when they are little....SO cute. I want to feed and pet one, but I can't do that with the ones we have now or I'll never be able to eat them.

So anyway. Now we have 3 dogs, 3 steers, a rabbit, 3 ducks, 6 turkeys, 23 laying chickens, and like 24 meat chickens. Yikes. Green Acres is the place to be.....

Compassion

I heard something today that really made me mad. A woman whose husband left her and their child is working THREE jobs, and had to decide to either put gas in her vehicle to get to those jobs, or pay rent. She put gas in her car so she wouldn't get fired. She is now being evicted. She is not on welfare. She called her well-to-do parents to ask for some help, and her mother had a one-word reply: "Sorry."

What? Sorry?? As a mother, I cannot even fathom saying to my homeless child and grandchild, "Sorry." When pressed, the woman said, "Mother, I'm homeless!" To which Mommy Dearest replied, "You are not homeless. The victims of Katrina, they are homeless. The people in Alabama, THEY are homeless."

Wow.

What the heck ever happened to compassion? You know me and my word-nerdy-ness.
COMPASSION: tenderness. Mercy. Concern. Loving-kindness. Benevolence. Grace. Kindness. Goodness. And the one that gets me the most? Humanity.

People are supposed to be different from animals in that they don't eat their young. They're not supposed to ignore them or walk away. They're not supposed to champion Darwin's "survival of the fittest." Humanity. What does make us different?

It's no wonder our society supports animal activism and touts punishing people who abuse animals but find it completely acceptable to kill their own unborn children.

I remember having a discussion with a woman who said she would have stayed with her dog in a flood, and died with it, rather than go with her husband and child, so the dog didn't die alone. Now don't get me wrong, I'm an animal lover. I have 3 dogs. But they are animals. This woman would have chosen her pet over her child. I have a problem with that.

How did we get to value human life so little? How is it that we have no compassion for our fellow man? See a homeless person? "Oh, he must be a drug addict. He deserves it." Someone using food stamps? "Must be lazy and have 12 kids by 12 different men." See an overweight person using a walker, cane or wheelchair? "If they weren't so fat and lazy they could walk on their own."

People, I IMPLORE you. Look beyond the facade! Why can't we assume the BEST until we know differently? Instead of judging someone, here's an idea: HELP THEM. And if you're wrong? Well shame on them. But YOU doing good didn't hurt YOU one bit.

Look around you. Won't you PLEASE find just ONE person you could help today? Compassion. Don't just read this. Walk it out.

Same Ol' Same Ol'

Once again the housecleaning issue is raising its ugly head. I can't keep a spotless house, so I am less than.

Well I'm tired of feeling less than. I do what I can when I can. And if that's not good enough, people are just going to have to live with disappointment. Lord knows I do.

Exciting News

My dream is to be healthy enough to go to churches and organizations about and speak about chronic illness and how to take care of one another. I think some people don't understand the importance of physical and emotion support for the chronically ill.

Well, Pastor Chad from Allegan Bible Church stopped to see me yesterday, and we talked about some wonderful opportunities. He mentioned that part of the problem is that some folks don't understand that they have gifts that are essential to chronically ill people, but they don't see them as important.

For example, he had a woman come up to him and say, "I'd love to help, but I don't know how. All I really know how to do is clean." I was like, THAT IS HUGE!!! There are SO many things that SHOULD be done in my house every day. Cleaning machines, tubing, filters, vacuuming, etc. I'm allergic to dust. With a hole in my neck with no filter to my lungs, there's a lot that should be done that just doesn't get done to protect my airway. There's just not enough energy.

Think about what you love to do. Or what you're good at doing. Some people seriously have a gift for cleaning. So donate some time to someone in need. Do you like to cook? Make some extra when you're making a meal. Throw it in the freezer. Ask your pastor if he knows of anyone in need of a meal. You don't have to walk on water or have a ton of money to help someone.

And face it, if it comes down to taking care of my son or cleaning all of the filters on my machines, Jacob gets priority. It's all about balance. It's all about how much change I wake up with in my pocket, and how much I can handle.

Anyway....the exciting news. Pastor Chad is going to facilitate a video of me, getting my message out, and put it on his church's website. We are hoping and praying that it will also be on Love INC's website, since they are national. That way, I WILL be able to get my message out from my own home! Plus, the man coming to do the video is going to show me how to do it myself.
YAY!

I'll keep you posted!

Prayer For Folks In The South

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to ask for prayers for all of those affected by the horrible tornadoes that ripped through the south last night. I have a wonderful friend who lives very close to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the damage is devastating. She is okay, thank God...

The death toll is officially 194 just from this area, and many, many are missing. That's what breaks my heart. It's bad enough that people are suffering such devastating loss; life, property, everything they hold dear. But to not know. To me, that would be the worst. Please keep them in your prayers, and pray that the lost may be found.

Thanks.