Top Ten 2013

Top 10 Resources that influenced me in 2013 that I'd recommend:

1)     Mountain Breezes: The Collected Poems of Amy Carmichael – Her poems are so deep, speak so eloquently of the struggles of the heart, the riches of His grace, the mysteries of His will, the triumph of faith and the glories of His crown & eternity.  Some of my favorites thru the years: Thy Way is Perfect, The Age Long Minute,  Do Thou for Me,  Let Us Go Hence,  My Quietness …– What a thrill to find them and countless more in this new book!

2)     A Miracle for Jen – Linda Barrick with John Perry.  A True Story of a teenage girl sold out for God and the incredible way He spared her life, healed and spoke thru her - miraculous!  

3)     A Place of Healing, Joni E.Tada – her latest book on suffering and healing written while going thru the worst suffering of her life – agonizing back pain!  Here she wrestles at a different level and still comes out triumphant & trusting, clinging to God’s promises and seeking to obey in everything.  She does get many answered prayers and can look back on the incredible way the Lord has used her over the years via the myriad of volunteers who help her daily and the Joni & Friends ministry. The book ends with many heart-warming stories of God’s grace in the lives of people all over the globe whom her ministry has touched.  A legacy like that makes suffering worthwhile!

4)     The Last Battle, C.S.Lewis, Very insightful allegory of the last times…. C.S. Lewis has such a knack for picturing and describing the indescribable, showing how the beauty and joys of this life are only pictures and “shadow land” of the real eternal world, world with world As Lucy put it: “Yes, Mr Tumnus, like an onion except that as you continue to go in and in each circle is larger than the last.”!  Wow, try get your mind around that?  how does he know to describe it like that!?  My favourite part is swimming UP the waterfall and running without getting tired!  Telescopic eyes…!  What wonders await – far greater!

5)     Under the Lilacs, Louisa May Alcott, (borrowed from sis Chris) enchanting wholesome children’s book with a exquisite drawings and really smart dog J

6)     LampLighter books:  Saved by Love (the transforming power of loving selflessly);  Trapped Beneath the Surface (beautiful story of sisterly sacrificial love & patience); Broken Hyacinth (vivid eg of the havoc one’s jealously and bitterness can wreak on one’s own life and other’s close to you )

7)     The Missing Piece – Finding God’s Peace for Your Past  Lee Ezell – True story of a young lady’s journey from victim to victor as she surrenders, commits all to Him, forgives, learns gratefulness and finds purpose in her pain as she becomes a “wounded healer” by God’s grace and wonderful working to bring all to a beautiful and amazing conclusion!

8)     Because He love Me  Elyse Fitzpatrick (in our church library) -  driving us back to our identity in Christ:  righteous, chosen, and loved by our Heavenly Father!

 

9)  Focus on Family Broadcasts:  Digital Invasion, Arch Hart and his daughter discuss the impact of technology's influx into everyday family life and help parents better manage their family's interactions with digital media.

      Teaching Kids to be Financially Savvy, Mary Hunt and her excellent book

 

10) PEMF – Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequencies – electronic medicine - the wave of the future.

Top Ten for 2011

Here are the Top Ten resources that positively influenced me in 2011: (in semi chronological order)

1) Runner from Ravenshead - DVD with kids as actors – very well done and good allegory of our part in helping lost people find their way to freedom in Christ’s kingdom.

2) The Orphans & the Ravens, Julia Francis – incredible account of the Father’s care for His children in communist Romania

3) Wings Like a Dove by Christine Farenhorst – riveting historical novel set in the 1500s during the Reformation struggles. Portrays the courage of Queen Jeanne D’Albert of Navarre in helping to establish a protestant refuge while France & Spain on either side were ruthlessly stamping out the “Huguenots”.

4) Tramp for the Lord by Corrie TenBoom – encouraged my faith & prayer life

5) Lord, Change My Attitude by James MacDonald – very practical excellent book that Liz & I are still working thru

6) Lamplighter Rare Collector books – proof-reading a bunch to find that special one for each of the kids (all 21 eventually plus my sibs)!

7) Which None Can Shut by Reena Goode - a missionary in an Arabic country shares remarkable true stories of God’s miraculous working in the lives of Muslims there. Brought tears to my eyes many times - so amazing and motivating!

8) Making Life Rich Without Money by Phil Callaway –hilarious personal accounts and tidbits to help the reader see just how rich he is! -even if so poor that the cupboards are bare and we don’t know how the next meal will come – which none of us have even remotely experienced!

9) The Very Best of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan DVD – fascinating and inspiring. Seeing how a dog’s behaviour can be changed and directed helped us feel more confident in getting a dog.

10) Rev. Harry Zekveld’s sermons - very Christ-centered, Christ-exalting, challenging, encouraging, inspiring both contrition & joy, tying the Bible together - particularly in the 2009 Easter series.
* * * * * *
And Regulat – from Dr.N. in Switzerland - a special enzymatically-alive liquid concentrate that played a huge role in my rapid recovery from bacterial pneumonia last year, and in healing Mom’s chronic leg ulcer. It regulates the immune system, balances pH, breaks down pathogens in the blood… therefore promotes healing from many ailments. Ask me for it.

Top Ten Inspirations from 2009

Top Ten for 2009

Here are some of the resources by which the Lord helped/encouraged/challenged me this year (and which I recommend to you):


1. Isaiah 40 - meditating on it over the year has made it a very real part of my thoughts and life - highly recommended to get a better sense of our smallness/mortality and God's greatness and incompareableness! Really puts things into perspective!

2. Also Louie Giglio's Indescribable and How Great is our God YouTube videos give an incredible view of God's awesome beauty and power and His amazing grace/love for us.

3. "Living as if Heaven is your Real Home" by Randy Alcorn, and many other MP3s from NewAttitude.org

4."Conversational Apologetics" audio by Michael Ramsden – listened to this over and over while camping – good place to practice sharing our hope in Christ in everyday conversation

5. More Love to Thee by Elizabeth Prentiss – her handling of her struggles & illnesses encouraged & challenged me

6. Narnia series – Dad & Mom & I are going thru the Focus Radio Dramas together and reading each book first. We just finished Prince Caspian. The Horse and His Boy resonated with me the most, and this year, like Shasta & Bree, I felt a keen sense of un-belonging and a longing for "the North" – for my real Home!

7. "The Blazing Center" DVDs by John Piper – his theme speech broadened and adapted for teens – tho still challenging enough and relevant to adults. Seeing the face that belongs to the voice I have loved listening to for many years now was a bit of a shock – but not a disappointment!

8. "Be Still My Soul" song blessed me richly as I listened to it over and over during the long, hard nights.

9. "Love Worth Finding" came onto our radio station this fall – Adrian Rogers has some really powerful sermons –"What will you do with Jesus?" is excellent for fencesitters and skeptics….

10. 50 ways in 50 days to Save Your Family – explains how parents can protect their children from the culture's negative influences. I haven’t read the book but after listening to author Rebecca Hagelin discussing it on Focus on the Family, I know if I had kids or teens, I’d definitely get it.

With these, His Word, other books and the encouragements of many of you, the Lord has carried me through a difficult yet blessed year.

I pray & trust He will carry each of us through the next year as we trust in Him – whatever He has in store for us. And may we grow closer to Him and to eachother in 2010 - for His glory and our joy!

Blessed/Happy New Year!

Top Ten of 2008

At the end of each year, I usually make a list of some of the resources that I particularily enjoyed or was challenged by that year and would recommend to others. This year was no exception. Here they are from 2008:

Top 10:

1. The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World—series of talks by different men, compiled into a book by John Piper & Justin Taylor—well worth the effort it requires to digest!


2. Dr. Oma, by Ethel Herr - easy reading yet inspiring!

3. George Muller—the Covenant homeschool group's excellent stage production and the book—excellent & encouraging to pray expectantly

4. Living The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C.J.Mahaney (thanks B&L)

5. The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives, by Ravi Zacharias

6. Breaking Free (from hinderances to satisfaction in God and enjoyment of Him) by Beth Moore

7. The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges – I'm not thru it yet, but its excellent so far

8. Matthew 11:38-40 – resting in Christ, taking His yoke - and Charles Swindoll's audio entitled: "It is Best to Rest" part of the series called "Jesus, the Greatest Life of all" on it (also the message "Resting in Christ" on John 15:1-11 - which was also part of our church's theme passage). The whole series or the individual CDs are available at: http://www.insightforliving.ca/index.php?page_id=2678

9. True Women 08 conference recordings – http://www.reviveourhearts.com/

10. Table Talk monthy magazines have good devotionals & articles. http://www.sola-scriptura.ca/

11. Yes, I know, I said 10 - but I have to add one more that was very special: In Another Language, piano recording of Heidi, cover designed by Lizzi - see January 2008 post entitled "January's Special Dates" for cover shots.

Top 10 Inspirations from 2007

Some of the books, music, movies worth sharing that were most enjoyable, inspiring or moving this year:

1. Passages from the Bible: Isaiah (especially chapters 61 & 43). They’re so beautiful and strengthening!
   Read the whole chapters. Here’s the beginning of Isaiah chapter 43: "But now, this is what the LORD says – He who created you… ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…’" (Thank You LORD!!)




2. Choices Changes – book by Joni Eareckson-Tada (thanks Rachel) -hope inspiring




3. Sweet Dreams CD (thanks K&R) and other "Singables" – Scriptures sweetly sung by a homeschooling mom along with a few of her 11 children! - easiest way to learn verses!




4. Jesus First in Everything CD – part of a series on the supremacy of Christ by James MacDonald (“You will never experience the fulness of joy that you were created to know until Jesus Christ has first place in everything”); Humility, the forgotten virtue by Wayne Mack; Idols of the Heart CDs by Elyse Fitzpatrick – all really help keep life in perspective (thanks Liz esp)




5. Summer Range – a riveting Western novel by my friend, Troy Peterson (I have a couple autographed copies left if any of you adventurous guys wants one)




6. Amazing Grace series on the radio and book by that name by David Jeremiah,
   Focus on the Family Radio Theatre’s Amazing Grace audio drama - stories of John Newton, William Wilberforce....




7. Major motion pictures - Amazing Grace (as above); The Nativity Story; Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - excellent movies. A prolife movie: Bella. (I haven't seen them all yet but hear they are well worth seeing and supporting. Its amazing to see such clearly Christian messages get into cinema!)




8. Autonomic Response Testing video course; Metabolic Typing online/teleconference course (still in progress - tough but will be very helpful)




9. The Sea is Blue by Marie A. Lawson - not exactly inspirational but enjoyable light reading for a change (thanks Heidi)




10. Praying the Names of Jesus – book by Ann Spangler focuses on one name of Jesus per week and what it shows of His character and dealings with us.
    

And lots more but I’ll stop there!

Hope you all had a Happy, meaningful Christmas

and I wish you a Blessed New Year with the Lord!