Quirky or Interesting?

What about you? Are you quirky-- or simply interesting?

Here are two of my many quirks:

I have a thing about pens. I can’t stand tacky ballpoint stick pens, which I consider cheap. I almost insist on using either a gel or a roller ball pen, preferably retractable. I don’t have the patience to fiddle with caps. And I prefer blue, purple, or green ink. Black seems so common.

I also have a thing about colors. If I have a choice between white and a color, unless it’s paint, I will choose a color every time. I’m crazy about brightly colored post-it notes and highlighters. My Bibles look like coloring books. I’ve even asked the Lord to put a colored stripe in my white linen robe when I get to Heaven, so I won’t be bored wearing a solid white gown!

Your turn…what are your quirks? Or interesting habits?

 

P.S. I am guest posting on my friend Catherine Hackman’s blog today, and would love you to join me. You might discover a third quirk of mine over there…

 

Deliver Me: Stories of Hope in the Midst of an Unplanned Pregnancy

My guest today is Emily Akin from Tennessee Christian Reader, with a book review on a timely subject: Unplanned Pregnancy.

Do you know someone who has been touched by unplanned or unwanted pregnancy? I was not sure this topic would interest me, but then I recalled friends who had been in that situation. Once I started reading, I was hooked.

Hope, Help, and Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy---that's the subtitle of Deliver Me. Married women as well as unwed mothers find themselves in this situation. Often, they think abortion is their only option. Deliver Me proposes to debunk that myth.

Sometimes heart-warming and often heart-rending, the stories come from mothers, fathers, extended family, and pregnancy center workers. Mothers who chose to keep their babies share their decision-making experience. Those who had abortions tell of the mental anguish they suffered and how they found healing. Pregnancy center workers describe their successes and failures. Mothers, fathers, husbands, and boyfriends touched by this situation also are players in the stories.

Deliver Me presents a Christian perspective to the unwanted pregnancy dilemma. Believing abortion is wrong, the story-tellers want to help women keep their babies or give them up for adoption. But, they also offer the healing power of Jesus Christ to those who suffer the after-effects of abortion. What touched me the most was the "unplanned" father's point of view. As one of them said (p. 96), "Abortion is a direct attack on our identity as protector of our children."

Interspersed with the stories are facts about abortion and lists of resources. At the end, there's a list of "featured" pregnancy centers with contact information.

This book would be a great resource for pregnancy centers. I plan to donate my copy to a local center and encourage them to have copies on hand for their clients.

Buy it on Amazon or directly from Dianne E. Butts.

Disclosure of Material: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I Dare You to Read This Book and Stay in Your Rut

I am guest posting on Emily Akin's Tennessee Christian Reader blog today, about a book that will get you out of your rut. It will change the way you think of:

God.
yourself.
How the two relate.


I dare you to read it and stay in the pit!

Quit Punishing Yourself

At the end of my morning prayer times, the Lord will often whisper to my heart, "Ask Me for a favor." One day recently, I asked Him to tell me what favor I could do for Him. His answer shocked me:

"Quit Punishing Yourself."

Oh. My. I didn't know I was. I understand why the Lord would ask me this favor. If I believe the blood of His Son, Jesus is enough to eradicate my guilt--every ounce of it--why would I feel it necessary to receive condemning thoughts, think I'm stupid and fat, or any one of a thousand other ways I punish myself?

I say I believe it. Now I must love myself enough to prove I believe it.

Do you believe? Or do you catch yourself trying to make up for your sins by punishing yourself? You can't, you know. Only Jesus can wash us clean, inside and out, and prepare us to stand guiltless in the presence of Almighty God. I hope you believe that, because I like you mighty fine, and I want you to be with me in Heaven. If you'd like to believe but don't know how, please email me at jeanettelevellie(at)gmail(dot)com. I'll help you get to know Jesus, so you can quit punishing yourself, too.

Love you,

Why Humor?

Please join me at Sunnybank Meanderings today, where I'm guest blogging for my dear friend, Carole with an article entitled, "Why Humor?"

Have a Splendid weekend!

Jen

Love Talk

Ever wish you could crawl inside your mate's mind, and understand them better?

Please join me today as I guest blog on Warren Baldwin's Family Fountain, where I review one of my favorite books on communication in marriage.

Happy Sunday!
Jen