Does God know best?

    In Sweet Sanctuary, by Kim Vogel Sawyer the main characters are faced with this very question. Lydia Eldredge has been protecting a young boy, Nicky, from his father by claiming that he is her son. Dr Micah Hatcher is drawn into this dilemma when Lydia's father writes a letter to Micah demanding he do right by Lydia and "help" care for their son in a misguided attempt to provide protection for Nicky. In the drama that follows both Lydia and Micah are called on not only to support each other but to reach out to those who seem to beyond redemption.  They are faced with whether to trust that God has a plan for them even when everything appears lost.

                        Have good read, Nina

                  "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out."
                                                    -Alfred Hitchcock

Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed...

A couple years ago Ben Stein came out with a documentary called "Expelled No Intelligence Allowed". It was about the subject of Intelligent Design and how the scientific world was so against it because it suggested the idea of a higher power. Richard Dawkins the famous atheist is interviewed during the documentary and when asked about a possible source of the earth he mentions highly intelligent aliens as a possible creator.  In my mind this sounds more outlandish idea then the fact that God created the world, which Richard Dawkins thinks is ludicrous. I would recommend this documentary for families and homeschoolers as it teaches about the theory of intelligent design and about scientific theory and method .  I would also recommend Creation and Evolution: A Conference Pope Benedict XVI, edited by S.D.S Stephen Horn. In order to deal with science in the secular world we have to be aware of what the Church teaches that we might not be led astray.
                                        Have a good read, Nina

Jennifer O'Malley's story

If you have not read the O'Malley series I would highly recommend it as an excellent series. Each of the stories focus on one of the O'Malley siblings. Their jobs range from a U.S Marshal to a forensic pathologist.  They are a family by choice who found each other in a children's home after all suffering the loss of their respective families. Jennifer O'Malley story has been untold until now and this novella sets the stage for Jennifer's actions in the O'Malley series as she tries to introduce her siblings to Christ. I would recommend borrowing it from library as its price of $10.26 for 154 pages is a bit steep.

                 Have a good read, Nina

Would you go on the Bachelor?

This is the type of question 17 year old Addy is asked. But, instead of a rose there are red daisies and the winner gets a prom date with the President's son. The principal of Addy's school asks that Addy represent her school in a competition which drew 100 girls from random schools around the country. In First Date, by Krista McGee, Addy struggles with her Christan witness, mean girls, a diva director, and the President's son. I really enjoyed the book and I would recommend the book for those who like a little romance and a lot of personal character. This is a safe read for 14 year old's and up.

                             Have a good read, Nina

Will the real Adolf please stand up..

I have been recently watching Hogan's Heroes again. I have been enjoying this show about American POW's in a Nazi prison camp during WWII. It is nice to be able to watch a tv show which I do not have to worry about what I am going to see next. But at the same time as an adult there is one thing I did not notice before and that is the fact that while Sergeant Schultz is married he is always talking about meeting girls. This is also besides the fact that he is always looking for ways to stop from seeing his wife and kids.  While it is not an overt theme the fact it saddens me to see the dismissal of marriage vows even in jest.  While I still would recommend the tv show as it is relatively clean  I would remind people that it is always good to be on the lookout for those little messages that sneak into our minds and the minds of our kids.  We can not "unwatch" or "unhear" anything and it is imperative to guard against becoming complacent in the face of sin. Again, while I do not think it is a reason to not watch the show, I think that it is important that we be reminded that sin is never something to dismissed or used as a joke and something that should always be addressed so as not to become desensitized.


                                             Have a great day, Nina
  

Nuns, a harley, a police dog, and murder...

This is the backdrop of The Prodigal Nun by Aimee and David Thurlo. The stories main protagonist is a former investigative reporter, Sister Agatha. A murder takes place outside the chapel and with subsequent threats and attacks on the nuns Sister Agatha is drawn into the investigation. What I loved most about the story was all the Catholic elements in the story. They are always praying for help, seeking direction, and by leaning on God they find peace and direction. This is one in a series of books featuring Sister Agatha. While it is not of the caliber of Father Brown I plan on reading the rest of the series as I like a good whodunnit.
            
                 Have a good read, Nina

22 year old mother of 8

Aggie Milliken, a recent college graduate, suddenly finds herself the guardian to her sister and brother-in-law's 8 children, from baby Ian to 12 year old Vannie. Ready or Not by Chautona Havig chronicles the beginning of Aggie's adventures as she deals with 8 grieving children, a large house, new friends, a controlling GIL (Grandma-in-law) and two nice guys. For an over 800 page book it was a quick and entertaining read. It is also a testament to everything all mother's go through. I know the term stay-at-home mom is often given a bad connotation but as anyone who has ever "stayed home" with the kids can tell you it is a lot of work and it is rewarding. I also love Aggie's constant use of hymns to help her when she is having a particularly bad day. I know that for myself having music on in the background especially Christian music or hymns always has a way of relaxing me and reminding me to rely on God. Also, as I am often told, when you sing once, you pray twice.
                                                          Have a good read, Nina

Happy Feast of St Anthony of Padua!!

Today is the feast day of one of my patron saints Saint Anthony of Padua. I first learned about him as the Patron Saint of lost things and have daily called and depended on his help. I am losing items all the time and St Anthony has been so gracious to me. After all the help he has given me I have made it my mission to learn more about his life. While most of us know St Anthony as the patron of lost things he is most known in his life for his preaching.If you want to learn more about the Saint check out Helen Walker Homan called, St Anthony and the Christ Child. Next time you ask St Anthony to help you find something ask for his help in reaching out to the lost as well. Ask St Anthony to help us find those sheep lost from the flock.
                            
                                                Have a good read, Nina

Summer Jukebox

Looking for fun, uplifting, and clean songs for summer car rides check out Francesca Battistelli, Britt Nicole, Holly Starr, Ginnie Owens, Meredith Andrews, Audrey Assad, Daneille Rose, Jamie Grace, and Mandisa. These are some great Christian female artists. Songs like Free to be Me and It's Love with Dave Barnes are great ones to check out to get the flavor of Francesca Battistelli's music. Gold, by Britt Nicole,  a more recent discovery is a great anthem about our worth as sons and daughters of God. These are just some of the great songs by these artists out there.  Audrey Assad and Danielle Rose both Catholic singers have some songs that are great for prayer time and reflection. What God has brought to my attention over the last several years is that it is not just about listening to good music or reading good books but, what will bring me closer to God.  That is one of the reasons I started this blog there are many Christian books out there but not all are worth reading.
                                                     
                                                    Have a good read, Nina

The Lamb's Supper

A couple of years ago when the Eucharistic Congress was held in my city, I was able to hear Scott Hahn speak about the mass and his own personal experience with it during his conversion. Scott Hahn talks about going to daily mass prior to his conversion and sitting with the book of Revelation open and following the liturgy with the help of this particular New Testament book. I was unaware that so much of the structure of the mass can be found in the book of Revelation and Scott Hahn walks you through the details in his book The Lamb's Supper. It is a great tool to understanding and appreciating the mass more. It would be a great book for people to read as a family or as a small group. God has given each on of us gifts and insights and when we share them with others we can bring more of God's truth to light. You can also find his talk on cd through Catholic Lighthouse media under the title the Lamb's Supper.
   
             I studied Biblical Archaeology in school as well as Hebrew and I was blessed to learn more about the Jewish tradition and practices. The Jewish practice of shechita, ritual slaughter, has made me understand the importance of receiving both Christ's Body and Blood in the Eucharist. The Jewish believed that to drink of the blood of another animal was to take their spirit into you. That is why shechita was practiced so that all the blood would be drained out of the animal prior to butchering. That is why Christ mention of us partaking of his blood would have been so significant for the Jews. For by drinking his blood they would also have believed that they had taken his spirit into their bodies.  This is one of just many things that knowledge of Jewish faith and practice has deepened my understanding of my faith. Jeff Cavin's does a great job of going into depth about many of these connections in his Bible Timeline series which is both religiously and historically educational.

                                  Have a good read, Nina

For Such A Time...

The Women of Valor series by Elyse Larson is a must read for fans of WWII. Each of the books focuses on one woman and their efforts in WWII. They are all connected by friendship but they are good as stand-a-lone books. The first book, For Such a Time features a trip behind enemy lines and the Japanese internment camps. The second book, So Shall We Stand features a young widow in the Land Girls army in Great Britain. The third book, The Hope Before Us, follows two sisters, a nurse and a reporter on an adventure. I have not read these in a while as I have new books stacking up to be read but they remain one of my favorite WWII series.
                                          
                                           Have a good read, Nina

Christian books for teens.

Hi again,
             There are a few more series I would like to recommend especially for the Catholic Youth out there. There are the Fairy Tale Novels by Regina Doman. I have enjoyed all of them with their modern twist on Fairy Tales and great Catholic content. She just had another book come out based on the Rapunzel fairy tale. Another good Catholic series for teens would be the John Paull 11 high series. It follows a bunch of different Catholic kids from different backgrounds from homeschool  to private school who are brought together by a new start up school, John Paul II High. With there different backgrounds, beliefs, and reasons for being there. It makes for interesting stories. All the books series I mentioned in my last blog should be read by 16 year old's or older teens since they deal with more world based issues, even the London Confidential series I mentioned last time for younger teens. After going back over the content of these books while good and Christian they are not for the younger generation. Instead I would recommend the Mandie series by Lois Gladys Leppard each story is a mystery waiting to be uncovered and takes the main characters all over the world. From ages 14 and up I would recommend the Janette Oke book's like the Love Comes Softly and Women of the West series. But in the end it is not just the age but the maturity of the person reading the books. 
                                            Have a good read, Nina