Africa Fundraiser: A Lia Sophia Party!

In case you didn't read this post, Isaac and I are headed to Swaziland, Africa this November to work with the organization Heart for Africa!  In order for us to go on the trip, we each need to raise $3,550 (by October).  In just a few short weeks, I'm hosting our first fundraiser: a Lia Sophia Party!

Lia Sophia is a great company which sells high fashion jewelry- at great prices!  It's a direct selling company so the Lia Sophia advisers (as they're called) show and sell the jewelry through home parties, online sales, and other events.  The hostess of the party typically gets several different great hostess benefits, including free and deeply discounted jewelry.  But instead of earning free jewelry for myself, our Lia Sophia party is going to earn funds for our Africa trip!  As an added bonus, the Lia Sophia advisor who is helping us with this fundraiser is going to donate her commission she would earn from the party, as well as the commission she would earn off any other party booked through our show!

Our Lia Sophia Party is Sunday, May 15th 2:00 pm at the Legacy Center at 2825 Lexington Road (on the SBTS campus).  Even if you don't live in the Louisville area or can't make it to the show, you can still help us get to Africa!  Here's how:

1. Go to this website: https://www.liasophia.com/sites/stephanielewis/catalog-intro
2. Under the 'Look up Your Hostess' tab, type 'Jenny Johnson'
3. Shop away!
4. Forward this to your family, friends, coworkers, as well as complete and utter strangers
5. Host a party (online and catalog shows count, too)!

Don't forget, you can always go to our fundraising page through Heart for Africa!  All donations through this website are tax deductible!

Too Rich for a Bride

It's always fun when the setting of a book you're reading is a place you've actually been.  It's not that the author needs help painting a picture of the setting in your mind- it's just a different dimension- not better, not worse than reading about a place to which you have never been.  I just finished Too Rich for a Bride by Mona Hodgson, set in the mining boom-town of Cripple Creek, Colorado.  I visited the town as a child when my family lived in Colorado Springs....I felt like I was in a time warp of sorts, so it wasn't too difficult for me to picture the town the way in would have looked in the late 1800s, when the story takes place.

Ida Sinclair is the eldest of four sisters; two of her sisters already live in Cripple Creek, and she plans to join them after she completes her business degree in Maine.  Once she arrives in Cripple Creek, she is determined to let nothing distract her from her goal of becoming a successful business woman- even if that means potentially comprising some of her ethics to make it in a 'man's world'.  The last thing she needs is the complication of a romantic relationship, but two of the town's eligible bachelors- the fashionable attorney and the mysterious traveling preacher- have both sets their sights on her.  With the addition of a landlady known for being the town matchmaker and two sisters who have already found love in the mining town, it will take all Ida has to focus on her career.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book; I actually read it in one day.  It's a quick read, but it's not as fluffy as I was anticipating.  Hodgson touches on some rather interesting issues- including business ethics, tuberculosis, and the early days of the stock market.  Apparently, Too Rich for a Bride is a follow-up to Two Brides Too Many, which follows the story of Ida's two sisters Kat and Nell, whom she joins in Cripple Creek.  The youngest sister Vivian still lives in Maine and is set to join everyone the following summer.  I'm guessing a third book will be appearing in the near future sharing with us Vivian's trek out West and her adjustment to Cripple Creek.  While Too Rich for a Bride is a follow-up, you can still read it without reading the first story (as I did), but there are a few events to which Hodgson alludes that most likely happened in the first book; if you can read the first book, it might give you a more complete picture of the Sinclair family and enhance your experience, but if you can only get your hands on the Too Rich for a Bride, by all means, read away!

Click here to download the first chapter of Too Rich for a Bride!  The book will be available May 3, 2011.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books 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.”

Amish Prayers

Most people know of Beverly Lewis's stories of the Amish community. I've enjoyed all of her books I've read; they are often more than just a simple fictional story. As you read her books, you begin to understand more about the Amish Order, its traditions, and the reason for their way of life. Indeed, you might just find yourself being convicted of your worldliness at some point- I know I've felt that way more than once when reading about a people who place little value in the things of this world. Yes, the Amish still have possessions and probably work hard so that they can have certain material items, but you don't see them rushing out to buy the latest fad in clothing or toys or whatever the category may be (probably because they aren't tempted by the television and other advertising). I'm not saying the Amish way of life is perfect, but I do think we can learn some valuable lessons from them.

The Amish and other Anabaptist groups have treasured the same book of prayers since it was first written in 1708. Die Ernsthafte Christenpflicht (Prayer Book for Earnest Christians) served as inspiration in both times of peace and persecution; the book has remained unchanged since its first printing.  Amish Prayers, compiled by Beverly Lewis, is an English translation from the original German.  The book is divided into several different sections, including "Prayers for a New Day", "Prayers of Repentance", and "Prayers for Strength".  There is something profoundly spiritual and connecting to pray specific prayers which have been prayed for centuries by countless believers.  In an all too often hurried world, these prayers remind us to slow down, to truly mediate on the Scriptures, and to focus on God and his provision in our lives.

Das Vaterunser

Unser Vater in dem Himmel!
Dein Name werde geheiliget.
Dein Reich komme.
Dein Wille geschehe auf Erden wie im Himmel.
Unser täglich Brot gib uns heute.
Und vergib uns unsere Schulden,
wie wir unsern Schuldigern vergeben.
Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,
sondern erlöse uns von dem Übel.
Denn dein ist das Reich und die Kraft
und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.
Amen.

-Matthaeus 6:9-13 (Luther 1545)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review 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."

For the Least of These...

In November, we will be traveling to Africa! Isaac and I will be going to Swaziland, a small country in sub-Saharan Africa to work with the organization Heart for Africa.

Many of you know that in graduate school, I tailored all of my research, papers, projects, and presentations to HIV/AIDS in Africa.  In fact, my master's thesis was designing a multi-faceted AIDS intervention program to be implemented in the small African country of Swaziland.  I spent countless hours researching the AIDS pandemic and its effects on the Swazi people, pouring over statistics that seemed too incredulous to be reality, and learning in just a very small way how the HIV/AIDS virus can devastate an entire nation.  And now, Lord willing, in seven months months Isaac and I will travel over 8,000 miles to see Swaziland and meet its people first hand.  To gain a greater understanding of the world and how many of its people live.  To grow in the knowledge that Christ has called us to be servants.

When I wrote my thesis over four years ago, I shed tears as I slowly pieced together a picture of the situation in Swaziland.  Recently, I pulled out my thesis and examined it again.  The statistics jumped off the page:

• Forty-one perfect of Swaziland's population is under the age of 15
• The average life expectancy at birth is 32 for men and 33 for women
• The HIV prevalence rate is 33 percent, the highest of any nation in the world
• Sixty thousand orphans reside in Swaziland

According to Heart for Africa, the average life expectancy is now 29.  Twenty-nine years old.  Isaac and I both turn twenty-nine this year.  There are now 200,000 orphans in a country the size of New Jersey, and the HIV prevalence rate is now 42 percent.  Fifteen thousand households are headed by orphans, and if the trend continues as it is, there will be no adults left in Swaziland by the year 2020.  This knowledge breaks our hearts; how can we understand this information and not be moved to action?  And while these numbers bring us to tears and leave us stunned, we cling to the hope that is graciously given by our Christ.  He knows the people of Swaziland; he loves them and cares for them.  And he is calling us to show his love for them.

We will keep you updated on the entire process of preparing and going to Swaziland to serve these beautiful people.  We covet your prayers as there are many things which require preparation before we can go and learn to serve others as our Savior serves us.  We both must raise $3,550- an overwhelming amount, to be sure- but not an unattainable amount through the grace of the Lord.  To begin raising the funds necessary to travel to Africa and serve the people of Swaziland, we have created a fundraising page through Heart for Africa (it currently links to Jenny's account, but once the money for one complete trip has been raised, we will change everything to an account for Isaac's trip):

Our Swaziland Fundraising Page

There is also a permanent link on the right-hand column under the heading "For the Least of These"; simply click on the picture, and you'll be taken to our fundraising site.  We are also planning on hosting some other fundraising events; if you have any ideas or would like to help us in any way, please feel free to let us know.  Most of all, we pray that our trip would be bathed in prayer as we seek to joyfully serve whom the world as deemed "the least of these."

Here Burns My Candle

WaterBrook Mulnomah recently updated their Blogging for Books program.  And let me tell you, it is now fabulous!  Not that it wasn't fabulous before, but it's just extra fabulous now.  It is one of the more user-friendly programs available, offering great technical assistance and really encouraging its bloggers to write quality reviews...which shouldn't be too difficult when you're reading quality books!  If you haven't visited their new page, do so now.  Right now.  Stop reading and click on this link.  After you've checked out their amazing program, come back and read my review of Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs.

I'm not sure how I've never read a book by Liz Curtis Higgs, considering how I seem to see them everywhere and have only heard good things about her writing.  At any rate, I decided to remedy the situation and recently finished Here Burns My Candle, a retelling of the story of Ruth- set in 18th century Scotland.  Not only is Ruth already one of my favourite books of the entire Bible, but I think that if done properly, retelling biblical themes and stories in modern or different eras can really reach an audience that may not ever have expressed interest in the Bible.  Take one look at Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and you'll understand that the Lord can use books like that and Here Burns My Candle to grasp the hearts of people and draw them near to himself and his Word.

I read Here Burns My Candle in two days- and it only took me that long because I had to put it down to go to work, eat, and sleep (although I did forgo some sleep just to read a few more chapters).  The author does an amazing job of setting the scene of Edinburgh as bonny Prince Charlie and his army begin vying for the English throne.  The character development was astutely done; they felt like real people with flaws and imperfections and temperaments and the ability to change.  Truly, I started the story immediately disliking a particular character, but by the end, I was rooting for her like I was her biggest fan.

The story focuses on the Kerr family, Scottish nobility with secrets to hide.  One by one, the secrets begin to surface, and the family is forced to make a difficult decision between following their hearts and following what is safe.  Though the reader may not recognize the similarity to the book for Ruth at the beginning, when you turn the final page you truly begin to grasp the beginning of the story...because the end of the book is not the end of the story.  The Kerr women continue their journey of love, sorrow, and redemption in Mine is the Night.  I cannot wait to get my hands on that one!

Click here to read an excerpt of Here Burns My Candle.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books 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.” 

A Deeper Kind of Calm

I definitely think of NavPress as a leader in publishing some seriously good books- especially Bible studies.  I received A Deeper Kind of Calm by Linda Dillow, the author of Calm My Anxious Heart.  This is the first book by Dillow I've read, but after reading this book, I'm hoping it won't be my last.  Seriously, I would not be opposed to somehow adopting Dillow into our family.  Wisdom and humility flow from her pen and you cannot help but feel encouraged, rebuked, and ready for more of her teaching.

This book is focused on what faith looks like in times of trial.  Dillow is brutally honest about how the Christian life is not always the happy-go-lucky experience we wish it to be.  She shares her struggles, not just in general terms, but in specific details, adding to the transparency and authenticity of her teaching.  She takes the reader through a few specific 'steps' (although this is not a checklist book) of faith in difficulty:

• Remembering what God has done (Psalm 77)
• Hiding in his presence (Psalm 46)
• Clinging to him (Psalm 63)
• Praising him for all we cannot see (Psalm 84)

At the end of the book, a four-week Bible study is also included.  I would recommend this book to every woman- not just if you feel you are in a time of sorrow and pain at the moment- but to everyone because we have all either been or will go through a valley of weeping at some point in our lives...perhaps several valleys, in fact.  Understanding that the Lord can use our time in such a valley to draw us closer to him is a valuable lesson- and one we should learn sooner rather than later.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review 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.”

The Girl in the Gatehouse

I'll be honest.  I get really excited when I look in my inbox and see that Bethany House Book Reviewers program has sent me an email.  For some reason, they seem to have some of the absolute best historical fiction available.  So much so, that it's really hard for me to choose which book I want to read and review for them!

I finally whittled my decision down to The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen.  When I received the book, I new I was going to enjoy it when I read the little blurb on the back cover about the author.  I quote: "Julie Klassen loves all things Jane- Jane Eyre and Jane Austen."  I mean, be still my beating heart!  But onto the book...

The Girl in the Gatehouse is the story of Mariah Aubrey, a young woman banished from her home because of a secret in her past.  She seeks refuge in an abandoned gatehouse at the estate of a distant relative and begins supporting herself and her loyal servant in a most unlady-like way: writing novels.  Several months after she settles into her new home at the gatehouse, Captain Matthew Bryant leases the estate, determined to impress and win the woman who rejected him years before.  But as he learns more about the mysterious girl in the gatehouse, he begins to piece together Mariah's past and is faced with the decision to befriend a woman shadowed by scandal or risk the love of the another woman- the one whose love he has coveted for years.

This book was a light and fun read.  Indeed, it was written very much in a Jane Austen-esqe style, and since it is set as Austen's contemporary, the author even made some allusions to Austen herself, without making it seem like an anachronism.  There is more to the book except the central love story, and the author does an excellent job of developing the characters relatively quickly- especially some of the supporting characters.  While there are some aspects of the story that are a bit more hard to believe, I don't mind those a bit since it is, after all, fiction.  I recommend this book if you're a fan of Jane Austen, as it presents a good picture of the society in which she lived.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers as part of their Blogger Review 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."