I started this Blogging for Books adventure a couple of weeks ago. I was so excited to recieve my first title for review. I really couldn't wait to dive into the text. What better book to read than one about God's unconditional love? That was my impression when I first began reading this book.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the book. It definitely did not grab my attention from the start. I just kept thinking that at some point he would show both sides of the Gospel. He never did, though. I was very disappointed.
While the message of God's unconditional love is crucial, there is more to it than that. I do not feel that Brennan gave the full view of what is expected. He almost justified sin so that God's grace could be bigger. I felt like he was sort of condoning sin.
We are to strive to be more Christ-like everyday. While it is not possible for us to be perfect, and we will always be undeserving, we are to attempt to sin no more! Jesus said, "Go and sin no more!" I felt that Brennan left that part out of his book.
He gave me the impression that it was perfectly ok to sin all you want and you would be just fine. While we all fall short of the glory of God, we are not called to sin as much as we want.
Overall, I would definitely not recommend this book to the unsaved. While they would get the very important message of God's love, they would not get the full picture of what a Christian is and how they should live.
This book was provided for me free of charge by Blogging for Books and Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for my personal review. Other than this book, I am receiving no compensation. The views expressed are my own.
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
To Lie or Not to Lie....That is the Question!
Life has been going really well. We were hoping that January 27 would have been the day that the state's attorney would have petitioned for termination of rights. That day has come and gone. In the meantime, we have just been loving every second of being a family. Everyone has been adjusting really well to the idea of being adopted.
One frustration that we have been dealing with is lying. I am posting this in hopes of getting some ideas for dealing with a 5 year old that lies constantly. Pretty much if the child is speaking, he is lying!! It is crazy. He will say ANYTHING, even if he knows you saw him do something else. He will tell you the grass is purple and be TOTALLY convinced of it!
Some things we have tried:
1. We started an "I TOLD THE TRUTH" jar. Everytime the kids tell the truth when it would be easier to lie, they get a pom-pom in the jar. Once the jar is full, we will do something fun (i.e. go out for ice cream, go to a movie, etc.)
2. We have talked a lot about God watching everything we do. He remembers all the good things we do and all the bad things we do. When we pray to God we need to ask him to forgive us for the "bad" things we did...called sins. We also talked about that we have to REALLY be sorry. We can't say it if we don't mean it.
3. TRUTH OR LIE: We started playing a game called Truth or Lie. I will say a sentence "The sky is green" and the kids have to say truth or lie. They are really good at the game. They get almost all of them right, which tells me that they do know when they are lying.
4. MODELING: We are modeling truth telling. When we tell the truth, we talk about it. I told the kids about hitting the garage door with the van. I explained that it would be easier to lie about it, but how much better I felt when I had told the truth.
We really want to focus on the positive...the telling the truth. With that being said, we can't let lies go undisciplined. Any ideas you have would be really helpful. You could send ideas to my facebook or my email: jlcorbly82@yahoo.com. Or you could leave comment here. Anything that has worked for you!
Dear Lord, thank you for giving me this opportunity to teach the children about the honesty that you have shown us. Thank you for always honoring what you have promised.
One frustration that we have been dealing with is lying. I am posting this in hopes of getting some ideas for dealing with a 5 year old that lies constantly. Pretty much if the child is speaking, he is lying!! It is crazy. He will say ANYTHING, even if he knows you saw him do something else. He will tell you the grass is purple and be TOTALLY convinced of it!
Some things we have tried:
1. We started an "I TOLD THE TRUTH" jar. Everytime the kids tell the truth when it would be easier to lie, they get a pom-pom in the jar. Once the jar is full, we will do something fun (i.e. go out for ice cream, go to a movie, etc.)
2. We have talked a lot about God watching everything we do. He remembers all the good things we do and all the bad things we do. When we pray to God we need to ask him to forgive us for the "bad" things we did...called sins. We also talked about that we have to REALLY be sorry. We can't say it if we don't mean it.
3. TRUTH OR LIE: We started playing a game called Truth or Lie. I will say a sentence "The sky is green" and the kids have to say truth or lie. They are really good at the game. They get almost all of them right, which tells me that they do know when they are lying.
4. MODELING: We are modeling truth telling. When we tell the truth, we talk about it. I told the kids about hitting the garage door with the van. I explained that it would be easier to lie about it, but how much better I felt when I had told the truth.
We really want to focus on the positive...the telling the truth. With that being said, we can't let lies go undisciplined. Any ideas you have would be really helpful. You could send ideas to my facebook or my email: jlcorbly82@yahoo.com. Or you could leave comment here. Anything that has worked for you!
Dear Lord, thank you for giving me this opportunity to teach the children about the honesty that you have shown us. Thank you for always honoring what you have promised.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sanctity of Life
We had the most amazing service at church on Sunday. I was so happy to get to be a part of it. It was the Sanctity of Life Sunday nation wide. Basically what this means is that churches throughout the nation were addressing the atrocity of abortion. At our particular church, one person from each year 1973 on was asked to walk into the sanctuary carrying a rose to represent all babies that had been aborted for that year. I was representing 1982. Over 45 million babies have legally been aborted since 1973!!
My preacher was amazing when addressing this to the congregation. Suprisingly he said that 1 in 6 abortions are by women who claim to be born again Christians. What?!? I was so relieved to hear that he agreed with my beliefs in that life begins at conception and anything after that is murder!
The most amazing part of the sermon was his focus on God's grace and forgiveness. While this is an atrocity in God's eyes, he is faithful to forgive if someone has done it in the past. The emotional distress that it can cause can be unbearable. Only Jesus can take away that emotional distress from your life.
How precious he is!! How could we bear our lives without him? We can't!
Lord, thank you for loving me so much and taking away my burden!
My preacher was amazing when addressing this to the congregation. Suprisingly he said that 1 in 6 abortions are by women who claim to be born again Christians. What?!? I was so relieved to hear that he agreed with my beliefs in that life begins at conception and anything after that is murder!
The most amazing part of the sermon was his focus on God's grace and forgiveness. While this is an atrocity in God's eyes, he is faithful to forgive if someone has done it in the past. The emotional distress that it can cause can be unbearable. Only Jesus can take away that emotional distress from your life.
How precious he is!! How could we bear our lives without him? We can't!
Lord, thank you for loving me so much and taking away my burden!
Monday, January 10, 2011
God's Plan
It never ceases to amaze me how all the events of our life fall perfectly into God's plan, not ours. We had a court hearing this morning, and the birthparents' goal was changed to termination of rights. We were in and out of the courtroom within 5 minutes, because there was simply nothing to argue. From here, the state's attorney will file the petition to terminate parental rights on January 27th!! Then we will have the termination hearing(s). After we wait 31 days from that point, we can file our paperwork for adoption!!! Everything is falling into place and so quickly. It must be God's plan. When we were fighting for our own plan, nothing fell into place. Now my heart is bursting with joy. I am so thankful that the judge decided to return the other 3 kids home they way he did. Even though I didn't like it at the time, it has turned out beautifully for them. He made the right decision. I am so thankful that God gave us the courage to accept this placement 11 days later! I am thankful that the children's aunt made the decision to let the 3 children live together, and Lacy came to live with us. WOW!! My God is amazing. None of this could have been possible if not for his grace. Now the children will have a life of love, stability, and learning about our Savior. A life that they could not imagine before, and are still having a hard time believing. They still think soon they will be moving to another home. Today, I finally get to tell them that they are staying with us forever and that they, too, will be CORBLYS!!!
Father, thank you for your grace. We are undeserving, yet you shower us with you love. Please help me to reflect your love to others in your name!
Father, thank you for your grace. We are undeserving, yet you shower us with you love. Please help me to reflect your love to others in your name!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
It has been a crazy busy, wonderful couple of weeks. Poor Ashton had to have his tonsils and adnoids removed last Thursday, and we have been trying to get him well since. He is doing great, but just trying to take it easy.
Taking it easy is not easy during the busiest time of the year. Our first Christmas together has been an absolute joy!! The kids got way too much stuff, and have been loving every moment of it! Both of our families have totally taken these kiddos in as their own. It has been truly wonderful. I feel so blessed to have them here.
They have also been opening up so much over the last few weeks. Today we were told again that we are the "best mom and dad." I did have to break down the other day and tell them about their birthmom's situation. Without going into details with them, it wasn't a pleasant conversation. They needed to hear it, though, so they could move on. Since then, they have only been more loving and open with us.
The boys have been telling us some of the things that they have gone through in the past, and every day, I am just SO thankful that they are with us. They are safe, healthy, and happy!! I couldn't ask for more :)
Lord, thank you for blessing me beyond my imagination. Thank you for blessing these children beyond theirs!
Taking it easy is not easy during the busiest time of the year. Our first Christmas together has been an absolute joy!! The kids got way too much stuff, and have been loving every moment of it! Both of our families have totally taken these kiddos in as their own. It has been truly wonderful. I feel so blessed to have them here.
They have also been opening up so much over the last few weeks. Today we were told again that we are the "best mom and dad." I did have to break down the other day and tell them about their birthmom's situation. Without going into details with them, it wasn't a pleasant conversation. They needed to hear it, though, so they could move on. Since then, they have only been more loving and open with us.
The boys have been telling us some of the things that they have gone through in the past, and every day, I am just SO thankful that they are with us. They are safe, healthy, and happy!! I couldn't ask for more :)
Lord, thank you for blessing me beyond my imagination. Thank you for blessing these children beyond theirs!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
God's Amazing Timing
I am continuously amazed by God's perfect timing. For a couple of months, one of my preacher's wives has been trying to connect me with a friend of hers. She said we have similar stories and thought we should meet. I am not great with words, and never seem to say the right thing, so I was reluctant. But I knew God was telling me to go, so I obediently went. On the way, I just prayed that God use me however he deemed worthy. I would just follow his guidance.
When my new friend walked into Panera, I was immediately calmed and felt peace. She was so sweet, and there was absolutely nothing to be stressed about. We grabbed some dinner and had a wonderful chat. She began by telling me her amazing story of adoption through foster care. As it turned out, we work through the same agency, and know some of the same people. In fact, the first person that we met at LSSI was the first person she met at LSSI...amazing!!
She knew the heartache of thinking she was going to adopt a child and then have it fall through. I could relate to that because of losing our 3 children back in August. When she got her daughter, the goal was a 23, and our goals is a 23. The same birth parent issues were present with her situation as ours. The whole time she was talking I was just thinking about our situation and how similar they were.
Then I told her out story. I basically started at the beginning and told her all the drama up until now. I do not have the happy ending yet that she does, but it was just a reassurance to me that no matter what the road, God is in control.
That was obvious to me that night. God told me I needed to be there, and I did. He led Denise to bring the two of us together. He led me to Denise a couple of months ago to have a conversation that put the idea of getting the two of us together into her mind. Every little detail of our lives is already known by our amazing God. And yet, I am always blown away that he would care that much about ME! To put me in the right place at the right time.
I was so reassured and refreshed by this simple dinner at Panera's. My heart was warmed and it gave me the strength to get through this possibly long journey of hopeful adoption. Whatever the road, I know my God will carry me through!!
Lord thank you for caring enough about me to place wonderful people along my path!!
When my new friend walked into Panera, I was immediately calmed and felt peace. She was so sweet, and there was absolutely nothing to be stressed about. We grabbed some dinner and had a wonderful chat. She began by telling me her amazing story of adoption through foster care. As it turned out, we work through the same agency, and know some of the same people. In fact, the first person that we met at LSSI was the first person she met at LSSI...amazing!!
She knew the heartache of thinking she was going to adopt a child and then have it fall through. I could relate to that because of losing our 3 children back in August. When she got her daughter, the goal was a 23, and our goals is a 23. The same birth parent issues were present with her situation as ours. The whole time she was talking I was just thinking about our situation and how similar they were.
Then I told her out story. I basically started at the beginning and told her all the drama up until now. I do not have the happy ending yet that she does, but it was just a reassurance to me that no matter what the road, God is in control.
That was obvious to me that night. God told me I needed to be there, and I did. He led Denise to bring the two of us together. He led me to Denise a couple of months ago to have a conversation that put the idea of getting the two of us together into her mind. Every little detail of our lives is already known by our amazing God. And yet, I am always blown away that he would care that much about ME! To put me in the right place at the right time.
I was so reassured and refreshed by this simple dinner at Panera's. My heart was warmed and it gave me the strength to get through this possibly long journey of hopeful adoption. Whatever the road, I know my God will carry me through!!
Lord thank you for caring enough about me to place wonderful people along my path!!
Friday, December 3, 2010
To Santa or Not to Santa....That is the Question
I am having a hard time doing the socially acceptable thing this year. I don't know why this year is so much more difficult than every other year. Our 3 kiddos are super obsessed with "Santa" and his seemingly amazing magnificence. I have never really had a problem doing the Santa thing in the past. I guess it was because our previous kids knew the true meaning of Christmas. They knew that the idea of Santa was just for fun, and so it was no big deal for me.
This year is so different, because we haven't had the kids long enough to really have that kind of impact. They think that because they asked Santa for something, they are automatically getting it. Cebastian asked for a car AND a motorcycle that you can drive around...Seriously? Those things are like $300 bucks each!! He's not even getting one of them!
I am trying hard to work with them about the true meaning of Christmas. They understand that it is Jesus' birthday, but to be honest, it's just not that important to them. I have absolutely NO Santa decorations in my house, only Nativity type things. Yet, still they practically worship Santa. I feel like as a society we spend so much time and energy trying to convince our children that Santa is real. "He knows when you are sleeping...He knows when you're awake..." Then they at some point find out that it was all a big lie. Then we turn around and expect them to believe us when we tell them that Jesus is real. How can we expect them to believe in Jesus when their idea of Santa was proven false?
So I am not doing the Santa thing...I don't know how to avoid it without crushing the past 3, 5, and 6 years of their Christmases, but I am working on that. I will not focus this holiday season on a lie. This is a time of celebration of the birth of our Savior. It is not a time to "worship" some imaginary being. All Santa does is teach us to be selfish and be good so we can get things for ourselves. I want to send the focus outward. Let's do something for someone else because of what Jesus came to do for us!!!
I do want to clarify that I have no problems with anyone else celebrating Santa...but for me it just doesn't feel right anymore. I want my children to trust that what I am teaching them is TRUTH. I will not begin our lives together on lies.
Lord help me get through this holiday season with YOU as the focus. Help my 3 children see that you are the reason for the season, and that Santa is just like Mickey Mouse or any other fictional character!! Only you can open their hearts to your love. Use me to guide them to you!!
This year is so different, because we haven't had the kids long enough to really have that kind of impact. They think that because they asked Santa for something, they are automatically getting it. Cebastian asked for a car AND a motorcycle that you can drive around...Seriously? Those things are like $300 bucks each!! He's not even getting one of them!
I am trying hard to work with them about the true meaning of Christmas. They understand that it is Jesus' birthday, but to be honest, it's just not that important to them. I have absolutely NO Santa decorations in my house, only Nativity type things. Yet, still they practically worship Santa. I feel like as a society we spend so much time and energy trying to convince our children that Santa is real. "He knows when you are sleeping...He knows when you're awake..." Then they at some point find out that it was all a big lie. Then we turn around and expect them to believe us when we tell them that Jesus is real. How can we expect them to believe in Jesus when their idea of Santa was proven false?
So I am not doing the Santa thing...I don't know how to avoid it without crushing the past 3, 5, and 6 years of their Christmases, but I am working on that. I will not focus this holiday season on a lie. This is a time of celebration of the birth of our Savior. It is not a time to "worship" some imaginary being. All Santa does is teach us to be selfish and be good so we can get things for ourselves. I want to send the focus outward. Let's do something for someone else because of what Jesus came to do for us!!!
I do want to clarify that I have no problems with anyone else celebrating Santa...but for me it just doesn't feel right anymore. I want my children to trust that what I am teaching them is TRUTH. I will not begin our lives together on lies.
Lord help me get through this holiday season with YOU as the focus. Help my 3 children see that you are the reason for the season, and that Santa is just like Mickey Mouse or any other fictional character!! Only you can open their hearts to your love. Use me to guide them to you!!
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