Exciting Update on the Commute Home

At approximately 2:00 pm this afternoon, I was reminded (out of no-where) that I had an exciting evening ahead!  Truth be told, there were a FEW reasons why I was excited, but the MOST exicting reason was the evening commute through the HRBT!

Some of my closest friends know I'm a SCIENTIST at heart (Kristy Collins from Kids' Tech University), so the idea of data collection to prove my hypotheses is extremely excitng to me!  Before you get too excited, I KNOW one set of data does NOT a hypotheses prove.  However, it's a START (and that's exciting!!!).

I left my office, immediately tuning my radio to K-Love!  I was looking forward to the time of Worship, but I was also curious to see how the traffic would be (and if I would be in a better state of mind to deal with the stress).  As I approached the interstate, I could see the traffic was backed up a bit; however, my drive TO the interstate was a piece of cake (which can REALLY be a nightmere some nights).  As I sadly pondered the ease of my drive thusfar (although still enjoying the Worship music), I hit the entrance ramp  to the Interstate and found a pretty significant backup.  I was excited to see I WOULD have a challenge afterall!  I pulled out a few articles of interest (I ALWAYS carry articles and books I want to read - JUST IN CASE I'm stuck for a while) in the event I needed them and when I finally made it to the BRIDGE TUNNEL, THIS is what I saw:

CAN YOU BELIEVE HOW CLOSE I WAS!?!?!?  OH MY GOSH, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!

I LOL'ed (in case you're not familar with this expression, it means laughed out loud)!  You see, I KNOW God has a sense of humor and this was my proof!  HE provided me with a good laugh!!!!

In all honesty, we weren't stopped long, so this was NOT a true test of my ability to deal with the stress (while listening to K-Love).  But I did enjoy the drive home (and listened to the news while I made dinner!).

I'll continue to provide updates because I know all the scientists can't wait for the outcome!!

(To be certain I was correct, the following definition for data collection was obtained online:  Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. The data collection component of research is common to all fields of study including physical and social sciences, humanities, business, etc. While methods vary by discipline, the emphasis on ensuring accurate and honest collection remains the same.)

Uplifting Old Habit that needs an UPDATE!

For quite some time, I have had a "ritual" for the long commute to and from work each day (through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel).  It has served me well for many years; until recently!

If you are one of my Facebook friends, you might have seen my recent post concerning ANOTHER disabled vehicle blocking the West-bound tube. Even though I normally don't LOSE IT like that, I'm glad I did.  It made me realize what I was currently doing WASN'T WORKING and it was time for a change!

In the morning, I spend my drive communing with God (in various ways).  I dedicate a portion of the drive to prayer, I sing along with Christian CDs or with the artists on K-Love (a fabulous Christian radio station), and I recite Scriptures.  When I arrive at work each day, I feel AWESOME!!!!

However, on the afternoon commute, I listen to NPR.  It is the only time I truly devote to hearing what's going on in the world - which quite honestly, depresses me.

So what's wrong with this picture?  The afternoon commute is usually the most stressful and seems to need some communing with God!  That being said, I think I'll skip the NPR and spend BOTH commutes with God!  I can listen to the news while I'm making coffee in the morning or making dinner at night. I really don't need THAT much news anyway; but I NEVER seem to get enough of God!

Tomorrows the test drive and I'm looking forward to the commute - BOTH WAYS!  I'll keep you posted!


If you're interested, some of my favorite Scriptures for reciting in the car, which I review every day, are provided below:

Psalm 118:8 (NLT)

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in people.

Colossians 3:23 (NLT)

²³ Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Proverbs 8:9-11 (NLT)

⁹ My words are plain to anyone with understanding,
    clear to those with knowledge.
¹⁰ Choose my instruction rather than silver,
    and knowledge rather than pure gold.
¹¹ For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
    Nothing you desire can compare with it.

 

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

²¹ Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

 

 

 

AMEN!!!

 

I was SO EXCITED when I drove in the driveway tonight!

Don't you love when you ask for something (and you REALLY HOPE YOU GET IT!) and then totally forget about it (probably because you don't think you'll get it and don't want to be disappointed).  Then, when it DOES comes, you are so excited and completely surprised?

When I pulled in the driveway tonight, after the long drive home from work (in addition to a couple of errands), I saw two parcels on our front porch!  I had no idea what they were, but it didn't matter - I got excited anyway!  I'm like a child when it comes to mail!  I LOVE getting mail!  AND I LOVE opening mail!

As soon as I got in the door, I put everything down and tore open the packages!  THEY WERE FILLED WITH BOOKS!!!!!!!  I love to read Christian books and I love to write book reviews!  Well, see the pictures below and, if you're interested in any of the books, my review will be "Coming Soon!"

I am so thankful to FaithWords (a Division of Hatchette Book Group) for allowing me the opportunity to share my opinion on these books!  I can't wait to get started....OMGOODNESS, which one should I pick first?!?!?!?!

Whistler Blackcomb

One of my sweet friends took a vacation recently.  I discovered the location of her ski trip was Canada.  While checking Whistler Blackcomb's Facebook page, I came across these beautiful photos by Mike Helfrich Photography:

Absolutely Beautiful Photos!

PICK UP YOUR COPY!!!!

Coming to a Book Store Near You-March 4, 2014!

LENT 2014

Lent 2014 begins on

Wednesday, March 5

and ends on

Thursday, April 17

Today is Tuesday, the 25^th of February.  The season of Lent is FAST approaching and, once again, I am compelled to DIVE IN!  I hadn’t thought about Lent in years, until I started following the ministry of an amazing Church in Washington, DC by the name of National Community Church (NCC) (http://theaterchurch.com/).  The Senior Pastor of NCC is an amazing Pastor/leader/author by the name of Mark Batterson.  (An example of his leadership – this statement sums it up:  "It’s not about the name over the door, it’s about the name preached inside." @MarkBatterson#ilikegiving)  AMEN!

As a child, I was raised in the Catholic Church by an amazing Christian Mother who led my sister and I in the Celebration of Lent.  Wikipedia defines Lent as:  “The preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the tradition and events of the Bible beginning on Friday of Sorrows, further climaxing on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”  NCC celebrates Lent and they motivate ME to want to celebrate Lent. 

I remember “giving up” ice cream (or chocolate) for Lent as a child; the “giving up” of something I loved in Jesus’ name (the self-denial part).  But it wasn’t until I got older that I started to understand what I believe to be the Spiritual significance of Lent.  A time of intense prayer, repentance and study of His Word; creating an unfathomable bond with the God of the Universe.

I am ashamed to admit I have joined NCC in the Celebration of Lent the past couple of years, but didn’t complete the journey.  I start off STRONG, COMMITTED, ON FIRE FOR GOD! and slowly, but surely, give up.  I want this year to be different.  I want to stay committed for the entire journey!  I want follow Lent through to completion! 

I am going to join Margaret Feinberg – committing to read the entire New Testament during the 40 days of Lent.  Would you like to join me (and hold me accountable)?  You can read all about it here:  Margaret’s blog link: http://margaretfeinberg.com/lentchallenge-read-new-testament-40-days/

I KNOW if WE do this, we will be CHANGED FOREVER!

Grab a copy of the Reading Guide here:  http://mar.cta.gs/09s

Margaret will be sharing what God is teaching on her blog #LentChallenge

Subscribe here:   http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=margaretfeinberg/tjqW&loc=en_US

I Am Abraham

I have had respect for the 16th President of the United States, President Abraham Lincoln, since I was in Elementary School.  I always admired his perseverance, dedication to learning, desire to succeed, and refusal to give up. 

When this book arrived in my mail box, I couldn't wait to open the package and get started!  They say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but I have to disagree when it comes to this book. This book cover is as beautiful as the contents of the book!  This fictional story is written so well, it drove me to the internet to conduct research to separate the facts from the fiction of President Lincoln's life.  

The story is written so well, I didn't want to put the book down; but with 482 pages, it took me a few days!  I would highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book-you won't be sorry!

https://www.facebook.com/IAmAbrahamNovel
http://twitter.com/NewLincolnNovel

I Am Abraham Book Summary:

Narrated in Lincoln's own voice, the tragicomic I Am Abraham promises to be the masterwork of Jerome Charyn's remarkable career.

Since publishing his first novel in 1964, Jerome Charyn has established himself as one of the most inventive and prolific literary chroniclers of the American landscape. Here in I Am Abraham, Charyn returns with an unforgettable portrait of Lincoln and the Civil War. Narrated boldly in the first person, I Am Abraham effortlessly mixes humor with Shakespearean-like tragedy, in the process creating an achingly human portrait of our sixteenth President.

Tracing the historic arc of Lincoln's life from his picaresque days as a gangly young lawyer in Sangamon County, Illinois, through his improbable marriage to Kentucky belle Mary Todd, to his 1865 visit to war-shattered Richmond only days before his assassination, I Am Abraham hews closely to the familiar Lincoln saga. Charyn seamlessly braids historical figures such as Mrs. Keckley-the former slave, who became the First Lady's dressmaker and confidante-and the swaggering and almost treasonous General McClellan with a parade of fictional extras: wise-cracking knaves, conniving hangers-on, speculators, scheming Senators, and even patriotic whores.

We encounter the renegade Rebel soldiers who flanked the District in tattered uniforms and cardboard shoes, living in a no-man's-land between North and South; as well as the Northern deserters, young men all, with sunken, hollowed faces, sitting in the punishing sun, waiting for their rendezvous with the firing squad; and the black recruits, whom Lincoln's own generals wanted to discard, but who play a pivotal role in winning the Civil War. At the center of this grand pageant is always Lincoln himself, clad in a green shawl, pacing the White House halls in the darkest hours of America's bloodiest war.

Using biblically cadenced prose, cornpone nineteenth-century humor, and Lincoln's own letters and speeches, Charyn concocts a profoundly moral but troubled commander in chief, whose relationship with his Ophelia-like wife and sons-Robert, Willie, and Tad-is explored with penetrating psychological insight and the utmost compassion. Seized by melancholy and imbued with an unfaltering sense of human worth, Charyn's President Lincoln comes to vibrant, three-dimensional life in a haunting portrait we have rarely seen in historical fiction.

Author -Jerome Charyne
http://www.jeromecharyn.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jerome.charyn?fref=tshttp://twitter.com/jeromecharyn

Jerome Charyn's Bio:

Jerome Charyn is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him "one of the most important writers in American literature." New York Newsday hailed Charyn as "a contemporary American Balzac,"and the Los Angeles Times described him as "absolutely unique among American writers." Since the 1964 release of Charyn's first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture. Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009. In addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn's book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong." Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.

Read additional book reviews at the official I Am Abraham blog:  http://iamabrahamblogtour.blogspot.com/
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