Thirsty

Hello world!

lissiet — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:04:02 +0000

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>Untamed

lissiet — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Book description: Have you met the real Jesus—the One who is wild enough to set you free?

Too many people settle for relating to Jesus merely as a comfortable friend and companion, when what we all need is an untamed Savior, a fearless champion tough enough to conquer our shame and compelling enough for us to follow him without hesitation.

I finally realized my caricature of Jesus wasn’t big enough to calm my anxiety or heal my wounds or defeat the wickedness in our world. Pretending Jesus is less than He is resulted in someone I wasn’t compelled to worship. So I began a journey to discover the whole Jesus—including the seemingly rough and wild parts—revealed in the Bible. And I found Him to be bigger and better than I ever dreamed.
—Lisa Harper

Through a powerful blend of storytelling and biblical insights, Lisa Harper invites you to engage with the Jesus of the gospels, a person so provocative that no one left an encounter with Him unchanged. Pharisees fumed, paralytics turned cartwheels, and pariahs found love and acceptance.

Come meet the Jesus who is both safe and strong—and learn how this radical Redeemer can liberate you to live and love with abandon.

Includes questions for group discussion or personal reflection

I really enjoyed Untamed. It was refreshing and straight to the point. I thought it would make a great young women’s bible study. The questions at the end of each chapter would allow for great discussion and help delve deeper into the word. Lisa Harper does a great job relating events and relationships in our own lives back to our faith, and sometimes lack of it. I loved her blunt honesty and the stories of her childhood. It feels as though Lisa is speaking directly to you in her book and is there with you through the pages as you devlop a deeper relationship with the Lord.

And guess what?! I have a copy to share! Here’s how to enter:

Follow Thirsty leave a comment stating that you did (or already are)!

Follow Missie on Twitter and leave a comment! (one entry)
Post this Giveaway to your Facebook and leave a comment! (one entry)
Post this Giveaway to your Twitter and leave a comment! (one entry)
Post this Giveaway on your blog and leave a comment! (one entry)
Leave a comment about why you want to win! (one entry)

>The Seraph Seal

lissiet — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:26:00 +0000

Going on vacation this summer? Looking for a great book to read while you are lounging by the water? (I was pretending I was doing that while I was reading it) Than look no further. You have to get your hands on The Seraph Seal. The book was a great mixture of mystery and suspense, mingled with “end times” prophesy. I loved it! Readers of Dan Brown would enjoy this book, it takes you on a trip around the world and makes you long for more.

What’s the story about?

An epic tale of good and evil based on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse found in Revelation.
Using the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to symbolize the four Gospels, four transcendentals, and four forces of the universe (air, water, earth, and fire), Sweet and Wagner weave a fast-paced, end-times tale of good vs. evil and the promise of a new dawn for humanity.
Set in 2048, when planet Earth is suffering from the damaging effects of years of misuse and abuse, cultural history professor Paul Binder receives a mysterious letter that leads him to examine a lost 2nd-century Diatessaron manuscript. Ancient prophecies, cryptic letters, and strange events set him on a course to uncover the missing clues that could lead humanity into a new age. Layered with forgotten symbolism from the ancient, Jewish, and Christian traditions, the novel is a type of engaged fiction in which the main character’s lost journal serves as a guide to the reader in interpreting clues and understanding the novel’s conclusion.

I recieved this book through BookSneeze and was not paid in any way for my review.

>$2 TANKS – Friday (w/coupon) and Saturday

lissiet — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:08:00 +0000

I am so excited about Old Navy’s sale this Saturday! $2 Tanks!

And then…to make it better…Old Navy wants to celebrate reaching 2 million Facebook fans by offering a special printable coupon on their website that will allow you to shop this sale one day earlier – on Friday! Remember, you must bring the coupon to shop Friday, otherwise, you won’t need it. I have Friday off…so I am going to hop over and get 10 tanks for $20 dollars…how AMAZING is that! I wear them all the time…so they are a staple and to get them so cheap is rockin’!

>Me + Coupons

lissiet — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:27:00 +0000

>I know I have been MIA lately and I bet some of you are wondering where the heck I have been (I often wonder that when bloggers I frequent seem to disappear) .

Well I got a 2nd job to help pay off some bills (newly acquired drain tile) and for some “fun money.”
Working extra long hours (15 a day this week and last for training) has made me realize that we may need to take a bit look at where our money goes.

A while back I watched an episode of Extreme Couponing and was interested (my husband instructed that I needed to do it) but had no real idea where to start. I am the first to admit I have horrible grocery spending habits. I never used a coupon before and I never looked at a sale flyer. I went to the store almost every night to buy food for that night’s meal. Not good…and my checkbook can prove it.

A couple of the gals at work were going through a local sales flyer with their coupon binders and I was hooked. I bombarded them with questions and needed more information. I went home and downloaded “How to Shop for Free” on my Nook and I was ready to start saving!

Sunday I picked up newspapers and clipped coupons. My binder is neatly labeled and the coupons are stashed away in categories until I need them.

Friday is my first shopping trip and I am excited to save. I perused multiple coupon blogs (see new couponing tab on the page bar) and read through my advertisements.

Friday I will be stopping at two local grocery stores (both double coupons!), CVS and Target.
My personal coupon philosophy is we are only going to purchase things we need, only amounts we need or can donate and nothing frivolous just because it is on sale. I do not intent to make a huge haul like they do on the show…nor do I think I have time to plan one. I have spent about 5 hours clipping, researching and writing up my shopping lists.

I am excited to share my deals, my finds and most importantly, my savings!

Do you “coupon” ? What are your tricks of the trade? Interested in more information? Check out the Couponing tab or email me with questions!

I will report back on Sunday how my first shopping trip with sales and coupons goes!

>Branded

lissiet — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:10:00 +0000

About Branded:

The church spends $1.5 million for every one new follower of Jesus. Apple sells 26 iPads every minute. What is it that makes Apple so exciting and Jesus so boring? What is it that compels someone to bring their iPod everywhere and their Bible nowhere? In a word: marketing. Jesus is a life-changing product with lousy salespeople-people who are intimidated and embarrassed by the word “evangelism” and who show more enthusiasm for their gadgets than their God.

What would life look like if we stopped mass-marketing Jesus and started marketing our faith like Nike and Apple market their products–sharing relationally, from person to person? Using examples from these and other successful companies, author Tim Sinclair challenges Christians to throw out their casual attitudes toward faith and sign on for a marketing campaign for the Savior.

Written with the wit and wisdom of an experienced marketer, Branded peels away the feelings of fear and encourages readers how to share their faith in ways that are honest, authentic, and, most importantly, effective.

About the Tim Sinclair:

Tim Sinclair is a radio personality on one of the top Christian morning shows in the country, Mornings with Tim and Pam. For over a decade, he has been helping radio stations and various other businesses creatively and effectively market themselves. His award-winning productions have been heard on more than 2,000 radio stations worldwide and recent clients include McDonald’s, Word Records, Moody Press, and the country’s most-listened to Christian nonprofit radio station KSBJ/Houston. Tim has written for CCM Magazine and the Huntsville Times. For more about Tim, please visit his website, http://www.tim-sinclair.com.

I really enjoyed Branded. Tim Sinclair had an great perspective and wrote the book in a conversational tone. Sinclair writes ” It’s clear that those of us who know Christ have been called to show (promote), share (sell), and spread (distribute) HIm. Fighting or fretting over whether the process should be called “evangelism” or “marketing” or “branding” is just semantics.”
As Tim writes it becomes more clear that we do need to change who we “sell” Jesus to those around us. People need to know that there will be results.
Discussion questions are included in the back of the book and it would spur great conversation. I am definitely bringing it to my bible study!

Kregel Publications is sponsoring a $50 Amazon.com giveaway!!!

About the Giveaway!
To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using #litfuse) about Branded or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we’ll capture your entry when you use @litfuse. If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (info@litfusegroup.com). Easy.

TWEET THIS: Branded by @timjsinclair – Jesus is a life-changing product with lousy sales-people! @litfuse http://ow.ly/566nr

FACEBOOK THIS: Branded by Tim Sinclair is a compelling look at what Christians can learn from companies like Apple & Starbucks about sharing their faith! Jesus is a life-changing product with lousy sales-people! http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13338985

>A Reluctant Queen

lissiet — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:20:00 +0000

I recently was sent a free copy of “A Reluctant Queen” by Joan Wolf to review and I was pleasantly surprised.

About the story: The story of Queen Esther is full of romance, suspense, and danger. A Reluctant Queen, The Love Story of Queen Esther (Thomas Nelson, June, 14 2011, ISBN: 1595548769, $15.99) is a fresh account of the journey of biblical heroine Esther from common orphan to queen of Persia. Master story-teller Joan Wolf sees Esther and King Ahasuerus as a young couple on a difficult road together: Esther is wracked with guilt for lying to her husband about her heritage, and the king, despite his vast kingdom, is a lonely man. Haman proves to be a cunning antagonist, seducing the king into trusting him implicitly, while threatening the existence of the king’s love, Esther, and her people. The fate of the Jews is in Esther’s hands-but her own life is at risk no matter her decision.
Author Joan Wolf says, “A Reluctant Queen is a fresh look at the story of Esther, the book in the Bible that for me has always held the seeds of a deeply moving love story.”
More than a fairy tale, the moral imperatives of A Reluctant Queen go far beyond the Brothers Grimm and turns Esther into one of the great heroes of the Old Testament. A beautiful heroine, an exciting and complex hero, an evil villain, a stirring love story – the story of Esther has it all, and Wolf brings it vividly to life. It’s the story of a love that triumphs over hate because a woman stands up for her God, becoming a courageous hero to her people throughout the ages.

I have read quite a few fictional stories about the book of Esther, but this one is my favorite. Wolf did a great job adding history into the novel, making the book come to life. Written from Esther’s point-of-view we are given a direct link to her thoughts. We can feel Esther’s fear, stress and agony over the role she was given. We are also given an intimate look into the love story between Esther and the King.

This is a great read, perfect for a warm summer afternoon. I personally enjoyed reading mine on the deck with a cup of coffee!

A Reluctant Queen prize package!!

To celebrate Joan Wolf’s debut Christian Fiction title, A Reluctant Queen, Joan and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have teamed up to give away A Reluctant Queen prize package worth over $150!

One grand prize winner will receive:

* A brand new Latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Screen

* A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf (for KINDLE)

To enter, just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, the contest ends on June 20th. Winner will be announced on June 21st during Joan’s A Reluctant Queen Book Club Party on Facebook (details below)! Hope to see you there – bring your friends!

Join the fun on June 21st!

Joan will be wrapping up the blog tour and Kindle giveaway promotion during her A Reluctant Queen FACEBOOK party on her FB author page. During the party she’ll announce the winner of the Kindle, host a book chat discussion, test your trivia skills (Is Esther’s story in A Reluctant Queen fact or fiction?), and more. Don’t miss this chance to meet the author and make some new friends!

Check out all stops on the blog tour!

>Every Thought

lissiet — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:54:00 +0000

It should be every “thought” I made this late last night!

>Simply filling

lissiet — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:32:00 +0000

Food. Sometimes I feel like it is all I think about. Sometimes I feel like it has become an idol for me. My inner monologue is constantly fighting. I want to lose weight – 35 lbs to be exact – I want to be healthy, to look healthy, to feel healthy. But, I swear I let the devil get this awful foothold and convince me that I need a huge hamburger and French fries. I need a chocolate chip cookie. I give in and delve into a downward spiral. I feel disgusting, guilty, worthless. I say that tomorrow is going to be better, but I fail. I guess you can compliment me for getting up an trying again, but I really struggle. I know that self-control, self-discipline, and wisdom are tools I need. I am praying for them. I feel so weak when the food whispers sneak into my head as soon as a pangs of hunger come in.

I entered my weight into Weight Watchers this morning and did not lose a pound this week. Weight Watchers has some great information on their site. I like that you can eat what you want, as long as you have points, but I feel like I don’t always correctly put the right points, or something I am still so hungry even though I have used my points for the day, and sometimes for the whole week. Today Weight Watchers suggested that I switch my eating habits to get over this plateau (feels more like a desert if you ask me). I am going to switch to the Simply Filling Technique. I am going to listen to my body, eat until I am satisfied, not full and enjoy foods without trying so hard to fit the hamburgers in my life or other snacks. Hopefully if I eat off the Simply Filling foods list I will be satifisied and not hungry, which I feel would help ease the desires when I am hungry and craving unhealthy snacks.

Here is the plan from Weight Watchers if you are interested:

You’ll still enjoy a weekly PointsPlus Allowance with the Simply Filling technique, and have room to treat yourself with food that is not on the Power Foods list. Just remember to track those items, and stay within your weekly allowance. You can also continue to earn, and swap, activity PointsPlus values. .

Fruits

All fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar
Fruit canned in its own juice (drained)
Fruit salad — mixed fruits with no added sugar

All fruits, except dried fruits and fruit juices, are zero PointsPlus values!

Vegetables

Most fresh, frozen or canned without added sugar or oil — whether or not it has PointsPlus values per serving
Potatoes — white, red sweet

All vegetables have zero PointsPlus values, except potatoes, peas, corn, and avocados. Avocados are not a Power Food.

Whole grains

Brown and wild rice
Hot cereals, cooked — without added sugar, dried fruits, or nuts

100% bran
Cream of rice
Cream of wheat
Grits
Oatmeal

Pasta, whole-wheat or other whole-grain varieties
Popcorn, air-popped, or 94% fat-free microwave-popped
Whole-grain, ready-to-eat cereals without added sugar, dried fruits or nuts, and with 4g of fiber or more per serving
Whole-grains such as:

Barley
Buckwheat
Bulgur
Cornmeal (polenta)
Whole-wheat couscous
Quinoa

Non-Fat Dairy and Dairy Substitutes

Fat-free cheeses, including fat-free cottage cheese
Fat-free milk and beverages made with fat-free milk, such as:
Cappuccino or latte, as long as it’s sugar-free
Yogurt, fat-free, plain or flavored with artificial sweetener
Fat-free sour cream
Soy products, unflavored and plain, such as:
Calcium-fortified soy milk
Unflavored soy milk
Fat-free soy cheese
Plain soy yogurt

Lean proteins (see food list for specific cuts and grinds)

Beef, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, veal: lean, trimmed, all skin removed
Dried beans, including canned black, cannellini, kidney, refried, and white
Dried peas, including black-eyed peas and split peas
Eggs: Whole, whites, and fat-free substitute
Game meats, including buffalo, elk, ostrich and venison
Lentils
Meat substitutes, including tofu and vegetarian burgers
Most fish and shellfish: fresh, frozen, and canned
Organ meats from beef, lamb, pork, veal, and poultry

Plus more

Breads

Light English muffins
Light hot dog and hamburger rolls
Reduced-calorie (light) breads (whole grains are the best choice)

Soups

Broth, onion, and some broth- and tomato-based vegetable soups

Desserts

Sugar-free gelatin

Other categories:
Beverages

Coffee (without sugar)
Tea (without sugar)
Diet soda
Club soda
Seltzer (plain or flavored, unsweetened)
Water

Seasonings and condiments

Baking powder
Baking soda
Capers
Cocktail sauce
Extracts
Fat-free salad dressings
Fat-free margarine
Fat-free mayonnaise
Flavorings
Herbs
Hot sauce (peppersauce)
Ketchup
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Mustard
Nonstick cooking or baking spray
Salsa (fat-free)
Soy sauce (shoyu)
Spices
Steak sauce
Sugar substitutes
Taco sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce

Healthy oils

Include 2 tsp each day without counting PointsPlus values. Use your weekly PointsPlus Allowance for any additional oil.

Olive oil
Canola oil
Safflower oil
Sunflower oil
Flaxseed oil

What’s not included on the Power Foods list

Processed meats, such as:

Hot dogs
Sausages
Luncheon meats (other than fat-free)

Fish or shellfish, canned, or packed in oil
Meats, poultry or fish with breading or added fat
Dried fruits
Fruit juices
Vegetable juices
Vegetables prepared with ingredients that are not Weight Watchers Power Foods, (for example, corn in butter sauce, dried tomatoes packed in oil)
French fries
Avocados
Sweet pickles
Plantains
Olives

I would love prayer and any guidance you have! I need to surround myself with healthy people encouraging healthy lifestyles. I work around people who eat whatever they want without worrying about the consequence, so I find it all too easy to fall off the bandwagon.

>Pleasures Are Meaningless

lissiet — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:58:00 +0000

Ecclesiastes 2

Pleasures Are Meaningless

¹ I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. ² “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” ³ I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem^[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
   I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
   and this was the reward for all my toil.
¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
   and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
   nothing was gained under the sun.

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

¹² Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
   and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
   than what has already been done?
¹³ I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
   just as light is better than darkness.
¹⁴ The wise have eyes in their heads,
   while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
   that the same fate overtakes them both.

¹⁵ Then I said to myself,
   “The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
   What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
   “This too is meaningless.”
¹⁶ For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
   the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!

Toil Is Meaningless

¹⁷ So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. ¹⁸ I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. ²⁰ So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. ²¹ For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. ²² What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? ²³ All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

²⁴ A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶ To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

I can SO relate. I tried so many things, during high school I thought if I was popular, involved in everything (volleyball, cheerleading, yearbook, plays, choir, ect.) I would be fulfilled. Yet, I wasn’t. In college I was super involved in my sorority, doing service work with my sorority sisters and meeting new people. Yet, I didn’t feel fulfilled.

I moved to Fargo after college and put myself to making new friends and thinking that if I found a guy to love me life would be amazing. I literally chased after everything in the wind. I thought all these things would fill the void in my life and I would be happy.

I have been a Christian since 3^rd grade, so I was 9 years old. I am 28 now and finally figuring out what life is all about. A relationship with our Maker.

I found a man who loves me, I have an amazing group of close friends, I have found passions (blogging and photography), I have a job I enjoy, I work to gain wisdom and knowledge, but the one and only thing that makes life worthwhile is my relationship with God. When I spent time in His word, in prayer and fellowship with other Christians, I have found complete happiness. The meaning of life is clear. I love this chapter in Ecclesiastes because it models so well after my own life. Sometimes it takes people only months to realize that pleasures are meaningless with God, it took me close to 20 years to make that complete realization, but I have arrived.

Do you believe that pleasures are meaningless with God? Have you been pushing God away for the pleasures of the world , yet have not felt satisfied?