Weekend Mail Wrap-Up 4/21/12

It's time again for another edition of Weekend Mail Wrap Up where I showcase the goodies that showed up in my mailbox this week.

Monday started with me receiving a Hamburger Helper prize pack I won over at Your Fun Family.  Included in this were two boxes of Hamburger Helper, a bowl, spoon, and trivet.  A very fun win, and looking forward to trying the new Cheesy Italian Beef and Ultimate Beef Stroganoff flavors of Hamburger Helper.

I won a $25 Dollar General gift card as well as a Hanes Comfortfit bra two pack.  A bottle of Essie nail polish, and a copy of Frank Peretti's book Illusion: A Novel .  I'm really excited about this book because I've been a Peretti fan for over twenty years, and really looking forward to his latest novel.

While not in my mailbox this week, I went to a book sale and the books I purchased for myself include:

The Life Surrendered: A Young Mans Plea for His Generation to Abandon Hypocrisy The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality  (I was happy to find this at a book sale.  I'm not sure where my copy is, and I want to re-read this book as I watched the movie last night.)

Book Review: Winning the Food Fight

Steve Willis is probably best known for his appearance on "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution", but Willis is a pastor in Kenova, West Virginia who saw what effect obesity was having on the people around him.  The church he was pastoring in shuffled staff, and he went from working with youth to being a pastor for adults.  Willis recounts that nearly every week he was visiting someone in the hospital -- or burying someone -- due to an obesity related illness.

I live in the same state as Rev. Willis, although not near him.  I could relate as he talked about the health of our state in general.  As I read this book, I wished more churches would get on board with the idea that healthy eating brings glory to God.  To me it often seems that the last taboo in Christianity is to discuss obesity.  In fact, I once had a pastor who used to joke he was someday going to preach on gluttony before a church dinner.  That may not be the time to introduce to a congregation the need for healthier lifestyles, but this book outlines how this church started encouraging people to eat better food.  In fact, Willis claims that many people bring salads to their church fellowship dinners.

No stranger to being overweight, the author lost about twenty pounds himself.  He talks about how those in his church even questioned if he was sick because being a normal weight is not the norm in his community.  He discusses trips out of state where he realized that the average person in Texas or California weighs less than the average person in his community.  Being from the same state, I have to agree this observation holds true for me as well.  Obesity is many times an outcome of low income.  He discusses why this is true, and I never realized before this book WHY the government will often give vouchers for high(er) calorie foods and not things like fruits and vegetables.  (Although this is changing.  I know in my area a program started a few years ago where those on food assistance would get vouchers they could take to the local farmer's market, and those vendors could turn them in for cash.)

This book also talks about community gardens and exercise programs.  Rev. Willis says that one thing that is very needed if you want to get healthy is a community supporting you, and he recommends you tell some people in your church as you decide to start your journey into healthy living.

One of my favorite parts of the book were where he says instead of visiting folks in the hospital so much these days, he stops by the exercise center that his church was able to build with some money received from being on the "Food Revolution" -- it is in that center that he is able to visit with people who may otherwise be in the hospital had it not been for their lifestyle changes! 

I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to pastors who would like to develop a vision for their church to get healthy.  What Pastor Steve did in Kenova could be replicated to some degree anywhere even if you don't have the help of Jamie Oliver.  There are ideas on how to approach the congregation with the first sermon about health, as well as a number of other ideas that could be used in helping your parishioners shed pounds as well through education and healthier eating.

Weekend Mail Wrap-Up 4/14

There was a number of goodies that came in the mail.

First off, not pictured was a $10 Dollar General gift card from a win.  I used it already to buy cereal.

I received the following books:

Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus  (purchased)
Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Woman (not pictured)  (trade)
That's Life: Finding Scrapbook Inspiration in the Everyday (trade)
The Voice Bible: Step Into the Story of Scripture (win)

I love Doritos Locos Taco T-shirt (win)

Lady Gaga Prize pack (win) which included:
2 Lady Gaga stickers
1 vinyl poster
1 other poster
Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour At Madison Square Garden [Explicit]
The Fame Monster
Born This Way

Giveaway: Unfriend Yourself

I reviewed the book Unfriend Yourself (click on this link to read my review) and I loved the book, but thought I would pass my book on to someone else, so here's a giveaway to do just that!  The book is a review copy but looks new as I am very careful with books.

Open to the USA only.  Winner had 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Unfriend Yourself is subtitled:  Three Days to Detox, Discern, and Decide about Social Media  It is a Christian book, and I think it's well worth the read.  It's only 91 pages, so it's a quick read, too!

Book Review: Unfriend Yourself

Unfriend Yourself by Kyle Tennant

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a book short on pages, but long on thought provoking questions.  In Unfriend Yourself, Kyle Tennant discusses both the advantages and pitfalls of social media.  He asks questions relevant to the Christian life and our online persona such as do our Facebook status updates amount to bragging.  He explains that we attempt to put our best foot forward at all times, and in so doing we may "like" pages of celebrities or bands we've only heard of and have no connection just to make others perceive ourselves a certain way.  If we compare ourselves to the online persona of our "friends" we may walk away depressed because we feel our lives don't measure up to theirs.  Personally, I tend to try to make my status updates interesting.  My attitude is life is an amazing adventure and there's always something humorous or amazing to share.  I have had a number of people tell me how entertaining my status updates are.  For instance, I recently saw a working payphone.  I snapped a photo and asked when the last time everyone had seen one of those.

He also talks about how we can still be lonely even if we have a large number of friends.  He mentioned the "just" factor and how we need to rid ourselves of "justs" as in "I'll just text her."  Tennant said many times the "just" is a substitute for better social contact such as an in person visit or phone call.  He also discussed how he visited a friend in the hospital and how that friend got a large number of texts but few visitors.  While in the past those same people may have been inclined to make a hospital visit, but in that instance they "just" texted.  This resonated with me because I was in the hospital recently.  I enjoyed every e-mail, text, and Facebook message I received.  Friends as far away as Russia called me.  Obviously they and friends who live out of state couldn't visit, so their phone calls meant as much as a visit to me.  However, I posted on Facebook I was in the hospital.  While I received a large number of posts, what really surprised me was the people who saw that and then visited.  One friend I hadn't seen in twenty years stopped by and brought me tacos.  I believe this is the power of social media that Tennant would like to see utilized.  I, like Tennant believe there can be positive ways to use social media rather than interacting with a screen.  He mentioned creating events for his teen group (he's a youth pastor) and that gives him a pretty accurate count of how many will attend.  I believe social media is a boon when it facilitates off line relationships.  I recently asked on Facebook who would be willing for me to visit them as I have a free airline ticket that expires soon.  I'm visiting friends I never would have thought to toss the idea out to them, but I'm so excited about spending a weekend with them.  A group I'm in at church uses social media to send out reminders when there is going to be a change in location of our class.  I believe these are great ways to utilize a tool that can be used for good or a great time waster. 

Tennant also discusses how he "friended" a number of those who were going to be in his freshman class in college.  They had a lot of heartfelt discussions an expected to be close friends when they arrived on campus at Moody Bible Institute.  However, those were not the ones he became friends with.  He discusses the awkwardness that can come when meeting an online friend.  I know for myself, when discussing my social network, I always add the modifier "online" in front of "friend" for someone I've never met.  That's not to say that online friends don't turn into friends because they do.  Back in 2003 I met someone on a message board.  I was in Florida and visited that friend's church, and we still exchange e-mails to this day.  We're not close friends, but I am thankful for him and his family.

He discusses the fact that social media will never save nations, but he does discuss how Christians can use social media to uplift others.  He encourages a weekend fast of social media while reading this book.  I didn't do that as I had extremely limited access to Facebook when I was in the hospital and don't even read everything on my news feed.  This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

FTC disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


Interested in finding out more or purchasing this book?  Visit the Unfriend Yourself page at Moody Publishers

Weekend Mail Wrap-up 4/7

Welcome to another edition of "Weekend Mail Wrap-Up"   Another slow week, but I had a few win notification e-mails this week, so hopefully some fun stuff coming in the next few weeks!

Not pictured:  Coupon for free Coffee-Mate and refund check

I received a "The Voice" t-shirt from a Facebook win for this new translation of the Bible.  (I thought I also won a copy of The Voice Bible but it hasn't arrived yet if I did!)

Barnes and Noble sent me a 20% discount coupon and I had a gift card, so I ordered  Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together.  Someone I follow on Twitter posted a link to a review by someone talked about what a great book this is for singles, so I've wanted to read this book ever since I saw that review.

Finally, from First Alert I won a  First Alert SA304CN3 Smoke Alarm with Escape Light and  four pack of Duracell 9 volt batteries

First Pinterest project: Necklace Organizer

I enjoy Pinterest, and have pinned some "why didn't I think of that" ideas on my Pinterest boards.  One, I'd been wanting a necklace organizer.  I saw a neat idea of attaching scrapbooking paper to a piece of wood and attaching cup hooks.

Mine didn't turn out nearly as nice as the one I saw, but I can always easily put a different piece of paper over this one if I decide to do so. 

My necklace organizer which cost under $3 to make.  (I'd been pricing these at about $15, so a little time and I saved $12 and have a much more unique organizer to hang on the wall!)

Book Review: Thou Shall Prosper

Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money by Daniel Lapin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rabbi Daniel Lapin has written a book that I believe should be read by anyone who is in business, which means just about everyone! He tackles misconceptions such as it's okay to cold call people asking for donations to charity but to try and sell something door to door is much different. He explains if you believe in your product you should take the same pride in it if you are selling or soliciting for charity!

Lapin challenges ten ideas that many people seem to hold. Such as money is bad. Money itself is not bad, it's what we do with it. I know this is something I heard many times as I was growing up. I heard the Scripture of I Timothy 1:6 MISquoted to say "Money is the root of all evil", but if you read it in context it says "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil." That's a huge difference. Rabbi Lapin explains why money is neither moral nor immoral -- it just *is*.

One thing I loved about this book is how he weaves Jewish ideas and concepts throughout its pages. It's not just a stereotype that Jewish people often have good business sense, Rabbi Lapin explains that many of the concepts he is presenting in this book are things that someone who is Jewish has likely learned, and he's teaching the rest of us. As someone who has studied Hebrew, I have a great respect for the Hebrew language which he occasionally explains a word to make a point.

He also emphasizes the importance of giving to charity. Instantly I would think being a rabbi, he would back this up with Scripture, but he explains this has far reaching consequences It often empowers us to make more money, and we should give to charity even if we have no religious system. That, on the surface, seems like a oxymoron, giving to get, but he explains how many times business contacts are formed while doing community service even if you are not to actually form business deals there, you can pass along your business card and meet for lunch later!

You can purchase this book here:

Five Minute Friday: Simple Gifts

The Shaker Hymn says "'Tis a Gift to be simple, Tis a Gift to be Free", and sometimes the best gifts are just that -- simple thoughtful things from one person to another.  Good manners is an example.  Many times you don't realize the person has good manners, but you certainly realize it if they don't.  Manners help make the world a better place.  Giving things that are simple but of yourself are also wonderful gifts.  I remember the time  a friend called me on a day that holds lots of bad memories for me.  Every year on my birthday I wait for a friend to call me.  She only missed the summer I was in China and she was in Russia!  I remember a neighbor lady when I was growing up would sometimes see me playing and bring me a piece of fruit to snack on.  Small things can sometimes be big things to the person receiving it.  Think about what small thing you can do for someone.  I know lately some of the smallest things have meant a lot to us.  I've been in the hospital, my mother has been in the hospital and a number of things just haven't gotten done.  Someone to pick up a few items at the store was a huge help, as was someone willing to drive me to the emergency room the night I needed to go.  Why not think of someone who could use something simple done for them, pick up the phone and suggest it.  If you're going to the store anyway, why not see if someone who might have a difficult time getting there could use a gallon of milk or if they have enough eggs?  That might make their life a lot easier!

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How Five Minute Friday works:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat on the prompt- no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Meet & encourage someone who linked up before you.

Weekend Mail Wrap-Up 3/24

It's time once again for my "Weekend Mail Wrap Up"

The week started rather slowly, but picked up considerably, and most of the stuff you see below was received today, Saturday.  Turned out to be a pretty good week!  :)

Things that came in the mail:

$6 refund check (not pictured)
$20 Movie Cash and $20 Concession Cash (not pictured) (win)
Dr. Seuss' The Cat In The Hat (Widescreen Edition) (win)
set of 3 Uglee Pens (win)
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 ct (win)
trial packet .17 oz. each of shampoo and conditioner (win)
$25 Best Buy card (win)
Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success (review)