Plain Faith: A True Story of Tragedy, Loss, and Leaving the Amish by Tricia Goyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s the way things are done.  Tradition.   Looking good to others to allow them to see your quiet, simple faith.  Being peaceful.

But what happens when things are no longer quiet and simple, let alone peaceful?   How do you live these things when your world has been turned upside down?  When your faith is tested and you find it lacking?   This is one couple’s story.

Ora Jay and Irene Eash were coming home from visiting friends.  It had been a long day, and when driving an Amish horse and buggy, unlike a car, it’s okay to doze off except for intersections.  But when Ora Jay dozed off, he was awakened to the sound of a semi truck, his buggy being shattered into pieces, and screams.  He found his two daughters dead, and the peaceful life was no longer peaceful.

He and Irene joined a “circle letter” for those who had lost children.  With eternity so close, yet so far away, they began questioning their faith.  This is the story of loss, both of daughters, and the faith they had once so willingly embraced.   In its place, they found faith that gave them hope and peace.  Ironically, the peaceful life didn’t give them peace on the inside.

Leaving the Amish community is difficult.  You lose your family, friends, and basically everything you have ever known.  Their journey is a fascinating one that spans many years.

I very much enjoyed this book.   I would have liked for there to have been a bit more about losing their daughters and that painful time — how they coped and got through each day.  But I realize that was the tragedy that happened which changed the course of their lives from Amish to “English”, so while it is a heartbreaking event, the focus on the book was more the journey away from the Amish community.

This book was co-written with author Tricia Goyer, and her books are always a delight.   They are well written, and something you can feel good about reading.

I highly recommend Plain faith to anyone who enjoys Amish fiction (although this is a true story) as well as to anyone who has lost a child.

You can purchase Plain Faith here:

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Happy Day, Sad emotions

I just wanted to write.  To someone.  To no one.  Blogging is a way of writing publicly, yet sometimes feels as if I write to no one.

Yesterday was hard.  I had another day of thinking about how there will be only two family members of mine at the wedding.  I have eight more months to ponder this.

I'm hoping there will be a lot of friends there.  We are doing an open church wedding.  Right now, eight months away, it looks like we'll have nearly 50 guests, and I'm sure more will confirm closer to the time.  I want to celebrate with those who love me, those who like me somewhat, and those who are coming just to eat fried chicken.  I want to celebrate life.  I want to laugh, enjoy, and smile with those who have stuck by me the last year.

I want those who are there to know that I'm still grieving the loss of my parents.  I'm not sure I'll ever get over that.  But I want something there to remember my parents.  Instead of a bouquet, I'll carry the Bible my mother carried at her wedding.  Aside from her engagement ring (which is now mine) and her wedding rings, that is the only item I have from my parents' wedding.  I may pin Dad's high school class ring inside my dress.

It seems like since my dad is no longer here, I will have to have someone else walk me down the aisle.  The more I think about it, the more it may be two someones.  Why?   Because it feels like if just one man walks me down the aisle, he is a replacement for my dad.  Having two close friends walk me down the aisle seems to say that no ONE can ever replace my dad.  I know it means different things to different people, but it feels that way to me, and all that matters at my wedding is the symbolism I want to give things.   I haven't decided for certain, but both men I have considered asking to walk me down the aisle will be there.

It's amazing to me how such a happy day can also bring up sad emotions.

DVD review and Giveaway: Holy Ghost Be Bold Be Brave

Wanderlust Productions is putting out a movie called Holy Ghost.   On September 6, is the worldwide premier at HolyGhostMovie.com

This is a 113 minute film where the premise is there would be no script, just allowing the Holy Ghost to direct the movie.  What it reminds me of is people having cameras follow them around while doing street evangelism.

As a Pentecostal turned Catholic, I thought I would either love this movie or not care much at all for it.  I did street evangelism in my day, and looking at this movie, I wonder if they helped those people connect to a local church.   I'm sure the intentions were good in by the people who made this film, but I wonder how much good it actually did for the people who were shown in it.  Now, it may well be the bigger purpose of this movie is encouraging the watchers of this movie, but I felt it left me with more questions than answers, questions that have no answers.

At one point, it is said in the movie "God will heal you".   Not "God can heal you".  Do I believe God heals?  Yes.  Do I believe God always heals?  No.  I think back to a year ago this week, I was told I was likely going to have to remove my mother from life support.  Was she healed?  Not in my mind.  She lived through that episode and her health deteriorated rapidly  and she passed away less than six months later.  I don't believe that means anyone lacked faith.  It just was.  God didn't fail me, it's just that His answer was not what I had hoped.  I'm sure someone could say she was healed by physical death, but I don't like that answer.

Another point I wasn't real keen on is how the encounters with God seemed almost emotional to some of the people.  I believe that can happen, but I also believe that God speaks in a still small voice as well.   I've been in the extreme emotional services, but I found at times I was chasing an emotional high instead of God.  Mass is rarely emotional, although sometimes it is for me.  The peace, the love God has for us speaks so loudly I occasionally shed a tear or two.   I experience God's love more through the stillness, the Gloria, and the acknowledgement that I am a sinner and He forgives than I do in another type of service.  While I believe others can experience God in other ways, I once heard it said that the way I worship God is something that others may not be able to understand because it is personal to me, and it doesn't make me wrong in how I worship, it's just different.  I'm not judging how others worship God, just saying it is different for me.

Still, I think this movie could be a huge encouragement to others, especially if you attend an Evangelical, Pentecostal, or Charismatic church.  Also, I think it would be great for someone who has never experienced this type of worship to see how others feel led by the Holy Spirit.

And for the giveaway:

Open to U.S. and Canada, 18 and older.  Winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning e-mail or another winner will be chosen.    Ends Sept 4.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

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Book Review: Lord Have Mercy The Healing Power of Confession

Lord, Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession by Scott Hahn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Scott Hahn does it again.  This time in a 177 page volume, he explains the origin, history, and necessity of Confession.   As someone who is joining the Catholic Church and has completed RCIA, I think this book adds a lot to what was not covered in our classes.  I think Dr. Hahn’s books should be utilized in RCIA — or at least they were not in my classes.  

Don’t think this is a book for just the non-Catholic, I truly believe Dr. Hahn’s books are fantastic for anyone.  My fiancé is a cradle Catholic, and because of me learning about the Catholicism, he has been enriched as well.  Sometimes things become rote, and that’s not what our faith is about, it should be living and dynamic, and I think that reading Lord Have Mercy will give you a new appreciation for Confession.  I admit, I picked up this book because as a Catholic convert, I am nervous about this sacrament.  This book has put my fears at ease, and in fact, I’m looking forward to when I will be able to make my first Confession.  

As with many of Dr. Hahn’s books, this took me a long time to read.  They are so full of great information I want to ruminate on them.  One of my favorite parts was where he explained why our sin does not cease to exist once it is forgiven, we live with the consequences.  He picked apart the common Protestant teaching that God turned his back on Jesus while He was on the cross.  This is something I heard my whole life, and when I read why Dr. Hahn feels it is an incorrect teaching, it felt so freeing, and helped me understand my sin and its consequences all the more.  We can’t think “Oh, this is just a little sin” because it still separates us from God — and therefore we need confession.

I also learned why Dr. Hahn thinks regular confession is a good idea.  I know at one local church they didn’t even have a confessional until recent renovations.  Penitents had to go with the priest to a room off the kitchen.  Yet, in years past, there would be lines of people on Saturday evenings.  Maybe they knew something we have lost along the years?

This is a book I will be referring back to quite a bit in the future.  It’s an excellent work, and one I believe should be in every Catholic’s library.

FTC disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions are my own.

You can purchase this book here:

Back to School With Technology and U.S. Cellular

FTC disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post, but I only recommend products I believe in.

U.S. Cellular offers a FREE PRINTABLE Parent Child agreement to help you discuss safety of the Internet, cell phone usage, limits, and courtesy with your teen or tween.  You don't even need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to access this, although I have been for 10 years and highly recommend them. 

I've already been enjoying the back to school photos my friends are posting online.  With school back in session for a week now in some places (Really!  One of my friend's children started in July!)  I wanted to write a post about using technology to get organized, stay on top of things to do (including assignments) and a bit on how technology is used in the classroom.

A recent U.S. Cellular survey showed that 74% of households with children under 18 have a tablet.  That's a great tool for your child to use, especially when a child is sick and misses school.  It's easy to message a classmate  -- or even a teacher to get assignments which can be completed at home.  I know when I was a child before the advent of so much wonderful technology, teachers were scrambling to figure out a cost effective way to get snow day work to us during January 1985.  The solution -- as I remember it anyway -- was make the kids who lived in town go to school one day (the fire exits were snowed shut!).  We were loaded down with more snow work and we were to call our friends who lived in the more rural areas.  How easy would it have been for the teachers if they could have posted assignments online and we could have picked them up instead of those of us who lived in town having to relay the message via phone to those who were still snowed in!  Even if you live in a warm area, the same holds true -- if school is missed for any reason, it's easy to get assignments.

Did you also know that tablets are being used in the classroom?  I'm a little more familiar with this because I have friends who have special needs children and I am more aware of them using tablets.  But all children can benefit from educational apps, eBooks, online videos to enhance learning, and Internet access.  A recent Student Mobile Device survey showed 87% of students would like using eBooks instead of traditional textbooks because it would be much less to carry in their backpacks.   I know when I was in school, from about November through March, we were required to take home all our textbooks every day even if we didn't have homework -- in case it snowed and we were off school a day.  That would have been much easier if we had eBooks.

Accessing the Internet opens up a whole world of learning.   With U.S. Cellular's reliable 4G LTE high speed network, this can be utilized for many different learning activities.  I remember when I was in second grade, we were class pen pals with a school from Oklahoma.  How fun would it have been if the technology existed back then to have used Skype or Facetime to have been able to "meet" each other at the end of the year?  Obviously, this could also be used to "bring in" guest speakers to a class who might not otherwise be able to visit.  My 4th grade class had a very unique opportunity -- we had someone from Australia visit.  My teacher had taught there for a couple years and a friend of his came to visit.  In the 1980s, the only way we could have a guest speaker was for them to physically come into our classroom.  Now, there's the technology available that a guest speaker could be on the other side of the world and be able to interact with a class of students in another hemisphere.

Another notable app is Teachers Assistant Pro which is a $3.99 download.  This allows teachers to keep track of classroom behavior and achievements as well as communicate with parents to help cut down on paper usage.

Dropbox is another great app.  This is a cloud based file sharing app.  Be it teachers storing data or students working together on a group project, this is a handy site to use.

Notability gives users the ability to take notes, record a lecture, journal, sketch ideas and more.  It can even be shared with others using iCloud or Google Drive.

But what about funding?  Every school could use more funding, right?  Well, U.S. Cellular is bringing back the Calling All Teachers promotion.  If you live in the U.S. Cellular footprint area and are a public school teacher, apply at DonorsChoose.org and register as a U.S. Cellular affiliate teacher.  U.S. Cellular is fulfilling $1 Million of teacher projects for the 4th year!  So if your classroom is needing something your budget doesn't allow, apply and your project might be chosen!  Your project must be submitted between August 11 an September 21 to be eligible for this year's funding.

Finally, back to school is a great time to go over cell phone usage with your child.  The FREE Parent Child Agreement is a great tool to be able to start a conversation to make your child's cell phone experience safe and enjoyable for everyone.

FTC disclaimer:  I am part of the U.S. Cellular Blogger Brigade and this is a sponsored post.

Review and Giveaway: Dial Coconut Water Refreshing Mango Body Wash

I recently received a sample of Dial Coconut Water Refreshing Mango Hydrating Body Wash.  I love anything mango.  I spent a summer in Asia in 1997 and I was on the mango bandwagon well before anyone else in the United States seemed to be.  So I jumped at the chance to review the new Dial Soap Body wash.  If it's mango or mango scented, I'm right in line for it!  Another thing I like is it's a fruity scent so it's a great family body wash.

This is a clear body wash, which isn't always my favorite because without glasses in the shower I'm not always sure how much I'm using, but that's the only thing I didn't like about this.  I really like how slick it is, I can really tell it's a moisturizing body wash.

Dial is a brand I trust, I have used it my whole life, and I'm excited they have added this nourishing body wash to the line up of skin care products for healthy skin.  It's something I'll definitely be buying in the future.

FTC disclaimer: The Dial brand provided me with a sample of Dial Coconut Water Refreshing Mango body wash in exchange for a product review.  However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

And now for the giveaway. . .

One winner will receive THREE totally free coupons for Coconut Water Refreshing Mango Body wash 11.75 ounce size or larger with a maximum valued of $4.49.  These expire on September 30, 2014.  Open only to the United States.  Winner has 48 hours to respond to the e-mail or another winner will be chosen.


Ends 8/10 at 11:59 pm.

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A One Room School -- 1980s style

I went to a one room schoolhouse in 1988-1989.  Well, almost. It was a converted farmhouse, and walls were removed to make one large room.  From where I sat, I couldn't see the boys' room, my view was a closet that held hymnals for our weekly chapel.  If you had already guessed it was a Christian school, you are correct.  We were loosely associated with a Pentecostal church, but we were the only Christian school in the area and we had Pentecostal kids as well as Mennonite, and me, a then-Nazarene attending the school.  Aside from the actual texts we used, there was no one belief that was taught to be superior.

There were 16 students in grades -- um something -- through 12.  Except for seniors, no one was really quite sure what grade they were in, so they usually said what grade they would be if they were in public school.  We used a curriculum where we worked at our own rate.  Twelve workbooks equaled one credit.  We worked on our own and if we had a question we would ask our teacher.  Upon finishing a section, we would "go score".  We never thought of the secular use of the word "score" and we tossed around sayings like "I need to score."  "I left that at the score table."  "I really need to score."   What was scoring?  Basically checking our answers.  There were red pens at the score table.  (Our teachers used green on tests.)  Until we reached the end of our workbook, we checked all our work ourselves.  Then we took a test, and if our grade was under 80%, we had to redo the workbook.

As you can imagine, with so few kids, we had some great times.   This post is first in a series and basically gives you a bit of an overview.  Our school day started at 9:00.  We began with the pledges to the American flag, Christian flag, and the Bible.  There was the Scripture of the month read.  If we wanted to be on honor roll, we had to memorize that passage.  Then someone would open the day in prayer.  I always hated when they called on "Sister Jennifer" to pray.  I wasn't even a Christian then (though I didn't realize it!) and I thought "Sister" in front of my name sounded so funny and I'd always have to hold back a giggle before I prayed.

We then worked in our workbooks until morning recess.  (Yes, even 12th graders got recess!)  After that break which was sometimes playing volleyball or going into the basement to play ping pong with badmitten birdies or tennis balls, we were back at our workbooks until 11:30, at which time we had an hour for lunch.  We often brought board games for this break, and the picture on this post is us playing Old Maid.  For some reason we played that quite a bit.  After lunch, back to work until 1:30.  On Wednesdays we were dismissed at 1:30 (and had no morning recess because we had chapel instead.)  The other days, the final hour of school might be gym (either volleyball or running around the school building 12 times.)  This was also the hour where girls had home ec and boys had wood working, at least for a while.

I eventually showed up once a week to school.  Homeschooling was illegal in my state at that time, and the school said as long as I did 2 1/2 hours of school work each day, I would be counted present.  I went to school to take tests and get new workbooks.  Home Ec was then 120 hours of cooking, baking, sewing, crafting something I had never previously made.

I have so many unique and fun memories of that year I will be sharing over time on my blog. . . so stay tuned. . .