I’m going to try what I’ve seen some bloggers do — and give you a quick tour of several good things I’ve read lately:

First of all, check out the Carnival of Beauty at Amanda’s following an unknown path site. Topic: The Beauty of Service.

Here’s a great idea I found for celebrating a teen’s birthday. You’ve got to click through this link to Lisa Whelchel’s online journal. Read what she did to help celebrate her oldest son Tucker’s 16th birthday. If you can’t click through, here’s a brief. She asked 40 wise, Godly men to write Tucker a letter, offering him words of encouragement for his future. Then her husband typed the letters out (for readability) and, along with the original letter and a picture of each writer, she compiled an album for her son’s birthday gift.

Tucker said it was the best present he’d ever received, and he stayed up well past midnight reading all of the letters. She’s posted a letter from their long-time pastor (before they moved) and also from her husband to his son (tissues required).

I hope her idea may inspire you moms out there. A child of any age would appreciate an album of special letters! This link also includes pictures — some of you may know Lisa is the scrapbooking queen.

(If you’re not familiar with Lisa Whelchel, don’t despair. I’ll be reviewing her new book soon, A Busy Mom’s Guide to Wisdom.)

More Blogging Boldness:

Stacy at Mind & Media has a great post about how watching immoral soap operas does nothing to strengthen your impact on the culture. From sea to shining sea, I’m saying “Amen.” Why in the world do people watch these kinds of TV shows? Or for that matter — daytime TV? I can see how watching the news and a cultural show like Oprah might keep your mind stimulated — but soap operas?

News Items:

If you love great chidren’s books, you’ll want to go see this article in the Baltimore Sun about the Newbery Award winner, which was announced on Monday. We used to homeschool with the Sonlight Curriculum and read lots of Newbery winners — so this book must be pretty good. It will definitely go down in history.

Here’s a good article from Lifeway if you’re feeling like you’ve got too many plates spinning, and you need to drop a few: 10 Steps to Overcoming Overcommittment.

If you live anywhere near the Chicago area, Beth Moore is coming to speak! Details are at this site.

Don’t miss this opportunity for all women 18–25 as Beth Moore delivers a very special edition of Living Proof Live just for you, March 10-11 at The Pavilion in Chicago! Plus this “special edition” features worship music by Christy Nockels of Rocketown Records recording artists Watermark. This event is only for college-age women, ages 18-25. If you’re over the age of 25 and would like to bring at least three young women to this event, you may register as a sponsor.

I’m not going to be there of course, but I can’t help but get a chill just thinking about all the teen girls who are going and will hear Beth speak — to their hearts! I know some will hear the Gospel and accept Christ — and others will turn wholeheartedly to following God — at such a crucial age. That’s very exciting for me to pray about. Beth Moore is awesome!

This completes my Wednesday round-up. Hope you find something you connect with.

It rained all day yesterday, and it was just one of those “regular” Mondays. Yet I chose to dwell on happy, positive thoughts. I didn’t let anything get me down. I chose to be joyful!

So this made me think about this essay topic: “The Beauty of Service.” What if I kept this attitude every day? My attitude is a way to serve Christ — when I choose to dwell on my blessings instead of negative things, this brings God glory.

A recent column in HomeLife Magazine quoted author Sidlow Baxter, who says, “What’s the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty and every difficulty has an opportunity.” (Feb. 2006, p. 16).

A few years ago, I was in a women’s Bible study, and I was having a hard time dealing with something going on in my life. I talked to the leader privately one night afterward, expecting her to have pity on (poor ol’ self-righteous) me and say, “Well, I’ll pray for you. God will work things out.”

Instead she said, “Heather, I can see that you’re holding on to this instead of giving it to God. You need to let it go or you’re going to become a very bitter person.”

Bitter? Who, me? I think of bitter people as being older people who have a permanent sour look on their faces, like they’ve just tasted a lemon. Bitter, indeed!

But that was an epiphany for me — and it’s now years later that I’m finally able to realize how right she was and to say that God is teaching me how to let things go that used to bother me. This leader also taught us the whole point of Christian living is to know Christ and to make Him more fully known by being radiant with joy — no lemony looks allowed.

So, in this coming year, I want to serve Christ by deliberately replacing my negative thoughts with positive. As Paul writes in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

Max Lucado says it this way:

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

How about you? Is there an area in your life where you could serve Christ by choosing joy over bitterness? Let’s pray for one another — and give Him the glory.

This morning, I drove home from a basketball game in misty gray rain and stopped at a railroad crossing. The red lights flashed, and the two crossbars came down in front of me. And I waited.

And waited.

I didn’t see a train coming, nor did I hear one. I waited for a full minute, watching the cars across from the tracks to see what they would do. Should I keep waiting? Could there be some malfunction? We were out on a little country road on a peaceful Saturday, all waiting.

I was afraid to disobey the cross signal, so I waited quietly…while another minute passed.

And then I heard the train. A whistle, then a chugging sound. Within a few more seconds, a long train passed right in front of me, freight car after heavy freight car.

I was glad I’d waited. Then of course, the light stopped flashing, and the crossbars went back up. And I crossed safely to the other side of the tracks.

This reminded me of how I feel in life somtimes. I get so impatient! I don’t want to wait. I want to hurry across the tracks, get to where God wants me to go, start something new. But I can’t see around the bend. Only God can. His timing is perfect, and He wants to keep me safe. Only when I wait will I understand His timing.

Do you feel like you’re stuck waiting on something? Hang in there. You can’t see around the bend, but God can. And He’s got something wonderful in store for you — if you’ll trust Him while you wait.

My kids and I used to watch Mr. Rogers when they were younger, and he liked to sing, “Let’s think of something to do while we’re waiting.” What can we do? The author of Psalm 130:5 wrote, “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.”

A little while ago, Mind & Media sent out a note to the reviewers to pray for John Piper, author of many Christian books, including one of my favorites, Desiring God. Piper recently found out that he has prostate cancer and will be undergoing surgery and treatments starting next month.

I wanted to share this with you so you can go to his website and read the letter to his congregation, which is posted there. Already, he’s demonstating a great faith and peace.

This news has, of course, been good for me. The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. The news of cancer has a wonderfully blasting effect on both. I thank God for that. The times with Christ in these days have been unusually sweet.

For example, is there anything greater to hear and believe in the bottom of your heart than this: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)?

God has designed this trial for my good and for your good. You can see this in 2 Corinthians 1:9, “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” And in 2 Corinthians 1:4-6, “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God … If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation.”

I hope you can go read the rest of his powerful words, and I thank God for his leadership as he enters a new chapter in his life. Piper recently had dinner with two good friends of ours in Alabama. He spoke at a gathering of over 1200 college students, and they said his inspirational message was one of great power.

If you would like to email him a note of encouragement, his address is encouragement@desiringgod.org.

On a personal note, I’m also anxiously waiting for a phone call to find out about my uncle who underwent surgery this morning to remove cancer. We’ve covered him and his family in prayer, but this letter from John Piper also bolstered my faith.

I found a schedule of Franklin Graham crusades and festivals and wanted to pass this along to you. If you live anywhere near one of these events, I encourage you to go. I attended a Billy Graham Crusade at Central Park in New York City about 15 years ago. It changed my life.

There were thousands and thousands of people there, inspiring music, and awesome fellowship. It was powerful to be a part of something so huge. The family I was with helped coordinate the marketing for this event, so I got a good seat up front, and I actually got to meet Mrs. Elisabeth Elliot and tell her how much her books impacted me.

We as Christians have a message of hope that people desperately need to hear. As you look at your schedule for 2006, now’s the time to start planning big things like this — opportunities that will be lost if they’re not inked in now. I hope someone will be able to hear Franklin Graham speak in person. The legacy of his father continues. If you’ve never read Franklin’s autobiography, I highly recommend it — Rebel With a Cause. It’s a very good book to pass along to someone you know who may be straying from truth. Look what God can do through prayer!

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website

February 2-5, 2006
Metro Manila Franklin Graham Festival
Manila, Philippines

March 11-12, 2006
Celebration of Hope
New Orleans, Louisiana

April 1, 2006
Angola Franklin Graham Festival
Angola, Louisiana

April 21-23, 2006
Gulf Coast Franklin Graham Festival
Mobile, Alabama

July 7-9, 2006
Metro Maryland Franklin Graham Festival
Baltimore, Maryland

September 21-23, 2006
Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham
Quito, Ecuador

October 20-22, 2006
Central Canada Franklin Graham Festival
Winnipeg, Manitoba

November 3-5, 2006
Okinawa Franklin Graham Festival
Okinawa, Japan

Franklin Graham wrote this about how the Graham organization is helping to bring hope to the world:

God also has given us a key role in meeting the spiritual needs of hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast region. The Rapid Response chaplain teams that we developed since the 9/11 attacks have ministered to thousands of survivors and emergency workers, leading many to salvation in Jesus Christ.

We’re also excited about the directions in which God is leading our Crusade ministry. In the coming months, I’m looking forward to events in New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., to share the hope of Jesus with people in these areas, many of whom were displaced from their homes by recent hurricanes. I’ve preached on five continents this year, and in 2006 God has given us invitations to go to the Philippines, Ecuador, Canada, Japan and Baltimore, Md. These events not only reach individuals but also strengthen churches and train Christians to be soul-winners.

The Billy Graham Library, now under construction in Charlotte, N.C., will give hundreds of thousands of visitors for generations to come the opportunity to hear the Gospel and respond to the unchanging truth my father has preached: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV).

Thank you for standing with us and praying for us as we take the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to a world where more people than ever before need to know Him.

If anybody reading this ends up going to a Graham Crusade, please let me know!

It’s the last day of the year 2005. Do you have your new calendar posted somewhere yet? I love looking at a new blank calendar — my kids and I had fun filling in upcoming birthdays and anniversaries. And of course counting the days until next Christmas!

Have you taken a few minutes to reflect on the past year? I like how Sallie at Two Talent Living wrote a post sharing some of the goals she set and reached this year. Her Journal of Thanksgiving is such a great idea.

Do you write New Year’s Resolutions? I used to. And I tried really hard to keep them, for at least a few weeks. Then I realized in my adulthood that it’s too easy to break resolutions and give up. So now I set goals. I set a few long-term yearly goals, and then I also create monthly goals. These help me to divide and conquer the big things I’d like to accomplish — leading me to write my weekly and daily goals. For me, the process of writing makes the goals seem more attainable.

One of my goals is to read the Bible through in a year. There are lots of plans to do this. I used the One-Year Bible last year (NLT version), which made it easy to bookmark each day. You can always read it straight through — but I like to divide it up by Old and New Testament readings, a Psalm, and a Proverb.

This Bibleplan site has over a dozen reading plans from which to choose. Back to the Bible also features several different plans. Or you may prefer reading small doses of scripture using a devotional book. Gospelcom has several online devotionals that you can read every day — though I always enjoy having my own book that I can keep with me.

Reading a little bit every morning is helpful as you encounter day-to-day living and decisions. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” I’d love to know what you plan to do!

I wish you a safe and happy New Year’s Eve tonight. Here’s a site where you can enjoy a panoramic view of celebrations taking place all over the world.

This is how I feel right now.

The anticipation is building…Christmas will be here before we know it! How are your Advent readings coming along? We’ve had such a hard time getting our two-year-old to be quiet to hear the story. Carmen suggested letting the younger kids color while my husband reads.

We’re really enjoying Jotham’s Journey (remember that book I mentioned by Arnold Ytreeide?) A friend came down and borrowed Book 2 of his Advent trilogy for her family, Bartholomew’s Passage. And my other neighbor is using Tabitha’s Travels with her children, which is Book 3. These books really bring the story of traveling to Bethlehem to life.

I want to take a minute and welcome all of you who’ve come in here to read Mom 2 Mom Connection because of the Weblog Awards going on right now. Thank you! When I asked Lisa to design my site like an international cafe, I really was only imagining sharing a cup of coffee with my handful of friends from Japan and the Philippines. But because of this contest, you’re coming in here from 31 countries.

Here’s where you’re visiting my site from the past few days:
the U.S., Japan, European Union, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Guam, Canada, Singapore, Great Britain, Germany, China, the Netherlands, Israel, France, India, Denmark, Finland, South Africa, Taiwan, Norway, Malaysia, Iceland, Austria, Bermuda, Thailand, Estonia, Brazil, Italy, Belgium, the Philippines, and a few unknown.

I would love to know what customs and traditions you all have going on right now in your countries during this season of Advent. Here is a mom, Kathy, who has taken the time to create a beautiful website page of her family’s Christmas traditions. What a great idea. I think I’ve mentioned to you that we have an Advent wreath and candles, which we’re lighting as we read the Jotham’s Journey book and devotions. We also pulled out another one of my favorite Christmas books last night, One Wintry Night, by Ruth Bell Graham.

The illustrations by Richard Jesse Watson are truly exquisite. One Wintry Night is the story of a boy who gets lost in a snowstorm and ends up with a sprained ankle at the cabin his grandfather helped build. The woman who lives there now takes him in and offers him a warm, cozy place to recuperate. She tells him the story of Christmas, which really begins when God created the earth. Then she takes him throughout several highlights of the Old and New Testaments, including the birth of Christ.

I can’t tell you how beautiful Mary, the mother of Jesus, is in these pictures! I sometimes forget how young she was — only a teenager! And if you love cats, you’ll adore the beautiful paintings of the gray-striped tabby throughout the book. I’m not at all good at drawing, but I plan on sitting down with my five-year-old and copying some of these pictures with her crayons. As we read last night, she kept saying, “Look at that kitty cat! I want to draw that kitty cat.”

And the lions — I’m noticing lions more everywhere! Are you? In the Christmas tree illustrations, the artist has drawn an ornament of a lion and lamb together, which are both symbols of Jesus. There’s also a beautiful full-page illustration of a lion as the woman tells the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den.

Now we have only two more days, for those of us who are counting the hours until “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” comes to the big screen. And we’ll finally get to see how Walden Media and Disney portray our beloved Aslan. You know, a couple of days ago, I gave you a link to a USA Today newspaper article, Is That Lion the King of Kings? And I quoted Bruce Edwards, professor of English at Bowling Green University in Ohio and author of the newly released, Not a Tame Lion (Tyndale House).

I got an email yesterday from Dr. Edwards, who thanked me for quoting him and told me some very reassuring news. I’d heard on the Focus on the Family radio broadcast that children under age nine might be too scared to see this movie, but Dr. Edwards says:

I would not hesitate to take your under-9 children to the movie, which I saw in its entirety last week. I will be posting my review on the BLOG site [below] at midnight Thursday.

Dr. Edwards says he blogs about Lewis and other news. So, let’s dash on over there at midnight and see what he has to say! (or maybe we should wait and see the movie first.)

And here’s another good article offering more insight by Mike Parker on Crosswalk.com: Deep Magic in C.S. Lewis’ Land of Narnia.

That’s all for today — except I have to remind you to be sure and VOTE HERE for Mom 2 Mom Connection in the Best Blog Design category in the Weblog Awards. Thank you to those who voted for my site yesterday — we’re still in the running, that’s for sure! Don’t forget — you can vote once every 24 hours until December 15.

I wish you all a blessed day, and I really would love to hear from you about what you’re doing to celebrate Advent. You comments will be read by people in over 30 different countries!

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all.
Isaiah 11:6 (NLT)

We’ve all been missing La Shawn Barber the past few days, as she’s had guest writers at her blog. Carol at She Lives wrote in her post, See If You Can Guess,

La Shawn’s lurking out there somewhere and has a bunch of guest bloggers filling in. I’m not sure I’m following some of their posts, though. I miss La Shawn.

Well, now the cat’s out of the bag, and we see what she’s been up to. WOW! She’s started a brand new site called Fantasy Fiction for Christians. So now all of us Narnia fans will have another place to gather together and express our views. I see that she’ll be including book reviews, so I wonder if she’d be interested in new fantasy fiction by Christian authors — such as the books I’ve recently reviewed here: book one and book two of Jonathan Rogers’ Wilderking trilogy, as well as book one of R.K. Mortenson’s Landon Snow series.

So far, her posts are discussing Christian Elements in Narnia, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” movie, and Harry Potter — including the possibility that J.K. Rowling is actually a pseudonym for several authors writing under that name!

Here’s what La Shawn says about her site:

This is a place for Christians who read fantasy fiction to discuss Christian themes and symbolism found in the pages of fantasy literature, popular and classic…For the rest of the year, news and commentary on the movies “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” will likely be the focus of this blog.

In addition to Harry Potter hoopla for die-hard Potterheads, however, FFC will strive to be clearinghouse for Christian fantasy fiction written by various authors, famous and not-yet famous…I firmly believe Christians can use a pop culture phenomenon like Harry Potter to share spiritual truths with unbelievers. While I am silent on the question of whether children should read the Harry Potter books (which are not written for children, according to author J.K. Rowling), especially Books 3-6, I think Christian parents can use these and other books containing magical elements, in conjunction with the Bible, to teach them to discern what are appropriate or inappropriate supernatural depictions.

So, I encourage you, if you’re interested in fantasy fiction, go check out her new site! (And if you haven’t already, vote for her main website as Best Conservative Blog in the Weblog Awards. (and don’t forget, I’m in the running for Best Blog Design!)

On another note, someone sent me a lovely email review of the latest Harry Potter movie from a Christian viewpoint. If I can get her permission, I’d love to post it here. She’s written a very thought-provoking piece.

Also, for any of you who try to leave me a comment and it doesn’t work, just send me an email and say what name you want me to post it under — as well as your URL, if you have one. I don’t know why my comments section doesn’t always work. Especially, if you’re an author of one of these books I’m reviewing, here’s a great way to send readers (and potential fans!) back to your site.

I’m still trying to get caught up on all the technological stuff required to be a blogger — does anyone have a teenager who has some time to teach a poor old mom a few tricks about trackbacks and WordPress? My brother-in-law tried to download some kind of plug-in for me last weekend that would help me write text around pictures, but we didn’t have time to finish. At this point, whenever I try to center a picture using the HTML for center, all the text underneath centers as well. I’d love some help — please email or send me a comment if you’d like to help. I’m too busy with my household of kids to “play around” and figure things out on my own. Thanks!

How many days are left until “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” comes to the movie theater?

Only 8 more days!

Don’t go into the theater without at first peeking at the book. Or at least reading up on what the series is about. You want to be able to tell your kids that Aslan represents Jesus. And the series is written by a Christian author, C.S. Lewis, who planted symbols of his Christian faith throughout all seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia.

Marcia Ford at FaithfulReader.com did an awesome round-up of the top Narnia-related books of the season, including one I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Here’s what she says:

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO NARNIA: Christian Meaning in C.S. Lewis’s Beloved Chronicles, by Jonathan Rogers (Warner Faith)
Rogers, himself a fantasy novelist, emphasizes the critical role imagination plays in fully understanding the truth of the gospel. He arranges the chapters of his book according to the overarching theme of each of the Narnia books — “Remembering the Signs,” for example, for THE SILVER CHAIR, and “Further Up and Further In” for THE LAST BATTLE. Rogers manages to highlight the biblical elements in the series without loading up the text with scripture references; his is a big-picture view that also sheds light on significant details. Includes a bibliography and notes.

If you don’t subscribe to the FaithfulReader.com newsletter, I highly recommend it. The reviews are heartfelt — most of them are like personal essays about books. You can sign up here.

Look into the eyes of Aslan. Do you see yourself?