Just For Fun

My assignment over this past weekend for my Teaching the Bible class was to write a really short, children's story about Noah's ark from an animal's perspective. (This was to show one way of incorporating creative writing into Bible/Sunday School classes.) We had so much fun yesterday reading our stories to the class! I was surprised by how different each story was--everyone is so creative!

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share my story with all of you. =) I chose to write about a bunny's perspective, and I modeled the bunny after my sister's pet, Candy (pictured left). Enjoy!


Noah's Ark: A Bunny's Perspective

Candy the gray-and-white, lop-eared bunny felt a drop of water splash on her soft head. She had never seen such dark, ominous clouds before, and her little body trembled at the grumbles of the changing weather.

The people had been acting so strange lately. One man had been building a huge wooden house of some sort, and nobody listened to him as he spoke to them in urgent tones. Now his structure was complete. Candy had watched all sorts of animals follow him into the big house, going in by twos, as she sat amid the leaves of a bush.

Stretching her hind legs she peered out between the branches and let her flat nose sniff the air. Suddenly, gentle hands reached down and picked her up, and she was carried into the house.

“We almost missed this little one,” the person holding her said to what must be his family. She was set down by another bunny in a little grass-strewn room, and then the big door of the house was shut tight.

For many days Candy listened to water hitting the now floating rectangular house. She felt safe inside with all of the other animals and the kind people who fed her and petted her fuzzy ears.

One day she hopped out of her stall and watched in awe as a window was opened and bright sunlight fell across the wooden floor. A raven and a dove flew out the window, and later on the dove returned.

A week later the dove was sent out again and she came back with something green. Candy was excited—perhaps soon she would get to see fresh green food again, and her ears would grow longer and her feet would grow bigger!

Candy didn’t know how much time had passed since the dove returned, but one morning she awoke to find herself in the man’s arms, being carried outside, where the water was gone and the sun was shining. The man gently set her on the ground and patted her head.

Her other bunny friend joined her and they began to hop down the mountainside. So much space to play in! Taking one last look back, she saw a beautiful, multi-colored rain-light in the sky. For some reason it made her feel happy and protected as she hopped in search of green, green grass.

Dracula and Surrender the Night

Today I'm over at The Borrowed Book talking about Dracula, Surrender the Night, and writing what you read. If you have some time, I'd love to see you there! It should be an interesting discussion!

Click HERE to read the post!

I thought I'd also take this time to mention some of what's coming up in the next week or so here at Seasons of Humility:

• CSN Stores review of a set of six mini vases, just in time for spring!

• Second-chance book swap. For all those who couldn't make it to the Contentment Reading Challenge book swap on Friday or for those who would just like to try for some more swaps, there will be another day to post your lists and get in touch with your fellow bloggers!

• More on the Woman to Woman Conference. I apologize for having these posts so broken up! There are two more posts to come about my experiences at this conference, including a post about Spiritual Discipline and a post about the talks given by author Robin Jones Gunn.

• Review of Surrender the Night. If this book just keeps getting better as I expect it will, I'm going to have a lot of wonderful things to say about it in my review!!

• And don't forget, this blog's first blogoversary week is the last week of March! You won't want to miss it!
  

Sunday by the Sea

Let's spend a Sunday by the sea and in the Psalms:

The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
~ Psalm 93:3-4

Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
~ Psalm 89:9

May you have a blessed Sunday filled with the peace of the Lord who is mightier than the waves of the sea!

(With thanks to my dear friend, Amanda, for suggesting Psalm 89:9 for a Sunday by the Sea post!)

Contentment Reading Challenge: March (Book Swap!)

I have been hearing such wonderful things from participants in the Contentment Reading Challenge about how much they've re-read! You all are doing such a great job!

If you're participating in the challenge and haven't re-read as much as you had hoped to so far, though, you're not alone. I have been reading so many new books for review and such that I have only re-read one book for this challenge (which I mentioned in February's update).

I think by choosing to go all the way ("Diving" level--20 books), I've overwhelmed myself. Yes, it is "my" challenge, in a sense, so I feel bad for not challenging myself more, but I think I'm going to jump back a couple of levels. I think I need to do some "Wading" before I attempt any "Diving!" ;) I'm sorry for not being a better example, though, and I do hope I can still learn from this challenge.

Anyway, today is a very special update post: I'm hosting a book swap! Here are some guidelines:

• You don't have to be a participant in the Contentment Reading Challenge in order to get involved in the book swap.
• If you are participating in the challenge and you end up getting a book through the book swap, feel free to count it to your total if you would like. It can be a re-read or a first-time read. You don't have to count it, though, if you only want to count re-reads. I'm just giving you permission if you'd like to. ;)
• There are no guarantees that everyone will get to participate. It's all up to you whether or not you end up connecting with another reader and finding some commonalities in your lists. (I'll explain that in just a moment.)
• If you choose to participate in the book swap, you will have to pay your own shipping to send your book to another person. (This probably means that most of the "swappers" will be U.S. residents, but if a couple of people from another, same country find each other here, then that would be great!)
  

So, now I'll tell you how this is actually going to work! You'll need to put together two lists:

1. A list of books you are willing to send (swap) to another person.
   
2. A list of books you are interested in receiving through the swap, whether books you don't have that you want to re-read, or books you've never read before.

(I recommend just swapping one book for one book with another person, but honestly, that is up to the two "swappers" to decide.)

In the comments section post your two lists along with your e-mail address. If you see someone whose list matches up to yours in some way, someone you want to trade/swap with (etc.), then contact that person by e-mail and set up a swap! Or wait and see if anyone contacts you.

I've never hosted a book swap before, so I hope this works! ;) I'll go first by posting my two lists in the comments section. Also, feel free to post your update for the Contentment Reading Challenge here, as well. Just remember to specify if you're wanting to participate in the swap!

My Review of Journey to Riverbend

Here's a description of the book from Tyndale House Publishers:

"Michael Archer is nothing if not a man of his word. Though he was unable to save Ben Carstairs, Michael is determined to carry out Ben’s dying wish: to be reconciled with his father. Unfortunately, Sam Carstairs, one of the most ruthless businessmen on the frontier, has no use for his own son, much less a man of God seeking reconciliation.

Soon after arriving in Riverbend, Michael meets and falls for the stunning Rachel Stone while waiting for Sam to return from a business trip. Beautiful yet guarded, Rachel seems to be running from a past as dark as Michael’s.

When word reaches town that Sam has been kidnapped on the stagecoach home, Michael offers to join the search party formed by the local sheriff. With a budding romance behind him and a dangerous rescue ahead of him, he sets out on the trail, determined to complete his journey no matter the cost."

My Rating: Spring/Summer

My Review:

The American West was a rough place to live. In my Literature of the American West class, I've been reminded that as much as the West has been romanticized as a symbol of freedom and grandeur, the realities of those ideals were often gritty and costly.

In Journey to Riverbend, one thing I really admire is McLaughlin's ability to balance hope and faith with the violence and debauchery that was a part of the time and place he chose as the setting for the book. In that sense, the book is not a light-hearted read. McLaughlin walks a fine line between being too "preachy" for some readers and being too "edgy" for others. Depending on the individual reader's preferences, it's possible that the book might go too far in one direction or the other at various times. But overall, I feel that McLaughlin did a good job both of staying true to his message/beliefs and true to the setting.

This book is a challenging read. As I read the conclusion, I wasn't sure what to think. I was caught up in quite a journey in these pages, and in the end I was left wondering if the destination was worth it. Looking back, I think that the question isn't so much "What was left in the end?" but rather "What did this journey teach me?"

My impression of the characters is also ambiguous. I really appreciate how McLaughlin gives multiple points of view throughout the story and shows that each character has his/her good points and bad points. None of the characters are seen as perfect, and yet each character has some quality that makes the reader sympathize with him/her, although for some it's still very hard to like them! However, in regards to the characters I confess that the romance, while sweet, is a bit "hard to swallow" because of the shortness of time the two characters have together before they fall in love.

The Journey to Riverbend is a long, painful journey, but also a very rewarding one. With violence and other edgy content, this book might not be for everyone. But for all those who love Westerns and a good, thought-provoking read, I recommend taking the Journey to Riverbend!

*With thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Woman to Woman Conference: Fitness Myths

The second workshop I attended during the Woman to Woman Conference this past Saturday was called Fitness Myths and was taught by Shannon Simmons (the Assistant Professor of Human Performance at Corban University). Here's a brief description of the breakout session from the brochure:

No pain, no gain? Walking is for wimps? Feel the burn? Dr. Simmons will help you separate the fitness MYTHS from fitness FACTS as she shares how to get healthy the smart way. Learn what is 'hype' and learn how to live a healthier life that can last the test of time and myths.

This was a great workshop, and for someone who made a New Year's resolution to exercise more (and for someone who is a chocoholic and a "snackoholic" and a "cookieoholic"--you get the idea!), this session offered some awesome tips on how to stay fit for life!

Now, it would be quite a long post if I shared all of the myths vs. truths that Dr. Simmons discussed, but I'll share a few of them along with some fabulous, practical tips on fitness:

Myth # 2: Losing weight = starving (ie: having to feel deprived).

Truth: Losing weight is not about deprivation but about consistency (ex: cut 100 calories a day from your normal diet, lose 10 pounds a year; but note that this works vice versa!).

Myth # 4: Late night eating causes weight gain.

Truth: Focus on the calories, not the time of day. (Consider your caloric intake for the whole day. A little healthy snack at night if you're hungry--preferably of two types, like a fruit and a carb--is fine if you ate well-balanced meals throughout the day. But don't eat too little during the day and then load up during the night!)

Myth # 8: I need a lot of equipment [to work out properly].

Truth: Move your body! Just get active. Equipment, the gym, etc.--all those sorts of things are nice and useful, but the point is just to get moving in some way!

At the end of the session before the Q & A time, Dr. Simmons discussed tips for living an overall healthy lifestyle, which made a lot of sense to me. Here are some of them:

• Short term does not equal success.
  
• Change one small thing at a time.
• Find a healthy lifestyle that suits you, not someone else.
  
• Be yourself; enjoy the journey.

I confess that I felt kind of like an expert after this session, and I'm afraid I offended someone recently by putting down their personal effort to try and be healthy. I don't want to do that again, so please note that I don't have all the answers. (I'm sure you were quite aware of that before!) ;) I was just really encouraged by Dr. Simmons' talk, and I think she had a lot of helpful advice to share!

Sometimes it's daunting to think about trying to be healthy. But just consider making one small life-change at a time. For example, Dr. Simmons talked about replacing one unhealthy food you eat everyday with a healthier option (except for one day a week, in moderation).

Or perhaps you could establish a short exercise schedule a few days a week that you enjoy and that you can do rain or shine, every week. For me so far this year, it's been the video workout I brought with me to school this semester--I can work out in my room three days a week without worries. And the best part of all? I enjoy it! It's fun! If you can find something fun to do to get moving, you are golden! ;)

Woman to Woman Conference: Contentment

The first workshop I attended this last Saturday during the Woman to Woman Conference at Corban University was called Contentment, taught by Anne Jeffers. Here's a brief description of the breakout session from the brochure:

Often a student will say, "I can't wait until I graduate and begin really living." If it isn't graduation, retirement, vacation or the weekend, it is something else for which we are waiting. How can we learn to be content in the season of life in which we live? Contentment is a learned virtue, and this session will address the process.

Doesn't that "season of life" idea fit in so well with this blog? I met Mrs. Jeffers last semester when I went to a few of the Sunday School classes her husband teaches at Bethany Baptist Church. She is so sweet!

This was a fun workshop, and it was definitely pertinent to my life--contentment is something I really need to work on! It's not that I don't have plenty of things to be thankful for, because I most certainly do! But I have materialistic tendencies as well as a constant eagerness for future activities that hinder contentment.

Mrs. Jeffers shared a lot of wonderful verses, ideas, and quotes with us about contentment and all that it entails. Here are some of the notes I wrote down:

• Contentment--a willingness to be satisfied with God's provision.

• If I can get my wants closer to my needs, I'll be a rich woman.

• Note the connection between contentment, gratitude, and generosity.

• Hebrews 13:5
  

Here are some tips she shared for changing the way we think:

• Be aware of the snowball effect of your thinking. (In other words, how do you start your day? What do you think about the first thing in the morning, and how does that lead to other thoughts, whether negative or positive?)

• Do one thing at a time.
  

• Live this day as if it were your last.

Not necessarily easy things to do, but these are definitely good things to work on and to remember!

At the end of the session, Mrs. Jeffers gave us some journal pages so we could write down what we were thankful for. She also had us take some daily calendar pages with various ideas of what we can be grateful for. I have to say, of the two pages I took with lists on them, one of my favorites was:

officers in dress uniform

OK, is there any woman who isn't thankful for that? ;)

Overall I enjoyed the workshop, and it offered some great perspectives for me. Contentment can involve being content with the things we have been given, which are only temporary--something I hope the Contentment Reading Challenge will remind me of!

But contentment is an attitude that doesn't involve just things, but also circumstances. God has placed each one of us in a specific place in time while we are in this world, and only in the present can we do anything--the past is gone and (as Anne Jeffers noted) "tomorrow is God's, not ours."

May we grow in contentment and live each day and each moment He gives us for Him!