Don't be fooled...

My book reviews had to be posted here because I haven't changed over my blog site on my bloggingforbooks account. However, I am still officially moved to

www.nmetzler.wordpress.com

Come and see me there!

[Close Enough To Hear God Breathe] book review

Close Enough To Hear God Breath

Greg Paul

I love the title of this book. The subtitle is just as catching... the great story of divine intimacy.

I started reading it and just before I was going to sigh in frustration, I came to this sentence:

"Whispering through every Scripture, and into the intimate details of my own daily experience- for it is his life he is breathing into me, and my life he wants to redeem." (pg. 19)

From that place forward I was hooked. Greg Paul takes you on a journey through stories and scripture, to the heart of God's relationship with his people.

It's a beautiful story. One that every Christian should understand a version of. The story of a God who is great and powerful... who willingly came and died for His people... and who chose to never leave them alone.

The Father. The Son. The Holy Spirit.

Do you know and understand the three parts of God? This book will give you a glimpse.

:: I received this book in exchange for my honest review through BookSneeze blog program. ::

[A Sound Among the Trees] book review

A Sound Among the Trees

Susan Meissner

This is a story of mysteries. The story of a family line of women and the secrets they are hiding.

Adelaide is the oldest living matriarch of Holly Oak. A woman who believes the home to bear a grudge because of its past. The walls seem to whisper the name of Susannah Page, who is rumored to have been a civil war spy for the North. A traitor to her southern roots.

Marielle Bishop marries the widower of Adelaide's granddaughter. She attempts to form a family with her new husband and two step-children. But Holly Oak doesn't seem like it wants a new mistress. She decides to keep searching, trying to solve the mysteries of the past to give her and her new family a future.

----------------------

Here's the deal: this is a well-written book. It truly is. But I have a really, really hard time with books based in the south. (Maybe I'm just a true Yankee at heart.) They just don't hold my interest well.

I struggled to get into it. I usually like to finish a book as soon as possible once I've started it... but this one I kept putting down and forgetting. I mean, like, I completely forgot I was reading it. Then I would see it and remember, "Oh, yeah. I think I'm in the middle of that."

Regardless. I can't give it a bad rap because I think that a lot of people will really enjoy it. So, especially if you enjoy southern style books... go for it!

::I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review::

[wounds]

Those days were long and dark. Hours spent in sorrow. The time I cried from my house to my in-laws, twenty-five miles away. The time I went running from a friend’s house, fumbled for my keys and shook all the way home. In my living room I collapsed in tears.

Over and over it happened.

I would pull myself together, lecture my emotions, fight my sorrow…and end up beaten and bruised and heartbroken.

I can’t tell you how long I hid the truth from myself. The time blends together. Maybe it was a year. Maybe more.

There is one thing I can tell you though. God didn’t leave me there.

[Read the rest of this post by clicking here]

In case you haven't noticed, I'm in the process of switching to wordpress. (www.nmetzler.wordpress.com) Take a minute to update your "follow" list! Thanks!

[practice.of.discipline]

When we first got our cows- milking took all of my mental focus to accomplish.

How to make sure everything in the milk house is ready so the milk goes into the tank and not onto the floor. How to hold the milker-unit just right so it wouldn’t break suction. How to work efficiently enough to make sure there are cows washed and stripped before its time to put the milker on. How to plug everything in. How to tell if a cow has mastitis. How to tell if a cow is ready to freshen. How to stand so that if it kicks, it won’t get you.

The list goes on. I’m sure you understand…there was a lot to learn and remember. At the beginning we had three milking units. Between my husband and me, it took all of our energy to keep up with them.

But things change with time. You learn patterns and efficiency. Things that once took all your focus become second nature.

This morning as I was standing in the middle of the barn, waiting for the [now] four milkers to finish, I thought about how different things are. In between changing units, I get on facebook with my cell phone. I read blogs. I text people or call them. If my husband is around, I have time to talk to him or steal a few kisses. I have time. Time to be and know and connect and think. [To read the rest of this post click here]

[the.beauty.of.seasons]

Every fall I dream of playing in leaves.

This fall all my dreams came true. And I taught a new set of nieces the joy of crunching piles of brown, orange, yellow and green.

[I hear His voice] whispering through every Scripture and into the intimate details of my own daily experience- for it is his life he is breathing into me, and my life he wants to redeem. –Greg Paul

Yes, Lord Jesus. Come speak to us now... redeeming, breathing life. Amen and Amen.

-------------------------------------------

Want to take a mini-walk through Narnia? Visit here.

Need a new perspective on a difficult relationship? Read this.

Don't forget to be praying... for Katie in Uganda.