Darkness and Light again

I have no idea where the time has gone. One minute I'm Miss Bloggy Bloggy and then next, I am gone for about two weeks. I can't believe how busy life has been. Wait, isn't this time of year when things slow down and get back on track?!

What in the world?!

It's been a long couple of weeks. Little Toot has been going through a rough patch with his OCD and we have been struggling and seeking wisdom on how to best help him. Again, God is faithful and is giving us wisdom with each passing day. It is difficult when you look in your child's eyes and there is only hopelessness within. All you want to do, as a parent, is to protect them. We have been doing a lot of research and have found great tools. Thankfully, he is coming back out of this dark time and doing much better. There is life and there is joy in his eyes again.

We've been talking to him about Martin Luther and how God was able to use him in such a big way BECAUSE of his OCD, not in spite of. Luther was able to see that he would never be good enough. He knew he could never work hard enough to make it to Heaven. In a time when everything was about working your way to God, he knew that he could never cut it. His OCD showed him his flaws day in and day out. It was because of this that he was able to see God's grace and turn to Him as a flawed being. It was because of this that he was able to change the way the world had seen God for over 1,000 years. Unbelievable.

It's a beautiful think to see how God uses our darkest times to change the world. Whether it is just our own little world, or the actual world! (:

Books

I wanted to share some of my fav books I've been reading.

1. Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge -- It is about the personality of Jesus. We see Him as so rigid and religious, but that's exactly what He hated. Eldredge describes it as "Watching tv without the sound on". When we see Jesus' playful and fun side, we began to understand and connect on a deeper level with Him.

2. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers  -- It's a retelling of the story of Hosea and Gomer. Hosea was asked by God to love and marry a prostitute. She continued to leave him and go back to prostitution, even having children by these other men. It is not your typical silly novel (which I like too!). It's very deep and explores the heart and it's response to what life brings. Good stuff.

3. Erasing Hell by Francis Chan -- If you have heard all the drama, or read Rob Bell's latest book, Love Wins, you will want to read Erasing Hell. It's a flat out rebuttal. Get both sides of the story. It shows us the truth of what the Bible says about Hell. Unfortunately, some of it you won't like! 

--Must Read Staples for your library--

-Crazy Love by Francis Chan
-Radical by David Platt
-Forgotten God by Francis Chan
-The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne
-Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
-The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
-The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning
-Chasing Elephants: Wrestling with the Gray Areas of Life by Brent Crowe
-The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer