Terribly Interesting

Take the few minutes that you would usually take to read this blog and get on your face and listen. Listen for your Father's voice. I took these pictures about a month ago at my grandparent's childhood church in Norse, TX. © stephaniecherry.com

My friend Anne lent me a book recently that her aunt had written. The God of All Comfort by Dee Brestin was a gift to my spirit. Mostly, I hung on every scripture she included in the book. I needed to read them over and over. The book chronicles her husband's death from liver cancer and the beautiful things that unfolded in the life of her five children as a result of their life. It is an encouraging picture to anyone who has lost a loved one. God is using the very thing that brings us so much pain to grant us so much growth. Psalm 42 © stephaniecherry .com

On Sunday evening, Denbigh and I caught the tale end of the Art for Texas festival that is located on a ranch out by where we live. I love art. I love how the beauty of it can free your soul to experience a deeper and richer life. I was thankful for art that day. The creative beauty of God ministered to me. There were many artist at this venue (along with musicians and the amazing Danish hot dog). My favorite artist was Michelle Methvin. I bought a few of her prints. Michelle's Bio: "1982- Michelle was born on an Air Force base in Germany and spent her childhood at various military bases from Massachusetts to Texas. She now resides in San Marcos, TX where she makes her home with son, Elijah. She came to San Marcos in 2004 and is a 2008 graduate of Texas State with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with specialization in painting, Suma Cum Laude. Michelle draws upon the tumultuous mix of pain and pride that colors the events of her life - most notable...

I was asked for my top ten favorite children's books. Keep in mind, I have a two year old, but several of these books would be good for all ages. You won't believe this, but I am extremely picky about what our daughter reads. These books have been measured against the gospel and come up approved. I hope you find some great selections in here.

I must confess something to you. I have a literary crush on Donald Miller. I have never gone through a book he has written unchanged. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to leave the book different. I wanted to get to the end of the book, but I did not want the book to end. I fell into literary love in Blue Like Jazz and have been shaped as a human being in part by his story telling. The subtitle of this book is "What I learned while editing my life." As Donald began writing a screenplay from Blue Like Jazz , he learns about story and the art of story telling. We see him contemplate if his own life is a good story and follow him on his decision to make it one. There were things I gleaned from this book. One thing is that it is very important who you hang around. If your friends have boring stories, you probably will too. "Somehow we realize that great stories are told in conflict, but we are unwilling to embrace the potential greatness of the story we are actually in." I ...

The Jesus Book is a children's book that takes little hearts and minds on a journey through scripture. It clearly lays out who many people say Jesus was, what Jesus did, and why He did it. With amazing clarity and depth, it draws out the beautiful characteristics of our Lord. I must admit, I wasn't expecting much when I requested this book to review. The title didn't seem overly original or outstanding and I thought that would be what would also be contained in it's pages. I was pleasantly met with something much different when I began to read it to my daughter. I am thirty two years old and this children's book ministered to me. Through each page, I was reminded of who different people of the Bible told us Jesus was. I loved the charts and maps that were simple, fun, and interesting. Reading each page about the who, when, what, where, why of Jesus to my little girl was a gift. I loved every second of it. I asked Laomai, my daughter, for her review and she said, ...

I could write a blog about every chapter of this book. It is rich and full. There are many things I knew and things I had knowledge of. With deep humility, I realize that I have only gotten to the tip of the iceberg of understanding and living fully in the Spirit of God. "I know only that when you surrender fully to the Spirit, Christ will be magnified, not you.(John 16:14)" "You don't need the Spirit if you are merely seeking to live a semi-moral life and attend church regularly." "Have you ever prayed that God would so fill you with the Spirit that people would know the change could be empowered only by the Spirit?" "We are made to be like Elijah, who did not question whether God would show His face that day. He prayed and asked for help, and God sent down fire from heaven in response. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently." "Think of the fruit of the Spirit. Look at those traits and ask yourself to what deg...

This blog is updated every Tuesday. The following passage stood out to me at Just Give Me Jesus. Sometimes, we need to stop praying and repent. We must diligently seek out the sin in our camp. "They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water. 6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the...