Luisa Parish

"Faithful" Book review

2010-10-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

I have recently read the novel Faithful, by Kim Cash Tate. Normally I am very weary about reading a fiction novel from an author I don't know, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this book. It follows the love stories of 3 friends, each with a different situation. One who's on the eve of her 40th birthday and finds herself still single, another who's perfect marriage looks to be threatened by an affair and the last who is struggling in a marriage where her and her husband share different beliefs. Each woman must find out what it means to be faithful in their situations. This books deals with real, everyday situations and temptations and shows the beauty of faithfulness. Each woman was faced with very different yet difficult scenarios, but continue to fall back on what they believe to be true and rely heavily on their relationship with Jesus Christ.
I find that some authors, when writing love stories, they sometimes are unrealistic. I thought Kim did a pretty good job at keeping things relevant but still making us sigh, thinking what a great story. I def. recommend this book and hope to read more of her stuff soon.

To sir with love

2010-09-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

I must admit that recently I have become a Gleek. Yes it's true I have been sucked into this typical teenage drama, with enchanting musical numbers. I enjoy the characters, not a huge fan of some of the dialogue and some content, but am mesmerized but the musical numbers and talent. Now am I in no way condoning the behavior because it includes this ingredient, I'm just stating facts. Now because I am passionate about music and easily fall in love with musicals, I tend to be super nerdy and download any and all mp3s I can find on Itunes. As i went through my collection, i discovered my new favorite. It is one featured on the season finale, when the group is faced with losing their precious club forever and wanting to show their love and appreciation to the one who poured much blood, sweat and tears into this group. He helped them find out more about themselves, see others in a different light and therefore treat them better, and opened the door to endless opportunities. So this song is deemed appropriate. "To sir with love". If you've never heard the song, or seen the movie for the matter i suggest you do so. The song was preformed in typical Glee fashion, with each student taking a part, while holing back tears, thus showing their love and appreciation. There is a part that has been stuck in my head like a broken record and it goes likes this...

"A friend who taught me right from wrong,
And weak from strong,
That's a lot to learn,
What can I give you in return?

If you wanted the moon I would try to make a start,
But I, would rather you let me give my heart,
To Sir, with Love"

It's definitely a sweet and moving song. Someone whom you love and appreciate deserves some kind of thanks and praise right? What better way then to express it in a song, especially if you are musically gifted.
Now you're probably wondering where I'm going with this, but hear me out. So one night after being challenegd by Francis Chan on this idea of who God really is and what its like to truley love Him and be loved in return. I'm lying in bed with this chorus constantly playing in my head and ask God what does this mean? What does this particular song have to do with you? Then I'm struck with this idea of adoration, thanks and praise. How we are so quick to credit people who helped us along the way, or have assisted with accomplishment of something great, and yet completely forget the One who did a heck of a lot more. I mean HELLO, the Cross!!

Now i don't mean that people don't deserve to be thanked and shown appreciation. I just feel that we are a generation who is forgetting to stop and praise the One who is deserves it regardless of the outcome.

The Glee club lost, but instead of blaming they thanked him because the knew reality was he devoted so much time and love for these kids. He would do whatever he could for them and they knew that so they returned the favor.

But why is it that when things go wrong we forget God's heart. We automatically think he's not listening or he doesn't care or maybe even doesn't exist.

His word says He is alive, and Loves us more than anyone ever would. He suffers when we suffer. He wants so much for us it says so in Jeremiah 29:11. But he also says that there will be trouble, but take heart cause He has overcome it all! (John 16:33)

So hes warning us there will be troubles, but says that He will overcome it all. He died on the cross so that we may have eternal life. All because he loved us...
Doesn't that deserve a song of Praise?

Cast of Characters

2010-08-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

As I grow older the more I realize how much the bible is the living word. It's in the little verses that speak to specific situations and also in the lives of the characters. Recently I've been intrigued with characters of the bible. It's so remarkable how even thought there are thousands of years between us, their experiences and lessons still apply to us today. So when I saw the new Max Lucado book Cast of Characters I was immediately hooked. He took 22 people, both men and women and shared their stories. Showed how some, who screwed up royally, where still used to bring glory to God. These people loved God, but still made mistakes. God didn't just use them in their successes but also in there failures. When we succeed we then feel worthy of love, but when we fail we feel so detached from him. But God wants every part of us. In our brokenness is when he shines through. We see it so many times, and Max does an excellent job of showing how God used so many different people in many different ways and how that still applies to us today. He uses biblical text, and also includes further bible study material to further discover Gods will for our lives. Each of us is different, and God wants to use us in so many different ways. I felt such encouragement when reading about these characters. Knowing that even when imperfect God still has a place and purpose for us. I highly recommend this book to people who are struggling with the question how will God ever be able to use me. He can and he will.

Cheap Romance and True Love

2010-08-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, my husband and I took a much needed few days off, and visited some friends near Huntsville. One night we decided to watch the movie Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. He is by far one of my favorite authors. But I find that more often than not, I walk away from movies based on his novels extremely disappointed. This last one was no exception. I enjoyed the book for many reasons. Now for those who have not read it, or seen the movie, I am about to spoil it so beware. The book is about John, who is in the army and is home visiting, when he meets Savannah. Now she is a sweet and innocent girl and they two quickly fall in love. They spend the rest of their summer break together, until John has to go back. They both admit their feelings and commit to writing each other letters until his term in finished in a year. Then September 11th, happens and he decides to enlist for another term. Now this puts a little bit of a strain on the relationship but they both still commit to writing back and forth. At some point John comes home for a visit and they find that their relationship isn't as easy as they thought. Ya they were both in love with each other, but their lives where going in two completely opposite directions. Again he goes back and the letters continue. Until one day a final letter reaches John, saying that Savannah found someone else and was engaged. Obviously John is devastated by this news, considering he still loves her. Now we are made to believe that she still has feeling for John, but long ago gave up the idea that they will finally be together. Further into the story, John's father passes away. He comes home to settle everything, and while he's there pays a visit to Savannah. She's changed a lot and we find out that her husband is sick with cancer in the hospital, we find that her husband is Tim who was a good friend to Savannah the whole time, and John even knew him. Now this is were the book becomes moving. Tim will only survive this cancer if they somehow get thousands of dollars for this special treatment. They don't have this money, so it would take a miracle. John loves her more than anything, so he sacrifices his own happiness for hers. He sells his father's impressive coin collection and anonymously donates the money so Tim can receive this treatment. Tim recovers and the two of them are able to carry on with their lives, while John sits back and watches with a broken heart. For her happiness was far more important than his! Let's just take that in for a few seconds. In a world of selfishness and greed, it's so refreshing to hear of such sacrifice.
Now the movie, was pretty decent up until the ending. Yes Savannah is married to Tim, and he is very sick in the hospital. They make it seem as if Savannah never really loved Tim and only married him because he was sick. That's the first issue. Savannah married Tim because she really truly loved him. Second, in the movie there was no cure for Tim. The only thing they wanted was money so he could live and die at home peacefully. Which makes the donation not really a sacrifice, cause in the end he still could possibly get the girl. So needless to say, Tim dies, Savannah writes John a final letter (which never happened in the book)saying that Tim died surrounded by family and friends. The movie ends with John finishing his term and finding Savannah again and the two are finally together.
So what was once a story of sacrifice and a love so strong, now looks convenient and artificial.
I then got so furious at how Hollywood depicts romance. It's Cheap.
Every girl is now waiting for their John. Not caring who gets trampled on, or hurt in the process. They want that magical relationship. We are so hungry to feel a love that takes our breathe away, and gives us butterflies.
How did we get to a point were love is measured by butterflies, or fireworks.
What is love? I think that we now have such a warped sense of love that causes us to search for it in the wrong places. Is it measured in feelings, and physical things? What is love? If we truly understood real, genuine love would our world look the same way? Lets look at it this way;

Imagine this, your in a relationship and your significant other lies daily, sometimes seems embarrassed by you, says some nasty things about you, blames you when things go wrong, ignores you until they want something, often cheats on you and is constantly making you cry. How do you respond?

Naturally you realize that they are for lack of a better word a loser. They only want to be in the relationship when it is convenient for them, and if they benefit somehow.
Most people advise you to run and not waste another minute on them. That's fair though right? If your mistreated you should leave, you deserve so much better than that. As for them what do they deserve? To suffer? to be miserable? To never be shown kindness and love?

Now let's throw Jesus in the equation. Switch roles. You are the lying, cheating loser, and He is on the receiving end. How does He respond?

He forgives.

Without question, he forgives. He doesn't run, or fight back or ignore us. He simply forgives. Even as he hung on that cross, bleeding, ridiculed, tormented, he looks up and says
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34

God Loved us so much. We messed up since the beginning of time. Because of that we were eternally separated from the perfect God. Again a love so strong that he sacrificed his only son, to die in our place, so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life.

I was reading in Ephesians 1:3-14 the message translation, it says this
3-6How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

7-10Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.

11-12It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

13-14It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.

That's what I call love. That's what I call sacrifice.

Sometimes I think we all need to take a step back, and realize what true love really is. Not just in a marital sense. But to everyone around us. We all have faults, we all fall short. But there is an overwhelming peace knowing that Jesus died, so that you can still live in heaven. That the forgiveness that we are so pathetic at giving, is given so freely to us. A Love that we have never understood on earth is forever extended by the one who created us. You will search forever for that love on earth, that removes all fears, that gives you so much happiness. But you will never find it. The only way to understand and experience true love is through Jesus. I hope that if you have yet to experience that kind of love, and are so desperate, look no farther than the one man who made the greatest sacrifice of all.