glimpses from my journal: feb 3-7, 2008

Feb. 3, 2008
"Since Lawrance came back from the conference, we've gone out twice.  On Friday, we went to eat hotpot and then to look at sunflowers, pink flowers, and his mom's work place.  It was so much fun!! 

" . . .

"He is so kind and patient.  He is also very tenderhearted.  And . . . he protects me--making sure he walks on the outside . . . ahhh a man! :)  It's great!"

~*~*~*~

Feb. 7, 2008
Our other date was the very next day.  We went to Corrina's house.  I made spaghetti and we played games with Corrina's girls while Corrina and Kevin went out on a date.  I was tired actually, but we still had fun.

"Father, please guide him and direct him and allow me to follow his lead.  . . .   I want to please you and bring you glory.  I want to honor you and him.

"Please give us both discernment and wisdom.  Help him to be a man and me a woman.  Give us self-control and patience.  Help us to do things right in the matters of the heart.  Teach us how to serve each other, support each other, and love each other too.  Teach us hot to be self-sacrificing and delight in pleasing the other. 

"I thank you so much for giving him to me.  You are such a good, kind, God.  You've given me more than I could ever have asked for or imagined!  . . . Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!  Praise your holy name!"

~*~*~*~*~
Note from Amanda:
During this time I read the books Doing Things Right in the Matters of the Heart by John Ensor and Let Me be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot (essentially a long letter Elliot writes to her newly engaged daughter).  And, he read Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship by Joshua Harris in Chinese (I reread it also, but in English). 

These three books were so helpful to helping us lay a good foundation for the beginning of our relationship.  I highly recommend Boy Meets Girl and Let Me Be a Woman to others who are in the beginning stages a love relationship.  Doing Things Right in the Matters of the Heart is also highly recommend, but it is a book that can and should be read by singles everywhere.

reading scripture by genre

Usually I enjoy structure and much order.  I don't like it when someone changes the song in the middle--I need completion, please let the song finish and then change it. 

I don't like flipping the channel during commercials; mute is just fine, thank you.  All that jumping around annoys me. 

I can't start one novel without finishing another one first.  If the novel is bad, it hangs around for awhile unread and keeping me from reading other novels, till finally I get smart enough to just throw it away and move on. 

So, why am I telling you all about my completion-complex?  I'm trying something new this year--reading the Bible by genre, reading a different genre each day.  So far, I'm enjoying it despite my completion-complex.

Let me explain.  Each day of the week I read a different genre (literary type)--so on Sundays it's the Gospels, Monday it's law, Tuesday it's narrative/history, Wednesday it's the Psalms, Thursday it's poetry, Friday it's prophecy, and Saturday it's the epistles.  Kinda interesting, huh?

I don't recall at all how I surfed upon this plan, but I do know that the genre based Bible reading plan that I am using is from this site.

At first I thought it might get confusing or I might not like all the jumping around.  I thought I might lose focus or concentration.  Nope.  Not at all. 

One thing I have noticed different with this reading plan is that
since each genre is not equal in length, but they still divided each genre into fifty-two selections, some days the section is only
two chapters while other days it might be six. 

Nevertheless, I am actually quite enjoying having each day specialize on a certain type of writing.

Hmmm . . . wonder if I'd enjoy the Literary Study Bible.

Do you use a reading plan to guide your daily study of Scripture?  If so, what kind of plan are you using?  Are you enjoying it?

buying books overseas

Living overseas has seriously helped me to curb my book-buying addiction.

My mom says she can always tell when it is time for me to come home because packages start arriving.  I start shopping my wish list and sending books to my parents' home to wait for me the month or two before I leave.

Amazon.com's international shipping on books is SO high--sometimes more expensive than the book itself.  So, last year when I read on a blog about a company that ships books overseas for under three USD ($2.97) a book, I was giddy.

I've ordered from BetterWorldBooks.com twice.  The first time it took about two months or longer to get my books (I was beginning to think they had been sent to Thailand), but the second time it took less than a month.  The first time they come in an M-bag (I had ordered several) and the second time, they just came in a simple box.  Both times they had been shipped from Switzerland?  Sweden?  I don't remember, but some "S" country. :)

I've been pleased.  It's nice to once again be able to order (cheap, used) books and actually have them shipped to me.  I've not found every title I've searched for, but I have found many.

If you live overseas and need a book craving filled, you might wanna check out BetterWorldBooks.com.

Oh, yeah, and the profits go to fund literacy, and shipping is free to US addresses, so even if you aren't overseas, you still might wanna check 'em out. :)

(I thought I'd read about it on a "girl blog" in the fall.  But when I searched my g-reader, I only found a mention of it on the Bell Site in the summer.  Anywho, thanks anonymous girl blog; sorry I can't give you a hat tip.  And thanks to Jackie Bell for recommending good stuff to others too.)

can you read chinese?

I get asked this question A LOT!!

I usually answer with "I can read on about a second grade level--you know basic stuff like signs and menus."

Apparently, my best friend thinks the answer to that question is "YES!"  She sent me a postcard, and it was written completely in Chinese. 

At first, I freaked out.  I was like "WHAT!?!?!  How I am supposed to read this!?!?!  How on earth did she forget that I was American!?!"

Then, after I looked at it a little more carefully it started making sense. The biggest challenge turned out to be that it was in handwriting and not "typed."  Apparently, my best friend knows my reading level right on. 

So, Ellen, what would say my Chinese reading level is?  Thanks for the postcard!!  It made me quite happy to get it.  I miss you and can't wait to see you too!!  And, once again, happy birthday, girly!!!

me and books

I LOVE books. 

Last week one of my students came in carrying a box of textbooks her class had ordered for another course.  The simple fact that there were books inside the box that I had not seen or touched made my heart go pitter patter. :) 

Seriously.  I kid you not.  I am like a kid in a candystore when I enter a bookstore or library.

Anywho, without further adieu, here are my answers to the book meme I first saw on Hiraeth and Lux Venit that has been going around recently.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? 
Doesn't matter as long as it is a book.  Actually, the only thing that matters is the cost--cheaper is better.  But, I have to admit, I prefer looking at hardback books on my shelves--they are just prettier.

Online purchase or brick and mortar? 
Online.  I love bookstores, but will end up purchasing online. 

Barnes & Noble or Borders? 
Neither.  We don't have them here.

Bookmark or dog-ear? 
I have this great little magnectic bookmark that clings to my pages and never falls out.  I would never, no never, dog-ear a book!!

Mark or not mark?
I do highlight and underline in books.  But I am careful with the ink quality of the pens used to do so because I don't want bleeding, smearing, or fading to occur as the book ages.  And, I would NEVER buy a book marked up by someone else.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
None of the above.  Like the First Lady, I use Library of Congress numbers to order my books.  At one time, I even made little tags for the spines.  And would love to do so again for all the newer purchases I kept.

Keep, throw away, or sell? 
I either keep a book or give it away.  I don't particuarly enjoy reading novels or biographies again, so after reading them once, I pass them on for others to enjoy.  Most nonfiction I keep so I can reference it or read it again.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? 
Toss.  I love the pretty spines of hard back books.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
With.  Gotta keep that spine clean.  And, the inside flaps can be used as bookmarks.

Short story or novel?
Novel.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? 
Either.

Lord of the Rings or Narnia?
Hmm . . . I've only read The Hobbit.  But, I do own The Lord of the Rings series, just couldn't get past the first few chapters of the first book.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? 
Chapter breaks  . . . unless I fall asleep reading.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? 
Either. :D

Buy or Borrow? 
Fiction and biographies--borrow.  NonFiction--Buy.

New or used? 
Does not matter as long as the book is not marked up or dog-eared.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? 
BROWSE!!!!!!!  And, sometimes by recommendation.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Cliffhanger is ok if part of a series, but not as the "final" ending.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or night time reading? 
YES!

Standalone or series?
Either ok.  Series reading is fun.  But, standalone is ok too. 

Favorite series? 
I can no more pick a favorite series than I can pick a favorite song.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? 
I would like to say Stepping Heavenward, but it seems like it is a popular book with the blogging community I hang out with.  I read it in 1999 and LOVED it.  It was the only English language novel in the Taiwanese Christan bookstore that I shopped at when I was an exchange student.

I also read an excellent, excellent biography on Abigial Adams my freshmen year of college.  It was one of the best books I've ever read.  But, I couldn't tell you the author unless I found the paper I wrote for class reviewing it.

Favorite books read last year? 
Again, I can no more pick a favorite book than I can pick a favorite song.  But, I did enjoy Jerry Bridges' The Discipline of Grace.

Favorite book of all time? 
Ditto on the there is no way I can pick a fave--NO WAY.  (I know many others have answered this "the Bible."  But, for me, I've never really thought of the Bible as "a book."  It is in a different class.  It is the word of God living and active--no book is like that.)

Three questions I am surprised not to see . . .

Fiction or NonFiction?
I enjoy nonfiction much more than fiction.  Historical fiction is ok, and occasionally I love me some creative take-me-away chick lit, but overall I prefer reading nonfiction.  I love biographies.

One book at a time or have several in process at the same time?
Several.  A few to choose from at bedtime, a few in a drawer behind the dinner table (I live alone you know), a few in the living room, and at least one in the purse.

Crack the spine or leave it unbroken?
When I was young (around 8-9), my dad taught me how to "break in" a book.  How to work your way from the outsides to the center creasing the spine ever-so-slightly so that the book could be opened and read without leaving it traumatized.

It's funny because I remember how serious he was in teaching me this very important step in owning a new book, and I remember just how proud I was that he was entrusting this bit of wisdom with me.  I still do it to this day with every new book I get.  It is the second thing I do.  The first?  Flip through the pages and inhale--the smell of a book is, oh, so important.

Yeah, that's right, we are bibliophiles--not just readers, book-lovers.

And since Kim claimed to be feeling a little like Kermit . . . this meme was brought to by the letter B for Bookworm Bookmarks.

I've been lost in the 1600's

In addition to going to the beach, another thing I love about winter vacation is that I have time to read for pleasure.  I have time to really get lost in a book--not just read a few pages before going to sleep.  Reading is a love that has been passed down to me from my grandparents and my parents.  I am in all sense of the word a bibliophile.

Most recently, I've been lost in 17th century England walking alongside the Puritans as they suffer from persucuition and struggle to surrive. 

I enjoy reading biographies and historical fiction.  And, one of the best authors of Christian historical fiction is Jack Cavanaugh. 

I read his Book of Book Series on Bible translation a few winters ago.  A member of the Church my dad pastors sent me Beyond the Sacred Page and Glimpses of Truth.  I was sad when I finished reading these two books because I learned they were the only two in the series.  They were so well written and I enjoyed them so much, I wanted to read more about the history of the English Bible and its various translations.  In fact, just thinking about them makes me want to read them again--but I've long given them away to others to read and enjoy.

Anyway, when I was home this summer, on a whim, I bought the first book in Cavanaugh's first series--The American Family Portrait Series--The Puritans.  I recently read and finished the novel, and I was not disappointed at all!  It is a fantabulous book! 

Thankfully, this time the series consists of eight books.  Each book tracing a generation of the same family through American history.  I was surprised that over 3/4ths of The Puritans takes place in England, but it is true that The Puritans lived there first before becoming The Colonists. 

I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series, so I can continue reading about the fate of the Morgan family and their faith.

Do you have a fave historial fiction book or author you reccomend?

reading as a Christian discipline

Kim from Hiraeth asks some questions about reading as a Christian discipline.  Here are my answers to her questions:

Has reading Christian blogs increased your desire to tackle weighty Christian tomes? 
Increased desire?--yes.  Actually caused action?--no.

Have you learned of Christian authors and theologians that you might not have otherwise known or read?
Probably Spuregon is the biggie for me.  After reading a quote on someone's blog, I just had to get me a copy of Morning and Evening.

Have you purchased or borrowed books that were recommended by bloggers?
I bought a book by a blogger because of finding her blog--Carolyn McCulley's Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?. 

I also bought John MacArthur's Twelve Extraordinary Women, Randy Alcorn's Money, Possessions & Eternity, and Jerry Bridge's The Discipline of Grace because of blogs I read.  I also have "wish listed" many, many, many more, including, Across the China Sky just a little while ago.

Have you read fewer "real" books as your blog reading has increased?
No, not at all. 

Has the availability/searchability of great Christian works caused you to rely upon them merely as resources?
Not sure.  Usually seeing someone unless reference or quote someone makes me want to go read more, go read all.  Not just go search out something.

Do you think reading the great Christian authors and theologians is important and/or profitable?
Yes.

Do you read them?
I try.  I want to.  I would love to be better about making even more time for reading them.

If so, who do you recommend?
Right now I reading Bridges, Piper, and Spuregon. 

more precious than fine gold

Various selctions from the sermon Spurgeon preached on March 18, 1855, entitled "The Bible":

Ah! you know more about your ledgers than your Bible; you know more about your day-books than what God has written; many of you will read a novel from beginning to end, and what have you got? A mouthful of froth when you have done.

But you cannot read the Bible; that solid, lasting, substantial, and satisfying food goes uneaten, locked up in the cupboard of neglect; while anything that man writes, a catch of the day, is greedily devoured.

~*~*~*~

Most people treat the Bible very politely. They have a small pocket volume, neatly bound; they put a white pocket-handkerchief round it and carry it to their places of worship; when they get home, they lay it up in a drawer till next Sunday morning; then it comes out again for a little bit of a treat, and goes to chapel; that is all the poor Bible gets in the way of an airing. That is your style of entertaining this heavenly messenger.

There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write "damnation" with your fingers. There are some of you who have not turned over your Bibles for a long, long while, and what think you?

I tell you blunt words, but true words.

What will God say at last? When you shall come before him, he shall say, "Did you read my Bible?"

"No."

"I wrote you a letter of mercy; did you read it?"

"No."

"Rebel! I have sent thee a letter inviting thee to me; didst thou ever read it?"

"Lord, I never broke the seal; I kept it shut up."

"Wretch!" says God, "then, thou deservest hell, if I sent thee a loving epistle, and thou wouldst not even break the seal; what shall I do unto thee?"

Oh, let it not be so with you. Be Bible-readers; be Bible-searchers.

~*~*~

God may be seen in the stars; his name is written in gilt letters on the brow of night; you may discover his glory in the ocean waves, yea, in the trees of the field; but it is better to read it in two books than in one. You will find it here more clearly revealed; for he has written this book himself, and he has given you the key to understand it, if you have the Holy Spirit.

Ah, beloved, let us thank God for this Bible; let us love it; let us count it more precious than much fine gold.

(HT: TeamPyro)

new, new, new

After I gave my Chinese/English Bible to a NEW beliver a few months ago, I needed to get me a NEW one.  So, I went to the store, and they didn't have the kind that I had before.  However, they had a NEW version out.  It is the NEW Chinese translation for today's generation and the English Standard Version, which is relatively NEW. 

I am a very happy camper!!

If you are looking for online tools or for a NEW year-long reading plan, check out this post from earlier this week.

"And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” (Rev 21:5)

P.S. Remember what you are invited to participate in tomorrow!!

cannot have enough

As Christians, we are often told to quench our desires for more.  We are warned against the "never can have enough" attitude of the lost. 

. . . which in most cases is good advice.  But, there is at least one thing we cannot have enough of.  This morning as I was reading my new devotional book Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon, I couldn't help but smile as I read today (Dec 13th)'s "Morning":

We may be certain that when the King of kings distributes grace among His royal priesthood, the supply is not cut short by Him.  In ourselves we are often in short supply, but never in the Lord.  . . . Some things in the economy of grace are measured; for instnace, our vinegar and gall are given us with such exactness that we never have a single drop too much; but the salt of grace is not restricted in its provision.   . . . A man may have too much money or too much honor, but he cannont have too much grace.  . . . A plethora of grace is impossible.  More wealth brings more care, but more grace brings more joy.  Increased wisdom is increased sorrow, but an abundance of the Spirit is fullness of joy.  Believer, go to the throne. . . You need much; seek much and have much.

Isn't that good news?!?  We cannot have too much grace.  An increase in the things of this world brings about responsibities, cares, and sorrow . . . but an increase in grace brings MORE JOY!! 

I needed this reminder this morning!  (So, thanks, mom, for sticking a heavy book in with the package you mailed me.)

I've only read a few entries in my new book, but I am really enjoying what I have read.  If you think you might be interested in the book Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon which has been revised and updated by Alistair Begg, you can download all of January's entries here in pdf format from www.gnpcb.org to take a look-see.

started cataloging yesterday

There was a time when I actually started to put the library of congress numbers on the spines of my books and arrange them in that order. Rumor has it, the First Lady kept her books arranged like this too.

It was too time consuming for me to continue that project, but using librarything sounds like something I would benefit from and could do easily.

Currently all books in my bedroom and living room have been added. Now to do my study . . . uh that will take awhile!

To click this goal off, I will have all books that i own in taiwan on my librarything. Not sure if I have more than 200 books (excluding sample textbooks) here in Taiwan or not—it is free up to 200 books.

However, adding tags, comments and ratings . . . don’t know if or when that will be done. And about all my books in the States—hmmm don’t know if that will ever happen either.

See more progress on: Catalog my books with librarything