Musings by Melissa

I do a lot of shopping online.  The vast majority of birthday and Christmas gifts are purchased online.  I hate stores.  I hate crowds.  So, hitting the mall at Christmas-time is like torture for me.  So, I just hop online, and I go to a couple of my favorite online stores and type in something that we already own that we really enjoy.  Now, I don’t want to purchase the same item, but a little box will show up that says, “People who have enjoyed this item have also enjoyed these items:  ___”  And it will list a bunch of similar items.  Or it lists items that others have purchased with the item I’m looking at.  It’s a great way to get ideas when I’m idea-less.

Another thing I like about shopping online is that the items have reviews.  So, I know before I buy something if most people like it (and why) or if they dislike it (and why).  For example, my mixer broke a couple weeks ago.  I went to the local store and bought what looked like a really good one.  When I got home, I looked it up online while my husband took it out of the box to “play” with it.  I knew I was in trouble when it got terrible ratings.  It was at that same exact time that my husband said, “Hmmm…   I don’t think you’re going to like this mixer.  The low speed is really, really fast.”  And that was the same thing people were saying in their reviews.  Needless to say, we took it back and bought one online that had great reviews.  Yes, I had to wait a few days for my mixer to come in the mail, but I love my new mixer!

Well, I recently heard about a new site called ebillme.com, and it seems like an interesting concept.  You can go to this site and look up what you want to buy, just like at any other online store, but the different thing is that you don’t have to pay with your credit/debit card.  In other words, you don’t have to give the store your personal information.  Instead you click on the ebillme button, and you will receive a bill in your email.  That bill can either be paid at a bank or you can pay it online from your online banking account like you do other bills.

Interesting concept.  It’s free to use, and they do offer 1% cash back on purchases.  So, that might add up after awhile.  I didn’t read all the fine print, so I don’t know if you need to spend a million dollars in a calendar year in order to qualify, but it might be worth looking into.

You can buy anything at this site from books to tools to televisions to computers.  One of the computer sites even had cyberpowerpc coupons.  Hey, in this economy every little bit helps! 

I can’t recommend this company because I haven’t used it yet.  But I will definitely look into using it in the future, especially when I want to make a purchase from a “new-to-me” company.

I recently received a Kettlebell.  I was very excited about receiving it since I had gained quite a bit of weight while I was waiting for my ankle to heal after my ankle surgery and because I had heard positive things about it.

I was surprised when I opened the package to find that the Kettlebell was much smaller than I anticipated.  I received the five-pound Kettlebell, and I guess I thought it would be bigger.   My hands aren’t big, and I had a bit of difficulty sometimes slipping them into the handle part quickly.  Perhaps the ten-pound Kettlebell would have been better for me.

Anyway, I started the exercises, and I was pleased with how they went.  I liked the fact that each exercise was over in seconds and then on to the next exercise.  Then the whole group of exercises would repeat.  This was beneficial because if I had difficulty with an exercise, I knew it’d be over in a matter of seconds, and then I’d get to do an exercise that was easier for me.

I was a bit disillusioned with the fact that it took a bit longer than anticipated.  I remember hearing that the workouts were only 20 minutes!  But in reality, yes, the workout is only 20 minutes long, but add about 20 minutes for warm-up and cool-down.  I thought this was slightly deceptive.  Not a huge deal, but it just made me feel like I had been lied to.

I continued faithfully with the Kettlebell until I got to the point in the exercise where it was more than my bum ankle could handle.  That was a tad discouraging because I had hoped to stick with it.  But when I had to sit out for more of the exercises than I could do, I knew it was time to shelve the Kettlebell until my ankle was stronger.

One of the bonus things is that my kids enjoyed doing the Kettlebell with me.  We only have the one bell, so we had to take turns.  Even Justin would make a Kettlebell for himself out of k’nex so he could join in!

And now, winter is upon us, and it’s COLD in our family room!  Too cold to go do a workout, but once it warms up down there, I’m sure I’ll grab the Kettlebell and start swinging it around again.  I knew it was working my muscles because I could feel it the day after my workouts.  I’m excited to try it again and see how much better my ankle does now that it’s been a couple months.

Is this the best piece of exercise equipment on the market?  Well, I’m not the best person to gauge that, but I think most exercise equipment is beneficial if you have the perseverence to stick with it.

Alicia with Kettlebell

One of the features on my new laptop is one that I think I’m really going to like.  I’m not sure what it’s called, but it’s a little slot for memory cards.  So, if I want to load some of the pictures from a camera to my computer, I just have to remove the micro sd card from the camera, put it in the slot on my computer, and walaa!!!  The pictures show up.  No messing with cables and hoping the right program is installed.  I’m really going to love this feature.  So, if you’re in the market for a new computer, you may want to look into this.

I should have mentioned this yesterday, but alas, I guess I’m getting a bit forgetful in my old age.  ~smile~

One of the things that my kidlets have really enjoyed while I’ve been sitting here with my leg up is listening to stories online.  Here are some of their favorite sites:

http://www.whitsend.org/  Adventures in Odyssey’s “Whit’s End.”

http://cbhministries.org/dgl/home.php  CBH Ministries’ “Down Gilead Lane.”

http://www.lifeatthepond.com/  “The Pond.”

I’m sure there are other story sites on the internet, but these are some of our favorites.  Enjoy!

For 3-4 years now I have been involved with Women in the Outdoors.  The first year or two I was just a participant, but the past two years I have helped to plan our annual event in the Grand Rapids area.

So, what is Women in the Outdoors about?  Well, we are a group of women who either:

1- already enjoy doing outdoor activities.
or 2- have a desire to participate in or learn more about outdoor activities.
or 3- a combination of 1 and 2.

Most of us who attend WITO events already enjoy being outside, but we’ll be the first to admit that we don’t participate in everything in the great outdoors.

And that’s where WITO events come in.  This year’s WITO event will be on September 26, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  For $45 (or $30 if you’re a student), you will get to participate in a full day’s worth of activities.

From archery to fishing.  From geocaching to kayaking.  From outdoor survival to turkey hunting.  From pistols to rifles to muzzleloaders.  From trap to skeet.  Don’t know the difference between trap and skeet?  Don’t worry, you’ll learn.  Everybody was a newbie once!

Because it’s all women, there is no intimidation.  We’re all here to learn and to help each other learn and to enjoy the great outdoors.

The $45 registration fee includes 4-5 classes, lunch and snacks, and all the materials/equipment you’ll need to participate in the various classes.

If you have your own equipment and want to bring it, feel free.  But it’s not necessary.

If you’re in the Grand Rapids area, and you’re interested in attending this event, let me know, and I’ll get you a brochure.  It’s a great event.  You’ll meet some great people and learn some new skills.

Recently I’ve read a couple articles about crime rates and how people are purchasing more guns and ammunition than they have in years.  And yes, I must admit, that I purchased myself a handgun this past winter.  My decision to purchase a handgun was not to join the bandwagon of others making a similar purchase though.  My family enjoys shooting, and I am hoping that shooting my handgun is something that Alicia and I can do together.  You know… female bonding time! 

Some of my friends think I should get my CCW permit, but I’m not so sure about that.  While I am not against carrying handguns, I’m just not sure it’s the right choice for me. 

Today I stumbled across an interesting website that sells self defense products, and the neat thing about this site is that it specializes in self defense products for women!  I haven’t purchased anything from this site, but I am considering it.  In addition to regular containers of pepper spray, they carry pepper spray that is concealed in a lipstick container.   They have fake cell phones that are stun guns and flashlights.  The things they carry are amazing.

So, if you have time to browse their site for a bit, I think it’d be worth your time.  (Go back up to the link to get there.)  There’s also a section of tips for staying safe and home and when you’re out and about.  I hope you’ll read the information, and I hope that you’ll never need to use it.

There is a neat organization in West Michigan that I love to support with my business.  It’s Love, Inc.  The Inc stands for In the Name of Christ.  So, yes, this is a relious organization.

While I’ve never read their mission statement, I have had opportunities to refer people to them.  And I have had many opportunities to shop at their resale shop!  ~grin~

What Love does is take donations, of money and of second-hand stuff, which they resell.  They use these donations to help people in need.  But they are responsible with the money.  (Unlike our big government!)  In exchange for taking classes on budgeting, for example, students are given gift certificates for gasoline.  This provides an incentive for these people to learn and apply something beneficial in exchange for gas for their vehicle.

Another service Love provides is to the local church.  Not a week goes by when a church does not receive a hardship letter or a phone call requesting financial help.  But what is a church to do?  A church secretary certainly doesn’t have time to check out each request for help.  And while some of the requests are genuine, many are often people scamming just to see what they can get.

That’s where Love comes in.  Many churches refer such letters and phone calls to Love.  Because this is the line of work they are in, Love knows more than the local church who is really in need of help and who just always has their hand out, waiting for a free lunch.

If you have a chance, stop by a Love, Inc. store.  They are full of good deals.  (Especially on books!!!)  Or consider writing them a check if you have the means.  Your funds will definitely be put to good use.

Ah, what a topic, huh?  But you know, if your feet aren’t happy, chances are you aren’t happy either!  It’s irritating to have a small sore on your foot and have to stand on it all day while at work.  When I was in the workforce (before becoming employeed FULL-time with the birth of our oldest), I spent most of my time at a desk, so good footware wasn’t essential, but my husband spends most of his workday on his feet.  So, we tend to spend a bit more and search a bit more diligently for good shoes.

When he was teaching, he liked his Rockports.  They lasted a long time, but after being mended a couple times, they finally gave up the ghost.  So, when this happened, (about two years ago) we went shoe shopping.  This time he got two pairs of shoes.  I believe one of the pair was still Rockports, but I think the other pair is from Clarks shoes.  With two pairs of good shoes, he can alternate between the two pairs, and this is supposed to help them last longer.  (And if one pair needs to go in for repairs, he still has another pair to wear!)  So far, this strategy has been working well.  I just checked the pair of shoes he’s not wearing today, and they’re in great shape.

So, yes, we paid a bit more initially for two pairs of good shoes, but they have lasted him a long time already.  And by alternating the pairs, they should last for a lot longer.  Not only did the price pay for itself by not having to purchase more pairs of cheaper shoes, but I have a happy husband because his feet don’t hurt.  And that is PRICELESS!  ~grin~

Last night I decided to take a soak in the tub, and while I was enjoying the warm water, I finished “Why Won’t the Listen?” by Ken Ham.  Ken Ham is the founder and president of Answers in Genesis, which opened the Creation Museum near Cincinnatti just over a year ago.  He was one of the speakers at the Defending Your Faith in Secular America conference that Wayne and I attended in Branson this past summer.  In fact, this book was one of many that we purchased while we were at the conference.  (Can’t beat those conference prices when it comes to books!)  One of the presentations given by Ken Ham at the conference covered the same material that is in this book.  However, reading it as a review was definitely a good idea for me.

“Why Won’t They Listen?” is about witnessing methods.  I guess that’s how I’d say it.  He starts out by comparing Acts 2 and Acts 17.  When Peter speaks in Acts 2, the result is a tremendous response.  Why?  When Paul speaks in Acts 17 in the Areopagus, the result is minimal.  Why?

Ken boils it down to the fact that in chapter two the people were Jews and in chapter 17 they were Greeks.  The Jews knew the law.  They knew about sin and sacrifice.  They had a solid foundation already in place.  When Peter came in, the Holy Spirit basically connected the dots and put everything into proper perspective for them.

However, in Acts 17, Paul was preaching to the Greeks.  The thing I remember most about this chapter is the altar entitled, “To the Unknown God.”  Anyway, these people did not have the proper foundation.  They had nothing to build on.  Not that the Holy Spirit can’t work in such circumstances!  Ken used the illustration of the sower and the seed.  When Peter spoke to the Jews, he was sowing seed on ground that was ready for planting, but when Paul spoke to the Greeks, he was attempting to sow seed on hard ground. 

When we’re in a circumstance like Paul was in, we need to work the ground.  We need to be able to defend what we believe about the Bible, about God, about Jesus, about sin, about Calvary.  Ken went on to say that our society is not “Jewish” but “Greek.”  To believers I’m sure that comes as no surprise!  The transformation has occurred slowly over the last 100 years.  That’s why crusades in the past could be used to convert large numbers of people.  Typically that’s not the case today.  Why?  Because 75 years ago (or so) prayer and Bible reading were still a part of public school.  Even though all the students weren’t Christian, they had a solid foundation.  In other words, the soil of their lives was ripe for someone to plant seeds.

But today, having removed the Bible and prayer from schooling and having replaced it with evolutionary teaching that denys the truth of the very beginning of the Bible (God created), what are we left with?  Students who don’t have any Biblical foundation at all.  Students whose foundation is not only “not Biblical” but in actuality completely opposed to God.

So, what are believers to glean from all this?  Know the background of the person with whom you are sharing Christ.  Does this person have a Biblical foundation, even though they may or may not know it?  Or does this person have a foundation of evolution/humanism?  (Be aware that church attendance does not at all guarantee a Biblical foundation!)  Knowing what foundation they have is important for establishing a starting point.  It also is important because if they have a foundation of evolution/humanism, they will likely need to hear the truth many times before they can accept it.  Holes need to be punched in their foundation while your foundation needs to be proved.

Take heart.  With God all things are possible.  Whether that be learning to defend your faith or whether that be understanding the issues.  Lean on Him.  He will never let the righteous fall.

I don’t like to write a review as soon as I get something new because, well, “time will tell.”  If in 6 months or a year I am still pleased (or displeased) with something, that carries a lot more weight than an impression made within the first few days of getting something new.

And so, I feel qualified to write a review for “The Narrated Bible: In Chronological Order.”  I have the New International Version, narrated by F LaGard Smith, published by Harvest House.

I started reading this Bible in January of this year.  It’s now August, and I’m still reading it faithfully.  That means a lot to me.  The print is a nice size for my 38-year-old eyes, and the pages aren’t parchment thin.  They’re a bit more durable than other Bibles on the market.

One of the features I like about this Bible is that every verse does not have a number with it.  For example, in the margin, it will say Jer. 32:36-41.  But those verses are written in paragraph form, without the numbers 36, 27, 28, 29, 40, and 41 breaking up the text.  I didn’t think I’d like this very much, but it makes it much smoother to read.

I didn’t think I’d enjoy the narration either, but I do.  Before every major section, there will be a short man-written blurb about what will be taking place, along with any significant details that shouldn’t be overlooked.  There’s just enough of these to be beneficial without being overwhelming.

In the back of the Bible is a chart so I can pace myself to read through this entire Bible in one year.  That’s helpful as well.

So, what’s different about a “chronological” Bible as opposed to a regular Bible?  Well, a chronological Bible has all the passages from a regular Bible, but it puts them in the order in which they happened.  For example, most of the Psalms are written by David.  But David lived during the time of 1-2 Samuel.  So, it puts the Psalms in with David instead of coming along much later.

I have enjoyed getting to know the prophets and the kings better.  In my “regular” Bible, the storyline was continually back and forth, and it quickly got quite confusing.  In my chronological Bible, the storyline remains constant, allowing me to better understand the chain of events and the reasons why certain things happened.

One drawback of a chronological Bible is that it takes more time to find a particular passage.  For example, if someone wanted me to turn to Hosea 13:4, I can’t just look for the book ahead of Joel.  I’d have to look in the index in the back of the Bible and figure out which page it’s on.  Not a big deal, but you definitely wouldn’t want to use it for a Bible drill!

I am thoroughly enjoying reading through my chronological Bible.  If you’ve never tried reading through one, try it.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much better things flow.

Just as a note… I got mine on ebay for about $10.