Podcast Time

I got onto the podcast train as soon as it started. With all of the iTunes changes and the invention of Pandora and Netflix and Amazon Prime, I got off. Sometimes, I miss them. About once a year I ask my friends on Facebook about their favorite podcasts. I download a few and then give up all over again.

Last month I was on the hunt for some good podcasts to keep my company when the house is quiet. I came across THIS post about podcasts that Anne of Modern Mrs. Darcy put up earlier this year. I read through the comments and ended up with a new list of podcasts to listen to.

So far, the keepers are:

Books on The Nighstand. I like podcasts that feel like chatting with friends. This is that. The hosts chat about books that they've read, hope to read, or are reading. They take calls from listeners and sometimes include chats with guests. I'm looking forward to learning about new authors.

America's Test Kitchen. I love all things kitchen related. This show is both entertaining and educational. I'll take all of the tips I can get!

The Briefing with Al Mohler. (My Mom gets credit for making me aware of this one!) I don't know how he does it, but Mohler goes through the highlights of what's going on in the world. He states facts and addresses current situations from a Biblical Worldview. I heard "the rest of the story" about the Ebola outbreak in one episode and started to worry...Well, he quickly helped his listeners to see that God is bigger than any epidemic and that every epidemic serves as a reminder of our eager longing for Jesus Christ's return. This show is the perfect balance of news and truth!

BBC's The History Hour.  As they state in their description, you can expect to find "history as told by the people who were there." I love history and I love hearing about it through the eyes of people who experienced it. I am really excited to hear about all kinds of things through the stories these people have to tell!

What are your favorite podcasts? 

What do you look for in a podcast? 

Three Things

1. I am guesting posting on The Quiet Place Blog and you should go check it out! Make my day by leaving a comment over there telling me what book of the Bible you're studying. :) Click HERE to head there now. 

2. Today is your LAST chance to enter to win some coconut oil!!! Entering is super easy and I really think you guys should give it a go! Click HERE before 11:59pm!!! 

3. You have until Monday to sign up to receive a penpal. So many of the people that have signed up have sent me e-mails saying how excited they are about it and they've got ME excited too! Meet a friend, swap a few letters and then it's up to you what's next! I had my first penpal was I was 8 or 9. We're still in touch and yet we've never ever met in person. Penpals are FUN! Click HERE to find out who your new friend just might be! 

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And that concludes my service announcements! I hope that you all have a great weekend! 

Summer Time in a Glass

Yesterday I decided that it officially feels like summer is really, really here! I am so excited about so many things...

Today I'm guest posting over at Amy's blog Lovely Does It.

Be sure to check out my post where I share the RECIPE for my very favorite Lemonade! 


When you pop over there, be sure to tell me about your favorite summer time drink.

Some Things to Click On

via Desiring God

 Here are a few links that have had my attention lately:

* This article on praying Matthew 7:1-5 explains what I meant about living the way of the gospel.

* Here you'll find a Scripture to go back to over and over again to find truth and hope no matter what. Jesus met the conditions, just GO to Him.

* A reminder of HOW Jesus loves us. It might not be how you thought He did...

Also responsible are the books I've been reading. I finished both "Full Disclosure" by Dee Henderson and "You Don't Know Me" by Susan May Warren on Sunday. Though they are fiction, I took my time reading them.

 There was commitment to God and the caution with people in Henderson's book. Writing seems worth the trouble. Communing with God really is the main thing. And people...I'm still wrestling through my thoughts on what I learned about relationships with them from this book.

 The pain in "You Don't Know Me" had me bawling. Saying goodbye can be so difficult, even when it's best. Wishing life had a pause button doesn't change anything....Knowing it doesn't might help you enjoy the good and press on through the difficult. 

Would you do me a favor? Share a link to something you've enjoyed lately with me.

What have you learned from a book lately?

Gold

Making Christmas lists can be difficult. 

I realize that this is evidence that I have been blessed with much. I truly don't have needs that go unmet. When people start asking for my "wish list" that's all it is - a list of things that I would like to have. 

Once I might have asked for a different outfit....

3 1/2 months old © Victoria 

 A little later on I might have asked for some new teeth....

 6....Lovely, isn't it? © Victoria (Family Albums) 

This last Christmas, one of my favorite online book stores was having a wonderful sale. 

So, I loaded my wish list up with items from said sale. 

My Mom happens to appreciate books even more than I do. What did I get, but every single book I asked for? (And some other great stuff too!) 

Last week I began reading one of the books that I received: Charles Spurgeon's "The Saint and His Saviour". 

I was influenced by Spurgeon as I was writing one of my posts here. I want to share a link with you: You can read this very work online for free! The foreword is definitely different than the one in my printed copy of the book, but I assume the rest of the book (Spurgeon's own words) are the same. 

Go check it out! It was chapter one, "The Despised Friend", that provided the Scripture I referenced. That chapter had me thinking about what it is like to walk with God compared to what it is like to walk "without" God. 

Don't be surprised if you hear more about what I learn from this work of his. 

Do you have a favorite piece or collection by Spurgeon?