Friday, January 30, 2009

Book Review: "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper

My latest read I finished yesterday was "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. My daughter told me about the book because a friend from Sunday School had told her about it. It sounded like an interesting read. It was an easy and quick read too. The story is about a man, Don Piper, who was in a fatal accident and was dead for 90 minutes. In that 90 minutes he went to heaven and recounts what he saw there. Of the whole book only a small portion is about the 90 minutes in Heaven. The rest of the book is about the accident, his survival, the recovery and his ministry afterward.

While I totally enjoyed his testimony, I was kind of disappointed in the lack of description of what he saw in Heaven. He notes a number of times that he couldn't put into words the magnificence of what he saw - there were no words to describe. But in his description it whet my appetite and yearning for Heaven.

Even in his struggles after he returned to life on earth, I found parts I could relate. Although I hadn't encountered the physical struggles as he had, I understood some of his attitudes - pride, stubbornness, independence, paste a smile on your face despite being miserable, depression, and more. Then there were times where I didn't understand what he went through. I suppose after you have gotten a good taste of Glory, you might be upset too for having to come back.

There is always skepticism around a book of this nature. While I can't be the judge of what he experienced or thought he experienced in Heaven, he still has a testimony of what he went through afterwards. There were lives he was able to touch even through those experiences. I would like to believe that what he experienced was true even based on the different accounts in Revelation from John.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Night Beauty

I stepped outside to take some recycling to the recycling bin and what a gorgeous night! It is one of those nights where it is crisp and quite cool. The extra clear sky where the almost full moon illuminates the sky like the brightest street light. Stars stand out against the darkness like twinkling diamonds. I look up and behold this beauty through the stark barren trees of winter that add to the scape. It is a night where you could sit and stare, be mesmerized and lose yourself the world that surrounds you.

The most profound wonder of this is even with the best camera, you can't capture the beauty. Our eyes are the one of God's miracles that the most high-tech and elaborate piece of equipment still cannot match. What we perceive with our eyes captures the realness of God's creation better than any photo or computer-generated image.

Great Quote for today

Check out the quotation from the bottom of my blog today:

We neither know nor judge ourselves; others may judge, but cannot know us. God alone judges and knows us.

Wilkie Collins (1824-1889)

Book Review - "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck

I just finished reading "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck. As you might know Glenn Beck had his own show on CNN and in a few weeks he will be on FoxNews. He's actually done radio for a number of years. Anyway this book is about a story based on Mr. Beck's own personal experiences. It was a fast easy read, although there were some parts that I had trouble following until the end. When the story is complete I understood more and then Beck goes back and explains more of the story from his personal life. When I read the acknowledgments and then more about him from his website, I found he was Mormon. This is key to understanding the story more and seeing where he comes from if you can't quite follow from a non-Mormon background.

The truth I came away from this read is to let pride and stubborness go. Try not to self-sabotage and lose your joy. Who are you and what is important to you? It is also important to make the best of your circumstances and surroundings because sometimes bad things do happen to good people.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

What's Cooking: Pasta e Fagioli (Soup)

Pasta e Fagioli

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 large garden tomato, diced
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce can V-8 juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 can beef broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta

1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat.
2. Drain off most of the fat.
3. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.
5. About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.
6. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Serves 8.

Notes: I couldn't find ditali pasta in our stores, so I used small pasta shells. If you have leftovers and the soup seems thicker than you like, add some V-8 or beef broth to thin it out, depending on your tastes.

UPDATE: I was able to stumble upon ditalini pasta at our Kroger! - Kroger's brand Private Selection Ditalini. It comes in a one pound paper bag like package. Love it!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year

2008 ended on a good note and I am hopeful 2009 will be better. The last news at work on 12/31/2008 was a plane ticket, hotel reservation and conference pass to the biggest yearly event in my profession. It was very uncertain if my admin and I would make it to the conference this year because of severe cut-backs and extremely tight budgets. However, our IT Director really felt it was a necessity for us to be there and I really appreciate that. So I am eagerly planning the sessions I will attend and what kinds of things I can load up on to better myself and keep myself valuable and employed.

2008 was better than 2007 although it really started out rough for me. About two-thirds or half way through the year things started improving. I can finally say I am getting back to the old happy me. There is still a long way to go and heal but every day is better. Although many around me are seeing bleak, uncertain and depressing times, I am seeing bright, certain and encouraging times. The last 3 or 4 years have been excruciatingly painful for me and things are looking up now - so you see where I am opposite of most around me?

I hope your 2009 is better than ever! :-)

Movie Review: "Marley & Me"

Well, this has been an unusual thing for me to actually go to a theater to see a new movie in one week! We went Christmas Eve and then I had a left over coupon for a ticket that was going to expire on 12/31. So I decided on "Marley & Me" with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.

This was a pretty good movie. It was funny, sweet, and emotional. There wasn't a dry eye in the place at the end of the movie. I heard sniffles all over. It was pretty clean but families should be warned that there is one scene where Marley gets a little "friendly" with the dog trainer and then the ending might be difficult for kids to grasp or handle.

It seemed as though there was something for everyone to relate to in this movie. Since it was based on a true story it was very real. I would highly recommend this movie for a guilt-free indulgence and a possible family movie.