I must be getting old.  I don't know how kindles work and I've never owned one.  I'm obviously out of touch with some of the new technology.  But the Amazon Affiliate website clearly states that the kindle is their best selling product.  So if I want to offer my readers and customers what they want, I better start offering kindles.  So here goes.  Fire away kids, and buy your kindles on my site.  You will be helping support someone whose been hit hard by the recession.   
I've seen them advertised on television, so they should be popular enough to sell themselves. 

ENJOY!

Health insurance company offers contracts that save money on medical services when needed. I hope that it will be helpful and bless people.  Maybe I can use their services.    assurance hospitalisation 

Compagnie d'assurance santé propose des contrats qui permettent d'économiser de l'argent sur les services médicaux en cas de besoin. J'espère qu'il sera utile et bénir les gens. Peut-être que je peux utiliser leurs services. l'hospitalisation d'assurance

I'm going back to Texas, but I don't want to say when.  If I say when, somebody might try to come to my house when I'm gone and rob the place.  So it's a secret when I'll get on the Amtrak train again and head down to Texas.  I like everything about Texas, except the heat and the crazy way people drive. 
I'll see the Fort Worth zoo again.  Maybe the Dallas zoo too.  I'll write on my blog every day.  Fortunately, it's possible to write on the blog and publish what you wrote on another day.  So when I get back from Texas, I'll publish a bunch of days worth of blogs.  That way, I won't have to write about what happened from memory, as I'll be writing it every day.  But it won't be published till I get back home, so no one will know exactly when I'm out of state and not home.  Not saying how long I'll be gone either.   
What a clever crime fighter I am.  Nancy Grace should be proud of me for this clever trick. 

Review of Book:  Going Rogue  by Sarah Palin

Non-fiction, autobiography, politics,

This book tells the life story of Sarah Palin.  Born in 1964, she describes a childhood in rural Alaska that reminds one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  When she was growing up, Sarah's family spent most of their free time outdoors, gardening, fishing, hunting, berry picking, running marathons, and other athletic activities.  They heated the house with firewood.  She had a good childhood, even though they lived a little bit primitive.  They didn't have a lot of things that middle class kids from the lower 48 had, but they never went hungry, and they had everything they needed.  There were lots of books and magazines for Sarah and her siblings to read.  There was also a close community of family and friends.  Her father was a coach at a local school, and her mother was the school secretary.  
 
Then they moved to Wasilla, a small Alaskan town where they settled.  The town slowly grew as the years went by.  It was there that Sarah started attending the Assembly of God church.  It taught her a faith that has stayed with her ever since.  Then, in her senior year of high school, she met Todd Palin, who became her boyfriend, and eventually her husband. 

In the years that followed she had five children, got elected as mayor of Wasilla, served on a couple of committees, and then got elected governor of Alaska.  She was the youngest person and the first woman to be elected as Alaska's governor.  She was a very good governor, with a 90% approval rating.  She cut the state budget while increasing funding for education and social services.  During this time she became pregnant with her 5 th child, and learned the baby she was carrying had Down syndrome.  She and her husband decided against abortion.  This was a reflection of their strong respect for the sanctity of life.  When little Trig was born, Sarah and Todd saw that God had made him perfect, Down syndrome and all.  In this way, Sarah became an admired role model for the pro-life cause.  She walked the walk, faced a difficult pregnancy, did the pro-life thing,  and was rewarded for it with the joy of parenting Trig.   

Then she was asked to be the vice presidential pick for John McCain's political campaign.  She said yes, and many chapters detail life on the campaign trail.  Sarah respects John McCain a lot.  But we see an inside view of a poorly run campaign.  The McCain staff allowed some great campaign opportunities to slip by.  Worse, at the end, some of the campaign staff made anonymous attacks on Sarah.  She just moved on, not being the bitter or vengeful type.  

When McCain didn't win, Sarah went back to Alaska, and to her job as governor.  But it wasn't the same as before.  She'd been in the national spotlight now.  She was a pro-life, Christian, feminist.  Back in the 1800s that wouldn't be so unusual.  But in the mid twentieth century, secular, pro-abortion forces had taken over feminism, and they were still firmly in control of the majority of feminist groups in the early 21 st century.  A pro-life, Christian, feminist was a threat, especially if she was very popular, as Sarah is.  Sarah had to be destroyed.  If not, she could run for president someday, and be elected.  So the politics of personal destruction followed her.  The stuff written in the press and on the internet was sickening.  They attacked her kids too, even the baby.  There were photo shopped pictures of the baby on the internet that made him look monstrous.  These people really sunk low.  

Her enemies flooded the state with frivolous ethics complaints.  They knew that even though these complaints would be thrown out, it would cost Sarah more money than she could afford to defend herself, as the complaints continued to pour in.  It also took time away from the business of governing to stop and deal with these things.  Sarah, who did not want to be a lame duck governor and collect a paycheck without really helping the state, resigned as governor, so that the attacks would stop.  You see that she did it out of love for her state.  

The ironic thing is that Sarah put these ethics complaint procedures into place during her time as governor, in order to make government more accountable to the people.  But she didn't foresee that it would be unfairly used against her.  Hopefully, next time she gets in a position of power to get these rules into place, she will think about the rotten tricks people can pull.  Then she'll put some safeguards in place, so that she, and others who govern after her, will be protected from false accusations and frivolous complaints.  Live and learn!

This book is a great read.  We get a charming autobiography of her life.  It shows what goes on behind the scenes in politics, and how a decent, caring woman can govern well when she's given a chance.  Thus it's a good argument for women in politics.  The reader sees that the good guys don't win every round, but the story isn't over yet.  I was left wishing Sarah Palin the best in her future career.  If you're a Sarah Palin fan, this book is for you.    

Sarah Palin's second book, 'America by Heart,' is coming out in November.  You can pre-order it now.  

Review of Book:  Surrender All: Your Answer to Living With Peace, Power and Purpose    by Joni Lamb

Non-Fiction: Autobiography, Christian Living, Inspirational

This book is written by Joni Lamb, wife of Marcus Lamb.  She and her husband co-founded the Daystar Television Network, and are co-hosts of the show Celebration, which is Daystar's flagship show.  Joni also hosts her own talk show, called Joni.  Therefore I was familiar with Joni Lamb long before I got this book.  Her persona is sweet, gentle, caring, and loving.  She totally won me over long before she wrote anything.   

This book is a delight to anyone who is a Joni fan.  She talks about her life and the lives of those around her.  The story starts with a little six year old girl who loses her temper and pushes her friend off a swing.  When that girl runs into the house crying to her mother, the mother comes out and talks to young Joni.  At first Joni was tight lipped about it.  But when the other child's mom gently points out that Jesus sees everything she does and knows what happened there in the yard, Joni realizes that she is accountable to God for her actions.  Joni confesses, and the other child's mother, in a continuing show of wisdom and grace leads Joni in a prayer, asking Christ to forgive her.  This is a major turning point in Joni's life, setting her on a lifelong path of surrendering to God.  Coming from a heathen home, I probably wouldn't have responded the same way at age six if someone had pointed out that Jesus sees everything I do.  It certainly helped that Joni's parents were Christians, giving her a foundation that could help her understand that concept.  But her friend's mother really started the commitment ball rolling.    

Skip ahead about fourteen years.  The little six year old girl is a twenty year old now.  She's just broken up with her boyfriend, because he's not as interested in serving God as she is.  She wanted to take her boyfriend to see an evangelist, because she thinks the evangelist will straighten him out.  But her boyfriend refused to go see the evangelist.  Joni and her boyfriend argue over it, and they break up.  As he walks away from her for the last time, her now ex-boyfriend tells Joni that she can take her God and shove Him.  That tells Joni all she needs to know about this guy.  She gives it over in surrender to God after much prayer, crying, and misery over the break up.  Turns out the evangelist that her boyfriend refused to see is single.  Within a week, she was dating this evangelist.  Long story short, he becomes her husband.  He's just perfect for her.  They have three children, and they've served the Lord together ever since they got married.  

The autobiographical parts of this book are charming.  We rejoice with Joni as she and her husband travel to the Holy Land, have their first baby, start their first TV station, and overcome challenges and setbacks along the way.  We grieve with her when she gets betrayed by a friend, or when someone dies.  She also writes about the people around her and we learn, lessons from their stories too.  
 
But the main message of the book is that surrendering your life to God will bring blessings to you.  She gives anecdotal stories of people who surrendered all to God and how it panned out for them.  Surrendering all to God is not always easy, especially if your background makes trusting difficult.  But this book helps you to see why and how it's a good idea, as well as giving suggestions on how to do it.  I can't claim that I've actually done it yet, but I'm working on it. 

Overall, it's a charming book with an important message.  Definitely recommended reading. 

Review of the Book:  The Pagan Cross: A Look at the Unchristian Identity Religion.  by D. J. Smith

Non-Fiction:  Cults, Paganism, Religious Deception, Non-Christian groups, Racism and anti-Semitism.

This book talks about the neo-Nazi Identity religion.  This is a brand a pseudo-Christian deception that is designed to lead people away from true Christianity, and exploit them for a racist agenda.  While some people make false accusations of racism to anyone who disagrees with them, the Identity religion and it's adherents boast about their racism and anti-Semitism. 

This book shows how unchristian this cult really is.  It does this by comparing Biblical theology with Identity theology.  Biblical quotes and the quotes of Identity preachers are put side by side to show the glaring difference between the two.  This pattern goes on throughout the book.  When the Identity preachers quote the Bible, they often twist it's meaning or redefine words to make it prove something deceptive to the reader.  This is not proof of anything, but can be very deceiving.  The book also shows how Pagan theology is interwoven into the Identity belief system, and gives specific examples of heathen traditions that Identity includes in its theology. 

There is a chapter on crime and how the Identity movement is linked to criminal activity.  This chapter shows how individuals Identity members get caught up in crime, even when they have no criminal past.   

Jesus Christ is shown as the only answer to the problem of neo-Nazism, the only thing that can stop it.  People reading this book are urged to accept Jesus into their heart and convert to Christianity.   
 
This book arms people with the truth about this neo-Nazi group, and helps them resist the manipulative tactics Identity uses to recruit people.  It gives suggestions for parents and community members to stop or thwart the activities of neo-Nazis in their communities. 

It's also written in a very academic way, so that it can be used as a class textbook, if a professor is so inclined. 

If you know anybody who has been exposed to this group or are just curious about it yourself, this book is for you.   
 

Save on Queenie Peavy at Booksamillion.com.

Book Review of Book:   'Queenie Peavy'   by Robert Burch

Juvenile fiction:  Ages 10 and up.

This book is great for teaching children to empathize with those who are a little raw around the edges, and the main character is definitely that.  In a story set in rural depression era Georgia, thirteen year old Queenie struggles with poverty, peer abuse, loneliness, and the stigma of having a father who is in prison, as well as the temptation to go a delinquent way herself.  The story is told from Queenie's point of view.

Queenie herself is a classic case of soft on the inside, hard on the outside.  The book is also a tale of   triumph.  Queenie manages, against all odds, to steer her life on the correct path, as she learns to express her softer side.  Neither of these two tasks is easy for a girl who has as much going against her as Queenie does. 

The only drawback to this story (for me at least) is that there is no mention of the Lord in this book.  Queenie manages to turn her life around without Jesus.  At the time I read the book, though, I was being raised in a heathen home, so I probably wouldn't have seen the value of it if Queenie had found the Lord and gotten turned around that way. 

Parents will appreciate that Queenie learns the value of following rules, as she learns the rules are a benefit to everyone.  She starts the book as such a rascal, so her transformation is heartening. 

A secular book, but a great, enriching story nevertheless. 

Save on Queenie Peavy at Booksamillion.com.

I Love God's Word.

Click here to order a Bible: 

I love God's word.  If you read the Bible every day, you will begin to understand God's will for your life, and you'll become wise.  His word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path.  All of Scripture is God breathed and good for teaching and correcting.  It is comforting.  Halleluah.  Praise God. 

His word shows us how we began as a species, and what happened after that.  Then it shows how God dealt with HIs chosen people.  It gives us rules to live by. 

Then it shows us how we can NOT be good enough or come to God on our own.  So God sent His Son to come as a man.  Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, was born of a virgin, and did NOT have original sin.  He lived a sinless life, and His teachings are meant to help us follow Him.  He paid the price for our sins on the cross, so that we could be set free from sin and death.  Then He rose from the grave the third day after His death.  All you have to do to be saved is accept Christ and the sacrifice He made to save you, and you can go to heaven.  

Getting saved is easy.  But living a good Christian life is more complicated than that.  This is why you need to read the Bible.  It teaches you how God wants you to live.  You find out what His laws are and what the consequences are of breaking those laws.   God lays down rules for us to live by, not because He's an ogre who wants to spoil our fun, but because He wants to protect us from being hurt.  If you live by His rules, your life will be much better, you will be blessed. 

The younger you are when you start obeying Him, the less pain you'll have to go through in life.  But don't give up trying to follow Him just because you're older.  It's never too late to follow Him in your life.  As long as there is breath, there is hope.  The best reward for following Him comes after your death.  You get to go to heaven and be with Jesus forever.  In heaven there is no pain, or crying, and all your needs are met. 

So accept Jesus, ask Him into your heart, and get saved today.  Oh, and one more thing, don't forget to read your Bible. 

Click here to order a Bible:   Bibles at Booksamillion.com

I recently called the Living Hope Women's Center to get an update on the arson that they had in December 2009.  The Living Hope Women's Center is a Crisis Pregnancy Center that is located on an Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, and which serves a predominately Native population. 

I asked if the arsonists had been caught.  The woman I spoke to on the phone said the persons responsible had been caught.  I asked what the motive was.  She said it was just some young people who were very drunk and out pulling pranks.   

Although this is a very expensive prank, for both the center and for the pranksters (they are in a lot of legal trouble now), I'm grateful that my previous suspicions have been disproven.  It wasn't some hard core pro-abort out to eliminate the competition for political or financial reasons.  We can all breathe a sigh of relief that there were no racial or genocidal reasons either. 

But the Apache people still need help rebuilding their center.  Donations can be sent to the Living Hope Women's Center,  
1000  E.  Huning Street
Show Low,  AZ
85901

I thought it important to make this update and set the record straight, since the motive didn't turn out to be what I feared it might be. 

Still No Flood in the Kent Valley

There is still no flooding in the Kent valley.  This is almost surprising, because we've had a lot of rain this year.  In fact, I'm not only waiting for summer, I'm wondering where summer went.  It's depressing to see so little sunshine.  Hopefully the flood fears were a lot of hype.  But it's better to be prepared and not have anything happen than to have something happen and not be prepared.