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Weekend Musings: God’s Righteousness and Goodness

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It’s been one of those beautiful blessed days. We went to the domain today (like a park, but out in the country and it isn’t as trimmed and polished as one in town), and I basked in the beautiful green, green scenery and the blue, blue sky. It was indescribably gorgeous. I love spring days!

Through different Bible studies lately—what others have pointed out to me, and more personal studies, I’ve had some fascinating thoughts come up. Since I have the chance tonight, I thought I’d jot them down and share.

God's Righteousness and Goodness

There are two things I have in mind especially—righteousness and God’s overwhelming goodness.

Midweek Mix-Up #14: Indians, Spotify, and Goal Setting

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Welcome to this week’s version of midweek mix-up! Since I missed Tuesday’s post, I thought I’d share an extra-wonderful resource that I personally love with you today.

Reading this week:

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Progress: Finished.

This book turned out to be a fascinating read! I loved how Elizabeth Speare showed Matt interacting with the Indians, learning their ways, and how she worked the ending—that was quite sweet. Overall, this is a well-written story about pioneers and the life they led in the mid 1700s.

Midweek Mix-Up #13: Romania, Adoniram Judson, and Tools for Writers

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Well, midweek mix-up is a bit late this week. I’ve had a full schedule lately in uploading new book reviews, enjoying spring time, and writing the September newsletter. Here I am now, with a few new books for you to peruse!

Reading this week:

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand
Progress: Finished!

Oh, this book. I love it, and at the same time I hate it. It’s…powerful. Through Richard’s eyes, we see the harsh reality of what it means for many Christians in restricted nations to never be able to know—from one day or the next—what their future is going to look like. What it’s like to always hide—even from your own pastor at times!—that you’re a believer. Richard suffered much under the Communists—when the USSR had control of Romania—and while he doesn’t go into a lot of detail, he shares enough that you can understand where he’s coming from.

On Why We Like a Good Villain

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Every story needs a good villain. At least, that’s the recommendation I’ve seen everywhere I look when I’m trying to find solid writing advice. However, I’ve often wondered why this is something that’s so accepted as a needed element in a story. Surely you can have a good story without a villain?

Good-Villain

Recently, I received a link to a free video series on editing. Shawn Coyne taught the series, and had a great overview of genre conventions (what people expect when they see a certain genre applied to a book), organizing tips, and much more. One convention he mentioned was the “hero at the mercy of the villain” scene. Then it clicked.

Midweek Mix-Up #12: World War II, Pessimism, and Free History Videos

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Hello! How has your last week treated you? In today’s midweek mix-up, I’m sharing some of the interesting and slightly mismatched things I’ve come across this week.

Reading this week:

I’ve had a very interesting week when it comes to books. Part of my work right now has been on the computer, so I’ve been listening to an audio book while I did that. Also, I got sucked into a historical novel, and I had a fantasy going for school . . . and somehow I ended up reading all three simultaneously!

The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom

The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom
Progress: Finished.

The Hiding Place never fails to challenge and encourage me. Through faith, hope, and perseverance, Corrie shares snapshots of her early life, the events leading up to their family taking in Jews to hide them from the Germans, and eventually her arrest and imprisonment. This is a book written to remember her father and sister Betsy, but it is so much more. Her faith in God brought her through many trials, and over and over God is shown faithful through her life. This is also a powerful picture of what life was like under the Nazi regime, and how people lived and worked in their concentration camps. I’ll be writing a review of this soon, which will be on the website after a while.