Gravel Road Musings

How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today The 60's are often known as the hippie generation, but what we don't often hear about is the Jesus Revolution that came at the end of the 60's and into the 70's. This was totally new information to me and very interesting. Greg Laurie, pastor today of one of the biggest churches in America, was once a hippie. But when drugs, sex and free living didn't bring him the peace he was looking for, he surrendered his life to Christ. He became involved in the work of Calvary Chapel and at age 19 basically was put in charge of his own Bible Study/church. The book is written in a very informative and yet interesting and captivating style. I had no problem hanging on to the end. What I most liked about the book was the emphasis that is placed on Jesus. It's not about making the church acceptable and a fun place to be, but it's about preaching Jesus, preaching the Bible. I have never at...

Filled with informative stories and legends, many of the traditions that we blindly participate in at Christmas are unpacked and the real meanings unfolded in this pretty little hardcover book. It would make a fun little Christmas gift given early in the season so that many of the stories could be read before Christmas. Perhaps new traditions would be put in place as the real reasons are discovered. I was surprised at some of the history that was revealed in this book. Some of it is the stuff of legends and a bit fantastical maybe, but a lot of it was very interesting and insightful.  For instance, I learned what Boxing Day is. I had no idea, but it is a day for giving, stemming back metal boxes that were placed in churches on December 26th. These metal boxes were first brought to the British Isles by Roman soldiers who kept the money they earned from gambling in them. And somehow these boxes found their way into churches as a way to gather special offerings on the Feast of St....

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found...." Guilt, grief, regret, shame, and secrets meet grace, forgiveness, and second chances in an exceptional novel.  I have become a little disillusioned with some of the fiction I've been reading and its predictable plots, but this book leaves me wishing for more. Yes, it has the guy meets girl and the predictable ending, in a way, but it is filled with so many deeper things. A decade has gone by and the guilt and grief, regret and shame have only continued to hound at the doorsteps of three different individuals. Another couple is at loose ends and only coexisting because they too don't know how to go on together anymore.  Everyone is reunited by a wedding and a celebration of life. Tucker has been told that some things need to be spoken aloud so that he can really find and accept forgiveness  and the ability to fully go forward and live life. He gains the coura...

A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life Well, I feel like I should be decluttering my house rather than writing this book review. Joshua gives detailed room by room to-do lists, if you will, for how to get rid of clutter and stuff in your house. Ten years ago, he took on minimalism and hasn't looked back yet. I really enjoyed the book and now I find myself looking around and thinking of all the things I should or want to get rid of. It's probably not all feasible, but reading this book just days before I am planning to clean up and clean out our office/storage/sewing/hobby/whatever it needs to be room and I feel inspired and defeated both to get going on it. I know there are things to throw out and definitely ways to organize to take up less space, but I also know I love my hobbies and projects.... This book gave some good ideas. I don't consider myself a true minimalist. I like decorations, books, memorabilia, etc. but I do like simple. I like clutter...

This book is the first book that I did not read first. I listened to this book for the first and only reading so far, something I don't think has happened before. We all sat on our daughter's bed and listened to Daddy read the story. Of course, as soon as it was finished, our daughter immediately wanted it read again and was quite disappointed when that didn't happen. This was a book I let her pick out of a few options and she was so excited about it coming in the mail. Written by the popular singer, Michael W. Smith, G-Daddy to 14 grandchildren and Mike Nawrocki, co-founder of the popular Veggie Tales is whimsical bedtime story about a little puppy getting ready for bed. It's all rhyming verse, which endears a story to me immediately, and goes through the basic bedtime routines, brushing teeth, saying prayers, a story, and a lullaby. The puppy's friends look on until they are needed. It's just a cute, fun story. The pictures add to the whimsy of it. You c...

Waking up to God's Goodness Around You "Ordinary places and average people remind me of everything I'm pretending not to be." But isn't most of life made up of ordinary moments? And that is what Shannan points out. Called to leave her dream farmhouse in the country to move to the city on the wrong side of the tracks, (You can read more of that story in her first book, Falling Free) Shannan and her husband Cory are looking to reach out to the people right there, their neighbors. It's not about success in the big things, it's about faithfulness in the little things, in the mundane, in seeing what's around them and reaching out. Cory is a chaplain at the jail and so they see the brokenness of the inmates, but they also see the difficulty that is the life of the incarcerated set free. They see how hard it is for them to find jobs, to find housing, to find someone who believes in them, to live free from addiction, to build or restore relationships. ...