In the meantime, I've been busy doing a spot of online shopping. I'm a bit of a dream consumer, apparently. I like to have matching sets and it just doesn't sit right with me if my toothbrush is a different brand to my toothpaste. I don't think I have a shopping problem (I'm not financially comfortable enough for that!) but when payday comes around, I like to get a few things I've had my eye on.
Most girls I know would take a trip to the shopping mall or high street, and I'm not going to lie, I did buy some new shoes, even though they were very cheap. However, I'm not like most girls I know - I'd rather spend my money on books (and I'm saving to buy a proper pair of cowboy boots, imported over from the US).
I bought an Amplified version of the Bible that I've been desperately wanting for quite a few months now. I have a couple of other translations but I've been using the online version of the AMP Bible on my phone for a while as I love it. I also bought a small pocket-sized New Testament so that I can carry it around with me. I struggle to read it at work because I'm not allowed to use my phone and I didn't fancy taking another huge book in my bag - my shoulders already hate me!
A lady at our church read a story called "You Are Special" on Mother's Day and I fell in love with it so I bought it to go in the ever increasing collection
of books I've started for my own future children!
I also bought one
named "Jesus Heals" and another called "The Week that Led to Easter" - I have a bit of a bone to pick about Easter. I mean, I appreciate that the Christmas story is a much "nicer" story to teach our children but really, the Easter story is central to our beliefs! Where are the Easter plays, the Easter concerts and all the other fun, jovial things our children have at school during the Christmas period?
I decided a few years ago that my Brownie pack would be doing an Easter play, instead of a Christmas play, and it went brilliantly. "Remembering Easter" was a play I wrote it myself, my mum made the costumes and Riki video-recorded it - we sold the DVDs to their families to raise funds for their summer trip! The girls loved it, as did their parents, and we were able to teach them the true meaning of Easter in a fun way. Because I bought a few books from this website, they gave me a free English Standard Version. That's great, I didn't even have one of those! I also saved £3 with a voucher they sent me, and free delivery. Any more savings and they'd have been paying me!
As I've mentioned in a previous post, I've been so excited for Steve Hill's "Spiritual Avalanche: The Threat of False Teachings That Could Destroy Millions" I think it's going to be great - really refreshing and just what we need in these last days. So I finally ordered it, and another I've had my eye on for a while, "Essential Guide to Healing", by Bill Johnson and Randy Clark. As a side note, I've been watching Paul Hollywood's "Bread" on BBC2 and if you know me, you'll know that I absolutely love bread! I don't know what I'd do if I ever became wheat-intolerant, I don't think I could live without bread. Sometimes I don't even want to ruin it by putting anything on it, so I just have bread and butter! Anyway, now that I've made myself sound suitably crazy, I'll tell you that I also bought his book of the same name. Is it odd how excited I get about bread?!
Well, I guess you'd expect me to be all booked out (as well as space-and-cashed out, both of which I'm rapidly becoming) but no, I just bought another two books this evening - what's wrong with me?!
I heard an interview on GodTube with Carrie Underwood and her Hockey player husband, Mike Fisher, where they were sharing their faith with Oprah and they mentioned a book called "The Purpose Driven Life". I've heard of this book and I could have sworn that I had it but I can't find it anywhere. Now that I'm writing that I just bought it, I have a feeling my mum has a copy of it. Oops.
I also bought a copy of "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer, in the hopes that it will help me to renew my mind and learn to control my own thoughts - Satan keeps trying to weed his way into my mind and try as I might to stamp on him, sometimes the thought comes through and I'm left hating myself for even thinking such terrible things. So you see, the books I've bought are useful and I think I'll be blessed by them, and possibly even be able to bless others (if I ever learn to bake bread, or just by passing them on when I've finished with them!) The majority of the books I buy are second-hand - I like the idea that it's been used and loved by someone else before me, and then I can pass it on and allow it to bless someone else.
With this in mind, I like to think that I'm not wasteful and that although I've bought a fair few books this last week, they've all been bought with good intentions and - does it sound like I'm trying to make excuses now? I'll just stop there!
Praying that I'll have something a little more thoughtful to share with you soon,
- Lisa
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