Heaven? Really?

Have you ever found yourself wondering about heaven?  Is it for real?  Is it really out there?  Am I going there? Does it really look like the prettiest flower garden? Or maybe like the most gorgeous sunset you've ever seen? How do I get there anyway?

What do YOU think of when you think of heaven anyway?  This is the question I'm asking!!  :)

Yep! That's the question!  Now, why I am asking it is the matter of the rest of this post...  :)

You probably already know that I review books for Tyndale House Publishers.  The last book I worked on is "Appointments with Heaven."  It is about a Doctor that grows up with a precious faith and wonderful Christian examples.  However, tragedy turns everything upside down and he decides to turn his back on God.  The most interesting thing is that, when he thought that by studying Medicine and understanding science would confirm the unexistance of God; he actually starts catching these little glimpses of heaven when treating his patients, and his world is turned upside down all over again!!!  A wonderful read that I would say should become a must-have for all Christians.

Check what Dr. Anderson has to say about it in his YouTube video  that for some reason Blogger is not finding and I cannot embed in this post...  :(  

(Sigh.) These marvels of technology...

Now, some extracts of this book were taken out and put together in a 30-day devotional... AND IT CAN BE YOURS FOR FREE!!!  That's right, I'm hosting my first giveaway, thanks to Tyndale's generosity.  

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell everyone out there what YOU think of when you think of heaven.In return, I will send you via e-mail a free devotional based on "Appointments with Heaven" that will be a sure little blessing for you!  :)

Keep in mind that if your comment is "private," I won't be able to send you the devotional because I won't see your e-mail.  You can try following the blog and I'll be able to use Google gizmos to send you your devotional.  

So, are you ready to go to heaven?  :)

Appointments with Heaven, by Reggie Anderson

Dr. Anderson shares his Powerful story of faith and awareness of the real, constant and marvelous companionship of heaven; throughout his experience as a family physician, he shares evidence of how this life is more a sort of parenthesis that opens when we are born and closes when we pass away and go back home.

Raised by strong Christians, Dr. Anderson’s childhood was wrapped in a precious trusting faith.  However, tragedy made him wander away from God, to the point of denying him during his early college years. It was medicine itself that sparked his return; in this sense, “Appointments with Heaven” is also a first-row seat to the connection of science and God.  Dr. Anderson shares how he went from thinking they were completely alien to each other to witnessing their deep, unbreakable connection. It was a blessing to read of how he usually shares this understanding with his fellow peers and making a stand for the truth and people's ultimate destination – either with or away from our Father.

The simple and trusting faith of a child made me shed tears, but it also challenged me. I ended up questioning myself and my authenticity as a Christian.  How many times do we just go on living and forget about the fact that God is right there with us ALL the time, anywhere we go?  How often do we feel completely independent and wise to make our own decisions and assume that we are entitled to every single breath, when we actually are granted the blessing of life? How often do we think of eternity as something that starts when we pass away? Most certainly, if we ever think of that moment, this thought will be accompanied with feelings like fear or anxiety, but this need not be; what we know as death is just going back home. I sometimes wonder if we even understand that eternity is already here, every minute, every second, and we are already part of it; Dr. Anderson’s book is an encouraging reminder of its constant presence. 

Problems, financial crisis, death, accidents and all sorts of difficulties have happened to Dr. Anderson and his family.  Through each of these, they have learned to look towards God, remain faithful and wait on Him... And He never lets anybody down!

This is a highly recommendable book that provides both, comfort and insight into the marvels of the world that is constantly besides us.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinion on the book or on the author.

Getting the Wheels rolling!

Some time ago, I saw the following fabric line and just got crazy about doing something with it... It was one of those moments when ideas start tickling in my head, and don't stop!!!  The weirdest thing is that I'm not much of a flowery kind of person, so I really don't know where all those tickles came from.  

How-e-ver... I did notice that the colors are the same ones as in "Starry Night" or in "Terasse de Cafe la Nuit," both by Vincent Van Gogh.  Who knows! Maybe those mysterious tickles have a mind of their own that knows better...  :)
Ha! Color Play in action!!

/

So, after musing, pondering and thinking of those prints, I decided I was actually going to seriously plan my next quilting project, and the quest for a meaningful block began...

And after deciding on the skill level and number of mini fabric pieces I would have to cut from yardage, the finalists are:  Dutch Rose (or "Swoon"), Star of Bethlehem and Carpenter's Wheel.

All of them are based on an 8X8 grid and share an inside line that goes around the block. I looked and looked, and most of the serious instructions I found require templates, so I ended up taking my handy sketch book in hand and figuring the blocks myself!!

The first step: grid... Check!

Second step: Figuring half-square triangles in the design... Check!

Third step: Finding out color placement...  Check!

Fourth step: Figuring the size of fabric and initial cuts...  Check!  
(Kind of...  More like: "I hope I got the figures right...")

Fifth step: Decoding the Carpenter's Wheel... Check!

 ... and color placement.

And whatever step is next: Moving to the Star of Bethlehem... Check!

Retracing steps: Interchange the inner green "ring" with yellow, so that there is consistency among the three blocks.


And this is where I'm at:

OK...  At least I'm getting something done!!  

But I also must confess that in the midst of all this planning, I've been working on a tutorial that several people have requested and on a wonderful book that I recently got from Tyndale - which means that before I can get this exciting Wheels project going, a review will come first...  So many things to do in so little time!

By the way, this brings me to the fact that I will soon be hosting my first giveaway, out of Tyndale's generosity.  Stay in touch and don't miss the details!!!

Stay blessed  :)