Stone Soup for Five: April Odds and Ends and what I read

April Odds and Ends and what I read


What I loved in April!

While Googling a quote from a Puritan pastor, I stumbled across a gold mine of a website: http://www.chapellibrary.org/



This website has so many free PDFs of Puritans and other like-minded believers from centuries ago.  They will even send you a reasonable amount of printed literature for FREE!

They also offer various free courses to learn more about salvation, practical walk, general studies, and doctrine.  These might be fun to take a few this summer.  (I've just discovered this site and haven't looked closely at everything yet, but what I have seen, I have enjoyed!)

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I also just discovered my new favorite Bible study author, Barb Raveling.  I found her book I Deserve a Donut on Amazon and ordered it, curious to see what it was about as I need all the help I can get in the department of eating.  When I got it, I flipped through it and discovered that she also offers a free app that is basically the book, in app form.

So that led me to her website and to her other books.  After browsing her website for a while, I ordered two more books by her: 


I ordered Freedom from Emotional Eating because I wanted to know more about weight loss by renewing the mind with the Word of God.  And you guys, this just may be the answer I have been searching for for decades!  It makes complete sense and talks about stuff I had never considered.  My overeating is a sin, and I've known that for years, but knowing that didn't give me the tools I needed to lose the weight permanently.  I think this book is the missing piece!  I am one week into it and already my mind and thoughts about food are changing.  Wouldn't it be incredible if by this time next year the power food holds over me would be destroyed?  I'll update you as I keep going through it, but I'll tell you right now, if you struggle with emotional eating or just eating too much because of any number of reasons, this is your book!



Barb's The Renewing of the Mind Project book deals with emotional eating, but so much more!  I am also going through this one to help me with the bad habit of procrastination.  Half of this book is reference, but so good!
She also has one more book that I will order when I finish the first one.




If I had to recommend one first, I'd say start with Freedom from Emotional Eating.  It's painful, honest, and helping me see that breaking free of this sin is not my self-control or effort (or lack of it) but is rather all about replacing the lies with truth by renewing my mind over and over and over.  Barb gives you step by step instructions on how to do that and lots of tools and times to practice it.

I don't know Barb and I don't get paid to endorse any of these books, I just firmly believe that I may have found what I have been searching for and wanted to share with you!

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Also, I recently got a big open purse that I love, but inside it was a mess and I could never find anything.  Enter this felt bag organizer.  I ordered the medium size and I LOVE it!  A place for everything, it stands up well on its own and doesn't weigh much at all.  It's perfect!




And this month I mostly read books for the Classic Literature class I'm taking with my son.  We read through  The Aeneid (which is basically the same book as The Iliad, just told from the Trojan side of the war).  We also worked through Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and way too many Greek Tragedies.  But overall I'm really blessed that I was able to take this class.  Comparing the Greek and Roman worldviews with the Christian worldview is fascinating.

I did manage to sneak in a few other books though, and with all this reading I'm 5 books ahead of schedule on my Goodreads goal for the year! 


Wonderful book!  A bit biography, a bit personal letters, and a lot of application.
5 stars
Wonderful and important story about Brother Yun's life and near death and repeated torture in communist China in the 1980s through early 2000s.
5 stars
Just started this book after finishing The Heavenly Man.  I picked up this series on sale and already love it.  True life stories written in historical fiction style makes the lives of saints memorable.
5 stars


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3 comments:

  1. I bookmarked the Chapel Library website. Chapel Library site looks wonderful. I will be browsing it. I had been glancing, at "A Puritan's Mind" site as it had a huge wealth of information too. I downloaded a lot of PDF's. Here is the link: http://www.apuritansmind.com/ - what I loved on the page was the article. What can the Puritans teach us?

    Barb Raveling's website is amazing. I bookmarked it and I am loving the sections on Insecurity and all that go with it.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing that link, I'll bookmark it and browse too! I am so in love with all Barb has and so excited to begin this journey with her!

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  2. Wow! Thank you for all this info. Going to look into all of this.

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