review

Reader Review: Experiencing the Bible

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Review: Peg Flint
Originally posted on Amazon. Reprinted with permission.

 A great resource for anyone who wants to apply the Bible to their life
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2023

I have enjoyed this book, and I’m sharing some images from pages I haven’t written on to give you an idea of the various entries.

But…let me start with the beginning. Not only does the author take the time to introduce herself, but she also shares about her life as a Christian. Her comments about reading through the WHOLE Bible have inspired me to start reading through the whole Bible, too, because it feels like I tend to reread only certain books. She explains how reading the WHOLE Bible helps you see a bigger picture of what God is doing and how the books come together to tell His Story. She also shares the way she first read through it in 90 days.

I immensely enjoyed the intro; it made me think about how much I read and study the Bible.

I really like the portions of scripture she has chosen for this book because, with each one, she shares from sermons, study notes, and her own experiences. Half of the page is blank for you to write your own study notes, cross-references, or whatever you choose to do with the page. It’s there for you to interact with the scriptures and comments on that page.

I hope she does more books, but I wish she would do them on whole books of the Bible. For instance, I’d love to see a book on just the book of Ephesians or James (probably the two books I read the most).

However, whatever she writes – I will read it because I find her notes thought-provoking, and they encourage me to learn more.

Experiencing the Bible by Tammy M Cardwell – available on Amazon in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. Ebook also available at your favorite online shops.

The Gift I Didn’t Know I Wanted

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Oh. My. Word.

Ok, hear me out. This scalp massager is one of those things you look at and think “gag gift.” No. Not at all.

Have you ever, maybe as a child, has someone gently massage your scalp with their fingernails?

Yeah. This! This sci-fi looking thing keeps calling for my hand to pick it up and use it. It’s AMAZING, and I’m kicking myself for never having tried one before. My sister and I were both blown away by my nephew’s thought in buying us these.

Order yourself one. Better yet, order the pack of two I’m going to link to. Trust me; you will not regret it!

https://amzn.to/3RysK2J

Remember, I’m an Amazon Associate and can earn tiny bits of money from qualifying purchases. It’s a fact, though, that I will only recommend things here that I would recommend in person!

Merry Christmas!

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

Neck Pain, Meet the Power Team

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Wow, you can tell from the photo that I’m not a pro at this!

I had scoliosis as a child. Thankfully, my chiropractor was able to straighten my spine, but the lingering effects mean I visit him several times a year. In the past year and a half or so, those visits have grown further apart thanks to two things.

One of my most consistent issues has always been neck pain. I’ve tried a variety of helpful tools through the years, including an inversion table. The inversion table worked wonders, and I highly recommend them, but I got rid of mine after my husband passed because I didn’t feel safe using it with no one around. (It was an old one; I’m sure the newer ones are fine, but now I have no space.)

But one day, while watching a TikTok of a mobility coach I’d been following (Yes, TikTok made me buy it!), I learned about Restcloud’s Neck and Shoulder Relaxer. It’s the funny-looking blue thing in the photo, and it’s essentially a cervical traction device. It’s super easy to use and only takes about twenty minutes – ten lying on it one way to help the muscles start to relax and ten more lying on it after having flipped it around so it can actually stretch your neck.

That’s a super simple explanation but let me assure you it’s a wonderful thing! Even before I got the Sutera pillow you also see in the photo, this was helping me so much that I was encouraging my relatives to buy it!

I’d been looking at the Sutera pillow for a while, but was hesitant to spend the money without talking to someone who actually slept on one. Then a fabulous friend bought a two-pack and gave me one of hers. Oh. My.

I’ve lost track of the number of pillows I’ve tried through the years, most of them rather pricey, only to find that they weren’t so wonderful after a few weeks. The goal was always to get rid of neck pain, and it seemed most of them didn’t help at best and, in some cases, made it worse. Granted, we are each unique individuals with our own sleep styles; I knew it would take some searching, and I’m glad the search is over.

I’ve had this Sutera pillow for five months now and let me tell you… As odd looking as it is, it is uniquely helpful. I flip flop all night, switching from side to side to back, and this pillow serves in all positions. According to what I’ve read, it’s also great for stomach sleepers if that happens to be you.

So these two odd ducks are my pain-fighting power team. If I come home from work with a neck that is tense after hours of computer use, I’ll take a “blue thing” break and feel the stress slip away. I also use it at night a lot as a preventative. I don’t want pressure building up, so when I get in bed I’ll do the twenty minutes, then set it aside and pull my pillow into place. I get so relaxed on the stretcher that I’ve caught myself drifting off a few times. (Note: They do NOT recommend sleeping on it!)

So yes, if you suffer from neck pain or tension headaches, these two.

If you can only get one, start with the neck stretcher. At least, that’s what I suggest.

When I first thought to share about these, I was just going to share, but I’ve since learned about the Amazon Associates program, that I can earn a little extra money that way. You’ll actually read more about that in a Tiny Home Life post that I’ve scheduled for early October, but I want to share these now.

RESTCLOUD Neck and Shoulder Relaxer

SUTERA Contour Memory Foam Pillow

Here’s to less neck pain and zzzzzzzful sleep!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

What Do You Have in the House?

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In II Kings 4, a widow approached Elisha for help and he asked her an odd question, “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” All she had was a jar of oil, but God used that jar of oil to work a mighty miracle. We humans tend to overlook what God has already given us, considering it to be “not enough.” Her oil was definitely not enough – until God touched it.

If you read yesterday’s review of Priscilla Shirer’s devotional, Awaken, it shouldn’t surprise you that the following thoughts were triggered by Day 2. And of course I had to apply them to me.

Experiencing the Bible is my jar. The oil is the gift of words and my joy in them (especially my joy in THE Word).

I’d begun a much simpler version of the book years ago. I kept putting it down, and God kept bringing me back to it. This year, I finally finished and published it. I asked God about marketing, but He told me not to worry about it. The point, at that time, truly was obedience.

Then, on October 1st, my husband passed away, taking his income with him, and suddenly I was the widow going to God saying, “I can’t do this on my own. I have to have Your help!” He pointed to the “jar on the shelf” and told me to get started. He has truly been my ever-present help in recent months, supplying my needs in consistently miraculous ways, but He’s also kept me moving forward with a vision that has grown far beyond anything I’d imagined.

In the midst of this my son, who owns Pixel Drip Studio, offered to create a full website to replace this simple blog. That started a conversation, and plans, and ideas that triggered a lot of action. So here I am, pouring out the oil. To the print book, I added first an ebook and then a journal. I’m already looking to the next book…actually, the next two. I’m also studying marketing, newsletters, social media and more.

God gives us all gifts, talents, and abilities, providing us with “jars of oil.” Then it’s up to us to pour out the oil and sell it for a profit. It took the widow time, effort, and humility to go borrow all those vessels from her neighbors and then fill them. Too, it generally requires the help of others, both her neighbors and her son in her case, and my son…both of them actually…in mine.

It can also take walking in obedience in advance. Had I not finished Experiencing the Bible when God told me to, it wouldn’t have been sitting on the shelf when I needed it.

So I’ll repeat Priscilla’s question from Day 2. What are some of the “jars of oil” you might be overlooking right now that He’s already provided?

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Awaken by Priscilla Shirer

Tammy M Cardwell1 Comment

I’ve done a few of Priscilla Shirer’s Bible studies through the years, so when I received this book as a gift I knew I’d been given gold. When I saw it was a 90-day devotional, I dug right in, and after only two days I knew I had to share.

Who is Priscilla Shirer? Well, the bit of information that caught my attention when we began that first Bible study was that she is Tony Evans’ daughter. She is much more, but having known of his ministry for years I felt confident I could trust her and was pretty sure I would enjoy her teaching. I was right.

As well as being a focused wife and mother, Shirer has been in full-time ministry for decades. She’s written books and Bible studies, speaks all over the place, and runs Going Beyond Ministries with her husband. She’s got the spiritual goods.

So… Awaken

The book starts with a two-page introduction. I realize most readers skip the introduction. Don’t. It’ll only take a few minutes to read, and will help prepare you for what’s coming. One of my favorite sentences in this section is, “The majority of what you’ll encounter here are personal whispers from God’s Spirit to my own over the last decade.” This is one of the things I value most about her in all of her works. She speaks to us what He has spoken to her. The adventure, the journey, is real.

After the introduction, you head straight into Day 1, which hits you right in the heart in a good way. She likens our need for God, for all He has to offer, to the Israelites’ need to gather manna first thing in the morning before the sun came along to burn it all off.

It took even less time to read this devotion than it did the intro, but I’m still thinking about it. This is a parallel I’d never considered, and there’s a lot to unpack. In other words, it did exactly what it was supposed to do. It made me think and keep thinking.

After each devotion, you’ll find two more pages set aside just for you. Entitled “He Speaks to Me,” this section gives you the chance to answer a question, to see how what she has shared applies to your life. I encourage you to really think about your answer and take the time to write it down in the journal space she’s provided. You may not be comfortable recording your thoughts in this way, but I’d like you to remember two things.

  1. This is your book. No one else needs to see it, so it’s a safe place.
  2. There are probably many times in the past that God has shown you exciting, even astounding, things but you forgot them. (Or is that only me?) Recording triggers remembering.

The book is a 90-day devotional. That’s only a 3-month commitment if you do it every day. And if you choose not to do it daily? Well, I certainly won’t judge you. I will say, however, that I’m sure you’ll gain something every time you choose to dive in. I have, and I’ve only just finished Day 2.

So why didn’t I wait until I’ve done more before writing this review? Two reasons. I “know” Priscilla Shirer, and am confident in her consistency. Also, it’s December 29th, which gives you time to grab a copy for yourself and start on January 1. I can’t think of a better way to begin a new year than to focus on getting ever closer to God.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C