Help fund a Pharmacy student for a Medical Mission trip to Peru

My name is Whittney Howell, I am a first year Pharmacy student trying to raise money for a medical mission trip partnered with e3 Ministries to Peru in July 2013. Your donations will be explicitly used to cover the cost of this trip to provide free medicine, eyeglasses, and medications to impoverished Peruvians. While providing medical service to the Peruvians, we will also be witnessing and sharing the gospel with them. Thank you for your donation and God Bless!

Attached is a link to the donation page, Thank you!http://www.gofundme.com/fundapharm

Learning about Relationships

Over the past few years I have learned a lot about relationships, especially when it is best to either take a break or completely leave an unhealthy relationship. No I do not believe that there is any ONE model relationship because every person is unique-therefore every relationship between two people will also be unique. However, there are many basic signs that could point you to knowing that a relationship is not going to or should not last.

 First, it is important to note that having unrealistic expectations out of a relationship or a person will be detrimental. People are just that—people—we are naturally prone to sin and make mistakes. You will fail or disappoint the person you are with or without meaning to, just like he or she will disappoint you from time to time. But, how to deal with being in a relationship with an imperfect person is to not EXPECT him or her to complete you or fulfill your every need or want. No person on earth can live up to that standard. Only God will always remain by your side and never disappoint you, whenever you are going through something difficult just know that God has better plans for your life than the ones that we make for ourselves. Remain strong and trust in the Lord to fulfill your needs and life-not a human.

I learned that if his best and closest friends are not good Christian influences in his life, then he will probably have to face many challenges that you do not agree with. Similarly, if he is not a strong Christian who is determined to live a life representative of Christ, then he is likely to not resist the temptations set forth by his friends—like excessive drinking, porn, loose relationship standards, lying, etc. If you want a relationship and life built on a mutual relationship with God, then you have to live and pursue that life while dating. Dating can be considered practice for marriage, if he does not stay true to you during your dating relationship or work towards a mutual foundation in God, what makes you think that he will be suddenly a different person and committed to you and God once you are married?

I learned that if you find yourself talking bad about your significant other to your friends or family more often than you speak of the good, then there is a definite problem. Yes some things can be worked out and relationships do require work, but if you are having “talks” every week or so about recurrent issues that are never resolved—it may be time to let this relationship go.

There comes a time when one needs to realize that relationships do not have to be that HARD. Please realize that if you argue or fight daily or are consistently falling back into bad habits of taking the other for granted, no dating relationship is worth that kind of stress and heartache.

I definitely recommend reading the 5 Love Languages if you are in a relationship or even if you are single and want to learn more about yourself and what is most important to you. After my difficult relationship I decided that I no longer wanted to be the person that I was with him and I wanted to prevent myself from ever going through the same challenges again, I read Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married. This book lays out many ways to deal with issues that arise in relationships and also how to prepare yourself to be in a serious relationship even while single, dating, or engaged. (Both books are by Gary Chapman)

Desiring God, by John Piper, is a life-altering book if you choose to read and follow the scriptural insight of how serving God accompanies the most absolute form of joy that one can experience in this human life. If you desire to have a closer relationship with God and a better understanding of how aspects of your life can better serve and represent God based on scripture, then this is most certainly the book for you! 


This book is not one that can be read while winding down before sleep because it does require active thinking to understand the vast depth of the information that Piper presents. However, I found that reading this book in the morning as a devotional was a wonderful way to begin my days and allowed me to grasp the concepts of how to live as a Christian Hedonist. Hedonism tends to have negative connotations in our world today, but Piper presents Christianity as needing to be lived with the reckless abandon of hedonists, instead of the watered-down "belief" of lack-luster Christianity. Far too often today are Christians passive in the way that we live our lives. The problem is that we are living "our lives," instead of living for Christ and helping those around us see the Christ within our hearts.


Throughout this book, Piper heavily relies on scripture in order to support his insights. I believe that this encourages the reader to search scripture for his or her own self in order to decide whether to believe Piper's teaching as being based on scripture or if he took verses and ideas out of context. I loved being able to delve into scripture myself in order to decide if I could come to the same conclusions as Piper, and in all cases I did agree that what he presented was deeply inspired by scripture. Specifically Piper addresses how a Christian Hedonist will live based on scripture on the topics of Conversion, Worship, Love, Scripture, Prayer, Money, Marriage, Missions, and Suffering.


If you allow it, Desiring God can assist you in your journey to developing the deepest relationship with God that you may have ever aspired to have.


I would like to thank everyone at WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for giving me a free copy of Desiring God by John Piper to review as a part of their Blogging for Books review program.


Please rate me by following this link:
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/index/blogr:2886

Radical, by Pastor David Platt is a life-changing book if you dare to take the challenge of choosing to live your life for God instead of for this world. I have personally heard David Platt’s sermons for several years, and his enthusiasm and love for God in person is translated into his written word for all to bear witness.

This book, like his sermons inspire the audience to change their lives. Not just think about changing, but to actually transform thoughts into actions. Every day, especially as Americans, we face temptation and pressure to take the easy way out and act like the world by our pursuits, thoughts, and lack of action. Radical challenges the reader by exposing how and what living a watered-down Christian life is and backing his view with scripture, so that he or she may see faults in his or her own life. Then, Platt encourages the reader to change those faults or weaknesses by turning the American view of Christianity on its head (similar to the picture on the front of the book) and provides challenges of how one can change their life for the better today.

I recommend this book to anyone who is tired of living their life like the world and wants to learn how they can accomplish living a radical Godly life. Also, at the end of the book there is a section for the reader to fill out permanent changes that they want to happen in their life in the Radical Experiment, like “I will pray for the entire world… I will sacrifice my money for a specific purpose.” These short answer questions provide a way for the reader to write down the changes they are making in order to keep one accountable. There is also a notes section at the end of the book that provides a list of the scriptures used in every chapter along with notes by David Platt to help root the message with what he presented.

I would like to thank everyone at WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for giving me a free copy of  Radical by David Platt to review as a part of their Blogging for Books review program.


http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/index/blogr:2886

Do you long for closer relationships?

Do you wish you could have a better relationship with your parent, sibling, friend, or significant other?

Have you ever hoped for a guide to heal connections with your loved ones?

 If you are honestly devoted to developing more open, meaningful relationships with the people that matter most to you, then this book can certainly help. Love at Last Sight is written as a short, entertaining reading and journaling aid that poses new challenges each day. Kerry and Chris Shook begin every day's topic with a personal story to draw the reader in, and a bible passage or story so that one can read on his or her own to anchor the lesson with biblical proof. At the end of each day there is a journaling challenge that leads you to commit what you have learned to paper and apply the lesson to your personal life. These challenges are generally simple and are ways to think of interactions with your loved ones in a new God-focused light, which can dramatically improve your outlook and approach to relationships. Due to it's easy-to-read layout and integration of two voices, this book is truly inspiring and can address readers of all ages, sex, and backgrounds.

Love at Last Sight is able to change your life and relationships for the better if you take the time to apply and dwell on the lessons each day. How would you  spend your next thirty days if you knew that devoting that time could improve the quality your life and the lives of those who matter most?

I would like to thank everyone at WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing  for giving me a free copy of  Love at Last Sight by Kerry and Chris Shook to review as a part of their Blogging for Books review program.

Please rate my review at:
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/1605

Blogging for Books

Hey y'all! I have created this public blog so that I can review wonderful free books that are written by talented authors to inspire and take the imagination on journeys of a lifetime. I can't wait to get started! Unfortunately, I will have to wait 10-14 days to receive my first book so if you are interested in reading my reviews, become a follower of my blog! I will give honest, informative and hopefully intriguing reviews to encourage you to read books that are worth the time. I invite you to curl up near the fire with a book while snowflakes busily dash outside, coating the world in a blanket of white.