Book Review: The Reason for My Hope by Billy Graham

In his latest book, The Reason for My Hope, Billy Graham discusses salvation in detail. He talks about Christ’s redemption and rescue of us from our sin, the price He paid and the price we should expect to pay, Christianity today, the realities of Hell, and promise of the future.

I was excited to see the Billy Graham had written another book, and I was not disappointed! The message of salvation is simple, and yet Mr. Graham managed to deepen my understanding so much more. He examines sin, hell, our self-destructive culture, and the total depravity of man, allowing the reader to see that we are hopeless without a Savior. But he also writes about the price paid for by Christ, the fact that Jesus is alive, and the promises we are given for the future.

It has been a while since I read a book that just makes me want to start changing things in my life. It is easy to keep a status quo in your faith, and I think we all need some extra motivation at times. Mr. Graham’s love for Christ and his ability to see things clearly is apparent in this book. I highly recommend it for any Christian, whether recently saved or not, or anyone who has questions about salvation or what it means to be saved.

Along with his book, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is releasing a series of testimonial videos. You can check it out here.

I received this book for free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Book Review: Lone Star Trail by Darlene Franklin

Wande Fleischer is a German immigrant who has just come to Texas with her family to begin a new life.  But instead of the “milk and honey” they were promised and the marriage Wande had planned, her family meets tragedy and disappointment.

The Morgan family has had their fair share of family tragedy as well, and Jud Morgan is apprehensive of all the recent immigration from Germany. When the paths of the two families cross, mixed emotions ensue. Jud does not trust Germans, but he comes to care for the Fleischers. Soon, more heartbreak hits both families, and as they help each other overcome difficulties, love blossoms.

I enjoyed this book. I recently read the final book in the Texas Trails series, and although they all stand alone as separate stories, I decided I did want to go back and read the others. The series covers stories of different members of the Morgan family. Lone Star Trail is a fairly easy read, and although parts of it were a little predictable, I enjoyed the journey. The characters were well developed, and I found the romance intertwined in the story to be just enough without being sappy. The book in written from a Christian perspective, and the author manages to make that apparent without looking like she is trying to throw occasional statements that qualify it as “Christian fiction.” Overall, Lone Star Trail is well written and enjoyable, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy fiction.

I received this book for free from the publisher through the Moody Publishers blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

The House Project: More Electrical Work

I feel like I now have a ton of progress to catch up blogging about! Bruce has been very busy the last couple of months, with occasional help from both of our Dads. I will say that I am stoked about progress and should have plenty to blog about for awhile!

As we continued our work on the kitchen, we decided to upgrade one of the kitchen circuits with thicker wire so that it could handle the possible need for a dual electric oven, should we decide in the future to replace the gas oven with another electric oven. Basically, we replaced the thick orange wire with an even thicker black wire, and put in a bigger appliance outlet with a higher amperage rating. We also ran a circuit in the garage for the natural gas pump we intend to install.

Bruce had to swap wires out in the breaker panel and put in a new breaker.

As we removed the orange wire, we threaded the black on in it's place:

This may look like a mess, but I promise it's not! we ran the black wire in sections and then pulled out the orange from each section afterwards.

This part was going to be tricky! We had to dig through the foam insulation the first time we ran the circuit, and threading a thicker wire through the foam, a right angle turn, and down through a little hole in the beam was going to be difficult. 

We recycled the orange wire by using it for the circuit we were running for the gas filling station we plan on putting in. We hope to eventually get a bi-fuel vehicle that can run off natural gas. This way, we fill up at home and save on gas costs. Plus natural gas in a clean and abundant source of energy. Anyway, back to the house. 

Louie found a corner to hide in until we started moving things out of the way. He still tried to stay invisible.

Scooter, on the other hand, was "helping" as usual!

Threading the wires through the beams and foam insulation is never easy!

I got to uncoil the rest of the black wire so it wouldn't try to curl up as we threaded it through. It was going to be hard enough as it is!

Louie found a new hiding place...

While Bruce was moving on with the gas pump outlet. 

The wire is threaded through the box and stapled in place against the stud.

Next, the orange insulation is stripped off the end, and the end of the insulation on the three wires is stripped as well. The fourth wire, on the left, is the ground. it isn't insulated to begin with.

Bruce then attached the wires to their respective spots on the outlet. 

Each wire is connected in the proper place and a screw is tightened to hold it in place.

Next the outlet is pushed back into the box. The wires have to be bent just right in order for everything to fit. 

Bruce then fastened it in place with the screws.

And there you have it!

That was the outlet for our future gas pump. We then went back to working on the outlet for the oven in the kitchen. It took some maneuvering, but Bruce got the wire threaded through.

The grey box will house the new outlet.

After Bruce hooked up the wires I got to help with this one!

Done! Not bad for an hour of work!

One final important step is to add the metal nail plates to keep a nail from accidentally going through the wire when the sheet rock and cabinets are put in. Because that would be bad!

I'll wrap up with a couple of pictures of the wires Bruce buried to run power to the island. The concrete is dry now, and the wires have been run through the conduit.

Well, that's all for now! Soon I will be writing about the rest of the progress on the kitchen, the gas lines, some more AC return work, and the hall bathroom. The project is gaining momentum!