BOOK REVIEW: THE STRUGGLES OF CAREGIVING by

“The Struggles of A Caregiver 28 Days of Prayer” by Nell E Noonan exams the emotions an individual encounters when caring for a loved one.  Each week examines an attitude a person goes through as he or she cares for a loved one.  The author classifies these attitudes in terms of “struggles” which reflects the raw internal emotions caregivers experience. The reader is encouraged to reflect on each daily entry allowing personal feelings to be released, including those feelings of frustration and guilt.

In explaining the position of caregiver the writer states: “Caregiving ask the best of us-to love without payback, to mutually respect the spirit within ourselves and in our care receivers, to be intimately committed to someone.” Caregiving can be physically, emotionally and spiritually draining, “The Struggles of A Caregiver” allows the reader to release some of the stressors associated with the task at hand.

As a person who has been and is a caregiver I can identify with many of the words written by Nell E Noonan and believe this is a much needed book written by someone who has “been there and done that”.  As loved ones come into our lives with long term illnesses, such as Alzheimer, and children move back home with their children more people will experience the difficulties mentioned in this book.  Also mentioned were those who could be considered “sandwich” caregivers meaning individuals who are caring for parents and grandchildren or some similar scenario. I endured my difficulties with the help of a host of people yet there were times when those people were not around this book would have been of great benefit to me then however as I continue to be a caregiver to another loved one this book is very appropriate.

I recommend this book which is available via Amazon in paperback and eBook form as well as The Upper Room Bookstore. Though it is a Christ centered book I believe unbelievers would benefit from reading it.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook via Upper Room Ministries in exchange for a fair review, I have done this.

BOOK EXCERPT: A PROPSERPOUS NATION

As news comes out regarding poverty in America I just wanted to share with you an excerpt from my upcoming book:

 NO WAYZ TIRED2: NAKE-ed and NOT A$HAMED 

A PROSPEROUS NATION*

Do you know what poverty looks like?  Have you ever seen someone who was poor, really poor? In 2009 the average income in Haiti was $1,300 with over two-thirds of the population either unemployed or underemployed. Despite India’s reputation for being a poor nation it is doing
better with an average income of $3,100 (2009)and a 10.7 % unemployment rate.   According to data found on infoplease.com in 2003 almost half of Haiti’s population (47 percent) was classified as illiterate compared to India’s 39% (based on 2005 data).

In 2009 the average income in the United States was $39,000; the current (2011) unemployment rate is around nine (9) percent. Many of Americas poor have income tax refunds three times greater than many in India make in a year. If you are one of the fourteen percent of Americans who live in poverty your life is still better than what our neighbors in Haiti endure.

Most Americans receive more money in food stamps than those in India receive as an annual income. It is easier to access and receive free food from various organizations within the borders of the U. S. than it is in Haiti. Michelle Obama is correct in pointing out the problems with obesity in this nation. The problem, however, is not the number of calories in a Big Mac or in the availability of salads in schools; it is the apathy that surrounds multiple generations who choose to wait for government handouts and not assume personal responsibility for their life.

According to Census (2005-2009) records 67 percent of Americans live in homes they own
while 33 percent rent. Within those numbers is a segment of the population who live in low income or subsidized housing. Low income housing, a.k.a. projects, once filled various communities now are slowly being replaced with vouchers that allow a person to rent in the community of choice throughout the country. All of this in order to boost the quality of life for citizens who lack the
ability to obtain housing independently. Have you ever watched a television program that reveals the living quarters of some in third world countries? What a contrast. Many focus on what they do not have or what was lost not what they have. Four percent of American households do not have telephone service which means that ninety-six percent do. Only 9 percent of the households do not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use, though public transportation is available
to all. (Remember: fourteen percent of Americans are considered to live in poverty.) Multi Vehicle households are not rare in the United States; thirty-eight percent have two vehicles and another 20 percent have three or more. There are children in Haiti who do not have shoes. Turn on your
television and eventually you will see some ministry begging for money to build a well so that a group of people will have access to disease free water; while we pay for bottled water because we do not like the disease free tap water so readily available. Visit the poorest of neighborhoods in the United States and you will find homes with: DVD players, microwave ovens, even residents with
cable or satellite service. More than just the middle class and the wealthy own: cell phones, computers and video games; such luxury items in a land of people who complain about what they do not have.

* Excerpt from the book: “No Wayz Tired 2: NAKE–ed and not A$hamed” written by Marsha L. Randolph available via Smashwords. September 2011.  All rights reserved.

NO WAYZ TIRED: MOVING FORWARD BY FAITH

available via Smashwords now for just .99

IT’S TIME TO CONTROL OUR TONGUES!

We sing “God bless America” yet we mean “God make those people behave the way I think they should behave.”  The more I see of the mindsets of people the more I thank God that Jesus did not come yesterday. 

“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. “ Matthew 9:37

I don’t think it matters much if you think the end times is near or we have plenty of time my question to you is: What are you doing to discourage people from believing? We have to take our words and deeds seriously.  We must begin self evaluation, be sure you are not part of the problem.

 I am a Black Conservative Christian this fact offends many liberals who call themselves Christian. I speak the Word of God as I understand it, though I have no problem with people explaining to me why I am wrong, if I am wrong, based on the word of God.  So far no one has been able to correct me via the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16) When I come across people who reject me because of my politics then I adjust my words.  I believe those who have a problem with me because I believe the bible is the Truth are the ones with the problem yet I want them to be able to hear the truth if not from me then from someone else.

When we sing “God bless America” we have to be able to step aside and let Him.

 ^1-2Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.

 ^3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

 ^5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

 ^7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

 ^10-12My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?  James 3:1-12 The Message

Misspoken Liars

There is a lot of “misspeaking” going around. (I am not naming names.) The responses to these “misspoken” words, by some, has been to unequivocally suggest that the words uttered were lies. My response was to look up the definition. Needless to say I was correct in my understanding according to Webster’s New Word Dictionary & Thesaurus.
There were quite a few definitions of ‘lie’ depending on the context in which the word was used. Examples: Lie in bed, lie down on the job, Canada lies to the north of the United States of America, and the position of a golf ball – rough lie. If you spell lie with a capital “L” – Lie then it is the name of Jonas Lie a painter, Trgve (Halvdan) Lie a novelist, and I am sure many others. When your child misbehaves and does not tell the truth you do not accuse him of misspeaking, you determine that he has indeed lied.

What does Webster’s say:
lie = 1 a) to make a statement that one knows is false, esp. with intent to deceive b) to make such statements habitually
2 to give a false impression; deceive one !statistics can lie”
vt. to bring, put, accomplish, etc. by lying !to lie oneself into office”
n. a false statement or action, esp. one made with intent to deceive
2 anything that gives or is meant to give a false impression
3 the charge of lying
SYN.—lie is the simple direct word meaning to make a deliberately false
statement; prevaricate strictly means to quibble or confuse the issue in
order to evade the truth, but it is loosely used as a formal or affected
substitute for lie; equivocate implies the deliberate use of ambiguity in
order to deceive or mislead; fabricate suggests the invention of a false
story, excuse, etc. intended to deceive and is, hence, sometimes used as a
somewhat softer equivalent for lie; fib implies the telling of a falsehood
about something unimportant and is sometimes a euphemism for lie
The definition of misspeak- to speak or say incorrectly
Synonym of misspeak -mispronounce

The definition of liar – a person who tells lies

The questions: If a person KNOWS he did not do something but says he did is it misspoken words or a lie.
Does it make a difference if you lie to your wife, your children, your local constituents or the nation? When does a liar become a liar and when do you say enough is enough?
#Life Food