“Wouldn’t it be funny if my name was Jo?”

“Huh?”

“My name. It would be funny if my name was Jo and not Eden Marie.”

“Why would that be funny?”

“Because then you’d be Jo Mama. Get it? JO MAMA. Like Yo Mama?”

And we were afraid she didn’t inherit the Chase/Lozada Cheese Humor gene.

The winners of the book giveaway are:

Elizabeth M. and Denise! I will email you with information regarding your gift.

Are you ready? Time to start reading!  

As you begin Jesus Land, ponder the  question below. Comments are open for discussion:

Julia and David encounter a great deal of talk about faith.  What do they have faith in?  How does their faith differ from that of the adults around them?

And we begin…

“I was bending over in my car, trying to find my cell phone and he whistled at me.”

“That’s hot.”

“I was wearing my husband’s work boots that were ten sizes too big, a long nightgown and a rain coat as a robe.”

“Uh, yeah…not so hot.”

“So it wasn’t a whistle like, ‘Yeah baby, you looking fine!‘ It was more of a sarcastic whistle as in ‘Keep it Inside.”

“And how long have you been analyzing this?”

“Only a few hours, why?”

“You think maybe he wasn’t even whistling at you? Perhaps he was just whistling or perhaps he didn’t even see you?”

“I didn’t even think about that.”

“And you say you suffer from low self esteem…ever heard of that song, ‘You’re So Vain’?

“I honestly don’t get your point.”

“You wouldn’t.”

On Friday, I had lunch with a friend. Her husband is in politics, so of course, we talked about what is happening in our world. We discussed the craziness and surreal happenings that have left us depleted and at times horrified. We discussed the election and how our problems won’t be over if Candidate A or Candidate B were to be elected.

There is no quick fix.

As we were going over the problems in our world, I felt myself shiver. It was at that very moment, it hit me.

As Christians, we know things will get worse, before they get better.

I’m an optimist. I love looking at the sunny bright side of things. I do not dwell on what is dark and dingy gray. That’s just me. I like brightness. I like joy. I like unicorns and butterflies. And Disney movies. (Herbie just cracks me up.) While I love the bright and sunny side of things, I can’t argue with truth. I can’t argue with the teachings in the Bible in which I believe are true. I’m a realist, I can be objective, and I’m very much aware.

Sometimes we even get a little Spiritual  Wisdom from our children:

 Yesterday, we had a bit of an emergency when Eden Marie got something in both of her eyes. I called Poison Control and we spent fifteen minutes in the bathtub pouring warm water in her eyes. It was scary. I was in a state of panic and couldn’t help crying along with her.

Eden Marie came in my room as I was writing this entry and I asked her if her eyes were still intact, jokingly, of course. She said yes, they were fine. I asked her if she was scared yesterday.

“It hurted,” she said in her five year old dialect, “But I wasn’t scared.”

This took me by surprise. I had been scared out of my mind… and yet she wasn’t scared?

“Why weren’t you scared, Eden?”

“Because you were taking care of me, Mommy.”

And there it is.

Right out of the mouths of babes.

I realized that my faith has sustained me throughout my entire life and I had to keep ’fighting the good fight of faith.’ (1 Timothy 6:12)  

We have to be smart, realistic and objective while we walk on this earth. We need to stay aware of the happenings in the world, but we should try hard not be overwhelmed with fear. 

God is taking care of it. He will see it through.

While some of you will argue the simplicity of this statement and how it is unrealistic, I get your point and understand. Yet, it doesn’t sway me.

I choose to believe and stand firm on faith.

Especially now.

I love reading a book in which it captivates me to the very core of my being that even after I’m done reading it, I can’t stop thinking about it.

The book I’m about to introduce to you will be the first book in the ChaseNKids Bookclub. It is a compelling memoir as it delves into the testings of relationships when race and religion are involved. This book is brutally truthful. The author doesn’t hold back as she relates growing up with her adopted brother, David, who is black. It is haunting, fascinating and at times horrific.

The book is Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres.

To join the bookclub, email me chasenkidsbookclub@qlubb.com. By joining our bookclub you will be privy to online discussion forums, meet new people and dive into this great book with others!  I must warn you that there are some rough (IE: curse) words as the writer describes her life in truthful detail.

Read more about the book here. And you can also visit Julia Scheeres’ website by visiting here.

I am giving away TWO copies of this book to two lucky ChaseNKids readers. All you have to do is leave a comment to this entry. I will do a random drawing on Saturday, September 27th.

Happy Reading!

Questions will begin starting the week of September 29th.