Purposeful Learning - Purposefully living for Jesus, one day at a time.

Keep on Serving!

October 18, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Yesterday, my dad arrived home after a two-week trip to the States to see his sick mother. We were all so thankful he could go back to see her again, even though it cut into our family time and he had to leave his new job for two weeks.

Relationships with others—distant or close—always take time. And often, it takes time when you’ve got many other things to do, too, so it might not seem as easy to make time to pour into others.

What I’ve been trying to put in practice lately is making time for others even when it doesn’t suit my schedule. Yes, I may have to push some to-dos off for this week, but I can always come back to them next week.

I’m not saying this is an easy choice! And after the first few times of doing something out of the ordinary like this, my brain starts to complain that “you’re not getting enough done!”. But each time, I’m trying to remember the verse I read this morning in Matthew:

“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” —Matthew 20:28

Right now, I’ve got a friend who could use some encouragement. I could drop something and meet up with her for a coffee. Another friend could use help with homeschooling. Another could perhaps be feeling overwhelmed, and maybe a quick note on Messenger would be helpful to her today.

Whatever it is, recognising the ways I could be of service to others today—despite my perfectly-planned schedule or other obligations—these are the things that really count for eternity. Even if it isn’t fun. Even if it hurts.

No, I’m not good at serving. But with the Lord’s help, I’m praying I can become better at it.

Lord, please help me seize the moments and act on them!

Keep on serving others! What a beautiful way to spend our lives!

What is one way you could encourage or help someone else today, even if it just takes five minutes? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!

What Will be Left? (An Abandoned Gold Mine Adventure)

October 13, 2018 // Esther Filbrun 1 Comment

Last Sunday, several people in our family had colds, so we had a family worship time together instead of meeting with our normal church group. Then, since we had an afternoon to spend together, we decided to go explore some new part of our local area. We finally settled on Waiuta, a town located north and east of us, what once was a gold mining town from 1905 to 1951, when the mine closed.

The first place we explored was the township area itself, around the first mineshaft to go in, the Blackwater shaft. There was a good-sized vein of gold-bearing quartz in this area, and apparently the operations were quite profitable while they lasted—they produced almost 750,000 ounces of gold altogether!

What Will be Left 02 — Old mine air vents, we’re guessing

What Will be Left 03 — Wetas on a cave ceiling

What Will be Left 04 — Old swimming pool ruins

What Will be Left 07 — Back of the carpenter’s shop (red roof) and boiler house

After exploring around the Blackwater shaft area for a while, we went up through a twisty, narrow, bush-clad gravel track to the top of the hill. The Prohibition shaft had been dug up there, to meet up with the extension of the Blackwater shaft work–both were on the same mine, but eventually the mine had extended almost too far to make it easy to access from the Blackwater end. The Prohibition shaft ran from 1938 until the mine closed in 1951, when the Blackwater shaft collapsed.

What Will be Left 08 — Prohibition mine (up the hill from the old town), looking toward the processing plant

What Will be Left 09 — Part of the powerhouse, I believe, where they generated energy to run the Prohibition mine shaft

What Will be Left 10 — The old safe in part of what once was the mine shaft’s office

What Will be Left 11 — The view from the top of the Prohibition mine shaft—the little red-roofed building in the bottom middle of the picture is where the town of Waiuta once was.

After seeing these ruins, and marveling that less than 70 years ago, this was still a living town, it really makes one think about what kind of a legacy we are going to leave? These miners poured years into working here, building a town, having families, making a livelihood—and yet today, only a few bricks, chunks of cement, rusty iron, gangly trees, and holes in the ground are left to mark what had been their life’s work.

What kind of a heritage—physical and spiritual—are you leaving in the lives of the people in your circles of influence?

Our God Sustains

September 13, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

This post was written a couple days ago, while I was on my way home after a trip.

I’m on my way home right now. After being away for three weeks, I should be walking in my front door in about four hours.

The past three weeks have been much like I was expecting them, and totally different. I went to help out a family after complications following the birth of their youngest, who is now six weeks old. I got to be “Mum” to two lovely youngsters—both under eight—while Dad was away working and Mum was in the hospital with the baby.

And while I’m not completely unaccustomed to the position or title—you get some experience, I believe, of being the oldest of seven—it was a different experience for me, since I was in charge of the children from early in the morning until evening. It was stretching, and stressful, and exhausting, but also amazingly fun, encouraging, and satisfying.

I hadn’t known the family before I went up to, so while we were getting to know each other, I was also put into a leadership position—something that the children did struggle with some. At times, it was challenging to know what to do with disobedience or attitude issues, but something I saw in action again was the truth that the Lord sustains where He calls. I definitely felt called to help out in that situation, and while I also felt very under-equipped for the job, I was able to rely on the Lord through that and He gave me the strength and words to say even when I felt worn out.

I’ve been reading a book called The Insanity of God recently, and one thing that keeps popping out to me over and over is how much strength the Lord gives His children when they are in situations where, humanly speaking, they are feeling quite incapable.

Our God is good.

I may not have had the personal Bible study time like I like structuring into my days. I may not have had that so-important dedicated prayer time that I love to have each day. But I had the Lord. I had to be in communication with Him on a regular basis, and those days ended up being some of the sweetest, most encouraging, most God-centered, closest moments of fellowship I’ve had with Him in many weeks.

Our God is so good.

So as I head home now, winding between snowcapped peaks and dry, tussocky foothills, I’m thankful for all the Lord has done for us. And I can’t wait to see what my next adventure with Him will look like.

Let’s discuss: When was one time recently that you really felt the Lord’s presence in situations that seemed well-nigh impossible at the time?

Homespun: Book Review and Blog Tour

September 4, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

If I had to tally all the most common questions I have been asked over my time here in New Zealand, probably one of the highest-scoring ones would be the question of whether I’m Amish or Mennonite. Unfortunately, I’m neither, so that leaves people rather stumped. However, I love the ex-Amish and Mennonites that I’ve been blessed to know over the years, and really appreciate the cultures they come from. So when I saw Homespun come up for review recently, I thought it would be a great read. And I ended up loving it!

Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. They help support my reading habits, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

About the Book:

Straight from the pens of Amish and Mennonite women . . .

Ever wish you could visit with a group of Amish or Mennonite women over a cup of coffee? In the pages of Homespun, Amish and Plain Mennonite women swap stories and spin yarns while we listen in. Lorilee Craker, bestselling author of Money Secrets of the Amish, collects these personal writings about hospitality, home, grief, joy, and walks with God. Hear from one woman who struggles with feeling inferior to her sister, from another about her longing for a baby, and from a third who accidentally bought stretchy material to sew her husband’s pants. Each woman’s story is a testament to the grace of God and the blessings of community.

Behind Amish romance novels and tourist spots and television shows stand real people, with longings and loves just like the rest of us. Every Amish and Mennonite woman has a story. In Homespun, you get to hear some of them.

My Thoughts:

I don’t read many non-fiction books, and when I do, they’re usually biographies or autobiographies. I struggle with anything not story-related. So I wasn’t sure what I’d think when I saw Homespun come across my review opportunities email. The synopsis was intriguing, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get into it enough to do it justice. Wow, I was wrong!

While this book has been a slow read for me, I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Each woman is a gifted writer, and I feel like I’m visiting across the kitchen table with them as I read their thoughts. The topics vary as much as those around many tables—from humorous short stories of cherished memories, to more in-depth ones of family’s sorrow and learning to trust again.

When I found out I had read the last article in this book this afternoon, I felt pretty disappointed. This was the kind of book—a mix of physical and spiritual encouragement—that I love reading. There’s something about it that I find truly filling, a reflection of Jesus in other people’s lives. Even if I didn’t have time to do much reading at any one time, I knew I would find something to chew on for a while anyway. This book has been a rich reading experience for me the last couple weeks, and I’m thankful to have had the chance to read it. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get a print version of this book next time I have a chance!

I requested a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

About the Editor:

Editor Lorilee Craker is the author of thirteen books, including Money Secrets of the Amish; Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me; My Journey to Heaven with Marv Besteman; and the New York Times bestseller Through the Story with Lynne Spears. Connect with her at LorileeCraker.com.

Let’s discuss: What was the last book about Amish or Mennonites that you read? What did you learn from it?

Choose Your Own Story // Book Release Event!

August 25, 2018 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Today, I’m thrilled to have the privilege to invite Sarah Holman to join me on this blog! She recently released Escape and Endurance, the fifth book in her Tales of Taelis series. This is a Christian medieval fantasy series that she has been writing for several years now, and although I haven’t read the last two yet, I’m hoping to very soon—I enjoyed the first three!

Some links in this post are affiliate links. They don’t cost you any extra, but help keep this reader supplied with new books—thank you!

To celebrate the release of Escape and Endurance, Sarah has decided to do a “choose your own adventure” event, similar to those books we all enjoyed as children (hey, I still like going through our “day in the life of an otter” book, and trying to avoid the death traps!). I’ll let her carry this away.

In this event, you get to pick the outcome of the story by making choices. A lot of different things can happen. What are you waiting for? Start your adventure by clicking the image below!

Andrew swallowed when he saw the king enter. It was one thing to talk about how the king’s daughter was difficult with the captain of the retainers, but he certainly didn’t want the king to overhear him.

“Your Majesty, I…”

The king held up his hand. “Please, there is no need to explain. I know what Gail is like. I know that she deserves to be taught a lesson. However, I’m asking you to go after her.”

Andrew nodded. “I live to serve you.” Without any further delay, he mounted his horse and…

Are you interested in reading about a knight, a tower, a princess, and a servant? Pick up your own copy of Escape and Endurance! Haven’t read the other books in the Tales of Taelis series? Don’t worry. Each book can stand alone. 🙂

About Sarah:

Sarah Holman is a not-so-typical girl, a homeschool graduate, sister to six awesome siblings, and lives in the great state of Texas. If there’s anything adventuresome about her life, it’s because she serves a God with a destiny greater than anything she could have imagined. You can find out more about her at her website.

You can join the Adventurers (her newsletter) by going here: http://eepurl.com/bitBIf

Thanks for stopping by today, Sarah!

What was your favorite “choose-your-own-adventure” story as a child?

Out of North Korea: The Suspense Book That Taught Me Something

August 20, 2018 // Esther Filbrun 4 Comments

There are certain books you look forward to for quite a while before they finally come out. This book was one of them. And when I saw that a blog tour was being set up for it, I knew I wanted to be on it. So today, I’m pretty thrilled to share one of my more recent reads with you—and what a goodie! Completely different from what I expected, but sometimes those are the best ones, right?

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. Thank you for supporting this reader’s bookworm habits!

About This Book:

Author: Alana Terry
Genre: Christian Thriller/Suspense
Release date: June 25, 2018

A single photograph could cost his life…

Ian McAllister has searched the world over, hunting for that all-elusive perfect photograph.

He finds it on a tourist trip to North Korea when he stumbles upon a young street kid foraging for roots.

Unaware that this single act will brand him a spy and cost his freedom, Ian takes the shot.

Now he must pay the penalty.

A true-to-life novel about an American imprisoned behind North Korea’s closed borders.

A gripping tale of courage, faith, and hope from award-winning Christian novelist Alana Terry.

My Thoughts:

I was somewhat disappointed when I got into Out of North Korea—I was expecting a heart-racing read, and it turned out to be a slightly slower, more thoughtful book. Then, I fell in love with the story, and finished it fairly quickly after all.

Mrs. Terry wrote this book in first-person, present-tense. I’ve rarely ever seen a book from this perspective, and I know how difficult it can be to write like that. So I started off pretty impressed. I was also very impressed with how she kept the story moving at a good clip, while giving the main character time to reflect and make some pretty profound realizations.

One of my favorite parts of the book was when the main character began realizing there was more to life than the American dream of becoming rich and famous. I’ve rarely seen that in other books, but how it was displayed here was thought-provoking and very relatable. That isn’t the point of my life, either, I realized. I want to live for others—help them have happier, more fulfilling lives instead of just building up my own sandcastle that’ll one day fall apart.

I loved the humor in this story. It came through now and again—not so often that it was distracting, but just at the right moments to help liven up an otherwise sad situation.

I also loved the thought that God has His children all over the place. We may not recognize it, may not ever be able to see it, but He is working in our lives and the lives of those around us. That’s a beautiful thing. And seeing how He can bring the right people through at the right time is also encouraging.

Out of North Korea: More than a tale of how an American accidentally ended up behind bars because of one mistake. To me, this story had a lot deeper lessons. It showed me something about a country I don’t know much about. It showed me the power of prayer. It showed me how some of the things I focus on in life are actually a waste of time.

I hadn’t thought a book about a prisoner could do that. But it did.

Yes, this book didn’t strike me as being as much of a suspense novel as I thought it would be. But balanced out with all the different thoughts I’ve had since reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a different perspective on life, or wants an intriguing read about an American trapped in one of the world’s most closed countries.

I requested a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

About the Author:

Alana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.

Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Alana is giving away a grand prize of a $30 Amazon gift card!

Go here to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

Let’s discuss: Have you read a book lately that surprised you by being different than you thought it would be—and yet made you think a lot? What was it, and what did you learn?