Book Review: God's Smuggler

Hello friends, it's been a while, huh?

As always, my nose has been in many different books, but with taking a short break from our homeschooling schedule, I thought I'd come up for air and share about one of those books with you. If you follow us on IG (which you ought to), you probably saw my recent post about God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew. Now, you may already know that I have a pretty strong opinion about reading Christian Biographies (as stated in this post), and I still stand firm in making that a reading priority. Go read that post if you want to hear all my reasons, but mostly know that seeing God work in other people's lives will bring their reality into your own. It will strengthen your faith and give you tangible evidence of God working in all kinds of sticky or even perilous situations.

If you have been on the fence about spending time in this book, let me pull you down and encourage you to dive on in. It's not super long and it moves fairly quickly through various parts of his life, so you won't feel bored or tired as you discover all the gemstones he has to share.

Brother Andrew grew up in Holland and his family was very modest. He shares some of his childhood and about how he ends up in the military after WW2, fighting in Indonesia. Through many events, he ends up back home and eventually becomes a Christian. While he feels the need to be a gospel witness in the world, he ends up starting at home and God uses this to greatly impact people in his community and his own faith as well.

Through many other events, Andrew tells the story about how he eventually becomes a smuggler of bibles in Eastern Europe, behind the Iron Curtain. I don't think I've ever read someone's personal testimony of life in these countries during this time (1950's and on). Over and over, Andrew shares how God used prayer and faith-filled action to provide for him, his family, and his brothers living in these communist, closed countries. In my copy, Andrew answers some questions in the back and I just LOVE hearing his responses.

When asked if Andrew knew what his next step of ministry would be, his answer brought such comfort and courage to my soul. He said that he never intended to start a ministry. He simply went on a trip that presented itself, saw a need, and asked God to help him fill it. He had no plan, no vision, and no thought about a worldwide organization. This is so different from how many people embark on missions or goals today, and it helps me to see that God is not looking for someone with a grand plan. He is looking for faithful obedience.

All throughout the book, I saw Andrew took steps in faith before he had answers. He never seemed totally reckless, but fully aimed to entrust himself to God's ability. I know if you read this book, your soul will be encouraged to take the same sort of steps. No matter if the impact seems big or small, your faithful steps bring the reality of God into the lives of people around you, and Andrew's life is evidence that it will always be worthwhile.

I'd love to hear your experience with this book! Comment and let us know what you thought, and if you want to chat more about it, we'd love to connect with you. Feel free to message, comment, or email us. Happy reading!

Creative You - Book Review

Time for another book review! 

Creative You by David B. Goldstein & Otto Kroeger

This post does contain affiliate links.

Joellen here :) Now, I have been told for much of my life that I am creative, so a bunch of what is in this book I totally agreed with and was able to just read it and breeze right along. If you wish you were creative and feel like you have no idea what that would look like for you, I recommend this book EVEN MORE!

You might already know, I can be a little obsessive when it comes to figuring out personality types. I discovered this book while I was reading another book about personality called Reading People by Anne Bogel. Ha! Being already into so many creative endeavors, I felt like this book would help me gain some more clarity regarding my strengths, weaknesses, and struggles. And boy, was I right!

Creative You is a book about how your personality affects your work and your pursuits. But the authors don't just talk about specifically artistic careers. Being creative can happen in the most standard, cookie-cutter type of jobs. We all need to think creatively to organize our time and tasks. Engineers have to be creative when navigating a new project or dealing with a group of employees. Moms have to be creative with their use of time, their meal-planning, and scheduling tasks that affect the rest of the household. The book has far better examples than I can give off the top of my head right now, but every job has areas where creativity is required in order to perform well. And learning how to harness the natural creativity that comes naturally to you and your personality type will help you make the most of it.

This book looks like an intimidating read based on its size, but there are actually lots of parts you can skip (and the authors even tell you that!). There are some descriptions about the Meyers-Briggs personality assessment, plus descriptions of the different personality types as well as each of the 8 labels that are used to create the personality type you get "assigned." It was all super fascinating!

I read most of the general information about the different personalities, but when things got specific I skimmed quite a bit and focused on my own (ENFJ). Actually, reading through the descriptions really confirmed my type and when it came to the actual work-related stuff, my jaw was on the floor!

The book goes through many types of creative endeavors and then lists out how personality shapes how we work within those realms, like with cooking, gardening, writing, sculpting or painting. I found this section truly enlightening! It helped reveal to me what kinds of artwork I like to paint and how, and what type of writing I enjoy and don't. It confirmed my suspicions that I like to paint from a picture or scene, rather than from my own imagination. It also told me that I like to paint more abstract instead of realistically (which I only recently had discovered). The book also confirmed in my mind that I will likely never write a factual, detailed, historical account of anything without a partner doing most of the nitty-gritty research work, which I was extremely relieved about. Not that I am planning to write anything like that anytime soon.

Even if your job or career or personal endeavors don't appear creative on the outside, this book will be really helpful to see how using the strengths of your personality have creative uses within any job and within all your relationships.

If you are into personality at all and want to get some really practical input regarding how to leverage it in your work or life, this book is for you! As far as business and productivity types of books, I would put it right up next to The Accidental Creative.

I really can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It fed all of my loves: personality, creativity, productivity, personal growth, and more. Grab a copy and let me know what you think!

Something About Joellen

Me, in my reading glasses :)

*This post does contain affiliate links

Who Am I?

My name is Joellen. It sounds like Jo-Ellen, in case you were wondering. If that is too hard to remember, Jo is always fine (as long as you NEVER spell it with an E).

I am a wife, mom to 3 kiddos, and I am currently in the thick of homeschooling them. My top 5 Strengths are: Activator, Achiever, Competitor, Learner, and WOO. You can learn more about what all that is here! This was required reading for my Introductory freshman course at George Fox University (forEVER ago) but it is still impacting me today.

I am an Enneagram 3w4: basically I like to be the best, but also be unique, experience lots of feelings, but only show the ones that everyone will like me for. So fun, yes? Ha!


What Was Reading Like as a Child?

I don't remember a ton of reading when I was super little. I know my parents did devotions with us often, and in school there was still a dedicated read-aloud time with the librarian. My 5th grade teacher, Mr. Willet, loved reading out loud to our class! I know he read Where the Red Fern Grows, and possibly Huckleberry Finn, but he certainly grew my love of learning and thinking and experiencing a story.

In grade school, The Babysitter's Club was my go-to, along with The American Girl series. My older sister read lots of challenging books (and still does), and I always wished I could be as smart and as well-read as her. Actually, I still do, so I always feel amazing when I read a fantastic book she has not, and we have a great time passing books back and forth.

I read a bunch of random books in high school that might have freaked my parents out. Books about people releasing plagues and anthrax, books that seemed too serious for a 17yr old girl, and in particular, a book called Satan's Underground, about a girl caught up in a satanic cult and how she gets saved.  My mom read a ton of Stephen King's books, so maybe that's why she didn't seem too concerned. I certainly don't shy away from books with disturbing things in them, but I'm grown up enough now to at least explain fairly well why I am interested in them!

I was planning on majoring in Writing and Literature in college, but ended up dropping out. Surprisingly, I've learned more about story, literature, books in general, and pretty much all other subjects since homeschooling. Go figure.


Reading Slumps or Spurts and How I Get Un-Slumped

First off, I am pretty much always reading WAY too many books at once. When I am in too many books that I am not super in-love with, that's when I tend to get into a slump. Over the years, I've tried to vary the genre of books I am reading, and that seems to keep major slumps at bay.

A couple years ago, I decided I wanted to be more intentional and stop reading 95% non-fiction, so I set a goal to read 8 classics, 8 biographies, and 8 non-fiction that year. Well, I almost hit those goals, and while I still ended up reading a bunch of extra non-fiction, it really helped me become more interested in other genres and stories I hadn't encountered before.

I also like to pick up Juvenile books that friends recommend. Since they are usually quick, simple, and aim at teaching younger people about life, they are generally not too depressing or controversial. When I am in a slump, I'll often pick one up over the weekend. When I am finished, I feel so good about reading a whole book that I end up finding the desire to finish off one or two that I've been having trouble turning pages in.


Favorite Types of Books

Normally, I would say it was non-fiction, but I've begun to really love historical fiction and biographies. I love hearing about a person's life but in the form of story and not just details, timelines, and explanations. Becoming Mrs. Lewis was one I loved, and A Light in the Wilderness was eye opening and inspirational.

I also LOVE books about personality! I'm a huge Enneagram nerd, and I've been digging into the Meyers-Briggs stuff too. The Road Back to You is a great Enneagram intro and Reading People by Anne Bogel will give you lots of ideas regarding different personality assessments and which one might be helpful for you.


Currently Reading

First of all, TOO many books. Here are just a few...

Creative You by David B. Goldstein and Otto Kroeger
The King's Shadow by Elizabeth Alder (out loud with the kids)
You Are the Girl for the Job by Jess Connolly
When People are Big and God is Small by Edward T. Welch
How to Read Literature like a College Professor by Thomas C. Foster
The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


We have some fun announcements coming up and a few book reviews too! Be sure to follow us on Instagram and like our Facebook page to stay in the loop.

Something About Dar

Mouth wide open, as usual1

*This post contains affiliate links

Who Am I?

My name is Darlene, but my friends call me Dar. Growing cup, I though Darlene was an old person's name, and I was right. I'm beginning to fit that description as the years go by. Although, my oldest son said to me today, "You don't look like 45! What does 45 look like anyway?" I replied with a simple, "Um, this, I guess!"

I am a wife of 1, mom of 4, Lola (grandma) of 3 with one on the way. My top 5 strengths according to Clifton Strengths are: Positivity, Belief, Arranger, Harmony, Futuristic. I am learning more about myself every day.

I am an Enneagram 9: I love peace, naps, and sleeping. I don't like being pressured to make decisions.


What Was Reading Like as a Child?

I grew up in a small logging town in Oregon. 3 months after my 4th birthday, I watched the school across the street from my house burn down. I was devastated. I thought I would be dumb forever. I had spend the better part of my life longing to go to school with the big kids and learn how to read.

So, you know what I did? I taught myself how to read! Booyah!!!! I don't need schooling! Turns out, I still went to school in the fall, but I didn't know that was going to happen. My love for reading grew as I learned what a library is! 

Around the age of 7 or so I was allowed to walk to the public library all by myself. (Remember, this was the early 80's and such a small town that when I did something bad my mom knew about it before I even got back home.) I can still remember the smell of the library and how I loved looking through the card catalog. I have a dream to have my very own card catalog cabinet. I'm not sure what I'd put in it, but I'd just love it!

Reading Slumps or Spurts and How I Get Un-Slumped

I think we all go through times where we have have slumps and spurts in any area of our lives. Surprisingly, when my oldest was a newborn that was a time when I could read a lot. I'd read while he napped, I'd read when I'd nurse him, I'd read my books out loud to him. As time went on, I'd read more to him and my own reading was overshadowed by the books I'd check out for him each week. As my family grew to 4 kids, I'd read tons of book aloud to them that also interested me. I was more tired in those years so I read really easy things for myself. Pretty sure I read the entire Kay Scarpetta series during that time!

Nowadays, I can just be so tired that I fill up my "free" time by watching tv shows in the evening. However, I found that when I take time to read, even if it's less than 10 minutes at a time I feel much happier. 

I get un-slumped by just doing it. Like many things in life there isn't a magic spell to make it all better. I have to put in the effort first, then the benefits come. 

This is my self-care, a not-so-small way for me to take care of my heart, soul, and mind.

Favorite Types of Books

I'm pretty varied in the types of books I've read over the years. In the last few years I've read a lot of personal development, brainy neuroscience, parenting, Bible study, leadership type of books. While I love fiction a lot, I somehow forgot how to look for those type of books. I'm jumping back on that bandwagon now.

As a kid, I loved biographies and stories of people coming west. One time I told my dad, "When I grow up I want to be a pioneer and go West. He heartily laughed then took me to look at the Pacific Ocean that's only about 30 minutes from where I grew up. He said, "Here's the Wild West, honey. Don't turn your back on it. It's sneaky and can carry you to the sea." We'd sometimes venture into the ocean, on a boat, looking for whales. That's as far as I would go. 

I digress...or do I? I love memoirs. I am incredibly interested in people's stories of overcoming. I want to ask questions that are too probing and inappropriate, but I don't.

What I'm Currently Reading

All the Impossible Things by Lindsay Lackey

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

Confessions of an Adoptive Parent by Mike Berry

Be The Bridge by Latasha Morrison

Come back soon for Joellen's intro and some great book reviews! We have so many fun plans for all of you! 

A Subtle Glow.

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore - A medically disturbing story worth ALL of your attention. *This post does contain affiliate links.

I owe my friend Chelsi a great deal. After all, she introduced me to my husband! Over the last 17 years that I've been friends with her, she has also recommended some pretty stellar books. A while back, she said she was listening to a fascinating story about a group of women who were hired to paint dials for watches and airplanes with paint containing radium. Chelsi was pretty brief, explaining that these women didn't know why their teeth were falling out or why they were getting sick, but that was pretty much all I knew.

Fast-forward to this Fall, I saw that a friend's daughter was involved in a play about these Radium Girls. I decided to finally go and pick up the book and quickly became obsessed! The story really is fascinating, but maybe not in the way you would suspect.

This book is longer - 400+ pages. It's got a lot of medical and scientific information, but you don't have to understand most of it to follow the story. And if you have trouble keeping people straight, that's really okay too - you'll still be able to follow fairly well. If you have trouble reading about pus, teeth falling out, bones protruding from skin, or hemorrhaging, you might want to pass on this book. While those things do come up often, they aren't the crux of the book, so I suggest you at least take a look if you think you can handle it or skim over some of it without trouble.

In all honesty, I don't think the writing itself is spectacularly engaging, but the story really is! These women were told lie after lie after lie. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. But with all the debates about medical laws, forced vaccination, and the recalling of so many "safe" drugs lately, this story is super important to understand.

Here's the gist of it.

This book follows the lives of a few groups of women, all of whom worked in a dial-painting factory at some point. They are in a couple specific places and work for various amounts of time. As more and more of them become ill, they band together to try and fight for the help they need in their expenses and facilitating better safety regulations for industrial workers. They also end up working toward making sure that medical information is available and not hidden, no matter what terrible results that research reveals.

These women were courageous. I cannot imagine enduring the suffering that so many of them had no choice but to live under, especially without access to the medical information we now have. When I put myself in their shoes, I wonder how I would have reacted to being diagnosed, poked and prodded, and led astray the way they were. Many of these women died without ever knowing the truth about how or why they got sick, and my heart aches for them and their families.

Over the course of the book, they are involved in several litigations; some successful and some not. In the end, it's shocking what these companies get away with or at least try to get away with. And it's appalling how long this information was hidden. You'll also get to hear about the long-term affects that radium had on the community, which is crazy, fascinating, and scary.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in medicine, disease, or the legalities surrounding worker's compensation and the discoveries of harmful chemicals/elements. You will definitely be shocked by what people said was safe! Despite the writing not being flowery or fancy, the story was truly compelling and I had trouble putting the book down - I just needed to know what would happen.

I haven't read any other books like this (though I have had a couple more recommended to me), so I can't really compare it to anything very fairly. Maybe you can tell me! Have you read The Radium Girls? Does it remind you of other books you have read?

If you like The Radium Girls, Chelsi also recommends The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Pandemic: Tracking Contagions from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond. My mom and older sister have read that first one and have the same type of comments about the fascinating and scary vibe of the book. Give them a shot and tell me what you think!

Come visit here again next week as we dive into some "Get to Know You" posts. We hope this review helps guide your decisions of what to read and helps you glean the most you can from you time spent in your books!

What Are We Doing?

Welcome to our blog! (We do post affiliate links here, just in case you were curious.)

Dar and I have been friends for quite a while now, and both of us have been through our fair share of ups and downs, embarked on many individual endeavors, and moved more times than we care to remember. We've always wanted to do something together, but we never really knew exactly what we wanted to pursue or what it would look like.

 

Through a random set of circumstances (which is often how these things seem to go), we decided to read a book together and talk about it with friends online. Then our brains just couldn't help themselves, and the ideas began pouring out, often ten or more at a time! It all has led to this. The Paper Gem Society.

So who are we? Just two regular ladies who love books, enjoy art, and feel most alive when we are talking about all the beautiful things we are learning about in life.

What are we doing here? We are going to share with you the gems we find in books, and the books we discover to be gems! This will be through posting here on on our blog, sharing through our Instagram, engaging in live discussion on our Facebook page, and eventually putting out a podcast too.

When will all this happen? It's already started! Just barely :)

Our first live book discussion is November 10th and we'll be talking about a book we've recently read: Friendish by Kelly Needham. It's all about having the right perspective on friendship and how we can work towards having thriving relationships with the women in our lives. There's still time to get your copy and join us! Here is the link to purchase on amazon, and here is the link to join us on Facebook.

We hope that through all of our sharing and discussing, you can see the gems hiding out not only in your books, but in your life as well. God places little jewels in our lives for us to pick up, enjoy, and help give us the courage and desire to keep pushing past the difficult circumstances we are all bound to encounter.

We hope The Paper Gem Society can be one avenue that brings light and beauty into whatever circumstances you are in, through whatever book you are reading, and through the things we are gleaning and sharing with you. May it be a place of peace, enrichment, and love!

Happy to be here ~ Joellen