Skip to main content

What I'm Reading: 101 Cups of Water

C.D. Baker's latest book, 101 Cups of Water begins, I can't live the Christian life. Don't tell anyone, but I've tried and tried and I can't. I haven't loved God with all my heart, soul, and mind, and I certainly haven't loved my neighbors as myself. That simple admission was all I needed to keep reading through these brief essays about faith and spirit.

As I combed through the book, I was relieved to know that someone else feels the same frustrations with limitations (A Cup of Reality) and shame at bouts with depression (A Cup of Health). The writing is refreshingly honest, like when he admits that Jesus sometimes bores him (A Cup of Excitement). This is my brand of Christianity--the place where we can be honest with ourselves, with each other, and with God about who we are and the workings of our souls. After all, the One who created us knows us better than we know ourselves.

Then there are the pictures! Each essay has an accompanying picture that relates somehow to water. Think cups. And more cups. There are some stunning photographs of ice on plants and shells. They are all absolutely beautiful, and I wish the photographer was credited somewhere in the book. (I can only assume it was the author.)

I am in love with this book right now. It feels like having a girlfriend by my side nodding her head as I carry on with my woes about my own inadequacies and insecurities. We know each other. We understand each other. We accept each other. Ahh.

P.S. The publisher has given me 2 books to give away. If you would like one, send me an email at frabjouspoet@yahoo.com with your address, and I'll get it shipped out.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hello,

We are researchers at the University of Texas and University at Buffalo working to better understand people's blogging behavior, and you are an ideal candidate to help. We would like very much to hear from you, and would greatly appreciate your time and willingness to respond.

Without your help, this kind of research would be impossible.

Please take a few minutes to read and answer the questionnaire on our research Web site: http://omega.uta.edu/~cyjang/blogsurvey/. It should take about 10 minutes of your time, and your answers will be very valuable.

Your identity will be protected because responses will be coded to provide anonymity; No personal names will be used. Of course, this is voluntary- by completing the survey you give your consent to participate. If you have any questions about the study or the questionnaire, please do not hesitate contacting us at your convenience. In the near future, we will be happy to share our results with you.

Thank you.

Chyng-Yang Jang & Michael Stefanone
------------------------------------------------
Chyng-Yang Jang
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication
University of Texas at Arlington
P.O. Box 19107
Arlington, Tx 76019, USA
cyjang AT uta DOT edu
(+1) 817-272-4142

Michael Stefanone
Assistant Professor
Department of Communication
The State University of New York at Buffalo
359 Baldy Hall
Buffalo, New York 14260
ms297 AT buffalo DOT edu
+1 716-645-2141

Popular posts from this blog

Tough As Nails

I found "The Chub" last night. This is a small, thick spiral notebook that I had carried around with me for several weeks last winter and spring. Its sole purpose was to be an immediate reservoir for any brilliant ideas I had during the day. The only thing I ever wrote in there (besides grocery lists and bill schedules) was during my family's reunion-birthday-anniversary cruise last January. My words were interesting, and I clearly remembered writing them on the little boat that took my aunt, sister, and cousin to go snorkeling in the Bahamas. The funny part was that I wrote about how the breeze was making the weariness "seep from my bones". I read it yesterday while I was home from work. That is, after I was sent home for nearly fainting during a class. Apparently, the look of my skin was so bad that my students thought I was pulling a Halloween prank. While driving myself home, I was thinking about the recent events that led me to the afternoon and how embarra

The Transformation Begins

Do you ever feel like your life is a movie? I hope so because I certainly do, complete with an occasional out-of-body experience and a soundtrack. Right now, I hear Journey in the background and see myself out running each morning, conquering the evil vacuum cleaner, and throwing away my old flannel shirt. The last few days were interesting. My husband and I had few good fights...and lots of laughs. I can't help but think they were related. I know they are. The fights were about establishing boundaries. We finished our budget for June and updated our to do list. At the end of the day, he was completed something he had to have done, and I was working on final edits for my book. I'm really proud of us. We looked at our situation together, set some goals, and we reached them. I'm really proud of him, too. He's the kind of man who doesn't stop until he's completed what he had in mind. I love that tenacity. I guess that's what makes us a good match. I see the big

Frustrated Readers Make Great Fans

I haven’t felt this betrayed by a story line since Neo learned that not only was he not the first person to challenge the Matrix, but he was part of the plan all along. Even though I was sorely disappointed in what appeared to be a cop-out story line, I can understand the logic in that disappointing plot twist. I can’t say the same for Stephenie Meyer’s conclusion to her wildly popular “Twilight” series. Look, I’ve read each of the first three books at least twice, and my grad school entrance paper was a character analysis of Edward Cullen. I loved these books. I read “New Moon” and “Eclipse” in a single day. I’ve been discussing the plot lines and characters with my students for the last two years. It was a long wait for this final book. And a huge part of me wishes I was still waiting. It was that much of a letdown. I’m still debating just how to tiptoe through my inevitable conversations with students about this part of the “Twilight” saga. My students were embarrassed enough by th