The Believer's Guide to Legal Issues

I rode with Doogie to my mom's on Christmas morning, and when we got to a stop sign, he picked up his cell phone to look at a text. After reading it, he said, "Crap! I lost the game!" With that enigmatic phrase, he went right back to driving. As a good mom, I, of course, demanded details. Apparently there is a game called The Game. The rules are incredibly easy, and you don't need to purchase any equipment. You can decide to play The Game at any time, but the kicker is this: any time that you remember that you are actually playing The Game, you lose. So the key is to forget all about it. You can make your friends lose by reminding them; Doogie received a text message saying "You've lost The Game" and because it reminded him he was playing, he did. Doogie says he actually loses several times a day. While reading the announcements over the PA at school one day, he revealed that he had recently lost The Game, which sparked an interest among the other students, and it has swept the high school. For more information about it, just type in "I lost the game" on Google, or go here.

The Believer's Guide to Legal Issues by Stephen Bloom is an invaluable resource for all Christians. Several years ago Bloom felt called by the Lord to open his own law practice and operate it according to Christian tenets. After praying about the decision and reading Scripture, Bloom followed the Lord's call and has since learned a great deal about what it means to follow God in every area of the law. He has taken that wisdom and compiled it in this short, easy to read guide. I was a bit worried about the readability, but it is not at all dry or dull. Each chapter begins with two fictional anecdotes. The first focuses on the mistakes people make about the law and the repercussions that can occur. The second uses Bloom's advice and demonstrates how living your Christian beliefs can bring about not only peace of mind, but peace in legal matters as well. Bloom follows the anecdotes up with several Scriptures supporting his arguments, then gives a brief discussion about why it's important to turn to the Bible for these answers and how we can implement them. From Divorce to Business Ethics to Taxes, Bloom covers all of the major issues that people face in the law. I learned a lot about buying a house, something my husband and I definitely have on our goals for the next five years, as well as about living wills, another item on our must do list. The Business Ethics chapter is a must read for not just business owners but for any employee. Bloom encourages Christian mediation rather than litigation, especially between fellow Christians. This book should be on the bookshelf of every church as an essential resource.

I can't believe there is a full week before the kids go back to school! Mia is going to go completely nuts by then. She loves school so much, and it keeps her mind and body far more active than she can be here at home. It's going to be a long seven days!