2013 goals revisited & 2014 goals?

Last year, where did it go? It hardly seems real that this time last year we were still in California. It seems a million years ago already. My goals for last year were fairly simple: 

Survive move #5 (and 6)
Read 60 books
Keep a gratitude journal
Quilt

I think I can check each of those things off the list as successfully, at least in part, completed. We made it to North Dakota and moved twice last year. I read more than my 60 books. I did fairly well with my gratitude journal (although there is admittedly room for improvement). And although I didn't complete a quilt, I did finish several quilting projects during the fall.

I'm entering this year with a bit more trepidation. I'm the type of person who once a goal is set, a list made out I really have a very difficult time until it's checked off, completed, done. And with baby on the way I'm scared too pile too much on my year goals list.

So here are my goals for our first year with baby:

• Read. Read at least an average of two books a month. More is great, but that's my minimum.

• Scripture memorization. I included a link a few posts back to Ann Voskamp's 2014 scripture memory project. One verse from the book of John each week. I can do that. I will do that.

• Continue my gratitude journaling. It doesn't have to be perfect, it has to be attempted.

• Quilt. Mainly baby projects this year. I still really want to do that quilt for my Momma. It's my top priority after the baby items are made and my life settles into it's new routine.

• Exercise! I don't have a weight goal (although J informed me he does this year). But I want to keep active and feel good and get back to my pre-baby self in good time.

• And I think that surviving birth, a newborn and our grand entrance into parenthood goes without saying as this year's top goal! Maybe not surviving, but embracing a major life change and thriving together as a family. I like that better.

Happy 2014! (Thankfully after moving twice last year I already feel pretty organized, so there is no sorting, pitching, cleaning and major organizing projects on the horizon at this house this year!)

Why Faith Matters

Why Faith Matters

"Judging by today's bestseller lists, one would think that religion is either irrational or extreme. What's missing is a genuine debate between the atheists and fanatics; someone to point out that religion has value in the modern world. Why Faith Matters is an articulate defense of religion in America. It makes the case for faith and shows its relationship to history and science."

Some parts of this book I loved. Some parts made me uncomfortable. There is a real lack of extremism in this book, and a lot of generalities. Not bad things in and of themselves.

Whilst reading I was applying his teachings to Christianity, but the author points out that really, you could apply his work to any of the major monotheistic religions; Judaism, even Muslim. So this isn't a book making the case for Christianity, but literally faith, whatever that faith may be. Hence some of my discomfort. Or maybe discomfort isn't the right word, maybe caution is a better word.

What I loved was his frank use of theology and science and history to help make the case for faith. He states several times that faith and the rest of modern education don't need to clash and fight against one another, but that they can and do work together to strengthen each other. I saw things and thought about them in entirely new ways.

One of the best parts of this book is his discussion of what do bad things happen to good people. It's such a hard topic. And one that I find myself totally tongue tied about when trying to talk to a non-believer, even myself sometimes. His discussion about it is brilliant.

It's a short book, and not hard to read, but it needs to be read slowly.

here are some quotes that jumped off the page at me...

xiii  "Life is such a remarkable surprise, why should death be less of a surprise?"

 

xv  "As with all meetings of the spirit there was not one who gave and one who took; there were two who stood with each other and before God, and even in their sadness, felt blessed."

 

Pg. 10  "'Doubt,' as the theologian Paul Tillich wrote, 'isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.'"

 

Pg. 12  "Acceptance of mystery is an act not of resignation but humility."

 

Pg. 15  "To believe only in what u can see seems a peculiar form of blindness."

 

Pg. 67  "Nature, even human nature, abhors a vacuum; when our need for meaning is wrenched from its religious roots, people repeatedly turn to creeds that draw devotees by the power of their conviction."

 

Pg. 85  "my real difficulty is with the notion that science is 'the only begetter of truth,' as biologist Richard Lewontin once expressed it. That is both an inflated view of science and an impoverished view of truth."

 

Pg. 92  "as maturity in an individual consists in recognizing his own limitation, so maturity in a thinker is often marked by admitting certain features of the world cannot be understood."

 

Pg. 111  "Suddenly it became clear to me that we bring light into this world not as a source but as a prism- it comes through us. As electricity requires a conduit, so spirit moves through human beings to touch others in crucial moments."

 

Pg. 111  "Indifference distances us from God."

 

Pg. 131  "'You see,' he explained, 'from sixteen to thirty-five I was always drunk and felt no pain. Since I was never in pain, I never grew.'"

 

Pg. 151  "Imagination does better with pain that with bliss. Dante's Inferno has always seemed to me a more successful poem than his Paradiso because pleasure is so fleeting and hard to grasp but pain is concrete and easy to imagine. So the torments that religion describes are horrible and easy to project. The rewards seem ephemeral and often silly."

 

Pg. 188  "The key to coexistence is not sameness but recognition of something greater than all of us."

 

Pg. 191  "'Frantic orthodoxy is never rooted in faith but in doubt. it is when we are not sure that we are doubly sure.'"

A Voice in the Wind

A Voice in the Wind is the second book I've read by author Francine Rivers. In short the book is about: "Torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, a young slave girl clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of decadent Rome."

So when I started the book, it wasn't at all what I was expecting! No love story, no slave girl to be found. It's all about the Romans taking over Jerusalem and the exiles that creates (and where we eventually find the girl to become a slave). It also follows barbaric Germanic tribes fighting the Romans. It's a very violent, bloody start. And the stories are disconnected. Not my cup of tea! But I kept reading because I was intrigued and because it was well written.

Eventually the bloody beginning comes together in Rome, story lines converge, and things start making sense and getting very interesting. It was hard to put the book down.

The "love story" isn't a huge part of the book though. It's an undercurrent until the very end when it becomes a major issue. It's kind of corny, rich man falls for the "help" and every girls dream of him pursuing her at any cost. Blah, blah, but important to the story line and tastefully downplayed.

And of course this book just leaves you hanging at the end and wondering and going, "WHAT?!" "REALLY?!"

I really liked it and I can't wait to get the second book from the library (someone else has it on hold!!)

Book Review: The Girl's Still Got It

 

The Girl's Still Got It  This was the first time I'd read this author. She reminds me of Beth Moore, but maybe because I've never heard her speak I had a harder time connecting with her and her writing style. A little too hokey and chick lit for me. But that's what I thought they first time I read Beth, I thought she was over the top and a poor writer. Then I heard her and it all changed. She just writes exactly like she talks.

That said I did enjoy the book. I loved how she structured the story. She quotes the book of Ruth from many different versions of the Bible and creates a narrative/summary to go along with the quotes in her own words. Imagine combining the message translation with the King James and that's this book. It was almost like reading a Christian novel based on the Bible, al la Francine Rivers. It made a familiar story come alive in a new way and made it memorable.

I can't speak to the discussion questions or Bible study portions. I just read the book for it's own sake.
The message and themes were nothing new or earth shaking, but good reminders.

 

 

Blogs other than my own

Since I manage my own blog I have a place where I can follow and read others blogs and didn't have to worry about Google Reader going away this month. However there were lots of other bloggers posting about how to transfer your online reading material to other various host sites during June.

Intrigued, I investigated a site called bloglovin.com. Not only could you simply transfer over old blogs you followed, you can organize (you know how I love adore organizing) them into custom lists, mark posts as favorites for easy recall, and use their search tool to find new blogs in areas of interest to you. Then once you are signed up and organized, you get a daily email with the latest posts of each blog you follow. It's a great email to pull up when you're sitting in the TMO office waiting for a brief they are 15 minutes late starting...

I've been following an assortment of blogs for several years. But I've also recently found a few new ones. Since I started using Bloglovin I have organized the blogs I follow into categories:

Faith

Fireside

Food

Friends

Fun

 

I did not set out to intentionally use the letter F to head each category. But Once I had food, friends and faith I felt compelled to figure out how to appropriately name the remaining categories with the same letter. I think I got a glimpse into the world of The Duggars and why they were insane enough to name 19 children with the same letter, although in their case it was a J.

 

I'm in a sharing mood, so for a few days I'm going to share some of the blogs within those categories.

 

Faith. This name is pretty self explanatory. My favorite is A Holy Experience.com Recently:

 

"Isn’t that what we all long for? Not absence of troubles, but peace in the midst of them.

Ruth Ann shared the whole truth, just like our woman in Capernaum: “I realized that God was in control, not me. God was and is with me.”

There it is. The big aha. The two things you need to know in life:

God is in control. God is with you.

Peace."

And,

 

"About the time these last words came out of my mouth, I began to realize how much of a self-righteous jerk I was being.

Unfortunately this is not uncommon for me—I can be oppressively opinionated and uppity. By God’s grace, however, I am learning to recognize it better and quicker.

I’m so grateful for growing conviction, the evidence that God is still at work in my life.

A part of my problem is that sometimes I care about the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Sometimes I care about fairness instead of generosity.

Sometimes I care about someone else’s theological accuracy when quiet listening would be better."

 

A new blog that I've started to follow is Rachel Held Evans Recently:

"In short, we like to gang up. We like to fashion weapons out of the verses that affect us the least and then 'clobber' the minority with them. Or better yet, conjure up some saccharine language about speaking the truth in love before breaking out our spec-removing tweezers to help get our minds off of these uncomfortable logs in our own eyes."

 ...

"And when we make separate categories for the 'real sinners,' when we reduce our fellow human beings to theological issues up for constant debate who cannot even be told they are loved without qualifiers, when our hermeneutic conveniently renders others the problem and us the heroes, maybe it’s time to sit across a table and get to know one another a little better, to break up some categories and make some new friends. Maybe it’s time to drop our stones for a while and pass the bread …healthy, whole grain, organic bread, of course."

 

 

There are books associated with both of these blogs, you're shocked I know.

 

I wrote briefly about this after I read it in December 2012

This is on my 'to read' list

As is this

 

 

 

 

Mere Christianity

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is my second C.S. Lewis book this year. As much as I loved The Screwtape Letters, I loved this one more.

I’ve read so many really good books this year, and I know I keep saying this book or that book is competing for top spot, but again, this one belongs quite close to the top of my 2013 ‘best books read’ list.  

I want to quickly say that if you feel that C.S. Lewis in the non-fiction world, the world outside of Narnia, is intimidating and/or boring, please reconsider. I find him to be neither. In fact there were parts of this book that made me laugh right out loud. And he writes humbly and frankly.

The task of writing any kind of book review about Lewis, on any of his books, even informally seems to me almost ludicrous. What on earth could I, little I, have to say about this great book? It was profoundly simple. He talks of things I’ve heard since I was a child, but in a way that makes me hear it, really hear it, seemingly for the first time. He takes small parts of Christianity, parts you probably now overlook if you’ve been around it a long while and make them strong and important. He takes other parts of Christianity, parts that to me have always seemed big and confusing and vast and beyond understanding and makes them approachable, graspable, more clear.

He is very frank. He calls black, black and white, white and makes nary an apology. It is refreshing.

He often states in this small book that theology, theory, and other extraneous bits of Christianity while interesting and even important are not the core, not the things that truly and eternally matter. He says that if doing something a certain way, or thinking of it in a certain way makes sense to you, helps you by all means have at it. But do not stand in judgment of another who does not follow the same path as you in something non-essential. The real goal as a Christian is to get the essentials and then to love all the other people, no matter how they approach non-essentials.

I could go on and on and on …. I will not.

I am including the notes I made as I read, more for my own sake. I want to have them saved. But you’re welcome to them as well (though some will not make much sense to you unless you’ve read the book recently). They are mostly quotes that jumped off the page as I read.  Highly recommend this book! I will be buying it.

*Notes:  
Preface XVI about the hall, The entry way of Christianity, and the various rooms, the various churches and denominations, in the house  

Pg 24-5 The example using letters being delivered. (Because we get letters from the postman, we can assume the things he leaves other are also letters, though we have never seen them, and though they may be different than our own.)  

Pg 28-9 Going back is the quickest way forward when you're on the wrong road.  

Pg 31 "It is after you have realized there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power--it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk."  

Pg 32 "If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth..."  

Pg 46 "Enemy-occupied territory--that is what this world is.  ... When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going."  

Pg 47 "You make a thing voluntary and then half the people do not do it. That is not what you willed, but your will has made it possible." In reference to the story of the mother and her children tidying the school room. God and free will.  

Pg 49 "What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could 'be like gods' ...  And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."  

Pg 51 "He told people that their sins were forgiven, and never waited to consult all the other people whom their sins had undoubtedly injured." Forcing is to conclude that He was either God, the Devil or insane, but not just a great teacher.  

Pg 63 "A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself. In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin again after each stumble..."  

Pg 82-3 "When it tells you to feed the hungry it does not give you lessons in cookery. When it tells you to read the scriptures it does not give you lessons in ... English grammar." Talking about Christian morality being broadly applicable to all men at all times.

Pg 92 "...every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole ... all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature..."  

Pg 95 "A real desire to believe all the good you can of others and to make others as comfortable as you can will solve most of the problems."  

Pg 129 "Charity means 'Love, in the Christian sense'. But love, in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion. It is a state not of the feelings but of the will; that state of the will which we have naturally about ourselves, and must learn to have about other people."  

Pg 131 "The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did."

Pg 136-7 "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."  

Pg 140 "Now Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods."  

Pg 144 "Whenever you find any statement in Christian writings which you can make nothing of, do not worry. Leave it alone. There will come a day, perhaps years later, when you suddenly see what it meant."  

Pg 146 "All this trying leads up the vital moment at which you turn to God and say, 'You must do this. I can't.'"

Pg 147 "Not doing ... things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already."  

Pg 216 "For mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine."

A Severe Mercy

  This book quite literally left me speechless. It is … the best word really is penetrating. It is a love story, a coming of faith story, a grief story, an adventure story and a story about home. It is not difficult to read, but much of the content is difficult in so much as it is sometimes hard to keep pace with the author’s insights; his level of intellect.

This is a must read. I think of all my reading thus far in 2013 I’d say read this if you could only pick one.

Here are the quotes I singled out.

“Heaven itself, he thought, would be - must be - a coming home.” pg. 19

 

“There was a principal of courtesy ... We, in fact, defined courtesy as 'a cup of water in the night'.” pg. 39

 

“I suspected that all the yearnings for I knew not what that I had ever felt ... were in truth yearnings for Him.” pg. 94

 

“In the course of a discussion about the efficacy of prayer, he made the point that it was altogether healthier to find yourself being used as the answer to someone else's prayer.” pg. 110

 

“Rereading books, we said with immense agreement, was the mark of the real lover of books.” pg. 111

 

“What it is to be a Christian ... 'A condition of complete simplicity/(Costing not less than everything).'” pg. 167 *from TS Elliot

 

pg. 185 on experiencing the wholeness of a person after death. "As God in his eternal now sees the whole of history that was and is and will be."

 

“Then, if we complain of time and take such joy in the seemingly timeless moment, what does that suggest? It suggests that we have not always been or will not always be purely temporal creatures. It suggests that we were created for eternity.” pg. 203

 

“What it [heaven] will be is quite beyond anything we can imagine. And yet it will be home. Of that we may be sure.” pg. 204

Today

It has been a nearly perfect day. One of those sweet, quite ordinary, lovely days that springs unexpectedly up from nowhere.

I awoke the blue skies and sunshine.

We went to the gym, and upon walking outside I was surprised at just how warm it was, or at least felt! No coats needed. The sunroof open.

And then J helped me make a double batch of applesauce. Which is in the crockpot right now. Smelling like apple pie. And mingling with the scent of my meatloaf which also smells divine. And all of those kitchen smells are mingling with the scent of fresh laundry. Domestic bliss.

I think heaven will smell like this; like sunshine and warm breezes from the open windows, and delicious things baking in the kitchen, and clean laundry. Except for when heaven smells like Christmas, because it smells like that too.

Really, there’s nothing very remarkable about today. It’s Monday. Maybe it’s just all this sunshine and fresh air. But it really feels like today was made especially for me, for my uplifting and enjoyment. I know all days are made for me, but today I see it, hear it, smell it, taste it. Thank you Lord for the beautiful day that is today.

Still: Notes on A Mid-Faith Crisis

  Still by Lauren Winner is going up to with the best books I’ve read in 2013 so far. A good thing considering the book before this was simply wretched.

This is the second book I’ve read by Winner, the first being Girl Meets God (old review here). I liked this book better.
The book itself is quite short, with many short chapters, some less than an entire page. While it is an easy read, it is at the same time overflowing with complex ideas, theology, poetry, scripture, prayer and much thoughtful insight.

Why did I love it so much? Largely because I believe that anyone whose personal life has ever been impacted by faith will relate to this book. While I do not think I am, or have, experienced a faith crisis (big, heavy word there) I can relate to what Winner calls the spiritual middle. I believe everyone can.
Some other bits of this book that jumped right off of the pages of this book for me:

“...but the whole bookstore is a self-help section to me. When something needs to be fixed, when I need something to change, my first and abiding instinct is to read.” -pg. 23.  The middle (pictured above) -pg. 29  “Sloth: the sin of busyness. … I am too lazy to do what's important, or hard, so I stay busy with everything else.” -pgs. 104-05  “I am, however, beginning to learn that I am a small character in a story that is always fundamentally about God.” -pg. 194  I really couldn’t put this book down. I read it on the couch, in bed, in the car. Each page held something profound, yet it was all so readable and relatable. It was encouraging. This would be a good book to own, mark, highlight, takes notes in the margins. I highly recommend this book!

Idol Lies: Facing the Truth About Our Deepest Desires

  For a wonderful review from Ann Voskamp check out her blog here That is how I found this book. And I'm forever blessed that I did.

"Deep down, every woman longs for security, happiness, and love. Yet most women settle for weak substitutes like control, materialism, sex, and food. In Idol Lies, Dee Brestin explores the hidden idols that destroy a woman’s heart. Using biblical examples as well as her own personal experiences and those of other women, she helps readers move past their cravings to understand—and receive—what they’re really hungering for: an intimate, secure, life-changing intimacy with the True Lover of a woman’s soul."

When I bought Idol Lies my intention was to read it slowly, savour it and complete the bible study section in the back. I just couldn't do it, I could not read it that slowly! Although I marked up the book and started the study, I plan to go back and re-read it in order to finish the study.

So glad I bought this book, because it's a keeper, a re-reader, a mark up the pages and wear out the binding kind of book. It is really Excellent. I also think this book is universally applicable; guys check it out, this is not just a women's book. One of my top 3 books thus far in 2013.

Here are a few things I underlined as I read:

"we often have inordinate desires for God's good gifts, thus turning those gifts into little gods."
"Sin is not breaking rules but breaking God's heart."
"the response our Bridegroom wants is not dutiful and dry religion but adoration, communion and intimacy."

And that's just a small sampling of a few early chapters. A deep, true book that will resonate with your heart and soul. READ IT. Seriously, just go buy it right now and dig in. GO!

Another neat thing about this book are the many references to other books, authors and pastors throughout. If you guessed that my to read list grew, you'd be correct.

Maybe the neatest part of this book though, was that I even bought it. I was in the Christian book store in Vacaville before the move and thought I'd try and find something to do as a personal Bible study during our move. I spotted two books and wasn't sure which to chose. I read a bit from each ... and then God knew I needed this one. It was even the more expensive choice, and those who know me will tell you my tried and true way of breaking a shopping tie is to chose the cheaper. But God knew this was the book for me during this PCS. It practically screamed things to me as I read.

Thank you God!

1000 Gifts in March

Last year I read a book that changed my life. 1000 Gifts. Lately I've noticed that God is speaking. right. to. me. Instead of worrying, needing control, dwelling on the things I don't understand and don't like I'm being called to trust. I'm called into a loving and personal relationship with God where He is all.
I've been keeping a Joy Dare journal this year.
Remember those silly car games we played as kids on summer road trips before the invention of portable DVD players? I'm going to play the Joy Dare game as we travel this week. Here's what I'm going to be on the look out for.
Thanks to Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience for these lovely, free printables.

The ugly beautiful

I didn't realize it until the packers showed up... OK, maybe I realized it the day before when we were on the frantic side of organizing and packing and then sitting in the Emergency Room in preparation to move. I was in denial. I knew we were moving, but I wasn't prepared. I wasn't my usual super organized, ready, color-coded, list-checking, motivated self. I kept telling myself there was lots of time to think about and do things to get ready. I kept telling myself I was going to just relax and go with the flow instead of trying to be so anal. Instead the move just sort of descended upon us and I was so busy I felt like my head was spinning and in 5 places and I already have discovered things I forgot and didn't do and I'm wondering what on earth it's going to be like on the other end when we're finally unpacking this chaotic, last minute, unorganized, haphazard move...

Moving is always hard. It means change and upheaval and inconvenience. It brings painful goodbyes and too many unknowns and stress. But during previous moves there was something good and exciting waiting ahead. Sometimes it was the job, sometimes it was the location, sometimes it was both. I now realize that while the complaining about all our past moves was somewhat legitimate, it doesn't begin to compare to the feelings this time. All of the yucky moving stuff remains the same compounded by the fact that J is sort of dreading the job and we're both pretty apprehensive about the location. Add to that the fact that our housing situation is even more unknown and bleak looking than usual, and well... Actually I don't really know. This move just sucks even more than our previous 4. There, this sucks. And I really wish I would have realized how blessed we were to be headed to assignments we wanted and not complained nearly as much during previous moves.

All that said, I also know we're not the only people to ever be stationed somewhere we don't want to be. And J isn't the first military guy to be doing a job that he'd rather not be doing. And even amidst all these less than ideal circumstances and the always unpleasant conditions of moving, we are blessed. We are healthy. We are together. We do not want for anything. While we may not be at "home" surrounded by our things we've got a place to lay our heads and break our bread and safe cars to travel in and, thank heavens, an electric kettle and a vast supply of tea!

I've been praying for "grace to trust Him more". I've been praying that once we arrive a beautiful home will be waiting for us, and J will like his job, his colleagues, and will shine in his new assignment. I've been praying for faith; that He would increase my faith. I've just been praying a lot. And I'm trying to not jump ahead, and stress and wonder and play what-if. And I'm hoping so much that when we arrive at Grand Forks, we get blown away in a good way and settled in quickly.

 

But it still hurts. I know part of the bigger hurt of this move is that we had more time to put down roots at Travis. We had lots of good friends and a great church and a perfect home and we were just so darned comfortable and everything was familiar. And so it hurts to get those roots ripped up and transplanted and changed. I hate change. But God is always stretching us and growing us and change is a good thing, even when it hurts. And how blessed we have been to have been given so many things and people and places to love, to be sad about leaving.

So I'm not really going to chronicle the actual packing and loading and turning in the house keys. It's mundane. It's boring. But I do want to remember that even in the middle of this move, when it's hard and it hurts, that I have a peace. It's a small peace, fighting right now for more room amidst the heartache of saying goodbye, but it's there. And God is here in the middle of all this hurt and he's screaming "It's OK. I'm right here. I'm always right here. And you're learning the ugly, beautiful lesson that I'm enough without anything or anyone else, I AM." And I want to learn this lesson. But right now it hurts.

And we're off... And God, thank you for the little smiles along the way. The hot tea. The eBook that allowed me to finish the library book I had to return before I was done. The robin outside this morning. That pink, purple, orange sunset with a friend. Mr. Bear. A fuzzy blanket. The still familiar smile and hug of my husband. You.

The Screwtape Letters

 The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis  This was my first C.S. Lewis book outside of The Chronicles of Narnia. It was amazing. A simple and easy read, yet every few lines you stumbled upon a piece of information so huge you had to stop and read it again several times. I’ve been learning this past year that hearing something familiar in a new or different way can sometimes make all the difference in the world. That is what this book does from cover to cover; talk about the same old “Christian” things from a completely twisted perspective so that it catches your attention and it becomes like hearing it for the first time. Although deep, it is a short read. Not overwhelming in one sense, and terribly so in others. I will be buying this so I can highlight and make notes and re-read. my best book of 2013 thus far. And a great way to start C.S. Lewis nonfiction. This book has inspired and motivated me to read much more of this author now.

I'm still doing the Joy Dare!

Joy Dare Day 15: A gift gold, scented and bent low

1. I'm not a fan of gold. However I do have a Christmas table cloth with some gold woven into the shiny red and green plaid that I put out today.

2. It was dark and rainy today. So I burned lots of candles. My Christmas Wreath Yankee Candle filled the house with Christmas tree scent!

3. J bending down under the tree to arrange Christmas presents :)

Joy Dare Day 16: Three gifts Bethlehem-unlikely

1. J helping me decorate Christmas cut out cookies :)

2. A cold wet day with nowhere to be but cozy at home. And J here to share it.

3. Jesus loves me, this I know

Joy Dare Day 17: Three gifts frosted
1. The ice that makes itself in my freezer
2. Window panes in pretty store displays (In CA. the frost has to be painted on...)
3. Songs about snow

Joy Dare Day 18: 3 gifts miraculous
1. A doctors appointment that was timely
2. A trip to the library where I had nothing to pick up...?!
3. Gas being only $3.25!

Joy Dare Day 19: 3 gifts manger small
1. Tea bag
2. Quilting needle
3. Bandaide

I know, no pictures. Again, I blame it on J totally disrupting my schedule over the weekend. As for Monday - Wednesday... well I blame that on being busy and lazy. Sorry. Maybe I'll get back with the pictures tomorrow?! 

Joy Dare 13 & 14

Joy Dare Day 13: Three gifts striped

We have a small tree in our bedroom with blue and silver decorations. The ornament is from that tree. And my festive holiday kitchen linens. J's Mom made the washcloth for me a year or two ago.

Joy Dare Day 14: Three gifts stamped

Christmas cards! One of my absolute favorite parts of the season is all the good, real mail that comes.

Joy Dare 11 & 12

Joy Dare Day 11: Three gifts ice cold

This is the first fridge we've ever had where I don't have to make the ice cubes. They just tumble out at the push of a button. Luxury! Ice cold milk and Ice cold coke, two of my favorites. (Vanilla Coke in this particular case!)

Joy Dare Day 12: Three gifts berry red

My Christmas aprons (yes, I actually do use them) from my Grandma P. Then I went hunting for a candy cane because I love them. And I found one that just happened to be hanging by one of my favorite red ornaments. Lovely. And it's not Christmas without poinsettias! They remind me of my Momma...

Weekend absence

I wouldn't expect any blogging Friday - Sunday until March. Just a little FYI

So to play catch up... Our weekend of Christmas parties went well. It was busy, but nice to see many friends. It seems that this year the calendar has been full early in December, which is nice. We have a fairly empty schedule from now until Christmas. That means long, do-nothing, go-nowhere weekends ahead. A true gift. Here's a snap shot from our party Saturday...

 

Joy Dare Day Eight: A gift hung, held, heard

Holding J's hand. It's only the first week of 3 months of week day separations, but I missed him a lot. And that was my only picture of the day. My gift hung was J's flight suit on it's peg in our room. My gift heard was singing Christmas carols around the tree with our small group from church.

 

Joy Dare Day Nine: Three gifts ugly beautiful

 

No pictures at all this day. (I blame it on J being home.)

1. A mess in our bedroom; J's shoes, bag, odds and ends cluttering up his bedside table, clothes on the floor, a pile of his shoes. I hate mess. I hate disorganization. It makes me physically uncomfortable. But it also means he's home.

~

2. A sink full of dirty dishes. They were too many and too large to fit into one load of the dishwasher and so there they sat. But it means I have someone home to cook for.

~

3. Hair. Small black hairs all over my bathroom, in the sink, the tub, on the the floor. From a mini hair cut for a handsome boy I know. More mess, more consequences of having my love at home.

 

Joy Dare Day Ten: Three gifts unframed art

 

 

Catching up on my Joy Dare

Joy Day Day 4: A gift circling, crowning, crafted

 

My engagement ring and the new 5 year anniversary band from this June encircling my ring finger. The crowning moments of my days are the ones where I get to sit and sip hot tea. It tastes even better from a Christmas mug. And I am crafting the binding for my sister's quilt.

 

Joy Dare Day 5: Three gifts silver

 

Our Advent wreath. It's the first year we've done it together at home. The door knob and lock to my beautiful, comfortable, safe, cozy, love-filled home. The silver bits of my tea kettle; no explanation needed.

Joy Dare Day 6: Three gifts sweet

 

Homemade cookie dough in the freezer (spice). Grape juice. I have a glass every morning. Chocolate. Even better, Kit Kats. Even better, Christmas Kit Kats. Even better, the crystal bowl they're displayed in that make rainbows from the colors of the wrappers 

Joy Dare Day 7: Three gifts from your savior

 

Jesus is born, becomes man, experience life through our bodies. Jesus is crucified. He died for my sins so that I wouldn't have to suffer the punishment and could spend an eternity with him in perfection. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to be with us at all times for always until we meet him in heaven.  

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are - Review

 One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are  At first I didn't really like the book. The writing style is... different. She doesn't write in complete sentences, she makes you stop and go back and re-read to understand. At first the book and the author seemed too strange, out there, odd, uncomfortable. But I kept reading. Soon I wasn't noticing the writing style, but the message. She drew me into her stories, her thoughts. I found her writing beautiful and descriptive; a vivid photo made out of words. What she said came together, made sense and I found myself longing for her journey to become my own. Something seemed so easy about it, giving thanks, making lists. The more I read the harder it sounded, but still I wanted it, her journey. I couldn't put the book down, but I didn't want it to end. I will buy this. I will read it again. I will spend 2013 writing down one thousand gifts. I will take my own thankful journey. This book has blessed me. I am thankful for it. Read it! (Truly, until you read it you won't get it. No matter how much or what I say about it. Go, now, read it.)

December Joy Dare

Remember when I said I was going to do a picture-a-day challenge in October... and then didn't. And then I said perhaps I would get to it during December... well I'm not going to. Exactly.

I found something much better. It's Ann Voskamp's December Joy Dare. I'm reading her book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are. It's amazing. I'll write more about it after I finish, but it led me to her website and facebook page and her Joy Dare.

So let's play catch up.

Joy Dare, Day 1: Three Gifts White. I read this while sitting on our couch, with a cold, bundled up in my favorite white sweater, under our coziest handmade white blanket, and blowing my red nose into my never far from my side white hanky.

I didn't have to think, or even move. God had blessed me with three gifts white right there on my couch, in the midst of my cold.

 Joy Dare, Day 2: Three Gifts Bright. I woke up to heavy, loud, slashing rain. The fourth day in a row. It was dark. So the brightest things were the lights on our various trees. And then I thought one of the greatest gifts is the plain, but bright light bulb. The one I read by, cook by, sort laundry by, quilt by, live by.

 

Joy Dare, Day 3: Three Gifts Shining.

After days of monsoon like rains (no exaggeration!) the sunshine this morning was brilliant. I love our star. Jared picked it out when we lived in Enid (our first Christmas tree together) and puts it on top of our tree every year. The pretty, shiny red and green balls were actually a lovely wreath last year. Until a wind storm came along and did major damage. These are the salvaged remains, that safely sit in a bowl on the dining room table this year.