Hear No Evil

You know when you’re zipping along in a book and you come to a funny part?  Do you laugh out loud or do you laugh on the inside? Mostly, I do the latter especially if I’m in public.  Hear No Evil, on the other hand, had me laughing, giggling, and smiling at the GYM! Yikes!  And, apparently, I’ve been in the “church” long enough to catch onto some of the lingo, jokes, and well messiness. Here are a few snippets of the book:

“Good music changes me, shocks me, makes me feel uncomfortable, and drives me to think and hope and believe differently.”

“I was learning that I didn’t know a lot of things. And I think a part of faith is learning how to become okay with that.”

“I can understand why some people don’t use their imaginations. Why is that? Because it gets you in trouble sometimes…People who play it safe rarely accomplish much.”

If you love music, can appreciate some church truth/humor, and want a speedy read with some nuggets to chew on then check out Hear No Evil. If you’re in the area…feel free to ask to borrow my copy though it has been to the gym with me…. 🙂

*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. You can buy one here 🙂 Oh! and don’t forget to check out his blog here.

Multitude Monday

I am really starting to look forward to this post every week! I find myself reflecting on the day with such joy in the simple, little things.  Seeking out the little and BIG ways that God shows up in my life helps me keep my eyes on Him rather than getting distracted or letting the day go by unnoticed.  Without further ado, here is a glimpse into last week:

280. Listening to a song on repeat

282. Comment love

290. Long-term sub position!!!

301. Tokbox chatting with interns 🙂

319. The feeling after I’ve cleaned out my inbox

326. Sentences that challenge

336. Learning to trust God more

How was your week? Any big or little moments of joy that caught your eye?

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

You and me. barefoot.

a love story in the works

walking together.

I am most myself when…

I loved the idea behind this post and the happy thoughts generated so I thought I’d share with you all here:

I am most myself when I am sitting on my bed watching the sunrise mulling over the Bible and talking with God.

I am most myself outside…running, hiking, sitting, soaking up the sun.

I am most myself when I’m in shorts, a tank top, bare feet, and curled up in my bed with a good book.

I am most myself when I am wearing sunglasses on top of my head.

I am most myself when I bring my laptop in the bathroom/am driving with my ipod and turn the volume up way loud and get lost in a song.

I am most myself surrounded by kiddos.

What about you?!

What a Hug!

“Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.” Genesis 33:4

After reading this, I sat back and thought…wow, what a hug that must have been! Such emotion and love all wrapped into two sentences.

I’m not usually a touchy-feely kind of girl, but really. Give me a big hug and I’m soaring. Like the hug captured here with this amazing woman who so walked with me (and still is even if it’s across the ocean for now!) and gave me so many “what a hug!” moments…

We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives –Robert Kennedy

p.s. I love you, June…and now you’ve got me all teary-eyed.

*Photo taken after I was baptized on November 5th 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Every. Single. Thought.

I can’t get over this…

The average person has 70,000 thoughts a day.

As a Christian, I am called to…

Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

But I’m reminded…

Start small. “Every moment is a second chance. Starting over. Move from the past to the present tense.”

Starting Out With Joy

197. Sparkling snow and sparkles in the air

201. not opening my computer first

204. ziploc steamer bags work wonders

211. finding out that kids play nanana boo boo still

224. sending snail mail

229. feeling the ache of love

265. looking forward to things

What’s on your list this week?

Covered with Books

Being back in the States provides a wealth of opportunities to catch up on reading.  Though, I tend to bite off more than I absorb at a time and literally surround myself with reading material.  Just for fun I counted…6 books on my bed, 4 on my nightstand, and even more on my bookshelf’s to-read section.

Last night, I finally moved one of the books to the done section.  The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. The book made me want to jump up, find a sunny, cute little writing desk and pour out all the thoughts jumbling in my head into written words. I also found myself tossing around some quotes from the book.  Here are a few that stuck out:

“Now he has a world. What can he possibly do with it? He has no muscle tone on his wings. They are atrophied, probably beyond hope of recoevery. Where his pectoral muscles should be, he has a breast weighed down with words of human beings: by words interred, free-as-a-bird absurd, unheard! Sometimes he flaps his wings as if he nearly remembers flight, as he did in the first jubilant terror of his release. But his independence was frozen in that moment.”

“Can’t they be patient? Could you be? If your belly was empty and you saw whole baskets of bread on the other side of a window, would you continue waiting patiently, Beene? Or would you throw a rock?”

“Don’t try to make life a mathematics problem with yourself in the center and everything coming out equal. When you are good, bad things can still happen. And if you are bad, you can still be lucky.”

Have you read it? If so, what did you think? If not, what are you reading or what else should I add to my stacks of books??

Strengths!

If you happened to stop by last Friday, you’ll remember that I wrote about some God-sized dreaming and a challenge to step out on a journey.  I’m still plodding along and letting God use each day as a way to get to know myself and Him.  Today’s post talked about strengths.  Ohhhh, yes, some of us cringe at the thought of revealing those at risk of sounding…prideful.  Myself included. I don’t like to run around spouting off my strengths. Before going there, read yesterday’s post and then take a look at this:

Strength: a personal characteristic that can be used on behalf of God in service to others.

and then this:

Service – Does it help me serve God and others?

Time – Has it been present throughout much of my life?

Relationships – Do others see this?

Energy – Do I feel energized when I’m living this way?

Natural – Does this come naturally to me most of the time? OR do I know God has intentionally developed this in me even though it doesn’t?

Glory – Does God ultimately get the glory from it?

Trials – Even in hard times, does it usually come through somehow?

Heart – Does this really feel like a core part of who I am?

Takes on a fresh, new feeling doesn’t it? Because, really, God designed us in unique, strong ways so that we can fulfill His purposes. Check out the post for a list of strengths and take a minute to reflect with God on your own.

As for me…some of my strengths include thoughtful, calm, and hardworking.

What about you?