That Good Part

Sometimes you read something and you realize that even though what you read is an obvious truth, it now resonates with your soul as if you never heard it before. I sort of love and hate that, in one way it makes me feel the thrill of discovery and illumination, in another way I feel a little flush of shame as if I’ve missed something. In reality, all I’ve done is uncovered a mystery. When you and I think of a mystery, we think of things like Agatha Christie novels, Sherlock and why anyone thinks reptiles make good pets. Maybe I only think that last one. We think of a mystery as something to figure out, something to discover, and something that cannot be explained.  It is something hidden, and hidden from us like a secret.  A mystery is a challenge to us to unravel. The definition of mystery in the Bible is different. While we think of a mystery as knowledge kept from us, in the scripture it is truth waiting to be revealed. While we think it a thing to investigate ...

Today marks the end of one of several projects I’ve been working on this summer. Earlier in the month I finished one book project and today is the release of Emily P. Freeman’s book Simply Tuesday , a book project of a different sort. A few months back I was invited to apply for a spot on the launch team for the book, and much to the surprise of this inconsistent blogger, I was chosen. What’s a launch team? The cynical answer is that you are chosen to work for free marketing a book through word of mouth and social media. The book lover answer is that you are chosen to get an advance copy of a book by an author you already enjoy reading, and tell your closest 1,000 social media friends how much you like it. At least, they hope you like it. You receive emails from a team leader with tasks and inspiration for ways you can get the message out about the book, and you join a Facebook group to connect with others on your launch team.  I discovered I’m even an introvert on social ...

I shared here that I had been reading Emily P. Freeman’s book Simply Tuesday and what I was discovering. I thought I’d share over here in the living room some other thoughts this book and similar books have inspired. In about the first 45 pages of Simply Tuesday she quotes a number of authors I’ve never heard of and this makes me nervous. I don’t find any fault with the quotes, they help illuminate her point and settle into my biblical grid of soundness. After over 15 years in the ministry of pointing people to what is helpful and avoiding things that are harmful, I am naturally inquisitive of the new; ministry, author, church, movement, conference. I’m not looking for a problem, I’m just naturally and vocationally curious. I am also that person who comes across a quote and says, “I wonder what the book is like?” Maybe you don’t follow those thoughts down the rabbit trail to the bookshelf, but I often do. I worry that references might point you were I wouldn’t want you to g...

I have friends who recently sold a cabin about three hours away from their home. It was in the mountains, and  decorated like a beautiful mountain cabin would be; lots of knobby wood furniture made from trees, the colors of fall in the mountains, and lake inspired. It reflected it's surroundings and looked nothing like my friends every day home. Which, by the way, is also beautiful, just different. I've always wondered about having a second home, would it look just like my every day home? Or would I try the things there I wouldn't want to live with all the time?  I doubt I'll ever have a second home to furnish, but I do have a  second internet home , and it's different than this one in a couple of different ways. First of all, I share it with my daughter and granddaughter, and secondly, it is dedicated to the reviews of books. And specifically, books we want to recommend. So far, I don't bother with books I don't want to encourage you to read. Why? Lets ju...

My husband is on vacation this week, although he is working hard as I write. We are in the midst of a massive backyard renovation. I say we, but it's really he, with the occasional help of a few friends. It's going to be great when it's done, but the process is going a little long for the both of us. It was going so long that he finally broke down to take precious vacation time he hoped to spend enjoying the finished yard to get it done. It certainly doesn't feel like he is vacating. I feel like he is on vacation, not we, because I work from home. While I have a home office, I also have a habit of working wherever appeals to me at the moment; in the back yard on a day with a breeze, in my gray chair in my living room, or on my bed. I haven't vacated my work space, so I don't feel different when I wake up in the morning. I also work without a real schedule, my tasks come to me in the form of an email, sporadically and totally dependent when someone else does th...

This is one of my favorite pictures of my granddaughter.  She is watching me teach the women’s Monday night Bible study, and her mom said she sat and watched the majority of it.  My prayer is that- 1. She will always pay attention to the Word of God being taught. 2. She will always pay attention to her Grandma. When my daughter was growing up, my one of my deepest desires as a parent was that she would always believe the things I told her that were followed by this: Take my word for it. “It” is anything from the importance of being a discerning reader to never, ever drinking milk immediately after eating cranberry sauce.   This would also include always stop trimming your bangs before you think they are short enough, those pants will never shrink to fit you and it is a sad fact that not everything deep fried in batter tastes good.  Take my word for it. Of course, taking someone’s word for something can be a dangerous propositio...

Nope, not my 30 days of something, but my daughters 30 Days of Thankfulness.  I think this is the perfect immunization against the virus of holiday mania that strikes this time of year. Ashley will be pondering and posting on the topic of thankfulness for the month of November, and you can subscribe to her blog here .  I recommend that you do, you will really enjoy it!