More On My New Years Word, Yoga, and A Book Review

They say that to be really good at Yoga it's all about balance and flexibility. Maybe that's why I have always loved this practice. From the very first time I experienced a Yoga class I was hooked, because I had finally found an exercise I could be good at.  You see, I've always had really good physical balance. I remember being a young girl in gymnastics class walking across the balance beam just for fun and challenging myself to different balance exercises.

But balance in life is a completely different beast than that of balance in the physical world.  In Yoga they are trying to get at the whole person when they speak of balance.
It's not just standing on one foot like a flamingo that is impressive in Yoga. Come to think of it, nothing is impressive in yoga because it's not about impressing, but rather being able to be so completely focused on what you are doing that you can close your eyes and your inner world is in balance as well.
I suppose one of the reasons I have chosen the word Balance for my New Years word is because the older I'm getting the more I'm realizing how vital it is to have balance in ALL things. So much of life, and it's hidden treasures comes from when I keep things in Balance and have flexibility. 
The world around us is in a constant state of motion and chaos, and it's so very easy to get off balance. Just when I think I have one area of life all neatly wrapped up and manageable, there comes another area of life to smack me in the face as a wake up call. Those smacks are painful, and I don't always handle them well.  Remember when I heard we were moving back to Nevada? SMACK!! And, I'm sorry to say my reaction (at first) was not all that balanced. Those are the kind of moments in life that I want look back on and know that I handled them well, or at least better than I have in the past. 

One of my new favorite quotes that I  recently read in the book, Room by Emma Donahue is  "The world is suddener than we fancy it."  The quote is originally from Louis MacNiece, but Dr. Clay in the book says it in response to something the main character, 5 year old Jack, says to him.
The book Room is about a 5 year old boy named Jack, who was born inside a tiny room that his mother had been kidnapped to as a 19 year old girl. That quote is taken from a blurb in the book where Jack, the little boy is trying to explain why he doesn't like the outside world as opposed to the Room he was born into. Imagine, if all you ever knew as your existence was a teeny, tiny room that nothing ever changed in? I mean, a spider was the highlight of this little boys day!
It is the perfect quote to say to Jack, who is having a hard time getting used to how fast the world around him just keeps coming at him.  By the way, this book Room is without a doubt a fascinating read. It's not one I would have chosen myself because the topic is very dark, but it was a book club choice.  I'm telling you, you won't be able to put it down. 
Back to the quote in the book,
When I read it I thought about what a true statement that is because in life things are always changing and most of the time we receive no warning.  To stay in perfect balance when all the rest of the world is in chaos is truly a gift. For me THE only time this ever happens (perfect balance) is when I practice keeping my eyes on my Creator.   "You will keep in perfect peace, those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."  Isaiah 26:3
To me, this is the epitome of balance.
A steadfast mind and a heart that is in a constant state of perfect peace despite the chaotic world around you. It really doesn't get anymore balanced than that.  It begins by trusting someone greater than yourself. Knowing full well that although I don't have all the answers to life's unrelenting questions, I can trust fully that someone does.  Like a new born baby trusts that his parent will nurture, care, and protect them. I have seen a baby fall asleep at some of the most chaotic, noise filled, concert-like events.  And yet, the baby sleeps. Trusting that all the crazies running around them won't bother them a bit because they trust whoever is holding them.  It makes me happy to think about things like this. It calms my soul to know I am being held like that infant child.  
                "Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony."
 

Calling All Book Nerds

Hello there beloved reader.

We are now full swing into the busiest month of the year and I'm wondering if you will find yourself resting long enough to read a good book, or if your calendar is so jammed packed this month that all books are pushed aside for now?

Out of total curiosity, I would like to know how many books you are reading at the moment? Do you only have time for one (if that), or like me do you feel the pressing need to conquer "the list" in your lifetime so you read at least 2 to 3 at one time? I was telling a friend recently that if I don't read at least 3 books at a time I start to panic.  I'm not kidding people. I'm pretty sure I would never make it through the list of books I want to read in my lifetime if I only read 1 at a time, so 3 seems to be my steady rate. Ya know because, that list gets longer every year because there are just SO many great reads out there.  If you don't feel this way, and can't at all relate like My Giant who is not a big reader,  this might not be the post for you.  Move along now to a fashion post or a DIY!!

But if you are not offended by being deemed a book nerd then let me pick your brain for a minute. I'm currently weaned down to 3 right now after finishing Caterfly by Lara (see book review post below). My book club is going through Jane Austen's, Emma which I have already read so I loaned out my copy. Instead of reading that, I've got My Life in France, Julia Child by my bedside. It's a fun read and light hearted which is perfect for me right before bed.  That brings up another question about reading, and reading styles.  Do you read certain books at certain times? I can't read anything scary or intense before bed so I generally choose light and fluffy before bed. But like, then there are times when you want something a bit deeper, so I have a book in the bathroom right now called The Explicit Gospel by  Matt Chandler. It's a great bathroom read because I can pick it up and put it down and not miss a beat. Every sentence is one to ponder and so what better time to sit and ponder than when you are on the throne (wink wink)

And then I have a book in the car for those times that I'm waiting on teens. I have said it before and I'm gonna go ahead and say it again, to survive the taxi cab drop off and pick ups you have to equip your office (aka your car) with some essentials and a great book is one of them. Then you don't get so impatient while sitting and waiting for a half an hour when your teen told you they would be out in 2 minutes.  The books I usually keep in the car are ones that I can't read at night because they are too intense or scurry, and also the ones I need at least 10-20 minute increments with.  Right now, I currently have the old book The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay in my car. It is SO intense but came highly recommended so I knew I needed to push through the intensity to get to the good. And then finally I keep a self-help/ spiritual book near my bible to read a bit in the morning when I first wake up. Right now that book is Life Overflowing, by T.D. Jakes.  Man I love me so T.D. Jakes!! Ok so just to re-cap, I just realized that is a total of 4 books. And if you count the bible which I try to read on the regular that would be 5. Clearly, math was not my strong point in college ;) How about you how many are you reading? What are you reading? How long is your list? What's on your list?

Oh and btw, I love you ... You Beloved Reader Book Nerd!!

Caterfly Identity - A book review

I'm sitting here on this beautiful fall morning, and the music in the back round being played by Spotify is Possibility by Lykke Li. 
You know that famous song from Twilight? "There's a possibility" I used to make fun of this song with my teen girls like when they would ask me  "Mom can I go over to so and so's house tonight?" I would bust out singing  "There's a possibility" They would then of course go "Ugh... Ma!!"  And the rolling of eyes would of course concur.  I kinda even became annoying to myself with that song. It makes me giggle just thinking about that.  I suppose it's not really nice to tease your teens, but I have to admit I find great pleasure in it. Am I alone in that guilty pleasure? I bet not.

Ok moving on, I really came here to tell you about my sister's friend Lara's new book Caterfly. You can read more of Lara's heart  here: http://caterflylara.wordpress.com/ If you haven't heard about this book though, I would like to be the first to tell you it is a great read for any and all ladies in your life and even the men folk are enjoying it, so I've been told.
The book is about finding our true identity as women.    As women we have been forced fed with lies about what we should look like, act like, talk like, even eat like to be beautiful and Lara bust open these lies and brings the truth home in a very poignant way. She shares personal stories of her journey in finding her true identity and how that didn't come until much later in life for her.  She talks about the natural process of struggle that a Caterpillar turning into a Butterfly has to experience in order to be able to fly. And this correlates with how we as women have to struggle to get to the place where we realize our true identity and beauty is found in only one place. She is passionate about encouraging women and young ladies to look to God's Mirror rather than the Mirror on the Wall or the Mirror of the World. 
If you have any ladies in your life I would strongly encourage you to get them a copy.  It is packed full of encouragement and reminders from God's word that we are all unique and dearly loved children of God.

Speaking of children I just want to say that, that child of mine up there, well she's getting all growed up right before my very eyes, and I can hardly believe the young woman that is before me now. She asked if we could go pick up a drivers ed manual this weekend. Eeeek!!! I'm taking deep, deep breaths kind of like in labor only this time what's being birthed in this house are young adults and I'm extremely aware of how fast the time is flying by. I wonder how long I will be able to tease her with silly Twilight songs?
She's reading Caterfly, along with her sister Chloe and even my son Solomon expressed an interest in reading the book. They think it's pretty cool that their mom is quoted in it and their Auntie Jenny. I'm  so thankful to Lara and her commitment and hard work to write this book that I'm able to share with my children. I know these words and the words of many others quoted in the book will be life changing for them. 
Go out and get your copy this weekend, meanwhile I'll be picking up a copy of DMV drivers manual. 

The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love

Do you need to laugh?
Do you want to read about Love, but not in a mushy gushy Valentinezee way?
Well, then do yourselves a favor, right now go out and buy this book.

Or IF you really want this book stay right where you are. Don't go anywhere.
Plant yourself down for some blog reading, and play a little game with me.

It's a new month, and time for a new game with prizes.

So here is a new game for you who DON'T have to be on FB to win.

In fact if you are faithful reader you might not even need to use the Label cataloging system to your right. You might have the answer in your very own noggin, because you have read it here before. Or you might know the answer(Sister Jen) because you were there when I bought the book.
Or you might know the answer (Shontell) because you were referenced in the blog that has the answer.

Here's what you need to do to play this game:

First- use the Label section on my blog to your right, or at the bottom of this post.

Second- find a way to decode what other BOOK or BOOKS or BOOK REVIEW I have done on another Jill Conner Browne BOOK.

Finally- leave your answer in the comment section below.

First one to get it right will not only win my own personal copy of Book of Love but another few sur- prizes as well.

Good luck!

Have fun!

And may the best Sweet Potato Queen Wanna Be win :)

Oh, and one more thing; Who or What is your go to book, movie, comedian when you want to laugh??

I want to know.

The Written Word

I love writing.
There is something so beautiful to me about the written word.
Words that are spoken are important for sure. But to me they are words that would normally come out of ones mouth, and then maybe fall on ears that would remember what was said for a day or two.
Maybe if the listener was really paying attention the words are ones that a person would carry for a lifetime, but often times the words we say fall on deaf ears never to be thought of again.

Ah... but the written word.
Well, that is an entirely different beast all together.

Good or bad the written words are forever held in time.
Right now I am finishing up a book club choice called People of The Book, by Geraldine Brooks
It's a fictional book about a book restorer who is working on a book that was written in the 1400's.
The book she has been commissioned to work on is an old Jewish prayer book called a Haggadah.

Anyway, the story is amazing!
The story within the story of this book is what has got my wheels turning.
She finds in her restoration process stains and marks in the book, and then has them analyzed for further clues as to where the book got it's origins. The amazing part to me is that we have books like this.
Books that have withstood the test of time.

One of my favorite older books that I own is a book called "Cooking for Two, by Janet M Hill copyright 1909.
I bought it from my neighbor June.
It has articles in the front and back about "Being a Good Housewife" or "When Mom lets us Cook" or " Some Cleaning Secrets " and all of these and her little scribbles here and there are what make the book that much more precious to me.
The story within the story.



June was an older Scottish woman who to keep her mind sharp and get some social interaction, every Saturday morning she would open up her little garage on Minnesota St. in Carson City and sell some of her treasures that she had carried for a lifetime.
I would go down every Saturday and buy only one or two things. Usually one of her salt and pepper shakers and one book.
We would talk for a bit, mostly I would ask her a lot of questions about her life and listen carefully to this very wise wonderful woman.
I miss June.
But I carry a little piece of her with me in the books that I bought from her.

I have often thought now that we have become so digital and everything is out here in cyberspace rather than on paper what treasures will be lost when we no longer have access to this.
There are ways, I know that you can turn your blog into a book and I really have thought of doing that for my children to enjoy someday.
It most certainly is a record of events.
An out loud journal of sorts.
It makes me wonder, why we all love living out loud so much?
Those of us that blog anyway.
To me its therapeutic.



When I first started blogging it was because I was a stay at home mom who desperately needed connection to the outside world.
Now I blog because I have grown to love the blogging community and the process of getting things out of my head and onto the computer screen.
I am thankful for the written word.
I am glad that there are others out there just like me who treasure it as much as I do.

For those of you who are just like me, I leave you with this the quote at the beginning of that old cookbook;

"The best things are nearest... Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life."


True, true indeed.

That and next time you are at a rummage sale, don't look over those old books. There might be a story within a story.
Oh, and when you own a book be sure to make your mark on it, who knows someday those little notes that you write down might be the very thing that makes that book so much more special to the readers of the future!

Happy Reading AND Writing Friends!

Dieting, Puppies, and Other MoNoSco Updates

A funny thing happens when you go on a diet.
Food just becomes a tool, rather than something you enjoy.
To some extent life changes entirely and I find myself getting kind of depressed.
This of course makes me realize how much food and drink(can't forget the drink) has become somewhat of an idol in my life.
The diet I am on is extreme, and I would tell you the name but... the only reason I am not sharing it with you is because I don't want that to become the topic of our conversation, but needless to say, it is limited what I can and cannot eat... BUT it's working!


Having a puppy in the house after several years of not having a baby of some sort has made me realize how selfish we all are.
Barley( our new Yellow Lab pup) has pushed us all to the brink of exhaustion.
He is so high energy that even our Jack Russell, Bella (supposedly the most hyper dog around) is wiped out and tired of him by the end of the day!
Still, in the end he brings me so much joy, as does Bella and well Joy is a rare commodity these days!
Those 4 legged friends sure are something, can't quite put my finger on what, but they are SOMETHING all right!

We had a communion moment at church last Sunday.
It started out bad and painful, but I hope ended up good and memorable.
We came home and let all 4 of our kids watch Passion of the Christ.
We of course edited quite a bit and actually only showed them bits and pieces.
This movie still makes me bawl like a baby.
Jesus without a doubt is SO AMAZING!
I know it made a lasting impression because they are still asking me questions.

We, Monosco are still having moments,
sometimes whole days ...
where we are wondering what the H E ..double hockey sticks we are doing in Washington??
But today when the sun is shining and we recently got to visit with a good old friend that feels like family I feel happy to be here.

I miss my mom.
Can you at 36 years old still miss your mom?
Is that legal?

Well, even though the sun is out this cabin has turned into an icebox.
I must go start a fire now to cozy things up in here.
Sure wish I was having this conversation face to face with those of you that might read and comment on this.
If we were, I would have already put the coffee pot on and the smell would be divine because...
Raven's Brew is what I am brewing these days. If you haven't had this brand of coffee go out... RIGHT NOW and get some.
It is Divine!



One more final thought and then I really am going to go , okay maybe two
I am reading;
Fiction-Salamander by Thomas Wharton
and
Non- Fiction-Follow Me to Freedom by Shane Claiborne and John Perkins
both great books so that alone makes me happy to have good books waiting for me late at night.

and really here it is my final thought...
New All Time Favorite Tea
Stash brand Licorice Spice, it's like dessert in a cup

The Book- Jesus For President ,The Movie- Avatar, The Church Bethany UCC,and my thoughts lately

I have been reading another one of Shane Claiborne's books Jesus for President by Chris Haw and Shane. The first book of Shane's that I recently blogged about here a few months back, Irresistible Revolution still seems so fresh in my mind, and has left me haunted in many ways that I am not doing enough to make this world a better place.
This new book I chose to read to stay on that same train of thought( the train that wants to make the world a better place is not an easy train to be on), has done the same thing, but magnified that thought x 1000!

Seriously, I have to say, that this book is even more challenging than the first because it deals so much with politics and how they correlate with being a Christian. Politics have changed and are still changing for me on a daily basis. Honestly, though they are not my full-time job, not even my part-time job for that matter and by that I mean I would consider myself to be the average American voter who only pays attention to things when election years roll around. That is some real, REAL honesty there(so don't be a judger). SO, reading this book which is primarily written by two extreme activists in this regard has made me realize how my ignorance was really bliss! Now that I know what I know after reading this book I can't turn back.

It talks about the violence of wars and their aftermath. What it looks like to be a Christ follower, who if we are truly following in Christs foot-steps we are to love our enemies, do good to those that hurt us, and I am pretty sure He said something about turning the other cheek. He never said, take what you want, when you want it and by all means use force to get it if necessary. Which btw, is pretty much in a nutt-shell the U.S. of A's entire history.
PLEASE,Please, don't take me wrong I am EXTREMELY grateful for this country and although I believe many of our ways are twisted and could use a serious wake-up call, there is also another side of the US that I see, in the faces and stories everyday that are good, but for the sake of what I am internalizing right now I have to say personally I see so many more changes that need to be made, rather than things that would be good if they stayed the same. Hope that makes sense?

I think this book combined with being totally blown away by the new movie Avatar has made me angry with our country and it's history. I hope it's a righteous anger, but all I know is it makes me want to do something, anything to make things better in this country. If you have seen the movie than I hope you get the correlation about taking things by force and how much the US has played a part from it's very origin in doing this very shameful act of injustice.

On top of this book, and that movie there is the new church I have been attending, Bethany United in Seattle or Bethany UCC.
This church if full and I do mean full of WORLD CHANGERS! Like this past Sunday, they had an amazing speaker, Pramila Jayapal, who talked about immigration reform. It was powerful. It was challenging to listen to the stories of immigrants whose rights as human beings are being violated every day in the name of the law. I cried silent tears pretty much the whole time she was talking for many reasons.
And now here tonight my heart is torn.
My eyes of full of tears again for so many reasons.
I am wondering what is my part in all of this?
She said something that I believe sums up what is happening to me, "If you allow yourself to feel fully everyday it is a courageous act. You can't help but become an activist."
I don't allow myself to feel fully everyday. It hurts way too much. I think I am beginning to awaken more feelings about all of this stuff and it scares the hell out of me because I know where this train of thought leads.
Why am I on this train again? Oh yeah, because I have 4 children.
This train of thought is not easy.
It's not for cowards. In fact it's not coward friendly at all, which is what I am to the core.
Like the Lion in the Wizard of Oz, I talk a big game, but I am scared and allow fear to dominate so many of the choices that I make in life. My phlegmatic nature is opposed to being an activist, but it's never too late to change.
I am beginning to find my ROAR though.
I hope that this new voice I have found always speaks
Life instead of Death,
Love instead of Hate,
Mercy instead of Judgement.
Honestly, Oh God I pray, I hope it sounds more and more like a Lamb than A Lion.

Books, Pictures, Gardens, and More Books

I do believe I am having withdrawals from not being enrolled in classes right now.

Hurry Quick, read that last sentence before it disappears forever never to be mentioned again.

The absence of involuntary reading that is imposed on one when they are in school has left me wanting. So I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. I even picked up a copy of my daughters series of the Twilight books (Eclipse) and read it in a day. Those of you that know me, know that was a desperate cry for help. Here is the list of the other books I have read in the past few weeks and my own book review of them;

The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Club (*****)

The 13th Tale (****)

Eclipse (**)

Wuthering Heights (*****)

Persuasion (***)

Irresistible Revolution (****)

Those are the books I have devoured recently. And now our newest (friends/neighbors (for 2 weeks)/first members of our community up here) Erston and Blue gave Moses and I gift cards to our wonderful used book store here. We went yesterday on a nice little date while waiting for the kids to get out of school and here is what we picked up;

The Pillars of The Earth

Everything Must Change

A New Earth

Till We Have Faces

Learning Italian



More guilty pleasures. Just for fun here is the list that Moses picked up;


Far Out (101 Strange Tales From Science's Outer Edge)

Choosing and Keeping Chickens

A Diet for A Dead Planet




The picture at top is of Erston and Blue (as promised to Allie)

Middle Picture is my starter plants for my garden that are coming right along. I already have about 8 sprouts. This gardening thing is so exciting. I will be in awe if those tiny seeds actually end up being food we can eat. It's just SO COOL!!

Last pics are of my garden in it's current state and just some of the signs of spring around here.




This flower bush hangs over the garden and the pictures hardly do it justice because the color is just so beautiful. Funny thing about living here is that because of the back drop being gray clouds and mist a lot of the time, colors just seem to be that much brighter.


I hope the colors are getting brighter where you live too. Can't wait for Spring to fully explode.

Irresistible Revolution

I can honestly say that there is no other book that has challenged me to the core of my being(other than the Bible o.c.) than Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.


I mean, I thought I was a decent Christ follower before reading this book but after reading this book it made me wonder if I was following christ with a little 'c'. A christ that just fit into my lifestyle and what I thought a "christian" looks like. A little christ that you put in your back pocket and only pull out when it's convient or you are in need of something, like a genie in a bottle. I feel like I have been following a little 'c' christ all these 20+ years after reading this book.

He paints a different picture of Jesus and what it means to be a Christian. A good, beautiful, exciting, but oh so challenging picture of Jesus. This book made me hear Jesus teaching in a different way and he made me fall in love with Jesus even more than I already was. I don't know if it was just that I had the ears to hear this message but I heard it loud and clear.

I warn you now though, don't read this book unless you want to be compelled to help someone, anyone, in need of help.

It's not the kind of book you can read and shelf without doing something about what it says.


Don't read it if you want to still wear Nike shoes and not feel guilty about it or if you want to keep shopping at Wal-Mart.

If you were ever at any point in your life somewhat okay with war, you won't be after reading this.

If you thought the death penalty was a good way to deal with hardened criminals you wont after reading this book.

There are so many nuggets in this book and it has left me wanting more as crazy as that sounds because I do still feel quite beat up by it. But it was the kind of butt-kicking I was looking for. It is the kind of hit in the jaw that makes you wake up and get a second wind. It is what I needed for this time in my life. Just when I thought I had nothing left to lose, turns out there is more I could and should lose. Matthew 16:25

Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness Chp 4

Chapter 4 is entitled , "People equipped to Serve" and it has many many quotes in it's small content but here are my favorites;

"The gifts of the Spirit as I understand them, are God's means of getting to men and meeting their needs through believers. I do not believe that spiritual gifts were meant primarily for the sanctuary. Some of them can operate there, that's  fine. But many of them were primarily designed for the street."

I had a chance to operate in  hospitality in the most unlikely place. During my daughter Emma's parent/teacher conference I noticed that every time her teacher would speak of Chicago where she recently moved from her eyes would well up with tears. Even though we were there for Emma and her education(of which I am not worried about in the slightest, her mother is a teacher after all) I decided to derail the conference from it's usual course and ask her teacher how she was adjusting to living here in Nevada. Long story short I invited her over for dinner. Strange, I know but that is  what I think Jerry is talking about in the above quote.

"Christianity is not difficult to communicate. It's simple. We make it hard by our extreme efforts."

"We specialities out of ministry. We make Christian service difficult. The reason we make it so tough sometimes is to massage the ego of those who want to be specialists. I've seen specialty ministries come and go. God uses them for He will use anything as much as He can , but the majority of the time they are raised up for the ego satisfaction of men."

Finally, here is my favorite quote of maybe the whole book;

"The fastest most valid way to originality is to be oneself. You see , I am an original(and so are you). As I forgive myself for being as I am , as I learn to trust God's good judgement in creating me as He did and begin to accept myself, I am original. I can't  help it. God has put my brain together and tutored it so that no one else can pick up the Word and see exactly what I see in it."

I think that is why I enjoy so much reading scripture with others because I love to hear the spin that their brain might have on a particular passage. It is what the makes the world go round all our differences and how we see things and I LOVE IT!!

Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness Chp 3

Chapter 3 of Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness is titled "The Church as a Force" and really if any of you have read Monday Morning Church then this chapter is just a pre cursor to that book. Still some of my favorite quotes I will post here in case you haven't read either.

"When people differentiate between the church and Christ, when they say,  'We're going to write off the church but we surely do love and believe in Jesus,' something is seriously wrong."

* This is something that I felt for a while. Never will I turn my back on my Savior, where else would I go but if I stop going to Hillside I doubt I will ever step foot in another church again. That's how tired I am of the things that go on when people gather together for the purpose of glorifying God and encouraging each other, this isn't what I have seen over the years. More like a social club that makes each other feel good and isolates, judges and criticizes everyone including themselves all in the name of church.

"When we think that the believer's meeting place is where the work is to be done, we have departed from the concept Jesus originally established. Instead of the world being the field, we have made the church the field."

*Again nothing happens up on that Hill and in those four walls that couldn't be happening in my living room or in my car or at the Grocery store. In fact I think the more powerful life changing moments don't happen there.

*This is the part of the book that really changed my whole way of thinking about church.

"Ministry becomes a positional identity within the organization. That is, if you are going to minister you must be a director of something or minister of something or associate of something. You will have a title and a position within the organizational structure. As a result, the individual member is easily misled about the meaning of Christian service and is often reduced to a spectator. You see, once he's in the field, unless he wins a position he has little relevance except to help keep the machine going"

*I remember reading that for the first time and it was like a light bulb lit up and I finally realized why it made me want to vomit in my mouth every time I was introduced as a position instead of a person. It still makes me sick the way that we as human beings look to a person for a position only Jesus and Jesus alone should fill. So then what are we to do with the church as a field instead of a force mentality? How do we change ? Do we want to change? I do believe this kind of change takes time and alot of changes that are uncomfortable and even frightening. In the end though it is so worth it and really is what I believe Jesus would want us to do. 

This chapter really is so good. There is one part that made me laugh when he talked about in the early days he wanted to start a commune, sound like anyone else we know?  He then says, 

"This was how I finally awoke to the fact that God didn't want us to be separate subculture, He wanted us to penetrate every segment of the society in which He had placed us."  

*This is something that I want to be about.

One final quote that gets the wheels spinning, "Among other things, I'm saying that we need to direct the church away from professionalism and into the hands of people who do not know what they are doing." 

* What does that look like, really?  Why isn't it happening right now? How do we get to this place that sounds so right and yet seems so far off?

Okay maybe just one more quote, "People get bored just waiting for heaven. So what do they do? They start complaining, griping, gossiping.  The reason they are bored is that they don't know what they are saved for. They know what they are saved from and what they are saved to but not what they are saved for."

* This reminds me of that scripture that says, " Fight the good fight of faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and for which you confessed the good confession of faith before many witnesses." 1 Tim 6:12

That's what I want to do. I want to remember always why my life is different because of what Jesus has done and continues to do for me and I want to spend my time and energy on thanking Him in everyday ways by loving Him and His people. Still if I am being honest I get tired and weary and I need to be reminded of this and do you know who reminds me? My friends, family and others who are walking out this fight of faith. I am thankful for them. For their honesty and sincerity in their personal struggles for they remind me of why we need each other , why there needs to be a walking church everyday.

Re-visiting some old truths

I have recently decided to pick up the book, Love Acceptance and Forgiveness, by Jerry Cook again. In reading the first few pages I was again struck by how hard his words in this book are to do.  Here are some of the quotes that have thus far struck a chord with me ;

"Because we are accepted  in the Beloved, we must be accepting of the beloved. I can't give up on you till God does, and He won't! We're safe with God, and we've got to be safe with one another."

"Love means accepting people the way they are for Jesus' sake. Jesus hung around with sinners and if we're too holy to allow people to blow smoke in our faces, then we're holier than Jesus was. He didn't isolate himself in the synagogue. In fact, He mixed with sinners so much that the self-righteous got upset about it." (I love this about Jesus. Truly this is something about Him that attracts me to Him over and over. He was close friends with some that the church of his time wouldn't and didn't approve of )

"Remember you are not the Lord. None of us is to function as Lord in anybody's life, ever, under any circumstances. There's only one Lord, and that's Jesus Christ."

These were just from the first chapter. I am again reaffirmed and convicted at the same time. What a great book. Thanks for being ego centric enough to publish your own book Jerry :)

I think I will share my highlights or favorite quotes from each chapter just for fun and if you haven't read this book yet, you really need to.

Book Review , Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli

This is a tiny little book that I picked up because it was mentioned I think in Generous Orthodoxy. The title grabbed my attention right away, and it did not disappoint. The author Michael Yaconelli, was tragically killed in a car accident in 2003 and the foreword written by his wife in the beginning is enough to pull you in. I will share some of my favorite quotes and you can decide what you think.

"What landed Jesus on the cross was the preposterous idea that common, ordinary, broken, screwed-up people could be godly! What drove Jesus' enemies crazy were his criticisms of the "perfect" religious people and his acceptance of the imperfect nonreligious people. The shocking implication of Jesus' ministry is that anyone can be spiritual."

"Messy spirituality describes our godly incompetence. No one does holy living very well. Spirituality is the humiliating recognition that I don't know how to pray well. I don't understand God's word or know how to navigate it properly, and I don't know how to competently live out my commitment to Christ. Messy spirituality affirms our spiritual clumsiness."

Toward the end of the book in a chapter entitled Little Graces he shares one of the coolest war stories I have ever heard. I literally had to call Moses mid-day to share this one. After I wiped away the tears, I was so excited like it happened just moments ago.
It was about 2 British air pilots that in World War II were conducting bombing raids over Berlin. One night after a successful bombing raid, as they were headed for the safety of England, the bombers were attacked by a large group of German fighter planes. They saw tracers from these planes come at them in slow motion and watched hopelessly as they hit the back of their plane right in the gas tank. They prepared for an explosion after the thud sound of five bullets hit hard but nothing happened. Back at the base safe in the barracks the mechanic came in with bullets in hand and said they were all empty of gun powder. Inside one was a tiny wad of paper with a note that read, " We are Polish POW's - forced to make bullets in factory. When guards do not look, we do not fill with powder. Is not much, but is best we can do. Please tell family we are alive." The note was signed by four Polish prisoners of war. He goes on to say , "The power of goodness is found in the tiny. Since the beginning. God has chosen tiny over large: David over Goliath, Gideon and his three hundred soldiers over thousands of Midianites, Elijah over the prophets of Baal, one sheep over ninety-nine. Spirituality is about doing the tiny work of God, little acts, small responses to God's presence in our lives."
*Or how about coming as a helpless tiny infant to save the whole world.
**And I would add to that doing those tiny acts on a very daily basis. It is looking, listening, waiting , for an opportunity to make someones life better just because.

It was a great book. Michael sounded like a really cool guy and he captures in this book what I think alot of us need to hear. We are all in process, screwed up, and loved beyond measure at the same time. What a life we live with this thing called Spirituality.

What's so Amazing about Grace, by Philip Yancey

Finishing up reading What's so Amazing about Grace by Philip Yancey. This has been a really good and easy read for me up until chapter 13. This chapter entitled , Grace healed eyes had really struck a chord of sadness and confusion for me. In this chapter he talks about one of the biggest eye openers for grace in his life has been his friendship with a man named Mel White. Apparently, Mel White has written a book as well, Stranger at the Gate and was a ghost writer for many famous Christian authors. 5 years into their friendship Mel confessed to Philip that he is a homosexual and that he was no longer going to live the lie or facade of being a heterosexual with a wife and 2 children. He talks about the torture he had been through trying to change this about himself and then it talks about the back lash and hatred he was embraced with after coming out of the closet.
This book was written in the 90's so things have changed some in this area but not much. It just got me thinking about so much. How we as Christians can be the meanest , most hate filled judgemental a..holes to anyone who doesn't fit into our own comfortable box of what we deem acceptable human behavior.
It angers me that we treat people the way that this man was treated. God forgive me when I have been that a..hole! I pray I show grace and more grace in the future.
In this book Philip talks about the fact that Grace is what sets apart our belief system from any other. He says we are all Bastards but God loves us anyway and that is Grace in and of itself.
Here is my favorite segment from the book ,
"My study of Jesus life convinces me that whatever barriers we must overcome in treating "different" people cannot compare to what a holy God- who dwelled in the Most Holy Place, and whose presence caused fire and smoke to belch from mountaintops, bringing death to any unclean person who wandered near- overcame when he descended to join us on planet Earth.
A prostitute, a wealthy exploiter, a demon-possessed woman, a Roman soldier, a a Samaritan with running sores and another Samaritan with serial-husbands- I marvel that Jesus gained the reputation as being a "friend of sinners" like these. As Helmut Thielicke wrote:
Jesus gained the power to love harlots, bullies, and ruffians...he was able to do this only because he saw through the filth and crust of degeneration, because his eye caught the divine original which is hidden in every way- in every man! ... First and foremost he gives us new eyes.... "

This is the Jesus I think so many of us have forgotten. He hung out with sketchy people. He was a friend to these people. He calls me friend.
This is why I love Jesus. This is why I live for Him and only Him. This is why I am willing to give up my comfortable box for a bigger box that is much more beautiful than I could ever imagine. It doesn't always make sense to me but it is always so beautiful. So amazing, Jesus grace for me. I pray I extend more and more and more grace. I pray I don't ever take the seat of judgement instead of mercy and grace.

This Morning

This morning I enjoyed the best cup of coffee. I was sitting outside my house taking in the morning rays and just being. While listening to the birds chirping and watering my lawn, I sat there for about an hour and just listened. It has been a while since I just sat and listened. At first all I could hear were the birds. The birds in my neighborhood are quite intense. We have doves, owls, bluebirds and lil tiny brown birds. All the birds were noisy this morning. Then I started to listen to the water. Then the breeze in the trees.
I was journaling and got to thinking that I remind myself often times of a character in one of my favorite children's books. The book is called Frederick. It's about a field mouse who sits and seemingly is doing nothing while all the other field mice are busy preparing for the winter. The other field mice begin to get irritated with Frederick, like why are you just sitting there doing nothing while we do all the work at which point Frederick defends his actions. He says that he is gathering colors for the cold winter days, and stories for the quiet still of winter, and poems for the lonely nights. I am a Frederick field mouse. I find it quite easy to sit and just be. Although, I am required to do laundry and dishes, and dusting, and taxi cab driving, and all kinds of other stuff I would much rather sit and listen and watch. I love to sit and watch, listen, and hopefully learn. This morning what I learned is that I wish I had more mornings like this one. I am thankful for the mornings that I do get like this. Where the world stops and the coffee taste so, so good!!

Some Easter quotes, from The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey

Here as I mentioned are some quotes toward the end of the book and if you have read through the other ones you might not even need to read the book now ; )



"I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans, and the Hitlers and the Stalin's to have their way. But nothing- nothing- compares to the self restraint shown that dark Friday in Jerusalem."



He quotes M. Scott Peck here, " There are dozens of ways to deal with evil and several ways to conquer it. All of them are facets of the truth that the only ultimate way to conquer evil is to let it be smothered within a willing, living human being. When it is absorbed there like blood in a sponge or a spear into one's heart, it loses it's power and goes no further. The healing of evil- scientifically or otherwise- can be accomplished only by the love of individuals. A willing sacrifice is required... I do not know how this occurs. But I know that it does... Whenever this happens there is slight shift in the balance of power in the world."

"One reason I am open to belief, I admit, is that at a very deep level I want the Easter story to be true. Faith grows out of the subsoil of yearning, and something primal in human beings cries out against the reign of death. Whether hope takes the form of Egyptian pharaohs stashing their jewels and chariots in pyramids, or the modern American obsession with keeping bodies alive until the last possible nanosecond and then preserving them fluids in double-sealed caskets, we humans resist the idea of death having the final say. We want to believe otherwise."

Book Review- The Jesus I Never Knew, by Philip Yancey

I just finished this book The Jesus I Never Knew, and I have to say that the time frame of it's contents right before Easter have made me want to stand up and shout. This is a wonderful book that displays a beautiful portrait of Jesus. As I mentioned in a previous blog it hangs out in the Beatitudes for a while and then quickly goes into the Sinless Savior who is a friend to sinners. He talks at length at how Jesus whole time here on earth was a balancing act. He portrayed a teacher who was not doing away with God's laws but at the same time bringing grace into areas that grace was not permitted.
My book is flagged with so many tags where I have highlighted so much, sometimes almost whole pages, and that to me is a sure sign of a winner. I know this book came out a while ago but if anyone is looking for a great book right before Easter to help you remember the Jesus you fell in love with I highly recommend , The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey. To me it is the Jesus I have known but sometimes I forget and we all need reminders.
Here are some of my favorite quotes-

"Among people who walled off a separate sanctum for God in the temple and shrank from pronouncing or spelling out the name, God made a surprise appearance as a baby in a manger. What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped tight against his body? In Jesus , God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear."

"As I look back on the three temptations, I see that Satan proposed an enticing improvement. He tempted Jesus toward the good parts of being human without the bad: to savor the taste of bread without being subject to the fixed rules of hunger and of agriculture, to confront risk with no real danger, to enjoy fame and power without the prospect of painful rejection- in short, to wear a crown but not a cross. (The temptation that Jesus resisted, many of us, his followers, still long for.)

"Now that I am an adult, the crisis of the Sermon on the Mount still has not gone away. Though I have tried at times to dismiss it as rhetorical excess, the more I study Jesus, the more I realize that the statements contained here lie at the heart of his message. If I fail to understand this teaching, I fail to understand him."

"In the Beatitudes, Jesus honored people who may not enjoy many privileges in this life. To the poor, the mourners, the meek, the hungry, the persecuted, the poor in heart, he offered assurance that their service would not go unrecognized."

"Yet, as C.S. Lewis reminds us, we dare not discount the value of future rewards. One need only listen to the songs composed by American slaves to realize this consolation of belief. "Swing low sweet chariot, comin' for to carry me home." "When I get to heaven goin' to put on my robe, goin' to shout all over God's heaven." If the slave masters had written these songs for the slaves to sing, they would be an obscenity; rather, they come from the mouths of the slaves themselves, people who had little hope in this world but abiding hope in a world to come. For them, all hope centered in Jesus."

"Various scenes in the Gospels give a good picture of the kind of people who impressed Jesus. A widow who placed her last two cents in the offering. A dishonest tax collector so riddled with anxiety that he climbed a tree to get a better view of Jesus. A nameless, nondescript child. A woman with a string of five unhappy marriages. A blind beggar. An adulteress. A man with leprosy. Strength, good looks, connections, and the competitive instinct may bring a person success in a society like ours, but those very qualities may block entrance to the kingdom of heaven. Dependence, Sorrow, repentance, a longing to change-these are the gates to God's kingdom."

"Jesus came , he told us, not to destroy life but that we may have it more abundantly, "life....to the full". Paradoxically, we get this abundant life in ways we may not have counted on. We get it by investing in others, by taking courageous stands for justice, by ministering to the weak and needy, by pursuing God and not self."


These like I said are just a few and there are more to come later this week I will post the ones that get into the real meanings we celebrate Easter.
If you stuck this one out you must have some time on your hands :)

Book Review- Sweet Potatoes Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit

This book was hilarious, from start to finish I was laughing, laughing and laughing some more. Not for the faint at heart when it comes to cursing, the woman is from the deep South Mississippi, and can curse, but man oh man are her stories ever funny. Reminds me of what kind of book Shontell might write if she was a drunk cursing sailor type, but alas she is not ,and so we will just have to wait til her book comes out. Until then here are some of my favorite quotes. The first quote is the begining of Chapter one and I feel as though I could have written it myself and I wonder who it might be about?? FYI-that is now the Giants new nickname- Cutest Boy in the World.

"The Cutest Boy in the World is a Man Who Can Fix Things. The man can fix anything- ANYTHING- even if he broke it first, he can fix it. He can build anything, unclog anything, hang anything, patch anything, retool, replumb, and /or rewire anything. (This is only one of his many gifts-but it's the one we're talking about at the moment. And the value of a man with this ability- and willingness-to fix things cannot be overstated.) " After this intro she then goes into the wonder of electricity and how we take it for granted and how that can be compared to when we find out that we are prego. You flip the switch, light comes on. You do the deed a baby is concieved. So funny!!

"In my opinion, one of the very best features of your new baby is it's built in requirement for massive amounts of sleep. You will want to see to it that that requirement is met and or exceeded at all times. Hell exacts an incredibly steep price tag when this requirement is ignored- and though you, Mom, will bear the brunt of this penalty, pretty much everybody within earshot of your baby will help pay that price. Hear me and heed my words: NAP TIME IS SACRED. It is to be honored and adhered to above all things."

"Babies don't have sinuses, which is really poor planning if you ask me, on account of they do, on occasion, produce a whole lotta snot. OH please-does anybody out there really think that the word "mucus" sounds better than "snot"? They both sound pretty pukey to me."

"My daddy's theory- to which I ascribe- was that there is No Such Thing as a Bad Word. Humans made up every single word there is, and likewise, we assigned each one a meaning, and they are all just words. Daddy had assorted parables to illustrate his various policies regarding language. For instance, name calling that cherished playground tradition. Whenever we would run,bawling, to him with the report that Brindy called me a butthead, he would look at us calmy and question the veracity of the statement. Are you a butthead? And we would sob loudly in the negative, to which he would then raise the question, Well, what if he called you a chair. You're not a chair either, are you? This would usually cause us to stop mid-wail and look confused. "

"Your kids need to see you play- they need to see you having fun for no reason other than the sheer joy of having it. If they see you giving your time to playing, they get the message that "this is of value" and they will apply that to thier own lives in the future."

The whole book is just loaded with histerycal funny stories that just make you chuckle. If you need a lift , something other than a self-help book or novel this is a good one. Apparently the author has written others on marriage, love, single-hood. Her name is Jill Conner Browne and she IS FUNNY!!

Book Review , The Secret Message of Jesus

I finished The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian D. McLaren and I have to say that it wasn't nearly as good as A Genorous Orthdoxy but it still was very thought provoking. The theme of this book is pretty much in the title , are there secrets to the message Jesus brought that we have yet to discover and if so what are we doing about it and why hasn't anyone discovered them as of yet.
The book starts off by asking a bunch of interesting questions, "What if the religion generally associated with Jesus neither expects nor trains it's adherents to actually live in the way of Jesus? What if the core message of Jesus has been unintentionally misunderstood or intentionally distorted? What if many have sincerely valued some aspects of Jesus message while missing or even suppressing other , more important dimensions?What if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus in sermons and books,sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus in seminaries and classrooms.... but somewhere along the way missed rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential message of Jesus?"
Sheesh- that right there is just a snippet of the questions that come at you right off the start of chapter 1. Needless to say, this book made me think about the really hardcore , somewhat unpleasant topics that Jesus touched on while he walked the earth. It was a good reminder to me how important it is to study the scriptures because to just quickly read through them is just about as pointless as not reading them at all. The deeper meanings hidden behind so many of the things that Jesus taught can only come when we practice that word we read over and over in the old testament (Selah) which means stop and really think about that for a minute or two or three.......
Here are some of my favorite quotes;
"In one of my previous books, I said that clarity is sometimes overrated and that intrigue is correspondingly undervalued."
"Much about his message is frustratingly unclear and impossible to categorize, but this much is clear: this carpenter's son from Galilee challenges every existing political movement to a radical rethinking and dares everyone to imagine and consider his revolutionary alternative."
"It is not just another one of the kingdoms of this world. NO, this kingdom advances slowly, quietly, under the surface-like yeast in dough, like seed in soil. It advances with faith: when people believe it is true, it becomes true. And it advances with reconciling, forgiving love: when people love strangers and enemies, the kingdom gains ground."
It was most definitely worth the read and there was a study guide provided in the back that I am still working through and thinking about going through with others. Any takers??

A Book Review

The Book , A Generous Orthodoxy, by Brian D. McLaren was a very interesting, easy to read book. In this book, Brian talks about all the different denominations in Christianity in such a way that really makes you think about each of these ways to follow Christ,in a whole new light. He has a positive approach with each one and really gives a bit of a history lesson about them all. I didn't know this at the time but he has written quite a few other books and I have already started to read another one of his publishing's, The Secret Message of Jesus(for sure to be in a future book review blog) but for now I will share some favorite quotes from Generous Orthodoxy;
"Nobody is on a journey anymore, everybody is stuck in their high or low status quo." In this quote he talks about how in all these different denominations no one asks why we do what we do they just remain stuck in the status quo. This really rung home for me because I am at a point of asking ALOT of questions. Not about Jesus, but for sure about this thing we call church.
"When Jesus refers to himself as "the son of Man" it would be like saying, the essential human, the ultimate embodiment of humanity. In this way "son of God" would mean embodying God, or carrying the essence of God." The way he phrased these sayings that Jesus said often really made me think about how complex the God we serve is. Fully human and fully God is a pretty big thing to wrap my brain around.
"Has He become(I shudder to ask this) less our Lord and more our Mascot?"
This quote , whew- really hurts but is Oh so true in the way we throw Jesus name around with so much that we do in His name when in all reality it's not really what He's about at all.
There were several more interesting things that I kept my notebook around for the whole time while reading this book because I wanted to come back to much of what he said.
I also needed to take notes on how many other book references he made. Some on his list that I was able to recently purchase, (thanks to some amazing friends who know me OH SO WELL and got me book gift cards for my b-day, Thank you again)are; Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli, What's so Amazing about Grace , The Jesus I never knew both by Philip Yancey, and Sex, Economy,Freedom, and Community by Wendell Berg.