Chronological Guide to the Bible

I went on a summer project a few years ago with Cru and received a The One Year Chronological Bible NIV
while there to use.  It was a great way to change up how I had been reading my Bible.

I loved being able to read the Psalms alongside of what David had been experiencing at the time and reading the gospel accounts together, really gave me a new perspective on Jesus and his disciples and the different purposes the authors had in writing their accounts.

This was a great Bible for devotional time, but a hard Bible to use for everyday use when trying to follow along with a different study or sermon series.

Being a history nerd, I enjoy finding new materials to enhance my study and understanding of the context of what I read.  I was given a copy of The Chronological Guide to the Bible: Explore God’s Word in Historical Order
from an online program called the Booklook Bloggers and found this to be a decent resource to have for a deeper study of your Bible.

Instead of following a more devotional style Bible, this book allows you to use whatever Bible you have and enhance your study of what is really going on in the section you are reading.  It provides you with lots of maps and colorful inserts to give you insight into the culture and locations the Bible is describing and can help you gain a better understanding of how it all fits together, instead of reading each book separately in canonical order.

There’s almost too much information squeezed into this lightweight book.  It’s small for a resource book, which is nice.  However, it can be hard to follow and read with so many inserts on each page.  It’s helpful little insights into specific verses, however, it can get confusing to find the information you are looking for.

Overall, I find this to be a good resource to have for the times I want to spend a little extra time digging into a section of the Bible to discover more of the context.  As Pastor Chris always says, “The Bible is not written to us, but for us.”  This book helps you understand more of who it is written to and when it was written, which in turn, helps you gain a fuller understanding of what it can mean to you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Weekly Wrap-Up – April 1

sorry it’s been a while.

kind of fell off the wagon for a while, but I’m back in the swing of things again.

I’m officially 29 now, so we are down to less than a year to the big 3-0… so I’m really focusing on my list again.  I even signed up for a boot-camp!  yikes.

anyways, a small step back into the blogging world, I thought I’d link to a few blog posts that I enjoyed from the past few weeks.  since there are so many, I thought I’d do it thematically this week.  so today’s blog links all revolve around singleness.  not because I’m feeling particularly lonely or down about being single, but because there have been a lot of posts that I have really enjoyed and wanted to share.

Surviving Church as a Single– Stuff Christians Like
YES, YES, YES.  My faves being #5 (if I had a date for every time I heard this…), #6 (seriously?!), #17 (I have a cat. I still worry about being the crazy cat lady), #21 (yup, has happened many times), #30 (ouch, but true), and #39 (this one is my favorite.  and I totally have this radar.  I refuse to participate. please do not point out in front of everyone & their mom that I am still single.)

A Letter to My Younger Self on Valentine’s Day– Good Women Project
You feel cheated right now, wondering why the God of the universe didn’t make you alluring or talkative or anything like the girls you wish you were, but you’re wrong. You’re so wrong. Because, when God made you, he didn’t step back and look at the finished product and say, “good enough”.
Um, yes. That is definitely how I feel sometimes. 

Being Single on Valentine’s Day is Not an Excuse to be Pathetic– Caitlin Muir
Good reminder.

An Open Letter to Christian Singles– thornscompose
Some good advice and he starts with a lyric from Mumford & Sons. 🙂

In Praise of Singleness– Mars Hill
Definitely needed some of these reminders. “But, if I do get married one day, I know that after we say I do, I won’t automatically know how to communicate with my husband. I won’t magically start reading my Bible. I cannot expect my relationship with God to suddenly become easy and perfect. It takes work, and I need to use this time to do just that. And Jesus promises that married or single, he will be with us along the way. ”

I’ve Been That Single Girl– CruPress
I probably could have bought multiple Kitchen Aid mixers with the amount of money I’ve spent on showers & weddings.  Not that I am upset about the gifts, I love giving gifts to my friends.  But I do really want that Kitchen Aid too!
“I need to trust that God knows what He is doing and if I’m single, then God has a purpose in my singleness that I must be careful not to waste.”

Sleeping Alone– sayable
I thought this was a beautiful picture of how I feel some mornings.

For the Gals: 8 Principles for Dating– the Resurgence
some good thoughts & suggestions.

When a Comment Breaks Your Heart– Incourage
I love Annie’s posts & her heart.  and since it happens to relate to where I’m at in life, I appreciate the feeling of community & the realization that I’m not the only one who feels this way.

The Cheese Stands Alone, but You Shouldn’t– Incourage
Annie discusses the question of “what do you do when you are the last single girl in the bunch?”  That is quickly becoming my lot in life and I was encouraged by her suggestions.

Brotip #1415a– jbryantwrites
okay, this one was just plain funny.  and I do enjoy How I Met Your Mother.

Wow.  that’s enough for now.  I promise I will do better at posting.  then these great blog links won’t pile up quite so much and hopefully I will be working harder at my 30×30 list…

Weekly Wrap-up -January 22

a few favorite posts of the week…

Old Lady Movie Night: You’ve Got Mail– Hello Giggles
I’m not sure how I feel about this movie being in the “old lady movie night” category, because that just makes me feel old.  but, this is one of my absolute FAVORITE movies of all time.  seriously, my mom thinks it is weird how many times I can watch this movie.  every time I watch it though, I just love it more.  I mean, it has so many books in it!  if I ever owned my own business, I would want it to be a bookstore that looks like the Shop Around the Corner.  speaking of which, I just recently watched The Shop Around the Corner, the old movie with Jimmy Stewart, which this movie was kind of based off of.  I think I need to watch it a few more times, but I do love Jimmy Stewart.  but it’s pretty hard to be beat Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan here…

Tim Tebow: The Christian Girl’s Heart-throb– Stuff Christians Like
Okay, this one is funny.  and true.  my facebook news feed is often filled with him from all the college students I’m friends with.  although, it is definitely not limited to just college students!  😉  the picture he tweeted of him & his family with Brad Paisley & the Band Perry definitely got shared more than once on my news feed..

How to be Awesome at Everything– Jon Acuff
this was good for me to read.  I definitely want to be good at everything I do, or at least to look like I’m good at it all.  I hate to fail or look stupid or be embarrassed, so this was good for me to read and remember.  I definitely wasn’t a great skater the first time I stepped on the ice and after 20 years of practicing, I like to think I’ve improved…  😉  so I need to remember that it is the same with other things.  it takes time & practice, no matter how much I want to be the best at something immediately!

Feigning Gratitude– Lindsey Nobles
the video is pretty funny, but I really love her honesty and her reflections on her waiting…
“So here I sit, wrestling, negotiating, pleading. Wondering why He is withholding ‘the good stuff’? Wondering why the desire lies in waiting? And wondering why I can’t continue to feign gratitude about my ‘half-eaten sandwich’?”  I definitely feel like this more than I probably want to admit.

Seven Ways to Keep Your Home Strong– a Holy Experience
I thought she had some great ideas here.  I don’t have my own home right now, but I love her suggestions and the way she has set out her home to make prayer a priority and has made it accessible with many reminders around them.  what a great way to make it a discipline and an integral part of their home & family.

The Danger of Trying to Please God– Rick Thomas
I found this through an excerpt on Tullian Tchividjian’s blog and thought it was great.  it is definitely easy for me to fall into following lists and just checking things off instead of being rightly motivated.  this was a good heart check to see what my real motivation is.  am I just trying to be a good girl or am I really experiencing the Gospel and am motivated by that?

okay, there were a few others I liked, but we will leave it at that for now.  I still want to fit some gifts in this post yet, so please keep reading!

8. something I’m reading… Grace for the Good Girl

9. a gift from God’s Word… “yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” – psalm 8:5

10. something above me… or on top of me… fiyero snuggled up at last!
11. gift on a plate… yummy & healthy tortilla pizza
12. something below me… my kitten waiting for me
13. a sound I hear… Kaylee’s pouring noise during our tea party!
14. a gift that made me laugh… proxy curled up & barely fitting in
15. where I saw light… simon watching the birds through the window
16.  a gift outside… softly falling snow
17. a yellow thing that struck me as fresh mercy… a bowl full of my favorites- fresh, sweet pineapple & pomegranates
still working my way through the January list of the Joy Dare!

I guess that is all for now… I’ll be back soon to share about my volunteer experience for the month!

Top 5 things in 2012

over at (in)courage today, annie is blogging about being single.  I started following annie’s personal blog and twitter a few months back when I was looking for some new blogs to follow of people who were in a similar place as me… around 30, single, walking with God, etc…  let’s just say there weren’t many that I found, but annie’s has been a blessing.

(in)courage has seemed like a great community for the short time I’ve been following it, with a lot of great devotionals and books, but they definitely do appeal & address the married crowd much more, so I’m excited to see where the conversation leads as annie begins to share in this community more about life as a single woman.  today she shared 5 things she wants to focus on this year to make 2012 different.

i just posted 30 things that I’m going to be working on for the next 14 months, but if I had to narrow it down to 5 personal things to work on to make 2012 different it would be these:

-count 1000 gifts
I still haven’t read the book, but I’ve really enjoyed starting on this.  I think it is a good challenge for me and will change the way I think about a lot of things as I look for the gifts in my life.

-read through the entire Bible
I don’t think I’ve ever actually done this and setting a goal and doing it alongside some friends will really help me finish it.  it’s been a good process so far and a good discipline for me to get back into.

-work out 3 times a week
I’ve tried to stick with work out plans before and haven’t really done it since I stopped playing hockey.  but I really do want to lose some weight and get in better shape, especially with the recent history of cancer in my family and the fact that I’m turning 30.  I would love to look and feel great for that!  so I put it on my list for some added accountability and a goal to work towards.

-stick to my zero-based budget for 6 months
while I’m single, I want to get smart about money and my financial status.  I haven’t always made the best choices in this area, so this is something I want to improve on.  if I ever do get married, I want to be a blessing to my husband, and if I come into marriage with poor money habits, I know it would not be a fun adjustment.  plus a bunch of the things on my list involve spending money, so saving for those goals would be a good plan!

-have an auntie/Kaylee date once a month
ok, this is probably just the one I’m most excited about!  I love being an aunt and getting the chance to spend some quality one-on-one time with my favorite kid will make this a great year!

so there are 5 things out of my 30 that I think will really make 2012 a great year while being single!

Weekly Wrap-up -January 14

thought I’d try and share a few things each week that you all might enjoy too.

I read quite a few blogs and usually there are a couple that jump out more than others with something that really speaks to me, makes me laugh, or makes me think.  so I thought I would share a few from this past week so that you could read them too!

1. What Single People Wish Married People Knew – the sexy celibate
I hadn’t been following this blog, but I do have Kate’s cd and think it’s pretty great.  I found this post through a friend who had shared it on Facebook and loved it.  I totally related to, and have experienced, most of what she shared.  I really loved this line: “These formulas makes us feel like our being single has nothing to do with God’s will or our choices or the enemy or any other theory you have on why hard things happen. It has to do with our lack.”

2. Pining for Someone to Put a Ring on It– Good Women Project
I originally read this article back in September when the featured topic was singleness, but they tweeted the link to it again this week and I went back and reread it.  I enjoy reading the honest stories from other women and I love that this woman was honest with us and herself in saying: “This is not my announcement that God has called me to be single ’til death. This is me saying singleness is not a death sentence.”

3. Sonic Happy Hour or “The Christian Happy Hour”– Stuff Christians Like
This blog is pretty funny and while he slips in some challenges to our thoughts on judgement here, really I just love it because it reminds me of Myrtle Beach Summer Project 2004 when I could walk like 2 blocks to Sonic Happy Hour and enjoy a cheap, giant cherry limeade.  and he’s totally right about the ice… it is “Frozen Heaven.” 🙂

4. Slay Your Dragons Before Breakfast– Michael Hyatt
This blog often has some great leadership thoughts, but this post stuck out to me, probably because I am NOT a morning person.  My bed is just so warm and snuggly, and my room is so cold…  but I do want to be better about working out consistently and keeping up with my Bible reading plan , so this fits right with that.

5. I’m Embarrassed by Tim Tebow– Ragamuffin Soul
I thought this was great.  I like Tim Tebow, I think it has been fun to watch him this season, but the media coverage of him has been a little crazy.  ok, a lot crazy.  that has led to a divide among some Christians, you either love him or you can’t stand him.   I think he hits it on the head here though.  maybe Tim doesn’t always do it in the best, most effective way, but he never hides what he believes.  and that is more than most of us do on a daily basis.

here are a few gifts I counted this week too…
1. a gift before 9 am… beautiful sunrise on the farm
2. a gift after dark… so many stars in the clear, farm sky
3. a gift I sat with… new journal, pretty pen & Starbucks
4. something I’m seeing… love what friends gather to do at Starbucks
5. a grace in the weather… 52 degrees & swinging outside in January in WISCONSIN!
6. something beside me… love when my kitten wants to snuggle!
7. one thing I shared… a cup of “coffee” with Kaylee on our Starbucks date!

I’ve been using the Joy Dare calendar, although I haven’t been following it in order or counting 3 each day.  but it is nice to have some ideas to spur ideas of gifts.

okay, that’s enough for now…  time to watch some more football (although it’s all just a precursor to the PACKER game tomorrow!)  😉  hope you all had a good week!

thirty by thirty part 2

if you missed the first part of this list, check it out here.

let’s continue on with the rest of the list!

16. learn to crochet
I already know how to knit…kind of.  the extent of my knitting abilities extends to just scarves so far, so really, I could have made this one be “learn to knit something other than a scarf.”  and maybe I will try to do that.  but there are a few crochet patterns that I really like, so I decided to make it something totally new.  my sister-in-law crochets quite a bit when she has the time, so maybe I’ll have her teach me and it will be something I get to do with her too.

17. do a pinterest/craft project once a month for a gift
it’s no secret that I, and most other women I know, have become obsessed with pinterest. it is fun and addicting, but has also totally expanded my knowledge of crafting.  I made a few of my Christmas gifts from pinterest projects that I’d found and they seemed to be a hit.  so this will be a good challenge for my sewing & crafty skills and it will challenge me to think outside of myself and figure out fun gifts for the people in my life.

18. blog once a week
I’ve never been very good at blogging consistently.  but I read quite a few blogs.  and since I’m starting on this list, I figured at least a couple of people would want to hear how it was going.  so I’m going to blog at least once a week.  it may be more than that, but I want to keep you updated at least somewhat regularly, so once a week seemed like a good goal.

19. count 1000 gifts
I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this book and I’m waiting rather impatiently to get it from Holly, since I know she got it as part of my Christmas gift, but refuses to send it to me.  I’ve kind of been waiting to start counting until I had read the book, but I want to participate in this dare so I will probably start it sooner.  I’m excited for this and a little unsure as to what I will discover, but know that it will bring out some great stuff in my life.  feel free to join me along the way!

20. read & review 14 blog books (from such programs as Booksneeze or Blogging for Books)
I’ve done a couple of these before and really do enjoy getting free books, so I thought this would be a good way to be a little more intentional about it.  I kind of get sidetracked and  take way longer than I should to finish & post my reviews, so hopefully this will help me be better at finishing them and posting thoughtful reviews.  if you like to read, I would highly suggest these programs!

21. read one non-fiction book a month
I have not been very good about finishing books recently.  I’ve been reading more fiction lately, but have a big stack of non-fiction (Christian living, history, etc) books waiting for me.  so I’m going to work my way through a few of those.  I will keep you posted on what I’m reading and you all can help keep me accountable to finishing them!  (you can always check out what I’m reading in the sidebar of the blog!)

22. read through the entire Bible (I will be following this plan online, feel free to join me or keep me accountable!)
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but haven’t stuck with any plan that I’ve started.  so again, I’m putting it here to keep me accountable.  plus, this plan is put out by the church I went to in Madison, and so I know a bunch of my friends from there will be doing this too, so it will be fun to do it with them!  it’s been fun so far and I like the addition of the psalm everyday.  my journal is going to get filled up much faster this year as I keep up with this!

23. have a half-day with the Lord once a month
this was one of my favorite things about being on staff with Cru and so I decided to continue it.  it’s great to set aside some extended time with the Lord just to sit and enjoy His presence.  it would be a good time for me to do some processing on life and to focus on where He is taking me…

24. memorize the entire book of James
I’m terrible about scripture memorization.  so I figured this would be a good challenge for me.  it seems a little daunting, so I changed my mind a few times on which book to memorize.  James seemed like a good one to start with since it is not very long, but it’s still full of some great stuff.  I’m contemplating doing Beth Moore’s study on James as well.

25. volunteer somewhere once a month
on Christmas, I went to the warming shelter in town with some people from my church and we served dinner.  it was really fun and a great way to wind down Christmas.  I decided to be more intentional in this area since it is something that I enjoy and something that will stretch me & challenge me.  I may do the warming shelter a few times, but I would like to try a couple different things or places.  I think it will be a good way to force me out of my comfort zone and explore the community a little more.

26. work out 3 times a week
I wavered between many different ideas on a fitness goal for this list.  I knew I wanted something on this list to kick my butt in to gear and provide some accountability, but I had a hard time deciding what exactly it should be.  I decided on this one in the hopes that this would be a lifestyle change, instead of reaching a goal and just stopping.  Hopefully if I keep up with this until I turn 30, it will just become a habit and will continue naturally after I turn 30 too.  Plus, as long as I keep up with this, I should be able to reach some of the other goals I have too.

27. run a 5K without walking
I’ve tried this once before, but I did not follow through very well on the training and then ended up walking more than I wanted during the race.  so we are going to try this again.  most likely I will be trying to accomplish this at the Race for the Cure on June 2nd since this has become an annual event with our family to support & honor my mom and cousin. it’s always inspiring and amazing to watch everyone at this race and hopefully that will help me push through to run the whole race.

28. get a dog
I love pets and it’s easy to see where that love comes from when we go stay at my grandma’s and there are sometimes 7 dogs in the house!  why not add one more to the mix?!  I love my cat and he will not be thrilled with this one, but I really want a dog!  being single still and turning 30, I don’t want to be seen as a lonely cat lady, so we will just add a dog to the mix! 😉

29. stick to my zero-based budget for 6 months
I have not been great about really managing & tracking my money, so this is a big area that I want to work on.  I’ve created a budget and will work towards following it with the goal of sticking to it for at least 6 months.  I plan on using Mint to help track it all.

30. get a “new-to-me” car
poor Pammy the Neon is dying a slow death and it is past time that I got a different car.  so it’s on the list out of necessity and out of a desire to encourage my budgeting skills to afford a new (used) car!  Pammy, it’s been a good ride…

well, there you go.  that’s my list!  if you have any suggestions or encouragement, please feel free to comment or call!  and please, keep me accountable.  I need your help in this and am excited to see how the Lord will use it in my life in the next 14 months…

Thirty by Thirty

well, we are a week into the new year and I am still feeling optimistic about keeping up with some of my resolutions!  although, they are not really resolutions this time.  I posted a list of things I would like to accomplish before I turn thirty and decided to begin it now, instead of waiting until my birthday in March.

a while back, Holly had challenged me to create a list of things to do in 2012 or before I turn thirty, and I thought the 30 thing would be more motivating for me.  turning thirty sounds strange still.  I have plenty of friends who are turning or have turned thirty, but the thought that soon (okay, I still have over a year…) I will have to say I’m in my 30s is a bit of a stunner.  I’m not quite ready for that yet.  my life doesn’t really look like I thought it would as I neared thirty, and so this list will help motivate, encourage & challenge me, and provide a few fun things along the way!

I posted the list on a page that you can access at any time at the top of my blog, but I thought I would post the list here too with a little explanation of why I chose each item.

1. have an auntie/Kaylee date once a month
it’s not hard to tell if you know me or follow me on twitter/facebook, but I love my niece A LOT.  I will freely admit to being biased, but she is the cutest, smartest & funniest 19-month old ever.  so this was more of a fun goal to spend some intentional one-on-one time with her.  most of the time when I see her, it’s with lots of other family around and so this will be a fun opportunity for just the two of us to hang out and bond.  I’m pretty excited about this one.  😉

2. host a “little girls” sleepover
a year and a half ago, I invited my 4 little girl cousins (ages 3, two 5 year olds & an 8 year old) over to our house for a sleepover in my room.  my cousin Kayla brought them & my little boy cousins Reis & Adler, but they weren’t allowed in my room for the “girls sleepover” as the little girls informed me.  so while we played with them during the day, the girls & I curled up in my room for the night with special treats, a princess movie, nail polish & lots of giggles.  it was a fun & crazy night and they thought they were so cool!   so I am going to host another one for some more giggles, lost sleep & bonding time with them.

3. plan a “big girls” sleepover
the “little girls” are actually the daughters of my first-cousins Kayla & Deanna, and we joked after the big sleepover event, that we needed to have one for us to hang out!  and we’ve continued to talk about for a year and a half now without anything being done about it.  so now it’s on the list and it has to happen!  i’ve been the youngest girl cousin on this side of the family, so I’m excited for a little grown-up time with them without kids hanging on our every move for one night!

4. ____________________
sorry, I can’t really put an explanation of this one up.  but it is rather personal, and I don’t want to name names & broadcast it across the internet.  so we’ll just leave it at that.  but you can still pray about this one for me!

5. go on a roadtrip with Holly & Stephanie
okay, so this one is kind of a cop-out, since Holly already had this on her list.  but I am excited about it and really want to make sure we do this!  we could use some good, extended time with each other and a few silly, fun adventures will of course occur when the three of us are together!

6. visit the Vandes in Colorado Springs
I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to see the Vandes almost every time they’ve come back to Wisconsin to visit, but it’s been a while since I’ve been out to see them.  plus, Mike turns 30 & Hudson turns 2 this summer, so it would be nice to get out there at some point to hang out and celebrate with them.  and I really want to see their house!  they are so grown-up to own a house…  😉

7. see the Detroit Red Wings play at Joe Louis Arena
a couple of years ago, I was lucky enough (thanks Holly!) to see my favorite NHL team play in person at the United Center against the Chicago Blackhawks.  I had a great time & loved every second of cheering for my team in a rather hostile atmosphere.  but, I’m pretty sure there is nothing like cheering on the Wings in the Joe.  Holly, Travis & I have talked about making this happen for a few years now, and it really is something I want to experience, so it has to happen now that it’s on the list!

8. go to a regular season Packer game at Lambeau Field
I live 25 minutes from Lambeau and have been to a Monday night game when I was in middle school and a couple pre-season games in more recent years.  but pre-season just doesn’t really compare to when the games actually count.  and since my team has really stepped up their game in the past couple of seasons, and I’ve fallen in love with players like Greg Jennings, Aaron Rodgers & Jordy Nelson, I decided I needed to get back and see them live!

10. see the Brewers play at Wrigley Field
this past season was a pretty fun season to be a Brewers fan, no matter what happened in the playoffs or after the season ended. and while I love Miller park, there is just something about Wrigley Field that sounds cool & fun.  and really, it’s not that far away.  so it’s on the list for a fun adventure and I’m sure it won’t be too hard to convince Stephanie or Heather to join me…

11. see five new people in concert
it is not a secret that I love music.  my iTunes library is somewhat large as a few people can attest to.  I like having a variety and I like having music playing pretty much non-stop.  this has led to a few concert adventures, most notably of late the AMAZING Mat Kearney show I saw in November.  love love love.  seriously one of the best things I did all year.  anyways, since I saw quite a few fun concerts last year, I wanted to continue that and expand who I’ve been able to see live.  I have no idea which five new people I will try to see, but I’m excited to start looking to see who will be touring and what new adventures & stories will come from this!

12. spend a weekend in Chicago
okay, so technically the last two might (#10 will!) involve going to Chicago, so these could be combined.  but Chicago is just such a fun city and there is still so much I haven’t been able to explore.  so I just want to go explore and enjoy the city a little more.  a little shopping, a lot of eating, some art, maybe a little music and a few photo opportunities are all on the list of possible activities.  this one would only be made better if I had my own personal tour guide Jennifer along with… hint, hint! 😉

13. go camping
my family was never in to camping growing up, but I loved going with Cathy’s family and then in college we had some ridiculous spring break camping trips which involve way too much for me to explain here.  but since then, I haven’t really been camping and I miss it.  my dad has a tent that has never been used, so I plan on borrowing it and enjoying a little outdoor time this summer.  I may have to do a little research to find some new, fun place to explore, or I may just go down the road to High Cliff with my brother, sister-in-law & niece!

14. buy a DSLR camera
I’ve really enjoyed learning a little more about photography in recent years and getting to play around with some experiments & tagging along to help Jennifer with some weddings.  but, it’s past time that I upgraded to a better camera and so this is me committing to really saving hard for this & buying a great camera.

15. complete photography challenge from Jennifer
I’ve asked my friend Jennifer of 2Js Photography to create a photography challenge for me to work on.  I will write more about this when she tells me what the challenge is!

Okay, there is the first half of the list.  Check out the second half here!

Raised Right by Alisa Harris

  

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I started this book.  The description intrigued me as it hinted at Alisa’s childhood of carrying signs and picketing abortion clinics.  I was not raised that way, not even close, but the political aspect of her childhood and how that shaped her life made me want to know more about how that would affect her faith.

This book was born out of my search for a faith that’s more than the sum of my political convictions and for a meaningful way of living it out.   (page 6)

This book was interesting, easy to read, and a good challenge to reexamine my own views on politics, mercy, justice and faith.  Alisa and I may have had very different childhood experiences, but her views on certain issues are not too far from mine.  Funny how God can use many paths to lead the same point…

I now think that loving America is like loving my family.  We have a shared identity and a common experience, a history that ties us together and past grievances that divide us.  But I don’t love my family because it’s exceptional, because it can dominate everyone else or has the fastest technology and the richest members or is somehow more blessed by God than others are.  I love my family, my country, because it’s mine- because this is the community where God saw fit to plunk me and I have an obligation to its rancorous, disputatious, obnoxious, and suffering members.  It’s easy to love the world and hard to love our neighbor.  (page 90-91)

Alisa’s simple story-telling style drew me into the book and kept me interested to the point where I finished it in only 2 sittings!  I just kept wanting to know more about her and how these stories would affect her life.  Her vulnerability in sharing both funny & hard stories is something that I admire and appreciate.  It is not easy to share about how your family may have hurt you, how people attack you because they misinterpreted what you said, or how you were so broke you had to scrape together change just to get home.  Writing her story and sharing these things might bring more criticism and maybe even some shame, but I applaud her for taking the risk to be vulnerable and transparent to bring to light issues that aren’t always talked about in such a calm and compassionate way.

For once, I wanted just to care about people as people- not as enemy combatants, potential converts, or notches in my holy belt of truth.  (page 59)

As Alisa walked through her years of picketing, campaigning, and researching & defending the Republican ideals, she continued this path into college, where she flat out became tired.  She was burnt out.  She had no more arguments left in her.  And her path began to change.  This part particularly struck me after having been in college ministry for 5 years. College is a big turning point for a lot of kids, whether that is for good or bad.  For Alisa, it seemed to be a point where she began to ask more questions and seek something more than a campaign.

I was done chasing supermen.  I had stopped believing in the perfect leader who could say “Let there be justice,” and by the force of his word change the whole earth into heaven.  Instead I determined to grab hold of the truth I’d always known- that the Leader had already come, had chosen instead to say, “My kingdom is not of this world,” and had been despised and rejected because His message was bigger than the first-century political pundits had predicted.  (page 75)

Having been a history major with a minor in political science in college, politics has always been something that has intrigued me.  Yet, it wasn’t something I really wanted to engage in because I do not like conflict and you can’t avoid it in politics!  I really appreciated Alisa’s story and her approach to this topic.  We might not agree on every issue, but we do agree a lot on much of the process.  She identifies issues within even the discussion of these topics and ask some good questions as a journalist, Christian, American, and human being.  There is more to each of us than just labels and we need to see past them to truly be able to live and engage with people.

As yet another presidential race begins to heat up, I’m both excited and apprehensive.  The mud-slinging has already begun and we have 10 months to go until the election.  This is a timely book and a good reminder of what is important in this process.  I am all for getting out and voting and participating in the process.  But let’s not get caught up so far in the machine that we lose sight of the people this is really about and the Person who ultimately rules over all.

I loved Alisa’s reflection on the 2008 election and want to end with it as just a little piece of perspective:

For the first time in my long and illustrious political career, I was throwing my support to a Democrat- but really I was voting for a leader who reflected my belief that the world is a more complicated place than a culture warrior’s sound bite and I knew that if I chose wrongly, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.  I’d seen that politicians had their limits in enacting good; they also had their limits in enacting harm.  (page 154-155)

That’s not to say that I endorse Obama, or even voted for him.  But I appreciate the perspective that while this is an important decision, it is not the end.  We need to look at the whole picture.  Thanks Alisa for sharing your heart & story.

-Check out the first chapter of this book here!

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

the doctor is in

I went to the Women of Faith Imagine event in Milwaukee at the beginning of the month. I had never been to one of their events before, but had vaguely heard good things about it.  I wasn’t totally sure what to expect.  I’ve been to more than my fair share of conferences (seriously, being on staff with a large missionary organization leads to a lot of good conferences), but I wasn’t very familiar with many of the speakers, so I didn’t really know what I would be walking into.

When I was given these tickets (thanks BookSneeze!) I knew immediately who my first choice was to go with.  My friend Jess was one of my first connections when I started college.  She was my first bible study leader, one of my closest friends, the first person who discipled me.  I got home from summer project just in time to be her personal attendant at her wedding and our love of Starbucks and Jesus has bonded us through the years since then.  Her 3 little boys have become my wedding dates & dance partners and when I go visit them, they want to play with me 24/7, sometimes limiting the actual adult conversation time that Jess and I get!  So despite the fact that she had a 2-month old baby, Jess was totally up for a girls weekend.  Plus she had a couch that I could crash on for free! 😉

Me & Jess (and don't forget Emmett!)

Friday was the more low key day, but it was the day that Dr. Henry Cloud spoke and met me right where my heart was at.  I’ve read plenty by Dr. Cloud before.  Being on staff with Cru, I’d learned a lot from Boundaries: When to Say YES, When to Say NO, To Take Control of Your Life and  How People Grow: What the Bible Reveals About Personal Growth, so I was excited to hear him in person.

Dr. Cloud speaking on Friday afternoon

He talked about happiness, giving & monkeys (ask me if you want to know more about that one!) and it was all really good stuff.  Seriously, that is one intelligent man.  But when he started talking about endings, he had my undivided attention.  A few of my favorite quotes were:

There is always a letting go before a getting to.

The season is past, but we can’t move on because we are holding on to something that has died.

Stop making what is abnormal normal!  Believe that what God has planned is possible and normal for your life.

Jess even commented at the end of that session that there was a lot of good stuff in there for me.  I feel like those were things I needed to hear.  For a while I was holding on to something that was dead in my life.  God has something new for me to learn and I was too busy trying to hold on to what I knew as a good way to invest my life.  And it is a great way to serve & grow & minister.  But it was not the right place for me.

the beautiful worship team

But I didn’t want to let go.  It felt safe (despite being really hard!) and I felt like it gave my life meaning.  I loved what I did and I totally believe in the mission & vision of the ministry.  But it was not what God had for me.  I learned a lot and I grew a lot, but it was for a season.  And I was forced to face that.

Do I have any idea what’s next?  Nope.  Is that scary and hard?  Yup.  But I am trusting that God has something for me.  And that it is amazing and beyond what I ever could have imagined for my life.  So I am going to believe that whatever it is will be worth it and that it will become my new normal.

Mary Mary finally sang "Shackles" for us! (and yes, that is Lisa Harper representing us well in a cheesehead!)

Pray for me on this journey.  Pray that I find something to pay the bills with and that I find the place that God can use me in.  If that is the same thing, great!  If not, then I’m going to keep seeking Him for how I can be used for His glory.

Trust me when I say that the women who spoke and ran this conference did an AMAZING job.  Funny how it was the one person who wasn’t a woman on stage spoke the words I so needed to hear.  🙂  I’m glad Dr. Cloud was there and I already ordered his book Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward!  You’ll probably be hearing about it in the weeks to come.  Thanks for a great weekend Women of Faith.  I will definitely be coming to see you all again!

p.s. check out this video of Natalie Grant singing It is Well.  This isn’t from the Milwaukee event, but you’ll get the idea!  One of my favorite moments from the weekend!

Disclosure: BookSneeze provided me with two free tickets to the Women of Faith conference of my choice in exchange for ad space on my blog and two sponsored posts.

Summer ends…

I can’t believe it’s the end of August.  Where has the summer gone?

I feel like I have been super busy, running all over the place to weddings and visiting friends & family, but yet I still am not sure what I’m doing with my life and I still don’t have a full-time job.  I really thought that would have happened by now.  I guess I still have a lot to learn about God’s timing and not my own.  There are so many things in my life I feel like I am waiting on and want to happen like yesterday.  And yet I keep waiting…and waiting…and waiting…

I once did a word study on waiting in the Bible.  I think I am going to revisit that.  One of the best things I remember learning, was active waiting.  I don’t remember all the specifics, but I do know it has a lot to do with jumping up off the couch (or comfy chair at Starbucks since that is where I am currently located) and doing something in the midst of my waiting.  Searching for jobs, doing some real digging and searching into what dreams & gifts I might have, volunteering, joining a small group, etc.  Whatever it is, I can’t just sit around and expect God to dump something in my lap.  Could He do that?  Yes, definitely.  But He doesn’t want me to just play around on Facebook all day, expecting the perfect job to just appear.  I don’t know what that job is for me right now, but I do know that I want to be pursuing it, not turning into a couch potato (no matter how many good shows I may have saved in my Netflix queue).

So, part of my active pursuit of God and my life, I have the opportunity to attend the Women of Faith Imagine event in Milwaukee on September 30-October 1.  I’m doing this as a part of their partnership with the Booksneeze blogger program, so I’m going to be doing a couple of posts about my experience and I’m super excited about it.  I’ve never been to one of their events, but I have heard great things about it.  I think it will be a good connection point for me.  A place where I can get fed some good spiritual truth and be challenged in my walk with the Lord.  A place where I will dream and yes, imagine what the Lord could do with my life in this new phase.