Crumbs from a full plate...

I am loving Mark Batterson's new book Wild Goose Chase! Loving it! Here are a couple of my favorite quotes so far...

• God ordained passions often break our hearts. And they can seem like an overwhelming burden to bear. But, pursuing our passions is the key to living a fruitful and fulfilling life. It is the thing that wakes us up early in the morning and keeps us up late at night. It's the thing that turns a career into a calling. It is the thing that gives us goose bumps - Wild Goose Bumps.
• I know from experience you can do the work of God at a pace that destroys the work of God in you.
• Don't whine. Don't complain and don't check out. Make the most of the situation. Do little things like they are big things. Keep a good attitude. And faithfully carry out your current obligations. If your job isn't exciting, bring some excitement to the job. One of the greatest acts of worship is keeping a good attitude in a bad situation. And doing a good job at a bad job honors God.

Great book...lots of good thoughts!

Tagged

I was thinking about what to write about today when I discovered that Tara had tagged  me...so here goes...

"meme break…You have to open the book you’re currently reading on page 161 and read the fifth sentence on the page ... “

The problem is that I never have just one book that I am reading. Usually I read fiction start to finish - and don't start if I can't finish that day. But, non-fiction is another story. I like to have lots of books going and jump from book to book.

Finished this afternoon..."It would all turn out fine and Morgan and Jonathan would never know she had lied." Southern Storm by Terri Blackstock.

Started this afternoon..."Button put on a clean, crisp, white summer dress and on Lynn she put a frilly pink one."  Papa's Daughter by Thyra Ferr'e Bjorn

Reading for work..."Do you agree or disagree that the person who is in authority has the responsibility for putting others at ease?" Winning with People by John Maxwell

Great book that happens to end on page 160..."Teach them diligently" by Lou Priolo

Previewing for a possible study..."Over and over our interviews and our research demonstrated that while daughters need affirmation from both parents, regular encouragement from a father has a particular, lasting impact." For parents only" by Shaunti Feldhahn

Reading next for Mom Time..." Mistakes are good tools for learning important lessons." Spiritually Single Moms by Nancy Sebastian Meyers

And on my desk at work are two books I am currently reading while there Don't Make Me Count to Three and Raising Boys by Dobson. We are also reading the book of Matthew with the family and I am working on Lord, Teach me to Pray by Kay Arthur. Little wonder that my eyes have been aching a little lately. But, I am an insatiable reader and find that I could read all day long and even deep into the night if it is good enough. 

Hummm...I think I am supposed to choose 5 other people to do this now... How about my friend Luanne, Michelle who I would love to drink coffee with, Steve or Kerri, my sis in law Nat and Renee. Come on ya'll, share what your reading.

A Lot of Hype

I have wanted to read a book called In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day for quite a while. Not only did I see it on Eric Wentz's reading list, but I regularly read Mark Batterson's blog (the author )- so I've heard all the hype. I started it tonight.

Best quote so far is:

"Goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Those who simply run away from sin are half-Christians. Our calling is simply  much higher than simply running away from whats wrong. We are called to chase lions."

Wow, what a thought! If that is correct, it shoots a hole in the theory that my christian walk is the sum total of the things I stay away from... I am excited to finally be reading this book...hopefully it is as great as I am expecting. I'll let  you know.

Good Books

I had the coolest experience yesterday! The Mom Time leadership team and I went to breakfast downtown at Dady-Oh's restaurant. I had given each person a Christmas Book as a gift, and they were laying on the table fairly obviously. Toward the end of the meal, the owner of the restaurant who was waiting on us came to the table and said, " I can see you like books, would you like to see the new one I just got?" We said sure and she returned to the table with Sidney and Norman by Phil Vischer. What a great book! After thumbing through it, we ended up pulling our chairs together and having a "read along" time!  It was excellent! Great pictures, great story, and an awesome message. 

Norman is a tidy, organized pig who never misses church, and is sure God likes him. He has little tolerance for pigs not as efficient as he is. Enter Sidney, always late, always sloppy, usually frustrated. One day both pigs get invitations from God. Norman feels happiness and pride at the invite; Sidney is terrified. But an interesting thing happens when the pigs meet God. God tells Norman that He loves him, but that his goodness is not the reason why; in fact, Norman is not as good as he thinks he is. Moreover, God loves even those Norman looks down on. God also tells Sidney that He loves him--three times with no recriminations. Young children may not completely understand the message about acceptance and unconditional love coming from the unseen God, but they will be drawn in by Gerard's outstanding pictures, executed primarily in gold tones, which capture the personalities of both pigs, whose eventual reconciliation seems particularly sweet. Notes explain the author's purpose and offer ideas on using the book. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

This would be a great  book to put in your families library for the whole year!

Tradition

"We are always teaching our children, whether we mean to our not. Our children come to believe, probably unconsciously,  that whatever is repeated regularly has significance. It was God's design that learning happen by frequent and regular repetition. " Noel Piper, Treasuring God in our Traditions

Noel Piper, in the above quote gives great clarity to how we can use tradition to teach the next generation. I have been literally spell-bound by the ideas presented on how to make the time we spend with our kids more intentional and God honoring. She has excellent ideas for adding meaning to birthdays, holidays such as Christmas and Easter...even everyday events like bedtime and breakfast.

The older my kids get, the more I want to make the time we spend together as a family count...the more I feel compelled to use every opportunity to point them to Christ.  Reading this book has helped me realize that I am teaching my children something every day...and I have to  be intentional about making sure that the most important things aren't left to chance and fit in where there is time.