What I'm Reading

Top to bottom:
"Daily Strength for Daily Needs" by Mary Wilder Tileston.  The copyright date on this is 1928  (first published in 1884!).  A gentleman at church had brought in boxes of old books that once belonged to a friend.  They were spread out in the fellowship center (a fancy name for the gym in our building) for folks to take if they wish.  I found this gem.  It's a daily devotional book full of wisdom.  I'm enjoying it immensely and having a difficult time not reading ahead!

"Holy Bible - NLT" - I love the New Living Translation.  I have a few others, but this is my favorite.  I call it the easy-reader version.  :)  I'm working on reading thru the Bible again this year and this is definitely the version the help me through it!  (I'm still in Exodus, but hey - it's the last day of January!)

"Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini - The third book in the Inheritance Cycle.  I'm a nerd.  I like fantasy books.  Good vs evil, swords and men in armor, yeah.  I'm in.  (and fyi - I like movies with a good sword fighting scene, too!)  My favorite books are historical fiction.  (ahem - nerd.  I say it again.)  Hmm.  And another thing, I don't like stand-alone books.  I usually only read book series.  Weird, I know.  (oh, and this isn't my first time through this book.  It's my 3rd.  My hubby bought it for me for Christmas.)

"The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning - Man, oh man.  I'm taking my time with this one, taking it in and meditating on the wisdom of the gospel of grace.  Being impressed over and over again by the Lord's ferocious love for us.

"Serving Like Jesus" by Fields and Eastman - This is the book we're studying in youth group with our students.  (It's the 4th in a series)  Truly learning what it is like to have a servant's heart.


I didn't throw our Sunday school book in the pile.  Or all the books I read with the kids.  Or the blogs I follow.  Or the news I keep up with.  Or facebook or email....

So, what are you reading?

Blessed

A great song from the worship during the youth retreat.  (written by Tommee Profitt)

I am under the weather.  Overwhelmed by daily migraines, head congestion and persistent cough.  Physically, I feel completely and totally beat.  Spiritually, I'm encouraged and uplifted!

Bruce and I took a handful (6) of our students on a retreat to northern Michigan over the weekend.  We had lots of crazy fun (like every year) enjoying the antics of our teens and the full joy of worshiping together.  Amazing.  The speaker was a phenomenal youth pastor out of Chattanooga, TN.  His message was right on the mark.  Hitting our kids hard, breaking their hearts and drawing them into a closer relationship with Jesus.  Amen.  Praying it'll be more than an emotional response to the evening and be a true life altering heart change!

We lovelovelove our students, our ministry, and the opportunity to disciple these teens.  I'm always in awe the Lord allows us the chance to be volunteer youth leaders.  Looking around the event, we saw friends (some youth pastors, some teens) and I began to doubt myself.  Doubt what God has called us to do.  Churches with full-time paid "real" youth pastors had soOoOo many students.  Of course they come from bigger churches.... but  I couldn't help but wonder if our students are missing out because my husband (or myself) aren't 'real' youth pastors.  So I pray.  I turn to the Lord and seek His face, thankful for His ferocious LOVE and GRACE.  Seeking Him, and praying in all we do with our students... knowing He can use us in our weakness.  And feeling blessed.

Happy New Year

Well, I'm not much for resolutions but I love frivolous lists.  :)

1. Sweet or Savoury?  Usually sweet.  But love spicy, too.
2. Dresses or Jeans?  Actually, skirts or yoga pants.  Depends on the day and the weather.
3. House or Apartment?  House.  I like a yard and the really of being rooted somewhere.  I crave soil to dig and plant, trees to fill up my view.  I am not a city girl.
4. Shop Online or Offline?  Both.  Etsy, craiglist, Ebay, Amazon and itunes are some of my favorites.  I love handmade items and try to buy used where we can.  I haven't tried ordering any food online.  
5. DVDs or Downloads?  Streaming netflix or DVDs.  We borrow from the library or netflix and we own a number of used movies.  We're movie people, not tv people.
6. Cocktails or Juice?  Eh, neither.  Juice, on occassion.
7. Chocolate or Strawberry?  Chocolate.  :)
8. Laptop or PC?  Netbook.  And I love it.  It does the basics and I don't need anything fancy.  But it's more convenient and portable.
9. Magazines or Newspapers?  I'll say magazines.  We like 'National Geographic', 'Mother Earth News', and such.  I read a lot of news online.
10. Facebook or Twitter?  Facebook (and far too often).  Admittedly, I just don't get Twitter...
11. CDs or MP3s?  mp3s.  I love not having stacks of cds sitting around or dealing with the packaging.  (does anyone else hate shrink wrap?
12. Kids or Pets?  Both!  We have two lovely and spunky children, 1 gigantic dog, and 4 crazy chickens.  (this is where I tell you I dream of having goats!)
13. Macaron or Cupcakes?  Cupcakes or brownies.  My SIL makes great cupcakes and dreams of having her own bakery.  I make brownies from scratch and we are never going back to boxed!  
14. Walk or Run?  Walk.  I enjoy running, but with my scoliosis it isn't a great idea.  Last time I ran consistently, my back freaked out and I spent a week on the couch and a month on the sidelines.  I walk and do yoga...  
15. Breakfast in Bed or Breakfast Out?  Out.  We rarely get the chance to sleep it and once I'm up, I'm up.
16. Market or Supermarket?  In summer we grow a lot of our own and shop farmer's markets to buy local.  Otherwise, I go where I can get the best food prices.  And we live across the road from a grocery store.  :)
17. Sourdough or Grainy?  Anything as long as it's homemade!
18. Heels or Flats?  Flats. (I'd really rather not wear shoes at all.)
19. Late nights or Not?  Hahaha.  Not.  It's a big joke in our house that I can barely stay up past 9pm.
20. Coffee or Tea?  Herbal tea.  I like the smell of coffee but I can't drink it.