Snippets

I've been dabbling lately....rereading chapters of Mudhouse Sabbath and reading Billy Graham quotes from a copy that I got from Booksneeze.

Both are satisfying my desire in an otherwise crazy life, because they are small snippets of truth that I can quickly contemplate

I will be doing a complete review after I finish the quote book, but for right now here are my general thoughts.

Honestly, it's sad that I only want/need little snippets of God's truth.  I really do want/need more, but sometimes I just feel too busy.  Even one chapter of reflection from Lauren Winner on a Jewish custom and how that relates to our Christian walk could be hours of reflection, but I feel like I barely have time to contemplate.

The Sabbath can be such a hot topic in our busy lives.  I don't feel like I know how to rest well.  I need hours and hours of reflection on that particular Jewish custom.  And buying another set of dishes just isn't going to cut it - it's not like our kitchen is kosher (except for Jayson's new obsession with 97% fat free Hebrew National hotdogs).

Even in this blog post, I feel like I'm fighting the clock.  I absolutely love this new blog project, but in the back of my mind, I know that the morning will come all too soon and so I look to wrap up my thoughts quickly.

However, I can share a quote with you as I succumb to the pressure of bedtime....

"Christianity increases the scope and area of our lives" - Billy Graham

I wonder what that will mean for this week and the integration of my other readings?  I'll let you know as I also contemplate the non-Jewishness of my life and how my story is supposed to play out.

The Book That Started It All...

Live a better story.  Centered around the making of the movie version of Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller's well-known book, his newest book is a true inspiration to make your life matter.  It's not just some crazy self-help book that you won't be able to live up to no matter what you do.  Thanks to Jason Wood's timely pastoral advice, God has used this book to encourage me to really examine my life.

There is just something about the narrative voice of Miller that makes you wish you were hanging out with him & his friends.  I had the privilege of hearing him speak up in Austin a few years ago and I can vividly remember a movie scene he described to this day.  Normally my biggest criticism about Christian books is that they are these words full of hearts and flowers that are supposed to make you feel better, but just make you feel like crap.  Donald Miller manages to show God as a part of throwing up because you are riding across country on a bicycle.

I've been reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years at night after we lay down to bed with a book light, the light of the baby video monitor, and background music of whatever is on Izzie's iPod.  It has been a good reminder at the end of my crazy day to get up the next morning and remember that God has a plan for my crazy life.

I don't know what that means as far as the next step.  In reality, a more accurate description of "the next step" is a lot of little steps that my husband & I will navigate together.   This blog is going to be more than just a series of book reviews, it is designed to be a fleshing out of what these words mean in life.  The posts will revisit books, take excerpts of books, and mesh them all together for a grand experiment.  I welcome your thoughts, comments, and ideas.

Blog Launch!

I am a wife and a working mother.  As I have had to come to terms with the reality that my life is not sipping wine on the patio, I have been searching for a hobby.  As part of this postpartum identity crisis, a pastor told me to read a book.  I have been inspired as I have gone through it.  I have always loved reading and sometimes forget to make time for it.  My parents used to tell me that I had to quit reading - imagine telling your child that!  I guess they just wanted me to eat dinner.  I am excited to share my love with others, so here we are.  A blog of book reviews and the stories behind them.

Disclaimer:  Although, I may only make a few cents here and there, I am signing up to have ads populate on the page - mainly because I absolutely LOVE Amazon and I recommend purchasing books from there whether or not you click on the ad to generate a few cents.  I am also planning on trying to get some free books to blog about.

Disclaimer #2:  I have some serious blog envy for some seriously cool women.  It inspired me to actually be serious about finding something that I was interested about.  It's not like I'm the trendiest of people for starting a blog.  Plus, I just plain sucked at my personal one - it's just tough to be honest online if you have no real focus or direction.  If you want to see a few of my inspirations, check out Amakua Market, A Little Slice of Life, or What's for Leftovers?