A Few of My Favorite Things

A Few of My Favorite Things {August 2016}

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August was a whirlwind of a month. I got away for 24 hours with the ladies on my team, which was lots of fun. We had plenty of playdates with friends during our 4 short weeks of homeschool summer. Then halfway through this month, we started school (it’s been going well so far). And this week, I finally got a date with my husband! It was only an hour and a half, but it was the first out-of-the-house date we’d had in 2 months – though it wasn’t for lack of trying! Either our schedules didn’t match our sitters’, or they did but someone got sick. In other news, I’m joining a home school co-op this year and am quite excited about that. ~Elizabeth

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BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

Mark: The Gospel of Passion by Michael Card. I started this Bible study/devotional/commentary and have made some good progress on it. While I really liked Card’s Luke: The Gospel of Amazement, his book on Mark is so much better (for me anyway). It’s teaching me a ton and challenging me to think in new ways. In fact, I often have to put the book down so I can contemplate what I’ve just read. I’ve been surprised by this, as Mark has always been my least favorite Gospel. But maybe it means there were treasures in there all along, and I just never knew it. (You’ll find a couple quotes from the book at the end of this post.)

Songbird by Helena Sorensen. This is the third and final book in the Shiloh series I raved about last month. Cannot tell you how much I loved it.

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis. This isn’t the first time I’ve read the last installment in the Narnia series, but it’s the first time in a long time, and the first time I read it out loud with my children. And to be honest, I’ve never much cared for this one before. How different was my reaction this time around!

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. A new-to-me Lewis book that is as good (and strange) as everybody says. You can read two different responses of mine to both these Lewis books on Facebook here and here.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Could this book get any more perfect? I think not. The entire thing is a Littmus Lozenge: sorrow mixed in with sweet. (You’ll have to read the whole book to find out exactly what I mean by that.) And don’t forget to read it with a southern accent — this is the book that inspired my daughter to speak in one too.

Psychology Today magazine, July 2016 edition. One of our family’s favorite Saturday morning activities is visiting the book store (especially with no public libraries around here). We peruse the magazine section each time but because they are so expensive, we almost never buy magazines here. This month we made an exception, an exception that was well worth it. Several of the articles provided a scientific defense of important spiritual concepts – things like finding mentors, staying humble, not comparing yourself to others, not letting smart phones destroy your marriage and other relationships, putting down roots and becoming attached to your “place” in a mobile world, even avoiding cohabiting or serial dating before marriage (yes, that last one really was in this secular magazine!).

 

BLOG POSTS ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

On Home and Glory: Musings on Daily Life and Divine Destiny by Heidi White. You know I’m a sucker for anything that talks about our longings, and that’s what you’ll find here.

Holding the Long View in Mind by Amy Young. Comforting, hopeful, and so very biblical, all at once.

Women, Trade Self-Worth for Awe and Wonder by Jen Wilkin. This post spoke to the deep places inside me that crave awe and wonder.

“I’ve Always Been a Good Girl” by Marilyn Gardner. I relate to this so very much (and in fact wrote about it earlier this spring).

In Defense of an Ordinary Life by Elizabeth Esther. So very important and so very true.

A Prayer of the Heart in 30 Words or Less by Emily P. Freeman. If these breath-type prayers are what you’re needing, you’ll find more like them from Sarah MacKenzie in the quotes section below.

 

FOR WRITERS

Dear Writer, We Commission You by Idelette McVicker. Go back to this post when you need inspiration. Every time, go back to this.

Mending Thoughts by Jenilee Goodwin. The idea resonates.

The Mental Neat Freak by Jennifer Fulwiler. A very helpful explanation.

Harry Potter, Jesus, and Me by Andrew Peterson, whose music I’ve linked to before (most notably here and here) and whose Wingfeather Saga I’ve just started and which I will probably review next month. This article is long but good — and I’ve never even read Harry Potter.

 

FOR GLOBAL NOMADS

The Gift of Saudade by Marilyn Gardner. More on our longings (and as you know I can never resist that).

The Mother of Modern Missions? by Abby Alleman. With this post, Abby created a safe space for those struggling in the missions community. More important than I can say.

 

FOR PARENTS

Wasted on Children: Keeping Babylon at Bay by Joshua Gibbs. “The more you love a child, the harder you make it for the Babylonians to love them later. The more you lavish on a child, the more the Babylonians will have to lavish on them later— and the Babylonians are, in truth, really not willing to lavish a whole lot.” Dense (like everything from CiRCE Institute).

This year’s *totally official* homeschool permission slip at Brave Writer. The permission we all need to enjoy our children.

How to Protect Your Child from Sexual Abuse and Molestation: A Pediatrician’s Advice at The Mom Creative. No explanation necessary.

 

MUSIC

Thank You by Hillsong United.

There is no one like You
There is no one like You, God
All my hope is in You
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

To Your name
We give all the glory
To Your name
We give all the praise

We Glorify Your Name by Hillsong LIVE.

The highest praise is yours
The highest praise is yours
The highest praise is yours
In all the earth

Healing Grace by Donnie McClurkin. The instrumentation here is a bit dated and slightly different from the way we sang it at church, but oh, these lyrics (reminiscent of The Book of Common Prayer don’t you think??).

Merciful God and Father
Loving us like no other
Hear our prayer
The cry of our heart
As we come to You
We acknowledge our transgressions
We confess to You our sins
Show us mercy and compassion
Touch our lives with Your healing grace
Again

Leave Me Astounded by Planetshakers.

All my hands have made I’m laying down
All that I hold dear, my many crowns
I’ve tasted and seen of Your great love
You satisfy me, You satisfy me

My constant request above all things
Every hour I wake, be near me, oh God
Though I’ve tasted and seen of Your great love
Show me Your glory, show me Your glory

Leave me astounded, leave me amazed
Show off Your glory, let heaven invade
We’re waiting with worship, we’re waiting with praise
For the almighty presence of God to invade

Glory by Hillsong.

Glory to the risen king
Glory to the Son
Glorious Son

Lift up your heads
Open the doors
Let the king of glory come in
And forever be our God

(Apparently glory was a theme for me this month.)

 

PODCASTS, VIDEOS, AND TELEVISION

Yeah. ANOTHER sermon on fear by Nadia Bolz Weber. 12 minutes of fear fighting — but don’t worry, it’s free of the salty language that sometimes accompanies her written work.

Amy Boucher Pye on the Intersection Between Creativity and Faith on James Prescott’s podcast. A relatable conversation on faith, creativity, editing, and writing. And Amy has such a lovely, velvety voice, don’t you think?

Why We Should All Be Reading Aloud to Children, a TEDx talk by Rebecca Bellingham. 10 power-packed minutes of read-aloud inspiration.

The Jim Gaffigan Show. I’m often too serious and in need of laughter in my life. (Of course, if you’ve ever seen me laugh, you know I do it so whole-heartedly that I look and sound ridiculous.) But you’ve read my writing and seen my reading list — there’s some pretty serious stuff here. So my husband recently asked me if I would join him in watching The Jim Gaffigan Show. He’d seen a few episodes and wanted to share the joy with me. It’s mostly clean, and I deep-belly-laughed a lot, which made him laugh even more. Jim and his wife Jeannie aren’t producing a third season due to the very respectable reason that the show was taking too much time from their real-life family, but you can still enjoy the first two seasons.

 

QUOTES

Greg McKeown on the importance of hand-written journals and records:

“Paper is an important technology.”

Somerset Maugham, found in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Circle of Quiet:

“The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistical and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary, it makes them , for the most part, humble, tolerant and kind. Failure makes people bitter and cruel.”

Ann Greve with an explanation that makes a  lot of sense to me:

“We never leave God’s presence, but sometimes we leave God’s fellowship.”

Andrew Peterson in On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness:

“‘Janner,’ Oskar said, ‘there’s more to the world than just seeing it. If you can’t find peace here in Glipwood, you won’t find it anywhere.'”

“All of the passion and sadness and joy of those who listened would into one common strand of feeling that was to Janner like homesickness, though he couldn’t think why; he was just a short walk from the only home he’d ever known.”

“Janner hadn’t realized it, but his cheeks were wet as well. ‘There’s just something about the way he sings. It makes me think of when it snows outside, and the fire is warm, and Podo is telling us a story while you’re cooking, and there’s no place I’d rather be — but for some reason I still feel . . . homesick.'”

Aspirations (or breath prayers) from Sarah MacKenzie in Teaching From Rest:

Oh Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Jesus, my God, I love thee above all things.

Jesus, I trust in you.

My God and my all.

My Lord and my God!

God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.

O Lord, increase my faith.

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Michael Card on the “Lord of the Sabbath” incident in his commentary on Mark:

“Lordship by definition knows no boundaries. There is no area of our lives where He is not master. Jesus’ proclamation of lordship should cause us to stop and take account. We need to realize that whatever the facet of our orthodox observance, no matter how correct or biblical, He claims lordship even over that.” 

Here’s something else from Card that stays with me and just won’t go away. It was one of those moments where I put the book down so I could try to absorb what I just read. And I’ve now copied it into my journal not once, but twice. In the passage in Mark 6 where Jesus walks on water and the disciples are afraid, the words Jesus spoke in the original language were actually:

“I AM; no fear.”

I’m struck by both the simplicity of Jesus’ statement, and its power. I’m not sure whether Jesus is making a statement here, as in “Wherever God is, there’s no fear,” or a command, as in “Do not fear.” Maybe it’s both. And maybe that’s why it stays with me.

And lastly, C.S. Lewis in Till We Have Faces:

“I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?”

A Few of My Favorite Things {July 2016}

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by Elizabeth

If June was the month of Beauty, then July was the month of Light. June ended with a Cave Quest VBS focused on Jesus as Light of the World. That light theme continued in July as I co-hosted and attended a women’s conference whose keynote speaker spoke of pushing back darkness and remembering our true identity (this encounter happened there, as did this one), as I heard refrains from songs like Casting Crowns’ “Thrive” (“Shine like the sun, make darkness run and hide”), David Crowder’s “Here’s My Heart” (“You are light breaking through”), and as I read through a new series of novels by Helena Sorensen (more on that in the books section). It was a good month filled with homeschool Sabbath, spiritual restoration, and holy moments.

At the beginning of the month, we also took a few days’ holiday at a local hotel that boasts a large (and clear!) swimming pool with lots of flowers, green grass, and trees. I slept a lot (I didn’t realize how tired I was until I stopped going!) and thoroughly enjoyed the green (we don’t see a lot of that in our part of town).

In the middle of the month Jonathan and I celebrated 16 years of wedded bliss and were blessed to attend a wedding the very next day. It was the most worship-filled, God-honoring, uplifting wedding I’ve ever been to, and it was a privilege to share in their joy.

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BOOKS

Shiloh by Helena Sorensen. I don’t know why this is, but the thing that consistently brings me up out of the mire is children’s literature. Earlier this spring it was Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia, and this month it was Helena’s book Shiloh. It’s got themes of light and dark, and of some people pressing against the darkness and some giving in. I read it and thought to myself, I’m not going to let some kid in a children’s book press against the darkness, and me not do it!! This series shook me awake and served as a “holy reading” for the month.

(As a side note, I read it out loud in an Irish accent, because that’s what seemed to fit.) (Yes, I am one of those weird people who likes to read out loud even by myself.)

And you all know I love a good backstory. Well, here’s an interview with Helena and some backstory to her Shiloh world (and as another aside, don’t you just love the names she chose for her characters??). Helena blogs on her own site and also at Story Warren.

Now, a bit more reflection from me, because I just cannot stop talking about this book: One of the biggest weapons of the enemy in the land of Shiloh is forgetfulness – forgetting your name, your gifts, your creator. As Christians we too easily forget our name, our creator, our identity. Remembering is one of our greatest responsibilities, and one of our greatest privileges. It’s what Jonathan teaches his clients all week long, and what Helena’s books taught me in a visceral way. Maybe you need the reminder to Remember as well, for as I said on Facebook earlier this month:

If there’s one thing God’s been teaching me lately, it’s to REMEMBER.

Remember who I am, and Whose I am.

Remember God’s great story in Scripture, and in my life.

Remember the truth, and what really matters at the end of all things.

Remember, and do not forget.

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakeable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie. Thanks to a friend who loaned it to me, I finally got to read this book! Not all the ideas were new to me, as I’ve been reading her blog and listening to her podcast for awhile, in addition to reading or listening to as many of her recommended resources that I can get my hands on. There were, however, some new ideas, along with this (very apropos) quote from Stratford Caldecott in his book Beauty in the Word: “The fundamental skills of humanity itself are remembering, thinking, and speaking.” We can evaluate activities and curricula based on the question of whether it will help our children think, speak, and remember what is “good, beautiful, and true” (a huge emphasis over at Read Aloud Revival). She even encourages moms to nourish their own souls through the idea of Schole (a whole ‘nother topic we don’t have time for here). As I head into another school year, I paid particular attention to her recommendation to keep things simple. And lastly, one of my favorite parts was her list of “Aspirations,” or breath prayers (as opposed to Affirmations, or phrases that promote positive thinking). I liked the dependence on God rather than self — not that Affirmations are wrong, just that to me, these Aspirations were (ahem) a breath of fresh air.

The 50 Most Extreme Places in the Solar System by David Baker and Todd Ratcliff. I finally finished working through this book! I’ll keep returning to it, though, because it increases my capacity for worship. I can’t help but wonder at the God who made the moon, when scientists can’t even figure out exactly how it was formed. Yet our moon not only lights up our night; its comparatively large mass keeps earth from wobbling too much on its tilt, thus stabilizing our climate. May we never stop wondering at our God’s creative power and might.

 

LIFE-CHANGING SCRIPTURES

Proverbs 30:1-3. When I read this Proverb of the Day at the very end of June, I knew that although Agur thought he was writing it for himself and his contemporaries thousands of years ago, he was really writing it just for me in the summer of 2016. (Don’t you love how Scripture works like that??) It expresses exactly how I’ve felt the last few months:

I am weary, O God;
    I am weary and worn out, O God.
I am too stupid to be human,
    and I lack common sense.
I have not mastered human wisdom,
    nor do I know the Holy One.

Luke 21:34. These words of Jesus shocked me. I read them in one Bible last month and underlined them. Then l went to another Bible to copy the verse in my journal and found that I had already underlined it once before. But this month I read it as though I’d never read it:

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life.”

Now, I may not be prone to carousing or drunkenness, but I am most certainly prone to be taken down by the worries of life, and to numb out on things like movies or computer solitaire games, which, though not exactly like drunkenness, have similar results. Jesus shook me awake in this verse. What am I doing, I thought? Sitting here letting myself be overcome by darkness?? Just giving in? Meg’s father in A Wrinkle in Time was imprisoned by the darkness for years, fighting it, before he even considered giving in. And here I was, giving in at the first sign of resistance?? I was fed up with myself. I had to stop giving in. This scripture was a turning point (one of many) for me this month.

 

GLOBAL NOMAD STUFF

Upstairs and Downstairs at Jodie’s Journal. Beautiful meditations on a children’s book (did I mention that children’s books are the best??).

Grounded by CF Dunn at Amy Boucher Pye’s website. Basically, this article is my military childhood story, nearly word for word, all the way to the end of my grandparents’ lives.

As a way of explanation here, Amy is an American who married an Anglican vicar and has been living with him in Britain for nearly two decades. She’s the author of Finding Myself in Britain, which I read earlier this spring. I read it as an Anglophile but found myself especially drawn to her reflections on home, longing, and belonging, which are sprinkled throughout each section — good words for the global nomad. Those feelings and that book are why she hosts the “There’s No Place Like Home” guest series on her blog.

The Changing Face of Home by Fiona Lloyd, also on Amy Boucher Pye’s site. This was an entirely new take on home and belonging: home is the place (any place) where she can be authentic and affirmed.

My kids are growing up global. Here’s why that’s a good thing. By Merete Kropp. Best line ever: “Globally mobile children are not without roots.”

And finally, G.K. Chesterton on home and wonder in his book Orthodoxy:

“How can we contrive at once to be astonished at the world and yet at home in it?”

“I wish to set forth my faith as particularly answering this double spiritual need, the need for that mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar.”

 

IF YOU NEED SOME HOPE

Eyes to See by Marilyn Gardner.

The Sun Always Rises by Kathy Escobar.

The Sky is Not Falling by Michelle T. Johnson and Anarchy is Loosed Upon the World by Amy Medina both offer some needed perspective.

The Resistance by Sarah Bessey. This reminded me of The Stubborn Gladness of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Favorite Poet. Elizabeth Gilbert can be a little “out there,” but I’m drawn to the words of this poem and experience them as true: “We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world.” Amen. We must fight for joy in a world of violence and heartache.

Recovering From Legalism by Addie Zierman. How much do I love this post? So much. It’s long, but worth it. Thoughts stirred in me as I read this article: I read the Bible so differently now than I used to. I don’t even know how or when it changed. I see myself more in the characters now. I see the impact of the characters’ culture on them. I read Paul differently. I went through an “I hate Paul” stage, but now I love him again, can see the love and grace in his letters. I read John differently. I used to hate the letters of John and how in his gospel telling, he called himself the “disciple Jesus loved.” How arrogant he was to call himself that, and how he burdened me with the responsibility to love others when I felt so unloving (and thus, unworthy). Now I see the love he was talking about, both from Jesus to him, and from Jesus to everyone else. But I don’t read in the versions of my youth (King James, New King James, New American Standard, which were all “approved,” plus the NIV we read on the sly, which was NOT approved) anymore, either. I read the New Living Translation. I think it does for my generation what NIV did for my parents’ generation, and what The Message seems to be doing for this newest generation. I love Addie’s idea that you just need a new “cover.” Same words, same message, different voice, different tone: new understanding. Because sometimes God’s followers get it wrong, but God is always always always good.

 

OTHER GREAT BLOG POSTS

God’s Sandpaper by Amy Boucher Pye on Our Daily Bread. I’ve felt these things before, and maybe you have too. I’ve only ever been able to praise God for His sandpaper after the fact, but maybe someday I’ll be able to thank Him for it in the midst. . .

Why Broken Stories Matter by Dane Bundy. Because I always want to wait for redemption before I tell a story, but not all stories seem redeemed on this earth and in this life, and maybe they still need to be told. (For Sarah Bessey’s rather longer take on this topic, read The Sanitized Stories We Tell.)

10 Ways to Live Well in this Season by Amy Young. I know Amy through Velvet Ashes and usually find her there or at her own site. It was fun to find her at She Loves Magazine, and I greatly appreciated her words there.

[Love Looks Like] Choices by Sarah Bessey.  Important, and reminiscent of what I’ve told trailing spouses and the people they’re married to.

Guard Your Gates by the ever-calm and always-wise (whom else?) Sarah Bessey. Really important.

 

FUNNY STUFF, BECAUSE I FORGET TO LAUGH

Matt Damon Pranks People with Surprise Bourne Spy Mission. (FYI there’s a bad word or two.)

Ryan Beard: Homeschooled Singer Charms the Ladies with Humorous Tune.

The Day I was Banned from Chick-Fil-A by Jordan Baker Watts.

****I laughed so hard at all of these.****

 

WORSHIP

I’m Going Free (Jailbreak) by Vertical Church Band. Grab onto these lyrics:

Go on and speak against my borrowed innocence
The judge is my defense, I’m going free
Right when the gavel fell, I heard the freedom bell
Ring through the heart of hell, I’m going free
I’m going free

Glory, glory, hallelujah
You threw my shackles in the sea
Glory, glory, hallelujah
Jesus is my liberty
I’m going free

I won’t go back again, that’s just not who I am
Lord, I’m a brand new man, I’m going free
I’m on a narrow road, it’s paved with grace and hope
It’s gonna lead me home, I’m going free
I’m going free

I am free, I am free indeed
I am free, I am free indeed
We are free, free indeed
We are free, free indeed

Someday I’ll fly away on Your amazing grace
Your love is my jailbreak, I’m going free

Here’s My Heart Lord by David Crowder. This is actually a prayer-song.

Here’s a new (old) way to sing the Psalms that’s especially delightful for hymn lovers: The Psalms have been translated into metrical form in books like The Psalms of David in Metre or The Scottish Psalter (these are cheap on Kindle). What that means is that they have a predictable number of syllables and can be sung to any tune that has the same number of beats. You can print out lists of common, long, and short meter hymns from this link. You just mix and match the hymn tunes to the words of the Psalter, and you’re all set for private (or corporate) worship through song and Psalm. Isn’t that the coolest??

 

PODCASTS AND VIDEOS

A mom recently asked me when I find time to listen to podcasts. If you, too, have been wondering how I manage to fit in all these podcasts, here’s my answer: We have a special “quiet time” on Saturday and Sunday afternoons wherein the children aren’t allowed to talk to Mommy and Papa. They have to play quietly on their own for a couple hours, and that’s when I listen to podcasts. We usually do a fun family activity on Saturday mornings, and we go to church on Sunday mornings, so we take those afternoons to rest.

I am Second by Shawn Johnson. This 8-minute video brought tears to my eyes. I think we can all identify with her story in some way.

Restore by Erin Duplechin. I first connected with Erin through A Life Overseas (see here and here), and last month I linked to one of her personal posts. This 5-minute video brings me to tears every time.

That’s me. . . a pastor’s wife, an interview with Kathy Ferguson Litton on the God Centered Mom podcast. I’ve read Kathy’s work at Flourish, and in this podcast she simply drips with hard-won yet gracious wisdom. Good for anyone involved in church or mission work, whether part-time, full-time, or volunteer.

Is Truth Necessary in Literature? on Bibliophiles. I found this podcast through (whom else?) Sarah Mackenzie. Distinguishes between Big T Truth and little t truth and discusses what kind of truth makes a story appealing.

Grace and Literature on Bibliophiles. Grace never gets old, so I loved this conversation, which also dipped into ideas of human connection and authenticity.

Nurturing Competent Communicators by Andrew Pudewa. Really important, big-picture information on teaching writing and other forms of communicating. I started instituting a new habit based on this lecture — listen and figure out what it is! Bonus: Pudewa is funny.

 

OTHER QUOTES

Renay West (the speaker at that women’s conference) with words that closely mirrored a key plot element in Helena Sorensen’s Shiloh series (so go and read that too!):

“Vision is seeing abundance when you’re surrounded by drought.”

Frances Hodgson Burnett on light and dark at the end of The Secret Garden:

“While the secret garden was coming alive and two children were coming alive with it, there was a man wandering about certain far-away beautiful places in the Norwegian fiords and the valleys and mountains of Switzerland and he was a man who for ten years had kept his mind filled with dark and heart-broken thinking. He had not been courageous; he had never tried to put any other thoughts in the place of the dark ones. He had wandered by blue lakes and thought them; he had lain on mountain-sides with sheets of deep blue gentians blooming all about him and flower breaths filling all the air and he had thought them. A terrible sorrow had fallen upon him when he had been happy and he had let his soul fill itself with blackness and had refused obstinately to allow any rift of light to pierce through. He had forgotten and deserted his home and his duties. When he traveled about, darkness so brooded over him that the sight of him was a wrong done to other people because it was as if he poisoned the air about him with gloom. . . He had traveled far and wide . . . .  He had been in the most beautiful places in Europe, though he had remained nowhere more than a few days. He had chosen the quietest and remotest spots. He had been on the tops of mountains whose heads were in the clouds and had looked down on other mountains when the sun rose and touched them with such light as made it seem as if the world were just being born. But the light had never seemed to touch himself . . .”

Alanna Boudreau, found through Audrey Assad:

“To reiterate that point on gifts and charisms: a priest once explained to me the difference between a gift and a charism. ‘A gift,’ he said, ‘Is something you enjoy doing, something you’re good at: it comes naturally to you. It’s fun for you. A charism, however, is something that heals other people – something that reverberates out beyond you and your own experience of it, and effects change. It’s a responsibility.'”

“It is always his initiative, and it is always his grace. He is the water, and we are the water pitchers, broken but patched back together by adoption and grace. Our job is not to stop and focus on the chinks and fissures we see all over ourselves: our mission is simply to be filled, so as to be poured out. Those who are thirsty for water will not discriminate against the vessel by which they receive it. It’s the water they’re after, after all. It’s the water that replenishes them and cleanses them, not the clay.”

A Few of My Favorite Things {June 2016}

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Well, another month has come and gone. Here are the very best things from this month, both online and in real life. ~Elizabeth

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Stretching. I know this sounds kind of dumb, but I finally figured out some ways to stretch that actually help my perpetually tight back, neck, and shoulder muscles. And since looser muscles mean less pain, this is a big win.

Sky-watching. This might sound kind of dumb too, but I started sky watching again this month. Since beauty can be scarce on the streets of Phnom Penh, I have to purposefully look up to find it. But once I started looking for it, I saw peace and beauty everywhere. I even shared my renewed sense of wonder with my kids as we watched sunsets and studied space together. Encouragement for this kind of attentiveness came from the chapter on “Ordinary Time” in Kimberlee Conway Ireton’s book The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year. (But more on that in another blog post.)

Skyping another home school mom. I had reached out to this mom, a home school graduate herself, for, not exactly coaching, but yeah, kind of coaching. I had already spent a lot of time thinking, praying, and journaling about my approach to homeschooling, but I still wanted to process out loud with someone. The conversation felt just like talking to Sarah Mackenzie of the Read Aloud Revival Podcast, complete with jovial tone of voice. My friend knew exactly where we were going, and away we went!

A new recipe for enjoying chick peas. As I’ve previously noted, my (4th!) blender doesn’t do a good job of blending hummus, and sometimes the large amount of olive oil in hummus bothers my stomach anyway. This new recipe, however, has much less oil, is nice and salty and crunchy, and satisfies my desire for chick peas. I even (successfully!) modified it for the crock pot, as I don’t have a working oven. (A word to the wise: if you want crispy chick peas, you really do need to dry them off with paper towels, as Ashley instructs.)

Two packages from America in the same day! From my parents and from our forwarding agent (who’s basically an extra set of grandparents to our children). Most of the time packages are filled with gifts for the kids (which I LOVE), but these packages had books and magazines for me too, which was super exciting.

 

BOOKS

Luke: The Gospel of Amazement by Michael Card. Yes, still working through this one, and nearly finished with it. It’s been a great Bible study option for me. The entire Biblical text is reprinted in sections, with Card then offering his observations. Last year I worked through the four gospels chronologically (with a Bible study at my mom’s church). I really enjoyed that, but honestly sometimes I had more questions than answers in my journal, so it’s been nice to work through the stories of Jesus with someone else as a guide. I plan to continue his entire series when I finish the Luke installment. Next up is Mark: The Gospel of Passion.

The Contemplative Writer: Loving God through Christian Spirituality, Meditation, Daily Prayer, and Writing by Ed Cyzewski. I’ve read other books by Ed, and they were all helpful (especially Pray, Write, Grow: Cultivating Prayer and Writing Together and Creating Space: The Case for Everyday Creativity, which are both very practical), but this one is probably my favorite so far. It was peaceful and full of breath and life, and I probably need to re-read it already!

Two-Part Invention by Madeleine L’Engle. Confession: I finally picked up this book and finished it. I had really been enjoying the book earlier this spring, but I stopped reading it as soon as I sensed a sad ending descending. But then I cried a therapeutic little cry and felt much better.

I also started Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth E. Bailey and The Story of Western Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory by Susan Wise Bauer, both of which I received in those blessed packages and both of which I’ve been looking forward to reading for a long time. They’re both thought-provoking, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their beginnings. I’ll let you know how they progress. . .

 

BLOG POSTS

Grounded in Transit by Esther Harder on A Life Overseas. Esther sent me this essay as a guest submission, and I was immediately captivated. Cannot tell you just how much I love this article.

False Homecomings by Angelina Stanford at CiRCE Institute. On the longing for home. WOW.

Fire and Planting by Erin Duplechin on her own site. (Erin has also guest posted for A Life Overseas before.) Hope for anyone in the midst of a refining fire: “Tomorrow we will plant seeds.”

What Fruitfulness Feels Like by Lindsey Brigham at CiRCE Institute. Comfort for the soul stretched to snapping.

Marginal Faith: You Probably Should be Doing Less by S.D. Smith at Story Warren. Discussions on margin can be a dime a dozen or seem stale and old, but Smith offers a fresh “Trojan Horse” twist on it.

Fight for the Beautiful by Glenn McCarty on Story Warren. Apparently beauty was a theme for me this month.

10 things you’re going to get right this year by Jamie C. Martin, whose blog Steady Mom even includes my word for the year. Now here’s where I get all honest and ugly: we are half-way done with 2016, and my word for the year (“Steady”) has been a complete fail so far. I have been even less emotionally steady than last year, when my intention was to be more so. I’ve definitely experienced and been committed to the activities on this list, but my emotions have been more up and down than ever (and more frequently on the down), and that’s been discouraging.

How to be a Real Missionary by Anisha Hopkinson at A Life Overseas. This one’s for all people, not just the missionary types. There are wise words here — though I have to say that every month, Anisha wows me with her wise words. I’m so thankful she joined the writing team at A Life Overseas.

10 Reasons a Missionary Needs an Identity Rooted in Christ by Amy Young, also at A Life Overseas. Amy’s post isn’t just for missionaries either; it‘s for all people. And a side note here — last month I had the immense privilege of watching our various writers share critically important, yet related, ideas in Christian spirituality and missions. As editor of the site, I do not determine any particular themes people should write on, yet multiple people were writing on similar themes. For me as an editor, that was evidence of God at work, weaving our writing together into something beautiful — and useful.

 

MUSIC

Out of Hiding by Steffany Gretzinger and Amanda Cook. A girl sang this at church one Sunday, and it gripped me for days. Days.

Be Thou My Vision, as performed by Audrey Assad. A beloved hymn, yes, but that voice. THAT VOICE.

More hymns from Audrey Assad, if you like that kind of thing, or her kind of voice:

Abide with Me
Holy Holy Holy
It is Well

Even Unto Death, Audrey Assad’s response to the beheading of Christians by ISIS. For a bit of background, Audrey’s father was a Syrian refugee, and here is the back story to this song, which I first heard at the onething 2015 conference, along with I Shall Not Want.

New chorus to Just as I Am from Travis Cottrell:

I come broken to be mended
I come wounded to be healed
I come desperate to be rescued
I come empty to be filled
I come guilty to be pardoned
By the blood of Christ the Lamb
And I’m welcomed with open arms
Praise God, just as I am

Arise My Soul Arise, a Charles Wesley hymn rewritten and performed by Twila Paris. Can anyone improve on Charles Wesley? I say yes, yes Twila can. This is an old song I’ve loved since adolescence that just happened to play on my iPod shuffle this month. This particular video is dated (I couldn’t find a better one); even Twila’s instrumentation is a little dated. But it’s a walk down memory lane for me and a definite improvement upon Wesley’s melody (it’s also better than all the more modern renditions of the hymns — believe me, I searched, and Twila’s is best). But if nothing else, read Wesley’s lyrics; they can’t be beat.

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Don’t let that ransomed sinner die!”

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

 

PODCASTS AND VIDEOS

Finding Dory. We took our kids to the theater to watch this in 3D (my first 3D movie by the way). And what can I say? Disney/Pixar delivers again; I was crying in the first five minutes, and laughing throughout (several lines are especially funny for international travelers with children). This movie has all the home and belonging feels and even has a Prodigal Mother and Father — all we have to do is “follow the shells.”

Magic and Fear in Children’s Books, a conversation with N.D. Wilson at Sarah Mackenzie’s Read Aloud Revival. An in-depth theological and philosophical discussion about good and evil in imaginary worlds. For those in the home school conversation, I’m aware that Wilson’s father is rather controversial; but wherever you land on him (and I’m not commenting on my position!), Sarah’s conversation with his son is excellent.

Finding God in the Ruins: How God Redeems Pain, a conversation with Matt Bays at Jacque Watkins’s Mud Stories podcast. Just a note, this particular podcast is for a mature audience and discusses childhood sexual abuse; I wouldn’t listen to this one with children around.

CiRCE Institute‘s Free Audio Library. I loved these two lectures from the first page: “A Contemplation of Creation” by Andrew Kern and “Imago Dei and Redemptive Power of Fantasy” by Angelina Stanford.

Girl in the World: Pragmatism, Utility, and Beauty from Sara Groves. Can’t remember how I found this video, but it touches on all the themes I’ve been reading lately, so I wanted to share. I love the way Sara describes the spiritual landscapes of our lives, and have shared some of her songs and reflections before.

 

QUOTES

From Big Daddy Weave’s song “I Belong to God,” which I heard at a graduation service:

“I’ll say to the darkness ‘You don’t own me anymore.’”

Frederick Buechner:

“There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not to recognize him.”

Wendell Berry:

There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.

This isn’t a direct quote, but this is from Leroy Cloud’s discussion of the resurrection of Lazarus. Leroy mentioned Jesus’ instructions to the disciples to “Roll the stone away” and later, to “Take off the grave clothes.” In other words, Jesus performs the miracle of restoring life where it has been taken or lost or stolen. We are never the ones to make the miracle happen; we merely roll the stone away and remove the grave clothes in order to show what Jesus has already done.  What a beautiful word picture.

Another indirect quote, this one from Sue Hanna. In Matthew 17, Jesus called the people “unbelieving and perverse.” Sue broke those concepts down: “unbelieving” means disconnected from God, and “perverse” means too connected to the world. Sue proposed that the solution to this problem lies in Mark’s chapter 9 recounting of the same story, in which the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t cast out a particular demon from a particular boy. Jesus answers with, “This kind only comes out by prayer and fasting. Prayer reconnects us to God, and fasting (from all types of things, not just food) disconnects us from the world. So profound.

Now back to direct quotes. This one’s from Martin Cothran in “G.K. Chesterton and the Metaphysics of Amazement,” an article in the 2016 edition of CiRCE magazine (which yes, arrived in those packages):

“The modernists among us have tried to escape from this nihilism through the invocation of a new religion: that of scientism. Here, as in any other religion, they can find a creed (materialism, the belief that only the physical is real), a code or methodology (the scientific method), and a cultic motivation (a scientific utopia in which all questions about the world have been answered). One day, we are told, if we continue on the road of scientific progress, even life itself will give up its secrets and we will conquer death.

But modern scientism is just a way station on the road to nihilism, as Nietzche and the existentialists who followed him pointed out, since even an eternal life, lived with no transcendent purpose, can be a sort of damnation – a hell on earth. This is perhaps why Albert Camus, at the beginning of his Myth of Sisyphus, said that the chief philosophical question of our time was why should not commit suicide.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if one day people discovered a way to allow people to live forever, but, faced with the prospect of living a life of perpetual purposelessness, they all committed suicide?”

A personal note – This section of the article reminded me of several things. The first was the movie In Time, which describes a world in which wealthy people truly could live forever, but for one man life became so purposeless (and consequently so burdensome) that he did commit suicide. The second was Jen Fulwiler, author of Something Other Than God, who talks about how her materialist atheist beliefs eventually became so hopeless that she contemplated suicide, not because she was unhappy, but because if all our thoughts and emotions are simply electrical signals in the brain, she wanted to hurry up and get the inevitable (death) over with. Interestingly enough, the June 2016 edition of Astronomy magazine contained a column which explained how light and color really only exist as perceptions inside our brains, sadly lending support to the materialist beliefs that beauty doesn’t actually exist except inside our heads. (I disagree; see the next quote.) Also, interestingly enough, the March/April 2016 edition of Popular Science had an extensive section on longevity and defeating death through things like gene therapy and drugs, indicating that these queries and contemplations about meaninglessness and the fountain of youth are not so very far off.

Sarah Mackenzie in “The Flower We Have Not Found: Beauty as a Gateway to God,” another 2016 CiRCE Magazine article:

“Of the three transcendentals, truth, goodness, and beauty, only one requires that we use our senses to apprehend it. Truth is perceived and goodness is known, but beauty? We see it. We smell it. We hear it, taste it, and touch it. It invades our physical being and transforms us in an immediate and tangible way.

Beauty is how we physical beings in the real world rise to the ideal. It is how we are lifted from our dailiness and brought into the presence of God. It jars us. It requires us to contend with the magnificence of God when we just want to go through the motions of our lives.

If we are attempting to cultivate wisdom and virtues in our students, and if beauty is a gateway to God, then we can’t afford to shuttle it off our radar. Our students live their days through their senses, and we can either draw them closer to, or further from, Chris, depending on the sensory input we provide.”

Another personal note – I had already begun my exploration of Ordinary Time when I read Sarah’s words, so naturally they caught my attention, as I had been experiencing them myself. Additionally, these thoughts remind me of Misty Edwards’s thoughts on how corporate worship is a physical experience, not merely a spiritual one (scroll to the end of that link to read her quotes).

That brings me to one last quote, one I also intend to flesh out more fully in a future blog post, but whose quote is just too applicable to Sarah’s discussion of beauty in the physical world not to share here. It’s from Heidi Whitaker, a friend of mine here in Cambodia and the wife of an Anglican priest. I asked her about the word “sacramental,” and this is how she answered:

“The Anglican Book of Common Prayer uses this definition of sacrament: a sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given to us. There’s also the pithy phrase ‘Matter matters.’ It relates to the way God comes to us through matter (water, the bread and wine, etc) and to His value of matter (our physical bodies themselves and all of creation are precious to him – not evil or something to be escaped as in Gnosticism).”

A Few of My Favorite Things {May 2016}

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Wow, I cannot believe it’s the end of May already! There were so many things to be thankful for in May. Here’s a run-down on the real-life blessings and my favorite books, blog posts, songs, and quotes. ~Elizabeth

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Rain. May showers brought cooler weather to Cambodia. I cannot tell you what a relief it’s been. I’m not gonna lie, it was so hot here I couldn’t bear to leave my air conditioned bedroom in the morning to go to my bright, sunny, steaming living room to talk to God. Instead I stayed in bed where it was cool. So the cooler weather meant it was cool enough (just barely) to leave my dark, depressing cave of a bedroom to go to the living room to read in the morning. The cooler weather also meant we could reclaim the living room for family dance parties and devotionals at night.

The power of prayer. Sometimes I’m too self-reliant, and I neglect to ask people to pray for me. This month my spirits dipped so low that I actually asked for prayer, and God delivered in a big way.

The power of confiding in true friends. Sometimes I’m so independent that I think no one else shares my same struggles, and I forget to talk to my friends. Again, this month I had the chance to talk to other moms and remembered all over again why confessing our faults to one another is so important.

An afternoon by myself to go swimming. Jonathan gave me the afternoon off when he returned from Europe. I went to a local hotel swimming pool to read and swim. I cannot tell you how peaceful it is for me to float on my back in the water. I don’t know why it’s so soothing for me, but I could float there all day.

A working piano. I’ve been longing for a working piano for several months now, as I need time to sit by myself and sing and play the piano. Someone conveniently delivered  the needed piano part to Jonathan when he was in Europe.

 

BOOKS

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. This installment of Narnia has always been my favorite, and I relished sharing it with my children and even watching them fall as much in love with Puddleglum as I always was. And as indicated by the quotes in the section below, The Silver Chair provided some greatly needed (though not greatly desired) spiritual conviction.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A story of transformation — and I do love me a good transformation story. A Little Princess (which we read last month) is fun, albeit with a slow plot, and the main character is static, making the story more providential than transformative. But in The Secret Garden, the sour characters pull you in right away, and they actually change in meaningful ways.

Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay. This one’s a beach read for sure, but you know what? I needed a beach read this month. Plus it’s got all the universal themes of love & belonging, plus a healthy dose of literary allusions, so what’s not to love? The story follows a former foster kid as a young adult, and though I don’t relate to that part of her story, I definitely relate to her lack of belonging and her propensity to get lost in her head and in her books and to forget to connect with humans in real life. It has a Cinderella ending that becomes fairly predictable about halfway through, but as I’ve said before, I do love me a Cinderella story.

 

BLOG POSTS

How do we recognize and cope with trauma? from Kay Bruner’s Ask a Counselor series. I especially appreciated the part about how the body remembers trauma and the designation of “little t” trauma. This piece reminded me of this next piece from Marilyn Gardner:

The Frozen Sadness of Ambiguous Loss. Marilyn privately sent me some of the quotes in this post when I was having a hard time processing through TCK loss issues, but these concepts apply all across the board, not just to TCKs.

“How is your walk with God? (and other questions Jesus never asked) by Addie Zierman. Marvelous. Addie points out the types of questions Jesus actually asked, questions like

“Who are you looking for?” (John 20:15)
“Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-15)
“Why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26)
“What do you want me to do for you?” (Matthew 20:32-22)
“Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6)

10 Questions to Ask Instead of “How’s your walk with God?” also by Addie Zierman. I’ve heard that the classic spiritual direction question is “Where is God meeting you?” I love that question, and the other questions Addie offers here.

Helping Bono Find What He’s Looking For by Andrew Peterson. Such a great perspective by someone whose music and lyrics are really refreshing. (I say that as someone who also appreciated the Bono/Eugene Peterson video.)

 

MUSIC

God is Able by Hillsong. We sang this song at church at the beginning of this month, and even with my sorry attitude, it was in my head for weeks during those blasted power outages: when I slept and when I woke and everything in between.

How Can I Keep From Singing by Chris Tomlin. This is the song that came to mind when my husband was out of town and the power went off, yet I didn’t freak out. It’s old and came out of nowhere; I figured it had to be God.

Here’s My Heart by David Crowder. Especially the phrase “You are light breaking through.”

Hosanna (Praise is Rising) by Brenton Brown and Paul Baloche.

Stronger by Hillsong.

 

PODCASTS AND MOVIES

Hope*Writers podcast. I feel like Emily is me right down to the last detail. This podcast talks about lots of things I’ve been processing through with Jonathan. You can find them on the link in soundcloud, or you can search Hope*Writers on iTunes. The episodes “When it doesn’t look like plenty,” “Myquillin’s system for taking a break,” and “The day I realized I had a job” are especially powerful. I am very picky about what I consider an encouraging, uplifting podcast, and I am happy to say Hope*Writers is one of those, along with Sarah Mackenzie’s Read Aloud Revival.

McFarland, USA. This movie’s got it all: home and belonging, fear and safety, crossing cultural, linguistic, and economic barriers, father-son issues, father-daughter issues, poverty, systemic injustice, you name it, this movie’s got it all. We watched it as a family; I often find secular movies “get” and present universal themes so much better than Christian movies — but that’s a topic for another day!

 

QUOTES

Marilyn Gardner’s comment on Jonathan’s The Gaping Hole in the Modern Missions Movement:

“The homily was on suffering and he referred a lot to the Psalms. One of the things he said, I will never forget because I’ve never heard this said before but he said that when it comes to suffering, we are always between My God, My God – why have you forsaken me?’ and ‘Into your hands I commit my spirit.’ And is that not so true with the Psalms? Are we not between: Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?’ and ‘Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.'”

C.S. Lewis in The Silver Chair:

After adventuring a long time and being cold, tired, dirty, and lost, and being promised physical comforts from an (unbeknownst to them) evil witch. This was a little too convicting.

“They could think of nothing but beds and baths and hot meals and how lovely it would be to get indoors. They never talked about Aslan, or even the lost prince, now. And Jill gave up her habit of repeating the signs over to herself every night and morning. She said to herself, at first, that she was too tired, but she soon forgot all about it. And though you might have expected that the idea of having a good time at Harfang would have made them more cheerful, it really made them more sorry for themselves and more grumpy and more snappy with each other and with Puddleglum.”

About the forever-seeming-ness of waiting and the wondering if it will ever stop (answer: it will):

“Presently they were given food – flat, flabby cakes of some sort which had hardly any taste. And after that, they gradually fell asleep. But when they woke, everything was just the same; the gnomes still rowing, the ship still gliding on, still dead blackness ahead. How often they woke and slept and ate and slept again, none of them could ever remember. And the worst thing about it was that you began to feel as if you had always lived on that ship, in that darkness, and to wonder whether sun and blue skies and wind and birds had not been only a dream.”

Elizabeth Esther on forgiveness, grace, and boundaries in Spiritual Sobriety:

“If our mistakes are strong enough to compromise God’s acceptance of us, isn’t that the same as saying our mistakes are stronger than God?”

“When someone shows you his character, believe him.” (SO profound)

“We may really want someone to stay in our lives, but if that person regularly makes us feel bad, we’ve got be honest about it. Pretending others can’t hurt us is like pretending we don’t feel pain when someone steps on our toes.”

“No matter when or with whom we set boundaries, we often need to grieve the relationship that never was and never will be.”

“I don’t forgive someone because he or she deserves it. I forgive my abuser because I deserve it. I deserve to unload the backbreaking burden of unforgiveness. I deserve to release my heart and mind and soul from the distress, obsessive thoughts, and fears that unforgiveness inflicts upon me. I deserve to have my soul space back to myself. Unforgiveness just takes up too much room!”

“True forgiveness means releasing the person from his debt to us and doing so with an open heart, bearing no ill will or resentment.”

“This is how we forgive our abusers: we allow ourselves to see their humanity. I forgave my abusers because I realized that they weren’t evil; they were simply terribly sick people.”

Frances Hodgson Burnett in A Little Princess:

“When the square suddenly seemed to begin to glow in an enchanted way and look wonderful in spite of its sooty trees and railings, Sara knew something was going on in the sky; and when it was at all possible to leave the kitchen without being missed or called back, she invariably stole away and crept up the flights of stairs, and, climbing on the old table, got her head and body as far out of the window as possible. When she had accomplished this, she always drew a long breath and looked all round her. It used to seem as if she had all the sky and the world to herself.” 

(That quote was part of a longer 3-page section that’s a perfect description of the soul’s need for sunset and solitude, something which — due to the high heat — I haven’t fulfilled of late, but which I know I’m craving because the other day I saw part of a sunset and felt so homesick I almost couldn’t bear it.)

And lastly, Kimberlee Conway Ireton on Pentecost in The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year. I knew some of this but not all of it, and I just love the meaning of Passover. For me it is the central story of the Old Testament just as the resurrection is the central story of the New. I loved adding more depth to my appreciation for the Biblical stories.

“Pentecost is the Greek name for a Jewish holy day. According to Leviticus 23, on the Sunday after Passover (the day of Christ’s resurrection), the grain harvest was to begin and a sheaf of barley, the first grain to be harvested, was to be taken to the temple as the firstfruits offering to the Lord. Seven Sabbaths (or fifty days) later, at the commencement of the wheat harvest, a second grain offerin was to be brought to the temple. This feast of the harvest was called Shavuoth, that is, “weeks,” in Hebrew. The Greek word Pentecost means “fiftieth.” On this day, Jews celebrate not just the harvest but also the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. . . . Just as the giving of the Torah to Moses constituted the birth of Israel as a nation and inaugurated their identity as Yahweh’s covenant people, so the giving of the Holy Spirit to the disciples constituted the birth of the church and inaugurated their identity as the Body of Christ.”

“Too often we forget that we are God-bearers and live and speak in ways that misrepresent God to the world. Thanks be to God, none of us is an exclusive bearer of God. In fact, we bear God better together; as the church, the people of God, we bear God more completely (though always incompletely, never fully), because God, too, is community.”

A Few of My Favorite Things {April 2016}

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Here are some highlights from the hottest month of the year. To be honest, it’s been kind of a rough one, what with the heat, the power outages, the broken things, the loud funeral chanting, the karaoke music in the morning, the metal shop next door, and even the middle-of-the-night cat fights outside our bedroom windows, but here are some honest-to-goodness bright spots. (And in answer to your unspoken question, yes I’m still writing in my gratitude journal! I’m just being honest about the hard things too.) ~Elizabeth

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Watching some dear friends and teammates in the local homeschool coop’s play. I wrote about what I learned from that refreshing evening here.

Heading to Mondulkiri province with our teammates for Khmer New Year. It’s unbearably hot in Phnom Penh, but it’s at least 10ºF cooler in Mondulkiri during the day – and so cool at night I need a blanket, even without any fans. We met up with some other missionary friends in the area and had a lot of fun fellowship. I completely “unplugged” during this time and didn’t even use my husband’s phone to check Facebook or email. And the kids were again able to traipse all over the campground with their friends (there were 21 children in total), really getting that “camp experience” that Jonathan and I cherish so much from our childhoods. Here’s what I wrote about Mondulkiri on Facebook last year, what I wrote about it this year, and what I blogged about it last year.

Participating in the Velvet Ashes online retreat. The theme was “Commune: Closer to Christ, Farther from Fear.” Karolyn’s testimony really resonated with me, as she talked a lot about the Shepherd. She taught us that we are supposed to find our identity in the Shepherd alone – not even in being sheep, but really, truly in belonging to the Shepherd. She talked about how our Shepherd leads us to different pastures, but that’s all they are: different pastures. The pastures are His, and He is with us the entire time. Sometimes I can get hung up on “place” and Home being a place, but I loved the beauty of what Karolyn said about the Shepherd leading us to different pastures and being with Him the whole time. Beautiful, true, comforting imagery.

Also in the retreat time Kimberly read aloud Psalm 23 in The Message, because we tend to gloss over familiar passages of scripture without really thinking about them. She wanted us to listen to the psalm and pick out which phrases really caught our attention. The phrase that immediately caught me was “You let me catch my breath.” It stood out to me because I’ve been really breathless lately. I feel I can’t catch my breath, there’s so much to do, and the idea of catching my breath with God sounds really, really inviting.

Co-leading a workshop on relationships for international teens. We focused on both friendships and dating/romantic relationships, and I really enjoyed our interactive sessions. Confession: I really miss youth ministry! It was a thrill to get just a little taste of it again. I led a session about female friendships and also participated in a panel discussion on guy-girl relationships with the other leaders.

 

BOOKS

A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle. I broke through the “wall” I was hitting in this book, and it started flowing much more quickly and easily. L’Engle is completely out of time. She’s in my grandmother’s generation, but I keep reading her words thinking they are directed at today’s society, when in reality she was a 1940’s bride and has been dead nearly a decade. So she’s a good example of the fact that human nature and human needs don’t really change. There’s so much in this book that I underline and find profound – too much to quote. You should just read the whole thing!

Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage, also by Madeleine L’Engle. Marvelous. Absolutely marvelous.  Her husband had one kind of upbringing: stable. And she had another: mobile. I found myself in her story, and I found her musings on home, belonging, and marriage to be deeply moving. Be forewarned — it’s a tear-jerker. A beautiful tear-jerker, but a tear-jerker nonetheless.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. We finally finished reading this one! Goodness it takes longer to get through than any of the other Chronicles. I have so much less motivation to read it, although there really are some very good metaphors for the Christian life in it, including the baptism/transformation of Eustace and the appearance of Aslan in the form of a bird in one of their darkest, most fearful hours.

 

BLOG POSTS

What If? by Michele Womble. Poetry by Michele is something you should never skip!

Commune: In the Breaking by Patty Stallings. In preparation for the Velvet Ashes retreat. Beautiful.

Sometimes We Can’t Feed Ourselves by Amy Young. Also in preparation for the Velvet Ashes retreat.

Breath of Life by Amy Young. Because I forget that I need to b-r-e-a-t-h-e. So thankful for the reminder.

Resurrection by Sarah Bessey. Because there’s no way I can pass up Sarah Bessey on resurrection — and you shouldn’t either.

The Cult of Calling by Leslie Verner. Such great truth that really touched a nerve over at A Life Overseas.

Sisterhood: We Sharpen Iron Here by Idelette McVicker. I’ve talked about this before, but I’ll say it again: Christian female friendships have been some of my most life-giving relationships. I treasure them.

A Fit Bit (on belonging; not on electronic step tracking!) by Robynn Bliss. Not belonging or fitting in: this is the TCK condition. It is also the human condition. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. (And as an aside, when I met with Robynn in person, I felt like I belonged. I hope she felt the same.)

The Desert Shall Bloom by Emily Hamilton. Because “flourishing in the desert” imagery speaks my language.

On Freedom and Forgiveness by Jen Hatmaker. Such important truth, and so clearly and convincingly laid out here.

 

SONGS

Let It Be Jesus by Christy Nockels. Especially the phrase:

God I breathe Your name above everything.

Beneath the Waters by Hillsong. Especially the bridge:

Your word it stands eternal
Your Kingdom knows no end
Your praise goes on forever
And on and on again

No power can stand against You
No curse assault Your throne
No one can steal Your glory
For it is Yours alone

 

VIDEOS AND PODCASTS

If:Equip is going through the Nicene Creed. Here are my favorite discussions so far (they are each 2 minutes):

Day 7 on God being good

Day 10 on God as creator

Day 18 on the resurrection

Day 21 On the Holy Spirit

Day 24 on listening to the Holy Spirit

What Room Does Fear Have? video and backstory. This one’s 20 minutes, but worth the time.

Finding Allies in Imagination: Sarah MacKenzie of the Read Aloud Revival Podcast interviews S.D. Smith, author of The Green Ember (which I recently bought but haven’t read to the kids yet). Encouraging.

Navigating Fantasy: Sarah MacKenzie interviews Carolyn Leiloglou. Another WONDERFUL Read Aloud Revival podcast.

What does it mean to be emotionally healthy? by Kay Bruner. A short but comprehensive description of emotional health, including recommendations for some of our favorite books, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero and the classic Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

Head, body, heart: three ways to work a problem by Kay Bruner. How much do I love this (also short) animation? So much. We are whole beings and have to treat ourselves as such.

And finally, this trigonometry animation, because I’m still more than a little obsessed with sine, cosine, and the unit circle.

 

FUNNY STUFF (because too often I forget to laugh)

27 Ridiculously Funny Things Sleep Deprived Moms Have Done. I laughed so hard at these! (Once I walked into a wall while on my way to fetch my little nursling.)

This Video Slays Every Video About Working Women Ever. Found this through a FB friend. Kind of like Igniter Media’s Nobody has it all together, minus the Christianity.

Jim Gaffigan on bowling. Because it’s Jim Gaffigan, and that means funny. (I actually do love bowling though.)

Jim Gaffigan on Disney World. As someone who doesn’t like amusement parks, I couldn’t stop laughing at this. (Beware one bad word.)

 

QUOTES (but only a few this month)

For the liturgical among us, Easter is a season, not a day. So even though it’s way past Easter, I’m going to share an Easter memory from Kimberlee Conway Ireton’s book The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year.  This particular story took place on Easter morning several years ago. The author’s son had been given a balloon in Bible class. He walked into the sanctuary where his mom was chatting with one of their pastors. He accidentally let go of the balloon, causing it to float upwards. The pastor immediately started walking for a ladder to retrieve the balloon for this heartbroken young lad. Kimberlee tried to stop him: “Please don’t. We believe in letting him experience the consequences of his actions.” But the minister turned around and said,

“It’s Easter, Kimberlee. There are no consequences.”

Aslan and Lucy in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader:

“Do not look so sad. We shall meet soon again.”
“Please, Aslan,” said Lucy, “what do you call soon?”
“I call all times soon.”

Stephen Hawking, in The Illustrated A Brief History of Time, explaining straight lines and the curvature of space in a way in which I finally “got it.” I must admit that my study of spherical (or globe) geometry from several years ago greatly aided my understanding of this section. Even so, this is the best explanation I’ve ever read:

Einstein made the revolutionary suggestion that gravity is not a force like other forces, but is a consequence of the fact that space-time is not flat, as had been previously assumed: it is curved, or ‘warped,’ by distribution of mass and energy in it.

Bodies like the earth are not made to move on curved orbits by a force called gravity; instead, they follow the nearest thing to a straight path in a curved space, which is called a geodesic. A geodesic is the shortest (or longest) path between two nearby points. For example, the surface of the earth is a two-dimensional curved space. A geodesic on the earth is called a great circle, and is the shortest route between two points. As the geodesic is the shortest path between any two airports, this is the route an airline navigator will tell the pilot to fly along.

In general relativity, bodies always follow straight lines in four-dimensional space-time, but they nevertheless appear to us to move along curved paths in our three-dimensional space. (This is rather like watching an airplane flying over hilly ground. Although it follows a straight line in three-dimensional space, its shadow follows a curved path on the two-dimensional ground.)

How can I not love this chemistry analogy from Mike Bickle in his book Growing in the Prophetic? Though it’s not a perfect description of the science (but really, what metaphor is perfect?), over and over this has been my spiritual experience: I sit and I sit and I sit before God, and nothing happens. Then all of a sudden one day, something BIG happens:

There is a chemistry experiment called a titration. In this experiment, there are two clear solutions in separate test tubes. Drop by drop, one solution is mingled with the other. There is no chemical reaction until the one solution becomes supersaturated with the other. The final drop that accomplishes this causes a dramatic chemical reaction that is strikingly visible.

Some sit before God in prayer rooms and renewal meetings for hours with no apparent spiritual reaction taking place. Then, suddenly, they have a power encounter with the Spirit that radically impacts them. In retrospect, they come to believe that a spiritual “titration” was going on through the many hours of waiting on God and through soaking in the invisible and hidden ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Corduroy by Don Freeman. I got back into reading shorter books with my younger kids this month and was particularly drawn to the end of Corduroy, where the little girl Lisa brings Corduroy home from the department store.

Corduroy blinked. There was a chair and a chest of drawers, and alongside a girl-size bed stood a little bed just the right size for him. The room was small, nothing like that enormous palace in the department store.

“This must be home,” he said. “I know I’ve always wanted a home.”

Lisa sat down with Corduroy on her hap and began to sew a button on his overalls. “I like you the way you are,” she said, “but you’ll be more comfortable with your shoulder strap fastened.”

“You must be a friend,” said Corduroy. “I’ve always wanted a friend.”

“Me too!” said Lisa, and gave him a big hug.

Isn’t that just the heart cry of all of us? We want home and a friend and unconditional acceptance.

Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss. No matter how many times I read this book, little Jo-Jo’s YOPP at the end still gives me goose bumps. No matter what it is or how small it seems, the kingdom work you and I do matters.

And he climbed with the lad up the Eiffelberg Tower.
“This,” cried the Mayor, “is your town’s darkest hour!
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red
To come to the air of their country!” he said.
“We’ve GOT to make noises in greater amounts.
So open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!”

Thus he spoke as he climbed. When they got to the top,
The lad cleared his throat and he shouted out, “YOPP!”

And that Yopp . . .
That one small, extra Yopp put it over!
Finally at last! From that speck on that clover
Their voices were heart! They rang out clear and clean.
And the elephant smiled. “Do you see what I mean? . . .
They’ve proved they ARE persons, no matter how small.
And their whole world was saved by the Smallest of All!”