From the Bottom Of the Stack

I never considered myself a reader.  But alas, ever since the summer of '96 when I picked up Roots from my Dad's library, I was transformed.  This summer, Amazon and I have had a great time together and I have been working on quite a stack.  Here's what I have been reading - starting from the bottom of the stack!

Reading for Understanding, second edition, by Schoenbach, Greenleaf, and Murphy:  This textbook is part of my ongoing professional development focused on Reading Apprenticeship in the secondary setting.  It is the focus of my upcoming ten day conference that I'll be facilitating.  

Topical Memory System, Course Workbook and Memory Verse Cards by Navpress (the Navigators). This is one of the best ways I have been able to put scripture to memory.  There is a short reading with each memory verse that helps cement the verses in your mind.  The verse cards come in many different translations of the Bible and perforate out of the book so you can carry them in your wallet or your purse.

Introduction to Global Health, second edition, by Jacobsen. This book just arrived on my doorstep.  I needed another text for the Global Health class I'll be teaching this year.  I am really excited about the class and am always on the lookout for more resources.  

Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World From the Periodic Table of Elements, by Sam Kean.  Even if you aren't a chemist - this book is fascinating.  I just finished Part I of the book and have learned so much.  I think everyone would enjoy this book.  Did you know that Sweden has a very unique collection of Lanthanides in its soil?  They are clumped together and are evident because of their brilliant colors!  

The Making of a Tropical Disease, by Packard is part of the John Hopkins series profiling the history of various diseases.  This one is about Malaria.  It is absolutely fascinating but is a difficult read.  I have been slowly making my way through the book.  It was not a good choice to bring camping with me this year.  It's hard to read about malaria when you are being eaten alive by a band of angry mosquitoes!

The Final Quest, by Joyner.  I loved this story.  It is allegory-like but really a description of Joyner's encounter with God in his dreams.  Many have doubted whether or not he truly encountered God in his dreams.  Didn't Jacob?  Joseph?  In Acts 2:17  "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."  Read the book to decide for yourself.

The Message Bible.  Amazing thought by thought translation of God's Word.  

Let Nothing Disturb You, from the words of Teresa of Avila.  This series of devotions has been a real place of peace.  A reading in the morning, a small passage to focus on throughout the day, and a reading before bead.  What a woman of wisdom.

The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.  I finally started this book.  It is meaty. My friend, Jonathan, raves about this book and the author.  Many consider Dostoevsky brilliant.  The book is about several brothers (half brothers) and their dealings with their strange father.

A Guide To Prayer For Ministers and Other Servants, by Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck.  This devotional is hands down the best I have ever read.  It will lead you on a path of transformation.  I have read through it a couple of times and always keep it close by.  

Dark Night of the Soul,  St. John of the Cross.  Oh my goodness - this is the hardest read of my life.  I am having to employ strategies from my reading training to try to get through it.  I am reading about a paragraph a week.  Has anyone made it through this book?

Napolean's Buttons, by Penny Le Couteur & Jay Burreson.  Haven't started this one yet but it has come highly recommended.  It describes 17 molecules that changed history.

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and The Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins.  LOVED - LOVED - LOVED!!!  Read the books - forget about the movies.  Need I say more?

Tracy Kidder's Strength In What Remains is a fascinating biography of a Burundian man named Deo, and his unforgettable story of surviving the genocides of Burundi and Rawanda and to ultimately become a physician.  Tracy Kidder really draws me into his books - my favorite of course is Mountains Beyond Mountains.

Better, by Atul Gawande.  Atul is an American surgeon who explores health in the U.S. and around the world to discover how it can be made - yes, you know it - better!

Sarah Young's Jesus Today and Jesus Calling are very short devotionals that help me focus and keep my eyes on God.  I love that they have ribbon bookmarks to keep my place. Whenever I read them it is as if God is speaking right to me.

My Bible - favorite translation - NASB.

The Inner Voice of Love by Henri J.M. Nouwen.  This guy lived a really incredible life and wrote short books about walking in faith along the way.  

Stephanie Saldana's Bread of Angels is an autobiography about when she was in Syria on a Fullbright Scholarship and the ups and downs of her journey.  This book really took me by surprise and made me want to visit the Middle East.  As images of Syria have been flashing across my television screen I have often been reminded of Stephanie's great adventure.

So - that's it - from the bottom of the stack.  I'd love to hear what you are reading - what is inspiring you and keeping you turning the pages.

-t

Listen or Get Swallowed

I've spent the last year studying the 4 chapters that make up the book of Jonah in the old testament.  Yes - a year.  The book is so small you can easily pass by it several times before you find it hiding out between Obadiah and Micah.  Diving into these chapters, however, has been a great experience and I have learned so much about the divine interventions that our Awesome God places in our lives. 

The adventure started when I watched this. . .

yes. . . the veggie tales . . . it's good folks.

Then the ladies and I studied Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.  I had the chance to go through it twice.  It was a fresh perspective on Jonah.  Priscilla is a great speaker.  She concentrates on the big theme: Life's Interruptions really are God's Divine Interventions.  The workbook and DVD series did a great job at challenging us to restructure our thinking.

This summer while we take our summer break, the girls and I will be working on learning a number of verses from the study.  You can download a copy for yourself here!  I print the verses on both sides of a single piece of paper; place the paper in a gallon sized ziploc bag with the seal at the bottom of the page; get the bag wet; and stick it onto the tile of the shower!  It's a great place to read God's Word and put it to memory.

I also dove into Jonah with my weekly Wednesday night community.  Igor, Nathan, and I all taught out of the book of Jonah.  This is my lesson on chapters 3 & 4.  Igor and Nathan brought an entirely different perspective to the book.  Studying together in community really does open up my eyes.

On Monday, one of the ladies surprised us with a great gift of this t-shirt.  Oh so darling. . . can't wait to wear it this summer.  It says "Listen or Get Swallowed". 

The great culminating event of studying Jonah was when we watched this fantastic rendition of the story of Jonah told by this absolutely darling little girl.  Seriously - she has a gift.

Life of the Beloved - FBC

It's time to hit the bookstore, place an amazon order, or load up your kindle.  Our next book for the Family Book Club is Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen.  This book will be a change of pace from Mountains Beyond Mountains but I believe it will be equally rich in content.  I have run across a ton of passages from his books in my daily devotional (A Prayer Guide For All Who Seek God) and his words resonate in a way that other author's have yet to parallel.  

Lets start in mid June so people have time to pick up the book.  I would like for each person who participates to be "in charge" of a section of the book.  This means you would write a post that reflects on that passage and/or poses questions for us to answer.  It would be good for us to engage in a dialogue through the comments section in response to the posts for this book.  There will be a small tutorial about how to subscribe to the comment feed so that you can be notified when someone updates the comment section.  Please comment in the comment section if you are interested in participating so we can break up the book into sections for each one of us to cover.

-t

Happy New Year!

Things to look forward to on the blog in 2011. . .

New Things

1. A Monthly Scripture Memorization Challenge
2. Book Club - Reading Challenge
3. Recipes from the upcoming cookbook (please don't ask me about the cookbook - it's coming)
4. Monthly Updated Prayer Requests Tab
5. Tutorial on the "Musts" for each post (Title & Labels)
6. Ticker Counter for upcoming babies and weddings
7. Updated Birthdays and Important Dates
8. New Winter Header & a New Look

Old Things

1. Pictures
2. Wordless Wednesdays
3. More Pictures

Gloria!

And the glory [majesty and splendor] of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.  Isaiah 40:5 (amplified)

 

This Christmas my church is looking at he Glory of the Lord and this week's service will be focused in on Jesus as the light in the darkness.   Hebrews 1:  IN MANY separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets, [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].  He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, [Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs.

 

So I've been thinking a bit about lighting . . . 

I am so excited that there is lighting above my nativity set in my kitchen now.

I just love it up against the backdrop of the tile.

I love mirrored ornaments because of how they reflect the light.

My prayer is that God would make me into more of a mirror - to reflect His light.

a little littler

These photos were taken around 7 am on Monday, April 5th at sunrise.  I texted a similar photo from my phone to a friend and said that the ocean and the sun sure can make one feel like a tiny piece of this world and the reply back was "we're all a little littler than we seem".  Isn't it great to be a part of the big picture?

Did you ever think that God made the sun to rise every day to remind us of how He rose for our every day?

Take hold of my right hand

Before Emily Ann went in for surgery I felt compelled to share this verse with her.  I wrote it on a little piece of paper for her to take with her to the hospital.  A few days later my friend Mary Grace posted the same verse on her facebook page the day she went in to be induced.  She delivered a healthy baby boy.  Then, we prayed this verse for one of our clients who is losing her house to foreclosure, has 2 small children and a disabled mother.  Anyhow, with the verse "coming up" so often - I thought it might be an encouragement to you too!

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

Enter This Temple

This song was the first to start up on my i-pod shuffle today at the gym. I just love the words and I LOVE the message. This is my hope for 2010.

Verse 1
We are saved in a world that's lost;
all our hope rests in Your cross.
God of strength, our weakness shows,
we need You, we need You

Chorus
Father, enter this temple,
come touch Your people
we need to be where You are.
And children, living as their Father,
washed in pure water,
we need to be like You are.

Verse
We are searching for Your presence.
We are knocking on Your door.
Let Your wings cover us with promise
for communion, for communion

Chorus
Father, enter this temple,
come touch Your people
we need to be where You are.
And children, living as their Father,
washed in pure water,
we need to be like You are.

Bridge
To be like You are, to be where You are,
And Father, come touch Your people
To be like You are, to be where You are,
And Father, come touch Your people

Written by Leeland Mooring & Jack Mooring
Performed by Leeland on the Opposite Way Album

24 Hour Solitude Retreat

Yesterday I headed off to Plymouth, MI to the St. John's Retreat Center with 23 other folks from my church for a solitude retreat. It was a great experience. We were alone on the grounds of the beautiful retreat center for 24 hours of prayer, reading, and fasting. I know it might sound like tons of rip roaring fun - but I assure you it was wonderful. I was a bit nervous about being all alone as I am a fairly social person - but God was right there with me. I spent most of my time in the labyrinth garden and the waterfall garden. (that was my favorite) My friend Jenny went too and we snapped a photo after the retreat was over. The photo above pictures a cross with seeds growing in it. The four corners represent the four seasons. Does anyone know the name of the artwork? I wish I had taken a picture of the plaque so that I could remember.

If you haven't taken time alone to be with God lately - or ever - I want to urge you to do so. It will be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

I took the leap . . .

of faith and sprayed my entire front lawn with Round Up. Over the next few days I should see my lovely grass weeds fade away into a dull and drab brown.

On May 30th some folks from my church will help me dig up the dead grass and lay down 810 square feet of new sod.
****
As I was spraying the Round Up I was thinking about how God asks us to die to ourselves so that he can put new life into us. The apostle Paul wrote, “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:20). For myself that means that I have to give up my own plans for my life and walk in the path Christ has willed for me. His path is supremely better than mine. "I run in the path of your commands, for You have set my heart free." (Psalm 119:32) Sometimes, however, I am like the stubborn grass weeds and I refuse to die even though it brings new life. Thankfully we have a most persistant God. He will apply another application and draw us closer to Him.

Have you ever experienced this?

One Generation Will Commend Your Works

Over Christmas I took around 500 digital photographs with my camera. Now that they are all uploaded, downloaded, and right and left loaded, there are about 150 that I want to share with you all. Of that 150, however, this is my favorite because when I saw it - it reminded me of my favorite psalms: number one hundred and forty-five. What a blessing it is to be in a family in which one generation will commend the works of the LORD to the next generation. Though Grandpa barely has the ability to speak words right now - his gentle touch speaks endless words of how great our God is. And now, as the psalm states, the LORD is near to Grandpa since he has called His name and as He has always done, God is watching over him - even when we cannot.

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise

his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend

your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.
The LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.
All you have made will praise you, O LORD;

your saints will extol you.
They will tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,
so that all men may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is faithful to all his promises

and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

Need a Boost?

One of the ways that I get a boost each day is to reflect upon scripture, spiritual questions, song lyrics, or something that points me towards God. This year I started a daily devotional that record the inspiration for these reflections. I was going to just keep it to myself, but on second thought, I thought it would be better to share - just in case - it might give you a boost too. I have included the links in the sidebar. The devotional is called from fear to Faith. Please feel to comment when something inspires you or causes you to think too!

Love, Tracy