A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

Well – summer is off to a kind of crazy start – between the doctors, the vet, the accident, and Kim, Chris and Kelsey traveling. Carissa is pretty busy working so I’ve been kinda lazy….
The hammock is a great place to read – when Cairo lets me.
So far this summer I have read:
Twenty Chickens for a Saddle: The Story of an African Childhood by Robyn Scott
Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk
Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
Fleeing Fundamentalism: A Minister's Wife Examines Faith by Carlene Cross ( I really liked and related to about half this book – then it just became sad…and hopeless)
Turning Tables by Heather MacDowell and Rose MacDowell
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection by Gordon Ramsay

So, now I have to decide what to read next. More Theroux? Some classics, like Proust, Sinclair or Tolstoy ? Victoria Rowell’s memoir? A book by Lisa Samson or Jo Kadlecek? Or Matthew Paul Turner’s Beatitude: Relearning Jesus through Truth, Contradiction, and a Folded Dollar Bill (while I wait for his new book Churched to come out)? Or something by Wright, McLaren, Rollins, Foster or Willard?.
I’m also interested in Lynne Hybels thoughts in her short book Nice Girls Don’t Change the World. Too many choices. Too many books!
Deep books, fun books, books to learn from, memoirs…….
This is supposed to be fun – not stressful.

What have you been reading; what is on your list for the summer or vacation reading? I’d love to hear your suggestions and recommendations – cuz goodness knows I don’t have enough choices already! ;)

Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life." ~Helen Exley

It often requires more courage to read some books than it does to fight a battle. ~Sutton Elbert Griggs

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan

What Is A SUCCESSFUL Church?

I came across a great post this morning as I was reading blogs. It is from Kathy Escobar at The Carnival in my Head. It is entitled The New Ways are Harder.
Here is a quote from her post:

"i sometimes miss the old ways. you see, the new ways are way harder. there are so many subtle ways that the road we’re on is so much trickier to pull off. i keep waiting for smoother sailing, greener pastures, someone to swoop in and say “we believe in you, we want to do this with you, what do you need?” and i’m starting to realize, it may not come. plus, i’m pretty sure the life of following Christ was never about ease, comfort, success, numbers, budgets, earthly relief. i’ll say, though, part of my human condition always seems to be longing for it. one thing i have observed is that many “new” churches are really still relying on old ways and that’s why they probably will get a lot further than we will! i look sometimes at them and think “what are we doing wrong?” and then i realize we really are talking apples & oranges. church as compared to this thing we’re doing that’s better described as a faith-community-missional-agency-Christ-likeness-

relational-training-ground."

In the post she puts words to many things that I have been thinking. And she is so right. The old ways were much easier. (I especially like her comparison of the old ways and the new ways.) Being who we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to do, and not worrying about whether we are "successful" or not IS hard.
It's sad that church plants, gatherings, house churches etc. are only successful if they are large, growing, self sustaining (monetarily) entities.
Unfortunately, these little communities often don't make it because of this very thing. They can't support themselves. At least in the "old way". And it's hard to imagine a new way that can make this work. We are all such products of the churches we came out of that we often can't shift into a new way of being/doing church. The very definition of church has to change IMHO to make this new model work.
I have been reading Neil Cole's book Organic Church. He also addresses these issues. He contends that the DNA of the church must change. Our communities must become relational, and he suggests SMALL. I'm not sure I would go quite as small as he suggests, (two or three, which he sites as the Biblical model) but I get the idea he is trying to convey.
Small churches have stronger community, stronger accountability, necessary confidentiality, more flexibility, better communication, stronger direction and more effective leadership.
Small is good. Small is hard. Small is more intimate, more incarnational, more authentic and honest by nature. It's hard to hide in a small group. Small means seeing the problems, the messes, the sins of individuals and working with them. Everyone on the same journey, albeit at different points, working together to advance the Kingdom. In this setting self is often sacrificed for the group and for the sake of Christ. Struggles, honesty, messiness; it all makes us stronger if we are willing to to forgo easy and enter in to this kind of "church".
I hate that money dictates success. If we can't pay for programs we aren't successful. If we can't support a pastor on our own, we aren't successful. If we aren't growing, we aren't successful.
I don't believe it. Not for a minute.
It's the tight knit, incarnational, compassionate, missional small group that to me says success.
We are desperately in need of a new way of thinking. A new definition of a successful church.
But that's just my opinion.

Looking for God: an unexpected journey through tattoos, tofu & pronouns

So, still feeling miserable after going home from work last night I curled up on the couch and watched a movie. (Enchanted....it was fun and brainless, what can I say?) After that I decided to read a book I'd been wanting to read, but had been to busy to begin. Last night was the perfect time.
The book, Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey Through Tattoos, Tofu & Pronouns by Nancy Ortberg was a perfect book to read. It moved fast, was easy to understand and articulated much of what I have been thinking for the past couple years. I found myself wanting to highlight vast portions - but it wasn't my book - I borrowed it from Julie. I am gonna buy my own copy though, because I liked it and would find it easy and comfortable to pass along to my friends. Ortberg's reflections are personal, insightful and thought provoking with out being judgmental and harsh. She, in fact is on the journey with us all, and is very open about her faults and mis-steps. Interesting chapters include: The Problem With Quiet Time (finally!), Could We Please Stop Talking Like This? (Amen!), Shoes (wow!) and my favorite considering where I've found myself over the past couple years: Longings, Aches, and Pains.
Here are some excerpts:

"I am applauded when I speak in terms of blessings and power. But people nervously shift and move to change the subject when I mention that things are sometimes difficult and that something might be wrong with me."

"..God is so often the most real to me when I go to those difficult places. Yet I want to avoid them, and quiet them, and pretend they are not real."

"But for most of my life, I have met God most deeply in the middle of the hard stuff. I didn't know much, but I knew that. So instead of burying it, I chose to face it and pay attention to it. I chose to wrestle with it and try to listen. And I chose to live with it and all the tension and sadness it produced."

"Two of the most powerful things that God offers us are His grace and His forgiveness. Yet when we insist on ignoring the difficult parts of life, we are effectively saying that we don't need those two things. So the power of God is lost in our lives. And we wonder why following Him has become predictable and dull."

"...your mistakes are not stronger than God's love for you. That realization builds a strong central core in your soul that is unshakable. If we face them, our longings, aches, and pains take us to an alone place. Perhaps that is why we avoid them. But if we refuse to avoid them, we find what is true about the alone place. That it isn't alone."

"We all have black holes in our souls that keep anything from filling us up for too long. They keep us in a constant state of neediness, always seeking reinforcement through pleasure and comfort and busyness. But if we allow ourselves to experience the longing, refusing easy answers for the aches and pains, we'll slowly build solid bedrock of God in our souls. Those alone places create a foundation that closes up the black hole for good."

"She encouraged him to face the issue, not ignore, avoid, or drown it out. She talked about being willing to wrestle with God, and to take the pain head-on rather than trying to numb it through destructive behaviors. To listen, to search, to struggle, and to wait."

"Henri Nouwen wrote that we have nothing to offer others if we don't know that we are loved by God. Of all the places we go to get love, our longings, aches, and pains are the most powerful and convincing. If we have the courage to go there and to live there in healthy ways, we will surely find that healing awaits us."

So, when I finished this wonderful book of essays, all I could say was - How did Nancy get inside my head???

I will leave you with this final thought from another chapter which pretty much sums up how I look at things these days....

"I am better equipped to live out a faith that is real when I have wrestled and read and thought and prayed about what I really believe. Who is God? How is He different than what I have thought? What is His true nature?"

I appreciate and highly recommend this book - find a copy and read it - you won't be sorry!

Grace (Eventually)

What did I do last night? I was privileged to go hear Anne Lamott! The evening included receiving a copy of her last book which she signed after the reading/question and answer session. Altho, since I already own that in hard cover it woulda been nice to get a copy of Traveling Mercies and get it signed instead. I had that too, but Carissa lost that one at school. I love Anne's books - fiction and non fiction alike. Anyway, for more on the evening go to Julie's blog! (yes, I am lazy - and Julie says it so well.... )

And, yes, Kevin, I know you are quite jealous. Just like I was quite jealous when you went to see/hear Derek Webb..... ;)

Love is.....

A couple weeks ago I read Rob Bell's new book Sex God. Since then I have found myself ruminating on this passage....

Love is...

"Love is handing your heart to someone and taking the risk that they will hand it back because they don't want it. That's why it's such a crushing ache on the inside. We gave away a part of ourselves and it wasn't wanted.

Love is giving away of power. When we love, we give the other person the power in the relationship. They can do what they choose. They can do what they like with our love. They can reject it, they can accept it, they can step toward us in gratitude and appreciation.

Love is a giving away. When we love, we put ourselves out there, we expose ourselves, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

Love is giving up control. It's surrendering the desire to control the other person. The two - love and controlling power over the other person - are mutually exclusive. If we are serious about loving someone, we have to surrender all of the desires within us to manipulate the relationship."

I have no comment, nothing wise to say; nothing to add to this. Just that I am still thinking about this.... not only as it applies to how I relate to others, but how God relates to me and I to him. Food for thought.....

Books Blogthing

OK - I got this from Julie. It's a good reminder of the books I've been meaning to read. Um - yeah, with all my time.......

Edit - Mike suggested we add a book - so mine is at the end....

If you play - please leave me a comment so I can read your list!

Here's how you play. Take a look and see which ones you’ve read. Then, if you’re a blogger, post it on your blog. If you play, leave me a comment so that I can come visit!
Here’s what you do:
* Bold the ones you’ve read.
* Italicize the ones you want to read.
* Leave in normal text the ones that don’t interest you.
* Put in ALL CAPS those you haven’t heard of.
* Put a couple of asterisks by the ones you recommend.

EDIT - Erik at Julie's site suggested putting a + by those you have seen the movie of. So I am adding that too.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)**+
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)+
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)+
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)**+
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)**+
9. OUTLANDER (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A FINE BALANCE (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)+
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone(Rowling)+
17. FALL ON YOUR KNEES (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)+
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)**+
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)+
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. THE MISTS OF AVALON (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36 THE PILLARS OF EARTH (Ken Follett)
37. THE POWER OF ONE (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know this Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. THE ALCHEMIST (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible **
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)**
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)+
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)**+
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible(Barbara Kingsolver)**
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)+
56. THE STONE ANGEL (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)+
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)+
59. THE HANDMAID'S TALE (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment(Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. FIFTH BUSINESS (Robertson Davies)
66. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)+
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)**
71. Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding)+
72. LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)+
75. The Secret Garden(Frances Hodgson)+
76. THE SUMMER TREE (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)+
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. THE DIVINERS (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)+
81. NOT WANTED ON THE VOYAGE (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)+
84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)**
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. THE STONE DIARIES (Carol Shields)
89. BLINDNESS (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. IN THE SKIN OF A LION (Michael Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)**
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)+
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)+
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. THE CELESTINE PROPHECY(James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Mike's addition:
101. Till We Have Faces (C.S. Lewis)*

My Addition:
102. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

I can't wait for Spring Break....

Woo-Hoo! My copy of Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
came yesterday. I am soooooooooo excited. It's sitting on my dresser just daring me to pick it up. It's all I can do to leave it there until my trip to Florida. I can't wait to see what she has to say this time around.
In the meantime I will be content with Sue Monk Kidd's When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions
I wish I had found this book two years ago when I was struggling with many of the things she is talking about. Actually, I had it a year ago, but it got lost in the pile on my dresser. I really have to stop stockpiling books. It just adds to my stress cuz I wanna read them all at once. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine is in that pile. As is Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith by Richard J. Foster. And a myriad of others. I need about a year, and an isolated cottage at the beach to get 'em all read. And then, I need someone to talk to and bounce what I'm learning/feeling off of. And of course, who has the patience for that? Even my closest friends don't have that kind of fortitude!

Still processing stuff from this weekend. And I think it will be ongoing until I really get a good chunk of time to myself to do so. And right now that seems impossible. Every night for a week I have had something I have to do. Three separate high school concerts added to the busy-ness. (Band, Orchestra and Choir) Meetings take time too. I missed one on Monday. I just couldn't bring myself to do one more thing. That night I fell asleep at 6:30. We were not meant to be this busy. Calgon - take me away!

Can you guess?

Two post in one day - Hmmmm. But this section of the book I am reading intrigued me. So, I thought I would share it.....

As I was reading last night, I came across something interesting. It had to do with exclusion and racism. Here is an example....

"The ( __) must go! They are stealing our jobs." In the crowds that came to hear him, men carried placards that read, "We will not give up our country to the (__)," and "Our rights we will maintain," and "White Labor Must Triumph."

In Congress, the arguments for exclusion were purely racist. Many of them were the same ones that had been used against the Irish decades earlier. The (__) took jobs from "real" Americans. The (__) were dirty, drank too much, and lived on too little money. They didn't spend their money in this country, preferring to save it and send it home.....They worked cheaply, and when they were out of work, unlike Americans, they became hoodlums. They carried disease; they were clannish; when they died they sent their bones back to ( __)-, as if American soil wasn't good enough for them. In other words, the (__) were totally unassimilable.

Anybody care to guess the race/country?

There were some other interesting points made that if I have time I can address later.......

Let me know your thoughts.

Give me a map and a story.....

I'm still around. I just have had nothing to say. Nothing worth posting anyway. It's just one of those dry times I guess. Not that I haven't been doing things and going places, and thinking and reading - it's just that I haven't had anything I felt like I had to say. I have been reading blogs - and occassionaly it seems to spark something, but by the time I actually attempt to write, that little spark goes out.
I've been reading biographies and memoirs lately. I love to learn about people and places different than me. I also like to read other people's perspectives on things I have experienced. I read a book about growing up in Chicago - on Division Street - in the 40's. I read a book about a man from England who moved his family to Casablanca and restored a house there. The culture fascinates me. I'm currently reading a book by Lisa See about her family's experience coming from China to California around the time the railroads were being built. I have a book on my shelf about Alaska, one about growing up evangelical, one about a woman who dares to go to seminary. I have a book about Phylis Tickles life. One about missionaries to the Waodani Tribe. I have Lauren Winners memoir, Girl Meets God. I have a book about a girl who wanted more than anything to be a nun and her experiences as she went through the process only to leave at the end. I've read about people's lives in Africa, Ireland (Grace O Malley) India, Italy, France, Greece. I've read about happy people, sad people, content people, sick people, oppressed people and bitter people. And I learn lessons from every one. Now, if I could be more than just an armchair traveler......

If you have someone who will weep with you, delight in the goodness of your glory, and confront you honestly and tenderly about your failures, then you are singularly blessed.

Dan Allender Leading With a Limp

This, That and The Other Thing

So, It's the end of the week - and it's been an interesting one. Lots of stuff to think about and process. It was a week to touch base with people I haven't had contact with for a good while. It was a week to learn more things about myself. It was a week of living with new decisions, seeing how they will work themselves out in practical every day life. So far, so good. It was a week of fighting the FAFSA website so I could finally submit my daughters information in a timely manner. So I just thought I'd do a "What did I do, find, read or learn this week post. Here goes.

First of all - Sunday. L O N G day. Really. Church was good. We were in our new space in Yorkville and it was great. Lunch.....oh my. Lunch was good - when we got it. LOL. One of those days. It took about an hour to get our food. But that gave us all lots of time for good conversation! I think lunch with our Via Christus family is one of my favorite times of the week.

That evening Dana and Jen came over to our house and we made Paula Deen's Pot Pie. Supposed to take 30 minutes. With the three of us - it took 90. It was a blast tho. We were supposed to eat, and then watch 24, but instead we were still cooking when 24 came on. Needless to say we didn't catch all the significant details that evening. I had to watch it again later. But we had a blast. Jen also shared her Breedlove interview - which was quite interesting. D and I are thinking about joining her for a week of her experiment.....

I read a really interesting post on GoteeMan's blog this week regarding friendship. It's not too long, so I thought I'd re-post it here:

People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need. You or they have come to assist through a difficulty, to provide encouragement, guidance and support, to aid physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend - and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that the need has been met, the desire fulfilled, the work is done, and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done before. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season, and once the season is over, it is time to move on again.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. You grow together for a lifetime, and share deeply. This type of relationship is lifelong and lasting, and if we value it, can be a great treasure.

This post really spoke to me and helped me resolve some issues that I have been struggling with. Thanks Jeff!

Over at Darla's blog, Wild About Life, she has set up a forum to discuss issues that tend to pop up on everyone's blogs: finances, eating well, relationships, tips, books, movies, spiritual formation, resources, and just about anything else that seems relevant to life. I'm sure parenting will pop up there some time soon also. Check it out if you get a chance.

Also this week, we were exploring personality types at our Via Christus Leadership team meeting. Interesting and fun. And helpful to understanding each other. If you haven't taken the test, and are interested, here is an online version: personality test. Descriptions are here.
It would be fun to know what your personality type is - lemme know if you feel like sharing! I am an INFP. These descriptors are pretty dead on:

Quiet, reflective, and idealistic. Interested in serving humanity. Well-developed value system, which they strive to live in accordance with. Extremely loyal. Adaptable and laid-back unless a strongly-held value is threatened. Usually talented writers. Mentally quick, and able to see possibilities. Interested in understanding and helping people.

INFPs do not like conflict, and go to great lengths to avoid it. If they must face it, they will always approach it from the perspective of their feelings. In conflict situations, INFPs place little importance on who is right and who is wrong. They focus on the way that the conflict makes them feel, and indeed don't really care whether or not they're right.

Lots of other interesting insights too. Give it a try!

I just finished reading two good books - The Last Word by N.T. Wright - which deals with understanding what "authority of Scripture" means. I recommend it for a good overview, tho you may want to explore it in more depth after reading this book. And I also read Leading With a Limp: Turning Your Struggles into Strengths. Again - good read, and it had some practical insights and suggestions regarding leadership: what a leader is, what makes a good leader, right and wrong leadership styles, what to expect to experience if you are a leader - lots of good stuff. Good leaders, effective leadership - It might be different than you think!

And of course all these books and things I am learning point out nuances in my character, personality, and motives that I was unaware of and are quite helpful!

Monday night, for any of you that are in this area, we will be having our up/rooted meeting for January. The topic will be "Becoming Conversant With Islam" We will be watching Muslims and America, an episode of Morgan Spurlock's TV series 30 Days, and then discussing the issues raised with Pastor Fred Nelson from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Park Ridge IL. So, if you are in this area and are interested in learning more about Islam please join us!

OH, and Mike has a interesting post on his blog
about hell, and the taping he participated in for ASK GOD, a round table discussion among pastors and theologians on the local Christian TV network TLN. According to Mike, he was the heretical voice in the group and the Moody guy was attempting to get him saved before he left the studio. LOL.

OK - I think that's it for the week......

"Stories shared and entered - even to a small degree - weave our hearts together for a greater good."
Dan Allender Leading With a Limp

Wisdom from Le Petit Prince

Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
(or - one sees well only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.)

Mais les yeux sont aveugles. Il faut chercher avec le cœur.
But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart...

Tu deviens responsable pour toujours de ce que tu as apprivoisé.
You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.

C'est le temps que tu a perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante.
It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.

Les grandes personnes ne comprennent jamais rien toutes seules, et c'est fatigant, pour les enfants, de toujours leur donner des explications.
Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always explaining things to them.

I Will Sing a New Song

I found the book Woo Hoo! I ordered it last night....
Here's another example of a meditation in the book, and one that really, really resonates with me:

I Will Sing a New Song

The old song of my spirit has wearied itself out.
It has long ago been learned by heart;
It repeats itself over and over,
Bringing no added joy to my days or lift to my spirit.

I will sing a new song.
I must learn the new song for the new needs.
I must fashion new words born of all the new growth
of my life - of my mind - of my spirit.
I must prepare for new melodies that have never been mine before,
That all that is within me may lift my voice unto God.
Therefore, I shall rejoice with each new day
And delight my spirit in each fresh unfolding.
I will sing, this day, a new song unto the Lord.

Howard Thurman gets it....

Last night I heard a song at my daughters choir concert that was beautiful. I can't seem to get it out of my head today. Apparently it is an old Nineteenth Century Quaker Benediction; a meditation penned by the great African-American theologian and mystic Howard Thurman. I had never heard it before, and I thought I would share the words with you.

The Work of Christmas

"When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart…

And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.

-- Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas, 23

While doing a bit of searching on line I found another selection from this book:

Christmas Is Waiting to Be Born

"Where refugees seek deliverance that never comes,
and the heart consumes itself, if it would live,
Where little children age before their time,

And life wears down the edges of the mind,
Where the old man sits with mind grown cold,

While bones and sinew, blood and cell, go slowly down to death,
Where fear companions each day's life,
And Perfect Love seems long delayed.
CHRISTMAS IS WAITING TO BE BORN:
In you, in me, in all mankind."
— The Mood of Christmas, 21

Here's Thurman's reflection on The Spirit of Christmas:

"The spirit of Christmas--what is it? It is the rainbow arched over the roof of the sky when the clouds are heavy with foreboding. It is the cry of life in the newborn babe when, forced from its mother's nest, it claims its right to live. It is the brooding Presence of the Eternal Spirit making crooked paths straight, rough places smooth, tired hearts refreshed, dead hopes stirred with the newness of life. It is the promise of tomorrow at the close of every day, the movement of life in defiance of death, and the assurance that love is sturdier than hate, that right is more confident that wrong, that good is more permanent than evil.

I think I'd like to find and read the entire Mood of Christmas.....

Yaconelli on Passion

Passion is a roller coaster ride that can happen when you follow Jesus Christ. It is the breathtaking, thrill-filled, bone-rattling ride of a lifetime where every moment matters and all you can do is hang on for dear life...When there is no passion, we live our lives in the smoky fog of sameness. Life loses its distinctions and we no longer see the nuances, the tiny differences. We no longer feel our feelings. They become dull and insensitive. Life without passion is life without texture, contrast, and depth....Passion is always risky....People were estranged from their church and rejected by their parents; they became unemployed suddenly, ended up in jail, lost their lives, became personae no gratae...Passion is not something to be treated lightly. The passionate life is a risky life. The question is: Is the passionate life worth the risk?

The Pirate Queen

Last night my daughter, her two friends, and I went to see The Pirate Queen. It does still have some problems - fixable - and a few rough edges that need polishing; a bit of work here and there and it will be even more awesome than it already is! And I guess I am willing to overlook some of this because I am fascinated by the topic. Intrigued I decided to do some research on the true Pirate Queen: Gráinne Ní Mháille, which was translated by the English as Grace O’Malley. Surprisingly, there is quite a bit of information to be found on line. I would like to find a copy of Granuaile: Ireland's Pirate Queen, 1530-1603, and read it to get the rest of the story, and fill in the details that obviously can't be covered in a show of this length. That and possibly Grania -- She King of the Irish Seas," by Morgan Llywelyn, which was the novel the show was based on.


The story itself, set in the 16th century, is a timeless love story of star crossed lovers and duty to country with English meddling thrown in to complicate matters. The theme of prejudice and oppression towards woman is also a complicating force. Grace learns early on to deal with the complications. Motherless, at a time when women on a boat are considered to bring bad luck, and with the help of Tiernan, her childhood friend she disguises herself as a boy and becomes a hand on her father’s vessel. When disaster strikes she proves her worth and ability and earns a place as one of the ships crew despite the fact that she is a woman.

Grace and Tiernan fall in love on the pirate ship, which in its day destroyed and plundered many English ships.

Grace is seen as a threat to Queen Elizabeth the first, not only as a proud defender of Ireland, but also as a direct rival for Irish loyalty. Elizabeth sees herself as Queen of Ireland and will not stand for another (a woman, no less, how ironic!) to be seen as sovereign of Ireland. She orders Grace destroyed.



Warring clans are forced to unite against England, and Grace, though in love with Tiernan is to be married to Donal O’Flaherty, heir to a powerful neighboring clan. Grace, devastated accepts this as her duty and abides by her fathers wish, leaving behind a heartbroken Tiernan.

OK – that’s all I’m telling you. There is a lot more to cover in this fast paced 2 hour and 40 minute musical. Love, betrayal, sword fights, Irish dancing, battle scenes, great celtic music and an awesome set with wonderful special effects and lighting made this a really enjoyable musical. To say nothing of the fact that it is awesome to see a strong woman depicted and honored. Grace has some great lines in this play!


Because this is the world premiere here in Chicago, and pre-Broadway, the sound track has not been released yet. I will definitely be waiting to purchase it!

Anne Chambers, author of the biography, Granuaile: Ireland's Pirate Queen, 1530-1603 and Consultant to the Show writes the background historical notes both for the Show’s official website and for the performance program. "Believing that what emerges is the story of a unique mould-breaker, a woman far more liberated and empowered than most in this age of perceived equality and woman-power," she has this to say about Grace:

Granuaile was a victim of the male orientation of historical record and analysis. But in her case more than mere male chauvinism ensured her dismissal from the pages of history. By not fitting the mould determined and demanded by later generations of Irish historians, Granuaile committed an additional transgression. Until recent years Irish heroes were required to be suitably adorned in the green cloak of patriotism, their personal lives untainted, their religious beliefs fervently Roman Catholic (with an occasional allowance for rebel Protestants!). But Granuaile was, as one of her detractors wrote of her, 'a woman who overstepped the part of womanhood'. In not allowing religious, social or political convention to deter her during her lifetime, she simply did not fit the required historical mould.

Anyway, I realize I am getting carried away, but I am intrigued, and want to learn more about this. Despite lackluster reviews, the audience responded favorably and enthusiastically. With the exception of the elderly man next to me who kept nodding off, it seemed like most people thoroughly enjoyed it. Probably this is not a show for everyone. Then don’t go, but if you like this kind of story, you WILL like The Pirate Queen.

See video clip here.

Who was St. Patrick anyway?

Growing up in what is now Great Britain, Patrick was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland as a teenager. For six years he was forced to tend flocks, but he was free to turn to God for consolation. Over time, he underwent a profound conversion. After escaping and returning home, Patrick became convinced through a number of powerful dreams and visions that he was being called by God to go back to Ireland and walk among the very people who had enslaved him.
He returned as a priest eager to spread the gospel message among a people who were still practicing human sacrifice and were the major slave traders of their day. Patrick found a way to plant the gospel in that culture, proving himself a missionary of great skill. He believed God had chosen him to convert the Irish. Drawing on his own struggles earlier in life, he preached in a way that had special meaning to a people who were downtrodden and commonly dismissed as barbarian.
St. Patrick found God in nature, in people, in the Church he loved and served. He is a saint for the Irish—and for all peoples.

You can read about St. Patrick in his own words in the Confession of St. Patrick

Here is an excerpt:

Whence I, once rustic, exiled, unlearned, who does not know how to provide for the future, this at least I know most certainly that before I was humiliated I was like a stone Lying in the deep mire; and He that is mighty came and in His mercy lifted me up, and raised me aloft, and placed me on the top of the wall. And therefore I ought to cry out aloud and so also render something to the Lord for His great benefits here and in eternity — benefits which the mind of men is unable to appraise.
Wherefore, then, be astonished, ye great and little that fear God, and you men of letters on your estates, listen and pore over this. Who was it that roused up me, the fool that I am, from the midst of those who in the eyes of men are wise, and expert in law, and powerful in word and in everything? And He inspired me — me, the outcast of this world — before others, to be the man (if only I could!) who, with fear and reverence and without blame, should faithfully serve the people to whom the love of Christ conveyed and gave me for the duration of my life, if I should be worthy; yes indeed, to serve them humbly and sincerely.

Just in case you were wondering...

I'll be back blogging soon I hope. I just don't have much to say right now. I think being sick is taking a huge toll on me. Or maybe emotional stress isn't allowing me to get better? At any rate, I can't think of a single thing to say. Not one. At least not one that isn't whiny....
Well, maybe one. Tonight we're going to our friends Phil and Betsy's. Some of you know Phil is our small group leader. Anyway, the plan is for the girls to watch Shadowlands and the guys are gonna go to a Blackhawks games (hockey.) That's the plan. But now I hear Betsy is having trouble locating Shadowlands. Bummer. I'm sure we'll still have a good time whatever we do - or as much as one can when they still are sick and grouchy. ;)
And tomorrow Dana - who is back from Michigan - woo hoo! - is coming over and we're just gonna hang. Maybe do a movie, play games, talk, ya know, girl stuff. And tho I am sick, I am really looking forward to that. Dana can always make me feel better. I am so blessed to have a friend like her!
Christmas was good. My hubby got me a NIV/the Message parallel Bible. And one of those alarm clock/am fm radio/ speaker thingies for my IPOD. Obviously I don't have a clue what it's really called. But it is awesome and now my IPOD is much more functional here at home.
I got him The Ransomed Heart, a devotional book by John Eldredge. He is really enjoying it. He doesn't read a lot, it's just not his thing. I did good last year to get him to read Adventures in Missing the Point, and then he read it twice.....
Knowing he won't sit for long periods of time to read, I got him Velvet Elvis on CD several weeks ago. He loved it. Raved about it, and talks about it all the time. Striking while the iron is hot, I ordered Blue like Jazz on CD as well as A Generous Orthodoxy(abridged, but better than nothing!) He travels about 50 minutes to work daily and this is when he listens to the CD's. So we see how he does with those. Maybe he'll get more curious and this reading thing will just sneak up on him someday.
Oh, and if I didn't tell you, Carissa got one of the two female leads in the winter play, It Was a Dark and Stormy Night. She is so excited, but obviously it will be a lot of work. Her friend Rachelle got the other female lead. (Mike and Julie you may remember her from SHINE) If anyone is interested the play is February 17th - 19th. Just let me know!
Oh, and I'm so excited - I went to the bookstore and bought three new books. I bought another book by Mark Buchanan called The Holy Wild:Trusting in the Character of God because I loved his book Your God is Too Safe. I also bought Richard Fosters Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home, as well as The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God by Willard. I still have several others by my bed - like Soul Survivor which I'm currently reading, What's So Amazing About Grace, a couple McManus books; Seizing Your Divine Moment: Dare to Live a Life of Adventure and Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul; Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God; Eldredge's Captivating, a couple CS Lewis books, Grenz's Theology for the Community of God, and Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Peterson. I'm anxiously awaiting the new McLaren book, as well as the new Donald Miller book. Oh, I also have The Sacred Way by Tony Jones and The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God by Curtis/Eldredge. So I'm all ready to brew a pot of tea and snuggle under a blanket on a cold wintry night and enjoy a good book. I'll let you know how it goes.
Well, that was a lot of nothing to say. Not my typical blog fare, but hey, I'm throwing you a bone here....
Hope you all have a Happy New Year, and a safe and fun time no matter how you choose to celebrate!

Everybody needs to read this book!

Velvet Elvis. I don't even know quite what to say. So why am I blogging about it? Cuz it's one of the best books I have ever read. Very simple yet deceptively so! It's one of those books you read, and it moves fast. But then it rolls around in your brain, and you start thinking about it and its implications and applications and it knocks your socks off! I have learned to take it a little slower, digesting as I go - really digging for deeper understanding of what the author is saying. I have learned so much from Rob Bell in this little book. I can't stop telling people about it - I wish I had a handful just to give away. So if you get a chance, please read it. My hubby and kids are fighting over who gets it next, which is interesting cuz my hubby is a pretty conservative thinker, steeped in evangelical tradition. But he has heard Bell's sermons and really appreciates them, so when he heard the book was by Bell he asked to read it. Since my girls are also wanting to read it (even my 15 year old, who thanks to NOOMA videos thinks Bell is awesome) I just ordered the book on CD for my hubby so he can listed to it as he goes to work. I will be interested to hear his thoughts and reactions. As well as thoughts from any of you as you read it. Cuz you WILL read it.....

Here's an example "If the Rabbi calls you to be his disciple, then he believes you can actually be like him..... A rabbi would only pick a disciple who he thought could actually do what he was doing. Notice how many places in the accounts of Jesus' life he gets frustrated with his disciples. Because they are incapable? No, because of how capable they are. He sees what they could be and could do, and when they fall short, it provokes him to no end. It isn't their failure that's the problem; it's their greatness. They don't realize what they are capable of!" Now think about the application in our life, as we are called to follow Jesus! WOW!

or this: "Somewhere in you is the you whom you were made to be. We need you to be you. We don't need a second anybody. We need the first you."

OK - just go get the book. Those are just a taste of the good stuff you will find in it!