Free? Yes, Thank You.

One of my favorite new websites this year is www.goinswriter.com.  I love his helpful tips for writing and blogging.  Before he pursued writing full-time, he worked for a non-profit ministry by helping tell stories on their missions website.  On the website for this book, he shares how he needed to be wrecked - to have his life turned upside down in order to become fully alive.

Although the book doesn't come out until the first week of August, YOU, my friend, can read a free exerpt of his book here.  I have started it and I already love it.  If you sign up on his website, you can even get more freebies.  Sweet.

Alright, here's another delicious deal for you.

Remember Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst?  Actually, I should read that again soon.  Lysa is the cool chick behind Proverbs31 - a great ministry for Christian women.  Her book Unglued is coming out the beginning of August, but of course, we don't have to wait that long to read a chapter!  Click here to get that good stuff now.  While you're there, watch the book trailer and discover what it means to become unglued!  (Hmm, sounds like me in the car today...)

Images from www.wreckedthebook.org and www.ungluedbook.com

When Good Stories Go Bad

My middle son and I just finished reading A Wrinkle in Time together.  I had never read this children's classic, so I started reading it aloud to the boys.  The blondie was the only one who wanted to hear more. 

 I was hoping to find a new favorite, but I just couldn't get into this fantasy/allegory book.  The writing seems clunky and it's hard to follow the twists and turns of the plot.  My son seemed to really enjoy it, but I was disappointed.

 We then noticed that Netflix had the movie version.  You can guess how much I loved that.  Ugh!  More awkward acting, poor special effects, and goofy lines.

Sometimes a good story simply doesn't effect everyone the same way.  I am sure I can find thousands of people who dearly love Wrinkle in Time and would hate me for saying anything critical about it. 

In the same way, I know a lot of people just LOVE the new Batman movie.  I couldn't get past Anne Hathaway as a dark, evil thief.  I like it better when she's a little nerdy, like in Princess Diaries.

I was really trying to believe it, but I completely gave up at the end where she grabs Batman and kisses him before he completes a final mission.  That was just plain hilarious.

Art is subjective - books, movies - they all move us differently or not at all.  Stories help us grow inside and teach us about ourselves.  But the best stories change us forever.  They make us want to approach strangers and say, "Have you seen this movie?  Have you read this book?!" because great stories demand to be shared.

What books or movies do you hate while everyone else seems to love?

You Talkin' to Me?!

(image courtesy of blissfullydomestic.com)

I would have denied this adamantly as a teenager, but I had a real problem with authority.  (And I’m sure my parents are nodding and smiling now.  Thanks, guys.)

What I mean by that is I wanted to be the boss.  Of everything.  I wanted control over my friendships, my future, my love life – all of it.

I just didn’t get it.

College revealed my heart a little more, as I realized how my attitude went nasty anytime I was under the authority of someone I didn’t necessarily like or respect.  That, in my book, was a free ticket for me to disregard him or her completely.  How dare he treat me that way?  How dare she tell me what to do?

Then I got married. 

Stop laughing.

I got up-close and personal with my authority issues.  Here I was, a new bride, in love with my husband.  I respected and trusted him totally.  But I somehow still held onto control with white knuckles.  Where was this coming from? 

That’s when God opened my eyes to Romans 13. 

Ah, Romans.  Always as gentle as a brick to the face.

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (verses 1-2)

What?!  I am rebelling against God?  Oh, surely not.  But here comes the good part.

Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority?  (YES!  I just want to be free from him or her completely!!) Then do what is right and he will commend you. (verse 3b)

This passage put a spotlight on some dark places in my soul, and it helped me put Christ’s face over the face of my authority – to trust HIM first and to recognize that he put this person in my life for a purpose. 

It doesn’t mean I obey this authority if he or she asks me to contradict scripture, of course.  But it means I obey and I listen because of what God Himself has established in my life.

And that has made a big fat difference in my marriage, my work, and my attitude toward all authority.

When have you been challenged to respect and obey authority?  How did you do?

Beach Bag Books

Most readers hear "beach read" and they think of a cushy, easy read where they can basically turn off their brain. 

While I am all about fun books and escaping every now and then with a good story, I also love books that make an impression on me for life. 

A book can be like chisel, hammering away at hardened edges and revealing more of the character God wants out of us.  Here are a couple of those:

This book by Mark Batterson had me highlighting on almost every page - a good sign!  This little book was refreshing and awakening, like a splash of water in my face on these sweltering summer days.  He writes:

 "When it comes to the will of God, we tend to focus on what and where.  But what you are doing or where you are going are secondary issues.  God's primary concern is who you're becoming."

Another little book (I read it in an evening) that challenged my in a huge way was In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen.  I borrowed it from a friend, but I still remember a few of the points that hit me between the eyes.

The author shared how Christ overcame the temptation to be Relevant, to be Popular, and to be Powerful during his 40 days in the desert.   

Nouwen reminds me that these are always our temptations when we are put in places of Christian leadership.  I know I fight these all the time as I work with teenagers.  Christ fought these temptations with the Word, and I must do the same.  There is no other way.

I have to leave you with a great story!  Wonder, ah, Wonder.

This book is meant for kids, but I. Love. It.  It's one of the only books I've read in a long time (for middle schoolers) that features a healthy, happy marriage.  Hooray! 

But the heart of the book is about a boy with facial deformities, trying to fit in for the first time in a regular school.  I eagerly recommend it to my students and they have loved it, too.

What have you read this summer?

My Heart's Mirror

In Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas, he calls children our "heart's mirror."  And that the way we relate to them reveals what we value most in life. 

 C.J. Mahaney encourages every parent to ask their children a very insightful question: 

What do you think your daddy and mommy feel most passionate about?"

If the gospel doesn't come to mind, they may have picked up that we really care about avoiding embarrassment over their behavior, having a clean house, getting them in the best schools, or having a straight-A report card.

Today my life is filled with distractions:  I need a shower; the laundry is beckoning; it's too hot to do anything but swim; and there are phone calls to make for a school fundraiser.

But is that all my kids see?  My distracted, frenzied self?  I have to remember what's important here.  Loving hearts.  Hugging.  Apologizing.  Laughing easily and barking rarely.  Bible open.

Help me, Lord.  When they reflect my heart, may it be beautiful today.