The Yes Effect: An Unofficial Book Guide

My favorite books--the ones that affect me and change me and pull me closer to the heart of God--are books like The Yes Effect by Luis Bush with Darcy Wiley. The stories and ideas are both powerful and practical. They inspire God possibilities for everyday people like me.

This is a blog of yes. From my first post: Journey of Yes. To the start of the Epic Beginner blog series: Say Yes. So I knew from the moment I heard about it that I wanted to read and share this book my friend Darcy Wiley helped write.

Our yeses matter. It especially matters that we spend our yeses on the best in life--Jesus, people, and putting love in action for both. And that's just the sort of yes this book inspires.

Books like this just beg to be discussed with a small group, journaled through on your own, or a combination of the two. The Yes Effect (aff. link; see full note below*) is not just a book of good stories, it's a book to spur action--a change of heart that effects a change of life.

Thankfully, Luis and Darcy concluded each chapter with thoughtful questions to do just that. Invite a few friends to go through the book with you, or pull out a notebook to reflect on the content and action ideas yourself. I compiled a few quotes and corresponding questions below to get you started.

Quotes + Questions from The Yes Effect

Following are some of my favorite quotes and corresponding questions from The Yes Effect by Luis Bush with Darcy Wiley. Use these as you go through the book yourself or to go through the concepts from the book with a small group. (Find this list in printable form below.)

The bold headlines are chapters from the book; quotes used with permission, see copyright information below.

1. Follow Your Leaders

"Listen for God's invitation to join His transforming work in the world around you. And be ready to say yes." (p. 38)

Who impacted you with the Gospel? Whose words or ministry influences or inspires you?

2. Open Your Heart

Resist "flitting from one thing to another and becoming desensitized to the most dire needs around us." (p. 55)

What one outside need brought a strong response in you recently? Write or sketch what captures your heart for that situation.

3. Fix Your Eyes

"Imagine if we became more overwhelmed by the presence of God than by the worries of the world." (p. 78)

Carve out a few minutes to pray about the needs that burden you. What is God bringing to your mind or pressing into your heart?

4. Move Your Feet

"Your response to God's daily invitations will determine how much of His renewing work in the world you will get to see. ... it's your turn to do something, to get on your feet and see what happens." (p. 101)

Where is God inviting you today?

5. Find Your People

"We do our part, other people do theirs, and God causes the increase." (p. 121)

List the gifts, skills, and resources God gave you. Meet with someone already connected to the situation on your heart to discuss the needs and your possible contribution.

6. Stand Your Ground

"If we focus on the joy set before us, our faith and work will be more informed by the good ahead than the gloom here and now." (p. 141)

What resistance, internal or external, are you facing in your effort to help others?

7. Celebrate Your Chain Reaction

God "gives us an invitation to look back on what He has accomplished in and around us" to renew our vigor. (p. 164)

Have you experienced Jesus personally? Has he moved you to act in faith or share your faith?

8. Lead Your Followers

We have the privilege of walking alongside young people, "helping them grow in the Lord and say yes" to their own invitations. (p. 188)

What youth has God placed in your care or influence? How might you intentionally mentor them?

For more of The Yes Effect:

• Print the above "unofficial book guide" for The Yes Effect to use yourself or with a small group.
• Listen to Darcy share some of the behind-the-scenes of writing The Yes Effect on the Devoted Dreamers Podcast.
• Get your own copy of The Yes Effect to fully dive into the stories and ideas.
• January 29-March 31, 2018 - Join The Yes Effect Book Club on Facebook! 

What yes is God leading you to or reaffirming in you?

Quotations taken from The Yes Effect: Accepting God's Invitation to Transform the World Around You by Luis Bush with Darcy Wiley. ©2017 by Luis Bush. Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.

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new? start here...
epic beginner
email sign-up

*Note: affiliate links used. Purchases made through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you!

One, Unity, and Blessed Peacemakers

I used to read the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11 as a sort of to-do / to-be list in order to be blessed. Gotta thirst for righteousness, be merciful, have a pure heart, and be a peacemaker. Tough, but maybe not entirely impossible?

It's been sinking in how that really doesn't make sense. This a backwards list, as are most things with Jesus, where He's heaping blessing on those who mourn and are poor in spirit and perpetually seek and are persecuted. Okay. Well. Those things are a little more uncomfortable, and do I even want to put them on my Christian to-do list?

At the root, these blessings are less about our effort to be something good, and more about Jesus meeting people down where they are in their struggles in life.

So blessing the peacemakers, as Jesus says in verse 9, isn't as much calling us to it (at least not in this particular verse), as He is speaking encouragement to the overlooked and burdened peacemakers. A category in line with mourning and being pour in spirit and meekness and persecution. It's a tough place to find yourself, this trying to find peace and unity in a divided world. (affiliate links used*)

Peacemaking can be a hard burden to carry.

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I was reading a book on parenting when I read and re-read a paragraph that took me back to my counselor's office in college, particularly this line: "In an effort to bring peace and comfort to those they love, Type 2 children sometimes take on too much emotional responsibility for others." (The Child Whisperer)

It goes on to talk about appreciating and honoring this natural gift of bringing peace into the home, without relying on it to resolve family conflict. Then it concludes with advice to remind this type of child "that they are not responsible for anyone's feelings but their own."

I remember finally breaking down in college and going to the campus counselor. I remember working through my independence and breaking it down so I could see and accept my need for Jesus. I remember sharing about others' stresses that I shouldn't have been carrying (and they likely didn't know I was carrying), and feeling caught in the middle.

That little paragraph in that book about parenting took me back to that tension of trying to create peace for others. It's natural for me to do. To feel someone else's pain and discomfort and want to fix it for them. It's natural for me to take that on and try to create peace in the tension so we call all feel loved and stay connected.

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For some people this is no big deal. For peacemakers, it's an ongoing burden of carrying other people's struggles and emotions. It's a constant discomfort of sitting in the tension between sides, of trying to be the bridge instead of build the bridge. The good news I had to relearn in that counselor's office and that I remind myself of today: The bridge in our Savior already exists. We aren't meant to carry that burden for ourselves or anyone else.

We are meant to follow our own peacemaker road--sometimes because it's just naturally who we are, and sometimes because we've been called into it by God. And that blessed burden comes with a promise: We shall be called sons of God.

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One: Unity in a Divided World by Deidra Riggs releases today and is a book for peacemakers by a peacemaker. I can say that because I know Deidra, and I've seen her regularly place herself in the tension between sides and invite people to join her. She creates a grace-filled place where we can truly sit and listen to each other instead of shouting across self-drawn lines.

This book is a timely invitation to join in Jesus' mission of making us one. As she writes in the intro: "Oneness is God's desire for us. Unity is what Jesus prayed for us. The odds are definitely in our favor."

Read it if you're a natural peacemaker or if you're feeling God calling you into the role of peacemaker in your own life and among your own circle.

Learn more or get Deidra's book >> here.

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also see:
new? start here...
every little breath
caught in between
monthly updates

*Note: Affiliate links used in this post. Purchases through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you!

The Luthers + Finding God in the Tension

This is part of my apparent on-going posts on church: If you feel like quitting church, If you've quit church, and When you need bread and the church says no. There's no need to go read all of those, that's just my forewarning of where I'm going, and some back-reading if you're interested.

This week, after the This Is Us finale (what in the world was that?), my husband and I caught the end of a live streamed Q&A hosted by a couple of our denomination's leaders in America. It was a way to connect young people's concerns with responses from church leadership--I think? Whatever the intent, it was a good opportunity for "the church" to address important and timely topics that aren't always brought up or welcome in typical religious settings, and I commend the effort.

The few concerns and questions that we heard from the audience and the careful answers in response, I just felt more of what I usually feel in these types of set-ups and discussions: more disconnected and like I don't belong.

This disconnect really is nothing new for me. I first shared about this tension I felt with church 4 years ago. I can't even believe it's been that long, because I would have thought back then, that it all would have been resolved by now. Or at least starting to? Yet, here I still am, waiting in the tension.

Scenarios like this live stream and hearing views that differ from mine from church leadership just reminds me of the tension and the void I've felt for a long time now, and sort of stirs me to questioning it all again.

So that's where I sat at the end of the live stream earlier this week. Bible, pen, and journal in my lap, praying about that tension and void that stands in the place of "church" for me right now. It leads me to questions that I don't even want to type because they're such a downer, like: Do I belong anywhere?

I let that question be for a moment, and realized perhaps it's fine or maybe better if I don't obsess about belonging. The belonging as I tend to think of it in terms of church and humanity and seeking approval from anything or anyone but Jesus, it's an ongoing struggle for me. "The desire for others' love [and acceptance or approval] can become a substitute savior." (Love Idol, affiliate links used*)

This world is not my home, so feeling like I'm wandering or a stranger or don't belong among the man-made is maybe actually a good thing.

I find myself wondering if it was simpler when Jesus was alive with John baptizing on mere admittance of belief and Jesus preaching about love being the fulfillment of the law and people simply being Jesus-followers because they literally followed Him around. None of this getting-approval or acceptance through membership from a local church.

Church leadership was constantly at odds with Jesus and everything He did. He kept showing up and teaching at the synagogue. He also spent a lot of His time on mountainsides and travelling between towns and in homes, meeting people where they were. And the holy men did not like it.

One of our denomination's founders wrote an insightful book on Jesus' life called The Desire of Ages. She notes this tension between Jesus and the church leaders often, and notes each time how it will continue. We'll continue to struggle with this tension between Jesus' radical love, grace, and truth beyond our understanding, and the rules and burdens based on tradition that righteous men would rather us be tied to.

She writes, "When the Reformers preached the Word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church; but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. ... Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the Word of God."

Yet, many people in my denomination (perhaps any denomination?) would argue that we are the ones with the plain teaching of the Word of God. We are the ones with the true light following in the steps of the Reformers. I have a hard time accepting that when the established church is historically what needs the love and light of Jesus.

Jesus' experiences give me a bit of peace in my struggle, because Jesus gets it. He came to save individuals, and there were religious men that tried to interfere with that personal salvation because they didn't like their power being taken away. While I'm not exactly trying to take anyone's power away, by connecting with Jesus while questioning organized church, I kind of am.

Put another way, "this is what's most annoying and beautiful about the windy Spirit and why we so often miss it. It has this habit of showing up in all the wrong places and among all the wrong people, defying our categories and refusing to take direction. ...God is present both inside and outside the traditional church, working all sorts of everyday miracles to inspire and change us if only we pay attention." (Searching for Sunday)

I'm still left questioning--where, what, why, how, who? Where should we "go to church" and spend our time worshiping God and investing in community? What do we go to church for and what do we have to offer? Why is it what it is and is what it is okay? How do we change it or stay and "be" the church? (Because that's a favorite line: Don't leave the church, stay and be the church! But what does that even mean or look like when I don't agree with the church excluding certain groups of people?) Who is meant to lead or be helped or get involved or come along this journey?

It's really not anything new, this feeling lost. At the heart of the matter, it doesn't concern me too much, because it's just that--a feeling. Which always makes me think of a song I heard a pastor use in one of his sermons to the tune of Yankee Doodle: Feelings come and feelings go and feelings are deceiving; I'll trust alone in the Word of God, for nothing else is worth believing. (Or something like that; I heard it years ago and didn't write it down.)

God is my anchor. His love is my mission. His spirit of truth is my compass. Even if the full picture and all the answers won't be revealed until His return, I know that He is not giving up on me or "the church," and He's not giving up on us His people.

The truth is, as long as there's a panel of faulty men saying who's in and who's out (of church or God's Kingdom), I have a hard time getting on board. I have a hard time believing this form of "leadership" is what God really wants for or from us. He came for the outsiders, and here "we" (as "the church," Christians, Adventists, Americans) are just creating more outsiders.

It's not a label (or a lack of labels) that saves us. It's Jesus. All Jesus. And no man-made divide or boundaries will keep Him from us. Thank you, Jesus!

I'm finding comfort reading Katharina and Martin Luther--about the famous protestant reformer from 500 years ago and his wife. Not only is this the first I've heard of Martin Luther having a wife (a renegade nun with opinions and courage at that), this is also the first I've really considered the context of what it meant for Luther to do all that he did.

I'm realizing what a big deal and challenge it was for Luther to step forward in faith in God over man. To state and act on differing beliefs and new insights that went against an entire institution and governing tradition. To face even his close colleagues and peers. To confront men ready to damn him to actual hell (because they believed in their insight and traditions and their own power that strongly).

"According to Luther, Scripture could, and did, contradict church doctrine and well-established traditions, which made the church wrong. Christ alone was the key to salvation. In short, Luther argued, God speaks to all people through his Word; no mediator or intercessor is necessary between God and man except Christ himself, and Christ speaks 'not to an institution but to the heart.'"

The question that really comes up for me in all of that--thinking of Luther's struggle against church tradition, and Jesus' run-ins with religious leaders, and Ellen White's assurance that we'll continue to conflict with church leadership--if church leadership has a history of being so off, do we really think we have it all figured out today? Can we be so bold as to say that this is how far we've come and we have no further to go in our understanding of God and His Word?

We're not yet with Jesus in Heaven or the New Earth, and as long as we're still here I'm 99.99% sure that we don't have all the answers. (I'm leaving the .01% in case there's an Enoch or Moses or Elijah walking with God among us now.) It's actually quite probable that pride in our assurance that we have things figured out will be the first sign of our fall when we realize we don't have all the answers.

Knowing this actually gives me peace. Even in all of that uncertainty and questioning and constantly bringing that before God, I am certain of the biggies, because the Bible makes them clear over and over and over.

Here are just a few, off the top of my head:
1. Jesus loves us and gives us salvation through Him.
2. He tells us to love. Love Him and love others.
3. He's not giving up on any of us. Not even the people or groups of people we've personally already written off.
4. God's role is to be God, and man's role is to need Him. (And, just to be clear, Man is not God; and even though God's Son became man, He is still fully God.)
5. And that brings us back to 1: Jesus' love and salvation for us.

This has kind of been a more rambling post than usual, so where does this questioning leave me?

Still in the tension.

All's quiet even in the static right now because God's just being with me. We're in the tension together, and He's here waiting with me. I know He won't leave me alone here, and He assures me this tension isn't all I'll ever know. This is just a season and He's with me in it and through it to the end. Which is really the beginning of forever with Him.

And I'm good with that.

>>>

also see:
new? start here...
if you feel like quitting church
when you need bread + the church says no
books that changed my faith + life
monthly emails

*Note: Affiliate links used. Purchases through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

When God Gently Wakes Us Up with a Comfort Detox

As a mom, I care deeply about my kids' comfort... unless it interferes with their growth or what's best for them. As I think about it, their growth and what's best for them often demands some discomfort from them.

We face it every morning when one or both does not want to get out of bed to get ready for school. Bed is maybe the most comfortable place in this world for them. Yet, aside from a good night's sleep, our best lives are simply not lived while in the comfort of our beds. So everyday we encourage and coerce them out of the warm cocoon of their beds so they can get to school (which brings in more discomforts) all for the sake of their growth and their best interest.

I believe God calls me to the same--getting out of my comfortable places so that I can truly live and love in His name. Sure, for my best interest and growth, but especially to spread His comfort and love to a hurting world around me.

God grants comfort to our aching souls so that we will recycle it for others who are aching.

I fully believe this shift in my prioritizing of comfort will all be worth it in light of happily ever after with Him. I've also seen firsthand how getting uncomfortable for God's glory brings what's best for me now.

Some of my best and proudest life experiences were those that pushed me out of my comfort zone. Where my comfort was placed in Jesus, and He moved my feet to places I wouldn't normally go or to speak when I'd rather stay quiet. Planting seeds and growing in His beautiful plan for me.

When I've shown up at places when I would have rather stayed home in my pajamas (confessions of a full-blooded introvert). When I set aside years of reserved shyness and quiet to speak to groups. When I left my high school, home, and country to go live with my friend and her missionary family in Mongolia. When I gave birth to each of my 3 kids. When we've been in need financially or emotionally and God comes through with a miracle.

Even looking back on these experiences, I still somehow end up missing the point when new discomforts come up. When I start feeling the gentle tugging and awakening of conviction in my mind and my heart, I pull the metaphorical covers over my head and say, "do I have to?" and "but I don't want to!" And sometimes throw in the occasional excuse--an adult life version of, "I think I'm sick. I should just stay home."

Still, God is gentle, He is faithful, and He loves me too much to leave me here, rotting away in my own comfort.

That's where I am as I've been reading Comfort Detox (*aff. link) by Erin Straza. I've needed these words along the journey pointing me into the discomfort, reminding me God's there with His comfort and the miracle of an extra dose to share with those around me... all by walking and following out of my preconceived safe or comfort zones.

Being comfortable isn't exactly exciting. ...Yet a body at rest will stay at rest until a greater force comes along and pushes it into motion.

God is that greater force, and it seems Comfort Detox is one more force coming along to push me into motion. As I read it, I had all kinds of ideas of what I wanted to share with you and what I wanted to tell you about it. For now, this feels sufficient. It's where I am on my own comfort detox journey.

I'm rolling out of bed (or maybe just still thinking of rolling out of bed?) ready for the beautiful life God has planned out there in the world. Where my plans and comfort and familiar is replaced with His glorious plans, comfort, and unknown. Where He is more than enough for me, and He is more than enough for the hurting world around me.

I hope you'll read Erin's necessary and timely words. I hope you'll be encouraged and convicted through her detox steps at the end of each chapter. And most of all, I hope you'll consider where God is gently trying to wake you up, and call you out of your comfortable life into a big and beautiful world of His plans for you.

Once we start practicing habits of compassion, trust, and humility, our daily lives will shift. Ego-mania will diminish as we loosen our grip on our days and begin to extend God's comfort to others.

(Quotes in italics are from the book Comfort Detox by Erin Straza. Learn more or get the book >> here.)

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also see:
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courage to do hard things
slow reader to book lover
grow your life

*Note: Affiliate links used. Purchases through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to the purchaser.

6 Resolutions I've Never Regretted Trying

New beginnings are my jam! Seriously, it's no accident "beginner" is in the title of this blog. I am perpetually beginning, and I love it. I love making goals and new starts and filling in new pages of new journals. New years, new quarters, new months, birthdays--all just an excuse for me to make goals and plan new beginnings.

My one problem with new beginnings is I always start with an epic mentality--Go big or go home! Do all the things! This is my year and I'm going to make it all happen! (Hence the reason for my ebook and accompanying journal: Epic Beginner.)

It hasn't taken me long to realize all the things don't happen. I sometimes have fun trying, and sometimes I just get burned out or bummed out from accomplishing only a couple things on a never-ending list.

I'm learning to embrace a slower, more realistic pace to my goals. (That's why "slow" is my word for this year.) In 2012 that meant doing monthly resolutions: Having one goal or focus for each month. By the end of the year I accomplished TWELVE resolutions. It's still one of my favorite years to-date.

My friend, Alysa, read The 12 Week Year (*affiliate link used; see full note below) and inspired me in doing quarterly goals. So each 3-month period is a new beginning--yay!

This year I caught myself diving into my goals wanting to do everything all at once again, and my sister-in-law, Michaela, had the brilliant idea of focusing on one personal goal each month (like my monthly resolutions) and working on one creative goal each quarter (like Alysa's 12-week year). I love it! So that's what I'll be doing this year. Still attempting A Lot of The Things, but one at a time.

And be sure to checkout my friend Merritt's podcast where she interviews devoted dreamers who share their experiences in going from dreaming to doing--which is really what goals at new beginnings are about, right? It's so inspiring to hear how others are actually doing their dreams.

Wherever you're at with your goal-planning for this year (or even if it doesn't exist, because we can't all be nuts about beginnings), below are six resolutions you won't regret trying. These are changes that I've never gone wrong on. Every year, or every goal-planning session, I see some form of these pop up, and I've never regretted any time or effort I've put into these changes. I take my next right simple and specific step in each one. The changes are lasting and build on each other each new year and new beginning.

Keep reading for ideas to make them your own.

Move More

This resolution, along with the one below, is a little more specific and doable than losing a set number of pounds. Moving more might be doing a daily 4-minute HIIT exercise, using that gym membership a certain number of times a week, taking daily walks, stretching in the evenings, or all of the above. The key is to start small and doable and work it into your daily/weekly routine. Make it something you can keep up for the long haul. I'm still working on my simple morning exercises and we're getting back into our 3x/week gym routine. We finally worked out after a too-long break and were wiped for a few days--we are done being out of shape!

Also see: Monthly Resolutions

Eat Better

Same as moving more, eating better is a little more specific and doable than focusing on an ambiguous number on a scale. Instead of a fad diet, make real lasting changes to your meals. Last year, this meant trading out my dessert-like coffee for a simple tea Monday-Thursday. It was a tiny, very doable change, and helped me lose a couple stubborn pounds that weren't going anywhere. Now that it's set in my routine, I can work on other small changes. Look for the key problem areas in your own diet. Replace unhealthy drinks with a healthier alternative or more water; take healthy lunches and snacks to work a certain number of times a week; eat at home more than you already do. This year, I'm tackling our family's meal times to try and get back to healthier home-cooked meals and nudge my kids to less picky-ness. Wish me luck!

Also see: New Year's Fasts

Self-Care

I can't be the only that has replaced positive de-stressing routines with "unwinding" each evening in front of a Netflix binge sesh. At first it was fun and felt like a break. Now it feels a little like wasting my life and not giving me the room I need to actually de-stress. So, self-care was on my list starting the middle of last year and is lingering on my list this year. It includes more baths, more reading, more intentional use of my evenings after the kids are in bed, and even scheduling more doctors and preventative care appointments. I also include my devotional time in self-care, because Jesus is the only One that can really heal me and fill me up, but that gets its own line below.

Also see: 5 Things Only You Can Do

Be Present

This is an ongoing priority for me, but was a big focus especially in 2014 when we were getting ready for Baby 3 and a move. When things get busy it's easy to miss the little everyday meaningful moments that we'll never get back. Sometimes this means planning specific time with the people I love, sometimes it means letting my To Do list go for an afternoon while I watch my kids play, or taking a deep breath and capturing a moment with my camera or with my mind before I go on to the next thing. I have never regretted moments I've spent focusing on being present with the people I love.

Also see: Success is What You Do While Everyone Else is Distracted

Read More

There's a saying that you'll be the same person next year besides for the people you've met and the books you've read. Over the last few years, the books I've read have definitely had a huge part in my growth in all areas of life. That wasn't always the case. Up until 2012, I was simply not a reader. It took forever to read a book and I often got distracted or lost interest. Then, I read a book in a week and realized maybe I'd just been making excuses all my life. So I read an average of 1 1/2 books each month that year and have been reading ever since. You won't regret picking up the habit of reading or the person you'll grow to be because of it.

Also see: Book-a-Month Resolution

Devotional Time

I saved the best for last. At all of my new beginnings, my devotional life is top of my priority list. Growing closer to Jesus through reading His Word, memorizing and focusing on scripture, praying more specifically and earnestly. I've read through the Bible a couple years ago and am working on reading through The Message, a habit that I'll keep up ongoing. If I'll be the same person this time next year besides for the people I've met and the books I've read, well, devotional time will be the most life-changing thing I'll do. Because I'll be getting to know Jesus at a deeper level, reading His truth and letting it soak in a little more, and following Him to the people, places, and experiences He has in mind for me. Seriously, best choice ever.

Also see: Thoughts on Bible Reading

Those are the six resolutions I've never regretted making a priority. Some I'll be continuing this year in the form of my next right small, doable habit change. Allowing them to settle into my regular routines even as I focus and work on other goals. This may not be my best year yet, but I'm sure to end it thankful for new beginnings and slow growth in the process. I hope you will to!

Happy New Year!

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also see:
new? start here...
how to change
30 days to change checklist
courage to do hard things
grow your life

*Note: Affiliate link used. Purchases through this link could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you.

30 Books that Changed My Faith + Life

day 2 of 31 celebrating three-oh

In full honesty, I didn't read much until almost 5 years ago. In 2012, in addition to monthly resolutions, I decided to read one book each month. I averaged more and have read a book or more each month since. The things I've read, in the last 5 years and before, have impacted my faith and life in so many ways. To honor that, I'm sharing 30 of the top books that changed my faith and life over the last thirty years.

Lots of other great books could have made this list. These are simply those books that specifically helped me or changed me somehow, that have lingered with me, that I quote often or repeatedly recommend to others. Here they are in no particular order.

*Affliate links used. See full note below.

Safer Than a Known Way

by Pamela Rosewell Moore
This is by far my most recommended, quoted, and referenced book. A friend recommended it when I was 16--just a few short months after returning from my 9-month stay in Mongolia. It awakened my desire for adventure, my newfound passion for mission work, and a foundation of faith beyond relationship status, place of living, and occupation. I read it once now almost 15 years ago and I still remember so much of her story, and frequently quote the verse of the poem her book is named after.

The Life You've Always Wanted

by John Ortberg
I snagged this from my husband when he was using it for a senior Bible class he was teaching. I was stay-at-home-mom with a baby on the way and felt stagnant in my faith and devotional life. This book blends stories that I still remember today with practical principles for a meaningful life. He brought up phrases like "hurry sickness" that resonated and provided solutions that I've been using ever since.

Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America

by Kalle Lasn
This was a required read in Rhetoric class my senior year of college. While I had desired simplicity before this, reading this book was my wake-up to the seriousness of consumerism and realizing I didn't want part in it. I had a huge breakthrough in being overwhelmed with my own stuff along with reading this book that was the start of where I am today in simplifying. Thanks, Kalle.

Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life

by Emily Freeman
This was a birthday gift given me in 2011. The whole book resonated and it especially helped me think a little more peacefully and gracefully about how I entered my devotional life. The part that impacted me the most was a chapter when she talks about the story of the prodigal's son from the Bible and how she felt like she didn't have a story of conversion. That put into words something I've felt many times throughout my life. A year later, I got to meet Emily and have her sign my book. That same night I had a bit of a come-to-Jesus moment with my own experience as a prodigal, realizing my own conversion, and feeling called to share that story in a book. It's still coming to fruition, but Emily's book was a catalyst for something now five years in the making.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands

by Dr. Laura Schlessinger
A friend that recommended this to me soon after my husband I got married, since we have similar struggles with independence and seeing things our own way. At first it bothered me that Dr. Laura seemed to be saying everything in a relationship is the woman's fault. Eventually it finally clicked, she's talking to women, so she's sharing insights of what we can do to change something. You can't change someone else, so if you want change to happen, it starts with yourself. That thought was powerful, and several of her suggestions have stuck with me now almost ten years, including giving husbands a transition time to de-stress between getting home from work and actually engaging with the family. She also had some no-nonsense ideas for approaching sex that have helped me through the years.

The Power of a Praying Wife

by Stormie Omartian
A friend sent me this book when I was struggling with my marriage. We had been married only two years and lived far away from family and close friends. I spent a month reading this book and earnestly praying these prayers for my husband. I also wrote out my own prayers for him each day, and ended up adding them to some pages in our mostly empty wedding guest book. That book and those prayers got me through a challenging time and really helped me see change--again, starting with myself and how I viewed my husband.

Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure

by John C. Maxwell
I was a fan of John's blog Apartment Therapy, when I found his 8-week Home Cure challenge. He was going through each week of the cure and encouraging others to do it with him. I found his book at the library, read it quickly and have been using the concepts he shares in my homemaking and simplifying ever since. After a few years of doing his Home Cure challenges, I've adapted it and starting doing a mini-version of my own every spring and fall to upkeep and improve our home a little bit at a time.

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

by Jen Hatmaker
Jen's book was on a display at Barne's and Noble and caught my attention as I ran past to catch my run-away children. Once they were wrangled, I went back to the display and knew I needed to read this book. Her approach to simplicity spurred by pairing faith with daily living was something I'd been wanting to pursue but didn't know how. Reading her 7-month experiment paired with her heart-change through the process was transforming for me. Her writing makes me laugh and challenges me to think and live deeper.

In Defense of Food

by Michael Pollan
During my monthly resolutions of 2012, I had a month revolved around better eating. Along with that, I read Michael's book and loved his simple, practical approach to food. He defines food in a way that makes sense for me and helps me not feel so overwhelmed in deciding what's good for me and what's not. He also lists some food rules (there's a smaller handbook of just the food rules) that are so handy in the grocery store. While I don't remember them all, several have stuck in my mind over the years and helped simplify health eating.

You Are a Writer

by Jeff Goins
This was Jeff's first ebook that I got for free or really cheap. It was a quick, short read, but one so necessary for what I was experiencing when I read it. I was struggling calling myself a writer, and this book was a good kick in the pants to finally accept that title and start living like I believed it.

Bringing Up Bebe

by Pamela Druckerman
This was another one of my reads from 2012. She's an American woman that shares what she learned about raising her children in France. Some of the experiences she shared especially around meals, snacking, and routines have stuck with me. I made some changes with our kids right after reading that really helped with behaviors. We're back to needing to make some changes, and what she shared is still in my mind as I think about what we need to work on.

Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

by Shane Claiborne
This was recommended by a friend at a time when I was struggling with faith in action. I read it around the time I read 7, and it's a similar concept. I love reading how people specifically live out their faith in real, big ways. Shane's life is a great modern-day example of how I imagine Jesus and His disciples might have lived today which challenges me to think outside of the norm.

Mudhouse Sabbath

by Lauren F. Winner
I read this in college and loved reading her experiences and traditions from growing up as a Jew. She's a Christian now which helped bridge the rituals to what they mean for us as Jesus-believers. I love symbolic gestures that help make faith more substantial. Her chapters on Sabbath and death have stuck with me the most.

God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours

by Regina Brett
This was a library find. She wrote a 50-list for her or a friend's 50th birthday. It circulated around email (remember those days?), and she eventually turned it into this book. It's a fun, easy read of little insights into life. A few have lingered with me, including one about taking the next right step. Anytime I feel stuck, I just think about the next right step, and then do it.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

by Anne Lammott
I've read a few of Anne's books, and she is such a great writer. So of course she wrote one of the best books on writing. It was such a help to my writing.

Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America

by Mike Yankoski
I found this book in the endnotes of Irresistible Revolution (above). Mike and a friend took a 6-month break from college to live homeless in six cities. His stories influence how I think about reaching out to "the least of these" and living Christianity in action rather than just in theory. He also wrapped up the book with a few practical suggestions for addressing homeless people on the street that I appreciate (like gift cards that only work for food).

Believing God

by Beth Moore
I've believed in God as long as I remember. I have a gift of faith that is just always there. This book really challenged that believe to not just believe in God, but really believe who God is, what He's capable of, who I am in His eyes, and what I'm capable of through Him. She encourages to memorize five statements related to those beliefs that I still use as my mantras; she challenges readers to pray based on those beliefs (I did and God answered); and she uses strong Biblical examples to ground each statement. Highly recommend.

The Joy of Doing Things Badly

by Veronica Chambers
This jumped out at me as I quickly scanned the library for books to read while on an airplane. I didn't have any other option, so I took a chance, and it turned out to be a great book. I related to so many of her stories. One in particular about it never being too late to try something, helped give me peace about expiration dates I had put on some of my goals and dreams. Thanks to Veronica, I've put my expiration dates aside.

Dangerous Wonder

by Michael Yaconelli
My dad lent me this book in college. It was sort of the awakening of drive for epic living. Such good stories and ideas that encourage me to step out in faith. While reading it, I quit my summer job, was able to travel around for weddings, and ended the summer with 3 weeks of working at a camp in Yosemite National Park with my mom. I call it my "summer of adventure," and I feel Michael's book helped motivate me to step out in faith that summer--and God really came through.

The Taming of the Shrew

by William Shakespeare
This was required reading for our high school freshman English class. I identified with Katherine, the "shrew" character in the story, and held onto that identity through college. We had to memorize some lines, including from the end when Katherine has a change of heart and says, "Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy sovereign." I wasn't there yet, but this story helped me believe I wouldn't always be a shrew. And whatdyaknow, I don't think I am anymore. As much anyway ;)

The Pearl

by John Steinbeck
John used to be my favorite author. He probably still would be just because of his writing style that I love. But his actual content is a little too dark for me, which made it hard for me to even choose a book to list. I've read a few and while some of the stories scar me, his way with words engaged me before I knew how I would use my writing.

Never Broken: Songs are Only Half the Story

by Jewel Kilcher
I was Jewel-fan as a kid. Now I can see. There is so much depth and strength in her words and in her story. Her way of using the power of thought to overcome past traumatic experiences is empowering. This book is full of engaging stories and therapeutic philosophies.

The Best Yes

by Lysa TerKeurst
Simplifying home feels so practical--just do it. But deciding what to do with our time can feel a little more challenging for me. I tend to say yes too often, and sometimes without even realizing it. Lysa's book was a tremendous help in deciding which things are worth my "yes," deciding what to let go of, and practical ways to say yes and no when appropriate. Plus, it's back in faith, which influences all my yeses.

Start

by Jon Acuff
This was a recommendation and gift from my parents. I love his breakdown of the decades and what each decade of our life is traditionally focused on. He also shares how our age no longer dictates that cycle and we can speed it up or restart it as needed. He also shares great questions in that back that really helped me dive into where I'm at in life and where I'm heading.

How to Style Your Brand

by Fiona Humberstone
I used to say I'm not creative and truly believed that. Over the last several years of blogging and taking photos and branding my site, I've been learning maybe I am creative. Or I'm at least interested and learning and growing in that area. I got this branding book for Christmas last year and it kind of sealed the deal. I'm creative, I love good design, and I want to grow in that. I'm not sure what to use it on. For now, it's just my own blog. Eventually, who knows. My whole life is ahead of me waiting to be written. Or designed or rebranded or collaged or painted or whatever creativity strikes.

Simplicity Parenting

by Kim John Payne
I'm still haven't finished this book, after starting it a few years ago. Even the first half that I've read has impacted how I parent and especially the environment I create for my kids here at home. When I notice more tantrums from them, I start thinking about ways to simplify things, give them better and more consistent routines, and help them not feel overwhelmed. Heck, I've started doing that for myself since starting to read this book!

How to Win Friends and Influence People

by Dale Carnegie
Our teacher had us read this when I was in the 6th grade. We listened to it on tape, and each followed along with our own copy. We even had worksheets we completed on the content. I haven't read it since, but the underlying principles have stuck with me. In a nutshell: People care about themselves, so care about them, too.

He's Just Not That Into You

by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
This is one of few books I bought for full-price off the bookstore shelf. I found it shortly after breaking up with my college boyfriend, and so many things made since while reading it. I had planned to re-gift it to my sister, and ended up marking it all up as I read with notes for both of us to remember--Bible verses, additional thoughts, etc. It was a wake-up call to stop believing the lies us girls perpetuate to each other about guys. A couple years later I read what felt like the factual Christian followup: For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn. Shaunti's book offers even more insights including interesting survey results from actual men.

Carry On, Warrior

by Glennon Doyle Melton
She is a funny, truth-telling writer. While this book in particular wasn't entirely life-changing for me, there was something she wrote about an elderly lady with a tattoo that clicked with other things I had read, seen, thought, believed, and I ended up getting my first tattoo. Also in this category is Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome by Reba Riley for the ways she talked about deciding for herself what to believe about faith and church. And Wildflower by Drew Barrymore for some stories she told about coming into her own person spiritually. These books may not outright overlap--for me, they're about living my faith without regrets, rather than cowardly falling into what others want me to believe and how they want me to behave.

The Message//Remix

by Eugene H. Peterson
This originally started as "The Bible." It is an absolute must-read and by far the most life-changing books I've read and continue to read. I read through my entire trusty New King James Version for the first time a couple years ago. It took about 18 months and was such an insight to read full stories and be able to compare passages in the Old Testament with segments of the poetic books and verses from the New Testament. There is so much overlap in story and phrases--how God loves us, Jesus saves us, and we have hope of forever with Him. I'm currently reading it all again with Eugene's paraphrase--specifically from The Remix version. I love his introductions to the books and ways he writes things with vibrant, relatable language. While I'm reading, I sometimes stop to see how it's said in another translation. It's been such a freshening for my devotional life, and my life in general.

Those are my top 30 books that have impacted these first thirty years of my life. I'm excited to keep reading and see how future books impact the next thirty years!

Which books have changed your faith and life?

>>>

also see:
new? start here...
31 days celebrating three-oh
slow reader to book lover
free journal

*Note: Affliate links used in this post. Purchases made through these links earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thanks.

Slow Reader to Book Lover

I've been a slow, non-reader all my life. Things have changed. I've even paused in the middle of writing this post to read a new book I checked out of the library. Who am I?!

Everything changed four years ago when I read a full novel in 5 days, which was unheard of for this slow, non-reader. We were spending the week between Christmas and New Year's at my parents' lodge in the mountains of California. It was as cozy and Christmas-like as it sounds. While the guys were out paint-balling and the girly crafted with grandma and the babe napped, I grabbed the nearest novel to spend a moment enthralled in a story. We left our laptop at home and didn't get cell reception there, and somehow I managed that picture-perfect image of an avid reader lost in a good story that previously always felt a world away to me.

That next year, in addition to choosing monthly resolutions, I decided I wanted to read a book each month. If I was able to finish a book in a week, surely I could manage a book each month. And I did. Sometimes more.

Reading used to make me gag. Now, several times I've heard people use the phrase reader, like you in reference to me. As in, "I used to be a reader, like you" or "I'm not a reader, like you." And I just have to chuckle that a few years ago, and for the first 25 years of my life, that couldn't have been further from the truth.

Now, I'm a reader. That still feels a little strange to admit, but it's also all kinds of wonderful. I've learned so much, grown so much, and had so many mini-vacations in these stories. I keep a couple ebooks on my phone to read when I'm waiting in the car or at the kids swimming lessons or at the doctor. I usually have something, and often multiple somethings, checked out of the library. And I keep up with my favorite authors on social media that introduces me to what they're reading and to their author friends that are coming out with new books.

This is all kind of a no-brainer since I'm a writer. And seriously, what does an introvert do with her time, if not sit around and read?! It only took me 25 years from learning how to read to finally get to this point. Here are some things I've learned in going from a slow, non-reader to a book lover.

How to Enjoy Reading More

You don't have to be an avid reader to benefit and even enjoy reading. Use these ideas to help make that happen.

1. Find books you like.

This was a game-changer in my reading habits. Even though I still consider myself a slow reader, I found I could actually finish books and finish them in a timely manner when I liked them and wanted to read them. Not sure what you'll like? Ask around to people with similar interests as you. Look for books about a hobby that interests you. Browse a bookstore in a category you like. Look up books on Amazon then scroll down to "customers who bought this item also bought" section to see more similar suggestions. Take note when someone posts about or mentions a book. (You can see mine on my Recommended Books board on Pinterest.)

2. Don't feel obligated to finish what you start.

And, when you start a book that you're not really into (because it will happen), remove all obligation to finish it. Return it to the library, pass it on, or set aside for another time. My reading lull really got started when several times in a row I started a book, then read pieces off and on for months or even a year. Reading became a chore. Don't waste time making yourself finish books you've decided no longer interest you. There's so many great books out there, spend your valuable time on those.

3. Let go of the notion of re-reading.

When you finish a book, don't worry about reading it again, no matter how good it is. Some might disagree with me on this, but if you have a hard time wanting to read in the first place, don't waste that reading time on something you've already read. If it's a book you own, pass it on. You can likely find it at a good price or from a friend or the library in the future if you really want to revisit it. In the meantime, keep exploring the wonderful world of endless selections of books that are new to you.

4. Try a new genre.

I tend to get stuck in the faith/self-help type books. They're great for my Intellection-Developer-Learner personality strengths. But sometimes, they also start to sound the same and my mind needs a break. Sometimes a memoir or novel is just the mix-up I need to take a break and enjoy reading again.

5. Ease in with something light, easy, or short.

Actually reading a magazine article used to be too much for me. If you find yourself in the same boat, start there. Browse a magazine on a topic you like and stop to read one of the full-length articles. In my college magazine writing class I learned that writing a book is essentially writing one magazine article, in other words one chapter, at a time. The same is true of reading most books, it's simple the equivalent of reading one magazine article, or chapter, at a time. And if the book has subheadings, feel free to stop and place your bookmark in the middle of a chapter if you need a break.

6. Make space for reading.

As I went into a year of resolving to read at least one book each month (a big deal for my non-reader self), I needed to make the time to make that happen. So, I started with scheduling it in. At the time, I stayed home with two non-school age kids, so we had reading time everyday after lunch. I would pull out whatever book I was reading and lay on the couch, and without direction they too would grab their picture books and sit and browse. This often lasted at least a good 15-20 minutes. Then, when they would nap, I sometimes would keep the reading go. Reading can be fit in to daily wait times (i.e., school pick-up), lunch break, or 20 minutes before bedtime. I also spend the 24 hours of Sabbath to set aside technology and spend some of the quiet in reading.

7. Share the love.

Talk about the books or stories that impact you. Suggest them to friends that might like them. Give a social media or email shout-out to the author, or write a review of the book on Amazon. When you read a powerful quote, write it down. And when you're leaving honest feedback, remember that just because a book isn't for you doesn't mean it's not for anyone. Give feedback that might help a reader make that decision for themselves. Also, authors read reviews of their books so please don't be a jerk.

Reading used to be an avoided chore and is now a welcome mini-vacation. If you don't like reading, I can't promise you that will change (and thanks for reading this, by the way). But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you find books you like, stop reading things you don't like, and make a little space for reading.


books I read + wrote about:
every little thing
simply tuesday
the bible
simplicity parenting
irrestible revolution

my book-a-month resolution

>>>

also see:
new? start here...
monthly emails + freebies

Rock Your Home + Life

You can't grow grass and kids at the same time. A friend recently shared those wise words from her neighbor on Facebook.

Makes sense to me. Except I'd go ahead and throw other things into that statement, too. Like organization, cleaning, peace and quiet. It'd go something like, "you can't keep a clean, organized home and grow kids at the same time." Okay, maybe can't is too strong a word. But kids certainly complicate it and add to the challenge.

While I care about simplicity and need peace and quiet, for this season, our top priority is growing kids, so sometimes the other stuff gets shoved into the cracks and crevices with the stray cheerios, or left off the to do list with chores like scrub the shower. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Seriously, though, there is hope for messy homes--whether you're growing kids or growing yourself and maybe a spouse. In our culture today, all of us, moms or not, are busy and distracted and even overwhelmed. Even with limited time and energy, we have hope, because we are not alone. Others are paving a way and finding shortcuts so we don't have to. And any bit of effort creates a foundation to grow from.

Stress-free simplifying is likely unrealistic. (Unless, of course, you hire everything out. In which case, don't tell me about it. I'm better off not hearing all of the glorious details of not having to declutter and make donation drop-offs in between cooking, cleaning, and childcare.)

But stress-less simplifying--with the right tools, encouragement, and support--is possible.

And that's exactly what I aim to offer in my ebook Simplifying Home, on the Simplifying Home blog, and in my current 8-part email series (with videos and access to a Facebook group) to help you go through your home by the end of 2016.

I hope I can help you finally find the simple home you've always dreamed of.

>>>

also see:
new? start here...
simplifying in the chaos
monthly emails + freebies

Every Little Breath

Today, I'm offering a little e-reading for you. Imagine you're sitting in a sweet little book store, the warm smell of coffee filling your senses, as Deidra's welcoming voice reads the following excerpt from her new book Every Little Thing (*aff. link):

When everyone seems to be upping the ante and raising the qualifications for what it means to impact the world in meaningful ways or to live a significant life, we write our story with our breath and we make space on the earth for God. 

Sometimes breathing is the only prayer we can pray, and God hears our sigh and once again breathes the breath of life into us. We exhale, and it seems like such a little thing. But some days it is everything. It is communion--intimate and more than breathing oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. It is sacred and it is holy: this agreeing with God that we need God, for all of everything, and his joyful entering into our lives and ourselves and our very souls to make us one with him. We are gulping and breathing and sighing and gasping, and we realize our deep, deep hunger inside. (pp. 102-103)

Maybe these words stand out because I need more breathing in my life. Not the short breaths that take over when stress wells up in my back and shoulders. The deep and real breaths that happen when I slow and am still enough to know God and be in His presence.

Making a difference in the world is an enticing thing with promise of mission and purpose and holy success.

Except that we often make our real purpose in God secondary. We imagine success something different than Jesus taught it to be, the opposite of smallness. We idolize stories of the Bible turning all of their lifelong stories into one giant of a godly superhero missing their own areas of smallness and surrender and that God really is the beginning, middle, and end.

I've read several "world-changer" type books that inspire me to take action, to embrace my calling in Christ and do something.

I appreciate what Deidra adds to the conversation. A starting place of sorts that's right here where I am or right there where you are. Like middle-aged Moses shepherding in the wilderness before receiving a direct calling by God or Joseph enduring prison before ever seeing his dreams come true or even Jesus living into adulthood before His own short and powerful 3-year ministry.

As Deidra put it, "We either want God or we want significance. ... Our significance actually arrives through the surrendering of significance."

May you realize that God is right there with you and has significance for you with each little breath you take. You can make a difference, and it starts now in this moment.

If you need a companion and some inspiration in that journey, checkout Deidra Riggs' book here >> Every Little Thing: Making a World of Difference Right Where You Are.

>>>

also see:
new? start here...
how to change + be the change
emails to grow your life

*Note: Affiliate links used in this post. Any purchases through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

10 Simple Tuesday Lessons

In figuring out how to share Emily P. Freeman's newest book, Simply Tuesday (*aff. link), with you, I decided what better than to bless you with her own words? Following are ten powerful, thoughtful, encouraging, and wise quotes from throughout the book to give you just a small sampling. (This list started much longer!)

Her subtitle "small-moment living in a fast-moving world" fits in well with what I try to share with you here and in my emails on growing life simply and faithfully. I pray her words will help you find God's beauty in smallness and His life in the everyday.

10 Quotes from Simply Tuesday

The lines in bold are from Emily's book Simply Tuesday, and the text below each headline are my brief thoughts on it.

1. The deepest need of my soul isn't a personal organizer or an empty inbox. The deepest need of my soul is Christ.

This is from the intro and a reminder I need daily. My to-do list is all fine and good, but only after remembering the real essential: Jesus. And this insight spreads throughout all she shares in this book and in her other books as well.

2. What if, instead of thinking we have to choose between our ordinary life and an extraordinary life, we began to realize they're the same thing?

I've struggled with smallness. Maybe we all have. Not being recognized or feeling like my contributions aren't enough, while still wanting to simplify and embrace contentment. But so much that Jesus teaches is that we tend to confuse extraordinary and ordinary and maybe thay're not so different after all.

3. Jesus is often in the last place I look but the very place he always said he would be--in the whisper, in the children, in the small and secret places.

The times I hear God loudest are in the stillness and everyday smallness. You'd think I'd look there first, but I often forget. And in the forgetting, sometimes I neglect that He wants His big story woven through my small life.

4. Home isn't either beautiful or not, happy or sad, full or empty. Home is both. Home is and.

I love this reality of balance. Isn't not a straight line down the middle, it's a dance across the line into opposites. A college counselor talked about this importance in mental health and it's stuck with me--the bad is evidence of the good, the lows evidence of the highs, and we need it all to an extent, we need the and.

5. I can plant seeds, but I can't make them grow, I can create art but I can't make it sell, I can act in faith but I can't determine the outcome.

My inner control freak says I can set goals and calculate every step of the way. But the truth of a life of faith is something so much better--leaving everything in God's capable hands. It still involves action, but it lets the ending be a bit of a mystery because God's plans are always the best.

6. When we consider the spiritual transformation of our lives, it often means being stretched beyond what comes natural and leaning hard into what is supernatural, those things that come from God.

Another like it: "Rather than turn from the pain of smallness, I can turn toward Christ and partner with him in every small thing." (p. 211)

Some writing I've been working on revolves around this: Our need leads us to Jesus. I've come to terms with the mess that comes natural to me, and am finding joy in discovering Jesus' transformation. By this, He gets the glory.

7. People need our with-ness.

This reminder is so good in a time when we expect our likes and our quick texts to be enough. I'm learning to listen and just be with the people I care about. Like a high school roommate that would let me cry in her lap without asking for an explanation or giving detached solutions. Just as much as we don't want to be alone or feel lonely, it's safe to assume others around us are feeling the same way. When we extend our with-ness in whatever ways present themselves, others are free to offer their with-ness in return.

8. Jesus looks nothing like I think he should look, speaks nothing like I thought he would speak, allows things I don't think he should allow.

This is a concept I've been learning to embrace over the last couple years. It started with words in books like Irresistible Revolution and more recently from something I read in Searching for Sunday. I've heard the term "putting God in a box" but failed to see all of the ways I do that. It's a blessing to be reminded that He is God and I am not and that's a very good thing.

9. These are the days of . . . what?

This is a practice of embracing smallness that Emily shared in her book and in her video series. When life seems to be flying by, it's helpful to think about the little happenings that make up our days. It's such a simple way to slow down and pay attention to the little habits and routines that will quickly evolve into something else and likely forgotten. It's okay to move on to new things, and it's good to embrace today while it's still here.

10. I sense Christ asking me to embrace the days of small beginnings even when they might lead to small endings. Because the mustard seed tells us the ending belongs to God and it is kingdom-sized.

Another like it: "Small things don't always turn into big things. But all things begin small, especially in the kingdom of God. Acorns become oak trees. Embryos become President. Life starts with a breath. Love starts with hello."

Oh, how I love these thoughts. A recurring prayer I've prayed for a couple years is "Use me in big ways by Your power for Your glory." Of course, in the back of my mind I have my own ideas of "big." This is such a good reminder that when God's in charge, nothing is too small to matter.

This is only a small sampling of the encouragement and wisdom in Emily's book. Learn more or get Simply Tuesday >> here.

>>>

also see:
new? start here...
slow reader to book lover
monthly emails

*Note: Affiliate links used in this post. Purchases made through these links could earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you.