38. Spiritual Multiplication in the Real World by Bill McNabb

The Master Plan of Evangelism is one of my favorite books (seeing it on my husband's bookshelf while we were dating made me realize he was the man for me), and this book helps one live out the principles set forth from Master Plan!

I was debating about whether I would use this in my ministry training, and I think I will. I love the vision he lays out for followers of Jesus. While I don't think I will practice some of his methods, I love how he makes a case for disciplemaking teams based on research! That is the best part about this book!

39. The Terror Years: From Al-Queda to the Islamic State by Lawrence Wright

WOW! This was one of the best books I read all year. (So much so that I took it on a walk with me and read as I walked.) 

It is really well-written, and it will give you so much insight into how we got to where we are today! This is a series of articles that the author wrote over the course of 10 years of reporting.

I wanted to quote from the epilogue (which is masterful), but the book is in my husband's car! 

The last article "Five Hostages" will break your heart, and it is probably the best of the them all. I found the one on Saudi Arabia also very helpful in my understanding. It is called "Kingdom of Silence." 

I will definitely read other books by this author! 

I first learned about this book while listening to this NPR interview:

37. Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale

I have read this several times before, and I like it every single time! 

Here is a previous review:

http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/2012/05/52-in-52-week-22-miraculous-movements.html

Renovare Picture

Monday Morning Freewrite

I decided to do a new font today. 

I am not doing these as regularly as I would like, and I really should be walking on my treadmill while I type this. 

Hmm. Maybe I will switch. Stopping my timer and going to the treadmill. Wait a sec. 

Ok, I am on my treadmill. I have been sitting too much lately. I have had my "sitting string" appear on my left side again, and that has not happened in months! The sitting string is when I feel a pull of tightness on from my left upper trapezius down to my bottom. It goes through my latissimus dorsi to through my lower back and down to my sitz bone (The ischial tuberosity (or tuberosity of the ischium, tuber ischiadicum), also known informally as the sitz bonez, or as a pair the sitting bones is a large swelling posteriorly on the superior ramus of the ischium. It marks the lateral boundary of the pelvic outlet.)

So, I am standing and walking. This will also be good for my weight control. As suspected, I get busy with a new schedule, and my weight goes up. I eat more and move less. Thankfully, it has only been a few pounds, and I plan on nipping it in the bud starting today. I am not discouraged, and it is something I allow in the midst of transitions, to a point, and then I pull it in. My classes started on September 21, and I had not been super disciplined during the whole trauma of August 14-27 (I really only lost the last seven days, but the 14 - 19th had moments too, to be totally honest - so I ate.)  

I made some really healthy choices relationship-wise, as a result of that trauma. I am being more careful about who I chose to invest in too. I have a better balance of time with older adults and younger adults. It is healthier now. 

I am very excited about the Kingdom Community that God pulled together at the last minute. :) They are four women from ages 45-68. This is not our typical average age for a Kingdom Community. I loved those seven years of involvement with those much younger, but this is a refreshing break for me. The challenges are very different because they have families along with their ministries, but I am able to address that, having raised a family and been in ministry the whole time. So, it is sort of fun. It was a good call to do this!

What is also very nice is that two of the women are women I know really, really well. So, I can be honest and authentic and they care about me too. This is something I did not feel from many of the people I had been investing in over the last few years. Of course, there were wonderful exceptions, but the majority didn't really care a lick about George and I. I know that sounds funny, but there was not an other-centeredness in their thinking, and they came to us for help all the time but the reciprocal, "How are you?" rarely came from their mouths. I know that we are like parents to some, but even parents should be prayed for, and that was the major thing. When we would have prayer groups with these people, they rarely prayed for us. It was odd. 

Becoming other-centered is part of maturity no matter how bad your background was. I think I try to draw that out in people, but I need to do better at helping them to be better listeners by teaching them about asking questions rather than letting them just talk about themselves most of the time. The one who said I was a "chatterer" cracked me up. Most of our time was all about her. Seriously don't know where she got that distorted picture, but I know it is distorted. That is the good part!

Beeper going, and I walked for 15 minutes! 

Monday Morning Freewrite

I have not done a freewrite in forever. I have had a very busy two weeks. My classes at OSU started, and I had all the things that are involved with getting a class up and running (uploading my syllabi and other things on the Canvas website for each class, meeting with the PAC instructor, students adding or being sick or injured and wanting me to make special exceptions, etc.). I also got a "light" version of our ministry up and running, but it has involved just as much work (if not more) work to get it up and running. Making it a "light" version has caused me to have to rewrite things in that curriculum and make adjustments and having to talk to people because they have the "full" verison of our ministry book. Even though I told them it was a "light" version that are looking at the "full" and thinking the "have" to do this and that. Then, they have thought even the "light" was too "heavy" thinking that they thought the "light" would mean they would not have to go out and apply what they are learning but would just learn and apply later. 

OH CONTRAIRE, it would not be our ministry without that piece to it, and that is one piece we cannot go light on! It just does not work in any context to not apply what you are learning. That is the problem with the church today, IMHO! We are so used to just going to seminars, sermons, and Bible studies and learning, learning, learning and never really learning because we are not going out into the world and applying what we are learning. 

So, that was one thing I would not budge on in any way shape or form. So, it involved many "Crucial Conversations" that were very good. Now that we have settled into a rhythm, I am hoping they see the application portion as just the normal life for a follower of Jesus. :) (IMHO, it is much more FUN to apply what He told us to do anyway!)

So, here I sit on a Monday. I have taught three classes at OSU, and I like them (as always). I have also taught three ministry units. I sort of chuckle though because it is not really "teaching" per se in the ministry. But two of the girls said they wanted to do this ministry because they love my teaching. LOL! I really just facilitate, coach, and then they start leading! :) They are in for such a stretching experience. That is what I so love about our ministry. 

What I love about OSU is that I have a great boss and great coworkers! I love the positive environment that I get there, except the person that follows me. He is not a teacher in my program, but he used the room after me and thinks he owns it. I am really glad that my boss has told me to just ignore this teacher's comments and has released me from having to worry about his students entering the classroom before he arrives. My boss was so good about saying that he appreciated that I enforced the rules, but he also realized it put me in a very awkward position, and so he had the rule changed so I would not have the stress of it! So far, there has been no stress involved in having him come into my classroom as I am leaving. :) YAY! 

Also, six out of twenty two of my Pilates II students are returning students. That is so nice. We also have more and more students who have classical Pilates background so I don't have people who are totally green when it comes to doing Pure Pilates. There are so many "hybrids" of Pilates out there. They are all good, but they are not classical Pilates, and they are in for a rude awakening when they get in my class when they have done the other kind. I only had one student that complained a lot about that. And she has graduated and will not be taking my class again. YAY!

I do like having our ministry up and running again. I like having people to prayerwalk with, and I prayed with K on Monday and N on Wednesday as we walked outside. I think it might rain today as K and I are supposed to walk again so we will see if we are still going to do it.

We also went to a wedding of one of my evening Pilates students. It was beautiful! I love this couple. :) Speaking of evening Pilates. If there is anything that I might have to let go, it would be that class. I have to reevaluate it. The new manager is much more insistent about collecting money, and I feel uncomfortable with that and would prefer she do it. 

Oh there is my fifteen minute timer. I will write more tomorrow! 

Bye with no proofreading!