11. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

One word: WOW! This is my favorite book of the year. It is carefully researched and made so personal by the stories of the people involved from Woodrow Wilson's heart-broken over his wife's death to Charles Emelius Lauriat, Jr. who was crossing the Atlantic with a Charles Dickens's personal copy of A Christmas Carol.(I won't tell you what happens to the copy, but that is why I couldn't put it down. I had to know!) The book kept my attention the whole time with no "dead spots" in Dead Wake. I highly recommend this book, but it may convince you to never take an ocean voyage! 

Bible Book Club: April in Leviticus/Numbers

Bible Book Club: April in Leviticus/Numbers: APRIL 1.        Leviticus 23&24 2.       Leviticus 25 3.       Leviticus 26&27 4.       Leviticus 26&27 5.       ...

10. The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

I thought this was a fiction book, but it was actually a true account the zookeeper of the Warsaw Zoo who sheltered Jews during World War II. What bravery! I applaud them. I think there could have been nips and tucks in the story to keep it moving, but overall, I was enriched by reading this book. I just prayed for Poland today on prayercast.com. So it was nice to have Warsaw so vividly described by the author. Any stories that continue to remind us of the atrocities during World War II are valuable for future generations.

9. The Greatest Thing in the World by Henry Drummond

I found this in a "Files" app on my iPhone. I have no idea where I got it from. It was lovely for a walk to the gym and workout in the morning. I actually own this little book.

Update: I found that I had downloaded it from Learnoutloud.com as their free book of the month in February 2012, but I have no idea how it got in a "files" app instead of in my iTunes. I had even already listened to it and wrote a review. So, I had read it before! Call it a "Post Menopause Moment"!

Here is my previous detailed review:
http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/2012/12/52-in-52-week-52-greatest-thing-in-world.html

It is an analysis of 1 Corinthians 13.

Please Sign the Raymond Koh Abducted Pastor Petition

We went to this wonderful Pastor's church when we lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the late 90's. He is a gentle man who was just helping the poor. Some people did not like him doing that and have threatened his life over the past 13 years. They finally took action and abducted him on February 13. PLEASE SIGN THIS! There is also a White House Petition that I will post soon. Let's get him home to his family!

8. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

What a great story! I am finishing it about 15 minutes before I am going off to see the movie. My girlfriend and I have been trying to go together for about six weeks, but I am so glad we did not go because I was waiting for it from the library and got it in time to read it before I went.

The narrator is very good in this. I enjoyed the history so much!

7. The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

According to my records, I have read this five times since 2009. It took me four months to read it the first time. Now, I seem to fly through it.

It is interesting to read what I wrote about this book while reviewing Summa Theologica in 2012:

"I am not big on theology. As I told my friends who were gathered around a picnic table hotly debating theology one summer afternoon in 2001, "I just don't 'think' about God." This was followed by uproarious laughter because they all knew I had been studying and leading Bible studies  for over 30 years (www.3yearbiblebookclub.blogspot.com). I don't think about God just as I don't "think" about my husband, I LOVE him. I ADORE him. I want to KNOW him. I don't want to THINK ABOUT him!  So that is where I get hung up on theology.

BUT I believe this is how some people's brains work. So, I have slowly and painfully tried to read theology in order to become "all things to all men." I like Piper and Tozer, but they make it so practical. I still struggle with Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy because it is too philosophical and just not practical. But others gobble it up. Therefore, I muddled my way through it, twice. (Part of my reason for not thinking that book is too earth-shattering is that I say, "Duh, isn't this how all believers should live? Isn't it obvious? Don't people already know this stuff about the Kingdom of God?" But apparently not for those raised in a traditional church culture. I was nurtured in the Navigators which was radically different and more like what Willard describes. The Navigators were more practical than Willard though. I do like Willard's Spirit of the Disciplines though. But I digress. . .)" 

After reading this quote, I feel like Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1995 mini-series version) in this memorable scene with Mr. Darcy:

Darcy: "You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April (when she hatefully rejected his marriage proposal), tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever."

Elizabeth: "Oh my feelings. My feelings - I'm ashamed to remember what I said then. My feelings are so different. In fact, they are quite the opposite."

So this is sort of how I feel about this book. I sort of grows on you or maybe I have grown. I have an easier time reading this (which on reflecting on my previous quote above is really not "theology" at all). Maybe my head is bigger because C.S. Lewis is also easier for me to read these days too.

It wasn't that I didn't "get" what he was trying to say, but it seemed too long-winded and I figured everyone believed this, and it was obvious. Now I see that this is not the case, and it is why I like it so much now.

 I was so surprised to see every person in this year's kingdom community EAT IT UP with their first try. They all bought their own copies! So, that was nice.

So, I recommend you read it. It will be good for your soul.

Here are my previous reviews with quotes:

2014: The ultimate goal of this book is that you will “join God in a divine conspiracy to advance the invisible kingdom of God here on earth,” and you do that by “choosing to be an apprentice to Jesus, who stands at the center of everything – having died on a cross ‘to undermine the structures of evil’” (Study Guide, p. 5, DC, p. 188).

Willard writes:

Whatever the ultimate explanation of it, the most telling thing about the contemporary Christian is that he or she simply has no compelling sense that understanding of and conformity with the clear teachings of Christ is of any vital importance to his or her life, and certainly not that it is in any way essential. … More than any other single thing, in any case, the practical irrelevance of actual obedience to Christ accounts for the weakened effect of Christianity in the world today. . . . It also accounts for the practical irrelevance of Christian faith to individual character development and overall personal sanity and well-being. (introduction, p. xv)

This book . . . 

. . . presents discipleship to Jesus as the very heart of the gospel. The really good news for humanity is that Jesus is now taking students in the master class of life. The eternal life that begins with confidence in Jesus is a life in this present kingdom, now on earth and available to all. So the message of and about him is specifically a gospel for our life now, not just for dying. It is about living now as his apprentice in kingdom living, not just as a consumer of his merits.

2013 Review (I mention that this is my third time, and that is when the book clicked for me): http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/2013/12/64-divine-conspiracy-rediscovering-our.html

What I REALLY like are his two others book: The Spirit of the Disciplines and Hearing God. I also love his DVD series with John Ortberg: Living in Christ's Presence. Actually the DVD series is my favorite of all!

6. No Knives in the Kitchens of This City by Khaled Khalifa

This book was not an easy book to read because the disintegration of a society is hard to read about. It is a very sad book, but it is beautifully written and helped me get a glimpse into the city of Aleppo after Assad rose to power. I am glad I read it. It is my first book of Arabic fiction. I love expanding my horizons.

Good review:


http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2017/0224/No-Knives-in-the-Kitchen-of-this-City-tells-the-heartbreaking-story-of-Aleppo

Freewrite on Tuesday Afternoon

It has been a while so here goes. I am a little "low ebb" this afternoon. I am too tuckered out to go and work out. Plus, it can be a rest day as I have exercised many days in a row, and I think I am due a rest day. I am frustrated because other than Thursday at my mother in laws, I have been SO GOOD with my eating, but the scale does not show it. I am 2.2 pounds away from my goal, and I am STUCK and have been stuck since February 13. Even on the Thursday at my mother-in-law's house, I did OVEREAT. I just ate more than I have on previous days that week. Sigh.

Am I getting sick? Maybe so. I hope not though. I have a full day tomorrow. SO, it is probably best to rest right now.

I am putting the final touches on our Kingdom Community Curriculum today, and we had a lovely group meeting this morning. I am going to miss these women. We are over the halfway point of our journey, and it has been a very good year. They have been an excellent group. The last two weeks, I have really reworked my stories so that next time it won't be as much work for me, and I can just practice them myself. They have all learned that it really helps if they record them.

I know this group will take things away that they will do for the rest of their life. Still praying for real breakthrough though.

Oh, now I said I was going to do a fifteen minute freewrite, and I am only five minutes in and am too tired to even finish this. Fickle as I am, it is my FREEwrite and I have the FREEdom to do anything I would like to do.

Five minutes is all I got.

Wellness of Body Freewrite

This is a Wellness Blog. I been reporting spiritual (Prayerful Reviews) and emotional (Prayerful Reviews) and mind (book reviews) wellness, but it has been a while since I did some physical stuff.

Well, my lifelong effort to maintain my weight really has gone well over the years. I pretty much have not been overweight since January of 2013. So I have kept myself in my weight range for over four years now!

WOOOHOO!

But, I do like to be at the middle of that range rather than the top. I was pressing toward the top of that range in December 2016 (five pounds away from the top but still too close for comfort). So, I decided to get down to the middle when I stepped on the scale on December 12 after eating for five days at an "all-inclusive" resort for my niece, Jenna's, destination wedding in Mexico.

I know weighing the day after I got back was probably really stupid. I quickly lost weight that first week.

I am now in my little range of four pound fluctuation that I want to stay in for the rest of my life!

WOOHOOO!

I have been successfully recording my eating for 61 days since I came back. I am at a 22.5 BMI, and I have eaten an average calorie deficit of 895 calories a day. The deficit was probably more for the last half of December because I was doing much more cardio. I lost 10 pounds between 12/12-1/12 (but seriously probably three pounds of that was water weight after traveling and eating a ton of food).

It is always harder for me to lose when I start teaching Pilates at OSU and SNAP because I only have so many hours in the day for exercise, and those formerly cardio hours at about 400 calorie burn per hour were replaced by strength and stretching hours of about 120 calories per hour. So, the loss has been much slower (and my daily burn is naturally going down as I lose more weight too) at only six pounds from 1/12-2/11. I also started weight training at the beginning of January, so it is probably due to muscle weight too.

The good news is that I traded two of my six Pilates hours for cardio hours because I quit teaching my SNAP night classes. I have three students who really want me to continue teaching the class in my basement, but unless I get enough students, it just is not worth it for me to teach, and I could do the whole routine on my own in 23 minutes and use the rest of the time to do cardio.

Speaking of cardio, I am going to do some aerobic weight training and elliptical today. So, it might be more than six pounds by tomorrow!

That is a quick overview.

The big thing for me to record is the average calorie deficit was 895 per day. I want to get down a little more to be at the bottom of my four pound weight fluctuation (3.2 pounds to go). Then, I will slowly add in more calories so I can really determine how much I should eat each day to maintain! That is my goal for the rest of the year starting in March.

Little by little gets the job done.

Slow and steady wins the race.

5. Wilderness Time: A Guide for Spiritual Retreat by Emilie Griffin

I have been doing Spiritual Retreats since I was 21 years old (1980). I love this book because it will be nice to give to someone who is doing it for the first time. It has the Renovare philosophy of life behind it, and I love that! I don't know how I missed it when it came out. There was an excerpt from it on the Renovare website, and I had to have it!

I also give people this little handout when they go to spend time with God:

How to Spend a Day in Prayer

They are both wonderful resources!

4. Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

This was an enjoyable, quick read. I love behind-the-scene information. She is a delightful and funny person. Loved her writing voice. If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, you will definitely enjoy this book.

Prayer Review from Last Saturday to Today

What made me feel most alive and in tune with God's plan:

• Resting at home all weekend and not going to any of the prayer events. Listening to my God about taking care of my body.
• Eating healthy
• Teaching Pilates at OSU and dropping SNAP Fitness Pilates
• Riding my bike to and from work in the crisp winter air
• Listening to the end of Genesis and the story of JOSEPH! (still my favorite person in the Bible behind God and Jesus!)
• Prayer - sweet hours of prayer. Especially with Kingdom Community.
• Prayer and meeting with this stellar group of Kingdom Community people this year - Heather, Rebekah, Nancy, and Sharon. So life-giving to me on so many levels. They liked reading The Divine Conspiracy. Go figure!
• Reading Divine Conspiracy and finding it continues to touch my SOUL.
• Discussing Divine Conspiracy with Kingdom Community.
• Amy asking me to mentor her. I love to mentor women! That is so life-giving for me and so in tune with God's design for me.
• Serving at Southside for the 9th school year!
• Doing this with my family and one of my besties (Teala)!

(So right now, I am spending a day in prayer and am going to go over the last few months of doing this exercise and seeing the pattern of what is life-giving and what is deadening. I see the most life-giving things are exercise [and teaching others about the benefits], prayer [especially intercession], Bible, meeting and mentoring/training are all very life-giving for me.)

What made me feel most dead and not in tune with God's plan:

• Feeling overwhelmed at having to take the food handler's certification exam again because I had no margin.
• People-pleasing. Should I do this Pilates class as home? Do I have the margin? Am I just doing it because others want me to do it?
• Trying to schedule things with other busy people! UGH!

Ways to show my love for God and others today:

Worship and Intercession


Follow up from yesterday's commitment:

Prayer walk with George once the fog clears (the fog never cleared, and I stayed in bed all day; but we went for a walk on Sunday). Take care of my body by resting more today (all day). I think I was too busy this week and run myself down a bit (very true - I am a true introvert. I had extra people time and was plum worn out). Continue to pray for Molly's support so she can go back to the Dutch Bros time (I don't think I did that, and I will do that today) . 

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

Freewrite Wednesday

I have been doing "Prayer Reviews" rather than Freewrite lately. So I am switching it up. Anything to avoid doing paperwork for my Pilates class this morning!

Speaking of Pilates, I have let go of the evening SNAP fitness class as of Monday. I told them months ago that I don't think they are making any money, and the manager seemed to be tense about the money situation. I don't know if they get pressure from "corporate" or not, but the old manager never seemed to be concerned about the size of the class and certainly didn't expect me to recruit for it. Now the old members want to continue in my home at the same price, and I don't think I am willing to lead Pilates classes for below minimum wage. The new day and time would afford me not having to do three Pilates classes in one day, two days a week and would spread it out. Also, it would be after three hours of sitting in a chair, but it would make for an extra hour on Tuesday. So I really need to think through things. I am not feeling well this week. So it is not a good time to make a decision.

With that comes multiple requests for my assistance in some way. Every day. I am happy to give my input and meet with people. I just need a bit more margin. I need some more "I" time. I get it in the evenings as there are not any weekly evening commitments for me (extra the SNAP class that ended at 6:30 on MW which, as I said above, has ended). Yesterday was a woman asking me to mentor her, another asking my opinion about putting two people together on a team and do I think that they would click with the team leaders? There were students wanting special treatment because they have medical conditions - if your grade is 78% participation then you are in trouble if you get sick. I am only allowed to have 12% extra credit that does not involve activity. So, they must participate in my class two hours in a row or go to a adapted physical activity class to make up for the time lost. I also always have people in our Kingdom Community asking my opinion too.

So, all the different "pots" don't know what the other "pots" of activity are doing. So, the pots of people don't know how busy I really am. I LOVE having to teach Pilates because it gets me on my bike or walking and then doing Pilates every Monday and Wednesday. I will not give that up any time soon because it gives me balance. A third class was ok for the first year when I was trying to get to 500 hours of instructional time (which I think I am very close to achieving). Getting certified in Pilates was a VERY good decision. I do not regret it.

So, I may not go up to Newberg. There is snow in the forecast. I am not feeling well. The other alternative is to go to the Abbey in Lafayette. I think I need to sort through stuff. It has been a month since I had a day of prayer too. SO, I am evaluating how I feel at the end of the whole thing.

Lord give me wisdom about the rest of this week.

Give me wisdom about Wellspring. I want to do the right thing. I am glad that the little "blip" was resolved, but I must confess that it brought to light that I don't feel like it is the best "fit" for me. I didn't really think about what my needs were in the whole thing. I really would like to be around like-hearted people who are my age. I have closer to that with the new Kingdom Community, and in some ways, I hate to have it end in the Spring. This is a GREAT group. I don't know if they like it as much as I do, but I REALLY like them. SO, there you go. They are leaders in their own right and a little bit more outwardly focused than the Wellspring group.

I just need to think it through.

I will say one thing. I love my time with You God! My mornings are my oasis time. I love getting up early and soaking in your stories. This morning was halfway through the story of Joseph. I couldn't stop!

But my freewrite time has concluded so on to prayer and the pesky paperwork I was avoiding. I have 1 hour 15 minutes before I need to leave though. SO, I think I am fine.

Bye!

Prayerful Review of Friday Week 4

What made me feel most alive and in tune with God's plan:

• Teaming with my Kingdom Community to go to the mosque
• Obeying God by baking bread on "Love your Neighbor" Friday
• Having George working from home. :)
• Feeling free to "break the fast" because my Muslim friend offered me the bread I had baked for the women at the Friday prayer time. Then I ate the leftover Middle Eastern food from the guys lunch.

What made me feel most dead and not in tune with God's plan:

• Nothing comes to mind from the day

Ways to show my love for God and others today: Prayer walk with George once the fog clears. Take care of my body by resting more today. I think I was too busy this week and run myself down a bit. Continue to pray for Molly's support so she can go back to the Dutch Bros time.

Follow up from yesterday's commitment:

Friday midday mosque visit (this probably will not be tough but want to show love to our Muslim neighbors). Be a listener. Should I bake bread, Lord?

YES! I baked bread and Bread = Love in Syria. It was sweet. Then Mostafar brought my hubby and Nancy's hubby out to lunch, and George brought back all this yummy Middle Eastern food. So good to break the fast on Friday!

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

The Kingdom Community this year is such a gift and balm to my soul after many years of ministering to mostly young people. Ahhhhh. I feel so supported and loved and understood. Thank you Jesus for directing me to do a lighter version of our Kingdom Community!

Prayerful Review of Wednesday and Thursday Week 4

What made me feel most alive and in tune with God's plan:

• Moving my body in Pilates (cannot believe I get paid to workout)
• Riding my bike to work in the sunshine and crisp winter air
• Walk with Kim (soulmate who knows me)
• Time with Paul on the way to and from the oral surgeon
• Delivering books to shut-ins
• Time in Genesis
• Writing my prayer letter (finally)
• Contact with our prayer warriors who responded
• Reconciliation and love with a sister in Jesus and having two of my "go to girls" show up there and know that they pray for me!
• Following God's lead to walk to Calvary and pray only to run into Jennifer and have her invite me to their noon prayer time!
• Going to pray for internationals at Suburban and seeing 20 people there, mostly college students - seeing our new pastor's wife had already invited a woman from Chile over to their house for dinner. The new college pastor, and his interest in reaching out to internationals! That is an answer to prayer!
• Rest after two really busy days!

What made me feel most dead and not in tune with God's plan:

• Still devastated by sin of a member of the body.

Ways to show my love for God and others this week:

Follow up from last commitment:

Pray and fast starting Wednesday night for Thursday morning meeting (may be tough conversation - not tough at all! So reassuring and nothing but love!

Continued commitment to love:
Friday midday mosque visit (this probably will not be tough but want to show love to our Muslim neighbors). Be a listener. Should I bake bread, Lord?

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

Corporate and individual prayer continues to be the most life-giving thing to me.

Prayerful Review of Monday and Tuesday of Week 4

What made me feel most alive and in tune with God's plan:

• Sweet, sweet time of prayer for the "Turkestan" with my Kingdom Community
• Prayer led by Jamie for the "Night to Shine"
• Three great Pilates classes on Monday.
• Being active all day on Monday
• Time in Genesis
• Talking about Honor and Shame and the 10 Commandments with Kingdom Community
• Prayer walk up to Coronado and Aztec
• Text from Kim when I was just thinking about her
• Celebrating Michael's birthday with just our family
• Hearing all the interactions my Kingdom Community is having
• Riding my bike to and from OSU on Monday
• Facebook fast - It may be longer than this week
• A pleasant interaction with someone I have had to pull back from due to it being "deadening" for me. I felt like it was good to have this limited interaction.

What made me feel most dead and not in tune with God's plan:

• When one member of the body suffers, we all suffer. Devastated by sin of a member of the body.
• Too much sitting on Tuesday and too many people - I could feel the energy drain from me as I sat for my fourth hour in the second meeting of the day. Also, complaining of others does drain me, and that was happening with this new acquaintance.

Ways to show my love for God and others this week:

Pray and fast starting Wednesday night for Thursday morning meeting (may be tough conversation), and Friday midday mosque visit (this probably will not be tough but want to show love to our Muslim neighbors). Be a listener.

Follow up: Tuesday night meeting was good. Heart prepared for the bad news. I loved my son on his 25th birthday (not hard to do). :)

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

• A thriving ministry and life as exemplified on Monday and Tuesday.

I love doing this because I see that I really am most alive when I am praying and even praying with others has been a delightful addition to my life these days. I have been more intentional about trying to pray with another person at least daily. That has been fun and life-giving. I want to be involved in those things are life-giving to myself and others.

Facebook Fast

My church is having a "Prayer and Fasting Week." After I am done teaching my classes until Wednesday night, I will actually fast from food, but since last night, I have been fasting from Facebook. So, I am going to log here when I had the thought to post, and what it was that I was going to post.

Jan 23 1:34 pm. Wanted to post how great it felt to do Pilates at OSU today.

(By the way, I WILL make one exception during the fast to post A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY 25 YEAR OLD SON!)

Jan 24 6:22 am. Was tempted to "check in" because it is part of my morning routine. Wanted to post my chapters in Genesis, but I am not even doing that. Natural inclination on my part to pass on what I am learning, especially from God. I know I would go on and get bombarded with news that is junk though. SO tired of the negativity. By the way, one of my Pilates students told me how to turn off the news on my iPhone. I am so happy about that. I also turned it off on start up page. Chrome never had news, but Edge gave it to me without asking. I had tried to turn it off before, but I did not do it for my "start up" page. (I wish I could go back to Chrome, but this whole computer does work better with Edge, and they don't bombard me telling me that I should use Edge.)

Jan 25 5:30 am - I wanted to post something nice about George. I cannot remember what it was, but it wasn't that big a deal to not post it. I am not missing Facebook one bit. Sad to say. I wish it would go back to how it was in the beginning. It was more social. Now it is too political.

Jan 26 7 am - Rereading Divine Conspiracy and wanted to post about how much I have grown to love this book. :) YUMMY READING!

(Finding after four days that I am in no way missing any of the negativity and STUPID NEWS that keeps clogging up my newsfeed on Facebook - I do not know how to turn off the news that keeps on popping up.)

Jan 26 1:40 I took the most gorgeous picture of the sun shining down on the Crescent Valley and wanted to post it. I suppose I could just post those things to Instagram which tends to be more positive on my feed and not laden with bummer news.

Jan 26 evening - there was something, but I cannot remember. I thought, "I should share this." Then I remembered that I am on a Facebook fast! :)

Jan 28 morning - I wanted to post "Happy Birthday Pride and Prejudice" and the funny "rap." I was really tempted to do it.

I had a friend write me asking me about my Facebook fast because of politics, but I don't remember writing that I was taking it because of the politics. I did it because of my week of prayer and fasting that my church embarked on. I knew I would not be able to food fast until Thursdays because of teaching physical activity classes. So I wanted to do something, and this has confirmed that I am not addicted. I like to use Facebook to connect positively with people. I did mention politics and negativity in this post, but that was not my motivation for the fast. It has been a side-benefit though.

Prayer Review of Week 3

What made me feel most alive and in tune with God's plan:

• Sweet, sweet time of prayer for the Persian world with my Kingdom Community
• Prayer to kick off the Week of Prayer and Fasting with 25 people I love
• Listening prayer leaders meeting and talking with Graham and Nicole
• Walking to church in the sunshine
• Time in Genesis
• Talking about Honor and Shame with Kingdom Community
• Beautiful teamwork speaking at a workshop with the four other women who do what I do up in Portland
• A day to catch up on studying at Hillsboro Library
• Beautiful interaction with one of the library employees
• Walking at Dawson Creek
• The sunset from the second floor of the library
• Spending time with George in the car to and from Hillsboro
• Working with my mother-in-law to clean out Aunt Dot's house and finding treasured memories
• Good Pilates teaching week
• Meeting new International students at Free Lunch
• Helping the Free Lunch people clean up
• Praying with the Free Lunch people
• Nice talk with Jordan at Free Lunch
• Riding my bike to and from OSU

What made me feel most dead (and small and not God's beloved) and not in tune with God's plan:

• Blindsided by the news that our college pastor was terminated
• Horrible negativity on Facebook. I must take a break for my heart is hurting for all the negativity and vulgarity.
• News that slaughters and disrespects. Must take a break.

Ways to show my love for God and others this week:

Prayer and fasting for meeting Tuesday night, Thursday morning (both have the potential to be tough conversations), and Friday midday mosque visit (this probably will not be tough but want to show love to our Muslim neighbors). Be a listener. Love on our son on his 25th birthday.

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

• Once again, my wonderful family. I love them so much. They are my daily joy to be around. I love having Michael here, and I love that Paul stayed the weekend with us.

Prayerful Review of the Week

I have not done this since the third week of December. While I would love to do this daily, I think it is more realistic to do it weekly. :) These are questions from Trevor Hudson who wrote Beyond Loneliness. This was part of the supplementary material he supplied through the Renovare Book Club

Prayerful Review of Week 2:

What made me feel most alive and in tune with God's plan:

• Celebrating Aunt Dot's life at the Memorial.
• Seeing my son's talent on display in the slide show he created.
• Laughing hysterically in the car with my family.
• The beauty of pure white snow across fields.
• The dancing light on snow and ice.
• Times in Genesis and the gospel.
• Praying the Scriptures.
• Talking with friends on Facebook.
• Meeting with my Kingdom Community after a long break. Hearing them tell Bible Stories!
• Two new classes of mostly 20-something students is so invigorating for me.
• Cross-country skiing in my neighborhood in freshly fallen snow.
• Reaching my goal of losing 10 pounds in a month. :)
• Eating really healthy fruits and veggies and lean meats.
• Watching He Named Me Malala documentary.
• Getting back to weight training doing The FIRM Time Crunch.
• Walking to my first day of class.
• Doing my Dial a Book Deliveries.
• The thrill of new books from the library.
• The validation of friends who know me well and for many years.

What made me feel most dead (and small and not God's beloved) and not in tune with God's plan:

• The non-validation of friends who do not know me well. (Well, one of them did try to validate me once she was over the shock of seeing me share my feelings.)
• Lack of compassion (and anger) from one of those friends. The shaming was something I don't usually encounter.
• Feeling like I cannot be myself around them for fear that they will shame me and make it about them rather validating my concerns.

Ways to show my love for God and others today:

• Worship at Suburban.
• Pray for those two friends and try to find a way forward for me that is honest and true.

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

• My family is a daily gift. I love our peace and laughter. I love that my kids are best friends.
• The godly heritage of George's family displayed at Aunt Dot's service.
• Coming from a great town, El Segundo.