56. The Lord and His Prayer by N.T. Wright

This is a wonderful little book that expands upon the Lord's Prayer in such a beautiful way. I have heard N.T. Wright speak, but I had only read excerpts of his writing, and this is a nice introduction. 

It takes each phrase and really gives it such a "kingdom-minded" treatment. Well-worth reading.

Prayer Review of Tuesday-Thursday

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

• Teaching Pilates to eager 20-somethings
• Working in a positive university environment with lovely coworkers
• Renovaré Institute readings 
• The LORD's Prayer meditation
• Updating my syllabi and making them be up to the PAC Template (submitting to my authority was hard at first but yielded peaceful fruit in the end)
• Praying around the Campus with John and George
• Praying with Katherine through neighborhoods and have Kent run into us and say, "Oh, are you prayer walking?"
• Walking in the rain through my "Entering Gates" of the East Campus of OSU singing my song and loving the fall in Corvallis
• Poldark - Bella Poldark is the last novel out of 12. LOVE THIS SERIES! Why did you have to die Winston Graham?
• Alexa Worship Music - I really like this feature! I never thought I would enjoy this new device like I have.
• Discussing life with young moms in my living room 
• Knowing speaking to groups is a "sweet spot" for my gifts, talents, personality, and abilities.
• Feeling is pleasure as I moved my body in Pilates - passing on the passion of Pilates to young people
• Freedom from hip pain after my classes
• Finding subs for my October 11 classes
• Sweet text from my friend who just moved
• Eating healthy one of those days
• Ice cream and chocolate on Thursday because is was sort of stressful.
• Ease of renewing my NASM-CPT certification
• Renovaré Justine and doing the Book Club - so looking forward to these LIFE GIVING books (and one of them last year made me start doing this exercise)

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

• Saying, "No" to another person (story of my life) - yes this is a "rinse and repeat" from my Monday life-deadening statement. Only this is another person asking another "little thing" of me, and I want to SCREAM! It is so very stressful for me to stay, "No" to people. I am just at full capacity, and this is probably THE busiest week of my entire year. It is also a busy year because I have CPR - CPT - Power Pilates Certifications all due in the Fall. I guess the "little" request was also so "out there," and the person knows how busy I am. I have got to get better at saying no graciously. 
• Having a person complain about how I did something when they are just not putting any effort into reading directions.
• Expectation that I am going to make things happen when people have enthusiastic ideas - your idea - your execution.
• Opposite experience filing my recertification for Power Pilates versus the above NASM-CPT. NASM took TWO MINUTES. Power Pilates took about four hours because they required PDF of all my certification that I got THROUGH THEM and they sent to me. SO, why don't they just have them on file like NASM does? Made NO SENSE, and now I know I have to keep a PDF copy of everything to upload. Next time will be easier, but I did get really frustrated and ordered that chocolate when Michael went to get more milk
• The Confederate Flag controversy at our university and some unexpected aftermath when I voiced I was going to pray it comes down.
• Michael not being able to be an Uber driver because his car is too old. 
• People taking but not offering to give even halfway
• Feeling alone when I am tired
• Feeling like a failure - I am believing a false narrative, and I want to get to the bottom of that. Honestly have not felt this way in so long. 
• Culture shock back to working with a new population of people
• George might lose his job
• George having major pressure at work
• Extra time required to get things up and running at work (not necessarily out of God plan though)
• Being stressed when I needed to rest
• Seeing Michael struggle to find a job in his field

Ways to show my love for God and others today:

Love on my friends as we prepare food for tomorrow.

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

A spouse I can talk to anytime
Low stress children
Seeing Paul thrive in graphic design

Prayerful Review of Monday

I have not done a prayerful review in quite some time. Maybe months. So, I am going to try to do them during this busy time. 

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

• Getting my teeth cleaned. Resting in the chair. Taking care of myself. 
• Not overeating
• Prayer walking with Katherine
• Reading Poldark
• Drinking Chai in the morning
• Meditating on the Lord's Prayer after a negative encounter
• Walking - just the simple experience of putting one foot in front of the others
• Listening to My Music on Alexa: Classical, Celtic
• Having down time between 12:45-4:45
• Walking to my OSU meeting and hearing the diversity gathering
• The aliveness and hope of the OSU campus
• Watching people dance and seeing they have skill for the first time

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

• Guarded, annoyed reaction from a person
• Saying, "No" to another person (story of my life)
• Finding the volunteer schedule for Friday is different from how I was first told
• Still a bit of pain in my right hip area
• Traffic

Ways to show my love for God and others today:

The leadership team for IMG. Welcome them to my peaceful, open, and loving home. 

Gifts God has given not already covered in feeling alive:

My boys who left the kitchen extra clean after George gave them encouragement to do so

Laughter of two brothers who get along so well

Rain to put out fires

Lost in Meditation Gregorian Chants on Alexa

That was good! Now off to prayer.

Monday Freewrite Fifteen

I am not sure why I have not done very many freewrites over the last few months. They are usually pretty cathartic for me, and I am always happy to write. 

So, I am going to try to do more. I have been pretty busy. I have written a lot, but it has been more privately and not on a blog. So, just changed focus for a while.

It was a full summer. I worked hard. I rewrote/organized the manual for our Kingdom Community to fit our needs. That was the biggest thing I did. I also took the Weight Loss Specialist course to recertify for my personal training. I also did the four Pilates classes that I needed to recertify for that too. I just finished up my last credit for both of those by doing a CPR/AED and First Aid class with OSU. So, I am totally caught up and just need to enter it all online before October 31 for one and December 18 for the other. 

I start teaching classes on Wednesday, and it will be so good to force myself to do Pilates four times a week! I didn't do so well doing it that many times on my own, and I only did it 1-2 times a week. I can totally feel it in my core! I was great on cardio (mostly walking and hiking) and stretched almost every single morning. Also, I got a good resistance training program down for the summer, but I didn't keep up with all my core work like usual, and it all caught up with me a couple of weeks ago. OUCH! My QL muscle wigged out on me again. Too much walking always makes my QL wig out if I am not also doing Pilates with it. Lesson learned. I must find a teaching gig for the summer where I can do subbing. That will at least keep me up on it. 

Oh well. I also go a lot of reading done for my Renovaré Institute course. I love it so far, and I will be going to my residency in a little less than three weeks. I am so happy. I also am almost done with the entire Poldark series. I have about 500 more pages to go.

We also started up our ministry again, and we have seven people that are just precious. I also do three trainings in the next 11 days. Lots on my plates right now, but it is so good for me to be doing all I do out of overflow. 

That is the key. OVERFLOW. I would not have the power without the overflow of His power flowing through me. I know that it is useless to do things on my own power or self-effort. 

I have one more meeting until my classes start. Hoping that I can manage all that I have on my plate. God is good all the time. 

I know this is very stream-of-consciousness kind of stuff. But I write for an audience of ONE. :) 

I have four more minutes. Oh yes, lay offs at George's work. Will is happen AGAIN like it did in 2008!? Stay tuned. It would mean he would be back here with me. :) I wouldn't mind that one bit. I suppose we will find out soon. No fear when the Lord is near. 

What else should I say. The Vietnam War by Ken Burns in one this week. I fell asleep but will watch it right now during my rest time. (Along with finishing my last Poldark novel.) 

Well, I think the timer is going to go off. So enjoy that I can write. 

Oh yes, I am "festooning" on the Lord's prayer:

My wonderful Father who is behind me and before me and inhabits my space, nearby and close to my heart.

Kept holy is your wonderful name. Treasured in my heart. Honored in my thoughts. On the tip of my tongue. 

Your Kingdom rule come and your will be done on this earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day all that we need, no more and no less. 

Forgive me of anything that I may do that does not honor and please you. Help me to forgive others too.

Protect us from temptations of this world, the flesh, and the devil. Get us out of any scrapes we may get in with him.  Keep us from any bad thing.

For my heart is under the rule of Your eternal Kingdom. You hold all the power. You get all the glory now and forever.

AMEN! 

55. The Twisted Sword (Poldark #11) by Winston Graham

I am almost done with this LONG saga. This was SO good! I am going to miss this series, but I am trying to finish them before I have to get back to teaching in 10 days!

54. The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

I know. You have seen this book SEVERAL times on this blog. And yes, I already read it one time this year. Last time, I listened to it. This time, I read it more than listened to it, and I took COPIOUS notes since it is part of the Renovaré Institute fall reading schedule. The pages are printing, and I cut and pasted 37 pages of notes from the book. I am insane, but I really love this book, and it grows on me each time I read it.

Dallas had me at "HELLO" when I read this book for the first time in 2009. I thought things were obvious, but the more I read it, the more I realize these things are not obvious to most believers, and I think he articulates things so well.  It is part of our ministry curriculum every year, and most people LOVE this book. 

It is interesting to read it after listening to his talks on Kingdom at the Hollywood Presbyterian Church in 1990. That teaching series was the genesis of this book. 

Abundant life is what it is all about. Life in the KINGDOM is so fun and exciting and wonderful. I believe with all my heart that Jesus was the smartest man who every walked this earth, and apprenticing myself to Him is what life is all about!

Willard suggests that one soak in and meditate on many Scripture passages, and the Renovaré Institute has already included two of those passages in the "praxis" (a fancy word for practice) portion of their curriculum. In August, I soaked deeply in Colossians 3:1-17. So YUMMY! September's Praxis Exercise is the Lord's Prayer. These are two passages I already had on my summer "Curriculum for Christlikeness" (something he suggests we do in order to be intentional about apprenticing to Jesus) already! 

Highly recommend this book. 

Fifteen Minute Freewrite

I have not written a freewrite in what seems like months. Possibly skipped the whole summer long. I am not sure why that is, but I had a wonderful and full summer. I think this is the first one in a while where I did not enter it in any state of physical exhaustion. I felt like last year held a lot of balance for me, and it continued into the summer. I also decided not to have any little cohorts other than my Kingdom Community meeting about five or six time, missional community four times, and one Cooking and Conversation Club. 

I also FINALLY reordered and wrote parts of a new Kingdom Community Training Workbook. It was a labor of love, but I loved every minute of that enterprise. I think I spent over 150 hours editing it. That was my big project for late July. 

I read a LOT of Poldark too. But I also started my reading for the Renovaré Institute Seattle Cohort. I spent mornings out on my deck reading and writing notes for most of July. Somehow, August got busier even though we were supposed to go to the Middle East, but our Visas got denied. But I had to renew my Pilates and Personal Training Certifications, and  As I also loved my recertification training. I got a Weight Loss Specialist Certification and Pilates is always fun and easy for me. I just had to get over my fear of taking a test!

Of course I has my M.A.S.S. (Morning Affirmations, Scripture, and Stretching) and went on many walks. At the beginning of the summer, I went on all the bus routes (except the HP one) and prayed over the city. That was fun! I also memorized Colossians 3:1-17 in August. 

I met with many women, went camping (caught 21 fish among all 11 of us), and hosted 11 people for the Solar Eclipse. Overall, it was a lovely summer, and I must remember that I really have 2 1/2 more weeks until school starts, but I must get my CPR/AED and attend many meetings. I think that means no 40th high school reunion, but that is OK. I have too much on my plate, and I don't have anyone "really hoping I will come." The two people I really want to see will not be there. I like them all, but it is OK to miss it this time. I will go to Santa Barbara in October for Renovaré Institute, and that will be enough money to shell out for a trip down south. 

I have loved everything about this summer, and it has really been free of any drama.

Oh my, there you go with the 15 minutes. That went very quickly!

I

My Money is on Texas - Beautiful

52. The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham

Great in every way!

53. The Loving Cup (Poldark Series #10)

I am so amazed at how this saga continues to enthrall me and surprise me! There were a couple of shockers her that made me gasp out loud in the quiet library where I was reading! Great series!

51. Life in the Trinity by Fairbairn

I do like this book. It is readable theology. I liked his take on looking at what the early church fathers wrote, and it helped that I had read Athanasius' On the Incarnation earlier in the year for the Renovaré Book Club. This book is for the Renovaré Institute. (Thank you Justine for helping me learn how to make the l'accent aigu!)

He talks of the "Scarlet Thread" throughout Scripture. I didn't know it was commonly embraced in evangelical circles today. If you follow my other blog: www.3yearbiblebookclub.blogspot.com, you know I am all about the "Scarlet Thread."

I was reading his book while in a row boat fishing at Clear Lake. My friend, Gladwin, grabbed the book and thought it very readable. He is a big theology person. I could be, but I don't want to be. I just want to love God. But this book is a good introduction to theology that emphasizes the relational aspect.

50. The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham

I just had to include this cover of the book because my library has the original hardback version of the the book published in 1981. It amazes me that he wrote the twelve books in the series between 1945 - 2002 with a 20 year hiatus between books 4 & 5!

This is book 8/12. Love this cover! :) Love the storyline with more concentration on the next generation of Poldarks/Warleggan, especially Jeremy. 

48-49 The Four Swans and The Angry Tide

The plot thickens. At the end of the Angry Tide, that is the end of the series from the 70's. So, I wasn't super surprised at its ending, but from here on out, the Poldark saga will be new material. (Except there was a movie that we saw with the next generation of Poldarks, but I don't really remember much about it.) The Four Swans had something very different from the old TV version, and it will be interesting to see how the new series handles it! 
Again, the writing is excellent. My husband and I both intersected on the same novel over our anniversary weekend so I read him the story on the way to the coast and back with our own copies to read in between. We walked about 12 miles on Saturday around Newport, but we managed to get many pages of reading in while we were there.

Quote that hit me in light of unrest all over the world today:

"All atrocities are duly punished - or at least avenged. One never knows who begins them - only that they set off a train of consequences that never end."

Ross Poldark in The Angry Tide by Winston Graham

47. Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship

I am so behind in my reviews. I always forget to add this little gem into my reading every year. It is a lovely little prayer book with Scripture for each day of a three month cycle. I have use it regularly so go through the whole thing at least once a year. :) I just found it on Kindle this last round. Now I don't have to take my book with me on my walks anymore! 

46. The Black Moon by Winston Graham

The writing is still superb! I wish I would have read this much sooner. It has been delightful to read it over the summer months. My husband is reading them at the same time. So it has been so fun to discuss them! 

45. Warleggan by Winston Graham

He is a more modern day author (even though he has passed away), but he captivates me like an Austen or a Dickens. Some people were just born to write. I don't want to give anything away. I suggest the whole series. 

44. The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith

I really loved this book. It is simply about falling in love with God. Each chapter deals with a characteristic of God and the false narratives that we believe about Him and what is true through the life of Jesus. I loved the soul-training exercises at the end. If someone says "Meh" about it (as I read one review), I wonder more about that person than the book. I think this would be especially good for someone with a poor concept of God based on their parental picture. 

43. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham

I continue to be so impressed by this author. He rates pretty high up there in my book. I get totally lost in his stories!

The new television adaptation follows the books much more closely than the 70's version. 

It is interesting to hear that Caroline is the one who is tall with red hair in the books! So different from both television versions. 

42. Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg

I have read two other John Ortberg books (well three, if you count Living in Christ's Presence which is a transcript of a conference he did with Dallas Willard), and I always enjoy them. He has a very casual and easy writing style. This is a foundational book if one wants to understand the care of the soul. It is also very sweet because it is somewhat of an ode to his mentor, Dallas Willard. It chronicles their relationship over the years until Dallas' death in 2013. 

We often joke that John Ortberg is "Dallas for Dummies" as sometimes Dallas is difficult for people to understand. (But so worth the investment of time to get to understanding.)  Much of this book is a simpler version of book #41 on my 2017 reading list, The Renovation of the Heart. I adored that book, and I adore this book as well. They are both worth an investment of time with this book perhaps being a good place to start as it is more accessible. I also highly recommend, The Good and Beautiful God which I am currently reading and EATING UP! YUM! YUM!



The book starts out with an analogy that is explained in this YouTube video:



The stream is your soul. And you are the keeper. 

Then it goes on to talk about care of the soul. So rich.

“A very simple way to guard your soul is to ask yourself, “Will this situation block my soul’s connection to God?” As I begin living this question I find how little power the world has over my soul. What if I don’t get a promotion, or my boss doesn’t like me, or I have financial problems, or I have a bad hair day? Yes, these may cause disappointment, but do they have any power over my soul? Can they nudge my soul from its center, which is the very heart of God? When you think about it that way, you realize that external circumstances cannot keep you from being with God. If anything, they draw you closer to him.”  

“Our problem is that this world does not teach us to pay attention to what matters. We circulate résumés that chronicle what we have accomplished, not who we have become. The advertisements we watch, the conversations we hold, the criteria by which we are judged, and the entertainment we consume all inflame our desire to change our situation, while God waits to redeem our souls.”

“Whether with an entire day, or periods of time set aside every day, your soul needs rest. Not a change of scenery or a spiritual retreat — those are fine and may contribute to rest. But to remain healthy, our souls need solitude with no agenda, no distractions, no noise. If someone asks you what you did in your “time apart,” the correct response should be, “Nothing.” Doing nothing does wonders for the soul.” 

“Your soul is what integrates, what connects, what binds together your will, then your mind (those thoughts, feelings, and desires going on all the time), and then your body (with all of its appetites, habits, and behavior). God designed us so that our choices, our thoughts and desires, and our behavior would be in perfect harmony with each other and would be powered by an unbroken connection with God, in perfect harmony with him and with all of his creation. That is a well-ordered soul.”

“When we reach out to God, we are lifting our souls up to be nurtured and healed. A soul centered in God always knows it has a heavenly Father who will hold its pain, its fear, its anxiety. This is spiritual life: to place the soul each moment in the presence and care of God. “My soul cleaves to you, your right hand upholds me.” It is much harder than it sounds to keep our souls centered on God. We hold on tightly, but often to the wrong things. But staying centered on God — his word, his ways — is the essence of life for the soul.”

41. Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard

 

This might just be my favorite book by Dallas Willard. I suppose Living in Christ's Presence is really my favorite, but that is a transcript from a conference, and they made a book out of it. So it is a little different.

This is The Divine Conspiracy with feet on it. It is about spiritual transformation. It is lovely in every way, and I highly recommend it.

I listened to the audiobook, and it is a treat because it is actually Dallas Willard reading the book in his peaceful and calm voice.