Out my Window: beautiful fall morning, sun is shining, the frost is evaporating off the roof of the shed
Enjoying: kindness of friends, beautiful fall weather, apple pumpkin candle burning each evening, twinkle lights on at night, fresh flowers
Listening to/Watching: One of my sons dropped a new album that I recommend, Ruins by For My Nine Friends. You can listen in one of these two places: https://soundcloud.com/for-my-nine-friends or https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWxxDW0wpmX75WVOBOY-8HwwsrdGCBPy4 At the recommendation of my elder son I started listening to the Bible Project Podcast. It has been an interesting discussion on God’s anger. https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/ I listened to this week’s episode of Holy Post Podcast, N.T. Wright is always interesting. https://www.holypost.com/holy-post-podcast/episode/220a754c/episode-426-power-freedom-and-identity-with-nt-wright Didn’t finish Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Twin Towers. https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Two-Towers-Audiobook/B009ABHTF4?qid=1598033985&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=6KR21Q0934XX42SAEX7K
Reading: By my bedside: The Pursuit of the Holy: A Divine Invitation by Simon Ponsonby. Still reading Jen Pollock Michel’s book Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of And in an Either-Or World.
I finished Shelly Miller’s Searching for Certainty: Finding God in the Disruptions of Life. The book is officially launched. I was thankful to get on her book launch team. Shelly’s writing is full of beauty and real life. It was good to receive the hard copy to finish it up. I will have links up to my review soon.
I am reviewing a study on Habakkuk from Dannah Gresh for Moody Publishing. It is a good study but might be a bit much for my ladies’ small group right now, so I plan on using parts of it, along with her podcast on Habakkuk to create a study that fits our group.
I am reading through Jill Briscoe’s Faith Enough to Finish during my morning Bible Study time. I usually prefer Jill’s talks over her writing, but this is the encouragement I need right now.
Rambling Thoughts: One day this week I was flooded with fresh gratitude. As inconvenient as this mandatory quarantine is, I am so blessed. As I loaded the dishwasher, threw dinner in the crockpot, and started a load of laundry before jumping online to join two classes I was part of, I stopped amazed and overwhelmed with a fresh gratitude for the life I have been given. I have done nothing to deserve it. I am truly blessed. I am well taken care of. Many people reached out willing to run errands and help out if needed, some dropped off goodies, I have an array of beautiful flowers and chocolate from friends. The health tracer called to ask if I needed food or anything. I started thinking of the many people who need this stranger to organize these acts of grace for them. It was a good reminder to choose gratitude, but also a new focus on asking God to show me how I can be His hands of grace in others’ lives, especially those who may fall through the cracks of our community. Praying for eyes to see and ears to hear God’s heartbeat in all the places I usually go.
Fitness and Mental Health: stationary bike a few times/sprints in driveway/Pilates daily. I am under a mandatory precautionary quarantine, so no hiking or walking out of my yard. Mental Health: being intentional with my daily gratitude journal, exercise, and continuing to look for beauty are key. Writing the date and day and a brief list of the events of day has been very helpful for my mental health. Numbering my days…
Home: Since I am home and not allowed to leave, I am keeping up with household chores, baking, washed windows, cleaned out gardens, working on little projects.
Giving Thanks For: encouraging friends, acts of kindness as I quarantine: laughter, flowers, friends bringing goodies, calling and checking up on me, a kind health tracer calling each day, health, a sheep chachky from my younger son, beautiful fall days, my home, provisions, rest, so much beauty in this world, praying friends, good books, challenging thoughts, community, grace, my son’s musical talent and desire to make something beautiful, other son being a good worker and teammate, both of their abilities to lead from under, God ordering my days, His protection against the unseen
Inkblot Life 