On my nightstand

Cold Tangerines
by Shauna Niequist
I love Shauna’s writing… it’s approachable and vulnerable and invites you to join her in finding joy in our everyday stuff.  This is the second book of hers I’ve read.  Perfect for summer!

A Year of Living Prayerfully
by Jared Brock
I can’t remember how I stumbled on this book or why it interested me.  Jared wanted to grow up in his prayer life so he embarked on a pretty bizarre journey all over the world to research how people pray and what prayer really is.  I almost put it aside several times but I’m so glad I didn’t.  I learned a lot!

My Father’s Daughter
by Hannah Pool
Hannah was adopted from Eritrea as a baby by a British couple and in this book she tells of meeting her birth family many years later.  It’s pretty raw and emotional as she processes all the things she thinks and feels as a young woman who has struggled with her identity – as most adopted children do at some point. Again, I learned a lot!

Mrs. Pollifax mysteries
by Dorothy Gilman
This is three books in one and was a perfect summer ‘take me away’ read.  Mrs. Pollifax is a widow with grown children who gets bored with her quiet life and decides to pursue an old desire to become a CIA agent.  What begins as a seemingly easy assignment turns into danger, espionage, kidnapping and murder.  These are great fun to read!

Links you’ll like

I’m Grateful That Lady Forced a Bible on Me
@joshuarogers.com
The other day, I arrived at the bus stop where four Asian ladies were indiscriminately passing out New Testament Bibles.  When one of the ladies offered me a Bible, I tried to decline.

Seven Subtle Symptoms of Pride
@desiringgod.org
This one’s for me.  And it stung to read it.  But, as the author says, Pride will kill you.

Internet Outrage, Public Shaming and Modern-Day Pharisees
@relevantmagazine.com
Many contemporary people feed off of feeling 1) right and 2) wronged. "Outrage Porn" resembles actual pornography in that it aims for a cheap, temporary thrill at the expense of another human being, but without any personal accountability or commitment to that human being.

Senior Discounts
@onmogul.com
Who is brave enough – shameless enough – to ask for these?  I was actually surprised to see how many there are and how some of them start at the young age of 50.

How to Clean a Toilet
@bhg.com
You thought you already knew, didn’t you?

Like That Garden
@play.google.com
This app is so great for anyone who loves flowers… simply snap a photo of any plant and it identifies the flower as well as providing helpful info.  Also available for iPhones.

   

Checking in

Hello.  Remember me?

I have a silly, direction-less blog that I occasionally abandon completely because a) I have nothing of any meaning or worth to say or b) I get too busy/distracted/otherwise involved.

What have I been doing in the almost month since I last posted? 
Good question.  Let’s see…


Suffering through a hotter than average summer here in Oregon.  You’d think that after 16 summers in the desert of Palm Springs I would laugh at 99° temperatures.  But you would be very wrong.  I truly have no idea how I survived those years because I am a heat wimp.  It’s cloudy and cool this morning and I (along with my fellow native Oregonians) feel alive again. 


Begrudgingly settling for technology connections instead of face to face time with my granddaughters.  Facetime is no substitute for real life but it has been my touchpoint this last month.  Yesterday while I was talking with Lisa on the computer I heard my tablet ‘ring’.  At the same time, Lisa realized that Hadley had found their iPad and was calling me on Skype.  Yes, my not-quite-two-year-old Mensa prodigy has seen her mommy do it many times and can now find the Skype icon, choose a contact and make a video call.  Do you think this is the 21st century equivalent to my kids being able to insert a video cassette in the VCR?  We laughed and laughed.  I feel sure Hadley felt her mommy was hogging Facetime and wanted her own connection to her Nammy.

Trying to determine what God's will is.  How do you find direction from God?  Here’s what I KNOW:

• He wants me to ask Him - He loves to help me – just like I love to help my children. 
  You don’t have because you don’t ask.  James 4:2  
  
  
• Knowing Him is more important than knowing exactly what to do - He wants shared life with me.  He shows me more and more of what He’s like through these times of decision-making. 
  My determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly. Phil 3:10 
  
  
• He can help me avoid wrong choices - Bottom line? He is always in control.
  The Spirit did not allow them….. Acts 16:6-7 
  
  
• Fear can never be the basis for a decision - I need to look deep down to see if fear is determining what I choose to do or not do.
  God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.  2 Tim 1:7 
  
  
• Obedience leads to closeness to Him and great joy - Why do we think doing God’s will means difficulty and pain?  What father doesn’t give his child a blessing for obeying?
  Even more blessed are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice!  Luke 11:28
   
• I can trust Him to lead me - He is completely worth trusting because He will never fail me!
  You have not forsaken those who seek You.  Psalm 9:10