Tag Archives: reading

I heart reading.

20 Feb

So I have totally failed at finishing the list of books I posted in January. They’re not completely off the list but they have been ousted by other books that excite me more at the moment. For instance, I had started reading (again) No Man Is an Island by Thomas Merton when I was lured away by some books on writing, namely The New Writer’s Handbook. Then I was enticed to read God Is the Gospel by John Piper and currently, I have been sucked it to My Life in France by Julia Child. I hope to still get around to those other books… eventually.

But I have to be careful about my insatiable appetite for reading or it dominates everything else in my life. For instance, I haven’t been working out very regularly lately because I can’t read and run at the same time. I would much rather read a good book than pretty much do anything else. I absolutely love reading. I love learning new things, getting to see into other peoples’ lives, being challenged to look at things differently, and taking journeys to different places.

Every time I walk into a bookstore, I am floored by how many books are in print. It is mind-boggling. Which is why, I have decided more than once in the past several months to break my cardinal rule of reading: not finishing a book. It’s like watching stupid TV shows just because they’re on or finishing a horrible movie because you paid the $1 to rent it; you’re better off cutting your losses in the middle than carrying on in the name of “muscling through.” So if I start a book and it’s pretty bad, or I lose interest because I no longer have questions about its topic of choice, or I’ve found another book that I’m liking better, I table it. If the book was bad, I will not return. If it’s good and I want to read it eventually, it goes on the shelf at my desk, alongside the 15 other books sitting there, half-read, waiting for my eyes to scour each line on the rest of their pages.

At times, I’ve thought about how nice it would be to just be able to absorb the book through its cover in a matter of minutes instead of spending hours immersed in its pages. I’d still get the knowledge but without the investment of time. But I guess that would kind of defeat one of the main points of reading, wouldn’t it? The thrill of the story or argument developing slowly, word after word, paragraph after paragraph, through the physical act of reading.

I have to admit, though, that when I get to a part of the story that is suspenseful, I often skim through the paragraphs to figure out what happened. Once I know, then I go back and read the details surrounding the event. For me, it’s like chewing a piece of Bubbalicious gum and trying not to swallow it. The more I focus on not swallowing, the more I notice the tangy, sour strawberry flavor causing my tastebuds to gush saliva. Then before I know it, the gum is in my stomach.

Do you love reading? What book(s) are you reading right now?

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The Savior’s Gift

20 Jan

My reading goal for the beginning of 2011 is to finish all of the books I started simultaneously in 2010. Moreover, I am trying to finish all of these books before starting any new ones (a task which is proving very difficult and less and less appealing the more books I encounter that look really good!). The books in progress are:

  • Soul Craving by Joel Warne (finished reading this on vacation)
  • No Man Is An Island by Thomas Merton
  • No Little People by Francis Schaeffer
  • Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick
  • Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson
  • The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews (just finished this 2 days ago)

I have mentioned how much I enjoyed Soul Craving before but since I just finished The Traveler’s Gift, I wanted to share what I got out of it. While I love reading and am constantly tempted to read books so fast that I don’t retain hardly anything of what I read, I am trying to be intentional about taking a little time after finishing each book to go back through and write down/think about the points that stood out most to me. So that’s where these thoughts came from.

This book is not a Christian book, though it pretends that it is. It mentions God several times and even quotes a few Bible verses but the Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success effectively leave God out completely, while borrowing Biblical principles. How convenient. And how tragic. The way I see it, philosophies about life like these (including Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam) lay out all these great principles but don’t address the 2 biggest issues facing mankind: 1) sin and 2) the power to change.

These issues are actually very much related. Because of the pervasiveness of sin, we need Someone outside of ourselves to redeem us from our sins, as well as empower us to change.  (The links I added explain what I mean by these terms more thoroughly.) In light of those beliefs, I took the liberty of adapting the Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success to have a Biblical foundation. I believe that I still captured the essence of each Decision. I have included the author’s wording of each Decision in brackets.

1. [The buck stops here.]

Act with integrity. Trust that God can and will use you and your past for His glory. Be bold in your decisions, led by the Spirit, even if they’re socially unpopular. “Let steadfastness have its effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4).

2. [I will seek wisdom.]

Use discernment and be intentional about how you live. Bad company corrupts good character. Seek wisdom but “be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil” (Prov. 3:7). “Through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

3. [I am a person of action.]

Beginning today, I have a new future because I am a new creation. I inspire others when I live for God’s glory by being true to who He has created me to be. I will make the best use of my days because they are gifts from God. Because my future in Christ is secure, I can move forward into each day with joy and energy. I have the Spirit of Christ in me to guide and instruct my decisions. I can be confident in my future because I know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

4. [I have a decided heart.]

I have staked my heart and life on Christ and the Gospel. I am passionate about God. I will awaken every morning with an excitement about the new day God has given me and the opportunity for growth and change. My thoughts and actions will work in a forward motion a la the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 — never sliding into the dark forest of doubt or the muddy quicksand of self-pity, by the grace of God. I will lay my head on my pillow at night happily exhausted, knowing that I gave my all in service to my Lord and accomplished the work He gave me to do. God has given me a unique dream and vision and I glorify Him by pursuing that dream with vigor, persistence, and faith.

5. [Today I will choose to be happy.]

Today I will choose to be happy because of what Christ has done for me on the cross. I will choose to be thankful for all things; to focus on things that are encouraging, uplifting, and Christ-centered; and to love others. Enthusiasm is faith in action because it trusts God for the success of its actions. I will smile at others and seek to be a blessing to them. I will be slow to anger and quick to listen.

6. [I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.]

I will forgive others as Christ has forgiven me. I will forgive those who don’t deserve it, don’t ask for it, and don’t even want it. I will cultivate a forgiving spirit by spending time getting to know my Savior more and more. I will die to myself and my selfish desires. I will kill bitterness, conquer resentment, and eradicate revenge through the power of the Spirit. I will forgive myself for failing to be what I want to be, finding hope and redemption in my Savior, Jesus Christ. I will trust in Him to conform me to His image.

7. [I will persist without exception.]

I will press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. I will not grow weary in doing good, for I believe that I will reap abundantly in due season. I must not allow myself to get discouraged or be derailed by trials and struggles. I must keep “looking to Jesus” and “run with endurance the race that is set before” me (Hebrews 12). I will endure; I will remain steadfast under trial because of the joy set before me: heaven and perfect unity with God. As a child of God, I must rise above the status quo and dare to do improbable, even impossible, things because “this I know, that God is for me” (Psalm 56:9).

 

As I read and re-read these statements, they become my prayer to God. I know that in myself, I do not have the power to effect this change in my life. But He does. He has a plan for me, He knows where He is leading me, and it is through an intimate relationship with Him that I discover myself, my purpose, and my potential. I hope these words encourage you as well.

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Our Colorado Christmas

27 Dec

I love Christmas and I’m kind of sad it’s over. To me, it means family, friends, cozy feelings, sparkling lights, and delicious food. I especially enjoy decorating our house for Christmas. Here are the decorations I put out this year:

In the kitchen

Closeup of the ornaments - can you tell that I love green and blue?

Closeup of the snowflake tree - I bought these at Target. Love them!

I don’t care about the presents (though I did get awesome presents this year!). And even though this Christmas was different than all the others of my life, in that I did not celebrate Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with any family except for my wonderful husband, it was still a great time.

On Christmas Eve, we slept in and then went to see True Grit at the 10:55 am showing (it’s a goode movie, btw). Then we made chicken wild rice soup and watergate salad for our special dinner that night. We opened our stockings, attempted to do a really difficult crossword, went on a walk, and watched a cheesy Lifetime Christmas movie. Around 5:00 pm, we had our Christmas Eve dinner, just the 2 of us. We had chicken wild rice soup, crescent rolls, green beans, watergate salad, and pumpkin pie. Then we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church and we’ll probably come home and watch another cheesy Lifetime Christmas movie.

On Christmas Day, we also slept in (gotta love that!). And by slept in, I mean we got up around 9:30. We made monkey bread for breakfast (it’s like sticky cinnamon bread) and then opened presents. I got a gorgeous, sparkly scarf and Target gift card from Travis’ sister, a new wallet and necklace (that I love!) from Travis’ parents, and then we received Starbuck’s coffee and Scattergories game as joint gifts. Travis got new work gloves, a fly-fishing vest, a gift certificate to Gander Mountain, and a fish knot booklet. After gifts, we watched yet another cheesy Lifetime Christmas movie, made sugar cookies, went on a walk, and then went to our friends Ahren and Lauren’s house for Christmas dinner. It was Ahren’s family, Lauren and us. It was very nice for them to let us be a part of their family Christmas. We even played 12 rounds of Scattergories!

Then yesterday, I made myself be a bum. I am learning that my constant activity comes from a lack of trust in the Lord. I feel like I constantly have to be productive because bad things will happen if I’m not on top of things. So I fought the urge to be productive and I was completely unproductive. Ok, I did do the laundry, take Katy on a walk and work out. But I mostly read and watched movies all day. And I reminded myself – I am not lazy. I am choosing to rest today. And it was great.

Hope you all enjoyed your Christmases! On to the New Year! 😉

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Whirlwind.

24 Feb

Wow, things are busy. Today at work was just crazy, then after work, I ran to Target to buy ice cream sandwiches for care group, raced home to cook a box of pasta, drove to care group (which was relaxing), then hurried home to pack for leaving for our Salt Lake City trip tomorrow afternoon. I know that tomorrow will be another extremely busy day at work (albeit a short one since I’ll be leaving at 2:30) so I want to get to bed soon.

I am really looking forward to our little getaway trip. The forecast for Salt Lake City is rain/snow on Saturday and cloudy on Sunday but I’m not that bummed because I’m mostly just looking forward to some relaxation. Reading the Bible and books, doing crosswords, watching TV while cuddling, talking. I’m also excited to explore the city – but at a very relaxed, got-nowhere-to-be pace.

I’m not usually a very busy person. It’s not really my style. I can handle it well in work settings but in my personal life, I don’t handle it well at all. I had numerous emotional breakdowns in college from feeling overwhelmed and too busy. I need down time. I need alone time. I need time to read, write and think.

So when I do get busy in my personal life, I don’t really have anything in place to keep me from overdoing things. Take triathlon training last April/May/June. It consumed my life. I was dedicated to my training, which is good, but it was at the expense of other things, like spending time with my husband, relaxing, cooking, and enjoying life.

This week, busyness has eaten up my time with God. Completely. I think about it every morning but because I need to get to work by 8 (instead of moseying in around 8:15 or 8:30) to get my hours in, I have been sacrificing my quiet time. Now that I have a job with more flexibility, I will have more opportunity for getting time in the Word – but because the job will be so demanding and busy over the next several months, I will have to guard my time with God jealously.

That is something I am making an even more heartfelt commitment to as I enter into a new season with this new job: fellowship. I don’t want to “neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some.” I want to continue going to care group, to women’s group, to the women’s book group, to church as often as possible. I want to continue getting in the Word daily, listening to sermons, and pondering spiritual truths and how they apply to my life. I don’t want to let my spiritual life slide just because I no longer work at a ministry or because I no longer have a typical 9 to 5.

So that’s really what this whole post is about: not wanting to let the most important things slide due to busyness. It’s not worth it.

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So much to read, so little time

14 Apr

I constantly feel like there are 500 books that I would like to be reading. And while I do read a good amount (I’ve read 11-ish this year so far), I don’t read nearly as much as I would like.

On Easter Sunday, I was all excited for the afternoon because I could just relax (finally!) and read. Well, I tried but I made it about 5 minutes into my book and was out like a light. For 3 hours. There went my good intentions.

I joke that my family has a special gene that allows you to fall asleep anywhere, anytime. My grandma Ruth, my mom’s mom, used to fall asleep looking at pictures or in the middle of telling you a story (I think she was quasi-narcoleptic).

My mom fell asleep in the waiting room of the orthodontist every time she came to pick me up. So much so that I finally asked her to wait in the car because she was embarrassing me (teenage insecurity…)

My younger brother, Chris, fell asleep in the dentist chair on his first visit ever.

My parents fall asleep 15 minutes into any movie, regardless of the time of day it’s being watched or what genre of movie it is.

I have been cursed with narcoleptic reading. The minute I start reading anything, my head is bobbing and swaying and I’m reading the same paragraph over and over again for 10 minutes, not comprehending a single word. I have to be sitting in an upright, uncomfortable chair with something in my hands to keep me busy in order for me to stay awake when reading something.

I’m amazed that I made it through college.

Or that I’ve ever read an entire book in my lifetime.

And this past Sunday, my nap wasn’t so much a nap as a sleep coma. You know that feeling when you’re so impossibly tired, that even when you try to wake up from a nap, your limbs feel like they’re filled with lead and your eyelids are glued shut?

Well maybe it’s just me.

Anywho, that’s how I felt on Sunday.

Back to my first point about having so many books I’d like to read, I updated my blog page entitled “Books I’ve read in 2009.” While I didn’t have many to add that I have already read, I did add several (like 25) that I would LIKE to read.

So if you know of any great, fantastic, non-trashy-novel books that you think I should add to my list, feel free to let me know!!

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Am I a big hypocrite?

17 Oct

When I was in college, Facebook became the rage. Now there’s myspace too and a bunch of other social networks like Friendster and what-have-you. But back in 2005 and 2006, Facebook was the top dawg.

Almost all of my friends had it. They had their profiles and their friends and spent hours and hours of time on Facebook, reading about other people’s lives without actually talking to them at all. It was possible to know everything about a person–what they did every day, what bands they liked, who they were dating, etc–without actually ever talking to them!

I have yet to meet a person (besides my husband) who has a Facebook account and hasn’t gotten sucked in to spending hours a day on it. Plenty of my close friends in college even admitted to the fact that Facebook was/is addicting.

Which is why I steered clear of Facebook and all its social network relatives. I never signed up for it, despite the fact that many people pressured me to join. “You should get Facebook,” they’d say. “Um, how about you just call and talk to me to find out what I’m up to? Unless you really don’t care about ME, you care about seeing what I’m DOING…which would just be weird.” 

To be honest, I’m still kind of proud of the fact that I’ve never had a Facebook page. People of my kind are few and far between. Seems like everyone and their grandma has fallen prey to the social networking phenomenon.

Anyway…

So I have found recently that many of my good friends from back home have started blogs. This is so excited for me, as a member of the blogging world as well. I love reading about what my old friends are up to and the struggles/joys they’re going through. It’s fun seeing pictures of them, their family, and their activities.

As I was pondering this after finding my friend Katie‘s blog today, it hit me: am I now a Facebooker without having Facebook? The whole reason why I despised Facebook (and sinfully/playfully felt myself superior to those who had it) was because of the “Look at me, look at me” and peeping tom-NESS. But now, I am reading about people’s lives and not calling them. What’s happening to me?!?!?!?

I could defend myself by saying I only read my friends-in-real-life’s blogs… But I don’t.

I could defend myself by saying I actually talk to the people whose blogs I read… But I don’t.

But I can defend myself by saying that I don’t know what their favorite bands are or what their favorite life quote is. And no one can poke me or write on my wall in my blog!!

Although, they can comment on my posts…

What do you think? Is blogging like Facebook, in that I am being a sorta-kinda-peeping tom?

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