That Thing I Do Now - Vol 55

Hey there, everyone! It is August!  Can you even believe it? Well - I couldn't take it... with yet more days in a row strung together in this desert, tipping over into triple digits - I headed for the sea! (Well... you know... -ish! The water anyway!) But part of staying cool this week for me consisted of painting and sealing furniture, reading "Interrupted" by Jen Hatmaker (Oh. My. Gah!) and of course, scouring the interwebs for all kinds of Awesome! (You're welcome!)

As I am pre-writing this, I am now imagining myself seaside, walking along a marina or sipping a latte on the boardwalk come Saturday morning! 

I will leave you with these - which are great, but not as great as what I am doing! (#sorrynotsorry!)


Happy Reading!

Enjoy! (Ya'll know to click on the authors' names to read their whole posts, yes?)

* This one by Holley Gerth over at InCourage.me on how God Wants to Know, "How Are You, Really?"...
"We’re funny as humans. We tend to think in terms of all or nothing. So we insist that life is great when we’re breaking apart inside. Because to do otherwise would be to discount all of God’s goodness in our lives, right? Not so, friend. We always live with both blessings and brokenness. Challenges and victories. Sorrow and joy. They’re all mixed up together.

Acknowledging the hard parts of our lives doesn’t mean that we’re not grateful for the gifts God has given."


* This one by Lori Harris over at The High Calling on how Your Work Matters...
"I’m suffocating under the weight of poverty and racism and good-ol’-boy, Bible Belt theology. My house is the place I live, but it’s also the food pantry and the clothes closet and the pastoral counseling center. My yard is the neighborhood playground, and my porch is the landing ground for weary kids with nowhere to go. The front door swings wide open to the people who have become my work. And I am always writing the stories of the people who cross my threshold, always forcing my eyes to see what Jesus sees."


* This post by Shannan Martin over at Flower Patch Farmgirl with A Letter to my Littles...

"I just know I want you to live in freedom starting today and continuing into forever, to not wait until you're 30-odd years old to understand grace and the way it makes you worthy.

I don't want you penned in while you try to measure up.
I want you to see the pain that might come with that name-brand thing. 

I want you to look back on your small years and lose your breath over the way they shaped you.
I hope you always keep noticing the bigness of the small pieces." 

* This post by Jen Hatmaker over at all mom does on how Failure is not a deal-breaker in this house - The Joy of Showing Mercy...
"Mamas, we discipline to teach our children responsibility, honesty, character, and godliness – all important. But we forgive to teach them mercy, kindness, gentleness, and grace – all equally important. We communicate to them, “This is not a perfect family; it’s a human family held together by love, compassion, and a lot of duct tape.” We must get vulnerable and honest with our children, sharing our mistakes and identifying with them way down deep in their guilt, teaching them that we are safe and they need never hide from us.

Your kids will fail in sometimes epic, embarrassing ways. Like you did. Like I did. This doesn’t mean you’ve done a sorry job as a parent or your child is destined for the penitentiary. It just means God has given you yet another chance to act justly, to love mercy, and to learn to walk humbly with Him."

(You can enter for a chance to win Jen's new expanded edition release of "Interrupted!")
* This post by Deidra Riggs on Quality Time...
"I remember, because he asked me, “Do you want to go out to the garden with me?” So I set up a white patio chair in the grass at the edge of his garden, where the cucumber plants reached over the edge and we hardly said three words while the sun traced a path toward the horizon and the grass lay calm around my feet. And H said, “This is great! This is so much fun!”

“It is?” I’d asked. “What’s so fun about it?”

“Quality time,” he answered. “I just like having you around me. We don’t have to do anything or say anything or go anywhere. I just like knowing you’re nearby.”"


* This post by Jennifer Dukes Lee where she has  A Question to Start Your Week: What's Your Wave?
"You are one in a million. You were made to create, not imitate. God didn’t ask you to be Clark Little or Mary or Michael or Amanda or Paula or David. He asked you to be you. You were made on purpose … for a purpose.

You have a wave. Can you see its outline in your own heart? Are you already riding it?

It doesn’t have to be oceanic, but it might be. Maybe it looks like a ripple, but it might feel tidal on the inside of you.

What moves you? Pay attention to that. What gives you life? Pursue that. Don’t be afraid to leave the shore if you have to chase after your wave.

No one else’s wave looks quite like yours." 



* This one right HERE where I talk about the power of the written word and how sending cards can be like sending Jesus...
"I never really knew that it could be a ministry - this stringing together words to uplift and uphold... this offering my heart mixed with His.  Sometimes I would feel almost helpless, unable to be the answer to what was asked or to provide the tangible for what was needed... but I would pull out my notecards, and grab a pen... I'd pour out my prayers and my hopes and send it off in the mail, trusting that sometimes words really are enough! Not in themselves, not always... but they hold the power to unleash faith and unlock hope that has been for too long hidden away."

And of course... the video... because, that's how we do around here!  And this?  Yeah... this!


Enjoy your weekend and remember to...