That Thing I Do Now - Vol 92

Here we are again already!
Happy Weekend!

I have a gloriously FULL house this weekend... both of my sisters and their spouses are in town and with my parents living right next door (I know, right?), we will gather and hang out and all talk over each other and reminisce and rat each other out and laugh at days gone by... and then, I am pretty sure, by midday we will all be together, introverting in separate corners for a few... but loving being together just the same!  And each, in our own ways --we will be drinking in wonder!

Featured today are posts by Jennifer Dukes Lee, Tonia Peckover, MercyHouse, Kara Chupp, Liz Von Ehrenkrook, Shelly Miller, Colleen Mitchell, a post from right here... and - of course - a video to wrap it all up! 

Happy Reading! (Ya'll know to click on the authors' names below to read the entire post, yes?)

* This post by Jennifer Dukes Lee over at Incourage with The Secret to Being the Best Kind of Friend...

"What if we walked into every conversation, every lunch date, every Bible study room, and every Bunco party, with that attitude? What if we sought to leave people better than we found them? We could do that, you know. We could seek to leave people happier and more hopeful than they were before we showed up.

We could be the Charlottes.

You remember Charlotte and her intricate webs, don’t you? Charlotte was a spider who dwelt in the corner of a barn. She spun webs and words and kindness. She was determined to let a pig named Wilbur know that he was someone special.

We can do the same for our friends. We can bring good words and cupcakes and hot tea and hope. We can be the ones who are the kindness givers and the Kleenex-bring-ers and the joy donors when they are running on empty."

* This one by Tonia Peckover with Street Stories: One...
"Whenever we're in the city, I make sure to try to find an excuse to stop by Powell's.  Powell's is magnificent,  an independent bookstore covering an entire city block, and a popular destination.  Naturally, since the store is in the heart of downtown, there are pan handlers on every corner, so I also try to make sure I'm carrying cash in small bills when I go.*  Over time, I've come to learn a few of the regulars - like Jennie**, who is usually on the west corner between Anthropologie and Sur la Table.  She has meth scars and a sign that says she just needs a few more dollars for a hostel.  When I talk with her, her voice is high and soft and she bows her head a lot and says thank you repeatedly." 



* This post from The Mercy House with A HEARTFELT THANK YOU FROM A HEARTBROKEN AND HOPEFUL GIRL... 
"She sat next to me and we munched on Kenyan samosas. Every once in awhile she would peek over her cup and smile when our eyes met. Monica's look was expectant and she fidgeted nervous next to me. I could tell she wanted, no needed, to say something. She leaned over and whispered, "Please, may I say something to you." I set down my cup and turned to her and said, "Yes." Our day at Rehema (Mercy) House had been so full already. We met new faces, rubbed some growing bellies, and listened to baby giggles.

We shared with these young girls, half mothers, half moms-to-be, about God's beautiful plan for each of them.

We talked about thanking him even for our painful past, appreciating our present circumstances and looking forward to our future hope. The girls listened intently and wrote down gratitude and dreams in their journals.

During the tea break, Monica sat next to me. Before I knew it, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and put her warm hand in the center of my chest. She leaned in close, eye to eye.

Her words, thick with emotion, were said slow and heavy, "Thank you. Thank you for saving my life."”



* This post by Kara Chupp with Tuesday Writing in Faith and Culture... 
"I sat next to a fellow writer in one of the sessions who I really enjoyed.  I just appreciated talking with her and felt a sense of connection. As she shared about her life and experiences, I started caring about her.  And then after the conference I went and read some of her writing and found that on many issues–we very much disagree.

But instead of feeling anxious, I felt hopeful.
Because a bridge to dialogue was built and without relationship, without love, even Truth can be a clanging gong, a noisy symbol.

And as Kari Patterson shared, “We tell the truth for a redemptive purpose.”
And as Terry Glaspey mentioned, “The story is the way we argue heart to heart.”
And as Emily Freeman encouraged, “Art that leaves an impression is not the bossy kind.”
And as Seth Haines reminded, “Writing changes the hearts and minds of the people.”
Because as Ray Family proclaimed–

“The artist is the window washer…”" 


* This post from Liz Von Ehrenkrook over at So I Married A Youth Pastor on FAITH & CULTURE WRITER’S CONFERENCE [2015]...
"This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Faith & Culture Writer’s Conference in Portland.

If you’re a writer, there is nothing more fulfilling than being in a room full of writers. These are the people who get you.

These are the people who know it’s a stretch to be talking for two days straight and don’t expect you to perform.

These are the people you can meet and sit in silence with and feel known.

I met online friends face-to-face, and made new friends who instantly felt like old friends. (...)

My heart is full, and my brain is processing. I was encouraged and challenged and inspired; it was like willingly drinking from a firehose and I. am. drenched.

The same resounding message bled from every kind of writer; those who are just starting blogs and learning how to tweet to those who have multiple books published and could hire someone to tweet for them.

“Your voice is unique. Be yourself. Your story matters.”

It doesn’t matter where you’re at in your writing, we all fall victim to comparison and self-doubt. We are all insecure, questioning our words and worrying nobody will read them."


*This post from Shelly Miller with Why the Details Matter...
Lynn wrote these words back to me, "You are being protected in the chrysalis. It is a safe place. You will not crack, but the chrysalis will split at just the right time and you will emerge to take flight. All is being readied.

The chrysalis–the in-between place–is a time of preparation. You can’t rush it. You don’t know God’s full plan or timing. If the chrysalis is split prematurely, your wings will be disabled. The chrysalis is a safe place, a place of rest, a place where He is forming you in order that you will be ready for your final destination and flight.


Take hope. God is shaping you and He is arranging beautiful colors and colorful experiences. He is asking you to trust Him in the chrysalis “soup,” when the way seems murky. This won’t last forever, and everything will suddenly crack open (you will not crack up!), and you will spread your wings and take flight–straight across the ocean."


* This post from Colleen Mitchell over at blessed are the feet on When You’re a Ballerina in a Dance Team World...
"The world around us would have us all believe that a woman’s strength lies in her sharp edges, her marching hard to the pre-determined beat. That her courage is determined by the sassy snap of her head and how high she can elevate herself. That competitive edge and staying in line with everyone else is the most advantageous path we can choose.

But what if you are a ballerina girl at heart, trapped in this dance team world?

Is it okay if you just bow out of the performance for prizes mentality altogether? Walk away from the straight line and let your jazz hands fall softly to your sides?

Just find yourself a little corner somewhere where you can sway gently, embrace softness, see the curve of your arm and the thin stretching of your strength as gift? See extending yourself as an art?

It is okay, friend. It is more than okay.

There is a place for the soft ones, whose hearts beat with the melody of gentleness, of slow movement, of a company of dancers in unison rather than a march to the winner’s circle."


* This one from right HERE with Who Can Know What Tomorrow Holds...
"So, you guys know how God is bossy with me sometimes and how usually I know that that is for the best, but every so often I forget and I try to argue with Him?

Yeah. That.

That. BIG TIME!

And you know how He has been asking me to take more risks, to give up self doubt and hesitation, and to get rid of my cushy over sized comfort zone?

Yeah.  That, too!

For years, we have been searching for a home.  We are a Kingdom people, sojourners more than wanderers... forerunners maybe more than settlers."

Lastly, we close This Thing up with a video each week, and sometimes it may be a worship song, or a funny, (or Jimmy Fallon! What?) but we like to end our time together here with a little something uplifting. Enjoy this truth... turn it up:

                                        

Have a great weekend, friends!