Sunday, October 5, 2008

Perfect Moment

So, I just wanted to share my perfect moment that I've had this evening. I'm sitting in my living room looking out my huge windows as it lightly rains. I'm listening to Brooke Fraser, ignoring my phone (sorry if you are some of the 12 calls/texts that I've gotten), drinking hot tea (I discovered on my last trip to Europe that I LOVE tea), and I just finished the book "Nice Girls Don't Change the World" by Lynne Hybels (which reminds me, I'm actually not sorry for ignoring my calls - that is what a nice girl says, and I willfully chose to take this night for myself - and it's been fabulous). Josh has been out of town since Friday and I've taken a few hours over the last three days to slowly rest and recharge.

Have you ever been in that place where every part of you is exhausted? Not just your body but your emotions, mind, and spirit? I seem to come to this place far too often, crash really hard, and say that I'm going to learn to rest in the future. I'm trying to learn to rest, and thankfully this time around I did rest before I crashed although I was definitely on the way to a face plant.

Anyways, I'm good - at this moment - I'm great. Nothing like stopping, quieting everything and just being with my Jesus. So, to any who happen to read this, I pray that you too experience a moment this week - maybe it won't be perfect, but perhaps it can be refreshing, quiet, or full in some way that speaks to your soul. We need those more than we realize.

Oh, while I'm thinking aobut it, here are my book recommendations from the last couple of months...

Nice Girls Don't Change the World by Lynne Hybels - just read it in 30 minutes...super short & although not life changing, it was a perfect reminder about the importance that we can't make everyone happy, perform for God's love, etc...just rest, be you, etc.

Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner - Jenn, you need to read this book. This is a memoir by Lauren who first converts to Orthodox Judaism and then to Christianity. She is a professor at Columbia (super smart) and she just has a totally different but refreshing at times view on God.

Half-Life/Die Already by Mark Steele - Josh and I knew Mark when we lived in Tulsa, and this is his second book that chronicles a year in his life. I literally laughed out loud while reading this book but also was constantly convicted and sucked into the lessons he learned over the course of a year.

A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith - I don't know what it is with me and memoirs lately (I think God keeps bringing them across my path because I'm supposed to write somewhat of one myself...). Anyways, this is a young woman who actually travels to all the significant places of Jane Austen's life and chronicles what happens in her own life at the same time...pretty good, but you probably need to be an Austen fan to fully understand.

The Organic God by Margaret Feinber - Loved this book, although I think the fact that I was reading it while on a house boat looking over the lake maybe made it greater than reality! I just liked the way she writes and thought she had some great thougts.

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott - I started this a couple years ago but found it only half read a couple months ago...I don't agree with everythign Lamott says, but her writing makes me search my heart and think about everything from a different perspective.

Oh, and I've read some mindless fiction along the way - such as Confessions of a Shopaholic & Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, The Will of Wisteria, Baby Proof, The Last SinEater, and a few other random books...not sure if I actually recommend any of these though :)

I would love any book recommendations of your own! I'm off to continue enjoying my perfect evening! Hope you experience your own soon!

5 comments:

Leslie said...

Sounds like a good day! You deserve it!

Jennifer said...

OMG! Love the shout out! I'm on it!

I think you should read anything by Ken Gire. He's fantstico!. He has devotionals and regular books. (my fav is Divine Embrace) His outlook on life and God is just amazing. He creates these intimate moments with Jesus that is so hard to explain. But love love love him.

AND...ANY blog that tells us that you are getting to have a moment to stop, rest, and just BE.....priceless.

Cheryl said...

Yeah, having a great cup of tea...listening to the rain and just chilling out is essential.

Book recommendations? Uhm...How about "A Love for Larkspur" by Kelsey Kilgore. She is a friend who just published her first Christian Romance.

Typically, I can't get through an entire book, but I love picking chapters to read.

Blessings...

The Louders said...

I want to read a couple of those books you mentioned. And I'm glad you had that alone time...it's worth it, and it's such a precious time. Ahhhh, rest.

Sarah Bessey said...

Girl Meets God was one of my favourites about 5 years ago! I love that book - and author! I need to re-read it....

And Anne Lamott is one of my all-time favourites. I never tire of her stuff.

Have you read anything by Kathleen Norris yet? She has a great volume of poetry called "Little Girls in Church". But I like her prose quite a bit as well...like "Amazing Grace" and "Dakota."

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