I tend to set lofty goals for the summer that almost never fully follow through: goals for traveling, seeing all sorts of friends, crafting, etc. But one that I think will be fairly easy to accomplish is reading. So, here are my reading goals for the summer:
1) re-read an old favorite or something I've read before but don't really remember
2) read a sci-fi/fantasy adventure
3) read a nonfiction memoir
4) read at least 5 short stories from various authors or at least 3 poems each by 5 different authors
5) read the first in a new series
6) read a devotional and/or spiritual growth guide
Goal: to accomplish the above by September 1, and to blog, however briefly, about each book/story read. I just finished a memoir, so I will post about that one shortly.
Book suggestions always welcome!
Happy first day of summer!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Difficult Simplicity
Last summer I read Kristin Kimball’s memoir The Dirty Life: On
Farming, Food, and Love, in which city-girl Kimball marries a farmer and her life changes forever. At that time last year I was in a dead-end job, staring at a
computer screen with nothing to do for 40 excruciating hours each week,
listening to griping and cussing and yelling and hatefulness every minute of every day. Nothing
sounded more wonderful than to get out and really, truly work. I would rather have been
exhausted each day than numb.
Part of me continues to long for that life and part of me
doesn’t know if I could handle it. I enjoy gardening but know that on a farming level it would be tiring and often frustrating. I love animals, but there are many
disgusting things about taking care of them day in and day out,
especially when they are much larger than you are. (Kimball's description of
cleaning out a cow’s festering ear wound is pretty horrific.)
The work on a farm is harder than what most people can imagine and the payoff never guaranteed. And while I’m not exactly a city-girl, I would miss many aspects of urban life. It nice to have convenient options when I don't want to cook, plus shopping and entertainment just a few minutes away. But I can also see the pleasure in making a big event of it: planning a whole day around "driving into town" for shopping, dining and a break from the daily routine.
The work on a farm is harder than what most people can imagine and the payoff never guaranteed. And while I’m not exactly a city-girl, I would miss many aspects of urban life. It nice to have convenient options when I don't want to cook, plus shopping and entertainment just a few minutes away. But I can also see the pleasure in making a big event of it: planning a whole day around "driving into town" for shopping, dining and a break from the daily routine.
Though the days would be long and dirty and exhausting, I like the thought of quiet evenings with simple, delicious meals. Not worrying about going out or checking work emails or if the internet is fast enough to constantly entertain me. I'd enjoy the daily close-knit quietness and anticipate occasional events of joining together as a community for laughter and celebration.
Even if it was just for a season, I'd like to try. I'd like to till something. Make my own soap. Wake before the sun and sleep when it sets. Plant. Grow. Harvest. I want to truly enjoy simplicity without constantly worrying about what else I might be missing.
Even if it was just for a season, I'd like to try. I'd like to till something. Make my own soap. Wake before the sun and sleep when it sets. Plant. Grow. Harvest. I want to truly enjoy simplicity without constantly worrying about what else I might be missing.
From the book: We boiled potatoes in their skins in the field, and served them steaming in napkins. We all warmed our chilled fingers on them, popped them open, invested them with quantities of butter and salt. If there is a more perfect way to celebrate the potato's earthy, sustaining essence, I have not discovered it yet.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Indulgence
An excerpt from pastor Tim Challies, who blogs daily here:
In Ephesians 5 Paul says, "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."
...When we laugh at what God calls evil, when we enjoy watching what God says is private, when we speak too crassly or even too frankly about things that are vile, we compromise God's standards. There is to be no filthy talk among us and no crass words. We are not to delight in what God says is evil.
...There are some things that are never to be the topic of conversation among Christians; they are just too evil and to even talk about them is to compromise. Yet sometimes we as Christians enjoy talking about things that are just so evil. We would never do them, but we will read about them and enjoy them in a secondhand way.
Full article here. In that same article, Challies also talks about healthy sexuality within marriage, teaching kids about sex, dealing with sexual sin. He's kinda awesome. I love that he is so honest and straight to the point.
I have blogged before about the harmful way that married sex is portrayed in the media. I have also blogged about the effects that sexual addiction can have on marriage. But honestly, no matter how many times we say these words or condemn it publicly, nothing will be accomplished as long as we keep sneaking home afterward and indulging in whatever form of sexual sin we find least offensive and most enjoyable.
It's easy to forget that indulging with our minds is just as harmful as indulging with our bodies. It can be romance novels or chick flicks full of bedroom scenes. It can be Facebook conversations with old flings or new, attractive friends. It can be laughing at crudely captioned photos or watching videos that, if censored, would be nothing but one long bleep and a big black bar across the screen. It can be almost anything.
It's so easy to indulge. To convince ourselves that it doesn't really matter, not in the grand scheme of things. What's a few R-rated comedies or images online? I have watched things and read things and participated because it's popular and cool, even though I know full well that it's just depravity disguised as pleasure.
"Every thought captive" is a concept we throw around as if it should be easy. It's not. I haven't accomplished it. I know it's not possibly without constant reliance on God, and I stray from Him far too easily.
In a new article just posted today, Challies writes:
Pornography desecrates the one thing in all of creation that God values above all; pornography makes a mockery of that great portrait God has given us of Christ's faithful, compassionate love.
He also asks the question: "do you love it enough to go to hell for it?"
That question can be replaced with whatever it is that captivates our attention, our imagination, our passion: "Do you love __________ enough to go to hell for it?"
God gave us passionate souls. He meant for us to love fully, deeply and with all that we have. But He also gave us instructions on what to love. Our love and passion is not meant to focus on just anything that brings us momentary pleasure.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...think about such things." - Philippians 4:8
Think about such things.
In Ephesians 5 Paul says, "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."
...When we laugh at what God calls evil, when we enjoy watching what God says is private, when we speak too crassly or even too frankly about things that are vile, we compromise God's standards. There is to be no filthy talk among us and no crass words. We are not to delight in what God says is evil.
...There are some things that are never to be the topic of conversation among Christians; they are just too evil and to even talk about them is to compromise. Yet sometimes we as Christians enjoy talking about things that are just so evil. We would never do them, but we will read about them and enjoy them in a secondhand way.
Full article here. In that same article, Challies also talks about healthy sexuality within marriage, teaching kids about sex, dealing with sexual sin. He's kinda awesome. I love that he is so honest and straight to the point.
I have blogged before about the harmful way that married sex is portrayed in the media. I have also blogged about the effects that sexual addiction can have on marriage. But honestly, no matter how many times we say these words or condemn it publicly, nothing will be accomplished as long as we keep sneaking home afterward and indulging in whatever form of sexual sin we find least offensive and most enjoyable.
It's easy to forget that indulging with our minds is just as harmful as indulging with our bodies. It can be romance novels or chick flicks full of bedroom scenes. It can be Facebook conversations with old flings or new, attractive friends. It can be laughing at crudely captioned photos or watching videos that, if censored, would be nothing but one long bleep and a big black bar across the screen. It can be almost anything.
It's so easy to indulge. To convince ourselves that it doesn't really matter, not in the grand scheme of things. What's a few R-rated comedies or images online? I have watched things and read things and participated because it's popular and cool, even though I know full well that it's just depravity disguised as pleasure.
"Every thought captive" is a concept we throw around as if it should be easy. It's not. I haven't accomplished it. I know it's not possibly without constant reliance on God, and I stray from Him far too easily.
In a new article just posted today, Challies writes:
Pornography desecrates the one thing in all of creation that God values above all; pornography makes a mockery of that great portrait God has given us of Christ's faithful, compassionate love.
He also asks the question: "do you love it enough to go to hell for it?"
That question can be replaced with whatever it is that captivates our attention, our imagination, our passion: "Do you love __________ enough to go to hell for it?"
God gave us passionate souls. He meant for us to love fully, deeply and with all that we have. But He also gave us instructions on what to love. Our love and passion is not meant to focus on just anything that brings us momentary pleasure.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...think about such things." - Philippians 4:8
Think about such things.
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