Sunday, September 21, 2014

Ready for Fall!

September 23, 2014 marks the first day of fall.  Spring and fall are my absolute favorite times of year.  They are so colorful and, depending on where you live, the temperatures are perfect for spending time outside doing whatever you like most. I personally love going to the farmer's market and seeing all of the fall produce - apples, pumpkins and my favorite winter squashes.

In my opinion, children today don't have the same appreciation for nature.  We see it in many aspects of life.  Electronic devices have taken over the love of just playing outside.  Shopping at grocery stores is the only real connection many have to where their food comes from.  Most of the food is processed or packaged and looks nothing like it did when it came from the ground.  To me, part of my growth as a Christian is linked to my connection with nature and the pure awe that God created all of the beauty around us. 

The Fantastic Gifts of FallThe Fantastic Gifts of Fall is the first book of a new seasonal four-book series by Dandi Daley Mackall that emphasizes the natural beauty around us.  The series uses playful rhymes and scripture to give thanks to God for creating autumn.  The Fantastic Gifts of Fall highlights the leaves turning color, pumpkin season, and celebrating family and gratitude at Thanksgiving.  It is so important to start these messages while children are young so as they get older they can maintain their appreciation for His creation.  I'm looking forward to the next book The Wonderful Gifts of Winter!


Sunday, September 7, 2014

Freedom

I love getting coordinated messages.  Today in church, my pastor started a new series on "freedom."  This is such an important topic because there is so much freedom that comes with the Christian life.  Freedom from worry (Matthew 6:25-34).  Freedom from fear (Psalm 27:1).  Freedom from insecurity (2 Corinthians 2:19).  Freedom to experience joy in pain (James 1:2-6).  The list could go on and on. 

Unfortunately, many of us (including myself) don't live in that freedom.  We fret about things.  We live in fear of things that rarely become a reality.  We try to do things on our own strength.  We lament our trials to the point we are crippled from moving on past them.  As my pastor noted, the root cause of all these emotions is a lack of faith. 

Interestingly, I just started Eric Mason's new book Beat God to the Punch, due out September 15, 2014.  I planned to make it my week's lunchtime reading.  I skimmed through it and spent some time on the last chapter on freedom.  Just a few hours later, my church sermon focused on the very same topic.  Both the chapter and sermon made me wonder if there are areas in my life where I'm not admitting a lack of faith?  Am I unnecessarily suffering from anxiety, fear or insecurities?  Mason and my pastor challenged me to dig deeper to answer these questions.  This is a challenge I'm willing (and probably need) to take.  I hope to share more about Beat God to the Punch next week!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Eight Twenty Eight

I had a blast at my sister's recent wedding.  While at this age I have given up hopes of having anything too fancy when it's my turn to get married, I still absolutely love weddings.  I love seeing the bride in a beautiful dress,  the beautiful flowers and decorations, and of course the special food.  Weddings are also very emotional.  There is nothing more touching than seeing a groom tear up when he sees his bride.  Or a father cry after he gives his daughter away.  We ladies cry at weddings too, but men tend to be more stoic, so it makes me tear up a little more when I see them cry.

Like most women, I also love the thought of getting married.  I look forward to the opportunity to commit my life to my husband and for him to do the same.  I want to grow my family with little ones that look like a special mix of the two of us.  I also want my son to feel the responsibility of being a big brother and experience a two-parent household.  In my mind, weddings and marriage are absolutely dreamy.

Eight Twenty Eight
It seemed fitting that one day after my sister's wedding, I might curl up with the book Eight Twenty Eight by Ian and Larissa Murphy.  I vaguely knew it was a story about a married couple and their struggles after the husband was injured in a car accident.  After digging in (and not being able to put it down), I realized that it was about so much more. 

Eight Twenty Eight chronicles Ian and Larissa's courtship which abruptly changed course after Ian was seriously injured in a car accident.  They were planning for marriage, but the accident left him with a brain injury that would change him forever.  Despite all of the challenges that came with his injury and recovery, Ian later still proposed to Larissa and they married.  The beauty of the book was how Larissa, and later Ian, described the blessings in this tragedy and how she seemed to never give up hope that they might still be able to marry.  She fought to stay faithful even when it remained unclear how much Ian would recover. 

Their story opened my eyes to the fact that weddings and marriage are about a lot more than dreamy notions.  They are really about love.  Love that must endure a wide range of life's ups and downs.  What if you are not blessed with children?  What if an extended period of unemployment leads to financial ruin?  Or what if an accident changes one of you forever?  Eight Twenty Eight is a true love story.  May we all be so fortunate to have such a romantic love in our lives.