Salty or Sweet?

You know how after you eat something salty, you want something sweet?

And after you eat something sweet, you really need something salty, right?

This is a dilemma.  My solution: a handful of Dove chocolate with peanut butter and a bag of pepperoni.

Yes, I sat on the couch and read a book with both of these beside me.  Wonderful. (And pathetic.)

Serious Stuff

I have been privilaged to attend two wedding in the last month.  Our friend Nathan was blessed to marry a wonderful woman, Lindsay.  I get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside when I think of them because Lindsay is perfect for Nathan and I am excited!

The other wedding was very special to our family.  Andy's younger brother, Luke, married Bekah Blume!  We love Luke and Bekah tons and it is amazing to see them grow and learn in love!  Eli was the ringer bearer for them, making that day even more meaningful.

photo by Scott McEvlain

While I was watching the beautiful ceremonies both couples had, I was struck by the seriousness of marriage and the vows a husband and wife make to each other.  When a couple exchanges rings, they place the ring on the other person's finger while saying, "I wed thee in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  That is intense!  Quite a group of witnesses!  In my vows to Andy I pledged to love him when it was hard and we had no money and I didn't feel good and I was tired and he was annoying.

I love being married to Andy, but am I living up to my vows?  Do I love him?  Unconditionally?

James- My new love

Yes, I have a new love, his name is James.  However, don't worry and call my husband, James lived 2000 years ago or so.  And I don't really love him, just his epistle to the church.

For Precepts this fall we are studying James and if that were not enough, I am also teaching a 5 week study on James for the ladies at my church.  I am loving it and I'm sure themes from James will arise throughout the next few months as I immerse myself in the book.

photo courtesy of Precepts Ministries International

The thought I have for today is from Kay Arthur's lesson on James 1 last week.  She said James is not about Ephesians 2:8-9, how a person can be saved, but rather it is about Ephesians 2:10, how to live once you are saved.  The book of James really is a 'how to' manual for Christian living!

SOCKS!

I was going a bit of laundry today, just a load of darks and a load of lights.  Nothing major.

While folding these loads I kept pulling out socks.  I just throw all the socks in a pile then match them when I finish folding everything else.  This is the pile of socks I ended with.

You will notice none of these socks belong to me or my young children.  Yes, that means they are Andy's.  It is a bit difficult to tell how many socks are there, so I matched each pair for you and counted.

14

That is the official pair count.

Then I found myself wondering, does Andy have any clean socks left?  Was I a bad wife who had neglected to take care of her husband?  I went to Andy's sock drawer and found this.

A still very full drawer.  Apparently I only need to wash Andy's socks once a month. :)

Blogging Bore

I have not posted anything in a month. And the last several posts have been book reviews. I am unmotivated, but I have high hopes that I will be back to blogging sometime soon. We've been doing lots this summer. A cross-country trip, lake days, Silver Dollar City visits, Eli's birthday and more. Lots to write about, but nothing written.

Book Review: Same Kind of Different as Me

I had heard about this book and when Thomas Nelson opened it up for more reviews I jumped at the opportunity! In exchange for my honest opinion Thomas Nelson Publisher sent me a copy of Ron Hall and Denver Moore's book, Same Kind of Different as Me. I was not compensated in any other way.

This book starts out telling the stories of two men growing up in the 1950's. They seem very different, but similarities pop up along the way. The book switches between the lives of Ronnie and Denver, called 'lil Buddy. You learn that Denver grew up in Louisiana as a sharecropper who never learned to read or drive a car. He spent year after year working for 'the Man'. After 30 years he decides he's had enough and hops on a train, ending up in Fort Worth, TX. He is homeless and in and out of jail. He is unreachable.

Ron Hall has come a long ways from his lower-middle class roots. He married a sorority girl and became an investment banker. On the side he began buying and selling expensive art. That business soon became full-time. Ron played the part of benevolent Christian family man. But the pieces of his facade started falling.

When the two men meet, because Ron's wife talks him in to volunteering at an inner city mission, they both change and many more people change as well. As both men see life in a different way they draw closer to God.

I was in tears by the end of the book. I told several people about it the day I finished. I would recommend this memoir! I like how the story builds, bouncing from one chapter to the next. I love how these two men see that there is now distinction between those who are in Christ. And when these men follow God, their community is impacted and lives are changed.