Books I’d Like to Reread

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So little time

Over a year ago Cathy shared a list of books she would like to reread. I enjoyed looking at her list and thought I’d make my own some day.

I’ve reread some books multiple times: Little Women and its two sequels by Louisa May Alcott, the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Jane Eyre, some of Jane Austen’s and Dickens’ books, the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery, Jan Karon’s Mitford series, biographies like Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot, Goforth of China and Climbing by Rosalind Goforth, Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton, By Searching and In the Arena by Isobel Kuhn, Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose, and others. I wrote here about reasons to reread, but the chief reason is that I glean more from the books each time I read them.

Books I want to read

But there are so many new books I’d love to read, I don’t get to reread the old ones as much as I’d like. Maybe I ought to set a goal to reread at least one a year – at least I’d get to some that way.

So here are some that I’d like to reread some day:

A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot. I love both of these ladies, but I’ve only gotten to this book once.

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. I have read this a couple of times, but there is so much to it, I could probably reread it every year and still learn something new.

Knowing God by J. I. Packer. I just read this for the first time 2 1/2 years ago. Somehow I missed it all the years I heard people raving about it. But I’ve already forgotten so much, I’d like to read it again.

When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada and Stephen Estes is one of the best books on suffering I have read (A Path Through Suffering by Elisabeth Elliot and Rose From Brier by Amy Carmichael are two more). I’ve read the others 2-3 times but somehow hadn’t gotten back to this one. But I’d love to.

Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I’ve also read this a couple of times, but it has been too long. It deeply impacted me on my first reading.

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin. This one is not as old as the others I have listed, but it was an instant favorite.

The Fruitful Wife: Cultivating a Love Only God Can Produce by Hayley DiMarco. This is also a newish one, discussing the fruit of the Spirit particularly in relation to marriage. But it’s another that I would benefit from rereading regularly.

Mark of the Lion series, Francine Rivers. This fictional trilogy about life just after the time of Christ was riveting.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I first read it nine years ago, and at 1440+ pages, it will be a major undertaking if I ever read it again. But it became one of my top three favorite novels (Jane Eyre and A Tale of Two Cities being the other two).

The Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien. This would be another massive undertaking. But they’re so good.

Janette Oke books. Janette started my love for Christian fiction. It’s been ages since I read these, and I’d love to revisit them and see how they come across to me now.

Now that I’ve gotten the ball rolling mentally, several others are coming to mind. But these would be at the top of the list.

How about you? Are there any books you’d love to reread but haven’t gotten to? Or favorites that you’ve read several times?

Keep the ideas

(Sharing with Literary Musing Monday)

Book Review: Anchor in the Storm

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AnchorIn Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin, Lillian Avery looks forward to her first job as a professional pharmacist in Boston in 1941. Her new boss had not wanted to hire a woman, but a male pharmacist wasn’t available. He’s also aggravated about employing a “cripple,” though Lillian’s wooden leg doesn’t hinder her work in the least.

While Lillian sets out to prove her value at work, she fends off attention from her brother’s best friend, Arch Vandenberg. Arch is rich and good-looking, but Lillian feels these attributes are hindrances rather than attractions. Besides, for reasons of her own, she doesn’t trust any man and will never allow herself to be weak.

Arch is an Ensign recently assigned to a destroyer along with Jim Avery, Lillian’s brother. Jim and Arch had survived an attack on their previous destroyer, but Arch has been battling flashbacks, shaking hands, and a fear of being trapped below decks. He can’t tell anyone, though, both because he is an officer, and because he might be ejected from the Navy.

Arch hates his family’s wealth and plans to give his inheritance away when he gets it. He’s tired of girls who only show interest because of his family’s money. Lillian seems different, but they get off to a wrong start. Arch decides to just befriend her with the hopes that eventually she’ll be open to him as more than a friend.

While Lillian notices some odd prescriptions at the pharmacy, Arch notices odd behavior on the ship: men acting groggy, almost drunk, and not performing their duties well. Lillian tries to alert a detective to her suspicions, but he doesn’t believe she has enough evidence. Lillian and Arch decide to investigate together and compare notes. But their findings might be just as dangerous as the war.

My thoughts:

I don’t like to read romance just for the sake of romance, especially giddy, silly romances.  Sarah’s stories have much more to them, and I love that. They are neither silly nor giddy. Lillian and Arch have much to work through, mentally as well as spiritually, and the plot line involves more than their romance. I always love the way Sarah includes a lot of historical data about WWII but without becoming stuffy or didactic. The mystery plot line was well-done and the faith element was natural and realistic. I enjoyed the book very much.

This book is the second in the Waves of Freedom series, the first being Through Waters Deep. Though some characters from the first book appear in the second, and it’s enjoyable to read both, the second can be understood well as a stand-alone book.

(Sharing with Semicolon‘s Saturday Review of Books, Literary Musing Monday, Carole’s Books You Loved)

Working as unto the Lord

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Some friends were talking about frustrations on the job. In both cases, worker error led to continual faulty workmanship or late deliveries which caused problems from mild annoyance to a factory crisis. Though upper and middle management has its flaws and problems, in these particular cases, it was the rank and file employees’ mistakes or carelessness that caused ripple effects. It doesn’t matter what slick ads or CEOs promise if the person on the nuts and bolts end of a product fails.

Employment issues are far beyond my purview, since I have been a stay-at-home mom for 30+ years. But I couldn’t keep my “fix-it” mentality from exploring different causes and helps that I might have proposed if I worked for either of their companies. Perhaps the employees lost sight of the big picture of how important their contributions were and they were just “punching the clock.” Maybe they needed inspiration to remind them that every little piece, every little step in the process is a vital one, that customer satisfaction and the success of their company rests on their shoulders. Maybe picturing the customer holding their product in his or her hands and delighting over it would motivate working with that end result in mind. Perhaps the employees were distracted by coworkers or problems at home. Perhaps recognition for good work would help transform and elevate mediocre efforts. Perhaps a pay raise might help them feel more encouraged about their jobs. People are only human and user error happens, but we should learn from our mistakes rather than excusing them. We do need to understand that customer dissatisfaction leads to a loss of customers which leads to a loss of business which leads to a loss of income which leads to a layoff or even a company closing.

Such problems come up in areas besides one’s job. I’ve worked on ministry projects at churches where we couldn’t use everything we made because some weren’t put together well. We have to extend grace: none of us performs at 100% all the time and our standing with God and our fellow Christian is not based on performance. There are times to overlook flaws. On the other hand, we shouldn’t have the attitude that our work doesn’t matter because we’re saved and sustained by grace. At one church where we ministered, I privately expressed dismay that several “wordless books” made of felt by the ladies to send to one of our missionaries had the pages out of order. The lady I was talking to said, “Well, they’ll get the idea.” This lady wasn’t commending careless workmanship: she was a missionary daughter whose family, I am sure, had to “make do” with materials of various quality sent by well-meaning supporters. But we should do our best to create and send excellent tools rather than ones that the recipient will have to “make do” with or adapt in some way.

For Christians, we have a higher motivation to do good work and a bigger picture to keep in mind. Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Proverbs commends the diligent man: “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (22:29); “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty” (28:19). Luke 16:10 says, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

Exodus 31:1-6 tells us of two men appointed to be workmen for the tabernacle furnishings:

The Lord said to Moses,  “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.

Even though these men were doing physical labor rather than preaching or teaching, they needed to be filled with the Spirit of God for their work. And so do we, whatever our place or function in our company, organization, or church. Our abilities and talents come from the Lord: let’s use them for the pleasure and glory of our Father and King.

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(Sharing with Inspire me Monday, Literary Musing Monday, Tell His Story, Wise Woman, Woman to Woman Word-filled Wednesday, Coffee for your Heart, Porch Stories)

Laudable Linkage

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I have just a short list this week, but decided to go ahead and share it lest I end up with an overly long list next time.

The Secret to Loving (Really) Difficult People. “As followers of Christ, we do not have the option of not loving them. Loving one another is not merely a biblical suggestion. Jesus tells us, ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you’ (John 15:12). The last five words are the challenge for me: ‘…as I have loved you.’

A Response to Andy Stanley on “Theological Correctness”, HT to Challies. “We should never put ‘theological correctness’ and unity at opposite ends of the spectrum…if we do not have the truth, we have no unity.”

Corporate Worship.

Motherhood Is Better Than the Media Claims, HT to Proclaim and Defend.

Be The Change You Want To See On The Internet, HT to Challies. Good stuff here.

And lastly, I found some things on Pinterest I could identify with. You? 🙂

(I couldn’t find the original sources for these pictures. Even though the last one has a web site listed on it, I couldn’t make it out.)

Happy Saturday!

Friday’s Fave Fives

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It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

It’s the first Friday in May, and it has been a wonderfully springy week! Here are some of the best parts of the past week:

1. Lunch with a friend. Melanie came over for a potluck soup and sandwiches lunch and then we delved into some card-making supplies. Fun! Somehow we hadn’t seen each other in a while.

2. Catching up with an long-time friend, one I’ve known since early married days. I got a Facebook message asking if I had time to talk, and I did, so she called. We had been messaging on Facebook about the desire to actually phone each other some time, but it hadn’t worked out until this day. I so enjoyed catching up with each other.

3. A dinner get-together. We had my son and daughter-in-law and grandson over along with the pastor of the church we’ve been visiting and his family, with all of us contributing parts to the meal. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting together and ended with a rousing game of Telestrations.

4. Nostalgic discoveries. I caught sight of a box of children’s books I had forgotten about in a closet, so I pulled it out to see if any of the books would be suitable for Timothy’s age now. Some of them were favorites I remember reading to my kids, and it was fun to find them again. Some notebooks of my kids’ drawings, mostly Jason’s were also in the box, and I enjoyed looking through them and then showing them to Jason the next time he came over.

5. A repainted swing. The seat that my husband had built for our patio swing looked weather-beaten, so he sanded it and painted it this time with outdoor paint rather than staining it. It looks much better, and hopefully it will hold up better. I need to make a replacement for the cover it used to have, and that should help even more, as well as providing shade.

Happy Friday!

Results of Your Blogging Preferences Poll

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When I first started blogging, blogs were simple with a feel of neighbors visiting over the fence. In the twelve years since then, bloggers have been urged to find their niche and develop their platforms. Certain features became musts. I had mixed emotions about some of the advice given in “how to have a successful blog” articles, so I decided to ask my readers about their own preferences in a poll. My friend Lou Ann has conducted polls with Survey Monkey a few times, so I asked her about them and then took the plunge.

I had originally planned to announce the poll on my blog, give my own readers a couple of days to have first crack at it, and then share the poll on social media. However, I decided not to do the latter for two reasons. First, I wanted the answers to just reflect readers’ preferences. I didn’t want strangers to the blog to filter in what they did or what they thought should be done. Secondly, Survey Monkey’s free plan only allows for 100 responses. I wasn’t sure what to do if I should happen to get more than 100, and I didn’t want people to get angry or upset if they couldn’t respond. In retrospect, I realize I could have said upfront that only the first 100 responses would be taken.

The poll received 51 responses in a week’s time. I’ll share the questions, results, and a few of my thoughts. The first number is the people who chose that particular answer; the second number is the percentage that answer received among total responses.

Question 1: Is it important to you that bloggers you read follow a consistent schedule?

  • Yes (1; 2%)
  • Somewhat, but it’s not the most important factor (34; 68%)
  • No (15; 30%)

I did not take the poll myself, but my answer would have been the second response. All kinds of blogging advice articles talk about setting and maintaining a schedule so readers know what to expect, but that is not all that important to me as a reader. I enjoy the rhythm of blogs who do follow a schedule or routine, but I also enjoy many with no discernible schedule.

Question 2: How do you feel about pop-up notices asking you to subscribe or offering you free booklets, printables, prayer guides, etc.?

  • I like them. They make it easy to respond. (1; 1.96%)
  • I’m ambivalent about them (3; 5.88%)
  • Hate them (23; 45.10 %)
  • I don’t mind them, but I don’t like for them to pop up the first few seconds I’m on the site or right in the middle of what I am reading. (24; 47.06%)

My answer would have been #3. I don’t care for pop-ups of any kind, but I especially dislike when they appear the first few seconds after I open the site or they block the post I came there to read. It’s almost funny to see an eager “Hey, do you want to subscribe to my blog?” pop-up when I just got there and I don’t even know anything about the blog yet. And it’s irritating when a pop-up blocks the content and has to be clicked off in some way before I can continue reading. When someone comes to our site from a link somewhere else, don’t we want them to be able to read the post they came there for first? And if they like that, they may then decide they want more. Pop-ups are less objectionable to me if they come up on the side or in a corner after several seconds, but I’d rather have offers to subscribe or sign up for free stuff at the end of a post, on a sidebar, across a top banner, etc., rather than a pop-up.

Question 3: How do you prefer for bloggers to respond to your comments?

  • I don’t expect a reply at all (18; 35.29%)
  • A response in the comments (28; 54.90%)
  • A personal email reply (2; 3.92%)
  • A visit to my blog (3; 5.88%)
  • Other (0)

This is something I have long wondered about, and I’m sorry that I have been hit-and-miss in replying. I try generally to visit the blog of everyone who comments and leave at least one comment there, but I have missed that sometimes. I’ll try to work on responding in the comments from now on as well as visiting you as well.

Question 4: How often does your ideal blogger post?

  • Every day (2; 4%)
  • 2-4 times a week (34; 68%)
  • Once a week (11; 22%)
  • Once or twice a month (3; 6%)

Someone emailed me re this question that content was more important than frequency, and I agree. What one writes is a bigger factor than how often. If a blogger writes really good stuff, I’ll read it however often they post. But my answer would have been #2. If every blogger I read posted every day, I’d only be able to read a handful of blogs. There are only a couple I follow that do post every day, and I admit I only scan some of their posts. I follow a couple of authors who post very infrequently, and that’s fine: I’d rather they spend their time on their next book. So it depends on the blog, the blogger, and the available time any given week, but it looks like a few posts a week is the clear preference here.

Question 5: How do you feel about “tweetables,” lines in a blog post designed for you to click on to post directly to Twitter?

  • I like them: they make it easy to support the blogger and share the love. (2; 3.92%)
  • I don’t care about them one way or the other. (35; 68.63%)
  • I hate them: they seem pretentious and clutter the blog. (14; 27.45%)

I admit, the first few times I saw these, I thought they were pretentious. But then I saw a commenter ask one blogger for them because it was an easy way to tweet the blog post. I know a number of bloggers now who support each other in that way, promoting each other’s blogs on social media. For monetized blogs or authors or speakers using their blogs as platforms, the more observable blog traffic, the better chance they’ll have with sponsors or publishers. The situation in publishing these days unfortunately requires an author to be somewhat self-promotional. So I understand them more now, but at this point I am not comfortable with using them myself. I have little buttons at the bottom of each post where one can share to social media if desired, and I think each one automatically puts the title of the post in when shared. Thank you to those of you who do that!

Question 6: Do you sign up for newsletters from blogs that offer them?

  • Yes. I like reading more from the bloggers I follow (2; 3.92%)
  • I have for a couple of bloggers, but not everyone. (24; 47.06%)
  • No. I have all I can do just to read blog posts. (25; 49.02%)

The few times I did sign up for a blogger’s newsletter, I unsubscribed after a while, because they were mostly an additional post and a list of their posts on the blog over the last month, which I had already seen. I get a few author newsletters to keep up with when they have something new coming out, but they either don’t have blogs or I don’t read them, so I guess for me it’s either/or but not both.

Question 7: If a blogger is writing a lot on one topic, do you prefer one long post or several shorter posts?

  • One long post so all the information is in one place. (9; 17.65%)
  • Several shorter posts in a series so I can take it in a little at a time. (22; 43.14%)
  • No preference (20; 39.22%)

So it looks like a series of shorter posts wins out. 🙂 I have mixed emotions: I have seen some blog series where I felt like I was being baited to keep coming back, and if I want to link back to the series for future reference or to share it with others, it’s nice to have just one link for that. But other times it is easier to take in a little at a time in shorter posts, and sometimes there’s just way too much information for one post.

Question 8: Do you listen to blogger podcasts?

  • Yes (1; 1.96%)
  • A few (14; 27.45%)
  • No (36; 70.59%)

Usually if I am listening to anything, it’s an audiobook or music. I’ve seen people mention a few podcasts that sound tempting, but so far I haven’t gotten into them. But I know some people love them.

Question 9: How do you prefer to follow the blogs you read?

  • Email (19; 37.25%)
  • Facebook (7, 13.73%)
  • Blog aggregator like Feedly or Bloglovin’ (9; 17.65%)
  • Other (16; 31.37%)

I should have put a comment box with “Other” to find out what other ways there are to follow blogs. Besides just remembering where it is and checking back with it periodically, the only other option I can think of is newsletters.

Question 10: What posts do you like most here at Stray Thoughts?

  • Personal and family info. (1; 2%)
  • Friday’s Fave Fives (16; 32%)
  • Devotions/Biblically based posts (4; 8%)
  • Book reviews (13; 26%)
  • Laudable linkage (5; 10%)
  • Rambling “stray thoughts” (4; 8%)
  • Other (7; 14%)

Some of you commented that you wished you had been able to choose more than one answer. I apologize: I wanted to configure it that way but I couldn’t figure out how. So in one sense these numbers aren’t totally accurate, because many of you commented that you liked several of the options. But I guess they reflect “If you had to choose one, which would you choose.” 🙂 One commented that they appreciated that there were different categories. That was gratifying to me, because I have wondered if I should narrow the blog down to one focus or niche, though I have always like the hodgepodge aspect of it.

Thank you so much for your sweet, kind comments on this last question! They touched my heart. When I started blogging, of course I hoped for readers – otherwise I would have just started a journal. And I appreciated readers all along, but you have come to mean so much to me. When you share that something I have written touched or ministered to you in some way, it encourages me that God can use me tucked away here at my desk.

One reader commented that though we’re different in many ways, we have much in common because of Christ. I have so enjoyed that bond we share together. Some of you have become dear friends; I’ve even met a couple in person! Some of you have enlarged my horizons, encouraged me, convicted me, and helped me grow. Thank you! I love and appreciate you!

And thank you for taking the time to respond to this poll. If you have any other comments, I’d love to hear them.

One quick little unsolicited plug for Survey Monkey: they allow for 10 questions and 100 responses on their free plan. They were easy to use, even though I didn’t understand quite everything. They have other features that can be unlocked with a paid plan. In my short search, I did not see any other free survey plan that allowed for more than one question. This was a learning experience for me: I’ve thought of ways I could have phrased questions better. I had more than 10 questions I wanted to ask and came up with a few more, so, who knows, maybe I’ll come up with a part 2 poll sometime.

Where Is God’s Compassion and Mercy in Job?

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Image courtesy of Alex Bruda at freeimages.com

The first few times I read through Job as a young person, I was a little…dismayed,  or at least perplexed at how God responded to him near the end. I understood that God was displaying His wisdom, majesty, power, creativity, and other attributes. Job was humbled and repented and God restored him and blessed him, so the book had a happy ending. But I remember feeling that if I had been in Job’s sandals, I would have wanted an encounter with God that seemed more warm and comforting.

Then I discovered the passage in James 5 where James is encouraging Christians to be patient and stand fast in the face of suffering.

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

I believed that God was compassionate and merciful: I had seen that in many other places in the Bible. But where did one find that in Job?

Our church has been reading through the Job together the last few weeks, and I’ve been doing my reading from the ESV Study Bible. Their study notes brought out some points I had missed.

Of chapter 38, verse 1, they say:

God reveals himself to Job in a display of both majestic power and relational presence: “the LORD” (Hebrew YHWH), the name most used to signify God’s covenant character and promises (see. Ex. 3:14-15), was used in the prologue where God describes Job’s relationship to him (see Job 1:8; 2:3); the fact that the Lord “answered Job” contrasts with what the friends…indicated he should expect (see 35:9-13)…It is a covenantal gesture when the Lord reveals his power and his presence as he speaks to Job “out of the whirlwind.” While he does not come simply to justify Job, the Lord’s presence shows that his reproof comes in the context of steadfast love toward Job and not as judgment for what the friends assumed was Job’s repudiation of the path of righteousness (p. 926).

The fact that God came to Job personally indicates His care, and the use of His covenantal name shows He is speaking to Job out of a loving relationship.

Part of what God is getting across to Job includes this:

Job had drawn conclusions about the about the nature of God’s rule from what was revealed on earth in his and others’ circumstances. However, [Job] did not account fully for what is hidden from him, and thus his words cast a shadow on the wisdom and righteousness of God’s rule. In his speech, God will question Job in order to remind him that, even in what is revealed of God’s powerful and majestic governance of the natural world and its inhabitants, much is still hidden. And if this is true for creation and its creatures, how much more is it true in relation to the wisdom and purpose of the Creator? (p. 926).

The notes point out later on that Job had experienced what it was like “to have what was hidden about him (e.g., the state of his heart before God) questioned and judged by those who had drawn wrong conclusions from what was visible in his circumstances. The Lord now questions Job for overextending his judgment of what his suffering meant about the Lord’s just governance of the world” (40:6-9) (pp. 929-30).

We don’t think of getting dressed down as a mercy, but it is if that’s what we need, isn’t it? A wise father corrects his child. He does not let his child continue in wrong thinking about God. Sometimes we need to feel our smallness contrasted with God’s immensity. When we’re questioning what God is doing in the world and our lives, we need to be reminded that He knows what he is doing, has everything under control, and has a reason for what He allows, even if we don’t know that reason.

All of those details God gives about the animals displays not only His wisdom, but His care of them. This reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-31: ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Layton Talbert says in Beyond Suffering: Discovering the Message of Job: “The Lord is powerful and majestic and wise beyond man’s comprehension, but He is also compassionate…even towards beasts. He talks as if He has intimate knowledge of their nature and needs because He does. That’s the point” (p. 206).

God displayed compassion and mercy in many ways throughout the book:

  • His limitation of what He allowed Satan to do
  • His unseen presence with Job through everything that happened
  • His physical manifestation to Job
  • His fatherly correction of Job.
  • His vindication of Job against his friends’ accusations
  • His wisdom and care of the animal kingdom highlighted His care of Job
  • All was done within the context of God’s relationship with Job.

That last point is in fact part of what the whole book was about: that Job wasn’t serving God just for God’s blessings, that he wasn’t being “pious for pay” as Dr. Talbert put it (Beyond Suffering , p. 40).

Sometimes I think I’ll feel better if I know what God is up to and why, and sometimes He graciously shares that. But other times, as in Job’s case, comfort does not come from full disclosure of what was going on behind the scenes and why God allowed it. Job did not get all the answers he wanted, but he got God’s presence, a fuller understanding of Him, and a manifestation of His care. And he was satisfied.

(Sharing with Inspire Me Monday, Literary Musing Monday, Tell His Story, Coffee for your Heart, Porch Stories, Faith on Fire)

Friday’s Fave Five

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It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

I know I often say I can’t believe we’re near the end of another month – yet I feel that way almost every time! April has been an up and down, back and forth month, but I think spring is pretty firmly settled in now. I’m soaking it up before the heat of summer hits in another month or so. Meanwhile, here are some of the favorite parts of the last week:

1. A painted door. Most of the framework outside our home is painted an almost rosy beige, but the back door, door frame, and screen door were orange for some reason. I really, really, really don’t like orange in home decorating (though I do like it on autumn leaves and pumpkins and such.) My dear husband has more than enough home projects on his plate when the weather turns warm and dry, but he was able to get to this door last Saturday. I was planning to take a picture, but at the moment I am writing (Thursday afternoon) it’s a rainy day. It’s nice to enjoy looking at a door instead of chafing every time I see it.

2. Sarku is a fast food Asian restaurant at the mall. I wish they had restaurants outside the mall, because I love their chicken teriyaki. We don’t get to them very often any more because we don’t live near a mall like we used to, when we ate there frequently. Last Sunday we were in the vicinity around lunchtime, and my husband suggested we get lunch from there to take home. I enjoyed having their teriyaki again.

3. Things not turning out as badly as expected. 🙂 Both my husband and I had forgotten that his mother’s regular caregiver was going to be off one day this week until she reminded us the day before. When the agency knows ahead of time that we’re going to need a substitute, they usually send someone out to train with our regular caregiver for an hour or two before the substitute has to fly solo. But this time, for whatever reason, they didn’t work that out, so we had someone completely new come. Usually when any caregiver is here for the first time, my husband spends some of the time showing them how we like things done with his mom. Theoretically anyone from the agency should be competent and experienced, but that’s not always the case, and even if they are, each patient has their own particular quirks. This time, however, my husband was going to be out of town except for the first half-hour this new person was here. I had had other plans for the day, and I was dreading dealing with a new person, both the time involved in showing them the ropes plus the potential or dealing with problems or issues that usually fall to my husband. But everything turned out relatively well and all that angst was wasted (when will I ever learn?).

4. Ideas. I’ve mentioned working on a book. One day this week out of the blue, a watershed idea came to mind that I think will bring everything into focus with it. I need to think and pray over it some more to make sure, but I’m excited that this might be the emphasis to build the rest of the book around. And, as I believe God guides us in these things, this also encouraged me that this is something He really does want me to do.

5. God’s speaking to our hearts. One morning this week I was struggling with a particular area. My devotions that morning involved just reading the next chapters in my normal routine, but the passage I was in spoke to that specific issue. Then later in the day I turned on the Christian radio station for just a few minutes while I prepared something, and the speaker at that moment spoke to the same issue. I felt so loved and encouraged.

Bonus: My daughter-in-law came over and made dinner the night my husband was out of town and my son and grandson did the dishes. 🙂

If you haven’t seen it yet, I have a poll about your blog reading preferences here. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Friday!

Poll: Your Blog Preferences

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I’ve had some questions concerning conventional blogging wisdom and current blogging fads. I’ve wondered whether real, everyday blog readers want to see the features we’re assured are must-haves. So I decided to ask!

I’ve created a blog preference poll here with Survey Monkey. This is my first time to create a poll like this, and I asked a friend to test it out. Everything seems ok, but let me know if you have any problems.

There are just ten questions. As I understand it, I won’t be able to see who responds. After a week or so (or longer, if answers are still coming in), I’ll come back and let you know the results.

If you have anything further you’d like to say about blog reading beyond what the survey covers, feel free to share in the comments.

Once again, the blog preference poll is here.

Thanks for participating!

(Update: the survey is now closed. I’ll be posting the results shortly.)

What’s On Your Nightstand: April 2018

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Nightstand82The folks at 5 Minutes For Books host What’s On Your Nightstand the last Tuesday of each month in which we can share about the books we have been reading and/or plan to read.

I’m glad a friend posted her Nightstand post a day early: otherwise I would have forgotten all about it! This month, the last Tuesday comes up with almost a week still left in the month, so I wasn’t even thinking about my Nightstand post yet. But, thankfully, now I am!

Since last time I have completed:

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, reviewed here. Helen wrote this when she was in her twenties, so it only covers the first part of her life. The editor supplemented with copies of her letters and her teacher’s.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace, reviewed here. Good story set in the time of Christ.

Sins of the Past by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason, reviewed here. Three mystery novellas connected by the theme of an incident in the protagonists’ past causing problems in their present. Good.

Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel, reviewed here. Good overview of various personality frameworks.

He Fell in Love With His Wife by Edward Payson Roe, reviewed here. A very sweet old story about a marriage of convenience between two wounded souls who find respite with each other. Loved this.

Another Way Home by Deborah Raney, reviewed here. A young couple battles fertility issues, which puts a strain on their marriage when nothing works. The husband refuses to consider adoption. The wife starts volunteering in a women’s shelter to occupy her thoughts and time and gets involved with a woman and her son there. Very good Christian fiction.

I’m currently reading:

Adam Bede by George Eliot

Drawing Near to the Heart of God: Encouragement for Your Lifetime Journey by Cynthia Heald

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron. My interest in this was sparked by a chapter of this title in Reading People.

Up Next:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin

Christian Publishing 101 by Ann Byle

Adorned by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

As always, I have a stack of unread books on my bookcase and loads of them in my Kindle app, so I have no shortage of books to read. It’s just hard to decide which one to read next!