Do you happen to have a pile of books like this, just staring at you?  Mocking you?  Couple this stack of unread books with a bunch of friends on Goodreads and‘¦well for me, I just add it to the piles of laundry to fold, the dishes to wash and the papers to be filed at my house.  Sometimes all of this unfinished business starts. to. make. me. crazy!  Don’t get me wrong I love books! Books are friends!  So today, we’ve begun to make friends with that snarky stack of books again.  We’ve carved out a little time.  We’ve curled up on the couch and we’ve looked for the words that matter to us.  The words here have connected with our hearts and so we share just a few of them now, with you:

Kortnee Leigh

“And remember that God doesn’t ask you to be successful, only faithful. We don’t know how many of Paul’s guards came to faith in Christ. We only know that Paul did his part.” Philippians: A Double-Edged Bible Study by Think LifeChange.

I am often shy about sharing the gospel because I don’t know what to say, our am fearful that I will say something wrong, or maybe that I will offend someone. But its helpful to be reminded of Paul’s bravery and courage in Philippians 1 when he was in prison. He was fearless and confident in his faithfulness to Christ when he shared the good news. May we be all be as courageous.

 Carrisa

“The opposite of a childlike spirit is a cynical spirit.  Cynicism is, increasingly, the dominant spirit of our age. Personally, it is my greatest struggle in prayer.  If I get an answer, sometimes I’ll think, it would have happened anyway.  Other times I’ll try to pray but wonder if it makes any difference.”  A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller. 

Paul Miller’s chapters on cynicism and its affect on our prayer life were incredibly convicting. It is very difficult to fight the temptation to become cynical – I see it everywhere in our culture, and (painfully) in my own heart as well. What an amazing reminder that we worship the God of all hope! I have been memorizing Romans 8:31-32 this year, and it has been so helpful in confronting this particular sin of cynicism, reminding me of God’s incredible goodness.

Tracy

“My, my, welcome, welcome to the land of Expectations!  Now what can I do for you?  I am the Whether Man.”
“What kind of place is Expectations?” inquired Milo.
“Expectations is the place you must always go to before you get to where you’re going.  Of course, some people never go beyond Expectations, but my job is to hurry them along whether they like it or not”, answered Whether Man.  “Whether or not you find your own way, you’re bound to find some way.  If you happen to find my way, please return it, as it was lost years ago.  I imagine by now it’s quite rusty.”
“I think I can find my own way”, decided Milo.
“I’m glad you made your own decision.  I do so hate to make up my mind about anything, whether it’s good or bad, up or down, in or out, rain or shine. Expect everything, I always say, and the unexpected never happens….” The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.