From the book jacket: Authors Thom S. Rainer and Art Rainer interviewed a cross-section of 1,077 individuals to confirm that most people feel their lives are overly stressful and misguided, not allowing enough time for what really counts. As they share these highly relatable stories, the Rainers chart a simple path from joyless to joyful.Breaking life down into four key sections (Time, Relationships, God, Money), the authors show how four key goals (Clarity, Movement, Alignment, Focus) can begin to foster a life that is more spiritual and less busy, a life rich in experiences with family and friends rather than double-booked to-do lists and late nights at the office. The book even lays out an easy-to-follow action plan that will move readers assuredly toward the simple life in just thirty days.
My review: Honestly, I think this book is for a lot of people out there. People who are feelings stressed, overworked, under appreciated. People who feel their lives are chaos. People who feel they need to get things under control.
That's not me because my word for the past 5 years or so has been "Simplify" (See the sign in my old office?)
So really, reading this particular book was like me trying to find a frugal tip that I haven't yet implemented in my life. Which I suppose is good, it means I'm doing something right, right? I can tell by my low stress level that I'm not who I was when I set out on this journey to simplify. I have time now for what I'm called to, time for what I love, and I don't feel pulled in a zillion different directions.
Simple Life is an easy read, gives great advice, and is worth picking up if you need to change your life--because no one else is going to do that for you.
Everything rushed, nothing done right--more so to just get by, get through. But for what? To wake in the morning to the same gut-wrenching realization that it's the norm now.
My refusal to budge in the notion that it can be changed is like a lighthouse in the fog, bellowing to ships lost in the haze. Good captains, seasoned captains recognize the call. The others must answer for their own stubbornness. They are too busy doing ship things to hear the call--and now they've convinced themselves there was no foghorn, no signal, sent after all.
And they believe their lies.
The lighthouse isn't of much use during the day, the beautiful sunny lighted hours, but in the dark of the night? In the storm?
There's a girlfriend I have, she has this motto: If you've come to see my house, make an appointment. If you've come to see me, come in! I love her for that. (*waving at JEJ!*)
She's the most laid back woman I know. Always praising the Creator. Always happy. Always laughing. And she gives the most tremendous hugs. I love her for that, too.
I want to be like her.
Then there's me. Stressing because someone thinks I shouldn't have my overwhelmingly weedy garden, I shouldn't put-up my own veggies, maybe not bake my own biscuits or make my scrumptious apple butter. I shouldn't homeschool. I shouldn't write or be an editor. I'm delusional, y'know, trying to do all that stuff.
I do what I love and if it makes someone else uncomfortable, how is that my problem? I'm not breaking the law. I'm not hurting anyone. I mean, really, does a vegetable garden count for making a sister stumble?
I can't be like you and I don't expect you to be like me. Let's embrace those differences. Okay?
Note: I got behind with the moving and stuff so I'm starting with the current verse and I'll post the 5 I'm behind as I get them finished. (Did I really just admit that I'm 10 weeks behind?? 10 weeks?!)
Genesis 16:13 So she named the LORD (YHWH) who spoke to her El Roi, The God Who Sees, for she said, "Have I really seen here the One who sees me?"
This goes with my Muddy Water post from a couple days ago. I can't get this image out of my head.
(sorry about the image quality, this was taken with my phone.)
It didn't start last night. It's been going on for awhile.
Sometimes, I expect things. As if I deserve them. Entitlement. I don't want to play that card--the "Deserve" card--the one that says: What we really deserve is death but Christ came to save our wretched souls. While true, this is a different lesson in grace and suffering.
* * *
This is about two women, Hagar and Sarah, whose lives were entwined. Sarah was supposed to have believed God for his promise of a son. But. She didn't. She didn't think God could deliver or maybe didn't think he was delivering fast enough. So she told her husband (who also had a say in the matter, possibly the final say) to get Hagar, her servant, pregnant. And he did.
Then Sarah got mad at Hagar.
Uhm. Hello?
Hagar ran away from Sarah's bad attitude and mistreatment. She stopped for awhile. To think maybe?
She was sitting by a spring of water in the wilderness.
* * *
I ran away. I was walking in the wilderness near a small river. Alone.
Quit laughing at me.
Ok. Laugh. It is funny.
* * *
An Angel of the YHWH (Yahweh, the name God gives himself) found her by a spring of water in the wilderness and said to her, "You must go back to your mistress and submit to her mistreatment."
The Angel of the YHWH also said to her, "I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count."
* * *
I had to clean off in a mud puddle before I could get back in the car. I washed my feet, my hands, my arm, and my leg in muddy water. I couldn't get the mud off my pants though.
* * *
So she named the LORD who spoke to her: El Roi--The God Who Sees, for she said, "Have I really seen here the One who sees me?"
* * *
I had a dream last night, a long, weird dream. But at the end I was in my car. Leaving. I started to back out and noticed my stack of weirdly huge Bibles in the field across the road and it was raining. I sat for a long time and watched the rain pour over my Bibles. They were fat and bloated and soaking up the rain and getting ruined. I was driving away from the Bibles so I could turn around and be on the same side of the road as they were, so I could get them in from the rain.
I got out of my car and got soaked walking towards them...
Holy Tri-fold credit card and business card holder- key fob awesomeness Batman! I won!!
