Things I've (Re)Learned in January & February

Emily Freeman tries to do a post at the end of each month with things that she has learned.  And although I may not do it monthly, I like the idea of thinking back through what I've learned or relearned recently. 

1)  I relearned just how much I like rules.  And I really like when people follow the rules.

2)  Along those same lines, I relearned that I love rules that are absolutes at all times.  For instances, periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks; there's nothing subjective about that.

3)  I learned that I like keeping Sundays completely task free, meaning that I no longer even attempt to blog on that day.

4)  I was reminded that my prayers are not in vain and that I want in on the Kingdom rewards that come with praying without ceasing, no matter what the circumstances are.

5)  I learned that my allergies are not a fan of 2014's crazy winter weather that can span from 80 degrees to 19 degrees in a matter of twenty-four hours and that the pattern can be repeated multiple times during a month.

6)  I learned that meal planning is not as easy as it looks on blogs.  Tips on successfully doing this weekly are welcomed!

7)  I learned that there's an essential oil to help with just about every ailment but that I'll also gratefully add in the occasional steroid nasal spray when I start itching all over due to #5 above.

8)  I learned just how quickly I devour memoirs after polishing off The Antelope in the Living Room in a matter of hours and Notes from a Blue Bike, which I finished over the span of a few days.

9)  I learned that Ellie Holcomb's new album As Sure as the Sun can brighten up an afternoon or make running errands a lot more enjoyable.

10)  And I've learned that I can't end a list with just nine things.

What fun thing have you learned over the past two months?

His Grace in Giving Laughter

I don't recall laughing much when I was growing up.  My dad got sick when I was six, and so I spent quite a bit of time at my Granny and Pa-Pa's house.  And though they were very loving, they didn't laugh very much, if at all.  The most that my mother and I can recall is that Granny may have said, "That's cute," but there was no such thing as a fit of giggles or an all-out belly laugh from either Granny or Pa-Pa.  I think their limited schooling, around first grade for Pa-Pa and third grade or maybe fifth for Granny, prevented them from understanding that some things in life are funny.  At any rate, my early childhood contains a lot of sweet memories but not a lot of laughter-filled memories.

Around junior high or high school, I must have developed a sense of humor.  Or at least a late-night sense of humor.  It was during that time that if I was awake past a certain time of night (though the time often fluctuated), anything that was said became hysterically funny to me.  Sometimes my outbursts were amusing to my mother and sister, while other times they would merely say, "There she goes."  Possibly indicating that my sanity had stepped out.

Nowadays when we get together as a family, laughter seems to be a focal point.  Because we have so many shared memories, it's easy to play off of them and insert humor.  It is such a gift to laugh with family, and I'm so grateful we have that now.

I also enjoy books that make me laugh.  Seven by Jen Hatmaker was the first book that I can recall reading that produced multiple side-splitting outbursts of laughter, which was quickly followed by my reading aloud the portions that I found hysterical.

Melanie Shankle's memoir Sparkly Green Earrings, which I read earlier this summer, had a similar effect.

And then this weekend, I read A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson.  I called my mom and read the bulk of chapter 4 to her.  I got so tickled reading it that I could barely get the words out, which caused Mom to laugh even more.  And there's no way I could read chapter 7 out loud and have anyone understand me because it's that funny.



So as I wrap up this weekend with some soreness in my abs, I'm grateful for the gift of laughter.  What has made you laugh lately?  I'd love to hear.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." - Proverbs 17:22

February Update

There are a few topics swirling around in this head of mine, but none have had time to gel.  So I thought I'd give a monthly update because it has already been almost a month since the last one.

What I'm Pondering: 
I'm reading through the Gospel of Luke right now, and I was struck by the transition in Chapter 4.  The chapter begins with Jesus being tempted in the desert. After the devil departs in verse 13, the heading before verse 14 says, "Jesus Begins His Ministry."  I think I've glossed over the fact that Jesus began His ministry after a time of testing and temptation.  It encourages me to take my struggles and find a way to minister to others so that my struggles can be used for His glory.

What I'm Listening To:
I'm still listening to Chris Tomlin's Burning Lights quite a bit, but I also downloaded All Sons & Daughters' new EP called The Longing.  I saw a recommendation for this album on Twitter, and I'm so glad that I checked them out.  The harmonies of this worship duo are absolutely beautiful.

I also downloaded the audio of Romans to help with memorizing Chapter 1.  I need all the help I can get as I'm struggling with this much more than I did when I memorized Psalm 91.

What I'm Reading:
I've been reading in every spare moment lately, and I've finished most of the books that I had started last year.  From those I've finished, I gleaned a lot about truth, love, and grace and the interplay between those concepts from Tim & Kathy Keller's The Real Meaning of Marriage; I learned more about being the hands and feet of Jesus from Brandon Hatmaker's book Barefoot Church; I whipped through the pages of Christine Caine's book Undaunted as she told of her upbringing and her heart's desire to rescue women from sex-trafficking; and I laughed uncontrollably through the bulk of Melanie Shankle's debut memoir Sparkly Green Earrings.

Currently, I'm slowly going through Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life by Elyse Fitzpatrick.  It's quite possible that I've never underlined this much before in a book.  Fitzpatrick writes about the Gospel for Believers, and I'm trying to soak up every word.  Everything she writes keeps pointing me back to my one-word resolution of "grace."

I told my mother earlier today that I wish I could just eat books.  I'm such a slow reader and there are so many books that I want to read that I'd love to digest one each meal!  That's probably a weird visual, but it fits.