MM: I've Never Swabbed a Poop Deck

So apparently today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. So, in keeping with the spirit of the "holiday" I've selected a video that combines some of my favorite things: Pirates, Legos, Relient K, and VeggieTales. Enjoy.

Psalm 19:1 The Heavens Declare

It’s been so long since I’ve filled everyone in on my memory verses. I’ve been doing them, just not writing about them.

I’m going to do things a little different now. Normally I would do 2 verses a month (on the 1^st and the 15^th), but I’m going to attempt to memorize Psalm 19 so I’m going to do one verse a week which will almost take me to the end of the year. It’s going to take some diligence on my part so prayers would be appreciated.

I’ll start with verse 1:

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” (NASB)

What a beautiful picture. Psalm 19 is known as one of the most poetic psalms and even in this first verse it is easy to see why. Scripture is full of verses proclaiming all creation praising God. If we don’t do it the rocks and trees will. Inanimate objects “understand” the glory and might of the Creator.

How can you look into the sky and not see that there is a God and that He is beautiful? I know most of you have seen this video, but for those who haven’t (and even those who have) let this blow your mind. It's only part of the video because the full thing is 40 minutes long which you can find YouTube or elsewhere online.

MM: The Don't Song

These guys are hilarious. I mean laugh out loud in a way that's almost embarrassing. Johnny and Chachi have several wonderful videos. You should check them all out. So enjoy this beautiful Autumn ;) morning with a song full of great marriage tips.

Friday's Favorites

So here are a few things I've really been enjoying lately. Maybe you'll enjoy them too.

Pinterest is a fun site where you can "pin" images of things you like such as clothes, food, crafts, etc. You can also see what others are pinning and get great ideas. My only problem is I have too many new ideas and not enough time. As of now you have to be invited to Pinterest, but you can request an invitation to the site or request one from me.

______________________________________________________________

Lendle is a great site for those who read books on their Kindle or Kindle App. It's a site for sharing Kindle ebooks. You list all the books you have and depending on that you get a certain number of books you can borrow. You request a book and if it's available you get a week to accept it and then 2 weeks to read it. It's all done through Amazon, but the Lendle website is not technically associated with Amazon. Books can only be lent once and you have to be willing to lend books you've bought in order to borrow other books. A lot of the books I read aren't available for lending, but I've found out about some new authors this way for free! Plus, you get paid a certain amount for each book you successfully lend, although it isn't much. Still a nice incentive.
______________________________________________________________

Found here.

I love these white hair flowers. My friend Cori has a gorgeous one and I was a twinge jealous so I went and bought one yesterday. I'm really looking forward to trying it out soon.
______________________________________________________________

Found here.

 I've been waiting on this book from Lisa Bergren for a while now. I loved the first two and I was so excited to get Torrent yesterday. I can't wait to see how this series ends. It's marketed for teen readers, but that's never stopped me before. Time traveling to medieval Italy, what's not to love. Check out this series for sure.
______________________________________________________________

What are some of the things you've been enjoying lately?

Seasons of Change

Things have been a-changin' 'round here. I finished my thesis several weeks ago and got that all turned in. Immediately after that I went with our college group to Glorieta, New Mexico to the retreat center there. That was a nice relaxing time where I went to the things I wanted to and relaxed if I wanted to. I got to spend some time with the Penicks and their beautiful baby and I hear some wonderful teaching by Matt Chandler and Michael Kelly. Of course, I didn't take pictures like I said I would (because I'm not so good at doing things and taking pictures of said things) so here's what I have of the St. Francis of Assissi Cathedral Basilica.

Lee throroughly impressed me with his Latin skills. Translation: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

 Since Glorieta I've pretty much been working. My job is not a lot different than it was before I graduated, but I get paid a little more and I don't have to worry about a thesis. Win win. I do have to work on that whole multi-tasking thing (see excuse for not taking pictures). I'm looking forward to what this year brings.

I'm also working on finding a job for when Lee and I move next year. Well, I'm at least working on making contacts, and that's a bit of a struggle for me, so keep me in your prayers. It's a little bit of a step outside my comfort zone.

Some of the biggest changes I've seen recently have been in church activity. I'm out of the college group so I've moved up to the big kids class. Different Sunday school, I'm attending a new bible study tonight, I'm going to try to do BSF, etc. With Lee still in the college group there will be some stuff there that I still attend, like the lake day a few weeks ago ;) but for the most part I'm a real grown up. Scary. I'm really looking forward to the changes God is doing around me and in me. I pray I continue to feel this way.

What about you? Any big changes in your life?

MM: Intense

Today's Manic Monday is not as carefree as previous posts. I tweeted about this song last week and a friend mentioned this video so I had to check it out. Amazing. Combining one of my favorite songs and one of the most dynamic preachers of our time into a YouTube video...awesome. So please watch the video and make sure you watch to the very end. The ending is important. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and remember that the God of the universe loves YOU!

Christian Fiction Book Club - Digitalis by Ronie Kendig

The selection for this month’s Christian Fiction Book Club read is Digitalis (Discarded Heroes, Book 2)by Ronie Kendig. The host is Jules over at My Own Little Corner of the World. Check out the other blogs and look at the discussion questions found here.

Digitalis is about the secrets we keep and how those secrets affect those we love. Colton (Cowboy) Neeley is an ex-marine whose life is shattered because of what he’s seen in war. He’s attempting to start over in the secretive black ops group Nightshade. Piper Blum has secrets of her own that if discovered could destroy her family and the tumultuous country she used to call home. They meet and sparks fly, but the resulting fire is deadly.

I really liked this book. It’s very action packed and thrilling. Military details don’t particularly interest me, but relationships do because that’s what I can identify with. The dynamics of the relationships in this book are intriguing, but I did get frustrated with Colton’s character because even his trying to protect other people was pretty self-centered. But that’s something we all struggle with isn’t it?

All in all it was a good book and I read it pretty quickly on my vacation. It brings to light a lot of what our soldiers struggle with and gets you thinking. I’d recommend it.

Discussion Questions:

5. Although Colton is a Christian and seeks to live his life for God, he struggles and wonders why God hasn’t healed him of the flashbacks. Does anything about Colton resonate with you or your life?

I heard something this past week at Lifeway’s College Week at the Glorieta Conference Center that really stuck with me. If you don’t understand that God gave you everything you need through Jesus Christ, if you think God is holding out on you, you can become bitter. When I start to think that my life should be easy because I’m a Christian, I misunderstand the gospel. It’s so easy to think God should take away any suffering we have just because He can, but we can’t see the big picture. It’s like allowing you to watch 1 second of a movie and then ask you what the movie’s about and how it will end. It takes an enormous amount of faith to trust that God has your best interests at heart, but understanding who He is and that He is always faithful is crucial to get that.

The next book for the book club is The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund on September 24.

A special thanks to The Book Club Network and Ronie Kendig for giving me the copy I read for this review. I love giveaways, don't you!