The Saturday 7

I wrote the first two points of this entry last Saturday, then stared at my screen for half an hour and couldn't think of a single thing to add. So I'm reusing the original two and adding on for this week . . .

1. I read three more books this week: The True Vine by Andrew Murray, Mothering Boys: 8 Things Your Son Needs From You Before He Turns 10 by Molly DeFrank, and The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. They were all extremely convicting, and I'm feeling a little battered. This is why I just stick to my happy-ending fiction! Seriously, though, I need it. I need to be stripped of my idols of comfort and leisure. This was my second reading of The Hiding Place, but it wrecked me this time - in all the best ways. God was so real to Corrie and Betsie, they relied so completely on him, and he showed up time and again. That doesn't mean he delivered them from the concentration camp immediately or cushioned their lives with comfort and ease. But he worked through them and was glorified in them. I can't help but wonder how many people were saved because of the message Corrie and Betsie shared, how many generations of people to this day know Christ because of their willingness to be used by him. It gives me chills . . . and makes me ashamed of my lukewarm faith.

2. And yet The True Vine was about abiding in Christ, living in his love, and relying on him to work through us. Murray insists that we can do nothing on our own, that any religious effort we put forth only serves our own egos, and that we have to rest in Jesus to be used by him. I can't wrap my brain around the whole, "Work for God and serve Him always" in conjunction with "Rest in Jesus. Your works are filthy rags." I'm going to have to read a lot more nonfiction . . . and probably a lot more of the Bible . . . to fully understand it.

3. I've read 4 more books since last Saturday: The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis, 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (And Answer) by Rebecca McLaughlin, A Layman Looks at the Lamb of God by W. Phillip Keller, and Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. I've never seen the show, but the book looked interesting. It was very sad and eye opening. There was also a very graphic and disturbing sex scene, so be warned. I'm up to 34 books, and my birthday is in 6 days. I fully intend to meet my goal, however. I can do a book a day, even if it means I don't sleep. I just need to choose 6 from this pile of short reads:

4. This is why I have nothing to report on the blog lately. I work, eat, drive my kids all over Timbuktu, read, and sleep. It does not make for the most compelling blog fodder. . . . So . . . how about that weather? We've had an amazingly warm fall, and I am here for it! The longer we can delay the mind-numbing, soul-sucking cold the better in my book. I literally took Levi to the splash pad today because it was in the mid 80s! I sat out on the deck one day last week and marveled at the color of the sky next to the slowly-changing leaves on our tree. I don't usually get to enjoy the fall colors because I'm inside trying to stay warm. 😂

5. I haven't given you an itching update in a while . . . I know you've been dying to know . . . I had high hopes that giving up sugar doing Keto would help. It did not. I also tried taking an allergy pill every day for two months. Nada. For the past few weeks I've been taking Fish Oil on the recommendation of a friend. No luck so far! It's especially bad on my scalp (despite Head & Shoulders + Nizoral medicated shampoo), my elbows, and my legs. And I've definitely noticed that it gets worse when I'm stressed. I have to host my first big Development event on my own next week. I don't feel unduly stressed, but it's definitely lurking in the back of my mind and my body knows. I probably need to give up gluten and/or dairy, but that's just not going to happen. So if you see me scratching my head, know that I don't have lice. It's just eczema . . . or psoriasis . . . or cholestasis. Unfortunately, I have crap insurance, so I'm not going to go to the dermatologist to find out. 🤷

6. I'm still struggling to find anything else to write, so I'll leave you with this gem from Levi. I took him to get his hair cut yesterday. The lady who did it was covered in tattoos, had a broken tooth, and multi-colored hair. Levi chatted her ear off the whole time we were in there. When we left he proclaimed, "Well, that's why you don't judge a book by its cover! I was skeptical about her at first, but she was so nice! She might be my favorite haircut lady ever!" 😁 (And yes, he really used the word "skeptical." Reading for the win!)

7. Finally, the memes.