Reading Materials

So....it's been a while since I talked about the books I'm reading.  Here's the DL on it.

Just finished the Princess trilogy.  An excellent autobiography ghostwritten for a Saudi princess.  Sultana, is spoiled, childish and heartwrenching all at the same time.  Mostly, these stories still anger me beyond belief.  The answer to abuse and trafficking is a combination of Jesus and poverty relief.  But this imperfect world is not going to get it all right and it hurts to read about the babies.  Reading this story reminded me of stopping in the park in Nicaragua and talking to the 15 year old prostitutes working there.  That was the hardest day for me of the whole trip.

Winter Garden, by Kristin Hannah.  She is fast moving up the list of my favorite fiction authors.  She writes about the family unit and relationships within it.  I learned about the Siege of Leningrad, something I had not learned in history class.  Fiction can indeed teach. (=

And, Robin Hobb is one of the more original and imaginative SciFi/Fantasy authors out there, I think.  Her new duo is great and I totally enjoyed it.  Escapist and a fun read. 

Desert Song

This is a good declaration at the end of a challenging weekend. I have a reason to worship.

Sacrifice

That word conjures images of ancient Mayan rituals to me.  Or memories of reading through Old Testament temple rules for Bible class in high school.  It's really not a pretty word.  Or a nice word.

Our worship series in church is wrapping up and the last message in the series was, you guessed it, about sacrifice.  As in:  present your bodies as a living sacrifice.  That's such an ambiguous verse to me.  What does that mean? 

Or maybe more honestly, I know what that means to me, and I don't want to do it.

So here is a moment of great spiritual inspiration, I've been living in indifference.  It's true.  It's so easy to bury myself in my mountain of work and pretend like life and its issues don't exist.  But it does.  And they do.  And God has been patiently knocking on my heart.  Church this week was more like pounding and God saying, "Listen up, fool!" in a Mr T kind of voice.

Coming away from communion last night was good.  Sitting in the presence of God for a while and just being quiet.  Remembering O, how He loves us.  Confessing the multitude of ways that I am a sinner.  Paul has nothing on me, really.  But all of that is kinda pointless if it doesn't translate into action and change in me. Indifference is not an ok way to live.

Confession is good for the soul.  Talking to Kells at lunch today really brought that home.  And her sweet offer to pray for me reminded me just how much I wasn't praying.  Time to let go of my rights, my selfishness, and my desire for control. 

God only you know the blackness in me.  And you love me anyway.  Unbelievable.  Move me to sacrifice Lord.  To offer you the little that is me.  To be changed.  To be less.

Response = Sacrifice