MORE fun with PaperBackSwap...

I've been sending and receiving books pretty steadily. Right now I'm expecting three books:

"Memoirs of a Medieval Woman" about a wealthy woman who makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, by herself, at a time in history when that just wasn't done! Sounds like a good book.

Also looking forward to "Breaking Intimidation" by John Bevere, which is about overcoming problems with intimidation with the help of the Lord. Something I need!

I just ordered "If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name", which is about a very small town in Alaska. I love stories about Alaska and living the wilderness life. I usually read a book like this once a year or so to get it out of my system! LOL!

Bob's gone for the evening so I'm off to the movies. Well, actually, I'm going over to YouTube to watch "Northanger Abbey". Whoo-hoo! (Hey, I get free snacks here!)

Adios!

Shane continues to open my eyes...

Still reading "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. When I started, the thing that bothered me most was his stance on warfare, which he calls redemptive violence. But I find myself squirming uncomfortably as I read and thinking about it all from a new viewpoint. I think we all need to read this book just to awaken us to the rut we're probably in. (We may be in different ruts, but we all land in one eventually.) Here's a quote from a later part of the book:

When we have new eyes, we can look into the eyes of those we don't even like and see the One we love. We can see God's image in everyone we encounter. As Henri Nouwen puts it, "In the face of the oppressed I recognize my own face, and in the hands of the oppressor I recognize my own hands. Their flesh is my flesh, their blood is my blood, their pain is my pain, their smile is my smile." We are made of the same dust. We cry the same tears. No one is beyond redemption. And we are free to imagine a revolution that sets both the oppressed and the oppressors free.

Shane Claiborne-The Irresistible Revolution

Soul Flower Power!

This looks like my PERFECT clothing catalog. I've ordered a paper copy!

SOUL FLOWER ONLINE CATALOG

The Irresistible Revolution...

My sons have recently brought to my attention the book "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. I haven't finished it yet, but it's such an inspiration. It's one of those things that opens our spiritual eyes and makes us sit up and say, "Yes! I know something is missing in my Christian life, but I just can't put my finger on it or figure out what to do about it!"

He's part of a community in Philadelphia who are living out the love of God by loving the poor while living among them. This clip gives you some idea and you can find out more by following the link to the community's website, The Simple Way. There you'll find links to lots of others who are doing similar work. I think it's exciting and it cuts across denominational lines: Protestant/Catholic, etc.

I believe Shane has chosen a life of "singleness", but his community consists of married people, some with children. It gives you a lot to think about.

I hope this will be an inspiration to others!

HOME ALONE!

Bob (my husband, for the uninitiated) is out of town tonight and I'm HOME ALONE. I came home from work at about 8:30 and let Homer, the border collie, into the house ahead of me to check things out. He was glad to oblige. He's kind of scared of the dark and likes to spend the night in the entryway. He gave the all-clear and then I banished him to the porch! I'm not really scared to be home alone. I kind of enjoy being able to mess around on the computer or putz around doing whatever I like, but it is awful quiet!

My current read is "Irresistable Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. (Not related to Liz.) He describes himself as an "ordinary radical" and proceeds to question a lot of the Christian status quo. I don't agree with everything he says, but he does make you stop and think, which is a good thing. He's a youngster, and he hasn't got everything figured out (who does?) but you have to give an ear to someone who spent a whole summer in Calcutta helping Mother Theresa minister to the homeless, the impoverished, the dying and the leprous. He's also very funny! I recommend the book to everyone! (I'm not quite to page 100 yet, so I hope I don't live to regret that recommendation!)

It's cooling off a bit so I'd better begin trying to get the woodstove going. (It takes some work to get it started.) I think I'll turn the TV on, too. It's really getting quiet in here!

Good-night!


HOMER

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