A Bubble Held in Awe

Source: aholyexperience.com via Jen on Pinterest

“I don’t really want more time; I just want enough time. Time to breathe deep & time to see real & time to laugh long, time to give You glory & rest deep & sing joy… I just want time to do my one life well. Life at its fullest is this sensitive, detonating sphere — and it can be carried only in the hands of the unhurried and reverential— a bubble held in awe.”

~ One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

Happy *almost* Sweet 60th!!!

Source: Uploaded by user via Ally on Pinterest

It's not until January 3rd, but I'm ready to celebrate NOW! :)

Dear Mom,
Sarah & I were talking on our hike the other day about how the greatest things you taught us through homeschooling were during our daily morning Bible studies with you and how you modeled being a godly wife. You LED me to Christ & point me towards Christ more than anyone else in my life. That is the greatest gift you have given me. I would not be here if not for God using you & your walk to draw me to Himself.
I love you so much and pray that this new decade is your BEST one yet!
You're diamonds!*
Love,
Jen

* When I was little, this was how my mom and I told each other "You're the best" and "You're better than the best!"

Colleen's Book List!!

Though Colleen and I have yet to meet in person, I truly consider her a kindred spirit. I've been dying to get Colleen's book list of her faves and boy oh BOY is this worth the wait! :) If you're looking for a good read, check this out. :)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2011
by Colleen Chao

My all-time favorite reads

It's been four months since I began compiling this list of my favorite books, thanks to Jen Brown's inspiring suggestion. (Jen and I met through our blogs, not yet in person, and we've enjoyed the sweetest fellowship via email and Facebook. I'm so thankful for her and her ministry of encouragement in my life!) It's been fun revisiting these books I refer to as "old friends" and the fond memories of times and places I've read them.

And Jen, per our agreement, I think this now obligates you to post your own lovely list! ;)

The books I return to again and again…
The Dangerous Duty of Delight, Piper
The Importance of Being Foolish, Manning
The Grand Weaver, Zacharias
The Knowledge of the Holy, Tozer
The Cross-centered Life, Mahaney



The biographies that have shaped my life…
Marriage to a Difficult Man, Dodds
A Chance to Die, Elliot
The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, The Roots of Endurance, The Hidden Smile of God, Piper
Shadow of the Broad Brim, Day
George Mueller’s Autobiography, Mueller

The books that celebrate God’s design for marriage…
This Momentary Marriage, Piper
Sacred Sex, Gardner
Intimate Issues, Dillow
What Did You Expect?, Tripp
When Sinners Say I Do, Harvey



The collections that whet my appetite for more of the Word…
Morning and Evening, Spurgeon
A Godward Life, Piper
My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers
Valley of Vision, Puritans
St. Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine

The books for my imaginative side...
All Things Great and Small, Herriot
Redeeming Love, Rivers
Christy, Marshall
Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson
Emma, Austen



The books for my wordy nerdy side…
Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Truss
Lapsing into a Comma, Walsh
The Elephants of Style, Walsh
Garner’s Modern American Usage, Garner
Chicago Manual of Style

The books that have sustained me in my darkest seasons…
Deserts of the Heart, Reeve
The Problem of Pain, Lewis
The Grand Weaver, Zacharias
The Swans are Not Silent, Piper
Get Out of That Pit, Moore

Want This For My Kitchen!

Source: pixelperfectblog.com via Jen on Pinterest

Laura & Her Dad

My sister Katie captured this sweet moment at the wedding. I absolutely love it! My heart swells each time I look at it. :)

Creative Reminder to Pray

Source: thecreativeplace.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

One of my coworkers saves all her Christmas cards / photos and prays for each person throughout the year. This year I'm going to put all the cards I get into a book like this & do that, too! LOVE this!

Okay, I made mine, so I'm adding it to this post. So easy & fun!

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

I'm reading this book (at my sweet momma's suggestion) by Ann Voskamp and really enjoying it. She's an incredibly gifted writer, mom of 6 kids and wife of a farmer. And her pursuit of gratitude changes everything. I know I'm the most content in my singleness when my heart is full of thankfulness. Peruse her blog (link below) and be encouraged, dear friends!

Ann Voskamp invites us to slow down, to learn how to live the full life of eucharisteo (with grace, thanksgiving, joy) regardless of circumstances. With lovely word pictures inspired by everyday life in her family and on her farm, she writes about her struggle to live joyfully amid sin and sorrow and suffering. -- WORLD Magazine

Another review: "Compelling, poetic, and poignant, Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts dares us to become grateful in everything. Voskamp is a beautiful narrator, retelling painful, sometimes grief-stricken moments with fearless vulnerability. One Thousand Gifts is a masterpiece full of wise hope and light, with simple truths that will inspire you to see God's grace in everyday circumstances, blessings, and hardships."

From the Back Cover:

Just like you, Ann Voskamp hungers to live her one life well. Forget the bucket lists that have us escaping our everyday lives for exotic experiences. 'How,' Ann wondered, 'do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long -- and sometimes even dark? How is God even here?'
In One Thousand Gifts, Ann invites you to embrace everyday blessings and embark on the transformative spiritual discipline of chronicling God's gifts. It's only in this expressing of gratitude for the life we already have, we discover the life we've always wanted--a life we can take, give thanks for, and break for others. We come to feel and know the impossible right down in our bones: we are wildly loved--by God. Let Ann's beautiful, heart-aching stories of the everyday give you a way of seeing that opens your eyes to ordinary amazing grace, a way of being present to God that makes you deeply happy, and a way of living that is finally fully alive. Come live the best dare of all!

Here's a link to her blog as well:

Goin' to the Chapel of Love!

2 weeks until my sweet friend Laura walks down the aisle! We had a shower with games, an amazing devotional by her best friend and maid of honor, and lots of side-splitting laughter. So excited for my Lola!