Library Love: Pursue the Intentional Life

I am apart of a Lord-loving, food-eating, and laughter-seeking girls group that has been meeting every Thursday for the past several years. They've grown together, grieved together, and have opened their arms and hearts to me.

This summer we read Purse the Intentional Life by Jean Fleming. And you guys, it changed my life. I want to shake each of you and demand you read it. Jean has concepts and thoughts that I have never considered before and she writes so beautifully. It's like snippets of her diary, a window into her heart.

The title explains what the book is about- how to live our lives with intention. How to slow down, redirect, and focus on what God really wants from our brief time on earth. Jean shares with us from her "old woman file" lessons God has taught her and questions she is still pursuing. Her searching ignites my hunger.

"I find that contemplating the end of life leads not to depression but to clarity and invigoration. Setting my life in parentheses and holding it at arm's length helps me to think more critically about the direction of my life..."

"...Life is short. Soon my life on earth will give way to my life in heaven. Rather than leading to panic, the reality leads to a peaceful and settled urgency. Although thoughts of heaven are so lovely to consider, the Lord reminds me that my short stay on earth is my only chance to honor Him with faith and faithfulness."

In my 19,000 some-odd days left on earth, Lord willing, I want my life to be intentional. I want my actions, my words, and my thoughts to be spirit-filled and God-led. I want to constantly refocus my gaze, realign my heart, and point others to the only hope we have. 

Weekend Plans

While my husband plans to build a fence this weekend (manual labor..yuck!), I plan to sit by the pool.

Just in case you were wondering, I have no intention of exercising. 

And I have every intention of stuffing my face full of food.

Don't judge me. I need cheat days...or weekends...or weeks. 

Ugh, give me more chocoloate!

I do, however, plan to knock out some {late}summer reading. Seeing how September is quickly approaching, I need to check off some August goals that I set for myself a few speedy-weeks back. 

I dropped by my local library today and picked up this weekend's cast of characters:

The Widow of the South... "follows the saga of Carrie McGavock, a lonely Confederate wife who finds purpose transforming her Tennessee plantation into a hospital and cemetery during the Civil War."

The Glass Castle..."is a memoir by Jeannette Walls. The book recounts her and her siblings' unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional parents."

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet... is "about the love and friendship of a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl during the Japanese internment in World War II."

I'll keep you posted about my pool-side adventures!

What are your weekend plans?

Library Love: Born To Run

I love to read. I grew up watching my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mom spend countless hours pouring over books. And now that I am almost one-year post graduation, my appreciation has only grown. Lucky for me (and my monthly budget), Fort Smith has one of the biggest libraries in the state of Arkansas.

My most recent read was Born To Run by Christopher McDougall.

I first picked up this book because it was a 'running book' and I needed some motivation. (It was a sad time. Please don't make me talk about it.)  The author is actually someone who initially believed he was not born to run, but after exploring the secret world of the Tarahumarah Indians his philosophy changed. McDougall unveils the history and culture of the Tarahumarah, who live in the seemingly uninhabitable Copper Canyons of Mexcio. Then he and a handful of ultra-runners (crazy people who run 100 mile races) travel to Mexico to compete with the Indians in a treacherous 50-mile race. It's pretty epic.

My only complaint: Skip chapter 28...I wish I would have. It consisted of 31 pages attempting to prove the notion that evolution has made humans into naturally born long-distance runners. How I longed for the author to realize that our highly complicated and intricate bodies could only come from a Higher Creator.

However if you truly feel that you were not built to run and have zero motivation to try, I would recommend this book to you. You do not have to be a runner to read this book, but warrning: You will want to be a runner.