I just finished reading Mark Batterson's latest book, The Circle Maker. If you have followed Coffee Shop Journal at all, you know that Batterson is one of my favorite authors in the current Christian landscape. So I have been slowly savoring The Circle Maker, letting its message sink deep rather than skimming the surface of my mind. The premise of The Circle Maker is simple: God honors the prayers we pray. Hardly ground-breaking! But Batterson frames The Circle Maker in…
[caption id="attachment_1711" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="An embroidered throw -- like this one, but not this exact one -- is a reminder of my covenant to pray."][/caption] I think the Israelites would have conquered the Promised Land in half the time if they'd just skipped building stone pillars, memorials and altars all over the country. I honestly believe they were a nation of stone masons! I'm sure you've noticed it too: every few chapters they were building an altar to remember the…
There are no ordinary people. You have never met a mere mortal." -- CS Lewis Who am I now that I'm not who I was? This is a question that has been running around my head for the past year. David and I are, predictably, in a season of change in our lives. Part of that change was inevitable: our kids are moving out and all those responsibilities will soon rest mainly on their shoulders. This is an amazing transition,…
I tend to go MIA around New Year's for no other reason than I am a stubborn person underneath my calm (!) exterior. It's the same reason why I won't go to the gym today even though I'm craving a little exercise. I just hate to do the thing that is expected of "everyone." So you haven't read any end of the year retrospectives, or best of 2009 posts. No lists of what's to come in 2010. At least not…
Thank God for epiphanies. Thank God for those moments in time that transcend time. Thank God for those moments when we discover something deeper, something truer, something greater than physical reality. Thank God for those moments when our spiritual eyes are opened to behold beauties and realities we were blind to before. Epiphanies. Mark Batterson is describing them in Primal, his latest book. He is also delivering them on every page. Nearly Everything Mark Batterson has written has transformed my…
Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray, is one of my favorite movies, even if it is a little repetitious! For years, friends of mine would come over every Groundhog Day for a meal and a little time reliving Murray's frustration at having to live the same day over and over and over. There is a segment of time during the movie when Murray stops fighting against his fate and starts using the time available to him differently. He begins to read…
The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don't take it personally when they say "no" -- they may not be smart enough to say "yes". -- Keith Olbermann Isn't that the truth? Just at the moment when you catch a glimpse of the stunning possibilities God might have…
I sat on the porch tonight -- one of the first comfortable and beautiful nights of fall -- and spent some time talking to God, reading, and listening. It was one of those nights when the ideas come faster than my pen can take notes. All of them bloggable!!! I am currently reading Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. I'm sure I'll be talking about it a lot in the days to come. Somehow, Mark speaks the words that speak…
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day - Chapter 8 It has been awhile since I've posted a Snowy Day post. Life has been busy! But tonight I was drawn back to Mark Batterson's book, and we are now on chapter 8: the importance of looking foolish. Let's start with a quote: We try to look like everybody else. We try to talk like everybody else. We try to dress like everybody else. And the end result?…
