What We Found at the Library: Prayer and thankfulness

It's been awhile since I've had assigned reading. And then, this spring, there were three books (not including poetry) that I was supposed to be reading at once. Not for a grade. And not exactly mandatory. But still.

It started when I signed up for a book club through the women's ministry at my church. You pick a topic/book from a list (as well as a second and third choice - just in case), and they put you in a group with 5-7 other women who chose the same thing.


Right about the time I heard back which book club I'd be in (topic: gratitude) and that we'd be starting right away, my small group leader decided we should discuss a book at our twice-a-month meetings.


Not long after that a third book came my way, but that is another story for another What We Found. Suffice it to say, it was all a little overwhelming.

So even though the Hubs and I try to avoid buying many new books, we found ourselves purchasing Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy for my book club and A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World for our small group the same week. (We actually couldn't find them in the library.)


In the end, it was really neat to be reading Choosing Gratitude and A Praying Life at the same time. The topics meshed together beautifully: giving thanks in all things and praying continually. Being thankful for what you have and praying for what you need. Expressing gratitude for others and lifting them up in prayer. Sometimes I have trouble remembering what I read where.

Both books were honest, insightful, practical and focused on the deep-rooted attitudes behind our actions, rather than just overwhelming you with a big checklist of Things You Must Do.

I recommend reading them both. Maybe even at the same time - or at least one after the other. My book club has even talked about reading A Praying Life in the near future.

What books have you found at the library - or your local bookstore - lately?

Shrimp van to Rufus the plant

7 Quick Takes - the (almost) weekly post where I share random stuff from my week that doesn't fit anywhere else.

Ready? OK!


If you're driving south from Phoenix on Maricopa Road, you'll start to see handmade signs along the side of the road advertising "Rocky Point Shrimp." Eventually, you'll get to the place of business: a large white van on a rural corner. The weirdest part is that I've seen bunches of cars parked around it more than once. You have to be pretty brave to buy stuff out of some random van. Especially sea food. That came from 5 hours away. In Mexico. All I can say to both business owners and customers: Buena suerte.


I'm still planning on doing more cloth diaper definitions, I just haven't had the time to put that together yet. Hopefully I can post that this week. (Keep your fingers crossed!)


The pastors at my church have started fasting and praying on Thursdays, and they've invited the rest of us to do the same, if we feel lead to do so. Skipping a meal (or even eating a meal that doesn't have enough protein) is physically a problem for me. (I get huge headaches, dizziness...blahblahblah....won't bore you with all the details.) So I've been thinking about what really is the essence of fasting and how to set aside time to focus on prayer without making myself sick. I've skimmed John Piper's "The Crazy Idea of Fasting in '09" and this other article, "Biblical Fasting - What It Is and How To Do It," I randomly came across. I'd like to take more time to read through those. Oh yes, and I read a post on the Girl Talk blog too. Any other recommendations?


Ladies: I heard about month.ly.info from SortaCrunchy Megan a couple months ago. It's a great tool for tracking your monthly cycle, which might turn out not to be as random as you think it is. Very simple, very handy - especially if you're specifically trying to have or avoid having children right now.


Sometimes there are cool things going on here locally that I want to make sure the Phoenix-area peeps know about, but I know that you are not all in Arizona (or anywhere near it). I guess I figure maybe it'll give you an idea for something to do in your own town. Like "oh, I can't go that art show, but I wonder what local artists around here are doing." Or maybe you'll come visit. That's my thinking anyway. What do you guys think? Does the Phoenix stuff get on your nerves?


Hubs is sick today. So I'm working in between saying things like, "Have you taken an aspirin yet?" and "Why don't you drink some more water?" but trying not to be a nag.


When the Hubs picked up his prescription yesterday (hey, I offered to go, but he went on the way home from the doctor), he also picked up this tiny, adorable little plant. His name is Rufus.


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Take time for more quick takes at Conversion Diary.