One Quiet Life

[The] avid interest of the countryman in his neighbours is a most vital part of country living, and is the cause of both pleasure and annoyance. I suppose it springs from the common and pressing need for a story. Books supply the panacea to this fever for those who read; but for the people who find reading distasteful, or are too sleepy after a day's work in the open air to bother with books, then this living drama which unfolds, day by day, constitutes one long enthralling serial, with sub-plots, digressions, flash-backs and many delicious aspects of the same incident as seen through various watchers' eyes. ~Miss Read, Village Diary I find great truth in this excerpt. I am easily held captive by the living drama that plays out before me on social media. The cure is simple: when I spend more time reading, I spend less time staring at a screen. It's time to lay in a supply of good books and teas for the Autumn and Winter...

The Christian cyberworld is inundated with articles on femininity and women's roles. At times I feel we've been reduced to the debate of complementarian versus egalitarian. Not that these aren't important issues to discuss, but sometimes I wonder if we get so caught up in rhetoric that we lose sight of Scripture. Lord, save us from that trap! Join me today at Out of the Ordinary to continue reading .

I'm continuing to read Jean Fleming's Pursue the Intentional Life , taking it slowing and letting the thoughts and challenges of the book sink into my soul. I've underlined and marked many passages, praying that they will stay with me. I'm learning a great deal that's particularly meaningful to me at this point in my life. As I've said repeatedly, I continue to ponder the intentional life and what it means. Not just what it means in general, but what it means for me . I'm continually  challenging myself to implement what I'm learning, through Scripture and Fleming's book.  I'm sure it will be something I do for the rest of my life. At least I hope so. I've set goals , to narrow my focus to the areas that are most important to my life and my family now. I imagine they always will be. The reality of how short I fall in each of these areas is startling and humbling; the progress to be made, overwhelming. My natural - and sinful - inclina...