The Shore

I honestly have no idea what to write. I just feel a release and a peace sweeping over me. All I can say is that God alone is good. It has been a hard road, but God spoke the most tender thing He could over me today. "I have delighted in your obedience."

Thank you, Abba.

I don't even know where we are going and that feels like a rhapsody to me.

We had a garden wedding today.

Here are some pictures from the joyous Potato Head wedding!

©stephaniecherry.com

Read with Me

I was recently given a complimentary copy of The Voices of the True Woman Movement to share about on my blog. I am going to start talking about a chapter a week in August. I wondered if any of you lovely readers wanted to read it with me and discuss it. You have a month to get a copy and the reading each week is minimal so we can fully absorb it. Let me know if you are interested.

http://www.truewoman.com/

Church It Up

Months ago, I came across the phrase "temple broke" in Brennan Manning's The Furious Longing of God. He didn't elaborate on it, but it left me thinking about it. What does being "temple broke" mean exactly? Is it like the bear in Open Season who was so comfortable being a family pet that he didn't want to leave the garage and live in the wild he was created for? Have we been domesticated? Have we been broken like a wild animal? We have learned to live so that people think we are tame and will want to be like us. Safe. Easy. No work involved. You won't find poop on the pew here. Say the right things and do the right things. Never mind that our hearts are black. We look good. Jesus said that the Pharisees were like the white-washed tombs. They appeared to be beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men's bones.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to appear beautiful anymore. I want to be a part of something that brings deep, unadulterated pleasure to the heart of God. I want to be a part of something that isn't focused on what we look like, but longs to bless God.

What are you on pilgrimage toward?

©stephaniecherry.com

All In A Day's Work

People are always asking me how I get done what I do. I actually had no idea and so I thought about what I do each day. What is your routine like?

I am a goal oriented person. If I set a goal to read a book or finish a project, I typically work on it until I am done (often staying up way too late). That led me to break my goals up. For example, I gave myself a goal of reading 56 books a year about 2 years ago. For me not to spend hours a day reading, I open to the back of the book and see how many pages there are. I divide the pages by 7 and then I have my daily reading goal. It's usually 25-30 pages a day.

My morning starts in the middle of the night. Usually I feel God prompting me to get up around 3 a.m. to pray and I lay out on the floor next to my bed and pray as long as He is telling me to. Then I go back to bed for a while.

After I get up and feed the tiny person who lives in my house I start my official day. Every day I have a "most important" list of things I do.

1. Read my chapters for reading the Bible in a year. (I do a different translation each year)

2. Do my daily devotional journal. This year I am doing Come Away, My Beloved.

3. Read my 25-30 pages of whatever book I am reading.

4. Write in my prayer journal.

5. Do scripture memory with Laomai

Three days a week Laomai and I do homeschool. I try to schedule and plan the meals I do in advance so I don't waste time trying to figure out what I am going to cook. Two or three days a week I will spend extra time remodeling and cleaning our house. I don't do that every day so that I don't burn out.

Other than that, my main goals are to play. I also love to write cards and write in my spare time.

Make time for what you love. Really organize the things you don't so that you don't waste time on them. I love lists and day planners. I plan my week on the Friday before and I try to always leave Sunday blank to experience the benefits of the Sabbath. I really love to serve and encourage others, to paint on canvas, to garden, and to cook. I also love to do Bible study. A personal goal is to have lunch with one friend a week. That is one of my favorites. I plan out surprises for my husband and my family. It is really quite a lot of fun! Perhaps I should do a post about how I do all of this. What do you think?

What does your day look like? What do you love?

The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

Richard Stearns was called by God to make a life changing decision. In 1998 he left his position as CEO of Lenox and accepted the position of president at World Vision. This book is much more than Richard's story. It's all of our story. We see him struggle to respond to a call that he was certain he was unequipped for. From that point on, we are drawn into the gospel mandate that God has given all of us. Feed. Heal. Love.

God has been doing a work in me. Perhaps it would be better stated to say that He has been working me over. A Hole in Our Gospel was the nail in my coffin. I had learned how to do church safely and give to others safely. That giving often looked radical to others, but God has a grand picture for us to live wildly that we are desperately afraid to lay hold of. I am praying for the faith to pick that vision up and live the crazy abandoned life that God has called us to live. The countless testimonies have been seared into my mind. May this be the definitive moment for me. Read this book and embrace the full power of the gospel on your life. Don't go back to the status quo.

There is an amazing study and resources available at http://www.thegospelquest.com

Please read this book.

"Are we, like Christ, willing to respond with compassion and urgency to those who suffer? Are we willing? Do we have the kind of faith, the moral courage, the depth of love, and the strength of will to rise up off our padded pews to demonstrate the good news to the world? One way or the other, this will be our defining moment."

*This book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review.

Memorial Day