I was very excited to receive my copy of “God In My Everything” because the author, Ken Shigematsu, is my mentor and I respect him greatly. This is my review of his book.
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6 Games to make your Meetings Fun, Engaging and Effective (a book review of Gamestorming)
Meetings can be oh-so-very boring. I have sat through my fair share of dull, uninspired, and ineffective meetings at work and church. And I have often wondered (while sitting through such meetings) why so many people go through the motions when it seems like a royal waste of time.
A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life
Olive’s rating: 5 stars out of 5
I absolutely loved this book. Parker Palmer did an excellent job of painting a picture of what safe communities of people look like and how they help individuals toward living an undivided life of integrity.
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A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life [book review]
Olive’s rating: 4 stars out of 5
I was skeptical about this book when I first picked it up because I’d thought Miller’s previous work had been a little fluffy. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. In my humble opinion, I think this book is more mature than his other work – but with the same laugh-out-loud humour that is so enjoyable to read. This book looks at what makes up a good story and asks us whether our lives are reading as good stories.
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Start Something that Matters – the TOMS story
Recently I read Blake Mycoskie’s book, “Start Something that Matters”. Blake is the founder and “Chief Shoe Giver” of TOMS. It outlines the inspiring story of TOMS, a social enterprise that has given over 1 million new pairs of shoes to children in need.
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THE TESTIMONY OF LEAVES
THE TESTIMONY OF LEAVES
An Exerpt on God’s Faithfulness from “The Holy Wild” by Mark Buchannan
A leaf. Behold a single leaf. So fragile, it tears like paper, crushes in your hand to a moist stain, sharply fragrant. Dry, it burns swift and crackling as newsprint, pungent as gunpowder. Yet a leaf may withstand hurricanes, stubbornly clinging to its limb.
Hold it open in your palm. It is perfect as a newborn’s smile. Pinch its stem between thumb and forefinger and hold it to the light. Eden bleeds through. Its veins are like bone work in silhouette. This single leaf, joined to the tree, drinks poison from the air, drinks it serenely as Socrates downing his cup of hemlock, and refuses to return in kind, instead spilling out life-giving oxygen. This leaf tilts to catch the sun, its warmnth and radiance, to distill the heat and light down to the shadows, down to the roots, back up to limbs. To shade the earth. To feed you and me.
A leaf. God makes these season after season, one after the other, billions upon bilions, from the Garden to the New Jerusalem, most for no eye but His own. He does it faithfully, or else I would not live to tell about it, or you to hear.
Perhaps of all my many sins against heaven, this ranks with the worst: Until this moment, I have never thanked God for a single leaf.
I read this a while back but seeing the flaming reds and brilliant hues of orange and yellow around here, I can’t help but marvel at the miracle of a single leaf – and the mystery of the big-ness of God.
~Habbakuk 2:14~
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THE COTTAGE
THE COTTAGE
i’ve discovered that i’m a very angry person. surprised? yeah, so am i.
i finished reading Delighting God by Victoria Brooks last night. in it, she tells the story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan during the initial stages of their relationship. knowing that Helen’s well-meaning parents would interfere with her teaching, Anne Sullivan takes Helen to a cottage for two weeks, during which she patiently and strong mindedly re-trains young Helen. after these two weeks, Helen has learned how to be a civilized member of society. however, her teacher wanted more from her. Anne Sullivan wanted nothing less than Helen Keller’s freedom. the cottage experience was just the beginning.
the author goes on to say that similarly, in our lives, God takes us to the Cottage so that He can take our bad habits away from us and make us into acceptable Kingdom subjects. and likewise, His aim is not merely for our civilization. God wants our freedom.
honestly speaking, i think i’m in the Cottage right now. i can’t understand why God has to make me face so many things, why He has to challenge me so much. why He can’t just leave me alone to rest! i’m thrashing about, throwing tantrums everywhere and as much as i want to run away, everywhere i turn, He’s there. my perspective of Him at the moment is that He is a demanding teacher, stripping me of everything i’ve grown accustomed to. oh, i know He loves me and that’s why He does this. but my finite mind just seems a little too small (or perhaps i’m too immature) to grasp His GOODNESS in all this. or maybe His goodness is being clouded over by my discomfort.
i switched over from soft contact lenses to hard ones yesterday. it sucks. i was amply warned beforehand that my eyes would itch, that it would be uncomfortable and that i’d want to give up. it still sucks. and it’s hard to be patient when i can’t see properly and all i’m waiting for is for my body to get used to it. i’m so completely helpless. i can’t change a thing. i guess that’s what this boils down to: i feel trapped.
so here i am stuck in the Cottage. full of anger. and desperately, desperately needing God.
Jesus loves me, this I know
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me,
the Bible tells me so.
~Hebrews 11:1~