Book Club

(I found this unpublished post from a few months ago that is fairly timely for today, as I'm starting book club this very evening...!)


A quote from John Ortberg's about embracing the things that you enjoy.

"Devote a specific day to acts of celebration so that eventually joy will infuse your entire life. One day a week eat foods you love to eat, listen to music that moves your soul, play a sport that stretches and challenges you, read books that refresh your spirit, wear clothes that make you happy, surround yourself with beauty - and as you do these things, give thanks to God for his wonderful goodness. Reflect on what a gracious God he is to have thought of these gifts."

I need to spend some time thinking about what some of those things are, but one of the things I know that I love to do is read. Read anything. You've already learnt of my love of the superhero genre in general... but I also love reading all other things, my overflowing bookcase is a testament to the diversity of my literary tastebuds. 

"There is a certain kind of writing that invites this kind of reading, soft purrs and low growls as we taste and savour, anticipate and take in the sweet and spicy, mouth-watering and soul-energising morsel words." (Eugene Peterson - Eat This Book)

I love to read, and I've realised I need to be thankful for the gift that it is to read, and that it can be a spiritual experience. That something amazing can happen between me and God, and all because of ink placed in different ways on a sheet of paper. 

So, prepare yourselves for occasional reviews and thoughts on what I'm reading, because I plan on doing some more of it.

I'm also playing around with the possibility of a real-life in-the-flesh book club in the Dublin area. If you are within driving distance of there and interested, drop me a line...

Count them up.

This song is the new one from the Rend Collective Experiment. I watched it recently again, and was once again reminded of the phenomenal grace that we are privy to in the Kingdom of God. The lyric that really blew me away as I was listening to it was the bridge:

 "Count the second chances we've been given at the cross". 

Just reminded of the idea that God's grace is unending and unceasing. The image of the ocean used in this video is such a timeless one, really reminding me of the vastness of God's grace. A grace we can truly lose ourselves in.

Arrow

In November last year I started a course that I’ll be doing for the next 18 months called the Arrow Leadership Course (http://www.arrowleadership.ie/) It’s a mixture of week long residentials mixed with reading inbetween those times and one-on-one meetings with a mentor monthly throughout the process.

So far I’ve been loving the experience of getting back to learning. I’m reading books I would never usually pick off the shelf, which has been a mostly positive experience so far, and hearing from wise people during the residentials. People with great answers to difficult questions! 

Expanding my mind, meeting new people in similar lines of work and learning more about what it means to do the job that I am doing while continuing to walk in step with the One who put me here in the first place.

So I’m thankful that I was put forward for this programme, and for the help that I’m getting with the fees. I am truly grateful to people and to God for the opportunity to try and continue to grow over this period.