For the Love.

Right now I’m reading For the Love by Jen Hatmaker.  I didn’t super want to post about reading this book because *everyone* and their aunt is reading it right now.  It’s too trendy for me.  I like to not do what’s popular just to be different than the crowd, but that’s a whole ‘nother post for a whole ‘nother time. Point is: I’m reading this book.

This morning I read two chapters about community and doing life with other people, one chapter about the Hatmakers’ Supper Club and one about their version of Sunday Night Church (SNC).  Basically, these are two regularly occurring events when their family is intentional about relationship and sharing their worlds with friends.  Jen brings up such important points about how other people are what make our lives so rich.  She says:

“If Jesus is the heart of the church, people are the lifeblood.  There is a reason He created community and told us to practice grace and love and camaraderie and presence.  People soften the edges and fill in the gaps.  Friends make up some of the best parts of the whole story.” (p.114-115)

Reading these words made be so abundantly thankful for the friends, the community, I have with whom to share my life.  We may not have the exact same SC or SNC that the Hatmakers do, but we have Sunday Lunch and Monday Night Dinner (MND) and beach vacations [beach group pictures courtesy of Miranda!] and weekends at the lake and the group texts she mentions.  Just last week, while driving home from MND, Jimmy and I talked about how blessed we are to have the friends we have.  Life just wouldn’t be the same (or as sweet) without them!

We’re on the brink of a new beginning…kids!  We started seven years ago as a group of singles.  Now we’re a mixed group of singles and married folks.  And next week the group will be welcoming our first baby.  It’s beautiful to see how we can grow and change and share life together.  Things will certainly look different for us in another seven years, but we can’t wait to see how the Lord uses these relationships to teach us more about him and to love each other better.

Now back to the part where I didn’t want to share about reading this book….  I few minutes ago, I was about to post the picture attached here to Instagram and share a shortened version of this post about how much I love my peeps and are so thankful I get to do life with them.  Wouldn’t you know a friend from high school who I follow on Instagram had just posted a picture of a page of this book.  But not just any page. NO. This exact page.  Needless to say, I didn’t put it on Instagram. I wrote this post instead.  For the love.

“Loneliness can be a prison, but we have keys.  You needn’t wait for someone to open the bars.  If you can make a pot of chili and use a cell phone, then you can create community.”  (p.117)

Chili’s on, and we’re not watching tonight’s game alone!

Good, Better, Best!

My dear friend (who I’ve mentioned before) and I just finished reading The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst this summer.  This is a timely book for our culture that is saturated in busyness.

Though I often turn up my nose at “girly” ministry-type events and books [for reasons that could be a post in and of themselves], I decided to give this one a chance.  And it was a good choice for my life.  Though I’ve definitely been getting better in this area, I surely have suffered from “the disease to please” (p. 5), so the truth of this book was one I needed to hear.

Slow and Steady

After being at it for about a year (I wish I was exaggerating), I finally finished Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  I am ashamed to say it took me so long, but I’ve had a few distractions this year (namely, starting to date my now husband and the whole engagement/marriage thing).  My goal for future reading endeavors is not to drag my feet as long as I did with this trio of books!  But I did eventually get through them…slow and steady.

I just started praying for my husband.

I just started praying for him mostly because I just started having a husband.  But before that I was praying for my fiancé and before that, my boyfriend and before that, my future husband (even when I didn’t know who he would be).

After we got engaged, my friend (who I’ve met with consistently for the past 8 years) and I started reading The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian together.  We haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far.  It’s simple and a quick read (We read 3-4 chapters between each time we meet), but it’s profound and important.  I’m thankful that we don’t have any huge issues in our marriage that need to be prayed over to be resolved, but I am praying that preventative prayer will help the hubster and me work through any issues that may come up in a healthy, God-honoring way.

Another friend of mine got married last year, and after she’d been in it a couple months, I asked her what book she would most recommend as I looked forward to marriage.  (Jimmy and I weren’t even dating at the time).  This is the one she recommended.  And I see why.

Prayer matters, and it makes a difference.  This book is a great way to guide my prayers for my husband and our marriage, and I highly recommend it to any wife or anyone who wants to be a wife someday.  It’s never to early to start praying for the man with whom you’ll share your life!

Have you read this book?  What do you think of it?

Do you have any other book recommendations for married couples or those who look forward to marriage one day?