Fall is here and as the days are gradually getting shorter I am spending more time indoors. As I think about these next few months, and embracing this fall season, I love to find a good book to read! Do you? Are you looking for a book to cozy up with?
I recently read Jen Hatmaker’s, For The Love – Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards. I thought it was a terrific book, and Jen is absolutely hilarious! She has a fabulous sense of humor and she will make you LOL over and over again. Not only that, but on a more serious note, she is authentic and speaks about the importance of showing grace and love to others, just as Jesus has taught us. Here are a few ideas that I have taken away from her book:
- Use humor. Make sure to get laughing in your day! “Scripture instructs us to live presently and joyfully, resisting worry and believing Jesus set us free for freedom’s sake.” She goes in detail to discuss the latest fashion concerns – like leggings and jeggings – leggings as pants and tights as pants. I’m not giving any more hints, but worthwhile tips, indeed. She has several chapters titled, “Thank-you Notes”, as she describes it is, “sarcastic gratitude to various sundry things.” Examples here are: Spanx, Instagram Filters, yoga pants, etc.
- Be authentic. Tell the Truth. When we can be open and honest with others, “this creates a sincere community for which the earth is starving. In a world full of the fake, artificial, pretend, and superficial, we have the sustenance to nourish our starving hearts…When bright places are created, the dark has nowhere else to hide.” What a great thought! Get rid of the darkness and let the light shine in!
- Love one another. Go outside your comfort zone. Use your spiritual gifts. “Sister, that gift is needed everywhere, every day, for every person. This is your calling…love God, love people.” I couldn’t agree more! God has shown so much love to us, let’s use this love and extend it to others around us. People are hurting and lonely. Who can you reach out to today, by just a simple act of kindness?
- Have a Supper Club. I love this idea! It’s a group of 3-4 couples where they have a monthly rotation. One evening out of the month you get together with your friends and have a meal. The couple that hosts cooks, too – and – it is serious cooking! Often times, in the rush of life, we have ball games or practice or fill in the blank, where we rarely get in a good conversation with our spouse or friends. This deepens friendships and the relationships we have with one another.
- Love God and follow Him. “Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly. Treat people as you want to be treated. If you want to be great, be a servant.”
I just ordered another book by Jen, Inter-rupted. “Is there more to faith than just safe and sequestered, predictable and boring?” Stay tuned for more!
