The Spark Blog
{spark – a trace of life or vitality}
Random Reads: All Together in One Place: A Novel of Kinship, Courage, and Faith
Aug 16th
I recently finished All Together in One Place by Jane Kirkpatrick. It’s the first book in the Kinship and Courage series. I generally don’t buy much Christian fiction because the stories always seem the same and the characters and plots feel flat and predictable. This book, while predictable in some places, felt very real to me. The characters were realistically flawed. The plot is based on a true story. We start out following one couple who decide to sell their home in Wisconsin and move West. As they join a wagon train, we meet more characters and are soon swept up in their lives as well. Partway into their journey, a cholera epidemic takes the lives of about half of the travelers, including most of the men. The rest of the men either abandon them or go on ahead to pave the way. The women quickly realize they have to band together in order to continue forward.
I thought this book was a great picture of those who follow Christ. At first, the women have to leave many of their possessions, packing only what can fit into the wagon. Then, as they reach the first river, they find that in order to move forward they have to leave behind even more. Further still, they realize that in order to leave the flat ground and climb the mountains, they must leave behind yet more much-loved items. The main character, Mazy, longs for her easy, predictable life in Wisconsin and is heartbroken to move West. It takes her a long time to be happy where she’s at. I think she finds though that only by leaving the comfortable behind is she able to become someone she never dreamed she could be. She really bonds with the other women and builds a kinship that she’s never had before.
I don’t know that I’ll rush right out and buy the other books, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the sequels. This book certainly gave me some food for thought.
Random Reads: Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles
Aug 13th
I just finished reading Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles, author of Enemy Women, a book I’ve also read and own.
Stormy Weather is set in the Great Depression. It’s a story centered around a young woman and her itinerant family. Her father works on oil pipelines and derricks scattered around Texas, drinking and gambling most of the money away while he’s at it. He dies and leaves his wife and three daughters with nothing but the hope of returning to the abandoned family farm. The long-abandoned farm requires hard work and commitment, along with hardships of all kinds. The women struggle to reconcile their long-held dreams of the farm against reality of life on a farm – especially one so run-down. Along the way the women learn to care for each other and take care of one another. They learn to do things they never would have dreamed they could do and in turn are able to move forward and have the life they dreamed of for so long.
A sub-plot of Stormy Weather is the story of Smoky Joe, a wild racehorse that was purchased by their gambling father. The horse is dangerous and moody….and fast. The horse is a wonderful metaphor of the main character herself. Both are a bit wild and determined, but eventually find some solidarity and purpose and are able to move forward: leaving their past behind and embracing what the future holds for them.
Stormy Weather
I Tried It and I Liked It: Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Aug 4th
Mmmmm, so good. So moist. Definitely worth baking up a batch.
You can find this recipe over at Make and Takes. Lots of fun things on that site!
As usual, I used healthier ingredients and left out some of the sugar. They were still plenty sweet. Since I’ll be making these again I’ll try eliminating all the white sugar and we’ll see where that gets us.
Yummy moist and chewy cookies. Fresh from the oven
Random Reads: Experiencing the Spirit
Aug 3rd
I just finished reading Experiencing the Spirit: The Power of Pentecost Every Day by Henry and Melvin Blackaby. This was another thrift store purchase, one I almost didn’t make, but I’m so glad I did. As someone who grew up in a “slain in the Spirit” church, and felt very uncomfortable in that environment, I’ve been wary of much talk of the Holy Spirit. So it was much to my surprised that I enjoyed this book so much and couldn’t put it down. It’s not about the Holy Spirit being an emotional experience, but as a way to prepare us to do God’s work.
Some excerpts:
There are some who want to enjoy all the fruit of the of Pentecost without an assignment. But that isn’t biblical. The whole purpose of Pentecost was to enable us to do His will. Too many people want an experience without an assignment. They look at all the signs, wonders, and miracles, but they forget that these things accompany the assignment of God. The miracles have a purpose in the heart of God, and that purpose is not to satisfy our curious and egocentric nature. Yet we have a whole generation trying to tell us we can have the experience of Pentecost without an assignment. They’ve missed the whole point of Pentecost.
If you’re more concerned about the talents you don’t possess than about those you do, you’re of no use to God. But once you come to realize that God doesn’t need your talents, you’re ready for Him to express His power in your life. He’s looking for obedience.
Overall, what I took away from the book was that the Holy Spirit is what enabled Jesus to do what he did and that same gift is available to us, if we are obedient. The Blackabys talk about how we should be careful not to assign too much importance to spiritual gift inventories, for example, because if God calls us to do something we need to be totally relying on him and not any preconceived notions of what we are or aren’t capable of doing. If God calls, and we respond, he will equip us.
How He Loves Us
Jul 19th
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us allYeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
Random Reads: Mr. Darcy’s Diary
Jul 11th
Mr. Darcy’s Diary is the story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett written from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. Although it’s written in a similar style as Pride and Prejudice, it’s different enough to distinguish itself as a totally different work. Mr. Darcy’s Diary is a great companion to P&P for readers who struggle with understanding Austen. The book gives good insight, not only into what Mr. Darcy was thinking, but as to the character of Elizabeth, Bingley, Caroline Bingley, Georgiana, Whickam, Mr. Bennett, and the rest of the cast as well. The book follows the events of Pride and Prejudice very well. The one drawback is that it didn’t read much like an actual diary which threw me off a bit. Long conversations were recorded, word for word, which is pretty unlikely.
The author, Amanda Grange, is known for her interpretations of classical novels and takes few liberties with the story. If you’ve watched and enjoyed the BBC version of P&P, or the recent movie with Kiera Knightly, you’ll enjoy this book as well. Unlike some writers, I think Ms. Grange does a wonderful job of giving us more insight to the original novel and characters without crossing the line into using the characters to carry on another story altogether. She gives us just a bit more character development and dialogue to round the original story out, but doesn’t go so far as to make it into something else entirely. I couldn’t help but feel Ms. Austin would approve and look forward to reading more Amanda Grange novels in the future!
Random Reads: Thrift Store Books
Jul 10th
This is why I love the thrift store: $124 worth of books for $6. And they are all in very good condition! The downside, is that you never know what you are going to get. But if you want a specific book you could always check it out of the library for free! Personally, l LOVE the thrill of going not knowing what books I’ll end up bringing home. I’ve read some really great books that way. A few stinkers, too, but I’m able to find some kernel of truth in each book, so it’s no great loss.
I’m going to start doing short reviews of the books I’ve read recently. I’ve hesitated simply because they aren’t new books. Some of them have been out for ages. But the upside is that if you see something you think you’ll like you won’t have to sit on a waiting list at the library, right?
Mr. Darcy's Diary
Happy 6th Birthday, Luke!
Jul 3rd
Luke is six. SIX.
This:
Luke - 1 Day Old
Has turned into this:
Luke - 6 Years Old
From barely walking:
Luke - 1 Year Old
To out on the field:
Luke - Playing Soccer
From only child:
Luke - 2.5 Years Old
To Big Brother:
Luke and Gabe - Big Brother, Little Brother 2007
All along the way, he’s challenged us, changed us, and charmed us. We love you, Bubby!
Weekly Update: 6/28/2010-7/2/2010
Jul 3rd
Let me back up a bit, to Saturday, the 26th. We celebrated Luke’s 6th birthday party at the Magic House. I had no idea you could do a birthday party there. We kept the guest list pretty limited and it was very reasonably priced for what we got! He chose the science theme. I’m telling you, that child is going to be an engineer/scientist/SOMETHING. We all really enjoyed ourselves. We had a small family party at home. No frills, just cake and ice cream and present opening, but it was so nice to have everyone together.
When did my baby turn 6?
On Sunday we played hooky from church. Well, the boys and I did. They would not get out of bed and I was too tired to drag them out and put up with their crabbing and feet-dragging.
I had a Children Ministry Team Lead meeting on Tuesday. It was the first Team Lead meeting I’ve ever been invited to and I’ve been doing this for over a year. It was good to get caught up.
My mom came out late Wednesday night to stay the night. She had an appointment at the dentist the next day and I had to take her in. We had a nice time chatting. The boys showed off. She’s a wonderful grandmother.
On Thursday, the boys and I took mom to her appointment and camped out in the waiting room. The boys behaved themselves nicely and received several compliments and a sucker (at the DENTIST’S office!!!) for their good manners. I guess I’m not a total slacker at this child-rearing business! Then we headed over to Wal-Mart for about 2 hours (!) to wait for my mom’s prescription to be filled. I haven’t stepped foot in a Wal-Mart in years so two hours was a test of my patience. I broke down and bought a bag of animal crackers that we opened and snacked on throughout the duration of our wait. When in Rome, I guess.
We had a great time with our Life Group. The ladies sipped peach wine and watched Pride and Prejudice, while the guys played video games upstairs. Then our wonderful friends helped us put together the last of our pergola! We love them so much!
Ben was home all day Friday. I even went and got my hair cut. It’s been almost 4 months and it was looking pretty bad. I actually found a nice, local place that accepts the Spa Finder gift certificates I’ve had for YEARS now. Double yay. Then I did some thrift store shopping and found lots of cute stuff for a whopping $30! I also signed up for a third class for Fall. Since I received a scholarship, we decided I should put it to use! I chose a computer efficiency class. Looks easy enough. I saw the updated bill and it was awesome to see how much the scholarship reduced the charges! I’d say this was a good week!