Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts

Your Spring Book Club is Here!


Welcome back, all you enthusiastic, insightful, knowledgeable readers!  Please consider this your personal invitation to be a part of our 8th Online Book Club.

Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World is our first Book Club selection for 2022!  And when I say our, I mean if you're reading this, then you're a part of the Book Club.  That's it!

If you've ever found your people, you know it.  You get each other.  You share the same values, passions, and purposes.  You don't have to explain yourself every other minute.  You can be who you truly are, no fake-happy masks needed.

We were created to do life together in the company of others.  

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Beginning on Monday, April 25th, for 3 consecutive weeks, I'll swing the door wide open for you to come on in and make yourself at home.  Bring your coffee, book, laptop ... and your thoughts and questions, stories and insights.  Trust me, this is a safe online place to gather and the people who tend to hang around here are the real deal.  

*  Grab your Kindle or Hardcover or from your hometown library.  You don't have to read the book to participate, but if you can, I think you'll find it worth your time.

*  Subscribe here so you don't miss a session.  You can easily unsubscribe when Book Club is done if you'd like!

*  Invite all your in-person and virtual book-loving friends ... especially the ones who're lonely or feel like they don't quite fit in anywhere.

*  No sign-up, just show up any time that week!

*  In each session, I'll simply share a few of my favorite quotes and then we'll chat back and forth in the comment section..

3 Sessions
Monday, April 25th 
Part 1: We Need Each Other
(chapters 1 - 4)

Monday, May 2nd
Part 2: The Path to Connection
(chapters 5 - 9)

Monday, May 9th
Part 3: Fighting for Your Village
(chapter 10 - 12)

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A PEEK AT OUR PAST BOOK CLUBS 
2021
Dane Ortlund

Anne Bogel

2019
Anne Bogel

Emily Freeman

Patti Callahan

2018
Adam McHugh

Ruth Haley Barton

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INTRIGUING BOOKISH LINKS





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E-BOOK DEALS
I'm having too much fun gathering / updating the best e-book deals I can find for you!  150+ titles are categorized, alphabetized, and available 24/7 for you to scroll through.  

Recent Listings? 
Brene Brown.  John Grisham.  Tish Harrison Warren.  Karen Kingsbury.  Henri Nouwen.  Madeleine L'Engle.  C.S. Lewis.  Holley Gerth.  Nicholas Sparks.

If you're like me and need to work at keeping your quiet time from becoming rote and routine, you'll discover a hefty number of devotional books.  And, of course, I've always got my eye open for hidden gems on relationships and emotional wellness.

Click here, bookmark ... and come back often because books come and go each day at the drop of a hat.  I'd love for you to make a stop at the e-book deals page part of your routine online travels.  

Please help me get the word out about this unique collection.  There have been some incredible jaw-dropping bargains this past month! 

📚 

If you've been a part of one of our Book Clubs, do tell!  We've got lots of new readers these days and your welcoming words would be a lovely way to say hello ...
Linda 💙


📚

doing life with 
Jeanne/Lisa J & Anne
Richella & Lisa

📚

As an Amazon Associate, 
I receive a small compensation 
when you make a purchase 
using these links
 {at no extra cost to you!}

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Gentle & Lowly Book Club - Finale

Dear Gentle Companions ~

Thanks for investing the time to reflect on Dane Ortlund's powerfully peaceful work, Gentle and Lowly: the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.  

This was not one of those volumes to race through, but to savor.  I found myself laying the book down many times to let the beauty of Christ's lovingkindness soak deep into my soul.  Please give yourself freedom to pace yourself as you finish ... or start ... this soothing, reassuring book.

One day at a time, one paragraph at a time.  All by His grace and pleasure.

Moment by moment I’m kept in His love,
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
  Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
- Whittle -
1840 - 1901


Whether we have been sinned against or have sinned ourselves into misery, the Bible says God is not tightfisted with mercy but openhanded, not frugal but lavish, not poor but rich.  That God is rich in mercy means that your regions of deepest shame and regret are not hotels through which divine mercy passes but homes in which divine mercy abides.
{179}

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God didn't meet us halfway.  He refused to hold back, cautious, assessing our worth.  That is not his heart.  He and his Son took the initiative.  On terms of grace and grace alone.  In defiance of what we deserved.  When we, despite our smiles and civility, were running from God as fast as we could, building our own kingdoms and loving our own glory, lapping up the fraudulent pleasures of the world, repulsed by the beauty of God and shutting up our ears at his calls to come home - it was then, in the hollowed-out horror of that revolting existence, that the prince of heaven bade his adoring angels farewell.
{191}

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When you sin, do a thorough job of repenting.  Re-hate sin all over again.  Consecrate yourself afresh to the Holy Spirit and his pure ways.  But reject the devil's whisper that God's tender heart for you has grown a little colder, a little stiffer.  He is not flustered by your sinfulness.  His deepest disappointment is with your tepid thoughts of his heart.
{194}

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Our fallenness now is not an obstacle to enjoying heaven.  It is the key ingredient to enjoying heaven.  Whatever mess we have made of our life - that's part of our final glory and calm and radiance.  That thing we've done that sent our life into meltdown - that is where God in Christ becomes more real than ever in this life and more wonderful to us in the next.
{210}

What have you learned or rediscovered about Jesus?
Linda

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🍁

as an Amazon Associate, I may receive a small 
financial remuneration if you use the link above 
to purchase this book

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Gentle & Lowly Book Club - Session 3

Hello again, my friends!  

I hope this Sabbath finds you rested and at peace, even amidst the busyness that late September always seems to bring our way.  I'm so glad you're joining with me in creating space for reflection on chapters 13 - 18 of Dane Ortlund's Gentle and Lowly: the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers.

 



The Spirit's role ... is to turn our postcard apprehensions of Christ's great heart of longing affection for us into an experience of sitting on the beach, in a lawn chair, drink in hand, enjoying the actual experience.  The Spirit does this decisively, once and for all, at regeneration.  But he does it ten thousand times thereafter, as we continue through sin, folly, or boredom to drift from the felt experience of his heart.
{126}

❤

The one who rules and ordains all things brings affliction into our lives with a certain divine reluctance.  He is not reluctant about the ultimate good that is going to be brought about through that pain; that indeed is why he is doing it.  But something recoils within him in sending that affliction.  The pain itself does not reflect his heart.   He is not a platonic force pulling heaven's levers and pulleys in a way that is detached from the real pain and anguish we feel at his hand. 
{138}

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God's thoughts are so much higher than ours that not only does he abundantly pardon the penitent; he has determined to bring his people into a future so glorious we can hardly bring ourselves to dare hope for it ... God's heart for his people is building toward a crescendo as the generations roll by, preparing to explode onto human history at the end of all things.  Our joyous restored humanity will surge forward with such spiritually nuclear energy that the creation itself will erupt in raucous hymns of celebration.
{161}

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What do you perceive him to be in your sin and your suffering?  Who do you think God is - not just on paper but in the kind person you believe is hearing you when you pray?  How does He feel about you?  His saving of us is not cool and calculating.  It is a matter of yearning - not the yearning for the Facebook you, the you that you project to everyone around you.  Not the you that you wish you were.  Yearning for the real you.
{166}

God is always inviting us into something deeper and more vibrant.  What is He calling you to as the final quarter of 2021 begins?
Linda

Next Sunday we'll wrap up our discussion.  I hope you'll be back to reflect with us!
Kindle  -  $9.99
Hardcover  -  $14.79

as an Amazon Affiliate
I may receive a small financial reimbursement 
when you use these links to make a purchase

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Gentle & Lowly Book Club - Session 2

Hey Dear Friends, 
welcome back to
Book Club!


This week, we're comparing notes & observations 
from chapters 7 - 12 of Dane Ortlund's
Gentle and Lowly: the Heart of Christ
for Sinners and Sufferers


Christ's heart is a steady reality flowing through time.  It isn't as if his heart throbbed for his people when he was on earth but has dissipated now that he is in heaven.  It's not that his heart was flowing forth in a burst of mercy that took him all the way to the cross but has now cooled down, settling back once more into kindly indifference.  His heart is a drawn to his people now as ever it was in his incarnate state.  And the present manifestation of his heart for his people is his constant interceding on their behalf.
{78-79}
Let Jesus draw you in through the loveliness of his heart.  This is a heart that upbraids the impenitent with all the harshness that is appropriate, yet embraces the penitent with more openness than we are able to feel.  It is a heart that walks us into the bright meadow of the felt love of God.  It is a heart that drew the despised and forsaken to his feet in self-abandoning hope.  It is a heart of perfect balance and proportion, never overreacting, never excusing, never lashing out.  It is a heart that throbs with desire for the destitute.  It is a heart that floods the suffering with the deep solace of shared solidarity in that suffering.  It is a heart that is gentle and lowly.
{99}
Perhaps we feel that to the degree we emphasize Christ's compassion, we neglect his anger; and to the degree we emphasize his anger, we neglect his compassion.  But what we must see is that the two rise and fall together.  A compassion-less Christ could never have gotten angry at the injustices all around him, the severity and human barbarity, even that flowing from the religious elite.  No, "compassion and indignation rise together in his soul."  It is the father who loves his daughter most whose anger rises most fiercely if she is mistreated.
{108-109}
He is with us, as one of us, sharing in our life and experience, and the love and comfort that are mutually enjoyed between friends are likewise enjoyed between Christ and us.  In short, he relates to us as a person.  Jesus is not the idea of friendship, abstractly; he is an actual friend.
{119-120}

Let's talk about Jesus ...
Linda

P.S. 
Book Club continues next Sunday as we focus on chapters 13 - 18. 

P.S.#2  
Christmas is coming, people!  And I know no better gift than Gentle & Lowly {and maybe the journal?!}
Kindle  -  $9.99
Hardcover  -  $14.79

P.S.#3  
As an Amazon Affiliate, I may receive a small financial reimbursement when you use these links to make a purchase.  Thank you!

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Gentle & Lowly Book Club - Session 1

Welcome to Book Club #7!  

In four sessions, we'll be comparing notes
and sharing our hearts as we page through
Gentle and Lowly: the Heart of Christ
for Sinners and Sufferers
by Dane Ortlund.

Here's four short passages that have hit home for me in chapters 1 - 6.  Grab your book and let's talk.  Don't be shy ... jump right on in!

His yoke is kind and his burden is light.  That is, his yoke is a nonyoke, and his burden is a nonburden. What helium does to a balloon, Jesus' yoke does to his followers.  We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness.  He doesn't simply meet us at our place of need; he lives in our place of need.  He never tires of sweeping us into his tender embrace.  It is his very heart.  It is what gets him out of bed in the morning. {23}

Our tendency is to feel intuitively that the more difficult life gets, the more alone we are.  As we sink further into pain, we sink further into felt isolation.  The Bible corrects us.  Our pain never outstrips what he himself shares in.  We are never alone.  That sorrow that feels so isolating, so unique, was endured by him in the past and is now shouldered by him in the present. {48}

When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because he will know just how to receive us.  He doesn't handle us roughly.  He doesn't scowl and scold.  He doesn't lash out, the way many of our parents did.  And all this restraint on his part is not because he has a diluted view of our sinfulness.  He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do.  Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge.  His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people ... rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, he gets down with us, he puts his arm around us, he deals with us in the way that is just what we need. {54-55}

Perhaps it isn't sins so much as sufferings that cause some of us to question the perseverance of the heart of Christ.  As pain piles up, as numbness takes over, as the months go by, at some point the conclusion seems obvious: we have been cast out.  Surely this is not what life would feel like for one who has been buried in the heart of a gentle and lowly Savior?  But Jesus does not say that those with pain-free lives are never cast out.  He says those who come to him are never cast out.  It is not what life brings to us but to whom we belong that determines Christ's heart of love for us. {64-65}

Our 4 week Book Club continues next Sunday as we focus on chapters 7 - 12.  It's not too late to get your own personal copy of Gentle & Lowly  ➜

Kindle
$9.99

Hardcover
$14.75


Linda
May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.
- 1 Peter 3:18



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Announcing Book Club #7 !!

Hey Friends ... how very good to spend a few minutes with you this weekend!  

I hope you're finding yourself at peace despite the oppressive heat, disconcerting news reports, and an increasingly busy calendar.  

I know of no better time to announce that Gentle and Lowly: the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund is our featured volume for our 4 week Sunday Evening Book Club beginning September 12th and running through October 3rd.

During our recent conversations on cultivating a gentle and lowly spirit and the books that have been my companions on that journey, a number of you began to share that you've read Ortlund's book, wanted to read it, or already had it stashed somewhere in your TBR pile.  

Your words have led us to this title.  Thank you for taking us there.

My faith has been strengthened, my soul calmed and quieted as I've sat quietly with each chapter.  It'd be safe to say that God has used the author's prayerful words to continue the soul restoration He's been doing after a season that almost did me in.

'Whom do you perceive him to be, in your sin and your suffering?  Who do you think God is - not just on paper but in the kind of person you believe is hearing you when you pray?  How does he feel about you?  His saving of us is not cool and calculating.  It is a matter of yearning - not the yearning for the Facebook you, the you that you  project to everyone around you.  Not the you that you wish you were.  Yearning for the real you.  The you underneath everything you present to others' {page 166}.





Ready for Book Club #7?
🔖   Get your copy of Gentle & Lowly
Kindle - $9.99
Hardcover Book - $14.75
Book & Journal - $27.99
{As an Amazon Associate, I may get a small financial benefit if you use these links.}  Or maybe your public library or church library has a copy? 

🔖   Mark your calendar for September 12th, 19th, 26th, and October 3rd.

🔖   Begin reading, being sure to take notes / highlight the sections that grab your attention.  Chapters to be discussed will be given a week ahead. 

🔖   The Book Club goes live late Sunday afternoon / early evening for 4 weeks.  Head right to the blog and join the party!  I know no better way to wrap up a quiet Sabbath or regroup from a chaotic weekend than to burrow into a quiet corner, gather in the company of other like-minded souls, and participate in a faith-nurturing dialogue.

And no, you don't have to show up on Sunday evening.  You are welcome to come and go as you please.  You don't even have to read the book or sign up to be included {although you might want to subscribe so you don't miss a single get-together!}

🔖   I'll simply share 2 or 3 quotes from the book.  And then swing open the doors and invite you to speak for yourself in the comment section.  Email readers will receive the post on Monday and can comment either by hitting the REPLY button, or do so on the blog.  

BONUS!  Listen to these short, superb devotionals between now and then - Introducing Gentle and Lowly: A 14-Day Devotional Podcast

If ever we need this kind of prayerful listening, reading, and discussion, it'd be right about now.

Anticipating ~
Linda



🔖

linking up with
Jeanne / Lisa J  .  Richella  .  Lisa
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Don't Overthink It * Session #3

Welcome back to the grand finale of our three part Sunday Evening Book Club ... a short, thought-provoking read, surely suited to the disquieting season we're navigating through.

I'm glad you've stopped by here and there, and as always, am especially grateful for all those who took a bit of their valuable time to hang around and chat when you certainly could have been somewhere else.

Love you guys.  You're always the best part of any post.  Truly.

Anne Bogel's Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life was absolutely birthed for 'such a time as this.'  Its pages offered us substantial yet simple tools to incorporate into our lives in Anne's trademark friendly yet wise style, with no heavy verbiage or pontificating {which is certainly the last thing any of us need right now.}

And my friend, Carol, wrote it well - ''I also am seeing the ruts in my mind that I create with overthinking.  Our minds get used to doing it so we fall into it easily.  I have always said there are ruts in my soul that I can fall back into and I have to keep myself aware of the the potential to do so.  Alas, daily inventories and support groups give me self awareness tools.  This book is providing me with gentle reminders of what to look at in my inventories.  Bottom line: I can’t stop these poor habits so I make note and ask God to change, change, change what He needs to change.'

Let's jump right in with standout quotes from Part 3 - Let the Sun Shine In

Spontaneity
{Chapter 10, page 151}
'When it's clear a decision is needed to move forward, the worst thing we can do is not act.  Making a choice - any choice - is better than staying stuck debating our options, letting the moment pass us by ... Just pick something, anything!  It's better than doing nothing, and besides, things that don't unfold according to plan often make the best memories.  So what if, instead of resisting these sideways moments, we leaned into the decision, knowing that good things may await us on the other side?'

Rituals
{Chapter 11, pages 159, 161}
'You can take your daily routine and turn it into a ritual, one that invites you to remember who you are, what you value, and what you want to accomplish ... A ritual unites the rhythm of routine with focused attention - a powerful combination for avoiding overthinking.  It's hard to overthink when we are focused on the moment.  The ritual also forces us to slow down - and we deliberately slow our bodies, we slow our minds as well.'

Welcoming
{Chapter 13, page 185}
'We know overthinking pulls our thoughts in unhelpful directions, as we pursue threads of worry, remorse, or regret.  But we may not realize that overthinking also prevents us from welcoming good things into our lives.  We cut ourselves off from life's small pleasures, talking ourselves out of potentially good things and wasting a lot of mental energy in the process.  We suspect we'll regret denying ourselves, yet we do it anyway.'

Abundance 
{Chapter 13, page 187}
'We can learn to treat ourselves gently, and with kindness. We can go from closely monitoring the efficiency of our every move to giving ourselves the grace to not be so darn efficient all the time, from having to continually justify our decisions to feeling released from needing to get everything perfect.  

We can give ourselves permission to enjoy something that exceeds the minimum we need to get by.  We can appreciate the good things right in front of us without feeling guilty about them.  We can trade a scarcity mentality for an attitude of abundance.'

What's your biggest takeaway from Don't Overthink It?
Linda

P.S.  The Kindle edition is still an unbelievably ridiculously low $1.59.  Get yours here! {As an Amazon associate I may receive a small financial profit if you use this link.}

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Set Yourself Up for Success

Take Charge

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Don't Overthink It * Session #2

Oh, I'm overjoyed to see your beautiful smiling face again, pastel pink paperback {or Kindle} in hand!   

This is our 2nd of three Sunday Evening Book Club gatherings focused on Anne Bogel's Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life.  It's not too late to head on over to Amazon where the Kindle edition is a still too-good-to-be-true priced $1.59!  You can also get the paperback right here.  {As an Amazon Associate, I may get a small financial benefit if you use these links.}

As I'm reflecting on our first discussion, perhaps Trudy summed it up best - 'I guess I haven't overcome perfectionism, Linda.  Especially when it comes to inwardly over-thinking.  I often replay what I wish I had said in my mind following a conversation, and I frequently second-guess my decisions.  I had never connected that to perfection.  I guess I know I'm kind of hard on myself and need to allow myself more grace...'

Yes, grace.  Unmerited favor.  Let's not beat ourselves up as we move through the chapters.  Last time I looked, not one of us has arrived.  With a palpable sense of relief, we discover yet again that we're all in the same boat in one way, shape, or form.  We're not companionless as we move forward toward healthier ways of thinking and responding to life's sometimes daunting challenges.

Let's jump right in with quotes from Part Two - Take Charge ...

Procrastination

{Chapter 6, page 88}

'When we put off doing something we don't want to do, we keep the unpleasant thing right in front of us for much longer than we need to.  As long as we're contemplating the issue, we're dwelling on the negative.  If we're dreading something, we can serve ourselves well by dealing with it sooner rather than later.  If we're overthinking something we can actually do something about, the best thing we can do is speed up to move on.  Take action as soon as possible.'


Nurture

{Chapter 7, page 96}

'Because our thoughts cascade into our feelings and actions, what we think about matters.  When we nurture positive thoughts, we feel good, when we nurture negative thoughts, we feel bad.  The nature of our thoughts directly affects not only the content of our experience but also our quality of life ... When we feel good we are kinder, more creative, more expansive in our thinking, more open to possibility, and just more pleasant to be around.  When we focus on the negative, we not only feel bad but also make ourselves more and more the type of people who overthink, because negativity fuels the mental spin cycle.'


Rumination

(Chapter 7, page 98}

'Rumination may be good for cattle, but for us, nothing good comes of mulling over unworthy issues at length.  Instead, rumination hijacks our focus and makes us miserable.  When we ruminate, we can't shut off our brains.  Our thoughts go round and round; we feel stuck, like a hamster on a wheel.  These negative thoughts - and resultant emotions - damage both our ability to think clearly and our general sense of well-being.'


Journaling

{Chapter 7, page 106}

'Many things don't feel so daunting once they are written down, because the act of writing forces us to clarify what's actually happening and what we need to do about it.  Many find writing to be a helpful tool, but watch out.  Therapist Amy Morin calls journaling a "common trap" for those inclined to ruminate.  She writes, "For overthinkers, journaling may backfire.  If you write about bad things that happen, things you worry about, or uncomfortable emotions you experience, your journal may reinforce your negative thoughts."  If you relate, Morin's advice for your journaling sessions is to stick to the facts rather than dwell on the emotions surrounding them.'


Routines

{Chapter 8, page 114}

'Many of us resist routine because it feels confining or boring ... But boring doesn't have to be a bad thing.  Predictability can be exactly what we need because the purpose of routine is not to limit us but to clear the mental clutter ... Routines are meant to serve us, not handcuff us.  When smartly deployed, these option-limiting strategies create freedom by creating headspace, whether we're making museum-worthy art or just trying to manage our ordinary days.'

Wow!  Anne's giving us a rich banquet, so much food for thought, prayer, and action.  My eyes have been opened even wider in this second reading.  What's hitting home for you?

Linda

P.S. #1   Don't Overthink It * Session #1 and Session #3

P.S. #2  Read Part 3 - Let the Sun Shine In, chapters 10 - 14, for our final session next Sunday evening.

P.S. #3  Enjoying Book Club?  Please subscribe!

P.S. #4  Sharing our bookish sessions with Jeanne  .  Richella  .  Lisa

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