Monday, May 18, 2009

Books I Want to Read

I have a grand plan of reading some books this summer. Here are some books I cannot find at the local library that are on my wish list now:) I will try to keep you up to date on what I am reading, if you have some suggestions, fiction or non-fiction send them my way!

1. God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question--Why We Suffer by Bart D. Ehrman


God's Problem

* So many people have asked me this question lately (friends and kids) and I feel I need to take a look at some scholarly research on it.

2. The God I Don't Believe In: Charting a New Course for Christianity by Gary L. Wilburn

The God I don't believe in...
*This book sounds like a refreshing look at Christianity and it has great reviews
3. Leaving the Church-A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown-Taylor

*I am very interested in hearing from lots of female pastor perspectives as I continue my process of discernment, Barbara Brown Taylor is one such pastor. The review of this book was phenomenal and this was included in the review, "Anyone who is thinking about going to seminary; anyone that is thinking about leaving the church; anyone who is wondering why church has become so difficult; anyone who is wondering why good clergy are becoming more difficult to find; anyone who cares about the postmodern church; anyone who is trying to find a way to re-conceptualize their Christian faith so that it matches the reality of the twenty-first century, should read this book."

**4.Souls in the Hands of a Tender God: Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets by Craig Rennebohm

Souls in the Hands...
*This is the one I want to finish for sure this summer! This book is written by a Chaplain that has worked in the Mental Health field for many years, his perspective sounds wonderful and much worth reading. The review said, "I recommend this book particularly to professionals in the mental health field, to those who have struggled with mental/emotional problems, and to those who have mentally disturbed family members or friends. Your understanding and patience will be rewarded."

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Happy Mother's Day Mom:)


Mom,


I am so broke, so purchasing a present was going to be a little difficult this year so for your Mother's day gift I decided to give you a tribute here on my blog. So, Mom, have a wonderful Mother's Day!!! I wish I was there to celebrate with you, but last year I graduated for Mother's day & found out where I was going to be a missionary, so it's hard to top that! This year I am just a missionary starting my 2nd year of service haha. I love you Mom!


Love,


Your oldest, Brookie

The Top 10 Reasons (I could go on all day) Why My Mom is Amazing:)


1. Everyone loves her! No seriously, her choirs always love her, the kids love her, the parents do, she is just very lovable.

2. She teaches music and has always made music apart of our lives and never pushed it on us (well there was that one time with the Meredith Girls Chorus, I guess I forgive you!). Page took after you more than me, but I still love to sing.

3. She loves to go antique shopping and thrift store shopping. She always finds a deal and I love this about her. She also decorates our house in cool ways, and finds cool places to live like our new loft!!!

4. She always made time for us growing up, even when she was stressed, tired and busy with church work.

5. She has been extremely supportive of all my crazy mission endeavors. This means a lot.

6. When I'm home we love to go get coffee and a fruit bowl from Foster's and sit outside and talk:) I cherish these moments.

7. I talk to her every day, It's rare if we skip more than 2 days without talking. She's always there to listen to me vent, or to give some advice.

8. She is independent, she left home right after High School and moved far away to do what she really wanted to do. She did things she wanted to do before she settled down. She's not afraid to take risks.

9. She has always remained herself, through marriage for 25+ years, 3 kids, various jobs, many moves, and lots of change. She is still true to herself. She's been a good role model for me on that.

10. She raised the 3 of us to be good kids (well I guess she is still raising Amie!). She pinched pennies to get us on vacations each year. She made sure we had all we needed in school. She supported all we did.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Beautiful Boone:)





I am very behind on blog entries. So there will be few close together. 2 weekends ago I went to NC to visit friends, grad school, seminary, and tell people about being a US-2. It was a fast and crazy trip, but a much needed one. This post will focus on one element of the trip... My first time visiting my alma mater since I graduated a year ago.

I'm not going to lie, I was very apprehensive about going to visit. I mean I have moved on, my life has changed so much since I was in college. I loved most of my college years and I am grateful for them. But I wanted to run away from them as fast as I could, and I did. I ran until I got to Urbana, IL. I have many friends still in Boone. I missed them, but I wanted my new life. But I missed those mountains so much. Usually you do not appreciate something fully until you loose it. That is how I was with the mountains. So on that glorious driving up the mountains I could not help but smile and thank God for letting me live there for 4 years, and for letting me return.


The drive up was blessed with some wonderful conversations with my friend Kara. We are both working for very little money trying to save the world (or at least our small populations we work with). I'm so glad we have kept in touch, we have gone through similar things this year and it is comforting to have a friend that knows how you feel. Upon arrival in Boone I got to see so many people, it was wonderful!!!


Saturday, we woke up and went to breakfast at my favorite place, Melanies Food Fantasy (doesn't that just sound amazing!) It's an organic/hippee place that has the most amazing food. Their vegan biscuits and gravy are delicious, greek omlette is to die for, and the french toast is out of this world. I only had the french toast this time. But it was a wonderful way to start off a day in Boone, and it was extra special because it was my friend Sarah's Birthday!!! After breakfast we headed to the parkway! Like old times we congregated on lots of blankets trying to bask up the spring sun. Some of us got burnt, but it was worth it! My dear friend Kelly brought her guitar, morrocas, and tamborine and we rocked out to our favorite jams and there was even a hippee dance involved (are you suprised?).


Dinner that night was lovely with seeing more friends and celebrating Sarah's birthday:)


Church in the morning was unexpectedly wonderful. I got to see people I didn't expect to, like Jennifer and Robert + The Hege's + Reed + The Farrington's. It was such a God send. Lunch with some people, and then Megan and I were off back to Durham.


It was an emotional weekend, realizing things had moved on with out me, but also so much stayed the same. I realized how much I have changed, and I thanked God for changing me. Boone is still one of my favorite places in the world. Those mountains are good for the soul:)

DUKE/CAROLINA


While I was down in NC, I visited both Duke and Carolina. Duke for their Master's of Divinity Program and Carolina for their Master's of Social Work Program. They offer a Dual-Degree program that you can complete in 4 years between the 2 schools. I was very interested in the program and wanted to check it all out. I am still in discernment mode on all of it. I have a lot to still chew on after visiting the 2 schools. I was very impressed with them both. I just have a lot to think about with it all. I would apply to both in probably September and would hear from Duke by Christmas, and Carolina in probably February. I haven't had much time to process since I got back so I hope there is some time this summer that I can really spend time figuring things out. We will see what the fall of 2010 will bring... it will be a hard transition from working full time back into school. But to do what I want to do for the future I need to go to seminary at least. Oh decisions, decisions...I'm just trying not to rush this one.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Jesus - The long-haired radical socialist Jew

My friend shared this on her blog today and I just loved it and had to share it with you all!

Well Jesus was a homeless lad,
with an unwed mother and an absent dad,
and I really don’t think he would have gotten that far,
if Newt, Pat, and Jesse had followed that star.

So let’s all sing out praises to
that long-haired radical socialist Jew.

When Jesus taught the people, he
would never charge a tuition fee.
He just took some fishes and some bread
and made up free school lunches instead.

So let’s all sing out praises to
that long-haired radical socialist Jew.

He healed the blind and made them see;
he brought the lame folks to their feet.
Rich and poor, anytime, anywhere,
just pioneering that free healthcare!

So let’s all sing out praises to
that long-haired radical socialist Jew

Jesus hung with a low-life crowd
but those working stiffs sure did him proud
some were murderers, thieves, and whores
but at least they didn’t do it as legislators

So let’s all sing out praises to
that long-haired radical socialist Jew.

Jesus lived in troubled times—
the religious right was on the rise.
Oh what could have saved him from his terrible fate?
Separation of church and state.

So let’s all sing out praises to
that long-haired radical socialist Jew.

Sometimes I fall into deep despair
when I hear those hypocrites on the air.
But every Sunday gives me hope
when pastor, deacon, priest, and pope
are all singing out their praises to
some long-haired radical socialist Jew.

They’re singing out their praises to…oooo…oooo…
some long-haired radical socialist Jew.

© 1996 Hugh Blumenfeld/Hydrogen Jukebox Music