2009, In Books

This post is about a month late, but I don't care. I just haven't had any down time lately, but the recent snow has changed that, at least for today.

Here's the list of books I read in 2009:

1. Night by Elie Wiesel
2. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
3. Twilight (all four of them, sadly) by Stephanie Meyer
4. Guests of the Sheik by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea
5. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
6. River Town by Peter Hessler
7. The Cry of the Dove by Fadia Faqir
8. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (hands down the best book I read in '09!)
9. The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus
10. Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell
11. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (second best of '09)
12. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield (least favorite)
13. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
14. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs
15. Sister India by Peggy Payne (second least favorite)
16. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
17. Light Force by Brother Anrew and Al Janssen
18. Peace Child by Don Richardson (if you love missions at all, read this book!)
19. The Opium Clerk by Kunal Basul (third least favorite)
20. There is No Me Without You by Melissa F. Greene (ties for second favorite with #11!)
21. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
22. Dragonfly by Fredric S. Durbin
    
23. The Midwife of St. Petersburg by Linda Lee Chaikin
24. Redeeming Love by Francis Rivers (this was my 3rd attempt, finally did it!)
25. Tamar by Francine Rivers
    

So if you count the Twilight series as just one giant book, I read roughly two books per month. This year I'm really looking forward to what's ahead of me! I felt like last year I had to get some of the books I felt obligated to read because I had bought them out of the way. I still haven't read all the books I own, but I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

And may I ask, what's one book you plan to read this year? You know, the one that's been sitting on the shelf, staring you in the face. Mine is this:

Fact: This book is 1349 pages long and it may weigh more than my cat. Behemoth!

The Kingdom is Welcome in Haiti

I'm an unashamed NPR junkie. I listen to it on my way to work, on the way home from work... and even on the weekends. (Car Talk, anyone?)

Of course like every other news media organization, NPR is offering extensive (heartbreaking, tiring, gut-wrenching) coverage of the earthquake(s) in Haiti.

And there is a message coming from the devastated country that not even NPR can hide: the Kingdom of God is in Haiti, it's welcome in Haiti, and even now is advancing in Haiti!

Take a listen to these two short audio snippets I found on NPR's website, you won't be sorry:

This first one really got me around minute 2



This next one made me weep openly in my car, around minute 2:43, and I'm not a cry-er...

A Gamer is Born

24 Comes For Everyone

Last week it was her birthday, now for her hubby!

What can I say about Garrett Gilkey?

He does not like to be sweaty but he'll still help a friend move out of her house in the middle of August.

Yea though some have said he plays a girl guitar (I honestly don't really remember where that came from...) he's rad musician!


It's always questionable when stepping into the Punisher whether or not Garrett has enough gas to get your to your destination.

So here's to Garrett (pictured here with his lovely wife)! I'm glad you transferred from Murray to Campbellsville. I'm glad we got to make music together. I'm glad we've gone on adventures together. I'm glad you're friends with Dusty. And I'm glad you married one of my best friends.

Happy 24th year!

"Old Man Winter Can Die In His Sleep"

I Want One

Photo shoot with Sophia Grace, age 5 weeks


(Is it just me or are BIG bows on little girls just the sweetest things in the world?)

Belated Birthday Blog (How's that for alliteration?)

I've been meaning to get better about recognizing important people's birthday and I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge shoutout to someone whose birthday was, I'm afraid, yesterday.

The King! Wait... oh, shoot. Wait, that's not who I meant:

It's Erika! My first friend in Campbellsville waaaaay back in 2004. We've shared a lot of, shall we say, interesting experiences together. We've laughed together, cried together, prayed together, gone on double dates (I think, right Erika? I mean anytime the four of us hung out together it could be considered a double date!)

And even though she lives in another land (ok, or just Western Kentucky) I know she'll always be among my most cherished friends.

So Erika, have a great 24th year!

PS: I've got a quite terrible case of BSA in this picture.

Jesus and Lady Wisdom

Tonight we started back with our regular Sunday night routine. Dusty is essentially breaking John down chapter by chapter, verse by verse. It's going to be a great study because he is not using some pre-made lessons complete with a workbook and DVD.

We looked at the Prologue this evening, John 1:1-18. He drew a comparison between Jesus bringing revelation to the world and the Lady Wisdom personification of Psalm 8-9. Asking teenagers to think abstractly is a pretty scary game plan, but Dusty took it a step farther. Not only did he ask them to read both sections and draw comparisons between the two, but since the Prologue and Proverbs 8-9 are very poetic he thought it would be great fun to then ask them to team up and write a haiku about the similarities!

I was skeptical, but I must say I love what everyone came up with:

Dusty's:

wisdom is Jesus
who existed from the start
creating with God

Jenny and Jesslyn:

Jesus and wisdom
are both precious and worthy
we can trust in both

Ethan's haiku which plays off "hating things of the world":

you must hate to love
the wise will seek and find Christ
come and eat my food

Lauren and Zack, who found the both Jesus and wisdom are "very old":

He is the most wise
He was here before the flies
He has no disguise

Emily and Mallory, along those same lines:

both are old and smart
they offer good things for life
follow in their ways

Emily and Mallory also decided that one just wasn't enough:

wisdom is good stuff
Jesus rocks like wisdom, yo
so be like them dawg

Marc and the Famous Will Gorgeous Campbell came up with this little gem:

Jesus and wisdom
are most righteous and holy
always existed

And here's mine:

wisdom and jesus
calling in streets and on earth
are after our hearts

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. I'm a little bummed that I can't be with her in person today, but I think it's something we've gotten used to through the years.

I don't have many pictures of or with my mom because she believes herself to be rather un-photogenic. But here's a sweet moment that we shared back in May of 2008... I won't need to explain really:

My mom is one of my favorite people in the world. She listens to me when I have a bad day, and I usually leave the conversation with a smile on my face. She has taught me how to be married to a "man in the ministry" without losing your sanity. She has also proven time and time again how much she loves and supports her family. Also, if you put the two of us side by side you'll see an almost uncanny resemblance. The first thing people told me when she was here visiting for Christmas was, "Wow, you look exactly like your mom!" I guess that's not an all together bad thing.

So happy birthday Mom! Sorry I haven't gotten you anything yet, but rest assured this blog post isn't your gift!

Love,
Emily

2009, A Best Of

From my iTunes, song play count, here are my top 5 most listened to songs:

1. Oh My Sweet Carolina-- Ryan Adams-- Play Count: 50
2. In Your Atmosphere-- John Mayer-- Play Count: 49
3. Desert Song-- Hillsong-- Play Count: 39
4. Stronger-- Hillsong-- Play Count: 38
5. Blood Bank-- Bon Iver-- Play Count: 36

From the books I've read this year, here are my top 3 favorite:

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
2. There's No Me With You by Melissa Faye Green
3. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs

From the pictures I've taken this year, here is my favorite:

From the movies I've seen this year, here are my four favorite: (not necessarily new releases)

1. Inglorious Basterds
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Amelie
4. Gran Torino

This verse has really categorized my year with the Lord:

"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?" Luke 11:10-13, The Message

2009, you started off pretty rough (especially with the freakish ice storm) but your ending has been smooth and sweet.

2010, you've got some big shoes to fill.