Living Outside the Stacks

I was never much of a pink lipstick girl. I prefer browns and berries but lately, I’ve been playing around with brighter/softer colors. I’m still not completely sold but I’m trying…

Do you change up your lipstick colors or do you stick with the tried and true?

I’m linking up with Misty and Kim for Shoot. Edit. Submit. If you’d like to join in, the “rules” are simple:

1. The photo must be taken this week {Saturday~Friday}
2. Only one entry per person
3. Must have the “Shoot. Edit. Submit.” button or text link to back to this week’s post to qualify
4. Link only to the blog post and not your main blog URL

And make sure you visit some of the other participants and leave some comment love.

SCRIPTURE

Titus 3:5 {NIV}

he saved us, not because of  righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

OBSERVATION

Two key points for me are:

1. “he saved us not because of the righteous things we had done, but because f his mercy”:  Romans 3:23 {NIV} says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” so it wasn’t our works or the goodness in our hearts that caused God to save us, it was His mercy. Mercy can be defined as compassion that’s shown towards an offender {sinner} or the offering of divine favor, so God has shown divine favor on us sinners and given us the opportunity to be renewed
2. “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”: “rebirth” and “renewal” implies that we are new again and it is through the cleansing of the Holy Spirit that we are made so

APPLICATION

One of my biggest faults is my temper. I have to constantly remind myself to “be angry and sin not” {Ephesians 4:26}. I’ve gotten better about not letting the sun go down on my anger but, let me tell ya, there are times when it’s truly a struggle. That’s when I have to think back over my life and all of the mean and nasty things that I’ve done and/or said to people and remember that God looked at all that, read the thoughts passing through my head, saw the darkness in my heart and said “I love Daenel. I’m going to have to do something to help her out. Jesus, I need you to go down there, make some friends, preach for a little while and then die. But it won’t be a quick and easy death. See, I’m gonna need you to get betrayed by one of your friends, lied on, beat up and spit on. Wait, there’s more. You’re gonna have to get nailed to a cross, pierced in the side with a sword and then die a slow and agonizingly painful death… But, and this is the important part, I’m going to need you rise up in 3 days!”

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank you for the gifts of your love and mercy that were shown to me even before I came to be. Thank you for sending your son as the ultimate sacrifice for my sins. Please help me to show the same grace, mercy, love and kindness to those who are with me. Help me to forgive even when it hurts. Amen.

I spent a little bit of time playing with some fruit that I had laying around the house. Truth be told, I should be eating it instead of photographing it because it’s like thisclose to going bad, but I couldn’t resist the pretty colors. Did I tell you that I get distracted by shiny? Well, apparently I get distracted by pretty colored food too.

I’m also experimenting with Photoshop in preparation for next month’s One in Thirty Photography Challenge, you can read about it here. I didn’t realize how much fun it could be. I mean, I’ve tweaked stuff using Photoshop but learning to manipulate stuff is both fun and intimidating.

I’ve been watching a lot of tutorials and reading over some of my favorite photography blogs, so that’s helping a lot. And today I found out that my son will be taking Photoshop at school, so I think the fact that I’m teaching him how to drive is payment enough for him to teach me a few things. And, you know, there’s that whole I gave him life thing…

I haven’t really started playing with textures and actions yet but I think that’s next on my list of things to do. Do you have any recommendations for free actions? If so, leave them in the comments section below.

I’m also thinking that these pears would make some tasty pear tarts. Oooh, or how about dipping them in caramel and rolling them in crushed walnuts? Insert tummy grumble Ummmm, yeah, I think I’m done here…

I’m linking up with Deb from Deb Duty Photography for This or That Thursday. If you’d like to link up, here are the “rules”:

• Submit the URL of your blog post, not your homepage
• Link up to a photo that was taken by you
• Include a link back to Deb’s blog (you can use a link or the button)
• Visit a few other blogs and leave some comment love

Do you have any suggestions for what to do with my pears?

To see more pictures from our adventure, click here

SCRIPTURE

Jeremiah 29:11 {NIV}

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

OBSERVATION

From the beginning, God has had plans for us. He created us, therefore He knows our strengths and our weaknesses, He knows what we can and cannot do. And with this knowledge, His plan for us is that we use our talents to be happy, healthy and prosperous in Him.

APPLICATION

I have often said that I have the navigational skills of a monkey in a hurricane. Case in point, a few weeks back, my daughter and I were driving home from running so errands and, on a whim, we decided to check out the Bollinger Mill Historic Site (the sign said it was about 13 miles up the road). We had no idea what the Bollinger Mill Historic Site was but neither of us was really ready to go home so…

Midway through the drive, I started to panic because it was at that point that we realized we have driven more than 13 miles and that we were in the middle of nowhere. Cows and farmland as far as the eye could see. I kid you not, it was about 45 minutes and twenty~something miles later that we arrived at our destination.

I hid my panic from my daughter as we talked and laughed and took pictures along the way. We sung songs, teased each other and had a wonderful afternoon. In my getting lost, God was able to allow me to bond with my daughter. You see, not all the time is “prosperity” about wealth, sometimes it’s about creating memories, spending time with loved ones and just laughing.

I needed that moment with my daughter. I had been feeling a little bit lost and out of sorts. Friendless. And God knew that I needed someone to perk me up. He took what could have been an anxiety provoking moment for me and turned it into something beautiful.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, thank You for the plans that You have for my life. Thank You for using my weaknesses to show Your strength. Thank you for knowing what I need, when I need it. Amen.

I’m linking up with:

SCRIPTURE

Psalm 136:1 {NIV}

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

OBSERVATION

We are to give thanks to the Lord for all of His blessings and for His never ending love.

APPLICATION

The other day as I was leaving the post office, I saw a woman trying to balance a giant box and open the door at the same time so I quickly moved to the side, opened the door and held it for her and she brushed past me without so much as a nod. I stood there a minute, door still wide open… Seriously, she couldn’t say “thank you”? What has happened to common courtesy?

As I read today’s verse, I wondered how many times I’ve left God just standing there with the door open? How many times have I failed to acknowledge the many gifts He has given to me?

PRAYER

Father, I just want to thank you for all that you’ve done for me. I want to thank you for my life, my health and my strength. I want to thank you for the family and friends that you’ve given to me. I want to thank you for the daily reminders of your enduring love.  Amen.

Once again, my friend Bobbi at Librarian by Day is coordinating the Library Day in the Life Project. The Library Day in the Life Project is a semi~annual librarian and library worker share fest. In other words, librarians and library workers from all over the world (and I do mean all over the world) share a day or a week in their lives with each other. It’s a chance to exchange ideas, share projects and talk about the different jobs within libraries.

I’ve participated in the Library Day in the Life Project whenever I’ve had the opportunity because I believe deeply that libraries provide vital services for the communities they serve. Even when I’m not working at a library, I support the mission of libraries by encouraging people to develop a love of life long learning. If you’ve ever wondered what librarians do or asked the question, “You go to college for this?”, you definitely need to check out the Library Day in the Life Project.

For my blogging friends, please take the time to read the blogs, like the Facebook page or view the flickr stream of the librarians who are participating in Library Day in the Life. You can also follow the conversations on Twitter using the hashtag #libday8. This is your chance to get a “behind the scenes” look at what it takes to make your library run. You’ll learn that being a librarian is more than checking out books. Librarians are on the cutting edge of technology, they’re innovators who work hard to make sure that you have access to information in its various forms.

For my library friends, this is an opportunity for you to escape the echo chamber and reach a new audience. Many parenting/book bloggers are passionate users of library services (just check out this post at Houseful of Nicholes) and they understand that their voices carry weight. Talk to them, explain to them the services that your libraries provide and how those services will be impacted by budget cuts. Don’t stress how your library does more with less, stress how your library will do less with less.

Library Day in the Life Project will run from 30 January to 5 February.

SCRIPTURE

Deuteronomy 7:6 {ESV}

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the people who are on the face of the earth.”

OBSERVATION

Three things stood out for me in this verse:

1. “…you are a people holy to the LORD…”: “holy” means to be set apart for a religious purpose and as such, they are to be living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system
2. “…God has chosen you…”: they were specifically chosen because they were wanted, not because there weren’t any other available options or they were the last group of people left
3. “…for his treasured possession…”: as a treasured possession, they have value (both sentimental and monetary ~ Jesus was the ransom that was paid, John 3:16) and will be cared for

APPLICATION

When I was in school, the one game I truly hated playing was Dodgeball. I was always the last person selected. I was the slowest runner. The least coordinated. The easiest target. Even the window licker and the nose picker were selected before me. And I was always the first one to get slammed in the back by that hard red ball. I’d sit there on the bleachers, tears stinging my eyes, just wishing for once that I could be first.

In 1 John 4:19, we are told that God loved us first, which means that He chose us before we chose Him. Do you remember how the kids who were picked first on a team would puff up their chests and fist bump each other because they knew they were big stuff? Well, that’s how we need to be as children of God. We need to puff up our chests and let everyone know that we are on the winning team.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for choosing me to be on your team. I want to thank you for seeing the value in me, even when I didn’t see it in myself. I know there have been times when I haven’t lived according to your word, when I haven’t upheld your spiritual and moral code, but I’m asking that you forgive me and guide my footsteps so that I can be an example to others. Amen.

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 1:26 {ESV}

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth.”

OBSERVATION

There are three things that stood out for me in this verse:

1. “…let us make man…”: indication of the trinity of God; God uses the plural to indicate that He is more than one
2. “…in our image, after our likeness…”: we are the physical and spiritual image of God, with the ability to think and reason; we were created morally sound and sinless (it wasn’t until Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit that God cursed man by saying that he was born into sin – Genesis 3:16~19)
3. “…let them have dominion over the fish of the sea…”: As God’s ultimate creation, man was given the authority to rule over God’s other creations and act as a caretaker of all that God had created

APPLICATION

The other day, I wrote about how I was putting together my resume and I was so impressed by the woman that I was reading about on paper that it almost felt like I was reading about someone else.  I was having a hard time reconciling the image of who I used to be with the person that I’ve become. I was having a big pity party.  I’ve been out of work for 6 months and I’m watching my friends move forward in their careers and I’m just here. Floundering, it feels like.

This verse reminds me that I’m more than my career (or lack thereof). I am made in the image of God and I need to stop with the self doubt and the negativity. When I put myself down, I’m putting down the One who made me, the One in who’s image I was created.

PRAYER

I want to thank You, Lord, for creating me in Your image, for giving me reason, power and authority. I want to thank You for showing me in Your word that I have value. And I ask that You help me to be the woman that You created me to be so that I will always reflect the Christ who is living in me. Amen.

My sisters and I used to joke that our first stop on the way home from the hospital was church. And from that moment on, we spent every waking moment in church…

For most of my life, I’ve always felt God’s presence around me. Even when I was running ahead of Him, I knew He was there, ready to pick me up when I stumbled. So why am I sitting here at 1 something in the morning trying to figure out where it’s all gone? I know I haven’t lost my faith, but I’ve lost something and I need to find it.

I want that happiness and joy that I see bubbling up in others. I want that peace that comes from knowing Him as my comforter and friend. I want to know what made Him look at me and think She’s worth dying for…

To answer that question and the many others that have been floating around in my head, I’ll be reading “Why Does God Love Me?“, a five day Bible plan offered by YouVersion. I’ll be using the SOAP method of discovery that I learned from Amy at Mom’s Toolbox to share what I’ve learned with you.

I invite you to join me in this plan and share your insights in the comments section.