Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Book review-Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb

I have been reading Shattered Dreams by Larry Crabb. It’s the second time to read the book but I swear I forgot everything I read the first time. Probably on purpose. This has to be hands down the least favorite Christian book EVER! It flies in the face of the ever popular, “life is what you make it…so think and speak positive and it’ll come back to you” philosophy. I’m thinking of a few high profile preachers that would so hate this book. Heck, I hated this book.
But it has been life to us. I highly recommend it if you are going through tough times. Here are a few of my favorite things from the book~
~"Live long enough and dreams important to you will shatter….”
~"Shattered dreams are necessary for spiritual growth.” (My 1st thought was…I’d rather not grow.)
~"The experience of despair is the initial movement in the rhythm of hope.”
~"When you hurt, hurt. Hurt openly in the presence of God…Feel your pain. Regard brokenness as an opportunity, as the chance to discover a desire that no brokenness can eliminate but that only brokenness reveals.” (He is not talking about physical pain here…that is a different story I think)
~"People who insist on happiness never find joy.” (Oh I’ve been there…searching for something, anything to make me FEEL better…)
~" Shattered dreams are the prelude to joy.”
~"Silence and solitude are essential to discovering His Presence.”
~"…grief can only be embraced, never managed.”
I have sarcastic notes written on many of the pages in this book. I screamed my way through about 3/4 of it. It so angered me. But in the end God is showing me a few things. Needful thing
s.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Blessed to Be "Aunts & Sisters"

I was reading a post from another friend, who was single and had no children. She was talking about how she had always wanted children, but that had not been in God's plan. So now in her 50's she was thinking how blessed she had been. Now she could not only be their Aunt, not only as a name, but as a verb.
I have 3 wonderful sisters. Between the 4 of us, we are Aunts to 9 niece's and nephews, with 2 of the nephews being in laws. Two of the youngest are teens, while the other 7 have become young adults. When you look at the dynamics of our family, they mirror every other family. We have had near death scares, some illnesses, car accidents, teenage junk, sleepless nights, ballgames and recital's, school functions, graduations, traveling together, eating together, laughter, and tears, all like any other family. BUT, Are we really like all other families? Or, are we what other families wish they could share. We have survived, and made it through whatever crisis is at hand. We have been most fortunate to share all of this with their grandparents. They have been models, teaching us faith, love and commitment. They have faced adversity and shown us that we can survive anything, if we stay committed to each other. We all share many quirks and talents. So there is nothing we can't put our heads together and make work. Both grandparents are on the go and plan their world around families and grandchild. But most important, we are all loving watching the nieces and nephews growing and maturing into incredible people, seven of whom have reached technical adulthood. I hope they know I remember holding them, kissing them, sledding with them, skiing with them, and being a part of their lives. I hope they never forget that all we want to do some days is hold them and squeeze them, like we did when they were babies. I hope they love me as much as I love them. This post is dedicated to my nieces and nephews, the whole lot of you. I know one day there will be a time when something will change these dynamics, but as we have all done through thick and thin, we'll all stand united and do whatever it takes to "get us through" tough times. WE ARE BLESSED.