{good reads} december 13th edition

Like I said before, I'm away for an extended amount of time, so forgive these posts that are light on the writing side.  But I often find articles I want to pass on so I thought I'd share a few today.


In which this is also about the men {Sarah Bessey}
I love Sarah Bessey's writing and recently began reading her new book Jesus Feminist - I'm just a chapter or two in and it's already blowing me away!  She has great things to say about women, but this post is about men.

"Part of the reason I am so passionate about women’s issues in the world today is because I am also passionate about men. I’m the mother of a strong little boy. I’m the wife of a strong man. I’m the daughter of a strong man.  And the men in my life are Jesus feminists.  I cannot fathom my life without my men...Feminism is not matriarchy. I don’t know any one who would like to replace the system of patriarchy with the system of matriarchy.  Feminism is simply equality..In the Kingdom of God, we don’t have to choose between lifting up men or lifting up women, it’s not one or the other: it’s both together, it’s the sacred union, the created purpose as co-image bearers of God."

So You're Feeling Too Fat to be Photographed {Teresa Porter) 

"Seeing myself in pictures actually produces the faintest sick feeling in my stomach. Isn’t it amazing we can see the beauty in our best friends, sisters, mothers, and aunts without the slightest thought to their flaws . . . but can obsess for hours on our own imperfections? We fixate on our flaws to the point we shirk at any documentation that our round faces and curvy bodies ever walked the earth. No pictures to show how we LOVE, how we laugh, how we are treasured by our families. How is it possible that a double chin can overpower the beauty of a mother cuddling her child? How does arm fat distract from the perfect shot of a spontaneous hug? I swear y’all . . . how is it that we can put more value on a TUMMY ROLL than the captivating way you throw yourself into a roar of laughter during a shoot?

10 Things I Want My Daughter to Know About Working Out {Brynn Harrington}

"I’ll never talk to my daughter about fitting into THAT DRESS.  But I will talk to her about what it sounds like to hear pine needles crunching under my feet and what it feels like to cross a finish line and how special it is to see the world on foot.  I will talk to her about hard work and self sufficiency.  I will teach her the joy of working out by showing her I love it.  And I’ll leave the rest up to her."

Flash Mob, Air Force style!

Last week the USAF band did a flash mob at the National Air and Space Museum in DC.  It would be been incredible to see live, but the video is still wonderful.  My one year old was mesmerized!

alma mater

Today we took a trip back to our alma mater.  We were meeting my friend for lunch and introducing her to Hadden.  And we talked about all the change that had happened since we had left.

Of course, every university changes over time.  I used to always roll my eyes a bit at alumni who thought things should be the exact same as when they were there (i.e.  "We had to suffer through wearing skirts all winter long so you should too!").

But this is a completely different kind of change.  There was a huge turnover in faculty and staff, including many who were forced out.  And with the newcomers, came some key changes in beliefs and practices.

This is all more complicated by the fact that it is supposed to be a school run by Christians.

There are many different versions of what happened and whether the changes are good or bad.  I could go into a lot of detail about my concerns, but I'll leave it at this: many people I love are no longer welcome there.  

I'd never say that the school was perfect when I attended.  But I do know that I had faculty and staff who mentored me, who challenged me, who changed the way I thought.  Some of those people are the reason that I am still a Christian today.  And to this day, I think back to their teaching whether it was in the classroom, a one-on-one conversation or simply how they lived out what they believed.

My alma mater.  My nourishing, bountiful mother.  You claim to be "Christ-centered", yet what I've seen lately is not very Christ-like.  You've scarred my friends.  You've turned into a place of conflict.  My happy memories of you have been tainted by reports of injustice.

The past few years have been a struggle as I've tried to reconcile what I've seen of Christianity with what I know about Christ.  Unfortunately, my alma mater isn't helping.



**post script - I'm on an extended trip, so if posting is sporadic or I don't respond to comments right away, that's why!  I'll do my best to catch up quickly!

The Whole30 Challenge -- TAKE TWO

Back in September, my husband and I completed Whole30, a 30 day challenge of eating real food and eliminating addictions to sugar, wheat, etc.  It was hard, but GREAT!  I had far fewer migraines, hardly any fibromyalgia pain, lots of energy, cut out my sugar addiction, and ended up losing 20 pounds in the process.

We've decided to do another Whole30 in January!  We totally splurged on Thanksgiving and I've been paying for it the past few days with very achy joints.  So now I'm back to collecting recipes that are FREE of sugar, dairy, gluten, corn and legumes.  Can you say "Hello, Pinterest"?

Although you can start Whole30 at any time, they have three "scheduled" starts throughout the year including January 1st.  But since my husband's birthday is in January, we'll be waiting until after his birthday to start meaning we'll finish mid-late February.

I'm already excited (and scared) to do another Whole30!  But one thing that is giving me extra motivation is that we have friends doing it with us this time!  We might not all start on the same date, but as of right now, we have four friends who are doing Whole30 in January!  My goal is to encourage 10 people to do Whole30.  It really did help me and I think it could do the same for you.  Do you want to join us??

#GivingTuesday - Join the Holiday Salute to Military Families!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Today I’m excited to be collaborating with Walmart as part of their Holiday Salute to Military Families.  This year, Walmart is giving way $2 million in grants to assist military members and their families through a partnership with Operation Homefront and Fisher House.  So much of the holidays revolve around spending time with loved ones.  For military families who are separated, it’s often the hardest part of the season so I’m grateful that Walmart is recognizing these families and their sacrifices! 

Last year, about a week before Christmas, we delivered cookies to families who were alone due to deployment.  One family had just been told that their husband/father would arrive home in time for Christmas – they were elated and were anxious to get the flight information that would give them the exact time that they would be reunited.  In the next house we visited, a woman shared how her neighbor had come over to hang the Christmas lights since he knew she was pregnant and had a toddler.  Another person talked about the inevitable “Murphy’s Law “ of deployments.  In his case, within a week of his wife deploying, his daughter’s school called him in the middle of the day with an emergency.  At each house, the families were making the best of the situation.  They mentioned celebrating holidays ahead of time or that they planned to open gifts over video chat.  But that didn’t take away from the disappointment of not having their loved ones present during this special time of the year.

Walmart is donating gifts, toys, meals and lodging to military families by working with Operation Homefront and Fisher House.  This is especially close to my heart this year as my family will be staying in a Fisher House later this month.  Additionally, Operation Homefront will be flying home more than 500 service members so that they can spend the holidays with their families!  I cannot think of a better gift you could give a military family!!

 

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving, which was closely followed by Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  But today is #GivingTuesday – a campaign encouraging people to give during the holiday season.  Here are two easy ways you can give right now!

1)   Partner with Walmart to raise money for Operation Homefront and Fisher House.  These organizations are a blessing to many military families, mine included.  Click on the links provided to give online.

2)   Join in our Holiday Salute to Military Families by thanking a military member and/or their family.  Leave a comment here telling me about your hero and then share this post on social media.  Remember to tag the military member you are thankful for so they can see your appreciation!

I’ll start:  In addition to my husband who serves in the Air Force, I’m grateful for my friends who are military spouses.  I’ve seen you in laughter and in tears. I’ve watched your families endure deployments and I’ve seen your excitement over homecomings.  You serve silently and without much appreciation, but today I want you to know that I am so grateful for each of you!  Thank you!

hello to new readers!

• Wear skinny jeans.

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• Advertise my blog.

Add this to the list of things I said I'd never do only to eat my words later.  :)

Hello to those of you who came via Jessica's blog!  I've been reading Jessica Lynn Writes for a couple of years now.  I love her writing and, since she was having a sale on ads, I decided to take advantage of it!

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happy thanksgiving!

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."

-John Milton

happy thanksgiving from my family to yours!

We hope you are surrounded by those you love and that you fall asleep counting your blessings.