Skip to content ↓

Friday Ramblings

I believe the extremely busy period of these past couple of weeks is just about over. While it was nice to be busy, I’ll be glad to be able to slow down a little bit next week. If I want to get through 50 books this year (a goal I set myself to begin the year) I am going to need to devote a bit more time to that pursuit. I have read 33 and have another two well underway. That leaves me needing to read 15 books in the next 8 weeks. Even I can handle that math. That means I have a lot of reading to do! A lot of the books remaining on my shelf are quite heavy books (not in terms of weight but in terms of difficulty) so it won’t be an easy task.

Looks like we have a moderately busy weekend ahead of us. Tomorrow I need to do a bit of yard work, but since we only have a bit of a yard, that will not take too long. It is Abby’s second birthday tomorrow, so we are having my in-laws over and will be celebrating in the evening. She doesn’t quite seem to know what to make of this birthday stuff, though she does know that she is going to be getting some new toys. Needless to say she is quite excited. A Nicholas, who is four, is getting a little bit jealous. While he does understand birthdays, he is struggling with handing all the attention (and the toys) over to his sister for the day. I think it will be a good lesson for him to learn.

I learned a lesson myself this week. As I was writing my review for the movie Luther I came to the not-so-startling realization that I am terrible at writing movie reviews. I could probably write a lengthy, boring summary of the movie’s contents, but to write something interesting that doesn’t merely recap the movie’s events is quite difficult. I had all sorts of things I wanted to say, but most of them just didn’t quite come out right. One thing I meant to mention is that the movie portrays all of the Catholic characters in a negative light with the one exception of Luther’s Father Superior. I was actually happy to see this, not that I bear animosity to Catholics in general, but simply because it seems all the major players actually were pretty awful people. I was worried that they would tone this down, but the viewer is left with the sense that all of these people were concerned far more with money and stability than with serving God.

Yesterday afternoon I was at the local Christian bookstore and the staff were setting up for a little concert that was going to happen there later in the day. Some local no-name singer was going to be coming in to promote her new album. The equipment provided for her was:

  • A CD player
  • A microphone
  • Two small speakers
  • One small mixer/amplifier

The poor girl didn’t even get a microphone stand. I thought to myself how much courage it must take to stand in a store and sing away, knowing that in all likelihood the only people watching you are your husband and close friends. Everyone else is just hurrying about, trying to buy what they need and keep out of your way. I admire people who have the courage to stand there and sing their hearts out, caring little for what others think.

I wish you all a good weekend! I intend to relax, to celebrate my daughter’s birthday and to kick back with a few good books (and a couple of Diet Cokes).


  • What Grieves the Heart of God

    What Grieves the Heart of God?

    What pleases God? What delights his heart? And what displeases God? What grieves his heart? If asked, I think most of us would assume that if we ever grieve the heart of God it will be through denying the gospel or committing a grave moral scandal. Or if we do so as a local church,…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (November 18)

    A La Carte: When God does not need our service / How to forgive and move on / A devotional for depression / Can a speeding ticket change your heart? / Is it I, Lord? / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Motives Matter

    Motives matter, even (or perhaps especially) when it comes to something as very good as studying the Bible. The best motive for reading the Bible is to be transformed by it. For this to happen, we must approach our reading and studying with both confidence and humility, asking God to transform us through his Word.…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (November 16)

    A La Carte: The gratitude revolution / Can a church require tithing? / Listening that hurts / Correctable mistakes when preaching and teaching / We won’t do nothing for eternity / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (TGBC)

    This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by The Good Book Company. They are giving away a copy of Alistair Begg’s new advent devotional, Let Earth Receive Her King, to prepare your heart for Christmas, along with a $200 gift card for you to purchase Christmas gifts for everyone on your list.  Here are some…

  • Inventory

    The Spiritual Gift Inventory I Believe In

    In many churches, it is standard practice to have Christians take some kind of a spiritual gift inventory. Through a series of questions that probe an individual’s interests, passions, and successes, these tests claim to help people discover the ways the Holy Spirit has gifted them to better love and serve his people.