September Goals

4 days into the new month and here are my new goals. I could tell you that I've been pondering everything I seek to achieve but that'd be a little fib, truthfully I've decided to set goals to push myself this month to be the best I can be.

Finish the She Reads Truth Hosea study

When this community of women started their web-based bible study two years ago I was struggling to find devotionals that I could relate to. I was living in Korea at the time and discovered She Reads Truth through Instagram. I was hooked. The women who wrote the devotionals were so real, so truthful and not prejudiced. They've released an app on both Apple and Android or can be found at www.shereadstruth.com. I've not been brilliant at keeping up with the studies in recent months and I really want to improve discipline in this area.

Run at least twice a week

I went running the other day for the first time in a couple of months and as usual, it almost killed me. It's tough, it's gruelling, it can be embarrassing, but it feels so good to push myself in this way both physically and emotionally.

Try new recipes from my cookbooks

Fuelled by my last post, I'm determined to get those pretty cookbooks off my bookshelf and see what delicious meals I can create. The trickiest will be Korean food as I don't believe I can do it justice but it's worth a try!

Have my first dinner party with friends

Those meals I've cooked are going to have to be tried by many mouths to get a true judgement on my efforts. I've also not had a dinner party in my new place yet so this needs to be done!

Print holiday snaps and use them in decor

Pinterest is to blame for this goal. Pretty frames, pegs and string, scrapbook collages, they all need to be made. Hopefully they'll all look great, fingers crossed!

Check back in October to see how I've done on these goals. I've kept the list short; no need to be too enthusiastic, I've already lost 4 days!

Are you a nice girl or a good woman?

I recently finished reading Nice Girls Don't Change The World by Lynne Hybels. I have to be honest, I only started reading it because my mum had left it in my room and I had run out of books to read. I really struggle with many Christian books and tend to avoid them. This one was a little different though.

To start with, it's not a thousand pages of a Christian superstar telling you what you should be doing with your life, It's simply another woman's true story of her discovery of a loving God. The realisation that God's love doesn't need to be earnt but is given freely to anybody who accepts it. That being a good woman, somebody whose foundations rest in God's love, knows that HER life, HER personality and HER talents are deeply valued and recognised by God even if by nobody else, and who doesn't let fear ever keep her from stepping out and living for God, is ultimately a better choice than being a nice girl.

This is an excerpt from the end of the book and it touches on what we as women need to be striving for, praying for and hoping for:

May we be dangerous women.

May we be women who acknowledge our power to change, and grow, and be radically alive for God. 

May we be healers of wounds and righters of wrongs.

May we weep with those who weep and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

May we cherish children, embrace the elderly, and empower the poor.

May we pray deeply and teach wisely.

May we be strong and gentle leaders.

May we sing songs of joy and talk down fear. 

May we never hesitate to let passion push us, conviction compel us, and righteous anger energize us. 

May we strike fear into all that is unjust and evil in the world. 

May we dismantle abusive systems and silence lies with truth.

May we shine like stars in a darkened generation. 

May we overflow with goodness in the name of God and by the power of Jesus. And in that name, and by that power, may we change the world. 

This isn't a book which preaches, it's a book which encourages and energises us to be the best we can be. 

All excerpts taken from Nice Girls Don't Change The World, Lynne Hybels, Zondervan, 2005.Picture from www.christianaudio.com. 

Moving on...up?

No, probably down a little. The truth is I need to move out of my parents house and actually let them enjoy their post-child life without me living with them. When they held me in their arms 25 years ago I bet they didn't think "I hope she is living with us when she's 25!". So...after their subtle hints at when my departure might be and my eventual cry and panic over affording to live alone in the south of England (where renting costs a small fortune), I have begun my search for a new home.

Mum says I need to "nest". I'm not totally sure this is true because 1) I'm not an animal I'm a human and 2) I'm not expecting a baby and I think "nesting" happens when you're pregnant. I have come up with a helpful little list of positives of moving out though (collated from past experience of living away from home...don't worry I have actually left home a few times...I just bounce back like I'm on a bungee cord):

• I can eat cereal for dinner (there is probably nothing stopping me from doing this now though)
• Temperature will be perfect and suited to me (not too hot, not too cold)
• I can hang bunting and lights (family aren't fans of these things)
• Don't feel like washing up? No problemo
• Washing can be hung around for days and worn straight off the drying rack (laziness)
• Crafting stuff doesn't ever need to be cleared away (ready for inspiration to strike at any time)
• I can get a fish (I like watching fish swim around and around...)
• I can watch Greys and Gilmore Girls on repeat and not be judged

There are probably more positives than that but really, the down sides are starting to dawn on me:

• Have to do own food shopping (I HATE food shopping...I used to get it delivered at university to avoid shopping myself)
• Who will tell me my outfit is all wrong? (My mum is a pro at this)
• Plumbing issues will be fixed by who?! 
• What if I get a break in and I have to fight off the intruder myself? (My arms are pretty weak...)
• When my car runs out of petrol how will I get places?
• I'll miss my dog lots (I might steal him)
• Who will I talk to? 

I'm going to see two places this week and will probably freak a little that they're on the ground floor and people could climb in the windows. When I was at university a naked man climbed in my window in the night and to be honest that has put a dampener on ground floor properties for me. 

She Reads Truth: Jonah 3&4

Jonah is story which speak volumes to me. Like we read in the daily devotionals through the She Reads Truth website, there really is a lot of ourselves we can see through Jonah. It is a book of God's lavish grace and mercy on a people he deeply loves and cherishes yet who have been ignoring him for so long. Jonah, a man who thought he was better than many and yet who was too scared to follow through on God's initial calling, who then does so with a mixture of modestly and anguish. I'm getting ahead of myself though...

Jonah 3 begins with God's second calling of Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn the people there of His wrath. Considering he was outwitted by God the first time round (the whale incident and all), Jonah goes. I too struggle with God's calling in my life. When I was 22, in my last year of University at UGA I prayed like a mad woman for God to tell me what to do next, open doors for new opportunities or give me an inkling of my next adventure. It seemed as though everyone around me had plans - masters degrees, jobs lined up, travels booked. I had zilch. As I prayed one night I felt stirred to go to South Korea. This floored me. I ignored it and kept praying. I knew nothing of the country and had only a couple of friends from Seoul who seemed more intent on getting out rather than settling back home. I bargained with God to go to Australia because after looking on the map I thought that Australia was pretty close and could possibly do. This was apparently a no-go for God so in the end I gave up and accepted that I should probably go. I didn't know what I would do there though so said "I'll go, you provide". That seemed reasonable to me.

He did, I found out about the English teaching market out there and as I was tutoring anyway and loved it, it seemed logical. Fast-forward through one of the best years I've experienced and I know that God knew what was best for me even though I didn't. has that ever happened to you?

I love the way that in comparison to Jonah, the King of Nineveh was quick to respond to the word of the Lord. He didn't just sell a few bit of gold, treat his servants a little better or give his people a day off. He urged his people to relent from their ways, to put on sackcloth (an ugly, inexpensive garment which would have made all people seem as poor as each other), and to enter a time of fasting. If only I would have more courage to respond to the Lord in this quick and full-hearted manner!

Jonah 4 is when Jonah has a little angry tantrum and sulks on a hill. I know this is vastly disregarding the theological points that could be made here, but that's really what it was. Jonah wanted to see the people punished by God and when didn't happen, he sulked and claimed he wanted to die. When God gave him shelter and then took it away, Jonah showed his compassion towards a plant - even more illogical than not showing compassion to humans! But you know the story so you don't need me to explain it anymore. I wanted to comment on how sometimes my own anger can be illogical over the most seemingly irrelevant issues in life. The water out of the tap is sometimes warm - at least I have water...that sort of thing. God is continually showing his compassion to me and yet do i want that person who wronged me to be saved/forgiven? Honestly, at the moment of my anger no.

Rereading the book of Jonah has given me perspective being humble, loving beyond anger and sharing God's love to those we don't necessarily feel that close to. For the same compassion and mercy he shows to me is available to everyone else, all those he's created and nurtured whether they know him or not. It's not for me to decide who knows him.

Linking up with the rest of the She Reads Truth Bloggers here!