From the Library of Epiphanies...

Not really...
but I couldn't think of a catchy title for this post. 

You may remember back in the summer when I first started to blog, 

I mentioned that I'd had an "epiphany" of sorts and things would be changing, 

from the blog to the business to the life, mostly the life. 

Epiphanies take a while some times. I didn't and don't feel comfortable quite yet writing about it, as I'm not sure what it's all about yet. 

But here's a peek at the books that have had some contribution to this season of epiphanies.

  

Basically, a reality check for the purpose of marriage. 

We all get into it because we want to be happy and we want someone who's going to contribute to that. 

Alas, that is not the point as marriage was designed. 

Time for a perspective shift.

 

Um...a New York Time's Bestseller for a reason...

this is the Chapmans...

and probably not the version you'd have suspected, if you ever thought about it...

Mary Beth is a real person and she's candid, and who can't appreciate that?!

She's no award-winning author, but this book just may change your life...

and there's no way to tell for sure in what way...

and you may not even know until months later...

 

(lying on the table are issues of the magazine that I work for...I was trying to be all artistic with the compass cover blurred out...:-)


Yep, this one's the big one...Radical by David Platt...and it's just that...
though it shouldn't seem radical...
it's not anything we haven't read in the Bible...
but we're comfortable...
with what we want...
and we have blindspots...
big blindspots...

It took us months to read this because we had to chew on some things...
we're still chewing on some things...
Thanks Edliniae, on of the most godly women I know, for giving me a copy...
you never know, I just might do something...radical...

Up next is the reading list that I'm working on:

Operation World is suggested as an accompaniment to the radical experiment, which we're attempting this year...1) read the Bible in a year 2) Pray for every country in the world in a year 3) Serve out of our context at least once this year 4) Give...sacrificially...till it hurts 5) be a part of a community of believers

Operation World has so many resources. There's something about every country in it. It's such a good tool for involving the kids, too. It's not "kid friendly", per se, but it makes you think about stuff and places to teach your kids. There's also a reading/praying plan for the year and a CD in this edition.

 This was actually and Christmas gift for Charlie a couple years ago right after we bought the farm. The Encyclopedia of Country Living. A perfectly great recommendation from a friend that works at our library. It's just a great resource to have around...we read whatever, as needed...it is truly an encyclopedia...

 This is Arwen...who managed to skip out on the Christmas card this year...we tried, but she's a little snob some times and she wants you to beg her to be in pictures, and it just gets old.
I've got three other people to beg to smile for the camera.
She just shows up when she feels like it.
In this case, she wanted something from me...right then...
and she plopped down or pranced around right there in front of the camera until she made her point.

See, I had this just set up so...well...like I wanted it...

 This book...Treehouses and other Cool Stuff...was a Father's day gift two years ago...Now, we have some where to try this stuff out. It's got plans for race cars, forts, zip lines, tree houses, cannons!

 Yep, I really need to read this if I'm going to be a farmer's wife...
I'll let you know how that goes!

 Woody wanted to do a book review...

 Hole in the Gospel...this is written by the president of World Vision, Rich Stearns...just starting it...

 I couldn't help myself...this is just a pile of our all-time faves and ones we return to over and over again.

 Yep, the boys saw all the attention my books were getting,
and wanted a little camera love for their 2010 faves...
of which this Richard Scarry book is the most popular return read...
(At one time, I was collecting all the "pretty" and "vintage" or "classics" and this is one they just love...
some of the rest of my picks just look good on the shelves!)
and The Gruffalo is a close second...
among many, many others.

Book-camera love turned into...
teepee-, or tipi, camera love...

"No, Wee-um, I want to be in front..."

"Now, I can smile...just wanted to make sure the camera could see little ol' sweet me!"

I just love these wild child(s).

But, it's difficult to get some camera love from these two...it takes work...a lot of work.
The books...they pose just fine!