And so the first month of the new year slips into the past…
Things worth remembering…
- reading the book of Job. It used to bore me, but now I think it may be one of my favorites.
- watching The Village for the first time! I was mulling over the plot and themes for days after watching it… it may be a new favorite.:)
- a Zoom chat with some wonderful writers I’ll get to meet this spring!
- starting up my street team (It’s not too late to sign up!!)
- revealing the title of my poetry book in this post.:)
- sledding with sisters and friends
- making reading a part of my daily routine. I’m amazed at how much it’s changed my life for the better!
- designing a cover for the aforementioned poetry book
- the golden glow the morning sunlight made in one of the cattle barns on a very, very cold morning
- amusedly (and rather concernedly) wondering how heated the c*vid discussion in Cost Cutters was going to get
- starting another writing project… some more info will be revealed once it proves itself worthy of existence.:)
What I’ve been reading…
Unseduced and Unshaken – Rosalie de Rosset
“You can’t afford to be casual about any part of your life. The misplacement of longing, the mistaking of the temporal for the eternal will always turn you into a ghost.”
Aagh, this book was just so good. It touched on so many topics that don’t seem to be taken very seriously in popular Christian culture… namely the topic of taking oneself and each aspect of one’s life seriously.
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
“I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul. Since I knew you…I have had unformed ideas of striving afresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality, and fighting out the abandoned fight. A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.”
My goodness. This is a book I will definitely read again. Dickens is a master! The themes of love, purpose, and sacrifice were so beautifully wrought in this novel.
The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer
The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One.
One of those great Christian classics I’d always heard about and never read… until it now.:) I love A.W. Tozer’s unashamed and hungry desire for God. This book is so relatable! It’s full of truth and written in such a lovely style.
A Victorian Posy – Shiela Pickles
Here or there a sunbeam found its way through a little window or skylight in the thick leafage overhead and singling out one bluebell amongst the crowd tipped the rich and heavily hanging cluster of bells with a brilliant azure gleam and blue glory.” – Francis Kilvert
This is a lovely little collection of Victorian poetry and prose… all about flowers! Not my typical read, but it’s been a fun change of pace.
I’ve been listening to…
The Village soundtrack
It’s incredible. It’s been my writing soundtrack most days of late.:)
From the journal…
Oh, God, ground me in Your truth. Help me to truly live only for You…to not care if I look weird to the world, if only I look good to You.
All of history has been the beautiful, heartbreaking story of unity between God and man being broken, and God giving everything to restore that unity. It’s epic.
Lord, thank You for assigning me a worth that is not defined by what I do, but by Whose I am.
How beautiful to know that when God was hardening Pharaoh’s heart, He was only paving the way for a massive victory. Hold fast through the trials. Victory always prevails with YHWH.
Words worth remembering…
“You cannot separate your spiritual life from the life of the mind.” – Rosalie de Rosset
“Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!” – Job 26:14a
“My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go.” – Job 27:6
“If my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.” – A.W. Tozer
“Tell wind and fire where to stop, but don’t tell me.” – Madame Defarge in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities
What are you taking away from January 2022? Thoughts? Music? Memories? Books? Feel free to share in the comments!
Laurel Luehmann 
“How beautiful to know that when God was hardening Pharaoh’s heart, He was only paving the way for a massive victory. Hold fast through the trials. Victory always prevails with YHWH.”
I love that! My family discussed Pharaoh and the hardening of his heart recently, since we’re reading through Exodus right now. I found this thought interesting; that God doesn’t force us to think a certain way, He merely makes stronger what we already have in our hearts; whether that be a hardness towards Him and His Ways, or a softness towards His love and leading. I also loved how you used the tetragrammaton (consonants in the Name of God.) Its so cool that He’s given us a name by which to call Him!
I’m so glad your poetry book process is going well!! I don’t think I can join the street team, but I’ll be following the progress to cheer you on, and I’d be happy to mention it on my blog! 🤗 May YHWH bless you in all your paths this February, Laurel!
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Yes!! That juxtaposition of God’s omnipotence and our free will is fascinating and mind-blowing to me. He is truly amazing! And yes, I so love that God’s given us His name. The tetragrammaton… I never knew that’s what it’s called! That’s so awesome!
Aww, thank you! Same to you, Makayla! ❤
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Thanks, Laurel! 🤗 Absolutely!
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