Captivating

When I walked into the Thursday morning women's Bible study a year ago I was immediately intimidated by every single woman there.  The room was filled with beautiful women, of all shapes and sizes.  Most were mothers, or pregnant, all but me and 3 others were married...I just knew I wouldn't fit in, that they wouldn't accept me, that I'd never get over my insecurities...  

Since then I have gotten to know these women, and more importantly, LOVE these women.  We have a different group now, but some of the "originals" remain.  (Just a side note...the group met long before I joined so I'm not really an "original" member, but you know what I mean...)  One woman in particular seemed to be everything I so desired to be.  She's beautiful...like, guys stop in the street to tell her she's beautiful, kind of beautiful.  She's outgoing, has amazing clothes, does super cool things and travels a lot, she just seemed so glamourous.  I quickly learned that she's friendly, funny, and LOVES the Lord...which made it really hard to hate her like Satan was telling me to.

Anyway...this lovely lady recently mentioned a book she'd been reading and said she thought I'd enjoy it/get a lot out of it...I cracked open said book and was hit with this:

Now we are on holy ground.

Writing a book for men (Wild at Heart) was a fairly straightforward proposition.  Not that men are simpletons.  But they are the less complicated of the two genders trying to navigate love and life together.  Both men and women know this to be true.  The mystery of the feminine heart was meant to be a good thing, by the way.  A source of joy.  Yet it has become a source of shame-women almost universally feel they are "too much" and "not enough."  At the same time.  (Which is crazy-making.)  And men tend to pull away from the deeper waters of a woman's soul, unsure of what they will find there or how to handle it.  And so we have missed the treasure that is the heart of a woman, missed the richness femininity was meant to bring to our lives, missed the way it speaks to us of the heart of God.

Rest assured-this is not a book about all the things you are failing to do as a woman.  We're tired of those books...there is no "one size fits all" pattern for God's women. 

Yeah, I'm pretty much sold on the book just from this portion of the introduction.  The book, by the way, is Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge...and I'm sure this isn't the last time you'll be reading a blog about it...

New Year, New Things...

You might have noticed a few new additions to my blog over the last week or so.  First, I added a list of all the books I've been reading...no need to make blogposts about the books, I'll just give you the details on the side column.  I actually stole this idea from my friend Celina...thank you Celina!!  Second, I added my training plan for the half marathon in March.  I figured since it was a new years resolution to compete a training plan, I'd use all of you readers to hold me accountable.  I'll post each week's workouts then cross them off when each workout is completed.  If you see me slacking, send some encouragement my way or just track me down and give me a swift kick in the bum!

My first attempt at instagram...while stretching after a little run.

Anyway, I hope your new years is off to a good start.  Mine didn't exactly go as planned, but I changed directions and enjoyed it nonetheless.

The Selection/Defiance (and so on...)

Lucy is an avid reader.  If you've read any of her writing (click here and here to catch up) you know she's not a bubble gum, lace and rainbows kind of girl.  While her little sisters occupy their time with books about cupcakes, secret fashion designers, and best friends temporarily feuding; Lucy and I bond over intrigue, justice, historical/futuristic fantasy...Hunger Games style stories, with strong leading ladies able to find the right balance of beauty and brains to get the job done.

 I've been in need of a good book so I asked Lucy to lend me a few this week.  In 36 hours I finished The Selection by Kiera Cass and Defiance by C. J. Redwine.  Both fall into the fantasy category, taking place far in the future but in true Hunger Games style, things aren't all "Meet George Jetson" it's more like the Firefly series...futuristic, teched-out cowboys.  Though its far in the future, life is more medieval, with a government hiding secrets and trying to avoid a rebellion of any kind.


Lucy and I...we love a good rebellion.

Especially when led by a smart woman out to prove herself among doubting men.

Doesn't hurt if she meets a cute guy along the way either.

Who could resist sweet guys like Peeta or Maxon, or the rugged and mysterious Logan, Gale, Aspen, or my favorite...Four?  But don't get me started on that...

Of the two books, I preferred The Selection.  I was shocked when I got to the last page and read those dreaded words:

End of Book One

NO!!!!!

A quick amazon search confirmed my fears...book two has a tentative release date of late April 2013.

Ugh...have you read all the posts about how much I hate waiting?

Defiance also has a sequel but no information on a release date at this point.

Lucy doesn't understand why I enjoy reading "Young Adult" books so much, I had to explain to her that though the reading level is much too easy, the stories are just what I'm looking for.  They have drama, but not so much it becomes ridiculous; suspense/action, but not to the point of gore and horror; romance, but just enough to make it interesting, not enough to make me blush as I read.

Adult books go too far in all those categories.  As much as I struggle with balance in my life, I like a book to not be heavy on any one thing, but hitting every emotion just the right amount.

I teased Lucy when she picked out her latest stack of books from Barnes and Nobel...each cover showed a beautiful girl in a dress of some sort and wearing a look of distress mixed with confidence and a strong vulnerability.  Just like Katniss.  Just like Tris.  And in someways, just like good ol' Hermione.

Lucy and I, we're cut from the same cloth.  Maybe that's why we have such spirited interactions.  She's a good one, that girl and I now have a better understanding of what my parents had to deal with.

All I can say is:
I'm sorry :)

If you're keeping track with me, Lucy and I are currently waiting on three books:

The third Divergent book which uses "Detergent" as a working title: Expected September 26, 2013
The Elite (Book 2 of The Selection): Expected April 23, 2013
Defiance Book 2: No Release Date Available

And the final Hunger Games Movies:
Catching Fire: Expected November 22, 2013
And Mockingjay which is believed to be split into two separate movies: No Release Date(s) Available