Toady I’m linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy’s Quick Lit, sharing my latest reads.

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Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner. I enjoy memoirs and this one is delightfully narrated, honest, and informative without being stuffy. Lauren grew up with a “lapsed Southern Baptist mother and Orthodox Jewish father.” She embraced Orthodox Judaism in high school and through college, but Jesus wouldn’t leave her alone. She was baptized in England and the story of her learning to marry her Jewish heritage and new Christian faith is brilliant. Not finished yet, but highly recommend.

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For the Love by Jen Hatmaker. I am late to this party, but my word, I’m loving this book. Jen has a way of talking about marriage and kids and Jesus that makes me feel normal. Like we can have a dance party to The Dab and argue and have strong opinions and then pray and study and write about Biblical truths. Her Dear Kids chapter made me sob, the Church section stepped on my toes, and all of it made me laugh and feel normal. Highly recommend.

What are you reading lately?

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:

People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’

Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:

In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Zechariah 8:20-23

So beautiful. Is this not what we all want? Church, would we not love for those of every nation to grab hold of our sleeves and beg to walk in The Way? For them to see the Beauty and Worth of our King among us and be determined to seek Him?

These verses are the result of the previous two chapters. The product of just living and loving kindness is His fame.

We cannot do this on our own grit. Not by force, nor by strength, but by His Spirit. We abide in Him. We share honest community with one another. And we allow Him to transform us.

And others will hear Yahweh is with us.

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2nd Saturday time. Fill your bag and save.

City Arts is hosting an Adult & Me Workshop on Saturday the 14th from 10-noon. Each child and an adult can make a red robin paper collage while spending quality time together.

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Want to do Yoga on the Lawn this Saturday in the gardens of the Wichita Art Museum? I thought so. Begins at 9:00, free, and no registration required.

Did you know May is Celiac Awareness Month? Green Acres at Bradley Fair is holding a Gluten-Free Festival this Saturday the 14th from 11-3. Try new gluten-free products and enjoy discounts storewide.

Library:

Yesss. The Summer Reading Program will be starting up in two weeks, May 25th. They got sneaky this year and are helping us get in the daily reading habit. The more days you read, the more prizes you can win.

Register here for this afternoon’s seminar on how to use Overdrive, the Library’s free digital e-book service. It is from 1-2:30 at Rockwell.

Join the waiting list here to learn more about Android Tablets and Smart phones on Monday the 16th from 6-7:30 at Central.

Register here for the Microsoft Publisher workshop at Evergreen Branch next Wednesday from 6-7:30 pm. Learn how to make brochures, newsletters, greeting cards and more.

Have a great weekend!

They put out bird food

Getting AWANA awards

Skating party + games

At Carousel Skate Center

Lovely

Our first time

Very cool

Map puzzle

Glory

Your 7 Days?

Sometimes I’ll click articles linked on social media and not read them right away. Or I’ll see comments or quotes and move on, but think about them through the next several days.

One such quote was about the racial reconciliation topic. It said, “Before we talk about reconciliation, we need to talk about justice.”

I’ve been thinking about that. On a much, much smaller level, it’s the same in relationships. Two people are not going to be reconciled until there is at least an apology given. After forgiveness, restoration of the relationship can then happen.

But on this macro topic it is so complicated. What does justice look like for something as old as our nation itself? Since we cannot change the past, what does justice moving forward look like? I’m honestly asking. Since I don’t have any sort of call to action, it is difficult to articulate.

I will keep reading what I come across and search out, trying to keep an open mind about what justice would look like. In the meantime, I just read this article from the Washington Post about what it looks like to become an adult for those who don’t have supportive parents or whose parents might be in jail or who have to decide between getting away from drug use in an overcrowded living space or going to school. It put some details to stories I’ve watched over the past several years.

I don’t want this topic to be just an interesting side note in my comfortable life. It is affecting our nation. While it seems to have been brought to the surface with this presidential election, that is not the only reason to address it. When sitcoms and advertising and the publishing industry and Hollywood and news channels all have a particular (white, middle to upper class) bias, we have to make sure to put ourselves directly in the pathway of anyone not represented in that bias.

We can all only be the better for it.

“For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:

I was determined to punish you when your ancestors angered me, and I did not change my mind, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid.

But this is what you must do:

Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the Lord.”

Here is another message that came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:

The traditional fasts and times of mourning you have kept in early summer, midsummer, autumn, and winter are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for the people of Judah.

So love truth and peace.”

Once again God is reminding His people how to live justly among themselves.

The time of discipline is over. Now He is determined to bless – to devise blessing.

His desired response from them?

To not devise evil toward each other.

I love that about God’s character. When He is plotting, devising, scheming it is always, only for our good. It will bring about growth in our character, depth of intimacy in our relationships, and the kind of joy no one can take away.

What if we treated each other that way? If we who are His children only devised for one another what is for each other’s best?

I think the world would take notice.

Not only is Jehovah-Sabaoth devising good for His children, those days of fasting and mourning they have been asking about are to be replaced with festivals of joy.

Has He done this for you? Turned your mourning into dancing? Traded sackcloth for a garment of praise?

This has nothing to do with our situation. It has everything to do with whether we are surrendered to Him. And He is determined to bless.

Therefore let’s love truth (faithfulness) and peace (shalom).

For when we live this way, it is well.

Can you believe it’s May? Me neither.

Do you have teachers in your life? Make sure to thank them for Teacher Appreciation Week. They are heroes.

Enjoy Tree Top’s Mother’s Day sale all weekend. 25% off hanging baskets, geraniums, and more.

Moms get in free this weekend to Botanica. Live music and lunch at Mother’s Day Cafe sweeten the deal.

And check out an extensive list of Mother’s Day Freebies and Deals at Wichita on the Cheap.

Do you have a graduate in your family? Tiny Prints is offering 40% off Graduation cards until May 10th with the code AFFGRAD40FS at check out. Plus, every grad card order can receive a free set of address labels with the code ADDRESS1. {Tiny Prints is an affiliate link so, at no extra charge to you, buying through here supports this site. Thanks!}

Storytime at Watermark on Saturday will include a visit from Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie. Come from 10:30 to 11:00.

This weekend, don’t miss the Wichita Art Museum’s Art & Book Fair. Entertainment, regional and national artist booths (including our friend displaying his art), and a stroll through the beautiful new Art Garden.

Speaking of our friend’s art, he has a Kickstarter Campaign going for a book he’s illustrating. See it here.

Tonight, May 5th, is Ladies Night at both Johnson’s Garden locations. Enjoy food, drink, live music and 20% off storewide.

Don’t miss Jill Cohn in concert at Mead’s Corner coffee house Saturday night, May 7th.

It’s about that time…

Old Town Farmer’s Market is open!

Don’t miss Herb Day with the Extension Office at Kansas Grown Farmer’s Market.

And Green Acres West is beginning their Locals Night this evening, May 5th.

Love this time of year.

Library:

You should come to Comic Book Day this Saturday at Central. The discussion will be over Batman: The Animated Series. Plus free comic books for attendees!

Register for today’s 4:00 Microsoft Excel class at Angelou.

And register here for an E-Mail Basics course at Central on Saturday.

At Alford on Tuesday at 1:00 you can enjoy a Tech Demo about Social Media. Register here.

For Senior Wednesday on the 11th, enjoy Library Trivia Bowl at Central from 1:30-2:30.

Also next Wednesday it’s time for the monthly Adult Coloring event at Westlink from 6:30-7:30.

Have a great weekend!

Not open yet

“Do we have tape? I’m making a drive in for Daddy.”

On a walk

Blooms

Free throws at Dad’s school carnival

Admiring how others landscape spring glory

Your 7 Days?

This is my first time to link up to Emily’s blog about what I’ve learned in April.

(I’m still fairly new to Emily, but have been following her on Twitter, listened to her hope*writers podcast, and am enjoying her content and perspective.)

So here’s what the past month has taught me:

I learned how to convert a Word document to a PDF file. I feel like a techie pro.

When Bookaholic has a $3 fill-a-bag sale, you should go. And you might find treasures like these:

Our neighbors are very generous. We don’t join every school fundraiser, but threw in for Jump Rope for Heart. Almost everyone on our block supported the boys.

Thanks to a friend, I now know the Wichita Art Museum’s cafe, The Muse, is delightful. They have the best chocolate for their mocha lattes. However, since their espresso machine was broken, they gave us a bowl of this chocolate and real whip cream to add to a regular drip coffee. Divine.

Stone churches are tucked in so many corners of our city. And all are stunning.

Pinterest has a lovely assortment of vintage pins, including this exact set of Crazy 8’s our family had growing up.

The Boxcar Children is a movie. (Thanks to a poster spied at Alford.)

If you are out of gift bags, you can use a map calendar to decorate a paper sack.

My husband’s annual school carnival is delightful – as are all the hard-working teachers, staff, and parents.

How to publish a novel on Amazon for Kindle (via Amy Lynn Andrews).

{If you don’t mind a shameless plug, you can buy it here!}

What did you learn in April?

I have some news.

I spent the last year and a half with an idea for a novel in my head, and a tiny percentage of that time actually writing the novel. Because of encouragement, prayer, and plain ole frustration about just wanting to do it already, it is finished.

Ack.

Something I don’t dive too deeply into on this space is a ministry I share with 3 delightful friends to love women in the sex industry. The stories of our friends in a strip club, combined with other friends’, are adapted and sprinkled throughout this novel.

In other words, if has a lot of adult content.

But I hope you don’t miss the forest for the (somewhat shocking) trees. These narratives are based on real women my friends and I love. I invite you into a glimpse of their lives. Not for shock value or morbid curiosity.

But because this industry is real and often filters into much, much more evil like human trafficking. We all need to be aware, and we who know Jesus need to know how to love.

Not before those involved have cleaned up their act, but as they are.

Just like our Savior did.

In addition, this is one more step of obedience in taking writing as a serious job. So the ebook novel is priced at $8.99. Will you buy it? Will you Facebook and Tweet about it? Will you tell people in your real life about it?

I would be so grateful.

Thank you for reading, for caring, for allowing one more voice on the internet to share.

I pray you are blessed 100-fold.

So much sincerity,

Jamie

Some details:

You don’t need to own a Kindle to purchase this book. You can download the Kindle Reading App for any electronic device here.

If you positively don’t do ebooks, I understand. Leave me a comment if you want a paper copy. There are sites that allow self-published authors to print on demand, from one book to 1,000.