For Your Weekend

So, this weekend is supposed to be rainy and that means all I will want to do is wrap up in a blanket on the couch and watch a Blue Bloods marathon on Netflix with Scott. I’ve spent most of this week working on a book proposal but I did go to a class at the gym with my friend Marguerite on Tuesday morning. The class involved hand weights and one of those huge balance ball things. It also requires a proficient knowledge of left and right and being able to do one thing with the right side of your body and another with the left. Suffice it to say, if laughing at yourself equals working out, I’m on my way to an awesome core.

I’m {finally} reading Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle … just trust me and get the book.

And my next newsletter will come out Monday. Would love to add you to the list to receive it … I have a new goodie just for newsletter subscribers so now would be a great time to subscribe!! Click here to sign up. I only send out a newsletter every couple of months so I promise not to flood your inbox with all kinds of craziness.

Since I like to share the great stuff I find online … and since you might need something to read while it rains or instead of doing the dishes, here are a few great posts I found this week.

Shauna Niequist’s guest post on Christianity Today.

This is what I know about spiritual life: it is not a solo endeavor, and most of the true progress I’ve made over the years—growth, courage, forgiveness, patience—has been born out of the truth we told each other over eggs and coffee or soup and bread, around the table, guiding each other toward hope, bravery, life itself.

This week was not the best week for me as a mom. Having a teenager requires so much more from me than I ever dreamed possible. And I spend a lot of time wondering how badly I’m messing it all up … but then I read a post like this one from Courtney and I cherish the wisdom and encouragement she offers. Because I’ve had to ask for a good bit of forgiveness and give a pretty sizeable amount as well.

Sometimes when I’m reading something Emily Freeman has written, I wonder if she is peeking into my journal. Because this week when she wrote about the rhythm of her life feeling more like a drumbeat than a heartbeat — y’all, I could never have said it so eloquently but yes! That’s exactly how I’ve felt. I love her wise counsel about how to respond by paying attention to three important realities.

This guest post from Christine Hoover on Sandra’s blog is sheer beauty. And, after reading Sandra’s review of From Good to Grace, I have definitely added it to my must read list for this year.

From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel is a book for women like I was, who long to please God but fear they never will. It’s for the woman drowning in self-condemnation, the woman afraid to be vulnerable with others because she’s so fully aware of her imperfections, and the woman who craves but can’t seem to grasp the freedom and joy that Jesus promised His followers.

And I’ve had a couple of posts on other sites as well …

Deeper Waters is one of those beautiful places online where grace and wisdom and truth are wrapped up in poetic words and breathtaking images. I’m not really sure how Denise decided to invite me to join the writing team … but I do so love being there. This post was a reflection on Psalm 68:18 and this realization: “But isn’t it easier sometimes to encourage someone else in truth than to walk in its freedom ourselves?”

And I’m very happy to be a writer for Managing Your Blessings’ 31 Days to a Better Marriage {spring edition}! Here’s a portion of what I wrote on Sanctification through Marriage. Please check out the whole series. I promise it’s so good!!

Marriage is a mystery, a profound and inexplicable thing. Two become one in body, mind, and spirit. But marriage has a greater purpose than we often realize: When we commit to one another, when we take the covenant of “one flesh” seriously and choose to stay even when leaving would be easier, then we become this gloriously incomplete but beautiful image of the way Christ loves the Church, His bride.

So, there you go … some reading for your weekend. You’re welcome!!

xo,

Teri Lynne

In case you want any of the books I mentioned … here are some Amazon links which are affiliate links meaning if you purchase through them I will receive a few pennies toward the “Keep TL’s Book Habit Alive” fund.