Number 24: A Schemer

He who plots evil will be known as a schemer. The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker. Proverbs 24:8-9

{Saying Number 24 is part of a series I'm featuring on Fridays: The 30 Sayings of the Wise found in Proverbs 23 and 24. You can read them all, here.}

P.S. For those of you who have been praying for George and wondering how he's doing, this is from his mother today:
Oh happy day, we are out of the hospital!

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
-- James 1:2-4

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Local Inspiration

My oldest, trying to decide how to spend his money at Wonder Works, yesterday.

Tomorrow, May 16th, is the first annual Christine Osborn Day, to mark her continuing contributions to our community. Christine Osborn owns a magical toy store, Wonder Works, and their community involvement is amazing. They promote dozens of local products where the proceeds go to charity, they host huge kids' fairs and giveaways, and Christine was the one responsible for getting Little Red Wagon here. 

So, it is no surprise that Christine does not want this day to be about her – she wants it to be about the magic of giving. Whether you share your appreciation with someone, or help out your neighbor, or bring food to a homeless shelter...there are many ways to pay it forward and make a positive impact in someone else’s life.

Think about how you can do that on May 16th. 
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A 12 year old girl stood up in front of the entire congregation in "big church" on Sunday to talk about a well-known local project that she co-founded, Keys for Hope. Not only am I amazed that they have already managed to raise over $40,000 for our local homeless shelter by selling recycled keys embellished with glitter and buttons, but she stood up in front of everyone at big church to talk about it. You go, girl. Keys of Hope's fundraising goal is $1 million. I have no doubt they will get there. (No surprise, you can find the keys at Wonder Works. That's Christine in the picture with them.)
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If all that isn't enough, on May 31 – June 2 The Coastal Cupboard will have their Semi-Annual Charity Knife Sharpening Event benefitting Feed the Need! For just $1 per knife, people can come and get their knives professionally sharpened where all proceeds benefit Feed the Need, a local charity aimed to help relieve the economic burden that soup kitchens and shelters face in our community.

They will also host a charity raffle including cooking classes, cutlery sets, and a grand prize of a dinner for 4 at the Charleston Grill with wine pairings (a $700 value)!

Um, that's a no-brainer.

Are you inspired yet?

Why God Lets Your Kids Embarrass You

I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day. It was beautiful here, and the boys made it special. I've been thinking a lot about those kiddos, and our time together so far. They make me smile, laugh, and sometimes, cringe. I've written about the cringe-worthy moments for Newby Mom this month:

We can laugh about it now, but I have a friend who prayed fervently during quiet times in church. It was not because she had a pressing need or felt incredibly close to God. It was because her baby had gas. . . 

Click here to continue reading.

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Michelle for Hear It/Use It

Number 23: Speechless at the Gate

Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say. Proverbs 24:7

{Saying Number 23 is part of a series I'm featuring on Fridays: The 30 Sayings of the Wise found in Proverbs 23 and 24. You can read them all, here.}

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Good Books

I've been on a reading kick lately. Sometimes I go through a dry spell with "nothing" to read and "nothing" that sounds good to me. Then all of the sudden I'm jammed with books and I can't keep my tired eyes open long enough at the end of the day to satisfy my brain's need for more.

These are the books that have been feeding me recently:

It kind of hurt for me to give this one back to the library. I pretty much geeked out over this nonfiction page-turner. If you were around me during the few weeks I was reading it, I probably bent your ear about "introverts" and "group work" and "Susan Cain has a window to my soul!" Reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talkingwritten by a former lawyer who isn't a huge fan of conflict, felt like reading my own inner thoughts - with way more research and big words. The chapter on Free Trait Theory especially rang true for me:

According to Free Trait Theory, we are born and culturally endowed with certain personality traits - introversion, for example - but we can and do act out of character in service of "core personal projects." In other words, introverts are capable of acting like extroverts for the sake of work they consider important, people they love, or anything they value highly.

This, basically, explains my life. Quiet has influenced the way I see myself, the way I view others, how I analyze my children, and how I parent. I really must buy my own copy so I can re-read it and underline the heck out of it.

Traveling Mercies was my first Anne Lamott book. I enjoyed it! I'm not going to run out and read all of her books, but how can you argue with this truth:

Don't get me wrong: grief sucks; it really does. Unfortunately, though, avoiding it robs us of life, of the now, of a sense of living spirit.

or

. . . courage is fear that has said its prayers.

That's good. This book is a memoir, of how Anne came to know God, her many trials (think alcohol, drugs, etc), parenthood, caring for aging parents, and just, well, life. Her life might not look like yours, but that's kind of the point: God loves us, all.

Katrina Kenison sucked me in because I saw this video, and I was a goner.

The Gift of an Ordinary Day is all about transition: how her family moved, how her two boys grew up, and how she got used to it all. Parts of this book had me thinking, "What? How could you?" and parts gripped me with sympathy. I couldn't put it down and I definitely treasure my ordinary days more now.

Read any good books lately?

St. George and the Dragon

(If you are having trouble, click here to view the video.)

What I forgot to tie together is that little George is fighting to slay his dragon today, CHD - Congenital Heart Defect. So that's why the story. Please pray for him. His surgery will be sometime around 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. 

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An update: As of Tuesday night, the surgery went well. Thank you for your prayers!

Number 22: Strength in Numbers

A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength; for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers. Proverbs 24:5-6

{Saying Number 21 is part of a series I'm featuring on Fridays: The 30 Sayings of the Wise found in Proverbs 23 and 24. You can read them all, here.}