Where I've been . . .

This has actually been a really busy week for me. Hence the lack of book review posts. Those will come next week. In the meantime, I've enjoyed a wonderful weekend with a great friend and I'm gearing up for our church's annual barn party tomorrow night! Of course, a great place to check for book reviews on a daily basis is 5 Minutes for Books. Yes, that's shameless plugging and so be it.

I just want to publicly thank Jennifer at Snapshot (again) for asking me to be a part of 5 Minutes for Books in the first place. It's opened doors and windows I never knew existed and I have so enjoyed having my reading horizons expanded as well has having the opportunity to meet new friends (like Lisa).

It's been interesting trying to figure out a balance in reading for 5 Minutes for Books and reading for this blog. I'm learning as I go but there's joy in the journey.

What I've been most surprised to discover is that I'm learning more about myself than I am about books. I'm learning to review and think about books in a whole new way, sure. More than that, I'm viewing people and relationships in a dramatically different fashion than I was before joining this particular review team. As God frequently does, He uses "the ordinary" in our lives to teach us more of who He is and who we are supposed to be in Him. That is no less true in my involvement with 5 Minutes for Books. He has used the reviewing team to sharpen me (Proverbs 27:17) and encourage me and bless me in so many ways. He has used some of the books that I have read (specifically Discover Your Child's Gifts) to knock me down and build me up again. God continues to mold and grow me to be more like Him for which I am incredibly overwhelmed by.

If you have followed my blog for awhile, you might have noticed the change in my reviewing style. It is not as it once was. As a matter of fact, some of my old reviews bother me so much that I've been frequently tempted to delete them! My view and outlook on life and how God created others (as well as how He created me!) has been so transformed that my old reviews make me feel ashamed! It's true. There's a shift within the heart that I'm not doing an adequate job explaining but let me try and say this much: He is doing a good and new thing in me and I'm excited.

I'm excited about my future "in real life" as well as on this blog. I'm excited about 5 Minutes for Books and where HE is taking me on this wild journey. I am blessed as I go.

I pray you are blessed as well, as you continue to open yourself up to new books, old thoughts and new. I pray for spiritual discernment as you digest the information you take in from various authors. Be thoughtful. Be blessed. Nothing happens by accident - not even the books that you choose to read. Make the most of everything. You might be surprised where your journey lands you.