Not My Circus, Not My Monkey 6-7-2019

Posted on by Mary
monkey

“Not my circus not my Monkey” is become my phrase over the last 5 or 6 years. If you have hung around me for any amount of time in the real-life you have probably heard me utter these words “Not my circus, not my monkey ” It’s kinda my little reminder to myself not to get wrapped into drama- especially if it’s not my own.

There is a whole lot f stress and frustration that can be avoided if we embrace and live with this phrase as our motto. I have had people hear me mutter this to myself. But I want to make something very clear- This is not about ignoring people and their problems. I still pray for people and I still try to help people and I still listen and care for them and “bear one another’s burdens” as the Bible tells us to.

The difference is if it’s not my business. And sometimes I need to realize even if I’m involved deeply in a matter that God doesn’t want me to know the why, or the How, or the what. He just wants me to trust Him.

That Moment You Realize It IS your Circus and it IS your Monkeys

This makes me giggle so much because a friend of mine posted a meme to my facebook timeline with this phrase on it with if I remember correctly a mom’s facepalm. It was HILARIOUS! but it also got me thinking…It’s really easy for me to say “not my circus, not my Monkeys”, but how do I gauge when it is. And then I need to ask myself What is my circus and WHO are my Monkeys and here’s what I came up with

  • if it involves my family(husband and kids)
  • my home
  • something I’ve done or been a part of
  • a ministry I lead
  • me (Yes I am My Monkey)

That’s a short list. When we realize that our monkeys are a short list it gives us permission to chill. When we take on other people’s circuses and monkeys we can easily get overwhelmed. and we don’t like it when people take over our circuses and monkeys. This is also called MICROMANAGING. I am currently in a situation where I am watching a ton of micromanaging going on. I am just a witness t it. There is a lot of unrest in all of it because those being micromanaged are fed up-they have their Monkeys under control and doing a good job at taking care of the monkey’s they were given. HOWEVER, for whatever reason, the Ringleader doesn’t trust the Monkey Trainers so the Ringleader decided to micromanage. It disturbs the workflow of the Monkey trainers.

Now the Ringleader could argue that they are in charge of the Monkey Trainers BUT if you give someone a job you must, in turn, trust them with it. You have made they act of Monkey Training NOT YOUR MONKEY! Yes, you still need to help if asked. or if a ball is being dropped but if there is nothing wrong remind yourself ” not my Monkey” and move on. not everything has to be done your way.

I hope you enjoyed this fun little post about circuses and monkeys, as much as I did!

Now it’s Your Turn

Do you have something you are known for saying? (Keep it clean people). and does it serve as a reminder or a specific purpose?

Book Review: Settle My Soul

Posted on by Mary

Settle My Soul

Settle My Soul: 100 Quiet Moments to Meet with Jesus By Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk Is a Pressing Pause Devotional published by Zondervan. Each 2-3 page devotional hits you right where you are at. They are skillfully written and definitely encourage the reader in their everyday walk with Jesus!. The quality of the book is great and the cover is beautiful (though I will say it got kinda dirty).

Soul

I know the picture really doesn’t do it justice BUT people the title in PINK foil lettering. Also included is a lovely sage green ribbon bookmark. And the Paper. At the end of every devotional, there are a couple of questions and some lines provided in which to answer. Can I just tell you, the paper is Thick. I don’t think I had any bleed through or shadowing. It’s a great size and very portable!

There were a few of the devotions that really stood out to me:

Day57- “God Call’s us to love our neighbor, but first we must notice them and get to know them.”

Day 66 entitled ” would you follow you” starts out with this statement, “Friendships are not optional in the Christian life. they are necessary for sustaining us through all that life throws at us.

Day 79 (Driven to distraction) “He invites us to hold up our too full places up to Him, allowing him to scrape off any activities that aren’t in His will. This lets us say no to multitasking and begin to focus on the things God may have for us.”

Day 86 (Putting on Patience). There was nothing specific in this one it was the whole thing that just deeply resonated with my Soul.

This is just a tiny sampling of what this book holds.

My Soul Review

When I got my hands on this book back in April, it was exactly what my soul needed. My soul had been depleted. we were in the last few months of school and I have to be honest we as a family needed some deep soul rest. We are hoping to get that in the coming weeks but I was really struggling with near burnout and ministry exhaustion. This book met me where I was and really helped to feed my soul exhaustion.

I only really have one complaint and that’s that the book did get dirty but that’s more my fault (I haul my books everywhere) and it seems to wipe clean, unlike some other books I own.

So I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Also a big thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing me with a free copy for review. These opinions are soley my own and I have NOT been paid for a positive review.

Interested in reading other book reviews? You can check out my other book reviews by clicking here.

Pre-Order the God Dare by Kate Battistelli (Pre-Order Bonuses)

Posted on by Mary

 

The God Dare Bonuses

Get Your Pre-order Bonuses before June 1st

Hey Everyone- Can I just tell you I am over the moon excited by Kate Battistelli’s new book The God Dare which launches June 1st!  That’s right THIS SATURDAY! So if you pre-order by June 1st then you are eligible for an amazing bonus bundle. But more on that I a minute.

I have been a part of this launch team for the last six weeks and can I just tell you it has been so much fun being a part of this book birthday!

Are you ready for the Dare?  aka about this book!

God has called us to something….whether we like it or not.  sometimes those things look really scary- ok if we are really honest most times that is the case. Is this book Kate asks some hard questions about our willingness to go where God has called us to go or do what God has called us to do.  I just love it when Authors pair people from the Bible who have been in similar shoes to my own and kate has done just that.  I have found myself in the shoes of Esther- do I keep my mouth shut, or speak out for justice?  I have traveled with Abram and Ruth when I have left all that I know and love to follow where God leads and I can tell you right now that each of these instances.   Sometimes it is just making an unpopular decision that may look like you are absolutely off your rocker to the rest of the world around you.  The question Kate asks is Are You Willing? and If no why not?

Each chapter concludes with soul searching questions that dig deep into where or what God is calling you to.

Who is this book for?

EVERYONE, No seriously are you confused about where God wants you?  Or is He REALLY calling me to do THAT?  How about a hard situation that seems above our understanding and we are left on our knees asking what now or why or how?  And if you aren’t in any of those places I promise you are heading there.  And when you get there this book offers a HUGE blessing and that blessing is perspective.  And many times perspective changes many things especially hearts!

SO what about this bonus bundle you mentioned?

So if your order your copy of the God Dare before June 1st- then you can claim your free bonus bundle.

Here’s what is in the bundle-

– Companion Small Group Book or Bible Study PDF
– “Those Who Take the God Dare” printable PDF
– “The God Dare Secrets” printable PDF
– “Backstage behind-the-scenes” video discussing how The God Dare  came to be

Here’s how to claim your bonus bundle.

Step 1:  Order the book from your favorite retailer

Step 2: Visit www.katebattistelli.com/god-dare/ and fill out the form that pops up after you click on the “preorder bonuses” button

Step 3:  Watch for my email containing your bonus bundle to arrive after June 1st!

Here is the Amazon link (this is NOT an affiliate link)

And one more thing:

And don’t forget when you get your book don’t forget to either screenshot the cover on your device or snap a picture of your physical copy and use the hashtag #theGodDare and Tag Kate in the post!    @KateBattistelli

DISCLAIMER:  I was given an advanced readers copy of this book by the publisher

Being Faithful In All Seasons of Life – Ecclesiastes 3

Posted on by Mary

faithful

The Background: A Faithful Choice

This blog post is a long time in the making and by a long time I mean my whole life! No, I’m not kidding.   Being faithful in our relationship with God is not a wake up one day accept Jesus as your Savior and BAM! you have all the faith in the world! Oh, how I wish it were the case! But it is not.

Faithfulness is a long time in the making.  It is built out of learning, from mistakes, and blessings, miracles, and hardships.  And I want to get this out in the open that just because I am writing this post does not mean that I have somehow arrived at this amazing level of faithfulness.  It is however just the opposite.  This is my processing ground.  Working out my faith in some areas that can’t really be explained.

The Struggle

I know that there are those who think that Pastor’s families have some sort of unique “in” with God, but that is just not true.   I have learned much over the last few years about my humanness. My desire to know the answers NOW in my time.  The idea that things couldn’t get worse than they are now.  That truth will prevail…SURELY TIS TIME.   I’m gonna pray this way- and God’s gonna my answer my prayer? (which by the way he always does, but as of late I have been left standing with my hands on my head saying Lord THAT is NOT what I meant!   The whole verse that says “His ways are not our ways” Has been an ongoing theme in my life and I’m standing there wondering how and why God answered Just how I prayed and things got worse…NO JOKE!

It’s in those moments my faith in God has been tested! And tested and tested…and tested again.

I’m not the type of person who stands before God and stomps my feet and shakes my fist at God and says I want this and I want it now God.  I’m am the type who passionately prays for needs and lifts up those who are hurting and I seek God’s will  And I can *usually* see God even in the negative fairly quickly but there are times when all of it doesn’t make sense.   This is usually when this involves justice.  And this year I have learned a very valuable lesson in this area that will I’m sure to unfold slowly BUT God’s justice is sometimes slow to us.  The key is “to us”. And in these moments, we have two options. We can either remain faithful and say “Ok God even if you don’t_________I still will remain faithful to you and your word” or we can turn our backs on God and try to force our hands and get our own way.   Sadly I have seen too often that people do just that and in the end, they may get what they want but it costs them……their faith in God and their faith slowly becomes rooted in what they can do, or what others can do for them.

So starting tomorrow we are gonna hash out and discuss Ecclesiastes 3. So, for now, you can read it here, and then tomorrow we will jump into verse one!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV

1There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

 

Book Review: Happy Happy Happy Stories for Kids By Korie Robertson and Chrys Howard

Posted on by Mary

Happy

The Content-Happy Stories

Every morning my youngest two sons and I have this routine. We have been making happy memories together reading before the bus comes. I give them a snack so they can take their vitamins, they take their vitamins and then we head out to our entryway to wait for the bus. It started last school year with our third youngest. He always wanted to play on my phone while he waited and I wasn’t satisfied with that so we began our reading journey together. They both have struggles especially in the waiting for the bus area of life so we began reading and when the opportunity arose to read this book together we snatched up the chance.

Korie and Chrys tell family stories with truth from God’s word weaved throughout each account. They are told in simple and sweet ways and often times with a humorous twist that even left me wanting to know the rest of the story long after the boys got on the bus!  Each chapter starts with a verse, then the story and is followed by some very thought-provoking questions and then a short Bible lesson.  Nothing too in-depth Just right for our 11 and almost 9-year-old.   The other major plus was this was NOT a gender specific book!  It was clearly meant for kids BUT as an adult I too thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another aspect included in most chapters but not all (or not as obvious as some others) were ACTION STEPS as the end of the Duck Commander in Action section (AKA Bible study).  This section challenges readers to take what they learned from the Robertsons stories and God’s word and put it into action in their lives.

A Happy Review!

Our family has been a long time lover of Duck Dynasty and the Robertsons!   We appreciate their family values and their humor, and their stand for faith and godly values and it was just an absolutely refreshing change from what the world had been handing us for some time now.  Our boys were excited to get to hear stories about the Robertsons.

Now getting our boys to focus is difficult as one has Autism and the other struggles with Central Auditory Processing Disorder and It is a great challenge for him to listen, especially with other background noise.  In a sense, I have one kid who Makes noise all the time and one who is highly distracted by the slightest noise.

Well, Korie and Chrys wrote this book in such a gripping way that in ALL the books we have read together, this was the book they were the most focused on to date!

The stories deal with issues and teach children great lessons in life.   Some of the stories that the boys are still talking about are trying new things-even to the tune of trying a new food for one sons birthday dinner.  Another lesson deals with Mayhaws- a small berry that Jep learns turns into something great all while learning from his father that being small doesn’t mean you don’t have a great purpose.

AND my favorite lesson out of all of the stories is about young Willie and his TUBA!  I was in stitches.  But Willie had to learn a hard lesson most kids struggle with today, Sometimes no matter how hard you try, sometimes you need to have the wisdom to know that it is time to say “I’m not good at this and it’s ok at least I tried!”  I have a drummer and a piano player but I have yet had to send someone to the woods to practice BUT at least I now have that as a last resort!

The Boys Thoughts

I asked the boys if they wanted to help me review the book and I got a”DO we have to?”  It’s not a knock against the book I think they just look at it as more school work and as we are drawing near the end of another school year I think they have had enough!   So I asked each one of them what they thought of the book they both said emphatically that they LOVED it!  But what’s more, as a mom I can see them take what they are learning and apply it to their lives! THAT IS THE MARK OF AN AMAZING BOOK!

Our Rating

So all of us give it 5 stars!!

OH and one more thing we loved the artwork!  The pictures all look like textured scrapbook paper and gives almost a 3-D look without being 3-D!  The boys absolutely loved seeing all the artwork!

And a GREAT BIG THANKS to BookLook Bloggers for providing a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes! All of the opinions in this review are completely my own and I am in no way compensated for a positive review.