Getting Organized
I’m going through Chalene Johnson’s FREE 30 day challenge. It’s utterly practical and has the potential to be a life-changer. I think I already do a lot of the things she talks about, but it’s helping me put those things into categories and do them in a way that makes sense and is more productive. I can’t remember where I heard about this – but some link led me to some link that led me there. I’m glad.
My Favorite Way to Pray
For many years I’ve just prayed the Bible. Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney teaches this concept. Here’s what the Amazon description says:
“This little book is explosive and powerful.”
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.When you pray, does it ever feel like you’re just saying the same old things about the same old things?
Offering us the encouragement and the practical advice we’re all looking for, Donald S. Whitney, best-selling author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, outlines an easy-to-grasp method that has the power to transform our prayer life: praying the words of Scripture. Simple, yet profound, Praying the Bible will prove invaluable as you seek to commune with your heavenly Father in prayer each and every day.
“I prayed through Psalm 23 with tears streaming down my face, asking myself, why have I not done this before? Perhaps you’ve been told to pray the Scriptures, but you haven’t because you were never taught how to. Whitney’s simple approach makes praying through the Bible accessible while also leaving space for the Word and Spirit to work in your heart. Don’t give up on prayer! Praying the Bible will help transform your prayer life.”
—Trillia Newbell, author, United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity and Fear and Faith
Doesn’t that look like a good book? If you want to see a video I recorded several years ago where I talk about praying for your kids – you can go HERE. In that post I also list my favorite prayer guides along with links.
By the way, that video was one of only three (I believe) that I’ve ever done for this blog. Last week I read Crystal Paine’s That Thing Others are Shaming you For? Do it Anyway post. It hit me right between the eyeballs and reminded me of why I only did three videos. I struggle with shame. Shame for how I look. Shame for how I talk. My dorky mannerisms.
I’m planning to post about where this came from in my own life and what I’m doing to overcome this emotional handicap. But for now, I’ll just say those videos make me want to run and hide under the bed. I remember seeing another blogger doing lots of videos, and I thought, “Wow – that would be so easy and fun. Do I dare show my face to these readers? What if they don’t like me? What if they realize just what an idiot I really am?”
I did them because it was hard to do them. That’s what I do. I push through until I get to the other side. But after those three videos I was led by God to push through something far bigger and more insidious and time consuming. Boy, has that kept me busy for three years. Maybe one day I’ll try a video again. Crystal’s blog post is inspirational.
I, like Crystal, am an introvert, although people who know me superficially would never say that about me. I can hold my own in public, but I hate it. I would much rather be home alone reading and writing. That’s why I love the Internet. I can be myself without myself in the way.
Life is a Storm…
OK, let’s move on from the self-analytical angst that comes from a middle age identity crisis. How about a quote?
“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!”
On Saturday night I sat at my computer (the 5 yo broke the TV) and watched The Count of Monte Cristo. This quote came at such a moving scene – I was holding my breath. It was taken from the book, of course, which I have not read. (I know – a pox upon me for watching the movie before reading the book.)
My daughter is catching up with Downton Abby so we can watch season 5 together. Oh, how I’ve missed that family and all their servants.
Parent Coaching
I’m getting some parent coaching through Connected Families here at the end of summer. I’ve read their books and gone through their online course, and I’m hopeful that they can help me figure out better strategies for dealing with my ADHD/ODD daughter. She is starting to go through puberty and getting violent every day now. It’s frightening sometimes. She’s not all that big, but she is strong – and when she is triggered there is no stopping her. The anxiety and emotional trauma that goes on here daily is crushing sometimes. If you have a child like this, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, stand back and put your hand on your mouth. This is sacred ground, and I’m not kidding. So much of the ignorant advice I’ve heard over the years has just added to the confusion and chaos. (Can you tell I get just a teensy bit riled up about this?) I’ll have to give you an update on how the coaching goes once it’s over. Hopefully, I’ll still be alive.
Audible
I keep saying I’ll do a post about my new love affair with Audible. And I will. But briefly I’ll mention that right now I’m listening to A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I just love it. I love it. I truly love it. I adore listening to books on Audible. I’ve been able to get through big fat books in two weeks. Regular sized books in one week. I listen when I’m in the car, getting ready for the day, getting ready to go to bed, and before I go to sleep. That’s it. I never thought I’d have time to read novels again – but Audible has made it possible. And the narrators are incredibly talented and make you feel like you are watching a movie or living it yourself or something. OK, I need to stop now because I do want to write up an entire post where I go on and on about it. I should save some blather for later.
What I’m READING reading
I’m finishing up Buechner’s Telling the Truth, and I’m just starting The Healing Path by Dan Allender, PH.D. Here’s a quote from today’s reading:
“My premise is that doubt, despair, and disappointment are not only a reality of daily life, they are also the tools God uses to grow faith, hope, and love in us. If we run from what we fear or find displeasurable, we actually rob ourselves of the joy God intends for us to experience as we walk through our past, play with our future, and live now with new passion.”
(And a little later…)
“Suffering need not destroy the heart; it has the potential to lead to life. But few people I know suffer deeply and profit. Instead, pain is seldom expected nor embraced when it comes. It is often denied or swept under the spiritual rug of “God’s sovereignty.” The apostle Paul tells us that as we “groan inwardly,” we “wait eagerly” for our final redemption. (Romans 8:23). But few of us enter the tragedy of living in a fallen world and simultaneously struggle with God until our hearts bleed with hope. We either give in to the pain with a hopeless cynicism, or we settle for an artificial resolution that insists that things really aren’t too bad and we need not muck around in the “negatives” of life.
God’s perspective on suffering is very different. He invites us on a healing journey through the valleys and over the cliffs of an evil world, but we often miss out on His redemptive path. Too many of us suffer for naught.”
I wanted to tell you what my kids are doing for school in the fall, but I’ll end there and write about that in a different post. Thank you for connecting with me. Leave a comment if something is bubbling up and needs to get out. If it’s nice, I mean. Nice bubbles in my sandbox. Not abusive ones. Thanks. 
Just want to say. . . I DO have a child like yours and I DO know how crushing it is. Especially when it was every day. He is 14 1/2 now and we’ve found the right meds/parenting for him and us. So, it is better. God has brought us into a season of respite. I have purposed to pray for you whenever God brings you to mind. And I subscribe to your blog by email. So, keep posting, sister! I have no words except that God is faithful. And He has a beautiful plan for you and your daughter. If I lived remotely close to you, I would give you support in other ways. So, I will pray that God will provide what you need through someone else.
Thank you, Wendy. I’m encouraged to hear that God has provided some answers and rest for you. It gives me hope that maybe there will be rest for me one day. My other kids are suffering too. It is a helpless feeling that definitely has driven me to fling myself at God’s feet and beg for mercy. I am keenly aware of my poverty in this. It helps tremendously to know that others have sunk deep in these waters before me and come up and out in God’s good timing. Thank you for your prayers and for reaching out to me here. <3
“My other kids are suffering too.” Oh yes. How I know this! My heart squeezes just to read those words. There were so many days – months!- that I lived in the darkness of fear for my other children. My faith was not strong enough to believe that it could ever be good. That is the beauty of God’s faithfulness. It doesn’t depend on my faith! He is beginning to allow us to see what He has been doing all along. Our other children are so much stronger in their personal connection to Him than we ever were at their ages. SO much more balanced in their views. So much more compassionate and humble. How can I not be grateful for that? If you need to “talk” more, please feel free to connect with me on Facebook. I would love to give you support in any way I can.
<3
I recently learned about Connected Families (maybe through you?) and I love it! I cling to what I learn through these little posts. I hope that you get the help you need to deal with your daughter. No judgment here. I have a child with some strange undiagnosed issues. When he has a crazy episode it scares me and I truly don’t know what to do with him. I’m afraid to talk to people about it because lots of well-meaning Christian people are too willing to hand out advice without having a clue what they’re talking about. I went through a lot of mommy guilt when my first strong-willed child was a toddler and I was told things like “You need to spank him more” and “You don’t spank him hard enough,” as though spanking cures every ill behavior and attitude. I spanked that child until I felt like an abuser, then collapsed in tears praying for wisdom because I knew that I could not continue like that. It’s hard to get real help sometimes. Where are the truly wise people who can actually help instead of giving out trite answers? I get sick of hearing the answers from people who have a couple of “normal,” compliant children. I want to hear from those in the trenches with challenging children–strong-will, emotional issues, etc.
I can relate to everything you write here, Sarah. That’s all I will say about that.
I cannot wait to hear what you have to say about shame! Is this a middle age thing that certain things about myself are suddenly too ridiculous to bear? The way I get silly and make weird and wild gesticulations in certain social situations. The way my menopausal brain suddenly misfires in mid-conversation, or mid-sentence, and I look like a total dork. The way I look in photographs…really, that person in the pic is NOT the same woman that I see in the mirror. lol Thank you thank you thank you for being real!
You might like this Ted Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en
I want to read Brene Brown’s books – haven’t got around to it yet, but they are on my wish list.
Natalie, I love it when you write your own blogs rather than posting what someone else has blogged. Not because those other blog are not good but because what you write is nearly always soo oo much better. Real. Thanks for sharing, it is uplifting. My hubby has an Allender book he has been begging me to read. Usually that means a lot of great things. BTW, just want you to know that no one is keeping track of your so called dorkiness, except you so – do this . . . . Stop it. Love, Sandy
Lol, you’re too sweet.
Just wanted to let you know I have finished reading a book I found out about through your site — Switch On Your Brain — and, boy, am I glad you recommended that one! It was in our area library system, just waiting for me to check it out. 😉 I read through it fairly quickly, and now is the time to put it into action, with the 21-day brain detox plan. Looking forward to that! I just might need to buy a copy of the book, so I’ve always got it. I think rereading various parts will serve as good reminders long past the time my library copy has to go back!
That really is a life changing book for sure…
I just wanted to say I’d love to see your videos. I did see Crystals post and was inspired too. I try to pray for your family every time I use soap. 😋 and for what it’s worth every time I’ve seen your photo you always strike me as such a beautiful and sweet lady. God bless.
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