It’s that time again, another Formica Friday, a treasure trove of hodgepodge, random tidbits, and a bit of this and that. What exactly is Formica Friday? Check out the tongue-in-cheek, I got away with this?, definition from the first post.
A quote:
Expectations are resentments under construction.
– Anne Lamott
A list:
- Skype calls, long Skype calls
- Common prayer
- Embracing the call
- The Tudors
- Every lyric to every She & Him song
- “The world is charged with the grandeur of God …”
The Collect for today, on this the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptizer:
O Lord God, heavenly Father, who through Thy servant John the Baptist didst bear witness that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, and that all who believe in Him shall inherit eternal life, we humbly pray Thee to enlighten us by Thy Holy Spirit that we may at all times find comfort and joy in this witness, continue steadfast in the true faith, and at last with all believers attain unto eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Posts you must read:
- I am thrilled to announce the return of my friend Christina May Gibson to the blogging world! Her silence was broken for the birthday of her eldest daughter and this post contains in it all the many reasons I love Chris. (She is, hands down, one of the most talented preachers I have had the privilege in my life to hear.)
- Joy brought a wonderful post about social justice, short and sweet, about how reading the Bible is enough to remind us where God’s focus starts. It reminds me of the first time I ever read Psalm 51 all the way through and truly thought about it. The temple sacrifice must still happen, it has not been done away with, but there are things that must be done first.
- Wonderful Elizabeth Esther reflected this week about her mixed marriage as a Catholic convert wed to a Protestant. I love her marriage and her children, this is a true reflection of her heart, which is so prone to graciousness.
- I was fortunate to discover Ally Spotts through a retweet yesterday. Her post about tips to single people friends with married people is the kind of post I wish I could print out and make mandatory reading for those entering Uni or life after high school in general.
- Rachel Held Evans wrote an interesting post about the Southern Baptist Convention’s response to Love Wins and lingering questions that exist after it. I don’t fully agree with her take, but the debate and dialogue that followed is fascinating. What stands out, frankly, is that there’s a lot of people who read portions of Scripture and not the whole. (I’m on of those people, often enough.)
- Speaking of Love Wins, my friends and hopefully someday future colleagues over at Transpositions have written what I believe to be the best review of the book I have read so far. Please give it a look, as well as checking out this amazing project of a blog they have worked so hard on. It continues to inspire and challenge.
- Amy’s keeping her blog name, which makes all the sense in the world, especially with posts like this one. Amy makes me think of wood floors, rain on metal roofs, and red wine. There’s a lot of laughter beneath all the depth, deeper still.
- Sister Lisa brings a thoughtful post about modest dress in church, especially during the Mass. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I don’t think I dress up for church as much as I should. If I value the aesthetic and argue that it is part of honoring God, what of my wears?
- I’m just loving Elora Nicole’s blog. From one writer to another, she has her finger placed on the pulse of the deep rhythms of time and space in her words. I hope that soon I will be able to say from one author to another, as I celebrate her possible publication coming soon while at the same time delighted by her more meditative posts, in which she lays herself raw, as raw as she can, and invites you to pull up a chair.
- Read everything Hilary writes. But read this one first. Deal?
- Kristin wrote a fantastic post in celebration of Instagram. You know those moments when someone puts into words how you already think, but you are often convinced that others simply don’t have their brains wired that way to understand it? She makes a digital medium on our iPhones a gateway for Story. And. I. Love. It.
- Brian’s post about theological humility puts into perspective what I have tried to do in some of these posts, being more constructive and exploratory and less dogmatic. Though, at the same time, I believe there are absolutes. And that’s delightfully confusing. His post is a wonderful articulation of that ongoing, struggling reality of faith over certainty.
- I’ve only just found Tony’s blog, but I have already been blessed this morning by his post making a distinction between imitating character and inspiring creativity, wise, true words grounded in the good of Scripture.
- I’ve also only recently discover Lauren’s blog, though I have seen her at Deeper Story, if I’m not mistaken, in the past. Her post about praising her daddy issues as what brought her to God is amazing, uplifting, and perfect for morning reading and reflection.
And, as always, a post from me:
Have a blog I should be reading? A post you want to share? Leave it in the comments below!
© 2011, Preston. All rights reserved.
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