Reading the book earlier this year and I felt a nudge.  As time has gone, I’ve really thought about doing the 7 fast, adapting it to my life and circumstances.  But 7 months,  a commitment too big to  make in this season of life.  So when I saw that a community is doing it for 7 weeks, I jumped in.  Seven weeks is doable (I get distracted way too easily these days), and there is community to fellowship with.

And as I do this, sweet Mae has the book to read and think about it.  Approaching thirteen this summer, she is bombarded with the consumerism me culture.  It is my hope that reading this book will give her more tools to resist conformation to this world and increase her desire to seek transformation through the renewing of her mind.

Now as I prayed about the fast and what the Lord wants of me, this summer of 7 has taken a different turn.  So there is a schedule for the summer of 7, but there is one thing He has asked me to pursue, and that will be my primary focus.
Without further ado, here is the schedule for my summer of 7, strategically planned around the arrival of a Chinese exchange student, Builder’s rotation weeks where he will be home and the wedding in the middle of June (I don’t want to choose 5 pieces of my 7 piece allotment for that day!).  A schedule that is in place to give some framework, but will flex according to the One Thing.

June 4-10 ~ possessions ~ give away 7 items a day, for 7 days to specific people
 
June 11-17 ~ 7 day media fast, with the except of email, banking

June 25-July 1 ~ no spending except fuel, if needed

July 2-8 ~ waste ~ a week to learn how to better compost, to seek ways to conserve energy & water, and buy only local produce

July 16-22 ~ stress ~  I will plan a Sabbath evening welcome as well as a Sabbath end meal.

If you are jumping in this summer, making space to hear God speak you can join in here.

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Reading continues through May.  I am thrilled that even though I am not following my “2012 Reading List”, I’ve already read and wrote about nearly 20 books this year!  Here are my May reads:

Diseases in History, MALARIA by Kevin Cunningham ~ Mae read this book and encouraged me to as well.  It was a good overview of how Malaria has spread over the globe, how it has effected life and how the attempt to eradicate it failed in the poorest areas of the world.

As our youngest daughter has had an interest in preventing malaria for several years, she held a Lemonade Stand earlier in the month.  Reading this book I realized that my sweet girl is partnering with BiteBack at Malaria in one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of this vicious disease.  What a joy to see her stepping out to make the world a better place, and educating me in the process.
On a side note, this book does have a strong evolutionary tone.

Beyond Hope’s Valley by Tricia Goyer, see Blog Tour review here.

By Faith, Not By Sight by Scott MacIntyre
This book is one that I will be thinking on for some time.  Scott is a young man who has allowed the many struggles in his life to make him wise and grateful.  My full review is linked here.

wish you were here by Beth K. Vogt, complete review here.

Chasing the Sun by Tracie Peterson.  This has been the month for Civil War stories and field trips. It is a neat thing when a common thread ties a theme together over a short period of time.  Read my review here.

audiobooks

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt,  Performed by Tom Stechschulte.  We listened to this audio book on our recent road trip to visit family.  This is the hard story of young Jethro Creighton as he grows up during the horrors of the Civil War.  I appreciated the depth of character protrayal in this story and the impact it had on myself and my daughters.  There is a spot in the beginning of the story that struck me profoundly, where the main character’s older brother is torn between the South and the North, and chooses the South.  He compares the slavery to the terrible issues faced by child factory workers in the North.  We all have sin, we have injustice and wickedness within that we wrestle with and I appreciate the perspective given by Bill Creighton.

Now, I by no means justify slavery in the previous paragraph, it is WRONG.  WICKED.  UNJUST.  But I do believe it is good to take a look at what might be happening just under our noses to children who are wrongly, horribly used to provide us with goods and services.  It was happening then.  It is happening now.

We visited Nicodemus National Historic Site as we headed home at the end of our trip.  It was a great
tie in to Across Five Aprils.  What a blessing to have the opportunity to listen to the book, visit a historyic site and learn about terrible time in our country’s history.  I hope it deepens and enriches the understanding next year when we study American history in more depth.

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

This was the audio book I listened to on our recent road trip while the children slept.  (We started each side of the trip early in the morning.)  This was the first time I was able to appreciate Dave Ramsey’s tone and message.  I very much appreciated his words of hope towards the end of the book.  This most recent trip was made for hard reasons despite all the good woven in, and I truly need to be reminded of the hope offered by our God as we walk this road of life.  Hope in finances, hope in purpose, hope in HIS redemption of all the struggles and hard stuff.

The winners of the Seventh Generation Coupon giveaways are #3 Sara and #5 Tracy.  Congratulations!  You should have an email this morning.

We are backyard chicken people, and recently we added ducks.  What fun we have with these little creatures!  We’ve started a page with pictures and hopefully some interesting information will be added.

If you are interested in backyard chickens and ducks, take a look and let’s talk!

Linking with Amanda

Often I pray for our Compassion “son” Bryan Marcello who lives in Guatemala City, I pray that he grows strong in the LORD and is protected from the gangs and crime on the streets of his neighborhood.

This video encouraged me to press on in my prayers for Bryan Marcello, and to continue to have faith  that Bryan will also grow strong in the face of these dangers, with a hope for his future that outshines the temptations and traps.

Will you consider sponsoring a boy in Central or South America and take part in changing the story for another child?

We have 1 SG Free & Clear Diapers Or Training Pants coupon, and 1 SC Laundry Product Coupon to giveaway this week.  Please specify in your comment which you prefer.

The drawing will go until May 29 and the winners can expect an email on May 30.

a’>http://www.rafflecopter.com”>a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thank you for stopping by!