1st quarter 2010…

As I usually have to start out by saying, it’s been a long time since I last wrote anything here.  I think before Christmas actually.  It’s hard to believe that 2010 is nearly a quarter over!!  January and February, I hardly knew you…..and already you are gone….ahhhh

It has been a busy year – growing a lot, actually.  How many of you do the New Year’s resolution thing?  I don’t really put a lot into it, to be totally honest, but I thought about a couple of things going into this new year – things I wanted to really try to do more.

First, I wanted to read more.  I love reading – it’s way more gratifying for me than watching tv or a movie or playing a game, but it seems like in the last couple of years, I hadn’t put much effort into pursuing it that much…..I thought about trying to read a book every week or every other week, but in the attempt to shoot for something realistic, I settled on trying to read a book a month.  This is separate from any reading I do as part of my devotions, although that was also something that I wanted to be more consistent in….
So far I’ve finished 3 books, and I currently am part way into at least 4 others….
I’ve finished Let Justice Roll Down, by John M. Perkins, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, by Rob Bell, and Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality, also by Rob Bell.  In the couple of months before Christmas, I read the book Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan, and Drops Like Stars: A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering, by (say it with me now:)  Rob Bell.
I’m not writing book reports or giving any kind of book reviews here, but all these books challenged me and encouraged me and made me think of things in a way I’d never thought before……all very good books.
I’m currently reading Francis Chan’s new book, entitled The Forgotten God; The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, by Hans Finzel; Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2, by Steve Stockman; and A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn.
(FYI:  my favorite of the books I’ve finished so far this year is definitely Jesus Wants to Save Christians…)

I’ve been very happy with how consistent I’ve been able to be with these ‘resolutions’ this year.  Don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy watching movies and playing games online with the boys (Shutter Island is by far the best movie so far this year, and Modern Warfare 2 is a lot of fun online), but God has helped me get into a consistent routine that includes reading on my on and spending time in the Bible and in prayer…..

So has anybody else been sticking to those resolutions?  Or not sticking to them?  I’d love to hear what’s been easy and what’s been hard to stick to in 2010…….

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