oh hi there...

over two months?  that must be a new record for be in the area of being silent.

to sum up the last two months: we're still living on a budget, my kids are still cute/ornery/growing/saying cute things, we are still using cloth diapers/sometimes coupons/price matching/working on being "green". 

but none of those things are things I want to talk about.

here's the thing...sometimes we just need to shut our mouths.

sometimes we need to be quiet enough to allow ourselves an opportunity to invite the wisdom of others into our lives.

sometimes we need to be silent to make room to hear & engage in the stories around us.....especially those painful stories that need more light than my stories of saving money/everyday life does.

These talented women capture what I want to say far better than I ever could.  If you get a chance, get your hands on a copy of "7:An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" & "Kisses from Katie".

"We aren't called to save the world, not even to save on person; Jesus does that.  We are just called to love with abandon.  We are called to enter into our neighbors' sufferings and love them right there."
-Kisses from Katie

"As I reduce, He is enough.  As I simplify, He is enough.  He is my portion where clothes and comfort fall woefully short.  He can heal me from greed and excess, materialism and pride, selfishness and envy."

"Heaven is coming fast, and we live in that thin space where faith and obedience have relevance.  We have this one life to offer; there is no second chance, no Plan B for the good news.  We get one shot at living to expand the kingdom, fighting for justice.  We'll stand before Jesus once, and none of our luxuries will accompany us.  We'll have one moment to say, "This is how I lived.""

"I am commissioned to be a light, but I can't illuminate this world while competing with the light of others...when one of us shines it is a community victory.  If we all lived radiantly we simply couldn't be hidden andy longer.  This is not about individual wattage; our power is communal, or it is meaningless."
-Jen Hatmaker, "7"

Well put, ladies, well put.  If I could legally copy and paste the entire books here, I would....they are being THAT transformational in our lives. 

We're gaining perspective...or continuing to gain perspective.  We're listening more.  We're desiring to be agents of change.  We are taking radical steps of obedience. We want to right some major wrongs. We want to step outside our comfort zones.  We want to stop complaining about our petty problems.  We want to "walk the walk".  We want to share our lives with others.  We want to go against the grain.  We're recognizing again and again just how much it's "not about us". We  want to open up our homes and hearts and love like we were told to do.

And we want to encourage others to do the same.