A Wednesday list

1. It's rainy and cold here today. I don't even mind the rain too much since it brought with it some cooler temperatures. Of course, that also means that as soon as I finished brewing our typical 1/2 pot of coffee this morning I thought to myself...probably should have brewed the whole pot.

2. Thank goodness for public libraries. I have always been and always will be a public library fan, and while the one closest to us is closed for post-flooding repairs, the one we've been going to in the meantime has a fantastic children's department. One library-related thing saving my sanity these days is the plethora of book recommendations from the staff. In my head I spend lots of time at home perusing books and reading reviews and requesting the perfect list. But in reality, I rely on the once-a-week email recommendations I get based on the kids' ages and theme preferences, and on the display books at the library. I love the display books because I can browse and be spontaneous without digging through the stacks. Three cheers for librarians!

3. I'm finally giving in this week and shopping for a new pair or two of running shorts. I love the ones I have, three out of five pair don't have a draw string waist band, and the elastic is super stretched out, which makes for too much tugging during a run. I didn't feel like shopping at a store, so I bought some online and we'll see how they work.

4. Got my Christmas morning cinnamon rolls in the freezer yesterday Mmmm..... It's become one of those things that really makes me get in the Christmas spirit. I use The Pioneer Woman's recipe (minus her glaze/frosting) with just a couple of tweaks, and it hasn't let me down yet.

5. I read these verses this morning and they've really got me thinking today:

"I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of the world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." II Corinthians 10:3-5

 A perk of my chronological Bible plan is that I end up reading large chunks of the Bible at once, entire letters, for example. I'm struck in Corinthians (the second letter, in particular) about how as Christians we are to be separate from the world -- not physically, but in our hearts and in the overflow of our hearts (our actions and behavior). I think Christians often interpret this in outward ways, but the above passage is, in my opinion, a strong example of how our separateness is about way more than how we dress, what media we consume, what we do or do not eat or drink. It's about our worldview, the very foundation of who we are, about what's in our hearts. THAT is what's really going to set us apart from the world (see: I Corinthians 13). While that applies in so many ways, this example of essentially how we fight/disagree really seems appropriate right now. "We do not wage war as the world does" -- leveraging hate and human power and anger and discord -- our weapons "have divine power to demolish strongholds." Our we fighting the right enemy? Are we speaking in gentleness and humility and compassion (not to be confused with weakness). Are we recognizing spiritual battles for what they are?  Food for thought.

Cheers! (It's the rainy English weather talking)