A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

faith

Loving My Actual Neighbor

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I freely admit that I have only read 3/4’s of the way through Loving My Actual Neighbor.  This isn’t the result of lack of trying, rather a result of  a busier than expected month. Alexandra Kuykendall has written a heart compelling treatise to help us love the neighbor who lives right next door.

Loving my Actual Neighbors

What I am Reviewing

Loving My Actual Neighbor.
Alexandra Kuykendall
BakerBooks
220 pages
Reviewed for Nuts about Books.
Christianity, personal growth, spiritual growth, bible study

The Details

Seven chapters, plus and introduction and conclusion round out the pages of this 220 page book.   Written in a personal tone, Alexandra walks us through what it means to love your neighbour, giving us practical helps along the way.

Chapter titles are 

  • Holding a posture of humility
  • Asking questions to learn
  • Being quiet to listen
  • Standing in the awkward
  • Accepting what is
  • Lightening up
  • Giving freely
Loving my Actual Neighbors

Each chapter follows a similar format 

  • Quote along with bible verse
  • Lesson with a personal story to illustrate the point
  • A cut out to help you think more deeply
  • A call to Saturday living
  • Questions for Reflection
  • Practicing the Practice
  • Scripture to digest

Ms. Kuykendall shares freely from her personal life about things she has learned in meeting with her neighbours, and about how she has been challenged in her faith to be involved more deeply in their lives.  It’s a hard push sometimes to be vulnerable, it’s hard sometimes to step into gaps and help others you are not as familar with, but it’s good and necessary.

Loving my Actual Neighbors
A cut out to help you think more deeply

Saturday living.

“A neighborly life marinates in the Saturday life. Saturdays are for mowing the lawn, hanging out on the sports sidelines, and heading the grocery store. They are days of proximity, with natural interactions happening all around us. …… There is another element to Saturday living, a tension we hold as Jesus followers that is found most profoundly on Saturday — Holy Saturday, that is. We are people defined by the resurrection. … While we stand in the Friday pain of the world, we have the Sunday knowledge of the hope found in Christ. We are to operate out of both. This is Saturday living.” (p.21)

Loving my Actual Neighbors

I found the questions for reflections to be well done.  Challenging without being, I’m not sure of the right word, challenging without being wrong, or superficial or asked without meaning.  Sometimes reflection questions just seem to be asked without regard for the reader.  I didn’t find that to be so with this tome.  Ms. Kuykendall really wants her readers to think hard about who are our neighbours are and what we need to do to truly be neighbours.  We NEED to be neighbours who matter and try to touch the lives of those around us, impacting them for the Lord. 

Loving my Actual Neighbors

Once you have listened to the wisdom contained within these pages, scenarios to practice the skills you have been taught are provided. They followed the format of those I’ve shown below. One that I found to be a good reminder for me was “Stop and pay attention to the people you are serving. Let them interrupt you.” This is SO important. I find at the foodbank I can be very focused on organizing shelves that sometimes I forget about the people I am organizing the shelves for.

Loving my Actual Neighbors

My Thoughts

I admittedly like this book.  I do have some hesitations.

  1. Some quotes are from books by people that I question their belief in God. I admit that sometimes a quote is just a quote, but I am cautious about giving the nod to someone who has some questionable beliefs/ideals. 
  2. Often the practice scenarios seem devoid of any mention of God.  It’s like “find a person and see if you can find a way to love them”.  It’s all man done.  I wish the each practice session had a distinct connection with God.  Even “which of your neighbours are you led to pray for, or Pray for your most difficult neighbour asking God to help you love them, and then later on .. how can you show love to that unlovable neighbour?”

I love the focus on “how can we treasure our neighbours?”   That challenge lies before me.  How can I love the people that surround me?  How can I let them know that they matter…not only to me but also to God?

Alexandra Kuykendall has done an great job at challenging me (and will challenge you) in how to show love, in an active meaningful way.

So go on… get out of the house.  Live like Saturday is here now.  Connect with your neighbours, learn to love them well.  Show the heart of God.

disclaimer

Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne

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The hymn Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne leapt from the pages of hymnbook I was leafing through so I thought I should share it with you. 

Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne

 Written by Emily E. Elliott. It was first used in 1864 at St. Mark’s Church in Bright­on, Eng­land.  Elliot’s father was the preacher there.

Elliott was the editor of “The Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor.”  She wrote Thou Didst leave thy throme in 1870, but published it separately for children and choir of her Dad’s church.  She later wrote several hymns many of which were published. 

Elliot did a lot of work with rescue missions and children and wrote a book called “under the pillow” which contained several hymns. 

 Timothy Richard Matthews wrote a special tune for this song, called Margaret since it is written to irregular text. 

Lyrics

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.

Refrain

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.

Refrain

The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.

Refrain

Thou camest, O Lord, with the living Word,
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.

Refrain

When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home,
Saying Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee.

My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me.

Revitalize Your Prayer Life

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I don’t know if you recall that a while back I was feeling distant from God due to all the changes we’ve been experiencing in our lives.  I was feeling a real need to find a way to connect to God.  Hubby suggested that I use an app called PrayerMate.  It sends an reminder to pray which “isn’t all demandy or in my face” but just an encouragement to keep praying about the things that are important.

PrayerMate App

Let me walk you through how it works.

When you set Prayer Mate up it has a number of lists that you can join.  I chose the following:

  • My Walk with God
  • My family
  • My church
  • Sharing my faith
  • World mission
  • Biblical Prayer
  • Praying for hubby
  • Praying for children
  • and others

You can choose others or create your own lists.   Then each day a list to pray through is created for you.  And a reminder is sent.  My reminder comes at night around 8 p.m.   Five items are chosen from my lists to pray for, never two from the same list.   Today I would be praying with Paul, growing more like Jesus, praying for my lad, praying for the church, and for a missionary family.  This list changes from day as you can see from my image below.

PrayerMate App

Swiping to the left starts you off with your first prayer

Prayer Mate App

Some of the prayers are quite long, causing you to scroll down the page.  They are all easily readable, and you can either pray them as is or reword as needed.

I really like that I can add things in that I want to remember to pray for. For instance I have days that I pray for my neighbours, people on the crew, my family of birth and so forth.

Prayer Mate App

I can’t say it’s perfect, it isn’t.. because I (yes me) am so not perfect.  It sends reminders and there are days I just don’t take the necessary time.  BUT if I do choose to use it my prayer time can last as little as five minutes or as long as 20, all depending on what the Lord lays on my heart and how much I just need to talk to go about the good things and the hard things in life.

My hubby first learned of this app through Challies.  You might wish to read his review of this helpful app as well.

You can also learn more about it here.

I encourage you to get this app, you will find it invaluable for helping you pray more effectively and also just to remind you to take the needed time to connect with him.  Not just a “give me give me” but a thank you for all the many things the Lord provides us with.    Find PrayerMate here.

Fly, Fly Away Free

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Fly, fly away free

Just go.. fly away cause you know what?

A bird in hand…is a bird petrified out of its mind.  🙂

So let it fly, just fly free.  

Those are the words that popped into my head when I saw the word Release.  Miss Kate is so diligent about giving us a word to write on every week.  Come join us won’t you? 

Freedom from captivity.

That is what the word release means to me.  

To be released is to be let go 

Like a boy nailed to a desk, chomping at the bit

Fiercely finishing his work as he awaits the word

“Go, you are finished for the day” and

Like a bolt released from a crossbow speeds away.

Ants to feed, games to play, a dad to touch base with.

Run boy Run

Fly away free!

Yell and shout and bump and fly.

Find a way to express yourself and just be free.

Like that mouse captured by Miss Lizzie 

With a squeak and hop twisted out of her grip.

Like the spider.. caught between a wall and a tall menacing woman

Who found a crevice to slide away into.

Run mouse. Hide spider…

You have found release. 

Fly, fly away free.

Today I learned a distant friend’s father had passed away.

His son said “Today my father is released.  Able to see the Lord finally, face to face”.

The relief heard.

The pain escaped. 

Freedom. 

Do you know it?

Has the meaning of Easter changed your life?

Seek it out, find the freedom,

Find the release. 

And fly, fly away free.

Fly, fly away free. A word prompt poem.

Finding the Balance

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Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.  Colossians 3:23

finding the balance between God and people

Over the past several Thursday’s we’ve been considering Mary and Martha and the lessons they have to teach us.  Did you know that this story is sandwiched between the story of the Good Samaritan (that reminds of our relationship with each other) and the Lord’s Prayer (that reminds us of our relationship with God)?   I have to say that I hadn’t really thought of that before it was brought up in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.   To think of the balancing act it is in our service to God and our service to people.

Don’t you find it hard sometimes?

I think about how sometimes families will leave the worship service early during church so they can go out and prepare coffee.  The coffee needs doing, but the worship needs happening too.   Or when an Easter Son-rise service is happening and a good portion of the “helpers” are out of service getting it all ready.   Which admittedly is wonderful!  I love the breakfast and how quickly it is ready, and I love helping with the clean up afterwards, but sometimes I wonder is the not coming to worship worth it?

How do we balance the spiritual and physical?  Both needs are real.  Both goals are great.  They both need to be met.  It is so easy to just focus on one or the other at times in our lives.

I have to admit that I am no expert.  I struggle with how much to do and when to do it. It’s a battle to see the needs…like for instance the lad and I work on the foodbank once a week.  He does his schooling and helps wherever he can when called upon, and I work with clients and keep things organized.  And sometimes I wonder if it makes a difference, or if when my week is busy if I should just cancel it, or what.  It’s not always an easy fit you know?   And then I look at this week and how I’ve managed to have devotions once because life has been a bit more hectic this week than I would have planned and so my worship of God, my service to God has suffered.  The balance just hasn’t been there this week. 

How Does One Maintain Balance?

It leaves me pondering…how does one maintain balance?

I think part of it is this:

Needing to plan out my life just a bit more.  To be able to say I have this and that and that thing to do, so how do I fit in my must, my need, my want, my desire in-between it all?

Steps to take:

  1. Planning.  Noting the big things in your life and making sure the important gets done and working the rest around it.
  2. Spiritual inventory.  Taking note if you are feeling stressed or downcast or off-kilter.  Are you spending your time wisely?  Reaching out to God?  Talking to him?  Learning from him?   Sharing of yourself with those around you?
  3. Rest.  Are you taking a day to just rest.  Seriously.. God gave us a day of rest for a reason.  TAKE IT!  Spend time chilling, spend time with your spiritual family, Spend time with the people important to you.  Take the rest.
  4. Remember who your centre is… always circle back to Christ.  Remember that he is the strength behind anything we do.  Whether it is service to our fellow beings or service to God.  Without Christ as the wind beneath our sails none of it is truly possible. 

I Cast All My Cares Upon You

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I cast all my cares upon you songs and lyrics

For the past two weeks it seems that every time I turn around I have this tune running through my head.   Ergo I thought I would share it with you. After all, other than the constant reminder that I am getting, it’s a good song to remember when life is a touch bothersome.  🙂

 

I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet
And any time I don’t know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon You

I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet
And any time I don’t know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon You

I cast all of my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet
And any time that I don’t know what to do
I will cast all my cares upon You
I will cast all my cares upon You

_______

I think that I might have learned it from the Psalty tapes that were so popular when I was in college.  🙂  I honestly loved those tapes.   The stories interwoven with songs.  I listened to them over and over again.

Here’s to an old memory.  🙂

 

Conversation Between Mom and Lad

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Today’s word prompt from Miss Kate is routine.  A regular Friday post where we write for five minutes on a word prompt without stressing about editting or being perfect. 

Go

The other day my lad and I were chatting as we set out to go to the foodbank.  Talking about how to get up on time and what not.  We got to the foodbank and needed to let that conversation rest, but the lad picked it up on the way home again. 

a conversation between mom and lad, a poem

Why?

Why what?

Why is it important mom?  What you said earlier.. why is it important?

Well, because it’s better for me to pray regularly.  It’s good to have that routine and rhythm to life.

But why are you using a thing on your phone?

Oh, because sometimes a person needs help.  Like when I made that chart for you, to help you establish good habits?  Remember how you told me it helped you?

Oh yes, it’s very helpful. I’m glad you did that for me mom.  So does that prayer app help you then mom?

Yes.  AND because I have on it to remember to learn from God, I am able to remember to do my devotions or good book reading too.

Oh!  That helps you mom?

Yes.  It’s a good thing to remember not only to talk to God but to listen to him too.

 

Then we got home and our conversation ended with the settling back into our day of talking with Dad about his orientation being postponed.   And conferring with the lad over what schooling should happen yet. But you know what happened two days later?

“Mom, did you remember to pray?

 

 Warmed my heart. 🙂