Musings – August 2016

Posted on by Michele Morin

We did it!

In August, my Sunday morning kids finished our study of ten of God’s incommunicable attributes — the characteristics we marvel at but cannot share. (How many can you name?  I will list the ten that we studied in the comment section below.)

All that majesty has not been wasted on me as I’ve been busily canning tomatoes and beans and harvesting cukes from my garden; finishing up my summer job; and applauding my youngest son’s perseverance through the 4H fair season.

Joel and Grover

God has graciously answered prayer for my family over the course of this summer, and I’ve marveled at the abundance of His yeses.  Given His infinite wisdom, I should be equally grateful for His gracious refusals.  The truth is that, mistaking stones for bread and serpents for fish, I ask God for stones all the time when what He wants to give me is a fragrant and nourishing loaf.  This is the point at which my faith is tested:  when the loaf God offers looks for all the world like solid stone to me, will I trust Him and say, “Yes, Lord, I’ll take it”?

August Highlights . . .

. . . included a family canoeing trip down the Saco River.  Best of all, the whole family was able to be there, so there was plenty of Morin rowdiness to liven up the 10.8 miles of quiet paddling through idyllic wooded waters.

Capture

Having participated in Jennifer Dukes Lee’s launch team for #TheHappinessDare gave me some unique insights to the journey.  This Doer/Thinker spent a fair amount of time on the journey worrying that we wouldn’t be off the river before dark while my Relater/Giver husband was just livin’ in the moment, happy to be watching our crazy family of Experiencer/Doers entering into River Life to its fullest!

Raymond Kayak
The adorable grandson enjoyed our day on the river.

I’m thankful for the hospitality of others . . .

. . . who have featured my writing this month.  Jaime Weibel of Seeking God has been encouraging her readers that their time with God is a priority and that everyone’s devotional life.  To prove her point, she has shared the experiences and advice of a number of bloggers.  Click here to check out her post — and to read my input.

At SheLoves Magazine, I was thankful to be trusted with the story of a godly woman whom I can describe only as a “carpe deum” warrior for Jesus.  Her ministry travels took her to Uganda and the DRC earlier this year and — well, I’ll let you read her story for yourself.  I will also share the link here to the ministry that caught fire in Uganda because of her vision.

At Living Our Days . . .

. . . the post that had the most readers for the month of August was “Why Read the Lists?”  Inspired by my journey through I and II Chronicles with the patient husband, the long lists of multi-syllabic, mostly unpronounceable names imprinted on my mind the truth that God cherishes my uniqueness.  He knows me by name.

Names

The book review that had the most readers in August was based on the thirtieth anniversary edition of Becoming a Woman of Excellence.  Challenging all our preconceptions, Cynthia Heald examines a biblical concept of excellence like a finely cut gem, turning it to reveal each face and its sparkling qualities:

Capture

There’s a sixteen quart kettle of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove and a pile of school books that need my attention as we begin our new year of homeschooling.

Are you ready for a new season to begin — or are you clinging to the precious last days of summer?

Have you ever realized that you were asking God for a stone?  What was the bread that He gave instead?

Photo credit

If you enjoy reading Living Our Days, subscribe to get regular Bible studies and book reviews from delivered to your inbox.  Just enter your e-mail address in the box at the top of this page.

As usual, I’m sharing this recap post with all the other friends who link up at Leigh Kramer’s place.  Join us for a fun look at what people were reading and thinking in the month of August.

I link-up with a number of blogging  communities on a regular basis.  They are listed in the left sidebar by day of the week.  I hope that you will take a moment to enjoy reading the work of some of these fine writers and thinkers.

Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

61 thoughts on “Musings – August 2016”

  1. Amazing summer! What a blessing!

    We had one of those as well. Can’t even list the highlights. But there was one stand out lesson – even in the midst of an ongoing battle, there was unstoppable joy, because we trust. This is where rubber meets the road as faith is tested.

    I always feel weird posting links to my stuff but I really want to share this one. It sums up the loaves He gave us, even when we asked for stones. I have a long standing tradition of doing at least one creative thing with the grands during summer. We planned to spend a day on the boat writing haikus but the day on the boat ended up being a day in the water so I wrote the haikus and added them to the summary of our season.

    As I age and come to grips with how time speeds up, I count every moment as precious.

    [video src="http://trinitypondfarm.com/mp4s/HaikuSummer.mp4" /]

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      1. Ha! Yes, my oldest grand dubbed me Meemanator a long time ago. It fit so well. Maybe you didn’t realize it’s just me – Meema. 🙂

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      2. Yes, I realized it was you, but chuckling over the name and how our labels change with the key players in our life. My tiny grand calls us Mammy and Bampy because that’s all he can manage right now, but I see the future in your name. So, have you changed the name of your blog, and do I have to re-subscribe?

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      3. I didn’t see a reply button under your last comment so I’m replying here.
        My blog is still the same ole same ole. I think the Meemanator icon is because I recently made an account with WordPress. It’s all very mysterious. The Haiku Summer link isn’t a blog. Just a site where I post videos. I’m family historian.

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  4. Finally . . . as promised, here are the ten incommunicable attributes of God that we studied in Sunday School opening at Spruce Head Community Church this summer.
    ONLY God is:
    Infinite
    Incomprehensible
    Self-Sufficient
    Self-Existent
    Eternal
    Immutable
    Omnipotent
    Omniscient
    Omnipresent
    Sovereign

    How many did you come up with on your own?

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      1. Thanks for commenting! I used Jen Wilkin’s None Like Him as a jumping off place for this series with my Sunday Morning Kids. She has a chapter on each of the incommunicable attributes of God.

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  5. I always come away from your posts with something deep! Today it was this: when the loaf God offers looks for all the world like solid stone to me, will I trust Him and say, “Yes, Lord, I’ll take it”? WOW. I’ve been looking at those loaves all wrong. I just love this and it’s given me food for thought. Have you studied more about that from a certain source, because if so, I’d like to know what and where!

    I love all your resources too. Hope you have a good school year!

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    1. I’ve been reviewing the sermon on the mount this summer — daily bread. And I’ve been pondering the nature of prayer, because so often I react very inappropriately to what I perceive as “unanswered” prayer. No is an answer. So . . . here at the end of the month, I’m sharing the stew that has been bubbling all month. Thanks for “trying a bowl” and for letting me know that you thought it made sense!

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  7. I have definitely been mistaking loaves for stones. Lord, help me! He has so much more for each one of us, and we live so far below our privileges. Thank you for always pointing me to the Father, Michele. God bless you, sweet friend. 🙂

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  8. Thanks for sharing about your busy summer, Michele. Summers go so quickly, but to be honest, as I have retired and gotten older I can honestly say that most seasons do!! I so enjoy reading your words even if I don’t make a comment each time. Our summer was focused on our youngest granddaughter’s surgery that took us out of town for a month to help in our daughter’s home. It meant writing to “bank” for the whole month we were away and then August has meant getting back into it along with creeping along with a first book I am working on. Life is not easy, but it is rich and I feel so blessed to be able to find some glimpse of that every day! Have a God-kissed day and a wonderful spaghetti dinner!

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  9. Michele, I loved this peek into your summer and your quiet time, especially the “tabernacle” part. I pray I remember your words when what I ask is stones but He gives me Living Bread. I pray I see the difference.

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  10. How wonderful that you had many yeses this summer, Michele. Lots of good blog posts and book reviews you gave us during the summer, too. Thanks for all the information and encouragement you give. You’re a blessing!

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  11. Michele, I very much enjoyed your August musings!

    I LOVED how you shared about your trip down the Saco River with the attributes from the Happiness Dare of your family members. That gave me a big smile and a chuckle. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Sounds like a good month. Glad you enjoyed your trip. I loved your reflections on mistaking stones for bread- it’s very easy to do that instead of accepting that God’s way is best.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Michele you just amaze me. I am so busy with life, but I don’t know how you do all you do for the Kingdom and your home and church. You are a blessed role model.

    Congratulations on being featured on Jaime’s site this week.

    I just learned this week what 4-H stands for. I never really understood how awesome it is, but I was subbing and one of our news stories was about the Olympics and then 4-H so I had to find out.

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  15. Michele- You’re also featured on Tell His Story today! Double featured because you’re on Jaimie Wiebel’s again too! Hooray!! Loving seeing your words pop up all over the place because I’m so grateful for all of the wisdom and praise you share- all for Him! : ) What a great summer- I’m a doer/thinker too and would have been worrying about the same thing to my relater/giver husband!! So glad the trip was such a joy instead : )

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  17. I love the stone and bread analogy, Michele. I’ve never thought of it that way before. And I’m seeing lots of buzz about this book. It sounds like one I most definitely need to check out! Thanks so much!

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  18. Sounds like you’ve had a very busy, but amazing summer, Michele. I know I’ve come away with some gems by dropping in here. Today, this struck me: “The truth is that, mistaking stones for bread and serpents for fish, I ask God for stones all the time when what He wants to give me is a fragrant and nourishing loaf.” Oh yes, so, so true … I make the same mistakes and then look back and am amazed at His hand of love on my life, where I hadn’t noticed it at the time. It’s good to keep this in mind every time we pray and wait upon the LORD. Thank you for sharing this wise piece of encouragement in the LORD.

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  19. Your summer has been busy, Michele. That sweet little grandson enjoying the water – how cute! Thanks for sharing with Thankful Thursdays.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Such a fun insight into your life, Michele! Your list of attributes of God is great. Have you read A.W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy? Covers these attributes beautifully! A really great read! Blessings!

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  21. wow, you’ve been and continue to be a busy woman! I haven’t read that book yet, but I love quizzes that tell me what category I fit into. I’m never surprised really, but still love to learn more. It always helps me more fully accept who God made me to be.

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  22. Michele, your words have made me hungry! LOL I love the celebration of your harvest (both natural and spiritual). May God bless you even more fully this September!

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  24. Hi Michele, I’m happy you successfully completed your summer job! I hope you enjoyed it?
    Meanwhile you did great putting your month in a beautiful summary. It helps you to be thankful😘
    Have a great weekend friend

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  27. Michele,
    I have been so busy with my ministry work that it has not allowed me time to visit friends’ blogs and spend time on my own writing. It seems like you were just talking about starting your summer job and here we are heading into fall??! I’m ready for the crispness of fall. I find the long, hot, southern summers make me sluggish and so I yearn for the coolness that invigorates me. I do, however, wish that time would slow down…or that God would help me be more efficient with my time so I can be more present in the moment. It’s good to be here at your place…
    Blessings,
    Bev

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  28. It was fun to read about your August highlites! The family boat trip on the river sounded fun. I’m looking forward to this new month. Thank you for being so faithful to link-up with #100HappyDays!

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  30. What a wonderful summer! I’m jealous of the gardening and canning. I have yet to produce a crop here in Arizona (ok, I only tried once and I’ve been gone the last three summers).

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  31. I am really blessed by all that your blog about. You are a great example of love and perseverance. Thanks so much for faithfully participating with us at the #LMMLinkup.

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