Leigh Kramer

April Somethings

Ah, April, you were good to me...

I Read: I reviewed a few books for the various book blogger programs I'm in.  Of those, I most enjoyed Here Burns My Candle.

However, the book I'm most enthralled by is The Distant Hours (Kate Morton.) My words will not do justice to this sweeping Gothic-inspired mystery. It switches between past and present but not in the typical fashion. The writing was beautiful, the plot fast-moving, the mystery unwinding to the very end.  I loved getting to know Edie, her mother's secret, and the Sisters Blythe.  Morton has written 2 other novels and I can't wait to tear into them! First, I'm going to buy a copy of The Distant Hours. It is ownable and a definite candidate for a spot on my list of Favorite Books.

Speaking of which, AnnieBlogs asked her readers to list their top 5 books across any and all categories.  There are few things I enjoy more than talking books, as you'll see from my many comments on the post.  I left out so many of my favorites in my own response that I'll be taking time soon to post a list (or lists) here.

Currently Reading: I have only 1.5 chapters left of 1000 Gifts (Voskamp). You better believe I'm making them stretch out. I love her approach and perspective to grace and gifts. I've been working my way through some writing books: Plot and Structure, The Right to Write, and Writing the Breakout Novel. At first I was overwhelmed and hated my writing but now I feel inspired and have all sorts of new ideas for my novel.

TV: The Office has been great the last couple of weeks! I am sad to see Michael/Steve Carell go but they have been doing wonderful things with his departure. I won't spoil anything in case people didn't watch last night but last week's Rent-inspired send off? Loved it.

Onto The Vampire Diaries.  Does anyone else watch it? My friend Jill and I love to hash it out from time to time.  The twists and turns this series is taking has me on the edge of my seat!  After hearing many people rave about it, I watched my first episode of Fringe. I enjoyed it but was thoroughly confused.  I'll have to track down the DVDs and catch up before I watch anymore.

I've been trying to watch the Real Housewives of Orange County but that ship might have sailed.  I gave up on the New York housewives after the first episode.  The earlier seasons were much classier, if there is such a thing when it comes to these ladies.

Movies: I actually rented a couple this month!  I was in a chick flick mood the other weekend.  Morning Glory was surprisingly endearing. I loved watching Harrison Ford play such a curmudgeon! He and Diane Keaton played really well off one another. Rachel McAdams was also great. However, I was really irritated that the love interest started out as a one-night stand.  Is this what society is coming to?  Life as We Know It was a disappointment. There's only so much suspension of reality that I can take! I think I'm starting to dislike Ms. Heigl, though Josh Duhamel is always a treat. 

In the Kitchen: Apparently I was all about dessert this month- and I'm not that big of a baker!  However, I shared my favorite Mug Brownie recipe.  Then I saw this recipe for Pudding Cookies with Robins Eggs and Robins Eggs are one of my favorite Easter candies so I had to give those a whirl, thus breaking my agreement to not keep dessert in the house. Between those and Cadbury Eggs, I haven't gone overboard too much.  For Easter I made Lemon Thyme Chicken with Sauteed Zucchini Ribbons. Pure heaven. I'll be posting the recipe soon!

Listening: At Blissdom, (in)courage/Dayspring gave us copies of Adie's CD Just You and Me. I listened to it a couple of times when I first got home but now it's in the car. Adie, incidentally, is married to Jeremy Camp and used to be the lead singer of The Benjamin Gate. I only know that because of my time working at The Christian Bookstore. In any case, she does a great job with some of the worship songs I love and a few new ones.

NoiseTrade has had some fantastic free downloads lately- Sandra McCracken's full-length and Sleeping at Last generously put up Storyboards. (Though, I really hope you already own Sleeping at Last's CDs.)

I went to the William Fitzsimmons show the other weekend and was blown away.  His newest album is phenomenal! So glad to have finally seen him live.

Wow- I was wordy this month! What were you into during April?

Disclosure: Amazon Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through to Amazon from HopefulLeigh, any purchase you make supports this site.

An Ode to My Two Gray Hairs

There you lie, a beacon

Proof of wisdom,

Maturity,

Age.

You are not yet legion

But I see you 

Glistening

Giving me hope

One day I will look my age.

How do you feel about your gray hair(s)?  My mom doesn't dye hers.  She is beautiful both inside and out, a wonderful example for me. While no one else notices my few grays right now, I don't think I'll change it once there's more salt and pepper either.  I really do feel proud of these glimmers- I earned them!

Toasting Jesus

Several years ago I was a small group Bible study leader for our young adult group.  My church had a certain protocol for its small group leaders.  First, you would be an apprentice leader.  Second, you would attend a couple of leadership training sessions, in which you learned the basics of leading a small group.

The training encouraged its small group leaders to think outside the box.  They acknowledged that it was good to have a regular structure and format but also encouraged us that mixing it up could be beneficial.  One such activity they suggested was taking communion as a group.  This was an intriguing idea to me, as I'd never experienced the sacrament outside of a church setting.

I am the type of person that is more comfortable helping others succeed in leadership roles.  I know that I'm a good leader. I just happen to think I'm an even better follower.  Even so, I was flattered when I was asked to be an apprentice leader.  That said, I was also nervous about taking on the role.

I shouldn't have been nervous.  The girls in my group were fantastic!  A few I knew before but there were a lot of new additions to the young adult group.  We fell into a regular rhythm of discussing our study and challenging one another.

For group one fall night, I gathered everyone around and explained that we would be taking communion together.  I had us all go off into separate spaces in the apartment to spend time with God and prepare our hearts. I didn't know what would become of this experiment but I thought it was worth trying. 

Instead of bread or those horrible dry crackers, I bought Cinnamon Teddy Grahams.  I hate grape juice but not everyone drank wine so I chose a lovely CranApple juice.  I figured the spirit mattered more than what we drank and ate.

After a time, I called everyone back.  I read Scripture: This is My body. This is My blood. Do this in remembrance of Me. 

The mood was solemn. I felt moved and humbled to have such an experience with these women.

As I finished reading the passage from Luke 22, my mind went blank.  What on earth came next?  I unsuccessfully tried to remember how our pastor would transition from scripture to inviting the congregation to take part. 

There we sat with our juice and Teddy Grahams, everyone looking for me to move us forward.

I did the only thing this then 20-something could think of.

I raised my Dixie cup of CranApple juice high and proclaimed:
"To Jesus!"

(Bonus points if you are like my friend Jill and this story reminded you of Demetri Martin Toasting Traffic. You are super cool!  If it didn't, you should acquaint yourself with Demetri's work right now.)

(Bonus points to my small group for not holding my lack of communion-leading finesse against me.  We toasted Jesus and moved on with the night.  And, for whatever reason, they continued to come back week after week.)

Sunday Sentiments: Come Awake!

Sunday Sentiments is an attempt to record what God has been teaching me and the way in which He does it.

This Easter is a bit different from previous years. For one, I'm not with my family. For another, I went to my church's Easter service last night.  This is not the first time I've celebrated Easter on a Saturday night but it still seems strange to celebrate on a day other than Sunday.

I've realized that the most important part of my Easter celebration is going to church and acknowledging Christ's death and resurrection.  While I love to be surrounded by loved ones at Thanksgiving and Christmas, my association with Easter is purely spiritual. 

Last night's service was closed by singing Matt Maher's Christ is Risen.  The lyrics still reverberate in my heart and mind.

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with Him again

Come awake, come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave -Matt Maher

"Come awake, come awake!" I exhort myself. It is time to stand in the light and proclaim Christ's victory over death. It is by grace I am saved and by grace that I may approach the throne.

I pray that this Easter reckoning will go beyond today, that I won't simply sift back into the daily toils and struggles. We are free because of His great love for us! How can we not come alive and devote all?

Happy Easter everyone!  May you be washed anew with God's lavish love for us. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Max on Life review

Max Lucado's latest effort is a collection of 172 of the most common questions readers have asked him over the years. They're broken into categories: Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Haves/Have-nots, and Hereafter. Answering big questions about heaven and hell and hitting closer to home with questions related to divorce and depression, Max covers a lot of territory.

I'm a Max Lucado fan so I had high hopes for Max on Life. He has a way of making connections and explaining the complex in a way that I and so many other readers understand.

Unfortunately I felt he missed the mark here.  It boils down to this: too many questions and not enough of a response.  Though the point of the book is perhaps to offer a short response, many of the questions deal with complex matters and surely deserve more than a half-page response. At times, such as the questions dealing with grief and singleness, I felt his words didn't directly answer the question.  In which case, perhaps they should have used a different question that worked better with his answer.

I like reading advice columns, some more than others.  Readers don't always agree with the advice that columnists give.  Sometimes they are limited by the size of the column or trapped by their own bias.  In Max's case, his advice was often wise but truncated.  I wanted Max on Life to be more than an advice column.

Might people still be comforted by Max's words of wisdom?  Of course!  I still greatly respect his writing and his ministry.  I was just left wanting in this regard.

Do you read advice columns?  I always thought it would be a fun job to have!

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.