Instead of sharing what the kids are up to, I'd like to share a little of what I'm up to. I've had a chance to finish a book I started toward the end of the summer and just got around to completing:
Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the life you were meant to live by Martha Beck. What an awesome book! The very best part of the book was where she creates a "map of change" that labels the various changes you can experience in life as you pursue your North Star. There are four squares: Death and rebirth, dreaming and scheming, the hero's saga, and the promised land. I think the neat thing for me was that I could identify myself in both the dreaming and scheming and in the hero's saga. I feel that seminary is my hero's saga--my quest right now. She gives some really practical advice on how to make it through all of the squares.
Films--yes, I've taken some time to get caught up on some films I've missed since starting school 4 years ago (even though I'm currently in school, but taking a little more "me" time!). I just finished watching "Life is Beautiful." Man, I've been watching too many WWII movies lately!! This one really got to me. Last week I watched "The Pianist," another WWII movie. I think it's because of everything that's going on in the world right now--you just want to throw up your hands and say, "Why can't we all just get along???" Of course, it doesn't help that I've been reading Eusebius which contains the horror stories of Christian martyrs. What would any of us do when pushed to do what we think is unimaginable or beyond human possibility? If we were faced with some of the terrible horrors some people have endured in the past and still endure across the globe, what would we do? Would we stand up for what we believe in? Could we protect our children from evil? If everything collapsed, could we figure out how to survive?? Funny how films can make you think about those things. It does make me wonder how one person can make a difference. So many people think they have the answer and so few work together to fix what's wrong. Maybe after 4 years in seminary, I'll have the answer, but I doubt it.
