Happy Friday, friends! Even with the short week, I’m glad it’s already the weekend, again. It’s going to be a busy but fun one for us, and, yes, we’ll spend some of it at the soccer field. We’re also going to have Greg’s office party at the lake and have a fund-raiser for my kids’ school. {If you’re local, we’d love for you to join us for the Birthday & Benefit Concert for New Covenant Christian Academy. Who doesn’t love the idea of classic rock for classical education?}

Meanwhile, I wanted to share with you some blog posts and book quotes that have encouraged me lately. Enjoy them as you head into your weekend!

“When matters of faith require action” by Kelli Stuart :: “I’ve long had a weary opinion of the Osteens. I do not believe in the idea of the prosperity gospel in any way, shape or form. I do not think that God is at all concerned with my happiness … . There is zero evidence in scripture to support such claims, and so I’ve always taken Joel Osteen quotes with a grain of salt. They are feel good fluff – kind of like cotton candy. Fun to eat, but will rot you from the inside out if you consider it nutritious. … God wants my yes. He wants my obedience. He wants me to give and love and pour myself out for others, not because it makes me feel good or look good or seem “good.” He wants me to pour myself out as a praise offering to Him – so that He gets the glory. I don’t want the glory – I really do not, because it would be a cotton candy faith that dissolves the second I’m faced with any sort of challenge.”

“Mel’s Amazing Black Bean Salsa” by Kristin Smith :: Really, I’ve made this recipe several times now, including twice just this week. It’s delicious. And easy. Both Kristin Smith and recipe creator Mel Schroeder are good ones to follow along on this big ‘ole Internet.

“Today I’m Starting a New Book: Present Over Perfect” by Shauna Niequist :: Well, this is exciting. A favorite author writes on a topic I’m always needing to learn more about. “Present over perfect, indeed. This is life, this is family, this is the great beautiful brave spectacular adventure that is plain old everyday life, and it promises to remind you over and over that perfect is a myth, and that perfect breaks our backs and breaks our hearts. Real life is in the homework, in the shattered glass, in the apologies and kisses and walks to the bus stop. And that’s what this book is about. … I’m aching to move from exhaustion to passion, from comparison to connection. I want to forgive myself for all the things I’m not, all the things I’ve been trying so hard to be. And I want to hold out my hand and invite the people I love into that same compassion, for ourselves, for one another. I want to be free to love wildly, to be silly, to fail and try again because bravery is worth infinitely more than staying safe on the sidelines, afraid to look foolish. I’m discovering, inch by inch, a new way of spiritual living–less striving, more receiving. More love, less hustle.”

“First Friday Book Faves” at Circles of Faith :: If you’re looking for some book recommendations, Circles of Faith writers (me included!) shared what we’re reading. Come join the conversation!

From “Memory Maker” by Carlos Whittaker :: “And that, my friends, is what Moment Making is all about — using time to create a story worth reading. Not everyone is going to write a book about their lives and sell it on bookshelves. But we all write a story through our lives that will be read by those around us. And through that, we have an opportunity to have an impact by touching just one other person. And that, by extension, will change the world.”

From “Breaking Free” by Beth Moore :: “A wide gulf lies between thanking God for our wonderful victories and pointing people to God as the One and only Sovereign victorious.”

Have you read anything good the past couple of weeks? What’s on your weekend agenda?