The Fault in Our Stars

   I read The Fault in Our Stars. I did it in about 25.2 hours. I did it because Jessie refused to stop raving about it, and I wanted to read it before the movie came out, and I didn't have a book to read during 8th hour, and Shannon had it in her locker.
  You can ask my mom just how quickly and deeply emotionally attached I became. 96 pages in I was venting to her about Augustus and Hazel Grace and hamartias and injustice. The further in to the book I got the harder it was to read, but it was also harder to put down. Eventually, I had to stop reading every few I chapters to catch my emotions and put them back where they belong, before they went on a rampage.
   I finished The Fault in Our Stars outside on my trampoline. It was one of those oh-Missouri-wants-to-actually-be-kind-to-us-and-not-make-it-64-degrees-instead-of-snowing days. I read the last sentence, and I actually didn't cry (which is kinda weird). I was just overwhelmed. I kinda just lay there, drowning in my own emotion.
   So I've been trying to figure out what it is about this book that makes us love it so much, what it is that makes it so devastatingly beautiful. I think I have an idea. You see, technically, The Fault in Our Stars is a book about cancer. But we forget that. Way deep down, in the places that matter, TFiOS is a book about living.
   How is it that two kids with cancer managed to live more than the rest of us even tried to? How is it that John Green managed to perfectly stitch together such opposites as life and death? How is it that we spend all our time trying to understand our existence, instead of making the most of it?
   So I think I've figured out what it is about this book that makes us love it so much, what makes it so devastatingly beautiful: It's the dying that breaks our hearts. And it's the living that puts them back together.

C.S Lewis. Smart kid.

   Seriously, C.S. Lewis is so smart. Mere Christianity made so much sense. Read it. It's good. Anyway, he's smart enough that I decided you give a blog post consisting of all the C.S Lewis quotes I've pinned.. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Own 7

   I finished 7.  Jen Hatmaker had me busting up one minute, bawling the next.  This book messed up my heart.  I'm cereal.
   It messed me up  so much that I am embarking on my very own, sweetened, condensed version of 7.  In 7 ways, for the next 30 days, I'll be taking the focus off me.  Jesus gets the spotlight.  I promise to give ya'll some juicy details (God's gonna prove how awesome He is all over again!), but for now, you just need to know that I'll be abandoning you for the next month.  In other words, I'm fasting from the internet.  Pray for me, lovelies! 
   I'll see you on September 11th.  <3 :)

Obsessing Over

   With a need to post on my blog, but no motivation to do any real deep and insightful writing, I give you a list.

5 Things I'm Obsessing Over

1. Jeremy Riddle.  I keep thinking I'm done listening to him all day every day, and then I realize I just clicked on the playlist again.  He is seriously so good though.  And God is seriously so great.
 
2. The fact that I'm going to Cafe 41 tomorrow.  And I'm bringing the Justice with me this time! We were hoping she could do the internship and Encounter with me, but that didn't work out, so mass introductions, here we come.  Remember this post?  Yupp.  I'm about to go see all those lovely people again.
3. His Ranch.  And the horses there.  And the people there.  And the awesomeness exuding from there.  But mostly the horses.
4. Selfies that I actually look good in.  Because I like these, I will show them to you.  That's just what you get for reading this.  Enjoy.



Oh, did I forget the part where we got a dog now?? We have a dog now. :)

 

1. 7.  It's a book, and it's super good.  I stole it off Ruth's shelf and fell in love with while I was waiting for her to get out of the shower and drive me home.  (Welcome to my life.  Beware of occasional awkward-nerdiness.)  She was cool enough to let me borrow it, and now I am knee-deep in Jen Hatmaker's wonderful, challenging, hysterical, raw story of her rebellion against excess.
    

I'm Thinking

1.) I'm so thankful for Beckah Shae and Misty Edwards.  These beautiful women are so in love with Jesus.  I wanna be like them when I grow up.  Their music helps me stay on track in my thought life - their phenomenal voices are just a plus.

 



2.) BJ Higgins was a winner.  Reading I Would Die For You, the book his parents wrote about his short but impactful life, brings me to tears.  His willingness and obedience inspire me so much.  I an learning to listen at all times, knowing that God can use me whenever, wherever, and however He pleases.  I want to live and die for His glory!  Check out prayforbj.com.





3.) I need someone to go to the movies with me.  What have y'all seen lately?  I've been told Monster's University was awesome.  What about Man of Steel?  Opinions, people



4.) Ultimate Faith Challenge is gonna be awesome.  I'm headed to Moberly to take part in the youth internship at Family Life Fellowship, where my parents went to church before they had me.  It will be a week of serving and encountering God!  I'm thinking you guys will get a glimpse of my journal entries when I get back?  I'm sho exshited. :) I'm also still trying to come up with a legit reason to take my boots with me...

 



5.) The third addition to Michaela's family of Abort73.com t-shirts has finally arrived.  They call this color Sangria.  My vocabulary is officially enlarged.  I look forward to the many opportunities Father will bring my way through this shirt.  God, end abortion and bring revival to America.

Passion and Purity

   You may be wondering how "passion" and "purity" even belong in the same title together.  Can one love passionately and still remain pure?  The answer is a resounding yes.
   In Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control, Elisabeth Elliot tells her own moving love story.  Mrs. Elliot teaches us about finding Mr. Right, how far is too far, and surrendering our desires to God.  Using letters, diary journals, and memories from her five-year courtship with Jim she shows us an example of what it means to love Christ more than each other, and to give His plans priority over yours.  Elisabeth Elliot has been there, done that, and offers time-tested advice and wisdom that applies to all of us.
   I just finished reading Passion and Purity for the second time, and it was worth every minute.  I read a lot of books, and enjoy most of them, but few are special enough to read over and over again.  This is one of those special books.  I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.  You will be blessed when you read Passion and Purity.

Trip To NY

Finding all the K-LOVE stations from here to Rochester.

This is the first snow we had seen all year - in a ditch on the way to NY.  It really started snowing on our way home!

They have amazing rest stops in Illinois!

We a lot of windmills.  They were really cool, but Mom vetoed my idea of getting one for our backyard.

This flag was gigantic!

I read Bella to Mom in the car.  It's an amazing book.  You should read it - or just watch the movie.

Yes, Teddy still travels with me.

Did you know they grew grapes in Pennsylvania?

This is what Flash looked like most of the we were there.  I have become a talented kicker-of-balls-for-dogs.

We went on a couple of hikes with Flash in the woods.  Yes, more ball-kicking - this time it was Grammy Joy's turn.

An aerial(ish) view of the city after our hike.

Some of the goodies at my grandparent's coffee shop.

I adore this painting at the Coffee Connection.

Relax and enjoy your drink!

All the coffee is roasted at the shop!

Those are big bags of coffee beans - they weigh as much as me!

Just a warning: unless you LOVE coffee, do not try eating a fresh-roasted bean.

Hand-made merchandise from Peru!