Share Four Somethings: November Edition

The last Friday of each month I link up with other bloggers to share four things from the month that fit into each of the following categories:

• Something Loved
• Something Said
• Something Learned
• Something Read

Join me and link up over at HeatherGerwing.com. You can also check out my Somethings from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, and October.

Something Loved

I enjoy taking random quizzes on Facebook. I took one a few days after Halloween just to see if I would be familiar with the movies referenced as I found out “Which Classic ’80s Movie Couple Are You and Your Significant Other?” I laughed out loud at the end of the survey when the results revealed us to be Princess Leia and Han Solo because on Halloween those were our costumes!

Something Said

God allows a storm to reveal the lies we believe and the truths we need.

This was said by Susie Larson on an episode of the podcast Woven. If you’ve been reading my four somethings for a while, you are probably quite familiar with this podcast as I’ve quoted it frequently. I think this is a true statement and it seems like something I need to really grasp.

In my women’s group we are reading through Priscilla Shirer‘s study Jonah: Navigating an Interrupted Life which is similarly themed. Last week Priscilla said that storms reveal what’s in our hearts because, when we’re shaken, what is inside will come out.

I am also reading The Artist’s Way and it is helping me to identify lies I have believed about myself in regards to my creativity. There have been a number of false truths I have held that kept me from moving forward in working on projects and goals. Recognizing them has been helpful, but I can’t completely move on unless I replace them with what is true.

Something Learned

I have been reading Woke Church by Eric Mason which is about how the church has historically turned a blind eye to racial injustice and how it needs to be a part of reconciliation. I learned that in the 20th century some Christian universities purposely chose not to allow black students at their school to prevent interracial dating and marriage. That is not a shock to me having spent my high school years in a small town in the south where kids I knew believed that the Bible prohibited interracial marriage, but I still find both disturbing.

Something Read

I have been feeling the need to simplify my life. It started with wanting to have a more relaxing, less rushed Christmas but has bled into a desire for simplicity at all times. I read the title of this book (Uncluttered: Free Your Space. Free Your Schedule. Free Your Soul. by Courtney Ellis) and thought it was the perfect time to have it in my hands and read through the principles outlined in the book for uncluttering my life and soul. I was correct. Courtney walks through her experiences of uncluttering different areas of her life – her closet and home, technology, her schedule – in order to make room for more important things – Sabbath, hospitality, hearing God, generosity – and offers us the same opportunity to find more peace and joy through less. A great book for all of us who feel too busy, stretched too thin, or who know there must be more to life than more stuff.