Happy Monday! Josh and I had a fun weekend visiting Lake Norman to celebrate my dad’s birthday. I made a deeeelicious appetizer recipe that I want to share here later this week, but for now, here are a few things making me happy lately:
1. Fresh figs. I cannot explain to you how much I love fresh figs. It must be an acquired taste or something because a lot of people I know don’t like them, but I think they’re actually one of my favorite fruits (besides cantaloupe- yummm). They are only in season for a short time and they cost approximately ten dollars per fig, but it’s totally worth it. Run don’t walk to your nearest farmers market and snag some!
2. The Shauna Niequist podcast. As if I wasn’t already obsessed enough with this lady, she comes out with a podcast! She just recently featured Jen Hatmaker, who is another one of my favorite authors (see #4). I’m pretty sure I audibly squealed with delight when I saw it pop up in my podcasts app. Yay for listening to wise and hilarious people on my drive to work!
3. “The Sound of Sunshine” Pandora station. A friend had this playing during a 4th of July cookout we went to last week, and since then I have been listening to it nonstop. One of my favorite songs that pops up is “Life is Better With You” by Michael Franti. Fun + upbeat music is my favorite in the summertime!
4. 7 by Jen Hatmaker. This book is messing me up in the best way possible. Jen basically challenges the American church by asking if we are truly living out the gospel or if we have reduced it to a “self-improvement program” for the rich and powerful. Read this excerpt and then waste no more time finding this book at the library/buying it on Amazon:
“Please, don’t miss it because the American Dream seems a reasonable substitute, countering the apparent downside to living simply so others can live at all. Do not be fooled by the luxuries of this world; they cripple our faith. As Jesus explained, the right things have to die so the right things can live- we die to selfishness, greed, power, accumulation, prestige, and self-preservation, giving life to community, generosity, compassion, mercy, brotherhood, kindness, and love.”
5. So You Think You Can Dance. Disclaimer: I rarely watch TV because it doesn’t hold my interest for very long, but this show is the absolute best. It also reminds me that I am about ten to fifteen years behind on my life goal of becoming a professional dancer (…or at least one who can hold her own in zumba), but it’s still fun to live vicariously through these people. (True story: one year my mom and sister and I went to see the SYTCD tour live and it made all my dancing dreams come true!)
Hope everyone has a great week!
A Continual Feast 