Stuff I've Been Reading

Happy Easter! I hope that you're having an amazing day and that you take a minute today to celebrate this life that you've been given.

• Joy Bennett shared an important message for Easter over at Deeper Story. If you're hurting today, go now.
• Sarah Bost Askins wrote two poems this week and I simply can't decide which one to link to, so I'm linking both. Please, click both because they're absolutely amazing. Wrong and Man.
• I loved K.C. Procter's list of things that he wants to be remembered for on his 29th birthday. I may have to steal this idea when my birthday rolls around.
• Great ode to coffee by Andi Cumbo this week. Just some lovely writing here.
• "A grave is no place to live." Shawn Smucker just knocks it out again with this post.
• I didn't know that Cirque du Soleil employed bunnies, but this does seem like a step down.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Hello! Most of what follows is not an April Fool's Prank. But there's always one joker in the crowd. It should be pretty easy to tease this one out.

• My friend Bob Slatt shared this sermon with me last week. Oh my goodness. This is a powerful and beautiful discussion about the command to love. Love, love, love this.
• Preston Yancey posted over at Deeper Story about using the Eucharist as a weapon. A wonderful reminder of choosing to be defined by what we are rather than by what we are not.
• I absolutely adored this WWJD post by Addie Zierman. So eloquently discussed.
• An important reminder from Kristin Tennant that "the way things are" isn't the way God intended for them to be.
• Jen Luitwieler wrote a fantastic piece about maintaining focus for Lisa Colon DeLay's Spiritual Guidance for Bloggers series. 
• Ed Cyzewski has a new e-book available. Ed is a seminary graduate, and today he puts his training to use to bring us a new Bible translation in The Tweets of the Apostles. You can download the book for free at Ed's site or help him out by paying a buck for it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. (Pssst...I've read it. It's funny and definitely worth your $.99.)

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Feeling a bit better this week than last, though this is one long-lasting cold. But we've had stunning weather this week AND I got to spend some time with great friends AND my husband is back from Wisconsin, so despite this persistent cold, I'm feeling pretty good.

• This week my friend Tamara Lunardo wrote a story about her time as a foster mom. I love that Tamara is so generous with her writing (I regularly link to posts she's written somewhere other than her blog), but even more than that, I love how generous she is with her heart. 
• Loved this post from Erika Morrison about interacting with people online and how we treat one another in a virtual environment.
• This week Rachel Held Evans wrote about her fight over the word "vagina" in her upcoming book. There have been a number of responses to this, but my favorite was from Karen Spears Zacharias. I found myself nodding my head pretty much non-stop through the whole thing.
• David Hayward always makes me think. His prayer from the cell panel last Sunday was particularly thought provoking.
• Caleb Wilde became an adoptive father recently (yay!). His post about being all in as a parent when your child could be taken away is absolutely stunning. 
• It seems that Janette over at Catalog Living had a rough week. 
• Have you taken a second to like my page over on Facebook? I would really love it if you'd head over there and give it a like. I promise, I won't spam your feed.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

It's morning! I'd say "good" morning, but I feel kind of yuck this morning, so you'll just have to be content with knowing what time of day it was when I posted this. Anyway, I hope you're feeling great and are ready to dive in to some fantastic posts.

• My friend Kristin Tennant has a wonderful piece at Huffington Post about ways the Church can be supportive of those who have been divorced and how we might actually help prevent divorce. Absolute must read of the week.
• My top picks for the March Movie Madness over at Clay Morgan's are both female heroines. I absolutely loved this post by Trish Loye asking where we can find new female heroines. Some fantastic questions asked here. (It also reminded me of this post from David Nilsen back in August.)
• Rachel Held Evans reminded me (yet again) why she is, hands down, my most favorite blogger with her piece about her involvement in the Christian Industry. 
• Jake Harriman, CEO of Nuru International, had a phenomenal piece in the New York Times about the link between terrorism and extreme poverty. So thankful for the work that this organization continues to do.
• Lauren Dubinsky wrote a really fantastic piece about modesty. It's a bit long, but I highly recommend taking the time to read this. 
• This one is a week late, but I forgot to include it last week and I don't want anyone to miss it. Shanda Sargent wrote a gorgeous guest post for Tamara Lunardo about grace and gratefulness. Stunning.
• And I loved the wrecks Jen and John found for Pi Day. So great.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Drop me a link in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

I don't like springing forward. Especially when I was up altogether too early the day before. And couldn't sleep because I wasn't in my bed even though I was exhausted. But never mind that. On to the links!

• Leigh Kramer has been one of my best teachers about life as a single adult. She wrote about what her This Is How We Met series has taught her. This post (and so many others that she has written) reminds me to be mindful of how I write about things like marriage. 
• I'm a sucker for the importance of story. Ben Emerson, over at The Whole Dang Thing highlights the importance of story when laying down commands. The guy is nearly done with the Pentateuch. You'd better get over there and start reading now.
• A great piece by Kara Gebhart Uhl about the judgments we sometimes make as parents.
• Some straight up exquisite writing from Shawn Smucker about the castles that we build. I cannot wait for his family's big, blue bus to roll up into the Dub Vee.
• Loved, loved, loved this letter from Paul to his three daughters. Amazing thoughts here. He's a new addition to the blogroll. Check out his stuff - really, really good.
• Another great post for International Women's Day was by Kathy Escobar. Lots of fantastic thoughts wrapped up here.
• Gary and Elaine have been busy over at Catalog Living. It looks like Gary is going to have to have a difficult talk with Phil soon.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Leave me a link in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

The weekend. Time for catching up on home projects, relaxation, and a week's worth of blog posts.

• Absolutely loved this post from Joy Bennett about when she and her husband found that their daughter would need a heart transplant on leap day, twelve years ago. Joy's honesty never ceases to amaze me.
• Tamara Lunardo rocked it with her poem about personal responsibility. 
• Also rocking the poetry was David Nilsen with his piece, St. Lucie. 
• Jeff Goins has some really good words to share about finding your passion, and some of the lies that stand in the way of you recognizing that.
• Mason Slater asks some interesting questions about sacred spaces. I will definitely be looking forward to seeing where that discussion goes.
• This post may be hard to read, but Caleb Wilde addresses the topic of abortion as an act of mercy. Difficult stuff to sort through, but another look at an issue that can seem very black and white.
• Last night I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch "8", a play about the Proposition 8 trial out in California. Dustin Lance condensed the trial transcripts and an all-star cast got together for this staged reading of the play. The trial parts are directly from the transcripts - they aren't embellished or made up. David Boies, lawyer for the plaintiffs said last night, "We put fear and prejudice on trial and as you can see, fear and prejudice lost." If you've ever wondered why the word marriage matters to a gay or lesbian couple rather than just being in a domestic partnership, I encourage you to watch this. The words from the testimonies of the plaintiffs are incredibly poignant. You can catch the whole thing here.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Hi everybody (please imagine that in Doctor Nick's voice and response appropriately)! Enjoy my favorite links from around the internet this week.

• David Hayward over at nakedpastor had two really phenomenal posts this week. Take a minute to enjoy separation and where is the love.
• I'm trying very hard not to be political this year, but I did like this article at Slate about claims of attacks on Rick Santorum's faith. Loved this: "This is a dodge. And when you make a dodge of faith, you cheapen it - not the least because you make the plea seem like just another political move." I think this is good for all of us to remember, political or not. We need to be careful about how quickly we jump to yelling that we're being attacked.
• Knox McCoy just keeps topping himself. Last week I pointed you to his new e-book. This week, I want to let you know about his brilliant new idea, the My Bad Project. This is a chance for people to apologize for the times that they've been jerks in the name of Christianity. Check it out and consider how you might contribute.
• Jeff Goins wrote a very thought-provoking piece about online friendship this week. This is an area that interests me a lot, so it was good to read his take on it. 
• Matthew Paul Turner wrote a beautiful prayer for Lent. 
• My Twitter friend PastorEmJ shared a gorgeous piece about her first grey hair at Joy Bennett's blog this week. She made me cry (and wish that she blogged regularly).
• I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. But I've got to say, this Awkward Family Photo is just...wow.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Leave a link in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Hey all! Hope you've had a restful weekend. Here are a couple of links to get you through this last day.

• Jamie Wright had an awesome piece just last night about being a Christian tourist. Oh my word, this is one that's going to stick with me a long, long time.
• Sarah Moon wrote an absolutely gorgeous post about why women matter. 
• On a related note, Dianna Anderson wrote an important piece about why feminism matters.
• Shawn Smucker and his family set out on their four month bus tour of America. You simply must subscribe to Shawn's blog. He is such an amazing writer, and I'm sure the next four months are going to be something worth watching.
• If you've wondered about transracial adoption (and even if you haven't), be sure to check out the series that David Nilsen wrote about that topic this week.
• Friend of the blog Knox McCoy released a new e-book this week. If you've been considering writing your own manifesto, don't write another word before you download A Manifesto About Manifestos: A Manifesto, as it has all the tools that you need to write a successful manifesto. Manifesto!
• Finally, I want to take a minute to thank you so much for your support of my post on Thursday. Thanks to the Christians who posted at Hemant's and to the atheists who posted here - stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy, and I love that you were willing to do that. Huge thanks to Hemant for generously offering me a voice on his blog. And to my regular readers, thank you for allowing me to write about things that aren't necessarily safe without fear. That is a gift to me that I don't take for granted.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Leave a link in the comment section!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Winter finally came to us this weekend. I know that Phil told us it was headed our way, but still.

Anyway, I've got some hot links (hott linxx?) for you to check out today. I hope you find something that will spark some interesting conversation.

• This post by Lauren Dubinsky was one of my very favorites of the week. I've read a lot of posts on the "love the sinner, hate the sin" problem, but this one addresses it in a truly beautiful way.
• Elizabeth Esther lives in California and voted for Proposition 8 in 2008. She has written before about her change of heart, but I particularly liked her post this week following the most recent court decision.(By the by, congrats on the agent Elizabeth! YAY!)
• I love Adele and her stunning voice. And I also loved this article about the scientific reason why Adele's song "Someone Like You" makes you cry.
• Shawn Smucker did it again this week by writing a brilliant piece about how we are frequently immature in our thankfulness. 
• In the continuing discussion about what it means to be "feminine" or "masculine," Ed Cyzewski brings a bit of sarcasm to the table. But you should not assume that table is in the kitchen.
• If you're still looking for a gift for that special someone for Valentine's Day, be sure to check out these gems over at Cake Wrecks. Something to melt their heart, for sure.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up below!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Thanks for stopping by today for another list of good reads here and the blog. I love sharing the writing of others with you every Sunday. I hope there's something here that you find enjoyable as well!

• There were a lot of replies to John Piper's piece about the "masculine feel" of Christianity. But I think my favorite was Landon Whitsitt's about being a mama's boy. This one left me undone.
• I loved this article at Slate about artist Lilly McElroy who literally throws herself at men. Don't miss the horribly awkward video at the end of the article.
• The lovely and talented Jennifer Luitwieler posted a fantastic piece about container words - words that we use to classify other people. Her husband leaves a great comment as well, so be sure to check that out.
• Rachel Held Evans's post about the slippery slope was just amazing. She puts into words what I (and many others) have experienced in a truly beautiful way.
• Kristen Tennant wrote a great post about sex in advertising last week. I missed it in last week's round-up, but it's worth reading.
• I absolutely loved this take on James 2:17 that Michael Perkins wrote this week. Ouch.
• With today being the Super Bowl, be sure to watch this video with Tripp and Tyler to get some quick etiquette tips for your super bowl party.
• I also want to let you know that I've extended the submission date for Not Afraid until March 16. If you were considering contributing but ran out of time, you've got six more weeks to get it done. I'd love to hear your stories about overcoming fear. Check out this site for the project document and details about what I'm looking for and please spread the word in your community as well!

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Drop me a link in the comment section!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Once again, the weekend has rolled around and you get to enjoy another round-up of posts that I found interesting. At least, I hope you enjoy them because dang it, this is a lot of work! (Not really.)

• Kathy Escobar made me cry this week with her piece about why we suck at being friends. 
• One of my favorite musicians, Jonathan Coulton, weighed in on the issue of internet piracy. I think he kind of nails it. (Oh, and you should absolutely buy his newest album. The Stache is all-time, yo.)
• Please go to Preston Yancey's blog and subscribe. He is running a series right now called At the Lord's Table where people are sharing their positive experiences with the Church. It's easy to get discouraged by some of the really awful stuff that we see, and these stories give me so much hope.
• I have been missing out big time on Glennon Melton at Momastery. I found this letter that she wrote to her son this week and immediately subscribed. So incredible.
• Ben Emerson reminds us (read: me) that Old Testament God and New Testament God are the same  with his post about Numbers 27. 
• The Gregory Brothers are back with a new Songify the News. And there was much happiness from this corner of the internet.
• I've spent a lot of this week listening to Peter Gabriel's New Blood. It's an orchestral arrangement of some of his earlier works. The new In Your Eyes is beautiful, but I'm kind of in love with the arrangement of Red Rain. It's just $5 right now and totally worth it.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link up your favorites in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

It's Sunday, which means it's time for me to round up some of my favorite reads of the week and present them to you in list fashion. I hope you find something here that is of benefit to you.

• Many of you know RawFaith/Linda from comments here and at many other blogs. She is one of the most encouraging people that I've met out here. She recently had surgery to remove cancer, but because she is self-employed, the bills are pretty steep. If you would like to help her defray the costs of her surgery, you can donate here. 
• We're often told that we need to enjoy every minute of parenting (or any number of activities). But we all know that sometime there are things that aren't enjoyable. Glennon Melton writes a brilliant piece about refusing to carpe diem. (I know this is older than this week. Still awesome.)
• This Wednesday, a lot of folks blacked out to protest SOPA/PIPA. If you care about supporting musical artists, check out this infographic that shows how best to get money in the pockets of your favorite artists.
• Elizabeth Esther had a gut-wrenching experience when her daughter fell from a second-story window. A poignant reminder that our lives are fragile.
• Matt Appling wrote an insightful piece about how irony can quickly morph into cynicism over at Provoketive. As a fellow Gen-X'er, this one hit close to home.
• Sarah Moon posted about what talk of "effeminate Christianity" means to women in the Church.
• Pretty much everything over at Catalog Living is funny, but this one made me totally laugh out loud.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link up your favorites below!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Hello, dear friends! I hope you find something in this week's links to stir thought or make you laugh this Sunday. Enjoy!

• By far my favorite thing this week was Ed Cyzewski's new e-book, Divided We Unite. Okay, so I know that's not something that you can just click and read here, but you need to read this. You can download it to your e-reader or just read it on your computer. He's offering it for free, for the cost of your email (if you're a writer, you absolutely should sign up for his email list), or you can support a writer by purchasing it for a dollar. If you have any interest in Christian unity, I cannot recommend this highly enough.
• Dan Brennan, author of Sacred Unions, Sacred Passions, wrote a great piece about hierarchy in marriage and how that can affect friendship in that relationship. I love his thoughts about friendship in general, and I thought he made some really salient points in this article.
• Sonny Lemmons, a new friend, wrote a simply beautiful post about labels that he had to live with growing up and how he had to learn to love himself despite those labels.
• David Nilsen's sister Shan wrote a powerful piece about learning to give up control. Her honesty is challenging and beautiful, as always.
• I love that Rachel Held Evans is back to blogging. Her post about Esther and Vashti this week was fantastic. 
• Sarah Bost-Askins wrote a wonderful post about trying to figure out how to allow her daughter to appreciate girly things without locking herself into girly things. A great read for feminist moms of daughters.
• These football cakes at Cake Wrecks are phenomenal. Or something.
• David Crowder Band released their final album, Give Us Rest, this week. So good. If you haven't picked it up yet, make sure you fix that right away. I'll miss them making music, but they've wrapped up their career brilliantly.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link up your favorites in the comment section!

Stuff I've Been Reading

It's Sunday! Grab a cup of coffee and settle in to read some of my favorite posts of the week. Lots of good stuff out there - I hope you enjoy what I've got for you here.

• Sarah Bessey wrote a simply beautiful piece about what her marriage looks like. This is one to just soak in for a bit.
• Caleb Wilde wrote the most popular article at Relevant Magazine this year. His post about being the most famous funeral director in his hometown is absolutely hilarious. Congrats on the hits, Caleb, and here's to that diamond encrusted apron!
• Knox McCoy has begun his Bachelor recaps. This is crazy long, but the fate of Crazy Eyes will keep you glued to your seat the whole time. I don't watch the show, but his posts almost make me want to.
• I loved this post by my friend Joy Bennett over at A Deeper Story. Fantastic story about speaking up, even when it might be uncomfortable.
• Michael D. Perkins, who authors one of the most creative blogs out there, has written a creative manifesto (which is better than calling it an ebook). You can get a free copy by receiving his posts by email. Check out the deets here. It's absolutely beautiful, and getting his posts in your inbox is a good thing.
• This video about questions from Matthew Paul Turner is absolutely phenomenal. Definitely worth the six minutes.
• I finished reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King this week. Dag, I just love his writing so much. This one was really fantastic. Interesting look at time travel and how our actions affect other people. Was a great read to start off the new year.
• In personal news, I was excited to find that my piece, Why I Oppose Gay Marriage was one of the most read pieces of 2011 over at Provoketive and is still going strong.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to that moved you? Come link up in the comments!

Best Stuff I've Been Reading of 2011

Every Sunday I bring you half a dozen or so links to my favorite posts of the week. Things that provoke some kind of emotional response from me.

As the year wraps up, I wanted to highlight some of my very favorite pieces by some of my very favorite writers. These are ones that have stuck with me well past the initial posting. With the fluid nature of blogging, it can be difficult sometimes to gauge our long-term impact, so I want these folks to know that their words have lasted more than a week or two, but have changed me. (And for real, please subscribe to each of these blogs. They each put out quality content all. the. time.)

• Tamara Lunardo: What's a Girl Worth? - More than just about anything else I've read this year, Tamara's post at A Deeper Story changed me. It forced me to look at some things that I'd buried for a long time and as painful as that was, it was incredibly important for me. Obviously it moved a lot of people, because it became the inspiration for a collection of stories from women about their value. Tamara inspires me all the time and I hope that she knows that she is invaluable to me.
• Ed Cyzewski: Telling Proactive Stories Instead of Reactive Stories - Ed wrote on this topic a couple of times this year, but this was my favorite post. Every now and again someone writes something that really challenges my behavior and with this post, Ed did just that. These words changed the way that I look at big events, but also at my day-to-day blogging. I still do reactive blogging, but is my proactive to reactive ratio higher? I hope that it is, and that's thanks in large part to Ed's writing.
• Sarah Styles Bessey: In Which I Promise Not to Call Myself Fat - Oh my word. This was one of those shaking-shoulder cries when I read this. Granted, that happens regularly when I read Sarah's words, but this one? Changed how I talk about myself. I am so grateful to her for her honesty and vulnerability with this post. She's working on a book proposal now and I cannot wait to read whatever it is that she puts out.
• David Nilsen: Coping with Disappointment When Calvinists Refuse to Be Jerks - I know it's probably bad form to link to something on your own blog and probably also bad form to play favorites with guest posts, but yeah. This post was something special and to not include it in this list would be a far worse crime from where I'm standing. I don't know what led David to my blog, but I am so grateful that he reached out and asked about swapping guest posts. I definitely got the better end of the deal there (and that's not self-deprecating crap, it's just the truth). This post was absolutely amazing and has made me think about assuming how people will react if I'm honest with them. 
• Shawn Smucker: How I Know My World Will End on May 21st - There were a lot of posts that went up in mid-May for the Harold Camping end of the world prediction, but Shawn wrote one that stuck with me. Death to self is something that I can't read about often enough, and Shawn used a weird story to bring that point home. I love Shawn's ability to draw beauty out of, well, everything.
• Rachel Held Evans: On Being Kinder To Ourselves - This short post is brimming with truth. We need to be better friends not just to others, but to ourselves as well. Rachel lays that out beautifully here (as she does with most issues). I'm so thankful to Rachel for the kind encouragement she has given me this year. I cannot wait until her new book releases this fall.
• The World Vision Bolivia Bloggers - Every one of these posts changed me. I am so thankful for the words and pictures of these folks. They were beautiful, heart-felt, and challenging. You can check out the individual bloggers here:  Joy Bennett,  Elizabeth Esther, Rachel Held Evans, Jana Melpolder,  Lindsey Talerico, Matthew Paul Turner, Nish Weiseth, and Deb Wolf.

Huge thanks to everyone in my virtual village for sharing your words with me (well, and the rest of the internet) this year. You enrich my life, you cause me to think, you make me a better person. I look forward to seeing what you have to say in 2012!

Stuff I've Been Reading

I'm posting this from my hotel room in Charleston, WV, after last night's premier of the Gluteus Miximus. But I don't want you to miss these awesome posts from the week. And I don't really want to drive back home. This would be a good time for that teleportation device that Sara mentioned last week in the Tell Me About You post. Anyway, enough chatter, on with the linkage!

• Dianna Anderson wrote a fantastic response to the "I'd rather have a Proverbs 31 Woman than a Victoria's Secret Model" campaign. I don't think these guys had any negative intent, but she breaks down some huge problems with it really well.
• I love it when Tamara Lunardo gets to writing poetry. This woman is a wordsmith of the first order.
• Tony Alicea wrote about how even well-meaning labels can be problematic. (And yes, it's not lost on me that the word that I used to describe Tony when he guest posted here this summer was "nice." I still think that he is, but this post is good, because no one likes to be a single label.)
• Rachel Held Evans has been finishing her book, but she took a minute this week to bang out this gorgeous post about the place of women in the Church. 
• I cannot wait to hear the whooping and hollering from Shawn Smucker's family in a couple of days. This post made me cry those good, good tears.
• This is not from this week, but I only discovered it this week. In case you haven't guessed, I love to mock Klout. Some friends and I were chatting on Facebook about it, and my publisher pointed us to this. For the record, my Flout score is 250000. Top THAT. (It should be easy, since you get to set your own score.)

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link up your favorites!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Hello, my friends! I hope you've had a great week. Here are some of the best things that I've read this week. I hope you find something of interest here as well.

• Preston Yancey wrote a beautiful poem this week as a response to the "I'd rather have a Proverbs 31 woman than a Victoria's Secret model" meme that went viral this week. I was happy to see this piece go a bit viral as well.
• My friend Bekka Favelle guest posted at A Deeper Story about asking. One of the most poignant essays that I read this week.
• World Vision is hosting the Twelve Blogs of Christmas to help get the word out about their gift catalog. I absolutely loved Ed Cyzewski's contribution about gift giving.
• This post by Kathy made me cry a wee bit, because I have a deeply non-themed Christmas tree that I absolutely love precisely because I love what the ornaments represent to me. 
• I love that I'm a part of a blogging community that isn't afraid to address difficult questions head on. So I really appreciate that Knox McCoy took on one of the great questions of a generation: Who was the better uncle on Full House?
• Wes Molebash now has a website for his new graphic novel. Wes is all kinds of amazing and some day I'm totally scraping together the cash to have him draw me rocking a keytar (I figure that's the first step to actually owning and rocking a keytar). Seriously though, check it out. It's very cool.
• On Monday I asked you to help me raise $100 for Nuru (and CASTW) by the end of the year. You raised $170 THAT DAY. I am grateful times a million. If you'd still like to make a donation, this wish will be open until the end of the year. I'd love it if you'd consider a donation to them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Leave a link in the comments!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Happy Sunday, friends! Welcome to the weekly round-up of my favorite reads of the week. As always, I hope you'll find some good food for thought here. By the way, I'm starting to compile my year end list of favorite posts. If you have one that you want to see in the list, be sure to let me know!

• Mason Slater wrote a fantastic series this week about the Imperialism of the Blogosphere. I recommend the whole thing, but the last post about authority was my personal favorite. 
• David probably just needs a permanent spot on my round up because every week he writes something that I wish I'd written. This time it was his piece Frozen River. 
• My friend (and the author of the foreword for Not Alone) Elizabeth Esther appeared on Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show to address the teachings of Michael and Debi Pearl. Here are her thoughts before it aired. I loved this, "Remaining silent is worse than saying it badly." That aside, she did NOT say it badly at all. You can see a clip of her statements here.
• NaNoWriMo wrapped up this week. I'm so proud of my friends (and daughter!) who finished the full fifty-thousand words in a month. But I adored this post by Sarah Bost-Askins where she gives herself grace for not finishing. If you've ever felt like a failure, be sure to read this post.
• Tamara Lunardo writes a gorgeous post about being sexy. 
• And in the "most uplifting" category, don't miss this article about a man living out loving his neighbor as himself. So beautiful.
• Don't forget to leave a comment about your favorite Christmas song/album for a chance to win some Christmas music. 

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up here!

Stuff I've Been Reading

Happy Sunday! These are some of my favorite posts of the week. I hope you find something that you enjoy here!

• Ken Hagerman absolutely crushes it with this post about spending time with sinners. So beautiful.
• Cake Wrecks had some of the best (and by best, I really, really mean worst) Thanksgiving cakes ever.
• Did you enter to win your free pair of TOMS from Knox McCoy? You really should, you know.
• Shawn Smucker's son wants to be an author when he grows up. Because writers are ROLLING in cash.
• Elizabeth Esther shared joy at the grocery store.
• Not Alone is now available for Kindle! I know that it's odd to think about giving a book about depression as a gift, but honestly, the holidays can be rough for people who struggle with depression. Not only does this book let the person dealing with depression know that they aren't going it alone, but seeing someone recognize and not judge can be pretty huge as well. You can purchase the paperback version here.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link up your favorites below!

Stuff I've Been Reading

It's another Sunday and therefore it's time again for my weekly list of my favorite reads.

• Local mom and blogger Heather Laurie shares what it's like to be a 30-something mom of five and know that you're dying. This is a challenging, funny, heart-wrenching piece. Put this on your "don't miss" list for the week.
• Janet Oberholtzer wrote a really interesting essay about looking beyond labels. I thought this was a really interesting perspective.
• This post by Amber Wackford about her Harry Potter reading group made me smile. I love discovering new things with friends!
• The single most hilarious story I read this week. If Tina and I were attending a funeral, I feel confident that this would happen to us.
• This guest post about creativity and Zelda by Wes Molebash is absolutely brilliant. (Pssst. Happy release day for Skyward Sword here in the states! Hooray!)
• My friend Shawn Smucker is apparently a masochist. Last weekend he did the Tough Mudder, which basically is just twelve miles of torture. Anyway, he wrote about it and the importance of his idiot friends in completing it.
• Last week I was introduced to Lake Street Dive at Mountain Stage here in Morgantown. So amazing. Go check out their most recent album right away. Also, if your local NPR carries Mountain Stage and give it a listen. A great source for finding new music.

What have you read/written/watched/listened to this week that moved you? Link it up in the comments!