The She Papers!
         The passionate ramblings of a woman crazy for God
                                       
August 2010  
          
           "Fight The Good Fight"

"Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty, well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...WOW!  What a ride!"  Anonymous

Every once in a while a book comes along that you swear was written just for you. This happened to me recently as I purchased and read Fight The Good Fight by Spencer Silverglate. Spencer's goal in writing this book was to communicate insights and timeless principles to his teenage son in the form of a letter, but in writing to his son, Spencer had unknowingly in fact written the book for me!

With each turn of the page, an invisible mirror was held up with which I could view myself and the way I'm living out my life-adventure. What kind of a legacy am I leaving behind? Am I living with purpose? Am I doing whatever I do with ALL my heart? Do I truly live as if I am destined for greatness? Do I really understand that just the mere fact of 'showing up' is in fact one of the greatest gifts I can give someone? These are some of the questions I've been grappling with as I journey through this thought-provoking and engaging book.

And what really sets this book apart for me is that it is NOT a how-to book! Spencer is not lecturing. There is no finger-pointing...except at himself! And that is what is so interesting! He is simply sharing HIS life, his struggles, his defeats and failures, his successes and accomplishments...and through them he is teaching invaluable lessons. Through them he is speaking straight into my heart. Through them he is pointing to Jesus.

Spencer writes in first-person and dares to get 'naked', sharing his thoughts in such a way as to make us, the reader, realize we're not crazy after all...selfish maybe, stubborn possibly, fearful perhaps...but not crazy! I personally love transparent people because their honesty allows me to lower my own defenses to a point where I can take a really good look at myself and admit that I too need to grow. "Hi, my name is Laura and I'm a wimp. I admit that I need to learn to fight the good fight."

In reading this book I'm reminded that while life is hard, I need to choose to fight. "It's in the battle that God builds your character....Don't ever look for the easy way, it's the hard way that makes the man....There are no shortcuts. To get to heaven, you have to go through hell (Excerpts from chapter 3)."  Wow. I needed that.

In reading, I'm reminded that it's rarely convenient to take the time to care for someone or to visit a friend in a hospital or clear my busy schedule to sit with a grieving friend...nonetheless, I need to just show up! "Showing up makes all the difference in life. Because when you do, God usually shows up too." Spencer reminds us that it's often out of fear that we don't engage either the people or places or situations in life that we should - and that we don't become courageous in avoiding what we are fearful of , but that rather..."We build our courage by facing our fears. We have to do the deed first; the courage comes afterward. I became brave through repetition (Excerpts from chapter 5)."

My breath was taken away as I contemplated a truth that has been before my eyes for years and yet missed: Nehemiah of wall-rebuilding fame was a cupbearer for the  king. No, see I knew this...I had just never before contemplated this heavy-duty-cup-bearing-truth. "This project would have been difficult for anyone, but for Nehemiah, it should have been impossible. He wasn't an architect or a general contractor or even a subcontractor. He was a cupbearer - he fetched wine for the king. And to make matters worse, he had no tools or building materials. (Excerpt from chapter 8)."  Seriously, Laura?! You aren't pursuing a passion because WHY? I shall never see Nehemiah the same again...nor myself I pray! Because I have been taught in this cupbearer-revelation that where God is leading I don't need a degree, a fat bank account, or even a particular skill. Being a simple cupbearer with a God-given passion is enough when God is in the mix!

Woven throughout this serious and at times seriously-funny book is God's Truth,  laying the foundation of what Spencer is sharing. I like that. I trust that. I need that. Reading this book not only inspired me, tickled me, surprised me, challenged me, and at times shocked me, it also brought me to a place of dancing...literally dancing! Talk about a book that moves you! 

Thank you Spencer for writing this book with your whole heart! It is giving me the courage to fight well! I do however have one regret...that I have come to the end of the book. I stand in the line with many who hope that this book is but one in the line of many more yet to come.

My friend, I encourage you today to get this book, and in doing so to get a battle plan for your life...so that you too can effectively Fight The Good Fight. And I suspect that you will think, as I do, that this book has been divinely written just for YOU!
http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Good-Battle-Plan-Life/dp/1450548865/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274888181&sr=8-1

Fighting to win, Laura

“The Master Gardener”by Laura K. Dahne is available at:http://the-master-gardener.com/index.php?p=1_18_To-Purchase-Book
Would you like to share your passionate ramblings with me or leave a comment? Then check out the Guestbook link or click here: http://the-master-gardener.com/index.php?p=1_6_Guestbook 

 June 2010            
            Living a Life that MATTERS!
"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized-whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ-but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!" The Message I Corinthians 9:19-23

What are you living for? Let me ask it another way: What are YOU living for? Okay, let me try it again: What are you LIVING for?

It's a great question, right?! We sail through life at such breakneck speed, I dare say that we often don't know what we are living for! And without any real thought we begin to believe the lie that what matters is a new suit, or a new blouse, or a nice meal, or a new car, or a bigger house, or a....well, just fill in the blank!

I've been nudged by the Holy Spirit for some years now to stop thinking about just my needs and to really think about the desperate needs of others. To stop just thinking about my earthly bank account and be mindful that there is a bank account in Heaven, in my name, accruing -or (gulp!) NOT accruing - profit!

Yup, what we do here matters there. Weird, right? But true. And why shouldn't it be true? God's currency is Love. God's greatest concern is People.

The Lord has been tuning my heart  into many important areas of need...and the people they represent. Those that are right now being held prisoner in the very lucrative trade of  Slave Trafficking.  Women and children throughout the world brutally forced into the Sex Trade Industry.  Men and Women that are fighting for the lives of  unborn babies that are under the threat of death through abortion.

Makes another dinner out not seem all that important. Or that new shirt not all that necessary. After all, there's SO much need. Such BIG needs. But still...What can I do? After all, I'm only one person. Right? 

In the times when I'm weighing a purchase against where the money might make a greater difference, my thoughts often go to Oskar in Schindler's List. Schindler's List is an American film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Polish Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.  My thoughts go to  Oskar and his lament of "I could have done more!" Take a  look.

In the movie it is beautifully said, "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire."

God's currency is Love. It should be mine too. God's greatest concern is People. They should be my greatest concern too.

What is the value of a meal, or a car, or a bigger house, in comparison to a human soul?

No, I can't do everything. I can't save everyone.

But by golly, I can do SOMETHING! I can save SOMEONE!

And truthfully, thankfully, so can you.

Living to make a difference, Laura

Want to make a difference too? I invite you to open your heart, and your wallet, to  those who are working to make a difference...and who ARE making an impact in our world!

Human Rights:
Stella's House Ministry - http://www.philip-cameron.org/pcmhoperom.html
International Justice Mission - http://www.ijm.org/

Mentoring Youth, Protecting the Unborn:  http://www.thenewme.us/

Would you like to share your passionate ramblings with me or leave a comment? Then check out the Guestbook link or click here: http://the-master-gardener.com/index.php?p=1_6_Guestbook 

“The Master Gardener”by Laura K. Dahne is available at:http://the-master-gardener.com/index.php?p=1_18_To-Purchase-Book