Thursday Things #106

Two books, two songs, and the confidence of a reader who knows both the ending and the author…

Every other Thursday, I share a handful of good things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. AKA the random good stuff we’d talk about over coffee or text if we had one another’s phone number. I'm glad you're here!

Time is weird and 2024 sounds like the future but alas, here we are.

In a fantastic turn of events, while writing the intro sentence a friend called to say “I’m going to be driving past your apartment in ten minutes. Do you want to go get chips and queso?” which is an immediate and obvious YES.

I’m hitting send without checking for typos, but this is the energy we’re bringing to 2024. Chips and queso = always yes. Unexpected time with a friend who lives in another city = drop everything and go.

I hope your Thursday holds a good surprise, too. And maybe tortilla chips and melted cheese. Because that’s definitely a Good Thing.

Below: Two songs, two book recommendations, a video and encouragement when the storm continues to rage. 💛

Grow as we go.

Hello yes, put this in my veins. It is so soothing, so lovely, and “grow as we go” sounds a whole lot better than “new year, new you” to me. You too?

The confidence of a reader who knows the ending and the author…

I’ll include the text below (written by

Kate Lab - Kate Creates

), but encourage you to click through and watch the video/listen to the words spoken over you, for you, with you.

If 2023 was a hard year, read this:
…
This is not the story that I wanted.
Or the story of my dreams.
When I look, I can with sorrow
See the tearing at the seams
Of my plans
My goals
The things my hands
Held on to,
That were never really mine.

But if my God is for me,
This is the best timeline.
If my God is good and powerful
Then this moment was designed
For me.

Every day in this life was made
for my good
And His glory.
This page
and this story
Is better than
The one I would
Have written.

It’s a good book
I’m reading.
It’s important I remember
I am not the hero of it.

I will grieve the sin and sorrows
I will turn this page in season
There is penned purpose in my pain
Whether or not I know the reasons.

And I will read today’s page
With the confidence of a reader
Who knows both
The ending
And the author.
It is good.
He is good.

On a similar note…

Because this is definitely what you’d expect to read about two days after Christmas, except the opposite.

Holiday-related? Christmas-y? An ‘all things new’ theme to tie-in with the new year?

No x3.

But this is what I needed to hear and remember and declare at the end of a year that took and took and took some more. A year of wave after wave, of shock and knives in the back and somehow, still, goodness carrying through, staying with, right there in the boat.

If you ended one year and began another weary and worn, trusting but tired, these words are for you:

For When the Storm Just Won’t Let Up

Just as good.

I’m not here to start a “song of the year” trend (though I’d very much like to hear yours if you’ve got it), but there’s one I’m confident I’ll always associate with 2023. This one wasn’t far from reach last year, though, and I have a strange feeling¹ it’ll be the soundtrack playing underneath the coming days.

If I copied and pasted the lyrics that stand out to me, I’d list the entire song. But today, these lines have my attention:

You’re still just as good as when I met you
You’re still just as kind don’t let me forget that you’re
Still the same God who led through the fire
You’re still the same God that separates the waters
Come do what only you can do
God I need you

I will build an alter
Stack it stone by stone
Cause every ebenezer says I’ve never been alone
My faith will surely falter
But that don’t change what you’ve done
Cause every ebenezer points to where my help comes from

Two (more) books.

Last week I shared a round-up of my 25 5-star reads from 2023. But in case you’d like two more suggestions . . . 😉

Each of these are 4 stars in my book, and definitely two that I recommend.

Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day! by Kate Bowler²

My review:

Kate did it again. With this new collection of blessings and reflections, Kate Bowler offers words of encouragement and hope, void of cliches and tidy bows, for both the beautiful and the terrible days. (And the beautifully terrible, terribly beautiful days.) While her first book of blessings (The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days) resonated with me more than this one, it's still a 4-star read and one I'll recommend — especially for Lent or Advent, as this title offers daily readings for each. Thank goodness for writers who call it like it is while also helping us see the good, the beauty, the laughter, and the hope in the midst.

Here For It (the Good, the Bad, and the Queso) by Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston

My review:

An easy read, not because it’s simple but because it’s relatable. Although the number of puns/mentions of queso took it too far for me (I really do love queso, but there are so many mentions that they distract from the powerful message), there's a lot of goodness in this book. One portion brought tears as I thought “Wait, this happened to someone else too? It’s like she’s in my head, giving voice to thoughts and feelings she couldn't possibly know.” Do you have a friend? Do you want to be a good friend? Have you been hurt by a friend? Have you hurt a friend? If you answered yes to any of the above, consider reading this book.

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Click the button below and share a good thing from the last few weeks — song, post, book, item, TV show etc etc etc — or . . . your song for the year? 😉

Here’s to the new-ness of 2024 and the hope of what’s to come. Here’s to the One who carried us through all that was. Here’s to you who lost much last year and don’t know how to move into these next days. Here’s to taking it one minute, one moment, one memory at a time. Here’s to daring to ask “what if it turns out to be wonderful?” Here’s to keeping our eyes open, keeping watch through the night, anticipating redemption.

We’ll grow as we go.

And He’ll remain good.

1

To be clear, there was no whisper in the wind. Ha. Just one of the strange/weird/”where did that come from?” gut instincts when you can’t point to a ‘why’ but, nonetheless, it shows up.

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2.