Ladies of Grace

Earlier this summer, my new blogger friend, Andrea (at thelittlecollection) sent me the book, "A Heart Like His." The book speaks about an experiment that focuses on being aware of the condition of your heart (is it hard and gray or soft and large). I thought it was such an interesting idea, that I mentioned it at my book group. And lo and behold, my friend Beth (at WalkaMile) decided to run with the idea and start an experiment of her own! She has developed a blog carnival, named "Ladies of Grace," focusing on the premise of each of us examining our hearts and the ways we are open or closed to the world and people around us every day.

Here is a run down of the purpose and how it works, taken from "A Heart Like His":

1. To be more aware of the condition of our hearts and with that awareness to keep them more open toward others.

2. To do this in the normal course of our lives, in other words, not put any extra activities into our day--no extra visits, no preparing of casseroles, etc. Above all, people should not become "projects" and our lives should not to be filled with more things to do.

3. Notice the Spirit and be willing to blog and honestly report what did or did not happen.

More explanation: This experiment is meant to help us explore and experiment with the simple concept of opening our hearts-simply making space for God and others. Because this experiment is more about becoming than doing, it is simple, doesn't consume time, actually creates energy and therefore self-perpetuating ... This should be easy to do, but I believe the results will be more profound...because we are in search of a new heart...a heart like His!

Beth is starting her blog carnival tomorrow - so be sure to check it out and take some time to notice your own reactions and feelings to events and people around you! She'll have a "Mr. Linky" so you can link your story to her post! I'll be looking forward to reading about your experience! (I already know what I'll be sharing this week... Check back tomorrow!)

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Coffee - again. The hubby is so good to me!
2. Energetic kids.
3. Birthday cupcakes. (No, I did not have one - but the kids were sure excited!)
4. Getting to know the VBS teachers better - and having a lot of fun with them.
5. Being sore from working out 2 days in a row!
6. Learning that my pastor is just as - if not more - nervous than I am when meeting a bunch of new people.
7. Meeting the neighbors of our church at their National Night Out block party - some cool people, and LOTS of kids!
8. Lightning bugs.
9. A cool evening walk.
10. A small fudgey brownie. Not on the eating plan - but SO worth the points! Ha ha ha.