Quirky Faith
  • Home
  • About
  • Wall of Faith
  • That's The Book
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Quirk-e-Mail
Picture

Encouraging Joy & Grace

Desiring Temperance

9/18/2018

0 Comments

 
My eldest invited us to an impromptu piano concert last night.  Half way through the little one wanted to play something. Then they decided I better play something as well. It's been awhile since I sat at the piano bench. But I hauled out my old books and complied.  It made me happy. I'd forgotten.  

When I played Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring my heart ached.  I wanted so to be able to play it correctly. The few phrases which were correct made me want to practice. It made me want to hear it played expertly. So this morning on the way to work I blasted Josh Groban's version of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.  
On my desk at work is a jar full of roses. I bought them at the grocery store.  Just because they were beautiful. And on sale. They make my heart ache in the same way playing Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring does.  
Picture
I think what's really happening is my soul is recognizing we were created for more than our consumer focused, politically divisive, sexually exploiting, death obsessed and frenzied distraction culture. I think we're created for more than what my phone thinks is important.  I think we're created for more than what the very talented marketers at Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook think is important. 

Chapter two in KS Prior's new book "On Reading Well" is about the virtue of temperance.  Temperance is "the virtue that inclines us to desire and enjoy pleasures well. It helps us to desire pleasures in a reasonable manner, desiring them neither too much nor too little, the virtuous mean between the vices of self-indulgence and insensibility".  The virtue is about balance.  


When I signed up for SeptemberJanuary to focus on my blog my kids were sad.  Because I don't do balance very well. So I signed up anyway but made tracking my own health, connecting with my family and Quirky Faith a three pronged goal.  I'm practicing balance.  It has been refreshing. 

In October I'm going to be working my way through Catherine Price's book "How to Break Up With Your Phone".   I read the first half this past weekend.  She convinced me I need to address my phone usage.  What I loved about this book is it does not think throwing out the phone is the solution. Nor does it think shutting down all your social media accounts is the solution.  It teaches balance.  Temperance.   If you are interested in joining in send me an email. 
Picture
Pleasures are not bad. We were created for beauty, for depth, and for joy. My phone isn't bad either. I love the ways I can connect with people. I love the camera and music and calendar and occasional game. What is bad is when this good thing takes over and I miss out on piano and flowers and my children's smile.  I miss the things that make life good. And my heart aches when I notice.   

Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. - Howard Thurman
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About Me

    I love Jesus.   I think my two daughters can change the world.  I think you can too.


    Past Posts

    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    March 2015


    Tags

    All
    Art
    Beauty
    Books
    Camping
    Causes
    Christmas
    Courage
    Faith
    Family
    Favorites
    Fear
    Forgive
    Freedom
    Friendship
    Giveaways
    Goals
    Grace
    Gratitude
    Habits
    Hall Of Faith
    Heaven
    Holidays
    Kids
    Love
    Misadventures
    Movies
    Parenting
    Politics
    Running
    Sacrifice
    That's
    That's The Book
    Thats The Book
    Video
    Videos
    Walking
    Wall Of Faith
    Writing


    Sign up to receive Mindy's Quirk-E-Mails
    Sign Up

    RSS Feed


Quirky Tweets
  • Home
  • About
  • Wall of Faith
  • That's The Book
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Quirk-e-Mail