Porch #126 🥶 Deep Mid-Winter Edition

Cape Cod snapshots . worthy linkage . kindle deals . online book club . an unfolding masterpiece

Oh my gosh it’s so cold.

Maybe you’ll feel hugged with warmth and friendship and some kind of encouragement by the time you leave here. I can only hope. Grab a cup of tea and settle in with me. There’s so much to talk about.

And who wants to head outdoors anyway.

Way out on Cape Cod in mid-winter is gray and damp and cold. Desolate. Yet mysteriously beautiful, haunting, and still. Introverts, creatives, solitude-lovers, dog owners, and homebodies go with the flow, embracing her deep mid-winter rhythms, happy as the proverbial clam.

Others do battle with despondency and hardship, isolation and depression. If you’re looking for lots of action, night life, shopping, or entertainment, you’ve come to the wrong place. When evening shadows fall and darkness descends, you can drive for miles and not encounter another soul, a streetlight, or an open gas station. Some folks sell their houses and head back to the mainland after one winter.

A big piece in staying healthy is pushing ourselves out the door to rejoin the land of the living, connect with our neighbors, embrace the work we do, and fully engage in the ministries that call our name. I can’t help but believe that this sustaining rhythm of productive interactive days and quiet early nights causes our Creator to smile with satisfaction. Because we were never meant to do life apart from the company of others.

WORTHY LINKS

House Hushing & Why You Need It
Myquillyn Smith
I double dare you.

6 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer
Erin Loechner
Not your typical how-to.

Try This When You’re Feeling Anxious + Stuck
Hannah Brencher
Celebrate little victories.

A Love Letter to the Sea
Katelyn Teer
Transport yourself.

An end-of-life doula’s advice
Rachel Friedman
Priceless companionship.

: :

I’ll never have 8 kids, make my own sourdough, or milk a cow at sunrise. But Lisa at Farmhouse on Boone keeps me coming back for more. Comfort viewing at its finest.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ KINDLE DEALS

The 5 Apology Languages: The Secret to Healthy Relationships
Gary Chapman & Jennifer Thomas
$2.99

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, & Our Lives Revealed (rated R for language & sexual situations)
Lori Gottlieb
$1.99

Helping Couples: Proven Strategies for Coaches, Counselors, & Clergy
Les & Leslie Parrot, David Olson
$3.99

Joy: Poet, Seeker, & the Woman Who Captivated C.S. Lewis
Abigail Santamaria
$2.99

I Promise: How 5 Commitments Determine the Destiny of Your Marriage
Gary Smalley
$2.99

The Attributes of God
A. W. Tozer
$2.99

The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission
Rick Warren
$3.99

THE LISTENING LIFE ONLINE BOOK CLUB

the first 3 February weekends : : right in your inbox : : simply show up

Adam McHugh’s award winning book will upend, shake around, and pivot much of what you perceive about your own ability to listen.  In your personal relationship with God.  As you connect with those closest to you or those experiencing deep pain.  As you consider what nature whispers.  As you pay attention to your body, your emotions, and those ongoing 'scripts' you believe. And how we do listening in the church.  

➡️ Grab your paperback or Kindle edition. (As an Amazon Associate, your purchase supports my work.)

➡️  Our 3 online Book Club sessions will be up and running the first 3 weekends in February. Simply show up any time and join the conversation. No sign-up, no commitment, no secret handshake needed.

➡️ We’ll cover 3 chapters each week. And even if you aren’t able to read the book, jump on into the discussion anyway.  Here’s the details + Susan Cain’s thumbs up.

‘May you find peace today where there has been only loneliness, pressure, and dissatisfaction.’
- First 15

Stay toasty,
Linda

: : Did you read The Gift of Presence this week?

: : PORCH is a Christ-centered weekend newsletter featuring gentle conversation, calming snapshots, uplifting linkage, & occasional surprises

: : Linking up with Paula . Andrew . Joanne . Maree