First Line Friday #28: Mansions of the Heart by R. Thomas Ashbrook

Thanks to Carrie at
Reading is My Superpower
for the Link-up

 

 

Title:  Mansions of the Heart
Author:  R. Thomas Ashbrook
Genre:  Christian Spirituality

  〰First Line〰

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The journey with Jesus:  My journey questions surfaced in the most unlikely way--in a Quonset hut and a chicken coop, with a tall thin monk who talked about listening to God.

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Synopsis:  (From Goodreads) 

A practical program for developing a deeper, more authentic relationship with God. Written for anyone who wants to develop a deeper more meaningful relationship with God, Mansions of the Heart offers a step-by-step guide through a spiritual formation road map based on Teresa of Avila's Seven Mansions. The book includes a Mapping Tool that will help you discern your place on your spiritual journey and offers church leaders a process for helping church members to grow into spiritual maturity.

Contains a spiritual program based on the writings of Teresa of Avila, one of Christianity's most profound and beloved mystical teachers.  Offers a complete, step-by-step program for spiritual growth.  Includes information for leading others in their spiritual journeys. Appropriate for all kinds of Christians.

〰First Thoughts〰

Ashbrook's volume is one of three books that are part of our undergraduate level Spiritual Formation Class at the university.  I put in a request to teach this course later this year, so I'm going over all the materials in preparation.  I've not read this author's work before, so it's good to connect with the work of an unfamiliar artist.  However, my goals for this book are not purely academic.  While the course and materials are for a college class, I hope the book truly conveys practical steps the reader can take to truly grow in his or her relationship with God and not be a mere academic volume that examines the Almighty from a theological distance.

So, what's the first line of the book you're currently reading?

2025 I Can Only Blame MyShelf Reading Challenge: Introduction

Artwork by Shannon Maddox
aka "Auntie"

Welcome to the 2025 "I Can Only Blame MyShelf" reading challenge!

Before we get started, let's do a little review.  Last year's challenge was the most successful so far.  My goal was 50 books; I read 83!  This year I thought I'd give myself the biggest goal ever--100 books! Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't going to be an exercise in speed reading, skimming, or playing my audiobooks at double speed  No, like the rest of my reading, I want to absorb, enjoy, and learn from what I read.  

If they are available, I may participate in the book bingo reads again.  I also want to include more fun fiction in my selections.  I love the heavy theological works and personal development genre, but I need some good old stories in which to occasionally lose myself.

Sample categories for this year's reads include:

• Glorious rereads - books I enjoyed so much that I'm reading them again.
• Recommended Reads - books recommended by what I hope are trustworthy sources.
• Cross References - books referenced in other books I read. Not exactly a recommended read, but similar.
  
• Everybody's Reading It - books that everybody and their grandma read that I'm just now getting to.
• Impulse Reads - Books I bought, borrowed, or checked out of the library for no other reason than "hey, this looks interesting."
• Kiddie Lit -children's books.  Hey, just because I'm over 50 doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good (or bad) children's book.

My rating systems is as follows:

✮✮✮✮ = Outstanding
✮✮✮ = Pretty good
✮✮ = Could have been better / could have been worse.
✮ = Not so great.  What the heck did I just read?  I'm finishing this one purely out of spite.
Zero stars = Ain't nobody got time for that = DNF (did not/would not/could not finish)

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Books Read and Reviewed:

Completed books will be marked as a link to the review or Goodreads comments. *indicates a volume from my personal collection.

Book 01
Book 02
Book 03
Book 04
Book 05

Read but Not Reviewed: *indicates a volume from my personal collection.

1. God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer ✮✮✮✮ (Category;  Glorious reread)
   
2. High Road Leadership by John C. Maxwell ✮✮✮✮
3. Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton  ✮ 1/2
4. Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff 1/2 (Category: Cross reference) 
5. Lectures to My Students by Charles H. Spurgeon ✮✮✮✮

First Line Friday Entries for the Year:

#26     #31

#27     #32

#28     #33

#29     #34

#30     #35

Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!:

Equal Opportunity Oatmeal: The Weekly Hodgepodge

 

Join the fun! 

Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

 

It's been said January is 'the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change." Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate. 

I suppose I need all three, yet I am working on all three.  Ideally the bulk of my Christmas vacation--the days between the 26th and when I return to work in January--are spent preparing for opportunity that I anticipate will bring about inspiration and change.  Decluttering, compiling various lists, prepping new notebooks and journals, and making appointments with myself and others are some of the ways I get ready.  Recovering from sickness during that time postponed my plans, and now that I'm back to work, I'll have to find pockets of time to work on these tasks.  Consequently, I'll be taking the rest of January to make headway on that preparation.

Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself? 

 

I believe it can be either one.  Some opportunities are blessings that come to you unexpectedly, while others are those you prepare for in anticipation.

The British Museum opened on this date (January 15th) back in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite? 

I haven't visited a museum in ages, but I'm sure I would enjoy going.  I know I would like the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.  It's just up the road in Golden, CO (though I'm not sure it would be a good idea to go alone).  I dream of going with friends to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York some day.  Visiting the Anniston Museum of Natural History if I ever have the opportunity to visit home again wouldn't be a wasted trip either.

It's National Oatmeal Month (yes, apparently it gets a whole month as opposed to a single day). Do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? How do you like yours? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy? 

Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast foods at present.  I found a recipe in a magazine for a healthy, yet very tasty oatmeal dish.  It combines fresh fruit, yogurt, almond or peanut butter, and of course oatmeal.  There's also this recipe I tried years ago that I enjoyed.  I don't believe I've ever tried to bake oatmeal cookies, but I do like store bought ones (yes, I know they aren't the same). 

What's something useful you learned in high school? 

Three things I can name off the top of my head:

1. How to touch type.
2. How to play drums.
3. How to diagram a sentence.  I think I was introduced to this in elementary school, but developed a knack for it in high school.
   

Insert your own random thought here. 

In case you missed it:  

• My previous Hodgepodge post "Arguing With My Old Man" is here.
• My latest Five Minute Friday post "Stuff" is here.
  
• My latest Weekly Digest "Doug" is here.
  
• My latest First Line Friday post: "#27 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling " is here.
• My completed "24 for 2024" challenge is here.
• My new "25 for 2025" challenge is here.
  
• My completed 2024 reading challenge:  "Full Shelf Challenge V.2" is here.