No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe

The community.... "The men of Umuofia were prepared to fight to the last. They had no illusions about Obi. He was, without a doubt, a very foolish and self-willed young man. But this was not the time to go into that. The fox must be chased away first; after that the hen might be warned about wandering into the bush." (6)

"Obi admitted that his people had a sizable point. What they did not know was that, having labored in sweat and tears to enroll a kinsman among the shining elite, they had to keep him there. Having made him a member of an exclusive club whose members greet one another with 'How's the car behaving?' did they expect him to turn around and answer: 'I'm sorry, but my car is off the road. You see I couldn't pay the insurance premium'? That would be letting the side down in a way that was quite unthinkable. Almost as unthinkable as a masked spirit in the old Ibo society answering another's esoteric salutation: 'I'm sorry, my friend, but I don't understand your strange language. I'm but a human being wearing a mask.' No, these things could not be. Ibo people, in their fair-mindedness, have devised a proverb which says that it is not right to ask a man with elephantiasis of the scrotum to take on smallpox as well, when thousands of other people have not had even their share of small diseases. No doubt it is not right. But it happens. 'Na so dis world be,' they say." (113)

Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund

This book I found Grandma Ellie's shelf, and it turned out to be just what I needed for my Spring Break '08. I knew what it was about right from the name, and knew that I needed to cultivate the disciplines that lead to a beautiful woman. There was a lot about the priorities that are necessary to being shrewd and making good choices. There were a few of her teachings that she passed on as "the best way" that were really things that had just worked for her, but there were also a lot of things that had worked for her that will work for me. And I believe I saw through to the heart of it, that it is through cultivating a heart that is obedient and disciplined and correspondent behavior that God is in some way most free to work in us.

Too Busy Not To Pray

Two misguided approaches-- "I'm concerned that these people are so heavenly minded that they are of little earthly use. What they try to pawn off aw divine leading is really a very human form of irresponsibility.... I think it's wrong for you to put your hands in your pockets and your brains in a drawer, jump off the pinnacle and expect God to catch you because you're already on your way down..... However, some people go to the other extreme...and become antisupernaturalists... Accustomed to walking by sight, steering their own ships and making unilateral decisions, they are squeamish about letting the Holy Spirit begin his supernatural ministry in their lives" (136-138)

"If an ordinary car engine turns four thousand revolutions per minute, some racing motors can turn up to ten thousand.... Getting caught up in that intense pace can be rewarding! It's exciting when the adrenaline starts to flow and you get on a roll, when your motor starts racing faster and faster. But it leaves precious little time for quiet moments with God." (124)
"Never a dull moment; never a reflective moment either. Frightened, I ask myself, Where does the still, small voice of God fit into our hectic lives? When do we allow him to lead and guide and correct and affirm? And if this seldom or never happens, how can we lead truly authentic Christian lives?" (125)

"Maintaining good prayer habits is nonnegotiable. I know that no discipline will, in and of itself, create a relationship between God and me. At the same time, I know that I will not develop a rich, rewarding prayer life if I try to do it without discipline." (45)