The Very Worst Missionary by Jaime Wright {Book Review}

Description:

“The reason you love Jamie (or are about to) is because she says exactly what the rest of us are thinking, but we’re too afraid to upset the apple cart. She is a voice for the outlier, and we’re famished for what she has to say.” –Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author of Of Mess and Moxieand For the Love

Wildly popular blogger “Jamie the Very Worst Missionary” delivers a searing, offbeat, often hilarious memoir of spiritual disintegration and re-formation.

As a quirky Jewish kid and promiscuous punkass teen, Jamie Wright never imagines becoming a Christian, let alone a Christian missionary. She is barely an adult when the trials of motherhood and marriage put her on an unexpected collision course with Jesus. After finding her faith at a suburban megachurch, Jamie trades in the easy life on the cul-de-sac for the green fields of Costa Rica. There, along with her family, she earnestly hopes to serve God and change lives. But faced with a yawning culture gap and persistent shortcomings in herself and her fellow workers, she soon loses confidence in the missionary enterprise and falls into a funk of cynicism and despair.
Nearly paralyzed by depression, yet still wanting to make a difference, she decides to tell the whole, disenchanted truth: Missionaries suck and our work makes no sense at all! From her sofa in Central America, she launches a renegade blog, Jamie the Very Worst Missionary, and against all odds wins a large and passionate following. Which leads her to see that maybe a “bad” missionary–awkward, doubtful, and vocal—is exactly what the world and the throngs of American do-gooders need.
The Very Worst Missionary is a disarming, ultimately inspiring spiritual memoir for well-intentioned contrarians everywhere. It will appeal to readers of Nadia Bolz-Weber, Jen Hatmaker, Ann Lamott, Jana Reiss, Mallory Ortberg, and Rachel Held Evans.
(from NetGalley)

My Thoughts:

I read and followed Jamie’s blog many years back when I was also on the mission field, so I was fully aware of what I would be getting with this book. I am not bothered by cursing, but I will admit some of her unconventionally irreverent descriptions of things even made this easy-going reader a little uncomfortable. It is part of her plan and please know going in that that is not the point. Please see past all that for the point.

Be prepared to pull your boots up and be slapped around a bit. The author holds nothing back. She will make you look at your own life in a new way as she lays hers open for inspection. Her authenticity and humor will hold you as you read her crazy antics, and possibly your heart will be changed.

My “Missional Mama” blog title paled in comparison to the ultra cool swag like name, “Jaime, The Very Worst Missionary”. I was a little envious. Being a former missionary, I think it is very pertinent that you understand that what she is saying about missions was also what I experienced. I had many quandaries about being in South America and if what we were doing was in fact worth the huge sacrifices being made to keep us there. There were so many questions and not many answers. Plus we dealt with the craziness of life abroad including electrical house fires, boils, having money stolen, our car being broken into, and deep depression. So, her stories resonated from a place of understanding and head nodding.

This is an important conversation starter. Please read this book with friends and talk about what stirs your heart. Give it to your Pastors and leaders, your friends interested in missions, and send it to your missionaries. Look deeply at the conversation Jaime is starting here and see what is your part in the next best thing to do.

*This book was given to me by NetGally in exchange for my honest review. 

Blue Apron Review

My brother invited me to try Blue Apron. He enjoys the grab ingredients and start cooking right away aspect of the service.

My box arrived on Saturday. It was wrapped inside an insulated box that was kept cold with ice. The meat was safely at the bottom between ice packs. I immediately took the entire pack and placed it in my fridge.

The first meal was Salmon & Dukkah – Spiced Vegetables. Each meal comes with a recipe card that gives very easy, clear directions and turns you into a gourmet chef.

It tasted amazing! The flavors in the vegetables was outstanding. The Salmon was perfect! There is not waste (as you use everything) but there was leftovers.

The second meal was Beef Medallions & Scallion Salsa Verde. Again the vegetables were popping with flavor along with the outstanding salsa over the beef.

I am amazed at how great both meals were. They were easy and fun with only olive oil needed to finish the recipes. The portions were satisfying. It truly gave me more insight into how much I actually need to cook at mealtime.  I am excited about trying future meals from Blue Apron.

* There are no links at this time. I was gifted these as free meals from my brother. It seems you are able to send meals after you have ordered a couple times. 

What I Am Into {February 2018 Edition}

I have always wanted a seating area in my bedroom. My place is finally big enough and I found this beautiful piece on Facebook Marketplace. I sit here every morning to read and journal and many times in the evening too. I just love it.

Read in February

Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist – I listen to this on Overdrive. It was full of Niequist’s thoughts and stories on living authentically. It was not mind blowing, but I still found it encouraging and worth listening.

The One (The Selection) and The Heir (The Selection) by Kiera Cass – Part of The Selection series, these young adult distopian books are a fun, light read.

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini – Memoirs are my favorite genre especially when they are about something beyond my personal experiences. This life story details a rising TV star and her life in Scientology.

<a href="http://Every Child a Super Reader: 7 Strengths to Open a World of Possible“>Every Child a Super Reader by Pam Allyn and Earnest Morrell – This book, geared towards teachers, did not have anything new; what it did have was great ideas to try. If you are a teacher, this could be a great resource for ideas.

My reading goal for 2018 is to read 52 books. I am now 13 down.

TV & Movies

Black Panther  – WOW! I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this film. Except for a few of the violent scenes where I closed my eyes, I was completely emersed.

The Goldbergs – It took one glorious clip from an episode about the Karate Kid to see I was missing out. I started at the beginning and laughed my way through 80’s pop culture memories brought to life with one obnoxiously dressed sMother and her family. I will very likely rewatch this series.

Favorites:

Golden Milk – After reading about the benefits of Turmeric, I started drinking this hot beverage with almond milk as a replacement for my nightly glass of wine.

Podcasts:

The Intermittent Fasting Podcast – I started fasting on 2/9 at 6:45 p.m. I had read about it numerous times while doing Keto but it seemed overwhelming. I am not sure why but after reading a Facebook update by a friend, I was ready and started immediately. I then found out one of my friends had been doing it as well with good results. When I start something new, I generally learn as much as I can. Listening and reading helps me stay the course. In nineteen days, I have lost 5.2 lbs.

February Things:

I started a new venture. Revital U is a company that sells smart coffee. The weight loss benefit is why many people get involved. The friend who introduced me to it has lost 20 lbs since November 2017 without dieting. I never lose weight that easily, but am giving it a go. What I like about it is the endless energy and focus. One of my local friends keeps telling me she likes the way it suppresses her appetite. If you want to try it, click HERE. For $4.87 you will get a three day sample to see for yourself why it is called “smart” coffee.

What have you been into?

*Affiliate links included in this blog post

Smart Coffee {Energy, Focus, & Weight Loss}

My friend, Kelly, loves to sell things and she is great at it. Over Christmas break, she brought me several samples of Revital U coffee to try. Most people try the coffee for the weight loss benefits. Kelly, herself, has lost 20 lbs since November without dieting. I imagine that it is helping my weight loss efforts alongside Keto and intermittent fasting. However, what I noticed immediately and what keeps me drinking is the energy and focus that I get from this brew.

If this interests you, click HERE and order a three day sample for $4.87 shipping. why not see the benefits first hand. I drink one serving daily most mornings and I make sure to drink plenty of water during the day.

*Links are my personal brand ambassador site. Also, I am not a doctor and am not giving any medical advise.

Five Ways to Focus on Your Life

“The days are long, but the years are short.”  

-Gretchen Rubin

The word Mindfulness is boldly written in the front of my daily planner as a necessary reminder that it is my word for 2017. I quickly forget in the rush of the hours to concentrate on the moments of my days. Therefore, a focus on how to be mindful is a pursuit worth undertaking.

Learn to be present. Everything I have read this year about mindfulness included breathing. Taking a moment to stop, breath, look around, and concentrate on that moment does a lot for our well being. Being present is noticing the beautiful colors around you, smelling the scents that float through the air, and hearing the birds singing out to each other. It means deeply listening to the person in front of you. Stop right now and use your senses to notice your surroundings. What have you been missing?

Find what lights you up. What can you spend hours doing and still want more? What do you desire to learn more about? What class would you sign up for if you had the time? Discover what you enjoy and making time to do it. This adds a lot of beauty and energy to our lives.

Spend time with people who encourage you. Notice how you feel after encounters with each person you see today. Find those that make you feel happier and lighter. Spend time with people who make you want to be better and do more. Your life will feel much bigger when you spend more time with those who exude positive energy!

Create some space in your days. Margin in our lives is essential if we want to cultivate mindfulness. This means that your schedule leaves time for small moments that are yours to design. Perhaps you like to sip tea, take a long bath, or read a book. What ways can you find space in your day?

Make sure to move. There is so many benefits to adding movement to our lives including helping to clear our minds and keep us healthy. What are your health goals for 2017? What is one thing you can do to move more right now?

Let me encourage you to find one way to focus on your life and live a little more mindfully today!

Enjoy the View

2016! What a great time to instill desired habits. Blogging, healthy eating, simplifying, wearing clothing that feels right, dancing, reading, journaling, enjoying the view, and learning to be whole as a woman and a mama.

The goal is to live authentically and inspire that in others. More then ever before, we need to choose vulnerability and love. Speak life and truth in each other. Surrounding ourselves with healthy, safe friends that fill us and limit interactions with those that leave us drained or in pain. Life is about making choices.

What choices are you making for 2016?

Adovia Dead Sea Mud Shampoo Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Do you like soft, healthy hair?

Then you may want to look into Adovia Dead Sea Mud Shampoo. (amazon associates link)

I do not have issues with my hair, so I was not looking for results as far as any hair problems. What I found interesting is that just using this shampoo even without conditioner, my hair looked healthy, fuller, as well as shiny. I also liked how it styles and feels. The shampoo itself smells good but the dark color does take a bit to get used to, I just reminded myself of all the benefits that I have read of using dead sea mud. I would recommend this to my friends.

Company description:

Adovia’s Dead Sea Mud Shampoo is specially formulated with natural ingredients such as Dead Sea Mud, Chamomile & Olive Oil to bring deep hydration and moisture to the scalp, relieving itching and flakiness. Dead Sea Mud has been known for centuries for it’s healing properties and people travel from all over the world to come and experience it’s effects at the Dead Sea. Dead Sea Salts and Mud have been featured on CNN, in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Dead Sea Mud contains the highest concentration of minerals found in mud anywhere in the world. Finally the benefits of Dead Sea mud and salt are presented to you in shampoo form! These minerals are all essential for proper skin function and help to regulate moisture retention as well as hydration. You complete satisfaction is guaranteed.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

What I’m Into {April 2014}

 

Books:

The only book that I finished in April was A Renaissance Redneck in a Mega-Church Pulpit by Randy Elrod. {Read my short review on GoodReads by click the title link. Follow me, while you’re there!}

 TV:

I am loving Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show! If I can’t make it until 11:30 pm, I watch it on hulu.com. The following lip sync battle with Emma Stone the other night is pure awesomeness …

I am also enjoying The Mindy Project! Mindy’s one-liners are super funny. You have to be listening when she adds things like, “I zero out my fridge every night before I go to bed” at the most hilarious times.

Movies:

I saw Noah. {meh!} I clearly missed a lot of what actually happened in my Bible readings, but I have confidence that Hollywood would not make anything up! {winky face}

Music:

This is my latest favorite:

Other Things I loving…

— Fat Mum Slim’s Photo a Day challenge – I have been following along since January. I upload my photo to the free Collect App on my iPhone and then add it to my Instagram (amyconcafe) feed with the tag #fmsphotoaday. Join us, it makes each day exciting!

— Instagram – amyconcafe

– Subscription boxes – Wow, this could become an obsession! Are you into this?

– Jimmy Fallon {oh really, I already mentioned him?}

-The library – I added all my future reads to my library wish list. Here is the problem, when I go in to pick up my pile of desired reads there are also other books at the library. I know! AND, all the new books are close to the check out section, so I usually have to grab a few of those too. It is a lot of reading stress!

-ALSO, the library has a little sale room where they sell donated books and magazines.The magazines run from 25 – 50 cents and some are the brand new! In other words, I will not be buying any full price anymore! Sorry, Target!

What about you? What are you into these days?

Amy Con Café {The Restart}

Learning to take a selfie!

So, my life has taken a few unexpected changes in the last six months. I went from living a missional life overseas to the normal settling in of life stateside. With that in mind, it seemed a good time to restart the blog moving to WordPress, as I have been meaning to do.

These past months have not only unfolded painful challenges and changes but poked at lifelong hurts, learning to own my journey, and realizing what authenticity really looks like and how I move forward as a whole person. I am still processing and weeding and hoping to share parts of my story as the days go on.

My blogging goal is to work out how to review items and books from this side of the world and to write about what I enjoy. I want to help women become whole in ways that include eating for health, mental clarity, spiritual disciplines, physical activity, self-care, serving others, great causes, as well as fashion and beauty. Helping each of us become whole women living real lives in authentic and healthy ways.

Presently, my life and passions include: decorating, settling into, and simplifying my condo; helping my children transition from homeschooling to traditional school; looking for meaningful employment; reading; journaling; nutrition; working out; subscription boxes (a new found obsession); jewelry; fashion; beauty products; and catching up on the changes that have occurred in the USA since we left four years ago, plus restarting this new blog.

Welcome or welcome back!

Clean Mama’s Printables {A Review}

Becky over at Clean Mama agreed to allow me to take her printables for a spin in exchange for this review. There is not much I like better then reorganizing a binder!

Not only are these printables pretty and easy on the eyes, there are so many that it is easy to find the ones that will work for you and your family. (This photo does not show all that I printed.)

It could not be easier to get started. Once you have made your purchase, you can take a look at your needs and then at the Clean Mama Printables and print out what you need. If you want a complete overhaul of your cleaning/organizing system, take a look at Becky’s How to Make a Homekeeping Binder for ideas and inspiration.

At this point, you can take your pages, personalize them and start adding your information. I have my calendar prepared for February and will soon be recording my cleaning schedule. I am also really looking forward to keeping a more accurate to-do schedule, starting our automobile maintenance log (since we just purchased a vehicle), and getting our information in one place again.

So, was one of your 2013 goals to get reorganized or take steps in that direction?  Consider Visiting Clean Mama’s Etsy Store to see what might work or you. You can also find free printables and loads of helpful information on the blog!

The kit that I started with is The Busy Mama Kit and Becky is allowing me to give one away to one of my readers!  All you need to do is leave a comment before midnight January 31, 2013 EST. (You can also leave your email if you would like me to send you an email upon winning.)

Giveaway Details:
Open to ages 18+ to enter. Winner announced right here (on this post) on February 1, 2013. I will select the winner through random.org and will also notify by email if one is left in the message. Winner must respond within four days or the prize will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected.

I received no monetary compensation and the prize is provided by Clean Mama. The review is all my thoughts and ideas. I was not required to write a positive review.