Book Lovers: Do you have your copy of Beating Goliath? If not, now’s the time to download it on your e-reader. Go here for all of the details.

Have you missed a few sessions of Children of the Day? Read all of my Wednesday posts to catch up. Go here for the first one!

If you like this post, please consider clicking on the Top Mommy Blogs button to the right of this post and rating my blog. It helps MIP get noticed! Thanks!

Happy Monday, Word Lovers! Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was inkhorn. The hubby said an inkhorn was an inkwell for a quill pen and he was right! I knew I married a smart man!

This week’s WOW is bonnyclabber. And yes, I do sometimes pick WOWs that are just too much fun to play around with and bonnyclabber certainly fits that description! My guesses are as follows:

Last weekend I accompanied 15 old and new friends to the Dallas Women of Faith conference. Since we arrived late last year for this same conference for a variety of reasons, we adjusted the itinerary to allow us to arrive on time. The result? We were 40 minutes early for when the doors opened at the American Airlines Center. (My husband said that if we had left any later Dallas Friday rush hour traffic would have made us late, so I guess we’re doomed to be early!)

As a result we were chatting with the one woman in front of us as we awaited “open doors.” The conversation rambled as you would think and then, out of the blue, this nice woman said, “Well, Sister Loved by God…” All of us in line were astonished since we were all studying Children of the Day together! It’s as if Beth Moore has given us “code” for greeting other fellow Thessalonian students! We all giggled at realizing that we were all studying these two books at the same time!

Here’s a brief summary of the points made in the last video session:

Book Club: I’m reading all about the new Baylor University football stadium. Have you started reading Beating Goliath? If not, go here.

Howdy, Word Lovers! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was truckle. Merriam-Webster defines truckle as: to act in a subservient manner or to submit. If so, then I’m truckling tonight as I start on a brand new venture. Yes, you’ll probably hear about it here sometime.

Today’s WOW is inkhorn. Why do I have a feeling that some of you know this one???

inkhorn: (ˈiŋk-ˌhȯrn) 1. writing with a cow horn 2. when a unicorn is drawn in a children’s book 3. when a publisher is called on the telephone

Are you one of the people that knows inkhorn? If so, send me the definition (or a guess) here.

Wednesday’s Post: Lessons Learned from the Dallas 2014 Women of Faith Conference

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: truckle; Word of the Week: fissiparous; Word of the Week: cock-a-hoop; Word of the Week: recondite; and Word of the Week: collimate

The October 2014 MIP Book Club Selection is up! I think the guys will like this choice, not to mention a pile of my local compadres. Go here for details.

Howdy, MIP Book Club Lovers! The MIP September Book Club Selection was a little different than the average fare here. It was an actual Christian romance novel entitled The Way Home by Belle Calhoune. Either the long absence from novels or Ms. Calhoune’s writing made this book a “can’t-put-it-down” experience for me and I finished it before the month began!

The book is set in a seaside small town and Blue Donahue, the protagonist, has returned home from his globetrotting reporter duties to celebrate a monumental anniversary for his adoptive parents. Mr. and Mrs. Donahue didn’t just adopt Blue, but also 6 other boys from varied, and often troubled backgrounds. Thus, when an unforeseen event at the anniversary celebration, it puts the whole family in turmoil and they collectively wind up in the hospital ER.

Are we’re moving fast through Beth Moore’s study on Thessalonians? The homework for this week on pages 63-76 should slow us down. This week’s homework examines the end of 1 Thessalonians 2 and the beginning of I Thessalonians 3. Before we get into my thoughts on the Day 1 through Day 3 homework this week, let me summarize the points of Beth’s last session:

1. Paul speaks about the Thessalonians as his “own dear children” and thus, Beth discusses what “complete parenting” would look like. Only God can parent us perfectly and regardless of age, we all need that complete parenting from Him.

2. If our own parenting is missing a “piece” of complete parenting, then we lack “peace” there.

3. Complete parenting has 6 components:

• Nurturing
• Being affectionately desired by a parent
• Accepting Parent’s Very Self – A good parent pours him- or herself into the child’s life
• Exhortation – encouragement accompanied by instruction
• Encouragement
• Charged to walk worthy – one might call this the discipline part of the parenting process

Book Club: This Friday is the Slow Reader Post of The Way Home by Belle Calhoune. Also, the MIP October Book Club Selection  will be announced!

Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was fissiparous. Merriam-Webster defines fissiparous as: tending to break up into parts or divisive. Therefore, I think it’s safe to say that Congress is rather fissiparous these days. Would you agree???

Today’s WOW is truckle. Here are my definition guesses for truckle:

truckle: (ˈtrə-kəl) 1. a truck driver’s act of chuckling 2. a true cackle (I sense a theme here!) 3. a belt buckle that’s the size of a semi (That basically includes all belt buckles in Texas).

What’s your definition guess for truckle? Send it to me here.

Wednesday’s Post: Children of the Day Reflection Time!

You Might Also Like: Word of the Week: fissiparous; Word of the Week: cock-a-hoop; Word of the Week: recondite; and Word of the Week: collimate

Warning: Get your favorite beverage first. 

I am a relatively recent convert to the whole smart phone concept. I really liked my razor phone. It was pretty and I never once butt-dialed with it. It fit very discreetly in my jeans pocket, so that I could tell when it was ringing, even if I was in the world’s most boring meeting. I was a fairly proficient T9 texter, too, thanks to 3 teenagers who rarely talk on their phones–only text.

But, it finally became a huge inconvenience not to have the ability to access email and the internet on my razor, so I finally gave it up and got an Android smart phone. If the thing could talk (and no, I prefer only to hear the voices in my head and not Siri’s), it might tell you this:

1. MaryAnn likes color-coordinated cell phone cases. Mine is red because I once had a red Explorer. I wanted the phone to match the car. Which brings me to # 2…

2. There are too many blah-colored phones in the world. In a mass of phones I can always find my red one in about 2.2 seconds.

Warning: Maybe get a beverage first. 

Howdy, Bible Study Fans! Or are you a Beth-Moore Fan? Either way–I’m happy you’re here!

If you saw the video or heard the CDs, you probably know that Beth thinks churches should have three groups of people to be a healthy church: We, You, and They. That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, if you didn’t hear or see the lesson, so let me explain it my way:

1. We’s – The mentors. These folks have been actively working in their churches and as, Beth says, “are actively producing fruit in the body of Christ.” They are essential for teaching the other two groups about the faith and about how to contribute positively to this world. I also think these folks pretty much have figured out their role, particular gifts, and talents within the body of Christ. Let’s just say they aren’t spending time trying to figure out who they are anymore.

Book Club Lovers: I have already finished The Way Home by Belle Calhoune. How about you? This is the first book of a series. Are you ready for the next one?

Children of the Day Update: Are you studying Beth Moore’s Children of the Day study on Thessalonians? If so, you may enjoy my Wednesday posts about what I’m learning in this latest study from her. Go here.

Redesign of MIP: If you’re a chronic reader of MIP, you probably are noticing that some things are redesigned today. Do some exploring–you’ll find some old information in new places and some things redesigned just to make MIP a bit more eye-appealing. Thanks, DSL, for wowing me again! And no, not in the Word of the Week sense.

Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was the questionable cock-a-hoop. I’m also scared to look this one up on Merriam-Webster Online. But, the “Bible” for dictionaries says that cock-a-hoop means: very excited and happy about something done;  triumphantly boastful; exulting. I am exulting over the fact that MIP is slowly being noticed more and more by people I haven’t yet had the privilege of meeting!

Politician perks

Several of the “adopteds” are September babies, including my very own oldest child. Thus, September has become a favorite month for me. Here are some reasons, according to holidayinsight.com, why you might want to celebrate birthdays as opposed to these occasions:

September 1st – Emma Nutt Day (1st woman phone operator)  – So glad her name wasn’t Squirrel.

September 3rd – Skyscraper Day – We have so many of those here in Podunk, USA.

September 4th – Newspaper Carrier Day – I plan to throw newsprint in my holly bushes this day.

September 5th – Be Late for Something Day – And that would be why I’m writing this a few hours before “deadline.” If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you. It’s near a skyscaper.

September 5th – Cheese Pizza Day – Is it legal to add pepperoni? If so, I’m never late for pizza.