Seven Days in Utopia – More Noteworthy Quotes

In my previous post about Seven Days in Utopia, I  briefly shared some noteworthy quotes from the book. The film surprised me by how well the movie depicted the book. It is appropriate for all audiences and had a solid quality message about life, not just golf.

Seven Days at the Links in UtopiaThe stage is set as it opens with a quote from Isaiah, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

Here are some other noteworthy quotes, but take heed, they may require a spoiler alert for the progression of the movie, but I’m not giving away too much and certainly not the ending!

You don’t choose the game, it chooses you.

Day 1 Driving Range
The first step in finding your game is getting some conviction. If you don’t have conviction your confidence can be corroded.

Day 2 Fly Fishing
Rhythm, balance, and patience is what you need.
You must have a calm mindset – and focus on feel rather than outcome. To stay in balance you have to control emotion.

Day 3 Fairway
Don’t be late in life. Time is too precious to waste.
Paint the shot with the eyes first so our bodies can produce it accurately.

Day 4 Washer Throwing Game
Have respect for tradition and passion for the truth.

Day 5 Flying an Airplane
You can’t play in a tournament unless you’re ready for the unexpected.
When a firefly knows it is trapped it won’t light. Freedom is a powerful force.

Day 6 Play Golf
See it, feel it, trust it. (SFT)
You can’t spend your life trying to validate yourself on the golf course.

Day 7 Cemetery
What will your epitaph say? What do you want people to say about you when you are gone?
See God’s face. Feel His presence. Trust His love.
Gifts aren’t meant to be paid for, they are meant to be passed along.

I’ll leave you with a thoughtful prayer that Johnny (Robert Duvall) prayed before a family meal in the movie. My husband and I have used it recently ourselves.

For:
…Food in a world where many walk in hunger,

…Faith in a world where many walk in fear,
…Friends in a world where many walk alone,
We give you thanks, Oh Lord.
Amen.

Plugged In did a nice job on their review of this movie.  Great book. Great movie.  Read the  book or rent the movie my friends; it surely will provoke some contemplation on life lessons.  – Madge

Friendship for Grown-ups Review

In her book, Friendship for Grownups, author Lisa Whelchel honestly shares about the facade she wore for decades in her girlfriend relationships. Oh, she had lots of ‘friends’ but no deep friendships she truly trusted. Ironically she starred in a hit sitcom about friendships when she was merely a teenager (The Facts of Life). Adapting herself to an independent life while juggling the busyness of motherhood and a writing career allowed her to become somewhat transparent with others but never vulnerable or willing to develop intimate relationships.

She unfolds her journey to deeper adult friendships as well as lessons she learned along the way through personal experiences illustrated in her writing and the book:

  • Addresses handling conflict and finding ‘safe’ friends
  • Includes great tips for developing safe friendships.
  • Provides insightful discussion questions for groups
  • Provides exercises to personally apply lessons and develop closer friendships
  • Is appropriate for individuals, group studies or one-on-one studies

Lisa also gives pages of insightful conversation prompts that can be used to cultivate closer friendships.

I’ve gone through this book with a group of women and am currently discussing it with a longtime acquaintance who has now become a trustworthy close friend due in part to this book. It is an easy read and it could be on your list for a light-hearted, yet risk-taking, approach to growing greater depth in your friendships.  I’m glad to be on a new journey in friendships even though it takes more courage than I’d imagined.

“Friendship is about risk. Love is about risk. If we can control it and manage it and manufacture it, then it’s something else. But if it’s really love, really friendship, it is a little scary around the edges”. – Lisa Whelchel, Friendship for Grown-Ups (p. 142)

 

A Favorite Mobile App – Youversion Bible

Oh, do I love my iPhone and my iPad.  Apps are my friends. The Youversion Bible App is definitely right up at the top of my list of favorites. I use it everyday.  Who knew that you could carry so much wisdom and faith in a little app like this?  I always have my bible with me now.  No longer do I need to pack it when I go to church or out of town.  That’s convenience.  I have to confess that, in the past, I actually cut a  ‘One Year’ bible into multiple sections so I didn’t have to carry the whole thing around to do my daily reading.  Before you say ‘sacrilegious’…a quadriplegic figures out how to get around with mobility issues. Physical disability adds a new outlet for creativity.  OK, back to the app….

If you already downloaded a free bible to your mobile device you probably have this puppy. If you don’t have it yet, this is for you.  It’s feature rich and easy to use and it’s free.

Versions.   With the push of a button you can access over 150 versions in 50 languages! 27 versions are in English.  Access to various versions keeps familiar passages fresh and lends new perspectives!

Reading Plans.  There are over 150 reading plans. There are ‘read-through’, ‘topical’, ‘devotional’ and ‘youth’ plans – some take a few days, others years!  I have only scratched the surface of the plans.  Once you select a plan, the readings are easily accessed.  No flipping pages around and you never lose your place from one day to the next!   The flexibility associated with plans is a beautiful thing .  You can start a plan at any time and track your way through its readings.  I like the ‘One Year Bible’ plan because it works well with other tools I use, but I supplement with other plans as well. 

Audio.  Many of the versions have audio associated with them – they are easily identified by a small speaker icon.  Some of the voices are better than others!  When I use the audio, I  switch versions to get the reader I most enjoy.

Downloadable by selection.  Most of the versions can be downloaded to your device as indicated by a green download symbol next to the version name.  By downloading your favorite versions you’ll have the bible even if internet access isn’t available.

Live Events. If you are a pastor or if you lead group meetings, the ‘live event’ feature is handy. Once a group or live event is set up, participants can do things like take notes, ask questions, respond to questions – and immediate results can be displayed for the group.  I haven’t had the opportunity to use this feature, but look forward to trying it out.  Sounds powerful.

The app makes it simple to search or highlight text, add public or private notes, send passages to friends (via email, SMS, Facebook or Twitter), and allows customization of text font type and size.

Youversion is an impressive app that I hope you’ll check out.  I’m sure I’ll reference this app again as we get close to the beginning of the new year.  A new year is a great time to start a reading plan.  Well, anytime is a great time with this treasure.

 

You can check it out in your market place/app store or at www.youversion.com.

Enjoy!

Madge

 

 

Why Men Hate Going to Church

I drafted a note about this book and totally planned to write about it someday…well, I wanted to listen to it again, take notes, and think about it some more. Then I went to church last Friday night… Guess what book was highlighted? The Bible? Ha! Well, yes, but also Why Men Hate Going to Church. This little treasure is a must read for men and women.

My husband picked up this book on audible.com after he saw one of our church pastors post a note on Facebook. He had read it three times. My husband had listened to three chapters by the time he got home and he related to this book!  The title may be Why Men Hate Churchalarming, and rightfully so, as the book makes a sharp analysis of much of today’s church culture and leaves you with plenty to think about.

Yes, there are generalizations to sort through, but if you read the bible, you can’t deny that Jesus, while bearing the fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, etc…..was also bold, challenging, competitive, courageous and argumentative and our churches need to evaluate their ‘man-friendliness’.

Maybe you’ll get a laugh out of a quote from the pastor’s sermon.

On sermon length…’When your butt goes to sleep so does your brain‘.

On man to man contact…’I am done hugging’ and ‘Men don’t have relationships, they have partners.’ He had everyone engaged and laughing with his manly delivery as only David Monson can!

…and on a more serious note, Pastor Monson shared that men want to be reliable, they want to be leaders, and they want to be spiritual fathers.  He encouraged us to go see the movie Courageous (Brent and I have seen it, and even went to the theater for this one).

My eyes were opened by this book and it gave me some new insights and appreciation for men, especially my manly husband.

– Madge