Living with Gussto promotes positive energy through gratitude, nature, fun, love, music, art, and highlighting those who do the same - oh...along with some bagpipes.
Books, Blogs, and Bagpipes!
That, my friends, is Living with Gussto!
Introducing Isolation Shorts for Book Clubs & Study Groups
They are great for Church Education Programs.
I am proud to announce that the Isolation Shorts book study boxes are ready to go. Each box include a book, journal, study guide, duplicatable handouts and pencil holder with all the goodies that you need for delving into Isolation Shorts. There are even a few fun surprises to help you and your group through your journey of reflection, response, and prayer. Pre-order a book club box that includes an autographed book and a $5.00 discount. They are $30.00 pre-order plus shipping if ordering out of the Tampa Bay Area.
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(Once the box is officially released, the price is $35.00).
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"SHORTS" READING SERIES: Short readings for thought, meditation, prayer, and purposeBook 1: ISOLATION SHORTS:
Coming Soon! Emerging Shorts!
2020 bleeds into 2021, and little did we know, there's more to come.
Vaccines arrive, Masks fade away, slowly places open and people go from zoom to in person meetings. Some things revert to the way the were, others disappear, and most will never be quite the same again. These are short readings on 2021, with another set of trials, tribulations, and triumphs. Most of all, lots of chances to re-thing, renew, and re-do.
Isolation Shorts
2020 Arrives and then...
What can a person do when suddenly all plans are cancelled, all trips are cancelled, restaurants, schools, stores, and even churches are closed? Weird sociological stuff, like toilet paper shortages and mask conflicts arise because we need to keep our distance and not spread germs.
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2020 came in with a bang and just never let up. Even worse, we could not meet with others to process this year. Suddenly we all found ourselves with lots of time and nothing to do. Isolation Shorts is a book of short readings that observe our world and try to process the events, emotions, and reflect on life, the state of the soul, and how to improve our world when stuck in the house.
During isolation, I found myself journaling the events and my responses, reading the Bible, and reflecting on my life, actions, and beliefs through the lens of the Bible teachings. I was reading Forward Day by Day and different Guidepost books, and their use of bible verse and devotional reading for thought inspired the idea to write a short piece, go to the Bible and other spiritual books for guidance, then use a verse to introduce the reaction reading, and follow it with a "well now that you know this, what are you going to do about it?" type of thing.
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When I taught, I realized that the most powerful teaching or staff development created a dissonance, reflection, and change. In Isolation Shorts, this became Reflection and Response followed by a prayer for moving forward. The readings may inspire, anger, but mostly they bring us together through recognizing how we can help one another get through this stuff. We may feel alone, but we are not.
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Feel free to check out some of the Shorts on my blog, and if you would like a signed copy of the book, click here.