Eccentric Existence: A Theological Anthropology (2 Volume Set) Book

The book cover starts with "Do you greet each day with passion and a sense of purpose---or do you sometimes cling to the bed sheets as long as possible, feeling uninspired by your routine?" Singer Kathy Troccoli writes how to experience a richer, more fulfilling life with 7 practices:

Live La Dolce Vita
Fill up on the Finest
Keep your life Web Free
Talk to God
Stay Ripe for the Picking
Wait in Expectation
Be a Desperate Woman

Favorite Quotes:

"Do you ever have those days when nothing makes sense and you wonder if anything matters? I certainly do. I live with an ache in my soul for my real home. This life certainly isn't heaven." p 5

"Jesus rose from the grave
And you, you can't even get out of bed!" p 14

"In the midst of cell phones and emails and pagers, we're losing the art of conversation. We've stopped reaching out to the person we don't know. And we miss so much. I am frequently in airports, and at any gate in any airport right now you will see more people engaging with echnology than with another human soul. Then we wonder why some of our kids just grunt at us and our guests. Many of us grownups have become apathetic and self-absorbed, never even entertaining the thought of just asking people how they are." p 22-23

"I have learned over and over again that home---a place of comfort, peace and joy---is being in the will of God and under His covering." p 84-5

"There are consistent times in my life when I know I must hide out with God. I am peopled out. I am tired. My list of priorities gets all screwed up. If I don't start at the top of my list with God trickling down into everything else, I end up having everything else without the blessing of God." P 101

" Being desperate is something to celebrate because of the position it puts me in with the tender, generous, romantic Lover of my soul. Living a life of passion, romance, and adventure is about panting for God out of sheer desperation so He can satisfy my deepest longings. And, oh, how deep are my longings! There is nothing wrong with the intensity of our needs and desires. We just need to remember where the banquet is so we don't end up in the hog pen with nothing but slop and cornhusks." p 170-171

" Missionary James Hudson Taylor wrote, "I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done." p 173

"We certainly live in a paradox of existence between earth and heaven. But if you lean toward heaven, it leans back. The love, the beauty, the hope. It is all there. No one will be exempt from sorrow. No one will be able to dodge the pain that pours onto the earth and into the hearts of all of us. It is a fact. We are not in the garden. but there is a great truth to the phrase, "Life is what you make it." It comes down to whether we are inviting and embracing the input and influence of God in the midst of our journey. Darkness is never completely dark when the light of God breaks through. And we can always have the hope of a new day and a new place to arrive." p 190