Summer Required Reading?
Tuesday, August 20, 2013 Posted by Katie
|
Tweet |
|
|
Pin It |
So currently, I have been seeking edification from a variety
of sources.
This summer, Phillip and I took a Parenting Course at a
local church. Upon graduation, we got the book, “The Parenting Book” (clever title, no?) by Nicky
and Sila Lee. It has been wonderful, and convicting and inspiring all at once.
In a world where there is no official parenting guidebook, this one is helping
to guide.
Then, a dear friend recommended “Every Body Matters” by Gary
Thomas. I ate that one up. Which is ironic, because it is all about gluttony. I
have been on a slow and steady journey towards improving my health and the
reflections of Mr. Thomas have really opened my eyes to why some changes are so
hard, but so worth it. It takes a look at body-image that is way beyond weight and pant size.
Impressive food for thought. This book is on my Kindle with a million notes and
highlights in it and I will definitely be going through it again.
Then, another dear friend actually gave me his copy of
“Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy…A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third
Reich” by Eric Metaxas.” I have always preferred biographies to fiction because
I love to learn how other people lived.
I love to glean the life lessons of others which I might not otherwise
have learned. I have not finished this one yet, but I am being drawn in to the
story of the life of the Bonhoeffer family. They are a family who remained
faithful to Jesus even when their own, beloved, homeland did not. I am so
intrigued by such faith. And I find it timely as we observe the difficulties of
believers in Egypt. Let us not ever forget that our life was not promised to be
easy.
So I’m trying to be a better parent, I’m trying to get
healthy, and I am trying to be inspired by Christian martyrs from World War II.
Sounds like well-rounded summer reading, right? One would think that is about
all I need to cover.
And then Jesus, Himself, comes along and says, "How ‘bout you
start reflecting on your own selfishness?"
Um, what now?
Yep. So there enters the fourth book that is stacked at my
bedside…the B-I-B-L-E. And I am learning about selfishness and recognizing it
in a surprising number of places. I thought that was going to be a short
lesson. Wrong! Oh how He loves to humble…
But He also loves to LOVE. And no matter what book I pick
up, I continue to see evidence of His adoration running through each page. Praise be to
Him.