This is the era in which I grew up. Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority. Right to Life. Republican Party. God bless America. All rolled into one.
Over the years I began to extract myself from that. Remnants remain and I will probably always be picking out small roots that fiercely remain. Kristin Kobes DuMez brings all that brief history flooding back in her bestseller Jesus and John Wayne. There are some hard realities I am reminded of as I read this book.
Read moreI am far more able to slowly make my way through Eugene Peterson’s biography than most other books because I have to stop and repent so often.
Read moreI had a smaller goal for reading this year, but then just kept on reading. I also listened to books on Audible since I was driving quite a bit at particular times of the year.
I was able to read more widely this year than probably ever before. More female authors. More authors of color.
Here are a few that stood out:
Read moreGiven the opportunity to get away to refresh yourself in prayer and you can take your Bible, a notebook, and one more book that would help refresh you in this spiritual exercise for a few days, what book would be going with you?
I had the privilege of interviewing Marlena Graves along with Dennis Edwards on another subject a few weeks ago. Today Marlena is launching her latest book: The Way Up is Down. Get this book! She is a fresh, powerful voice needed in this generation.
I WILL BE GIVING AWAY ONE COPY OF HER BOOK. HERE ARE THE RULES:
Almost every year I pull out Seven Storey Mountain (the autobiography of Thomas Merton) and read it. It’s one of the few books I have read multiple times. I have a fresh (used) copy so I can try to read with fresh eyes instead of floating to my markings and skimming too much.
This first paragraph is such a grasp of the human soul:
Read moreThere are two books to finish this year. They both challenge me in issues of judicial injustice and racial justice.
Read moreI tracked my reading on Goodreads to see how I would do. I also counted audible books because I drive a lot and it’s my favorite way to consume fiction. Looking back, here are some books I really enjoyed (that word also means “challenged by” for me), and not in any particular order:
Read moreWe may have heard these generalizations about the poor, or held them ourselves. (Or, still hold them.)
— They are lazy and uneducated.
— They chose to be poor. They could pick themselves up by their bootstraps and get out of it if they really wanted.
— The poor are the government’s responsibility.
— It’s their own fault they are poor.
I’ve begun reading The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. Lots of quotes to follow in the coming days. This book is needed reading.
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