Books 2023

A few years ago I intentionally began working to balance fiction and non-fiction in my reading, finding both valuable in different ways.  Everleigh inherited my love of historical fiction and while she crocheted, painted, embroidered,and sewed, I read to her the majority of Jeff Shaara's historical fiction on US wars. We thought we had read it all, only to discover 5 new titles (on the Mexican American War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Korean War, and two new books on World War II) we have yet to read. We have opted to break for a while and try some new books, but suffice it to say, I find Shaara's work to be insightful, faithful to the historical record, and strangely comforting in a turbulent age. I was so fascinated by his Gettysburg account, I also read The Twentieth Maine by John J. Pullen, an account of Joshua Chamberlain's all-volunteer regiment. Chamberlain, college professor turned regimental commander, and later governor of Maine is a fascinating American I knew nothing about until 2023. 

I read Michael Strogoff: A Courier of the Czar by Jules Verne again. Nothing makes me so happy to be an American as reading Russian literature and I needed to re-read this in 2023. While this novel starts a little slow (as novels set in Russian do), it is a true adventure full of tragedy, heroism, and romance. 

Willa Cather runs a close second to Russian literature for making me thankful for my life, and also reminds me of some of the hearty stock I come from who made a life on the harsh prairies of Kansas and Nebraska. This year, it was my first read of O Pioneers. This should be must reading for every whiny woman complaining about dishes and laundry on social media. Cather makes me feel the coldness of the prairie, the disappointment of a lonely life, and the determination of women of substance. 

While I am deeply suspect of fiction writers still living, Amy Lynn Green came on to my radar a few years ago with her book Things We Didn't Say. She is a graduate of Taylor (Ben's college) and when I saw that The Lines Between Us was set in Oregon during World War II, it was a must-read. It was my fastest read of the year, because I couldn't put it down, completely caught up in the trouble between conflicting convictions in a family and a riveting story based on real events that I was completely unaware of in my home state. 

Rounding out my fiction reading for the year, was C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. There is not much in the human lexicon that Lewis doesn't touch in this masterful myth telling. Peter Kreeft's 2004 lecture on the book was a fascinating addition.

I ventured into new territory, reading Jon Acuff's Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking and finding it underwhelming. So oddly, I opted to follow it up with his similar book for teens written with his teenage daughters, L.E. and McRae Acuff, Your New Playlist: The Student's Guide to Tapping Into the Superpower of Mindset. This one so moved me, I had my youngest read it and blogged about it for HSLDA. One sentence continues to humble me and make me a little more generous to millenials and Gen Z: "We would have made the same mistakes you’re making with your phone." Good reading for teens AND parents.

I read Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos. I didn't find it revolutionary but didn't disagree.

Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing by Ryan T. Anderson and Alexandra DeSanctis should be must reading by everyone, but particularly anyone who thinks there is any reason to keep this hideous practice, legal. Tackling all the ways that abortion destroys everything: women, children, men, law, politics, medicine, the media, Anderson and DeSanctis point the way forward for prolife activists to help our culture understand the horrific repercussions of this evil. 

Hats off to Matthew Continetti for his brilliant and readable The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism. I came away with a more complete understanding, a little more hope, and a more grounded understanding of why I am and will remain, a conservative.

Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq by Melvyn P. Leffler was an insightful look at a key time in history. Having lived through this period, I've never thought the media accurately reflected the decisions and motivations of the Iraq invasion and removal of Saddam Hussein. Leffler's book was deeply satisfying for finding deeper and more nuanced motivations, and recognizing the long-term repercussions of policy decisions and leadership issues.

I met Pam Tebow in the fall of 2022 and was inspired by her positive outlook. Thrust into the national spotlight by a son who has lived uncompromising faith in the limelight, Pam grasped and articulated something I needed to be reminded of: that a woman's influence is more than a job she does, it is about the people she influences behind-the-scenes, in day-to-day faithfulness. She told me (and others) that she thought homeschooling moms (of which she was one) play a key role in influence and Ripple Effects: Discover the Miraculous Motivating Power of a Woman's Influence is her story of living out that reality. I realized again how much I most value the role of wife and mother above all things, and that homeschooling my children is my opportunity to live this to the max.

Letters to A Diminished Church: Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine by Dorothy L. Sayers, is a collection of Sayers essays on the intertwining of faith and theology with art, literature, education and history. Each is rich in merit, and I took some time to read and process, identifying with Sayers' frustration that the Church and her people are diminished and impoverished by a lack of robust imagination and intellectual passion. These 70+ year old essays could have been written to today's Church and are relevant to anyone who takes faith seriously and needs refreshment and renewal.

2022 Reading

Real life begins tomorrow, when we drive Ben back to Taylor, and send my brother back to California the next day, and resume school. Time for contemplation has been in short supply this year, and I'm grateful for a few minutes to look back at the year through the books I read.

Dante was the theme for academic year 2021-22 and as a result I finished up with three related titles in early 2022.

Purgatorio and Paradiso by Dante Aligheri--Dante had a profound influence on my thinking about sin and salvation, and gave me insights into holiness and God's orientation toward me.  The Divine Comedy was meant to be read as a whole and it is a travesty that most readers don't make it past Inferno. I cannot recommend 100 Days of Dante enough for anyone wanting to read and learn more about this great work that inspired the works of so many others. (Big fan of Anthony Esolen's translations.)

My interest led me to Rod Dreher, who wrote How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History's Greatest Poem. I read this with high hopes and came away a little disillusioned with Dreher, who seemed self-focused for much of this book, without a lot of thought to the people in his world he writes about.

Dreher redeemed himself a lot with Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents which was the impetus for small actions to disassociate myself from the overarching cultural move towards spiritual annihilation of humanity. Focusing primarily on dissidents in 20th century communist regimes, Dreher shines a light on the similarities of those not-so-distant times and the current state of the West. The small act of refusing to participate in the lie can be costly, but so very powerful. 

Also, this year, read 1984 by George Orwell for the first time. It was as depressing and relevant as I expected it to be. 

Helpful after trying to understand why people participate in the march toward totalitarianism, was Thomas Sowell's A Conflict of Visions, which my husband sums up best: "Two archetypal assumptions about humanity explain major differences in political and policy preferences.... A constrained vision says humans are imperfect, self-interested creatures and that we must govern knowing that people respond to incentives. An unconstrained vision says humanity can be perfected and made altruistic; government then becomes a tool to shape us."

My son introduced me to Leo Tolstoy's novella (your only chance to read anything short by Tolstoy), The Death of Ivan Ilyich, a deep dive into living, dying, suffering, and the meaning of life. Ben calls it his favorite book; it was impactful for me. 

I couldn't have known when I read Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren that our family would experience the deep and wrenching grief of losing two family friends to suicide and a third to a fentanyl overdose in 2022. I have walked through dark seasons before, but watching your child experience its plunging depths was something new and painful. Warren's book is a short poignant reminder that we are not alone in the night. 

Everleigh is my most prolific reader as of yet, often torn between working with her hands, and reading. She solves that conundrum by having me read while she knits, paints, or sews in the evenings. I pivoted from my usual 7th grade academic plan to fuel her love for U.S. History (thank you Lin Manuel Miranda). Along with an outside class on the Revolutionary War, tickets to Hamilton, and jumping in on her sister's U.S. History class, we read Jeff Shaara's Road to Rebellion (and anxiously await its sequel The Glorious Cause to make its slow way through interlibrary loan to our local library). Shaara's historical fiction brings to life the names and dates of history. Contrasting in style to Shaara, we read Kenneth Roberts' Northwest Passage and Rabble in Arms. Shaara's vision is optimistic (even Ben Franklin is nearly perfect), while Roberts is intent on his readers understanding that history is made by common, rather than heroic, characters who are deceived, deluded, and often despicable. Politically correct by no one's standards, Roberts finds Congress a completely useless low-life body of ingrates, and makes the case for Benedict Arnold as used and misunderstood by his peers. Both books are riveting works of historical fiction full of colorful characters. 

I was excited to read Andrew Klavan's The Truth and Beauty: How the Lives and Works of England's Greatest Poets Point the Way to a Deeper Understanding of the Words of Jesus. The first two thirds of the book is devoted to the Romantic poets and stories about them. Then, in the last third of the book, Klavan gets to his interpretations of the stories of Jesus.  I think Klavan is sincere, but I wondered why his editors didn't land on a better title for this book that is his take on the Romantics followed by some spiritual memoir. The two didn't feel woven together in any coherency.

After listening to National Review writer Michael Brendan Dougherty on a podcast, I picked up his My Father Left Me Ireland: An American Son's Search for Home. It took me until the last chapter to really come full circle with Dougherty. There the book took on its fullest meaning, going beyond the story of the emptiness of a boy without his father and seeing the losses Dougherty can only understand when he becomes a father himself: the brokenhearted bitterness of a mother and a man deprived of living life with his son. A book for our times.

In December, my aunt sent me a little book The All of It by Jeannette Haien. As Irish as it gets, it is a remarkable testament to the human spirit to overcome brokenness and survive, even thrive. The telling of a life story in a semi-confessional setting, I was stunned by the beauty of a protagonist who chooses to do right in a setting of many wrongs.

A year of reading is not complete without Dorothy Sayers. I listened to her speech The Lost Tools of Learning, a speech given in 1947 at Oxford that started a revival in classical education and is a parent of the modern classical Christian model of education. I was grateful to be reminded that middle school age children ("Logic" stage) are difficult and argumentative anyway; best give them a framework for arguing and thinking well. 

Part of reading for a summer book group, I also read and listened to the BBC audio plays by Sayers, The Man Born to Be King: A Play Cycle on the Life of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sayers waded into deep waters bringing her interpretation to the Gospels in dramatic form. Controversial when written and performed on BBC radio during World War II, C.S. Lewis read them every year during Lent. Thought-provoking, I came away defending St. Andrew from her interpretation, but with a renewed appreciation for each of the persons of the Gospel story, and a deeper love for our Lord and His early followers who took the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.

2021 Books

I'm grateful for the good friends I talked books with this year. Here are the Top 12 (6 in Nonfiction and 6 in Fiction) with a clear winner in each category. 

Nonfiction Book of the Year

The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise by Cardinal Robert Sarah 

I finished this book and felt I immediately needed to turn back to the beginning and start again. Thoughts on God's silence and our need to be silent, this book is full of the very thing I need in a cacophony of noise. This in and of itself was enough for me to contemplate for most of my life:  "The narcissisim of excessive speech is a temptation from Satan. It results in a form of detestable exteriorization, in which man wallows on the surface of himself, making noise so as not to hear God." 

 Other nonfiction

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Household Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley

We practice what we believe; we believe what we practice. Earley has thoughtfully written a book on how to do that better in our families. See my full review here.

My Divine Comedy: A Mother's Homeschooling Journey by Missy Andrews

Being both mom and teacher is hard, and particularly so at different stages. I blogged about this and the book here. 

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough

I love McCullough's writing, I love history and I read this one eagerly looking for mention of any of my ancestors who were part of the settling of the Ohio Territory. I was disappointed in the latter, but the story of the Northwest Ordinance and the determined and principled pioneers who made it reality was intriguing. There are a lot of characters and it was easy to get lost, but McCullough didn't disappoint in weaving a narrative to history.

The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley and The Survivor's Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood are two books about who survives extreme disasters. This is a subject that fascinates me and Ripley is the better writer and wrote the better book, with one exception. She doesn't acknowledge faith, prayer, or the unexplainable. Sherwood does. And while he admits his skepticism, he acknowledges the near universal indication that prayer makes a difference in who survives, using data and anecdote.

Fiction Book of the Year

Inferno by Dante Alighieri, translated by Anthony Esolen

I'm not sure how I received a Humanities degree without having to read any part of The Divine Comedy, but I, tragically, did. Enter 100 Days of Dante and Ben and I reading all three books and listening in on leading scholars discuss each canto of Inferno. Looking forward to Purgatorio and Paradiso in 2022. Wow!

Other fiction

Silence by Shusaku Endo

Endo's haunting story about Jesuit missionaries in Japan and the tortures and crises of faith they endure is unforgettable. 

Eden Mine by S.M. Hulse

I rarely find a modern novel that truly gets me thinking. Hulse's setting in a small Montana town and how we love even the deeply flawed (i.e. when your brother has taken someone else's life) kept me turning the pages until I was finished, leaving me thinking for...well, I'm still thinking about it.

Gerta by Katerina Tuckova

This was a hard book to read, written by a young Czech author about being Czech as the Nazis, and then the Russians come to power. It is a brutal read, guaranteed to make your life look a lot better.

The Fall by Albert Camus

Also not fun reading, this is a classic conservative text. In a nutshell, man can keep running from God, but it leads to nothing but misery. 

Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green 

A small northern town hosts POWs during World War II. Told entirely through written correspondence between the primary character who is essentially sentenced to return to her hometown to serve as an interpreter for the POWs in order to keep a scholarship and those she is interacts with, it was unique and worth reading.

A Year of Books--My favorites of 2020

2020 was a good year to be reading and I found myself coming back to the same themes over and over. Here is a list of my favorite 12 reads of the year. 

Book of the Year

 

When Did We Start Forgetting God: The Root of the Evangelical Crisis and Hope for the Future  

by Mark Galli

Galli's writing has always appealed to me, and this book delivered a helpful critique. His honesty at waking up to realize his faith was an important part of his culture but that he didn't really love God all that much caused deep introspection. Galli's personal mission to seek to love God more, and to also understand what is so wrong with the evangelical church (and indeed all of Western Christendom) caused him to examine what it looks like when someone (also a church, a culture) loves God. This part was deeply inspiring for me, reading about Cane Ridge and other movements that were culture changing. He also tackles what happens when a church loves social justice or missions and not God. Inspiring, convicting. I read it twice and will have to read it again.

A Really Close Second Book of the Year

What is a Girl Worth? My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth About Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics

by Rachael Denhollander

I blogged my review of this one here.

Best Kids Read Aloud

The Mistmantle Chronicles

by Margaret McAllister 

I have one kid left who will let me read aloud to her while she works on creative projects. She loves animals and this series about a kingdom of hedgehogs, squirrels, otters and moles was our favorite. So though not technically "one" book, the whole series was spectacular, a great story with meaningful characters and thoughtful lessons on leadership and sacrifice. You might recognize a little C.S. Lewis influence here.

Best in Non-Fiction

When the Church Was Young: Voices of the Early Fathers

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio 

A book I loved so much, I'm on my third reading as I put together lesson plans for a high school course for Ben. The miracle of the early church's growth under fire, the development of doctrine and practice,  the first apologist, and the controversies and challenges of doctrinal and personal disputes. This book has this and so much more. D'Ambrosio is an excellent writer; this is thoughtful material while not being difficult reading. 

City of God

by Saint Augustine

After reading James K. A. Smith's On the Road with Saint Augustine (last year) and Ambrosio (see above), and remembering my love of Confessions in college, it was time to tackle City of God. This is a heady read, and honestly, required re-reading of most paragraphs several times. Chapters were short, and I loved walking through history with Augustine (which is what he does). I didn't always agree, but I came away feeling like I could have some really good conversations with Augustine about our disagreements and still be friends. 

Sex and the City of God: A Memoir of Love and Longing

by Carolyn Weber 

Sense a theme? I read this book because I loved Weber's Surprised by Oxford and ended up just continuing my Augustinian-themed reading. Weber holds a D.Phil. from Oxford and she is masterful at weaving together words and themes. This is not really a book about sex as much as it is about love, in particular about eros in all its seasons. E.g. The man she named "TDH" (tall, dark & handsome) in her first book is now bald.... And there is a lot of love (and four kids) in between. Thoughtful, rich, and full of literary references, I can't wait for another Weber book. 

Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus' Wife

by Ariel Sabar

Masterfully written, this book was just supposed to be a simple article. The author didn't fail to ask questions, follow any trail, and search for motive in this true tale of a con and the trap of believing what you want to believe. 

Fear Less: Real Truth about Risk, Safety, and Security in a Time of Terrorism

by Gavin de Becker

The author wrote this in the wake of 9/11 but it was frighteningly relevant to 2020. Once again, people will trade freedom for security and most public measures are designed to make people "feel safer" but won't actually make them safer. This book was actually extremely helpful for some of my anxieties and really has helped me "fear less."

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

by Erik Larson 

Erik Larson states he had the idea for this book when he moved to New York shortly after 9/11 and in talking with his new neighbors discovered how skewed his ideas of what it would have been like to have lived through the 9/11 attacks really were. He started wondering if his ideas of living in London during the Blitz might be equally unfounded. Initially, I did not love this book quite as much as the The Last Lion but then realized Larson's objective was not a deep dive into Churchill, but a cinemascope of the effect Churchill had on his countrymen.  This book left me aching for the kind of leadership Churchill brought to England during crisis. And it was a fascinating read. 

Best in Fiction

Idaho

by Emily Ruskovich

One of the best modern novels I have read, this puts muscle to the term "page-turner." I could not put it down. Told from the perspective of the second wife, this tale of a family tragedy and loss is ultimately about love, deep, real, and gritty. 

Munich

by Robert Harris 

Historical fiction that made me go back and research everything I could on the Munich Conference of 1938. Two central characters (one British, one German) seeking to prevent the famed Munich Agreement and thwarted by politicians on both sides. I came away with a different view on Chamberlain's motive for entering the ill-fated agreement. 

The White Rose Resists: a Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler

by Amanda Barrett 

Clearly, I had a theme this year. Like Munich, this has me researching the White Rose movement, particularly Hans and Sophie Scholl, who in a 2003 German TV poll took fourth place by viewers asked to name the "Greatest Germans." This novel was a good reminder that not everyone was silent; there were those who stood up, and paid with their lives. 

On Reading and Books in 2018

2018 was the year I set out to read one fiction book and one non-fiction book a month. I realize that doesn't sound like much. But it didn't include the hour (plus) a day that I read aloud to my children and my penchant for reading The Atlantic and Christianity Today through from cover-to-cover. Reading is restful and rejuvenating for me personally, and in recent years I've focused SO much on what I read to my children, I forgot that I have better perspective when I'm also reading for myself.

Having said that, the most memorable reading experience of the year was reading Tolkien's The Hobbit, Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Return of the King aloud to the kids. We followed each book by watching the related Peter Jackson movie. It was my third time through the series, and my second time watching the movies. The sequential reading/viewing made it far more obvious to me where Jackson takes liberties, adding or subtracting content. While Jackson did a great job of casting, it is always Tolkien that is the master. The stories are so timeless and in taking us to another world, he shines a bright light on our own. Fellowshop of the Ring is the best Jackson adaptation, The Hobbit series, the worst. (And truly terrible in my mind, perhaps because he tried to make three movies of it.)

I read books I don't list but I highlight my top 10 (plus a bonus), five fiction, five non-fiction and one that is both.

My 2018 best of fiction:

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Just like My Antonia, when I finished the book, I had a little moment of "What was that about again?" not so much because of a lack of clarity, but because Cather's brilliance at creating a visual feeling, of desolation, of beauty, can overwhelm the plot. You can see the landscape, feel the wide open so clearly that it is easy (for me at least) to miss the details and get caught up in the desert plateaus and rolling hills.  Having said that, this was a refreshing read about a missionary priest coming to spread the gospel in the American Southwest, and all the difficulties and human issues with which he contends.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles
I was fascinated by the synopsis of this story, having recently read of one of my ancestors who was captured and raised by Native Americans. The story of an old Civil War veteran, far from home, earning a living by reading the news who comes across a young girl that needs to be returned to her relatives. She has been raised by the natives who killed her family and the story weaves through their journey back to her home country as they both learn about love and trust. This was a beautiful story, beautifully written.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
I was thrilled when I read that Enger had a new novel out after ten years. (His third--read them all.) It lived up to my expectations. Virgil Wander is a middle-aged man who has recently survived a near-death experience. The story weaves through the the characters around him, as he recovers and finds renewal, even as he comes to terms with loss and welcomes a stranger. Set on the shores of Lake Superior, the northern town comes to life, and will live forever in my mind.

The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker
By far the strangest work of fiction in this list, the story is an old man reflecting on the boyhood loss of his mother and the strange world he encountered as a result. At times I hated it, but I couldn't put it down. Reaching into another world and weaving in biblical themes of real good and real evil, this is a book that will leave you thinking for a long time.

The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
Reading a novel whose central character is a black Botswanian woman written by a white British male is an interesting read. I loved the dialogue best of all, though the inner workings of a woman who has made it as a detective and entrepreneur in her town was also a treat.


Fiction/Non-Fiction

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan
You will find this book categorized under fiction because of the author's inability(?) to get all the details verified by external sources. However, this is almost solidly in the non-fiction camp as the riveting (and yes, nearly unbelievable) story of Pino Lella, a teenager in World War II Milan who while helping Jews escape over the Alps, also finds himself as the driver for a high-level Nazi. A story of courage amidst great drama, I had a few sleepless nights getting through this one.

Non-Fiction

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck
I'm writing this book list this year because I saw this book on someone else's (Brianna More) list this year. While it is true that most of my books came off of someone's year-end list, this is one I never would have discovered or read had I not seen it there. I was fascinated to read a story about the Oregon Trail (again, my ancestors blazed this trail). I did not expect to get the masterful story of two very different brothers setting off in 21st century America to rediscover the past. Part history, part travelogue and a lot of psychological memoir, this is an excellent read.

Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education by Susan Wise Bauer
I wrote a book review and the author tweeted it. You should read it.

Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
I read this book too fast and immediately put it in the category of must-read again, preferably every other year. Small, but deep and meaningful, Pieper points that civilizations have advanced when leisure is treated as necessary work. Leisure is not lazy. Time for contemplation and a cease from labor are absolutely necessary to growth, as a person and as a culture. 

The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch
I plan to write a real review of this short, data-heavy, simple but so very important little book. Crouch has done us a favor by putting together realistic and insightful steps to being wise in a technology-driven world. I instantly implemented one step and it has contributed to more peace and reflection. Simple discussions with our kids have revealed a lot and encouraged us to keep moving to implement more and more changes. 

The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels by Jon Meacham
Meacham is a great writer and this synopsis is a reminder of how the battle between good and evil (though he doesn't put it in those terms) has been ongoing in 200 years of US history. The title of this book is so good, I was a little disappointed in the content. But the book does deliver as he focuses on the battle and the triumph of the better angels; he leaves us asking if the better angels will win the current battle? A necessary and good reminder at this juncture. He is best when he is telling a story and I hope to read his biography of George HW Bush. The snippets I have read suggest that by knowing the man, his work is even better.

Summer Reading: Time for a Change of Pace

I love words, the sounds of words, the shapes of words, the look of words. I grew up reading biographies and Bible stories, along with the classic girl stories like Anne of Green Gables and the Little House series. But most fiction wasn't a big part of my education and so I missed most fairy tales, fantasy literature, novels. I read Madeleine L'Engle's classic "A Wrinkle in Time" for the first time my freshman year of college; the same year I heard her speak about her writing and writing in general. She expanded my world, helped me leap forward and opened up doors for me to read differently.

But I still find myself surrounded with non-fiction. I love theology and I have several that I'm always reading, re-reading, chewing on. I still love a good biography and so I'm working my way through a VERY large volume on Churchill, reading it aloud to my husband. I read parenting books and books on marriage because they hold me accountable to keep perspective about my most important work.

I have benefited greatly from being a mother, particularly a homeschooling mother because I read all the things I missed as a kid. I have watched the visible effects of what reading does for imagination and what imagination does for learning. It has happened in front of my eyes.

All that to say, that I am making a tangible decision to spend my summer reading fiction. I'm pretty particular so I worked hard to find some titles, both new and classic, to frame my list. Here goes:

1) Arts & Entertainment by Christopher Beha

2) The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell

3) Glimmerglass by Marlys Youmans

4) Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

5) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

6) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky


Wish me luck!

Top Five Books (Grown-Up) of 2014

I read a lot of children's literature but here are the five top "grown-up" books that rocked my world in 2014:

Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement
by Kay Wills Wyma
I'll be writing more about this one later. Suffice it to say that my children have a "stuff" problem. They are also coming of age in a world that expects less of children than when I was growing up and they will have less opportunities available to them for employment. They need to be prepared for this big, bad, world and this book is one of the tools that gave me ideas to employ in that training. Wyma, herself, comes from a far more privileged world than mine, but her husband was a missionary kid. She has the right idea and her "experiment" is being modified in our household and put to work in 2015.

Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book About a Really Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung
I probably need to read this again. And again. DeYoung tackles a huge problem. We glorify being "busy." We answer "busy" when we are asked "How are you?" We keep our cell phone handy and work all hours. We act like we can save the world if we just work harder. While shining a bright light on this problem, DeYoung doesn't neglect the other side. Purpose involves suffering. Sometimes we will feel burdens and be in the right when our time is full. But we mustn't fall into the trip of busy-ness. Great book.  

The Reagan Diaries by Ronald Reagan
My estimation of Reagan only went up reading the diaries he kept from the beginning of his presidency to shortly after it ended. I learned a lot about leadership and his style played into my reading of Crazy Busy.  He had a strong sense of purpose and he was in command of his presidency, but knew how to rest and he knew that the world would go on without him when he left office. I loved the stories of bucking the insiders and doing what was "right" even when he wasn't sure it was politically expedient. Interesting, revealing, and great reading for anyone who wants to make a difference.

The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley
Education is important to me and this book was recommended by an expert. Ripley looks at three countries (Poland, Finland, S. Korea) who have strong educational outcomes and compares them with our educational system and values through the eyes of three US exchange students (to these countries) and a S. Korean student who spent much of her grammar school years in the U.S. Many takeaways. A few: 1) U.S. culture does not value education. We say we do but parents are more likely to discuss with their kids who won the football game and who is going to prom with who than talk about what is happening in the classroom. They send a message about what is important. 2) U.S. kids don't think it matters if they do well in school, particularly in math, for their future. They have lives of privilege and the greater culture has not yet been able to impart to them the idea that their future success depends on what they are doing in school. 3) Math correlates to logic and ability to be logical plays into life decision-making. Higher math scores correspond to long-term success in employment and in navigating the decisions of life.

What Happened to Sophie Wilder by Christopher Beha
This is the only fiction book on my list. I did not "like" this book; it deals with gritty topics (abortion, euthanasia, suicide) and no one rides off into the sunset. If you are a fan of Flannery O'Connor and believe that God is even in the gutters, this book is worthwhile reading. It was memorable for me and stretched me way past my comfort zone. 

Book Review: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

We read a lot of children's lit around here. We rip through picture books and read at least one long book (200ish pages) every week. We read. A lot of great stuff. Some of it stands out so much I have to share.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch won a Newbery Medal and most deservedly. The story is fantastic, the writing is amazing, the characters are real and fascinating. But the thing that put this over the top for me, as one of the best children's books I have EVER read, was the moral.

Nat Bowditch was a brilliant mathematician with an amazing mind. He dreamed of going to Harvard and his dreams were thwarted by life's circumstances. Early in Nat's life, a man who had faced similar circumstances points out the misery of his life and his destiny to never amount to what he should. Another man overhears this and instead instructs young Nat in a nautical term used for the effort it requires to sail the ship when the wind is not in your favor. He points out that you can still get to your destination, it simply takes more effort and more time. Nat, holds the words of both men throughout his life, using their inspiration to achieve amazing things.

Nathaniel Bowditch was a real person. His story is inspiring and reminded me of so many people I know who were handed bad situations (family, lack of educational opportunity, poverty or physical limitations) and yet have sailed on, reaching great things, despite the wind not being in their favor.

A great book that should be required reading for American students. In my house, it is.

Advent Lessons

I am reading a book on prayer. Kneeling with Giants is frankly so frightening at times that I've set it down for a while to think, meditate, maybe actually back away from the HUGE scary world of prayer I've just been given a glimpse of. Recently I read a paragraph on the word "LORD" that impacted me. The author (Gary Neal Hansen) asks if we have any idea what that means? If we realize that He is our LORD? Or if we only bring Him our requests, forgetting we are His servants, at His command? Gulp. My prayers are a lot about asking Him to provide for me instead of me asking Him "How may I serve you today?"

I hope that this Advent season, as I await with joy, that I will remember to ask Him every day of my life "how may I serve you today?" and mean it. What an adventure it will be.

The Grammar/History/Literature Component

I am a big believer in reading. It helps that I love to read, and frankly, the best part of homeschooling is the opportunity to read some really good Children's Literature. Reading is the anchor of our program.

I am still using Story of the World which is a succinct world history in four volumes. This year, 3rd grade, we are in Volume 3. And the beauty of this program is still in the reading and literature recommendations and activities that accompany each chapter. About two weeks before we do a lesson (we do a chapter a week), I get on the library website and put on hold 10-20 books (some short picture books and some longer chapter books, both history and literature). Throughout the week we read these books after lunch and before bed. Everyone participates, and even though they are typically WAY above the girls' level, they love to have a coloring book and crayons or puzzles and sit and listen.

Each chapter has at least one coloring page (which the text writers authorize me to photocopy for use in the family) and a mapwork page. There is a variety of other activities related to the culture being studied, from cooking projects, science experiments, or an art, sewing or craft project. I love this curriculum. We've already studied Japan, Turkey, Holland, the Pilgrims and early American colonies.

Ben is also studying Grammar using First Language Lessons. Sentence diagramming was introduced in 3rd grade which he loves. The lessons are short and we only have to do this for 20-30 minutes three times a week. We also do Spelling, two to three times a week.

Last we are using the Writing with Ease workbook. It is designed to go with a parent text that begins with grade 1. I didn't feel Ben needed to start writing so early, so I waited to introduce it until this year. I previewed the lessons online, fully expecting to have him start with grade 2. However, when you read to your kids, they begin to get a feel for writing and he was clearly ready for the 3rd book. I also found I'm familiar enough with writing that the parent book isn't necessary at this point. His text had instructions and as long as I'm familiar with parts of speech, it works well as a stand-alone.

Other than a variety of devotional things and field trips we incorporate into our program, that makes up our 2012-13 school program. I'm fortunate to have a child with a strong academic aptitude which has made this possible.

Education is something we take very seriously and we are completely willing to send our children to school if and when that is best for them. It hasn't happened yet, even though I approach each year with trepidation and fear that this year will be the straw that broke the camel's back. So far the camel is strong and we are having fun.

Surprised by Oxford

I just finished Carolyn Weber's excellent book Surprised by Oxford.

Yes, that's a little take on C.S. Lewis who definitely haunts Oxford to this day. But the book is about a Canadian girl who wins a scholarship to attend Oxford and discovers faith there. The book is a memoir, written beautifully by woman with a DPhil degree in Romantic Literature. It also serves as a great apologetics book by a masterful mind wrestling with becoming a Christian and discovering that she is surrounded by other brilliant minds who love this Jesus.

She arrives in England in the fall of 1994, the same fall that I spent a semester in nearby London (and visited Oxford). Her writing on so many things stirred memories in me, even her comments on the weather. I particularly loved when she wrote about having someone clean her room, a very strange thing for American students. I remember being a little uncomfortable to having someone empty the trash in my room, dust, and bring me clean sheets. (But I got used to it.)

Loved, loved, loved this book.

7 Weekend Thoughts

• I finished The Long Walk that the movie The Way Back is based upon. An amazing book and having read it, I don't think this story couldn't be true. There are just too many unique details.
• Ben finally had a nice weather day for his Friday baseball class. His coach was out of town but had another dad and some of the older boys run class. Ben enjoyed himself and actually chose to go. Despite liking the class, he is stubborn and intends to hold me to the promise that he will never have to take baseball again.
  

  

  Watching Ben at baseball

  
  

  

  Baseball boy in action

• Our community holds a fun fair every spring during which they fit kids with a bike helmet for $10. So despite a very cold day with off and on showers, we made our way over there and obtained bike helmets. And the big kids did some activities while Everleigh watched in amazement and dreamed of when she will be a big girl.
  

  

  Kyrie at the Fun Fair

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Kyrie started a new sports class on Thursday night. Kyrie loves group activities and beamed the whole time she was working on soccer. She had to move from station-to-station (there were four) explaining her name each and every time. This morning she said, "People call me Carrie but my name is KYRIE." She always adds the last syllable these days, so I thinks she likes the distinction.
• On the way home from church today we were involved in a minor fender bender. Our community has many roundabouts and they don't follow European round-about rules. We suspected the other driver thought we were in the wrong and since our state requires that anything with $700 damage be reported to the police, Mike thought we should just call the police. They didn't even discuss who was at fault and the officer handled it well and explained that there was a big sign when before you came upon the roundabout with the rules. Our car took the worst hit, but the other driver was cited and will get the thing against his insurance. Meanwhile, our children were pretty keyed up about being in their first car accident; and then the officer came and took their names and noted that they were in the correct car seats. Kyrie wanted to talk to the police officer; she had some pre-existing bumps and bruises she wanted to discuss. Her dad noted she has a future in the practice of law.
• We had friends over for chicken and zucchini skewers last night. We were remarking that when we first started getting together for dinner and outings there were three couples and Ben. Now we have six kids and a seventh on the way between us. Times have changed. Quickly.
  
  

The Lure of Saints

"...Luther and the first Protestants tossed out the baby (tradition, devotions, pieties) with the bathwater (the belief that tradition, devotions, and pieties would justify one before God)....Faith became belief centered rather than practice centered, and belief and practice remain separate in many of our lives even today." -Jon M. Sweeney, The Lure of Saints: A Protestant Experience of Catholic Tradition.

I loved this book. At times I stumbled along trying to understand the incredible bizarre behavior that seems to characterize Saints (capital). I'm not sure how I feel about praying to (or more correctly, with) the Saints. But as Sweeney points out, Christ defeated death and if He did so, if we really believe He did so, then we cannot believe we are separated from other Christians by the grave. And while I think some have improperly idolized the saints, when we look at their lives, I see individuals who only wanted to point us to Jesus and did it with such intense passion, that we couldn't help but notice.

While I'm skeptical about the Roman Catholic process of beautification and canonization, I have to admire the care they take before thrusting someone up on a spiritual pedestal. Protestants would be wise to take more care in whom they emulate, because we tend to create Christian celebrities a little too easily and then be crushingly disappointed when they fail in their Christian walk. (Think of any number of high profile Christians and the end result.)

And who are we kidding? Protestants have their own saints, or what are Jim Eliot (and Elisabeth for that matter), Rick Warren, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Amy Carmichael, Jonathan Edwards, and C.S. Lewis? While our practice may be different, we certainly do elevate devoted followers of Christ. And I don't think we are wrong to do so.

I loved this by iconographer  Marek Czarnecki: "...[I]t is difficult for me to understand Christ and his gospel without the example of saints....I love the saints because they take Christianity out of the realm of pure, beautiful ideas and existentially live inside them....It's not always comfortable or pretty, but they show the sum of what happens when someone becomes the variable, or unknown sum, in Christ's own ideal and divinely formulated equations." In other words, a saint doesn't just wear the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelet, he/she LIVES it.

The practical thing I took away is a new understanding of a novena, a term I've heard but never understood. Novena means "nine" and tradition teaches that the Disciples and other followers of Jesus waited nine days between the Ascension of Christ and Pentecost. During that time they stayed in the Upper Room, praying and waiting on the Lord. And then the tongues of flame fell. A novena is a specific prayer that is prayed repeatedly and with intent for nine days (or sometimes nine weeks). I have a family member in intense peril right now and I have had no idea how to pray. Understanding the novena gave me a biblical reference to praying a focused prayer; the situation is so baffling to me that I found the words of another who understood better what he is going through to focus my prayer time. Now I pray and wait. 

For me the beauty of the book came down to this: "We spend a lot of time trying to be spiritual...but God does not ask us to be spiritual; God asks us to become like Christ, to become Christ in our unique way...to become ourselves." This is becoming a saint, the only kind I'm certain about.

Almost Christian

I spent quite awhile reading this book. Not because it was boring and impossible but because it gave me so much to think about. I knew that this book delved into the sociological research of Christian Smith and Melinda Denton that exposes that the nature of America's teens is to be moralistic therapeutic deists instead of Christians. It is. But it is more. It is a thought-provoking book written for parents, youth workers, and all Christians who love and care about the generation of teens/young adults in our country.

Years of working with youth has left me a little discouraged. Kenda Creasy Dean, the author, gets that. It is clear that churches are much of the problem. They have aimed too small where youth are concerned, coming up with special programs that don't expect too much of them and puts the focus squarely on youth themselves rather than Jesus, and the world around them that He loves. Dean cites how her research led her to see how much youth wanted real relationships with adult mentors and not just a youth program. She was excited. She shared her findings with her church and provided a sign up sheet for adults to mentor a teen. One person signed up. It is a problem. Much of the church would like to just assign teens to professional youth workers. (Whom in my experience rarely are "professionals" and often lack the wisdom to run a well-rounded ministry.)

Probably most indicative though were that the youth/young adults of America are really just reflective of the culture at large. And particularly of their parents. Highly committed Christian youth typically come from highly committed Christian parents. There are exceptions, of course, either way.

The section of the book that most inspired me was based on the book Interpretation and Obedience by Walter Brueggemann (whose book on praying the psalms is one of my favorites). This book is now on my list to read. "...Brueggemann argues that the cultural conditions of postmodernity require the church to function as a bilingual community, conversant in both the traditions of the church and the narratives of the dominant culture." This bilingualism approach is based on the model of 2 Kings 18-19 in which the Assyrians have surrounded Jerusalem. The Assyrian negotiator stands on the wall taunting God and giving conditions for surrender. The Hebrews are engaged in negotiating with him in Aramaic which is "the official imperial language of those who dismiss Yahweh." But behind the wall, down on the ground the conversation going on is happening in Hebrew. Yahweh is being addressed, and the people are recounting God's faithfulness by telling their stories. "God calls God's people both to converse fluently behind the wall, using the Christian community's distinctive language, perceptions, and assumptions, and to take part in the conversation on the wall, which requires competence in the language, perceptions, and assumptions of the broader culture."

I loved this. I can so clearly visualize this truth because I have seen so many failures in the two extremes. I know a host of families who were terrified of the culture and built a cultural moat around their households and thought that if they blocked anything from the outside culture they could protect their kids from the negative aspects of it. And then I know the families who did the opposite, blindly turned their children loose into the dominant culture without ever building up their repertoire of faith knowledge. (Yes, they went to Sunday school but since most children's church/Sunday schools don't get past a snack, a craft, and a brief Bible story in which absolutely no relevance to anyone's life is ever discussed, well, what can you expect?) Both kinds of parents seem to have trouble talking to their kids about issues. Dean's book points out that while we can expect children and teens to parrot the beliefs of their parents because they realize that it benefits them, that eventually when they continue to talk about their faith, it is more likely to become real, their own. And thus the bilingual aspect is so critical. And it is also critical because faith that is not missional is not Christian faith.

This book caused me to reflect on my own youth experience. There is an intangible quality to how a child comes to faith. But for all the things in which I can influence my children to grow up in the faith, I will gladly use my influence. I had a youth group in high school/early college that taught me some valuable things; but it had pitfalls. I seem to have missed those dark holes and I think it was because of my parents and their absolute fearlessness to discuss any topic with me. (Ok, my mom. My dad was quaking in his shoes a lot of the time but when he talked, I knew it was hard for him and I really listened..)

During these young years, I know I'm called to live out my faith in front of my little ones and teach them the faith. More and more I will be called to translate for them; how their faith affects what they watch, whom they date, how they spend their money, how they make their money. My hope is that they will be bilingual, ready to share their faith with a world in ways I could never dream.

Leif Enger

It is rare to find a Christian author that is writing literature. Not to be snobby about it but there is a big difference between "fiction" and "literature." And I get tired of wasting my time on "fiction." Literature is writing that is crafted, timeless, and speaks truth (even through fiction).

So it was with delight that I read Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. I overheard a man talking about it and he was using words that piqued my interest. It was an amazing story set in early 20th century Minnesota. Enger is a Christian writer and his worldview leaks through the pages; but this is not "Christian fiction" by any means. Enger's story is told from the view of the young boy in the story and his siblings (younger sister, older brother) are strong figures. His loving father has handled life's disappointments with faith, and life has been disappointing. The book has a Western feel; the little sister is obsessed with all things Western and is working on an epic poem that develops throughout the story.

Enger's one other work (to date) is So Brave, Young, and Handsome. I just finished that one and had to laugh at the story that begins with a man who has written a bestseller only to find it was a fluke and he has no more writing in him. Following Enger's roughly 8 year break since publishing Peace Like A River, I couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't identifying a bit with "Monty." This one is even more Western and is full of outlaws and cowboys, though ones clinging to a past that is gone.

Enger is a little Zane Grey, a little Flannery O'Connor, and uniquely his own writer. I love him enough that I bought Peace Like a River this week and had it sent to my brother who loves the western genre. I don't (particularly like westerns) but I loved these books.

Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art

I stumbled across this book at the library and thought it would be interesting to read through. It has been an amazing find. The book profiles 23 artists/illustrators of children's books. There is a full page of the artist's work with a couple of pictures of the artist(s). The illustrator writes one page, telling about how he/she became an illustrator and other helpful information for prospective artists.

One of Ben's favorite things was to look at the pictures of the artists' studios. Some were neat as a pin, but most were a little more cluttered. Eric Carle's studio is a complete mess with so much paper scattered everywhere, you couldn't see the floor.

The last two illustrators design pop-ops. Ben was fascinated with this section and set about attempting to design his own pop-ops. Love, love, love this book.

If You Think Politics Are Crazy Now

I loved, loved, loved this book (First Family). I loved David McCullough's book on John Adams and the subsequent mini-series and would be inclined to agree with much of Adam's analysis of the issues of his day.

And because I've read several of McCullough's book, First Family was familiar territory. But several things stood out to me:

Ellis says Abigail and John were so much a team that it is impossible to write about one without writing about the other. I love that. She was a better writer, but he was probably the better policy mind. She was ready to go to war with France and he very carefully kept us out of war and probably saved our young nation. She was an early feminist (for her time) believing women should have the vote (John did not agree with her). She also flatly ignored the law of the time and made up a will, distributing her income from investments and her belongings at her death. The judge overlooked that she had no legal right to her own property and honored it. Obviously  her husband respected her enough not to interfere. She made him a better leader, and he was a wise man to realize it.

Sadly the price of leadership exacted a horrible toll on the Adams' family. Two sons died of alcoholism, a daughter made a miserable marriage to a man who kept asking for favors from his father-in-law to cover his massive debts and poor decision-making. And John Quincy's son committed suicide at 29. Ellis attributes much of this to an absent John Adams, climbing the ladder of political ambition abroad during his children's formative years.

Some of the Founding Fathers were scoundrels. Brilliant, yes? History-changing? Yes? But Bill Clinton had nothing on some of these guys. E.g.'s:

• Aaron Burr probably did us a favor when he shot Alexander Hamilton. In fact, Hamilton was a hot-headed, power-hungry, American Napoleon. He ran a shadow government during Adams' presidency, controlling the Cabinet and attempted to undercut Adams' power repeatedly. He tried to get us into a war with France we couldn't have sustained. It appears he challenged Adams to a duel as well; Adams was just a more reasonable sort than Burr. 
• Franklin lived a decadent life-style in France, engaging in very public displays of affection with at least one married woman. He was known for wooing much younger women. Oh, and while he was married himself.
• Thomas Jefferson was a liar among other things. He flatly denied paying someone to dig up political dirt on Adams when he was in the running for the presidency against him; the person hired to do so came up with the bill of sale with Jefferson's signature. The investigator hired then turned around and exposed his affair with his very young slave, Sally Hemings, as payback for Jefferson's failure to pay him enough and his duplicity. 

Our young country was in jeopardy of annihilation repeatedly from hot-headed  and misguided politicians and from national debt. So the next time you get a forward saying we won't survive Obama or that China will take us over within the year, pick up a copy of good early American history. It will give you perspective.

Decision Points

I had the chance to read Decision Points over the Christmas holiday. It was actually hard to put it down and accomplish anything else but I stretched it out over a week. The biography is impressive, well-written and illuminating.

I came away thinking, That's the leader whose inauguration I stood in the freezing rain to be a part of. While I found myself frustrated with some of Bush's decisions (Harriet Miers, the financial crisis), he soundly cleared up any doubts I had about his ability to lead us through a war on terror. My questions about Iraq were answered and I have no doubt that any effective leader who took seriously his or her role to keep the nation safe would have handled Iraq similarly. At several points, Bush himself tells us what he "should" have done.  But usually the should haves are the result of new information, and not because he failed to act in the best way possible based on the information he had at the time.

Bush struck me as more of a business-minded conservative, than a person grounded in conservative philosophy. But I was impressed with his knowledge of history and the way history guided him in his task. This book only deepened my appreciation of the Bush family and made me grateful that we had this leader at the helm for eight pivotal years in our history,  particularly on and in the aftermath of 9/11.

The book's organization, examining the decisions Bush made and what guided him as he made those decisions has provided a sense of process to my own decisions in the last week. Say what you want about his communication style, Bush is a clear thinker. This book leads me to believe that history will justify much of his presidency and interpret him as one of the best war-time presidents we have had. But as Bush says, he'll be gone before history can form an authoritative opinion.

One Tough Mother

I happened across this book somehow and picked it up because I love Columbia Sportswear.

Gert Boyle is the 85+year old chairman of Columbia Sportswear. Boyle's Jewish parents escaped Nazi Germany in 1938, just in time. Her paternal grandmother and uncle had emigrated years earlier and sponsored them but the paperwork wouldn't go through until her dad ran into someone he had served with in World War I who worked for immigration. Her dad was a successful businessman and Germany wouldn't allow anyone to leave with any money. So he purchased all the furniture and other goods he could and shipped them to the U.S. Gert's family arrived without jobs and started over in a new land. She talks often of how she loves this land and when people felt she should be bitter at the curfews and surveillance her family experienced as German natives during World War II, she always responded that if she'd stay in Germany, it would have been much worse.

Boyle's life changed suddenly when her 47-year old husband died suddenly of a heart attack when she was in her mid-40s. She set about to run the company her parents had started and her husband was president of upon his death. Her 21-year old son left school and came to help her. She learned a lot about business fast. One employee told her she would do year-end inventory for a 25% pay increase. She gave it to her, let her finish payroll and then fired her. She said you figure out who is loyal to your company and who is not and you cut loose those you can't trust to do the best thing for your business. She never remarried saying that you only achieve perfection once.

In the 80s, the One Tough Mother campaign was born. Gert's deadpan humor and looks were put to good use in an ongoing series of ads that featured her with tattoos ("not real" she says), football pads, Jesse Ventura, etc....

Gert still goes to work each morning and still signs reimbursement checks personally. She says she trusts her employees to use company money wisely but she also knows they will think about their travel expenses differently knowing she will see the receipts.

Gert gives great business advice and writes an autobiography that reminds us all to be grateful for what we have and keep moving forward. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Gert has made it well, and has numerous awards for business, philanthropy, and motherhood. Long may she live!

The Wisdom of Stability

"To see both clearly the life we are made for and, at the same time, to have to deal with the selfish desires and petty preferences of people where we are is, indeed, agonizing...."-Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Wisdom of Stability

I am not by nature a "stable" person. I'm not referring to my mental state, though at times that can be true too. But the words "bind my wandering heart to thee" have always felt written just for me. "Prone to wander" I am, not into the seedy section of town, but away, away from anything that causes me to get too uncomfortable or to stick with people who are problematic. Even God, when He up and gets demanding.

Fortunately I married Mr. Stable. In his early 30s, he has already doubled the number of years I ever stayed at one job. And since I hitched my cart to his wagon, I've found myself living in one community now for 6 years. I itch to leave seasonally, but now I found my name on a mortgage and I'm realizing I may actually live here for the rest of my life. (Or maybe not. Because writing that last statement made my skin crawl.) I'm just not cut out for stability.

My dad often takes the blame for this. In retrospect I know he wishes he hadn't moved us around so often, something my mother and I have never lamented. We both seem to have a little gypsy in us and we both shudder to think we could have remained in the town I was born in. (A nice place but....Well, we both liked  a lot of the places we lived after that.)

It is interesting how attracted I was to the title of this book, The Wisdom of Stability. Perhaps I was trying to find the good in my increasingly stable life or at least make peace with it. Maybe I recognized the need to be more stable in my relationships with God and some of the people He's placed in my life (for reasons I am not entirely sure of at times). Maybe I wanted to probe why the one thing I struggled with most was leaving an unhealthy church situation that I really did not want to leave and knew I had to.

For all those reasons and more I read this book. And found many good reasons why God is using this season of stability to stretch me in ways that are uncomfortable and even painful, but have caused me to change and grow in ways I needed to.

Whether it is accepting the literal seasons (or lack thereof) of this climate I live in, or the figurative seasons that are new and changing, but not quite new and changing enough sometimes, I found great value in this book. And much to think on.

"Stability is a commitment to trust God not in an ideal world, but...here among the people whose troubles are already evident to us." Well, if I have to.