Hello, and a big “hello” to September!

I hope you’re staying sane, and if you’re a teacher or student or parent (or family member of any!) transitioning into a new school year, that you have all the peace and wherewithal you need to do your work well.

August was an interesting month, to say the least. There were concerns about the new school year, and anticipation for a new page in pandemic life that we’re living. Kenosha also erupted into a battle ground for protest to injustice and a hotbed for people who went out of their way to cause trouble, so much so that several people have died or sustained injuries, and some small businesses won’t recover.

We as a community want to move forward, but we also want to move well, at a pace and in a way that protects the best possible future for all people, in the middle of so many unknowns.

In the spirit of new beginnings (is it in the air this time of year?), I invested time in a few books that offered wisdom about decision making and loving God and my neighbor better, interspersed with fiction for an interesting balance.

Here’s the run-down for you:

Books (in order of completion)

• Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman
• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen
• Jude: Contending for the Faith in Today’s Culture by Jackie Hill Perry
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

It was a full and thoughtful month, with a lot of learning and reflection involved.

Thoughts for August

• The first finish of my month was the final installment of the Lord of the Rings series, The Return of the King! I couldn’t believe I finished them. My husband had talked about the series while we were dating, saying he’d read them many times and enjoyed them immensely. For me, it looked like a lot of pages for a storyline that seemed difficult to follow in the movies. Thankfully, my husband proposed we read them together, so we’ve worked our way through The Hobbit and the trilogy. Tolkien builds another world in such a thorough and creative fashion, and the story kept me engaged through every book. He likes his dialogue (a fact I gleaned from reading about his writing experience), and he uses wit and detail to remind the reader of his world’s history and to forge stronger connection to the characters. This final book was full of powerful conclusions and goodbyes; it may have been my favorite. I’d highly recommend the series!
• The Next Right Thing has been on my list since the book came out in April 2019 (I may have preordered, which I don’t usually do!). I had listened to Emily P. Freeman’s podcast of the same name for some time beforehand, listening to her gracious voice as she talked about things like “decision fatigue”, “chronic hesitation”, and “doing the next right thing in love.” While the terms were new to me, the feelings and definitions were not, and I held on as Emily talked about walking with God while making decisions. The book is based on her progression of the podcast; each chapter also has a prayer and a practice to try. As I’ve muddled through a lot of transition lately, this book was a balm to my weary, stretched-thin soul. Whether you need a comfort or a challenge, I’d suggest picking this one up. Fun fact: if you don’t want to commit to buying the book, try listening to her podcast, The Next Right Thing, first. There are many short episodes, averaging about ten minutes each, covering many more topics!
• Get Out of Your Head is a different type of book than I typically choose. I thought it would have a high-energy, self-help vibe, with too much fireworks when put alongside The Next Right Thing. Jennie Allen is personable and direct and shares personal stories, but she also provides practical steps and scripture to help believers step out of emotional spirals before they happen. We don’t need to be slaves to our thoughts; freedom in Jesus means we can choose. I’m learning more and more what that means, and Allen’s book is one I’ll keep close and will probably reread to review the truths of scripture and the tools I have to keep growing, fostering a mind like Christ’s.
• In my second attempt, I finally finished Upton Sinclair’s muckraking wonder, The Jungle! Published in 1906, this piece was written to unveil the abusive, filthy, and painful conditions of life for immigrants in Chicago, when slaughterhouses were its main business and before food purity and labor laws passed. I enjoy reading old classics, especially those that reveal more about life at the time, and The Jungle was no exception. Fair warning: the storyline sometimes feels like a series of unfortunate events, where everything that can go wrong, does. With history for perspective, however, this probably isn’t a far cry from the real thing. I also felt interrupted in my reading by a 7-page speech for Socialism toward the end of the book (this, I realized, is about where I quit in my first attempt). The story turns from a narrative to a set of arguments for and against the socioeconomic system. In all, I’d recommend giving Sinclair’s work a read for a history lesson on immigration to the U.S., labor, food & drug law (or lack thereof), and culture at the beginning of the twentieth century. Just brace yourself for a dissertation on socialism to wrap up. (Also – this is the first library book I picked up from my library since quarantine hit. It felt so good to read something new without spending money. Remember your local library! Take advantage of its resources!! *puts megaphone down*)
• If you’ve asked me about my favorite reading or podcasting or biblical teaching, you’ve probably heard me mention Jackie Hill Perry. She’s a powerful teacher of God’s Word with a remarkable testimony. Her book Gay Girl, Good God offered a more thorough and healing theology of sexuality than most sources I have read. So, when I heard she was working on a Bible study, I hopped on board! Her study, Jude: Contending for the Faith in Today’s Culture is a beautiful expositional study, working through the context, message, and application of the very short letter. The structure is eight weeks long, four days per week, with a teaching video each week. (Disclaimer: I worked through it without video. I didn’t have enough patience to do that.) Perry challenges the reader to break down scripture using cross references and commentaries, pointing out that the message that Jude had for the Church still applies today. If you want to dive deep quickly and learn more about the Christian faith and how to speak for it today, then go find Perry’s Jude workbook.
• BONUS: On a technicality, I’m including Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I read all but 30 pages of it with my husband in August and completed the book before lunch on September 1, so… here we are! A man who received multiple threats and feared for his life is found dead in his train compartment one morning, and the train gets stuck in a snowdrift. Thankfully, Hercule Poirot (Christie’s famous detective character in many of her books) is aboard, and he investigates the case. This murder mystery classic weaves the reader in and out of evidence, passenger testimony, and the loopholes that uncover the party responsible. If you enjoy a good puzzle, like Poirot, then go read this one! Once done, you’ll have a better eye to watch the movie, too!

From this reading, I jotted down a few of my favorite quotes. As I’ve embarked on multiple new adventures and life changes lately, remembering more about who God is and how to keep myself close to him has been crucial, and these lines have encouraged me to do that.

“I’m convinced God is less interested in where we end up than he is in who we are becoming.” – Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing

“When we think thoughts that lead to life and peace, we don’t just get better thoughts, we get more God.” – Jennie Allen, Get Out of your Head

I hope you enjoyed this month’s reading review! Thanks for joining me. Until next time… and in the meantime, what are you reading?