Books I've Been Reading

Every now and then I do like to share books I've been reading, because I do like to be able let you know about books I think are worthwhile. I will tell you up front I am usually reading what I call "junk food" books that aren't particularly edifying, but I can read before I drop off to sleep or while I am working out at the gym. Those are usually mysteries or books about cats. It's hard to find light fiction that isn't badly written, or has gushy sentimental romance, or happily ever after Christian unrealistic books, but I do run across them. I am really enjoying a fun little book of short chronicles (there are 50 of them) called "A Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers". I told you yesterday I am a crazy cat lady and this book confirms that. But it is really delightful, if you like cats. Even though they are very short stories, I can hardly quit reading, saying to myself, just one more. Some of them make me all sniffly, I will tell you up front. And they are best read with a sweet cat purring away on your lap.

Also on the light reading front, but a lot more edifying is the inspirational book about Nick Vujicic. It's called "Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life". Most people have seen the "viral" video on You Tube about Nick. He was born with no legs or arms. When I saw the video, I thought to myself, this guy HAS to be a Christian. I got the book and discovered that he is a vibrant Christan. The book is not exactly a biography and that kind of disappointed me. There is not much narrative and it is what it says, inspirational and that's all. At first I kept underlining things and putting them on Facebook. I was very inspired, I confess, but somewhat underwhelmed with its literary merits. That's okay, I suppose as I wasn't looking for a work of literature. This is a sample of a quote I liked: "We can choose to dwell on disappointments and shortcomings. We can choose to be bitter, angry, or sad. Or when faced with hard times and hurtful people, we can choose to learn from the experience and move forward, taking responsibility for our own happiness".


Kindle frequently offers freebies and I usually order them if they sound at all interesting. If they aren't all that good, then I just delete them. I am still reading, but am very favorably impressed by one called "Calm My Anxious Heart". I had no idea what the book is about, but it's really just up my alley. She talks about being negative (I am a champion complainer) and trusting God (which I think is the biggest issue most Christians face) and letting go of anxiety. Learning to be content is where I am these days with my Bible memorization of Philippians. I think the author is right in her thesis that this is particular problem we women deal with. Of course there are anxious men, but on a whole we of the female persuasion are more anxious. I'm still working on the whys of that. Cultural? Spiritual? Hormonal? Guess it doesn't matter why, but it does matter how it is dealt with. So far the author has been "right on" theologically.  A sample quote: "Paul’s life was anything but perfect and controlled; yet he said, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Incredible! In other words, contentment can be learned. This means you and I can learn to be content."  I am happy to report that I really am learning. I have my setbacks, but on the whole I am doing much better, God be praised.


Now on to a harder book! Most of you won't want to read this, but if you work with children or are a parent, read this book. It is of great integrity and treats the spiritual formation in an academic and spiritual way, such as I have never read all in one book. It is called "Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey" and I read the book to help me to prepare for a leadership training event about children's spiritual development.  I was impressed with Stonehouse's pedagogical preparation and her theological position. She is a professor of Christian Education at Asbury Theological Seminary and I wish I could have studied with her. I find, unfortunately, that so many approach Christian Education with their minds bent on what they already think, without seriously considering how children learn and think. She doesn't make that mistake. She combines Erickson, Kohlberg, Piaget and Fowler in the areas of psychosocial, moral, cognitive and religious development to present a coherent approach to teaching children about God. She uses lots of stories to illustrate her book.  It is not hard to read and I felt so much more informed and better prepared to teach teachers to teach after reading the book. 


Ok, you've probably had it with my reading choices for this past month, but let me share just one more. This is another light read. Got to keep this balanced, right? It's called: "Tremolo: Cry of the Loon" and is a work of fiction. It's what they call a "Coming of Age" book. In another words, the main character is a kid who is 12 years old and is a child who is just beginning to see things more as a teen-ager then a child. The neat thing is that it's a boy (it's almost always a girl in this genre) and he is 12 years old in 1964. Exactly my age. (oops, now you know how old I am). So all the songs and movies and TV shows and clothes and even the candies at the movies are the same as mine.  Who remembers Chad and Jeremy? I didn't until he mentioned them. Miraculously this is a novel set in the north, so I relate to that. To top it off, it's a mystery. It's a fun, quick read and actually pretty well written. I didn't even get impatient and flip to the end to see how it turned out before finishing the book. In fact, I was a little disappointed with the ending, in that I felt like the author kind of got in a rush and the final part wasn't as engaging at the rest of the book, but that's just my thought on the subject. 


I love to read. Hope you didn't mind reading about my reading.