I read a lot of books this
month. Why, you may ask? Well, I’m preparing to start school in September, and
one of the suggestions the Seminary Support Specialist gave me was to start
reading for at least an hour a day, and to choose books that were more
study/work-related, so I can start rewiring my brain to learn. Happily, I had a
shelf full of books I’d purchased for my job before it was even “my” job, and I
thought this exercise would be great in preparing me for school AND in helping
me learn from these books before I need to start reading textbooks!
First
up? How
to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas
Stuart. (And no, that is not a typo in the title. This its is not a
contraction.) According to Jonathan, I should have read this book back in my
college days, because he said it was a textbook in one of the classes he and I
both took, even though we were not in the same actual class. Despite that class
being one of my favorites from my entire college career, I have no memory of
this book. It doesn’t surprise me, because I don’t remember much about the
books I read in college.
But I
sure loved reading it now! The quote on the front cover really is the best
synopsis: “A practical approach to Bible study in an easy-to-understand style.”
A few weeks ago, I taught a seven-week elective on how to study the Bible, and
during my prep for that class, I was reminded of how varied the
different books of the Bible can be, and we can’t read them all with the same
frame of mind. You can’t read a poetry book and a history book the same way and
take away the information correctly.
This
book explains how to study the Bible and understand it – in all the different
genres found within. This book is, on one hand, kind of textbooky. It’s not an
“easy reading” kind of book, but it’s also written conversationally enough that
I don’t think it will frustrate you as feeling too academic if you read it.
The
authors talk about different translations of the Bible and how to use several
to help you best understand what the Bible is saying. They offer, sprinkled
throughout, recommendations of other books that dive deeply into some of the
topics they only have time to skim. And they go through the different types of
literature in the Bible to explain how to read and study them to the fullest.
From epistles to narratives to gospels to poetry…they go through everything
slowly and offer fantastic explanations and insights.
This is
not the kind of book you only read once. It’s the kind you go back to again and
again, especially alongside what you’re studying in Scripture, to learn how to
get the most from it.
NOTE: I
read the third edition of this book, because it was the one I found at a thrift
store. It was published back in 2003. There is now a fourth edition that offers
some updated resource suggestions. The book I read was still powerful and
meaningful, but if you’re buying new, buy the fourth so you can have the latest
and greatest!
**
This
book was less of a read-every-word and more of a heavy-skim, but I still want
to tell you about it, because I really did love it. Back on Mother’s Day, I
gave rosemary plants to everyone in our church (that I knew of) who lost a mom
in the last year. For Father’s Day, I gave those who lost fathers within the
last year a thyme plant. But we had one person, a teenager, who lost a
stepfather, and this presented an interesting conundrum for me. First, I didn’t
think the thyme plant thing worked for a teenage boy. Secondly, I wasn’t sure
how close he was to his stepdad, but I was pretty sure it was his first close
encounter with grief, and it was an unexpected loss.
So…I
went on the hunt to see if I could find a book for teens that wasn’t weird or
stupid, that dealt with death from a theologically sound Christian perspective.
That really is a lot to ask of a book.
I think
I found it.
I
heavily heavily heavily skimmed it – twice – before giving it. It’s called Hurt Help Hope and is written by mother/daughter duo, Clarissa and Fiona
Moll. Clarissa’s husband (who was Fiona’s dad) died unexpectedly in a hiking
accident when Fiona was 13. The family was on vacation when this happened, and
as you might imagine, it was awful.
Clarissa
and Fiona have created a great resource that is accurately billed as “a real
conversation about teen grief and life after loss.” The book is so
conversational without being dumbed down. It relies heavily and accurately on
Scripture, and it covers all kinds of questions and scenarios teens are likely
to encounter after the loss of some person important to their lives.
I was
impressed by how they were able to address grief so accurately while also
addressing it so broadly. Whether you’ve lost a parent, sibling, best friend,
or grandparent, they speak right to you. The chapters are written independently,
so you can skip straight to the part you need without depending on the content
you skipped over to get there.
They
talk about physical ramifications of grief, the complexity of emotions, shaken
faith, and how to navigate life forward after loss.
You
know what? Even if you’re not a teen, I think you could benefit from this book
in times of grief, because it’s written simplistically enough that a mind
befuddled by loss can comprehend it.
The end
of the book offers phone numbers and websites that help the grieving, a
playlist for the hurting, novels, movies, and verses that might be fitting, and
advice on how to practically navigate grief.
I
bought this book to give it away, which I did, but I’ll be buying one for my
own bookshelf, and I’ll be gifting it again. So grateful to have stumbled upon
it.
**
I’ve
mentioned before that I purchased several books recommended by a friend of mine
– all for the purpose of knowing better how to do my job even better. One of
those books is called The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker.
This book is not a faith-based book at all, though the author does nod to a
variety of church gatherings. Because it isn’t faith-based, there were pieces
of it that didn’t really align with the way church and church-affiliated group
gatherings operate. But there was much in this book that gave me great
food for thought.
Priya
Parker is an expert on gatherings. (I didn’t even realize that was a thing, but
it is!) Vocationally, she works with all kinds of groups to help them form more
purposeful gatherings. She has great advice on things like how to understand
the reason you’re gathering in the first place, how to bring unity into a group
that seems to have little in common, how to begin well, how to end well, and
how to use controversy to your benefit.
I
underlined several things that I think will help me as I create small groups
and work in other group-oriented settings within the church. In her
introduction, Priya said, “We spend our lives gathering…and we spend much of
that time in uninspiring, underwhelming moments that fail to capture us, change
us in any way, or connect us to one another.” I certainly don’t want that to be
the story of the groups I help create or lead.
Even
though there were parts that didn’t apply to me, I am glad I read the book,
because the parts that did apply were worth the time!
**
The Power of the Other by Dr. Henry Cloud was next on my list, and it
was also one that had been recommended to me for my new job. I’ve read and
enjoyed a couple of books by Dr. Cloud before, but this one just didn’t do much
for me. It was a pretty easy read…done in about three readings…but it didn’t
hold my attention, and I didn’t find it as riveting as I’d hoped.
The
book explains how relationships with others around you have a profound impact
on what you do (or don’t do), and I agree with that. I agree that relationships
have far more influence than we give them credit for, and I agree that leaders
should pay attention to the relationships around them to make sure they are benefiting
from, not being hindered by, those close to them.
The
book felt textbooky to me, and I didn’t love the writing style. I did underline
a few things that I would return to as advice to carry forward, but I don’t
know that I would recommend this one or reread it in its entirety. Maybe it was
just a miss for me, and you might find it much more helpful!
**
After
the two above books that didn’t speak to the core of my soul, I needed something
that connected with me on every level in the world. So I picked up
The Turquoise Table. I read it in one sitting. To be fair,
it’s easy to do. The pages are thick, the spacing wide, and there are color
pictures and recipes sprinkled throughout.
But
THIS was the perfect book. I read it on a hard day, and it was medicine for the
soul. The author, Kristin Schell, prayed a deep, heartfelt prayer for God to
show her how to open her life and home to others. And He did. Through a
beautiful story that I won’t spoil for you, she ended up with a picnic table
(which she painted turquoise) right in her front yard. She would sit at the
table to do her work and chat with neighbors as they wandered by, walking dogs,
taking a stroll, or on their way to see someone.
Over
time, her turquoise table became a meeting place for conversations, and then
others began putting turquoise tables in THEIR front yards. There are now
turquoise tables in all fifty states and in 13 countries, and they are symbols
of hospitality. Yu can even register your table and be part of the official
community of turquoise tables!
Did
this book make me want to put a turquoise table on our front porch? Absolutely.
(Our front yard is very small…the porch makes more sense.) But more
importantly, did the book teach me about the importance of community and why it
matters to simply pursue it and not worry about Pinteresty perfection?
Absolutely. I marked so many things that I want to employ in my personal life –
and also in my work at the church.
Oh how
glad I am that Kristin wrote this book and that I read it on the day my soul
needed it the most.
**
My next
book was also turquoise, but that is just coincidental. Jordan Raynor’s book Called to Create was a thought-provoking read for me.
The
book is really geared at entrepreneurs, which I’m not, but I am doing a lot of
creating in my job, so I was able to take away some really helpful tidbits of
information.
Jordan
writes about how God is the Creator, and He has put in our hearts a desire to
create in one form or another. He also talks about how our work, creative or
otherwise, should be focused on bringing glory to God’s name and not our own
benefit. Our creative work, regardless of how we create, can be used to
fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples for the Lord.
When I
read books about creativity, it stirs up even more creativity in my soul. This
book was no exception. I have so many projects this summer that I want to
create, and now I’m reminded that those projects matter for God, and they
matter for eternity.
Whether
or not you’re an entrepreneur, I think this book can remind you of the value of
the work you do! And if you’re a creative soul like I am, it can spur on fresh
ideas as you do what you do!
**
I’m almost
done with my next book, but I didn’t finish it in time to include in this
recap. I’ll have it done before June ends, and who knows? Maybe I’ll squeeze in
one more, too!
