On the nightstand {2013}

Book Lover6 Comments0

norton anthology

Who will influence you this year? The people you spend time with are the most significant influences in your life. And while we don’t always have a choice about who we spend time with in person, we do have a choice about who we spend time with on the screen and on the page. What blogs will you follow? What shows will you watch? And, my personal favorite: Whose words will you let wash over you this year?

This past year I was thankful to read the following books. These are the ones I’d recommend to you (top picks have *); it was time well-spent in their pages:

Annual re-reads include The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer and Humility by Andrew Murray.

Also, 2011’s list is here, if you’re looking for more great reads AND a Fifteen Fiction books are here in case you’re looking for some fun sprinkled in with the serious stuff.

And now, drumroll please.  2013’s nightstand:
(Had to sneak that last one on there! Not sure of the subtitle, but I am hoping it will make it to nightstands by the end of this year!)
My stack of books isn’t as high as years prior because this year, my real hope is to hide more of one Book in my heart and mind. I MUST keep my mind full of God’s Word or I seriously slip downhill. I was so inspired by Ann Voskamp’s post here. I’m going to do her Romans Project Memorization this year, in place of a few more books on the nightstand. Will you join me?
{What were your favorite reads of 2012 and what’s on your nightstand for 2013? Consider who will influence you this year. Thanks for sharing and reading!}

The Hawk and the Dove

Sacred Mundane1 Comment0

This is a huge statement, but right now I’m reading the most amazing, life-changing fiction book I have ever read. I had no idea … It’s sat on my mother-in-law’s bookshelf for as long as I can remember. It looked a little odd, the cover looking like it had a Lord of the Rings flavor to it. Then in November, a friend who loves books suggested I read this trilogy called the Hawk and the Dove (click there to see it at Amazon–it’s only $10). Okay, fair enough. It started really slow, and so I started it several times then tucked it away for another time. Several weeks ago, I picked it back and up and decided I’d better give it another chance. I had no idea what I was in for. Now, after every chapter I have to battle the temptation to sit down and try to somehow convey the power and brilliant insight that each chapter portrays. Every chapter leaves me with this aching, with increasing awareness of who God is, what love is, and who I long to be.

The book is simple. A girl is relaying various stories told to her by her mother. Stories of a certain Brigittine monastery, and a certain Abbot Peregrine, a broken man in every way, and the lives of the men under his care. Their lives are so varied, that I see myself in every single one. But most of all the abbot, the broken abbot, is so profoundly Christlike, it’s amazing. I read this book and cannot help but mourn when I consider how far I am from scraping the surface of Christlikeness and humility.

Tonight’s chapter, though, had me weeping in repentance. God’s Wounds it is called. In it we read of a simple story. A boy, privileged, pampered, and spoiled, who comes to see the true utter wretchedness of himself in the presence of God. The story was like holding up the most exposing mirror I have ever seen. My selfishness, self-centeredness, vanity, pride literally made me feel nauseous. I don’t say this to scare you away from reading the book–perhaps to someone like you who is a little less wretched than myself it won’t be so convicting! But not every chapter is like this–it’s also funny, insightful, touching. It gives glimpses into the intricate folds of humanity like nothing I’ve ever read. And it understands the majesty of the glorious God we serve like nothing I’ve ever seen.

So, I think I’d actually qualify this as a plea–read this book. Please read this book. And persevere through the very beginnning. I’d love to hear from anyone else who’s read it. And thanks to Linnea and to Janie. I had no idea what I was in for …