Lenten reading
Lent has begun. It's a time to remember the suffering of Jesus as well as those who suffer all around the world today. In high school, I remember they would serve fish on Fridays during Lent in the school cafeteria. Some fast in the traditional sense during Lent, others give up their favorite treats like chocolate, alcohol, or soda. These things don't have such a strong hold on me. I definitely feel it if I fast for a whole day, but lately I've either been pregnant or nursing during Lent, so these last two years I've decided to focus on a different area for "fasting": books.
Last year it occurred to me that I could give up fiction for Lent. I like to read in a fluid sort of way, following the currents of themes that catch my fancy, starting a book on whim after I hear it discussed, or delving into a few books by the same author. I am grateful for the Libby app on my phone that allows me to check out ebooks of new releases through my library. Yet it's easy to get carried away with books, and I hate the feeling I have from having a phone in my hand for long stretches of time during a day, even if I'm reading. My overarching reading goal for 2019 is to read books that I already own, especially physical books. So for Lent I've suspended the holds in my Libby app and am turning my attention to those Christian books on my bookshelves. So far, it's been effective. Though there have been books that keep me whipping through the pages; generally the books call me to a thoughtful space, where a few pages are enough, and my mind returns to the books after I've set them down.
So far, here are the books I've read/am currently reading this Lent:
George Washington Carver: Man's Slave Becomes God's Scientist by David R. Collins
Most know Carver as the inventor of peanut butter, but I became really touched by the example of his life while I was a college student. While walking through Tuskegee campus in Alabama, I saw his botanical paintings exhibited alongside the microscope he'd received as a gift from Iowa State University when he left to work at Tuskegee. I was touched by the stories of how the accounting office would pester him to cash his paychecks, which he usually only did when he wanted to help someone in need. He travelled around educating white and black farmers alike in order to help them better work and care for the land. This biography (aimed at upper elementary or middle schoolers) starts with his life as a young boy and describes his efforts to obtain an education and his work in Iowa and later at Tuskegee. The incidents are chosen well, though it seems to soften the edges on the discrimination he experienced (understandable when it's directed at a young audience). It's encouraging how Collins worked to show the integration of Carver's faith into all of his endeavors.
Torches of Joy by John Dekker with Loi
This book follows the missionary journey of John Dekker and his wife Helen to the Dani people of Irian Jaya beginning in 1960. Not only is it an inspiring story of faith, it is also a glowing example of ministry done in a way that truly respects the culture it's coming to. At the end of the book, there is a section that outlines these principles, things like training up indigenous leaders, spreading literacy, training those indigenous leaders to become missionaries to surrounding tribes, etc. The Dekkers clearly taught gospel principles and let the Dani work out how to apply them (for example, after reading that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, the Dani adopted more hygienic practices, including no longer having their pigs live with them and also concluded that smoking would not be an act that honors the body)
Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of WWII by Darlene Deibler Rose
This book was a natural follow-up to Torches of Joy even though I hadn't originally realized that it was also taking place in a similar geographical region. Darlene and her husband entered the missionfield together in 1938, and in the preface to the story, you learn that what follows is years in a Japanese prison camp. It's a book full of heartbreak and Christ's powerful sustenance. As an Iowan, I perked up when I read that Darlene also grew up in Iowa. Her example of faith and strength in the midst of the squalor of prison camp is inspiring, and it's a book I can see myself coming back to.
Soul Sisters: Women in Scripture Speak to Women Today by Edwina Gateley (poet) and Louis S. Glanzman (artist)
This book features 12 paintings of women from the New Testament, paintings which together with Biblical accounts inspire the poetry of Edwina Gateley. I'm trying to read one per day. The paintings are beautiful (the one on the cover is of Jairus' daughter; personally, I wish they'd chosen another for the cover, since that particular one isn't among my favorites). The poems are very accessible, and one doesn't have to be a regular reader of poetry to grasp them. And as poetry, they are showing Gateley's response to these paintings and these women; the poems shouldn't be mistaken for canon. The narratives seemed to emphasize the oppression of women; it seems unjust to assume that every female that encountered Jesus was constantly trod upon. When depicted, Jesus is presented in a lovely and loving way, but I feel this collection misses an opportunity to show the beautiful work Jesus did in these women's lives. In my opinion the speculation was unbalanced. Still, I find the paintings a good place to stop and meditate as I reread the stories of these women from the Bible.
Dirty Glory by Pete Greig is a book I received this Christmas. I can't believe I let it sit in my flat unread until Lent. This book is an encouraging and challenging exploration of prayer. Greig is a part of the 24/7 prayer movement, and this book tells the stories of not only that movement, but specific incidences of lives being lived in faith with active, believing prayer. If you were to pick up only one book from this list, I would recommend this one. I'm keen to go out and get some of his other books.
Perhaps this book more than the others makes me want to commit to a yearly fiction-free Lent.
Last year it occurred to me that I could give up fiction for Lent. I like to read in a fluid sort of way, following the currents of themes that catch my fancy, starting a book on whim after I hear it discussed, or delving into a few books by the same author. I am grateful for the Libby app on my phone that allows me to check out ebooks of new releases through my library. Yet it's easy to get carried away with books, and I hate the feeling I have from having a phone in my hand for long stretches of time during a day, even if I'm reading. My overarching reading goal for 2019 is to read books that I already own, especially physical books. So for Lent I've suspended the holds in my Libby app and am turning my attention to those Christian books on my bookshelves. So far, it's been effective. Though there have been books that keep me whipping through the pages; generally the books call me to a thoughtful space, where a few pages are enough, and my mind returns to the books after I've set them down.
So far, here are the books I've read/am currently reading this Lent:
George Washington Carver: Man's Slave Becomes God's Scientist by David R. Collins
Most know Carver as the inventor of peanut butter, but I became really touched by the example of his life while I was a college student. While walking through Tuskegee campus in Alabama, I saw his botanical paintings exhibited alongside the microscope he'd received as a gift from Iowa State University when he left to work at Tuskegee. I was touched by the stories of how the accounting office would pester him to cash his paychecks, which he usually only did when he wanted to help someone in need. He travelled around educating white and black farmers alike in order to help them better work and care for the land. This biography (aimed at upper elementary or middle schoolers) starts with his life as a young boy and describes his efforts to obtain an education and his work in Iowa and later at Tuskegee. The incidents are chosen well, though it seems to soften the edges on the discrimination he experienced (understandable when it's directed at a young audience). It's encouraging how Collins worked to show the integration of Carver's faith into all of his endeavors.
Torches of Joy by John Dekker with LoiThis book follows the missionary journey of John Dekker and his wife Helen to the Dani people of Irian Jaya beginning in 1960. Not only is it an inspiring story of faith, it is also a glowing example of ministry done in a way that truly respects the culture it's coming to. At the end of the book, there is a section that outlines these principles, things like training up indigenous leaders, spreading literacy, training those indigenous leaders to become missionaries to surrounding tribes, etc. The Dekkers clearly taught gospel principles and let the Dani work out how to apply them (for example, after reading that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, the Dani adopted more hygienic practices, including no longer having their pigs live with them and also concluded that smoking would not be an act that honors the body)
Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of WWII by Darlene Deibler RoseThis book was a natural follow-up to Torches of Joy even though I hadn't originally realized that it was also taking place in a similar geographical region. Darlene and her husband entered the missionfield together in 1938, and in the preface to the story, you learn that what follows is years in a Japanese prison camp. It's a book full of heartbreak and Christ's powerful sustenance. As an Iowan, I perked up when I read that Darlene also grew up in Iowa. Her example of faith and strength in the midst of the squalor of prison camp is inspiring, and it's a book I can see myself coming back to.
Soul Sisters: Women in Scripture Speak to Women Today by Edwina Gateley (poet) and Louis S. Glanzman (artist)This book features 12 paintings of women from the New Testament, paintings which together with Biblical accounts inspire the poetry of Edwina Gateley. I'm trying to read one per day. The paintings are beautiful (the one on the cover is of Jairus' daughter; personally, I wish they'd chosen another for the cover, since that particular one isn't among my favorites). The poems are very accessible, and one doesn't have to be a regular reader of poetry to grasp them. And as poetry, they are showing Gateley's response to these paintings and these women; the poems shouldn't be mistaken for canon. The narratives seemed to emphasize the oppression of women; it seems unjust to assume that every female that encountered Jesus was constantly trod upon. When depicted, Jesus is presented in a lovely and loving way, but I feel this collection misses an opportunity to show the beautiful work Jesus did in these women's lives. In my opinion the speculation was unbalanced. Still, I find the paintings a good place to stop and meditate as I reread the stories of these women from the Bible.
Dirty Glory by Pete Greig is a book I received this Christmas. I can't believe I let it sit in my flat unread until Lent. This book is an encouraging and challenging exploration of prayer. Greig is a part of the 24/7 prayer movement, and this book tells the stories of not only that movement, but specific incidences of lives being lived in faith with active, believing prayer. If you were to pick up only one book from this list, I would recommend this one. I'm keen to go out and get some of his other books.Perhaps this book more than the others makes me want to commit to a yearly fiction-free Lent.
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