Paul began a new method for both maintaining friendship and also bolstering his mood during the winter. He reads books with friends. I'm pretty sure he's read through about six or seven books since November and honestly, he deserves props. My hat is off to him because he anticipated what I scoffed at, that wintertime would make me a lazy reader, and he put a plan in plan to combat that habit.
So now I know that his method works. Get ready friends, next year I might be calling you up and asking you to read a book with me so that I can get together with people over something that stimulates my mind more than scrolling through Instagram on long, dark winter days : )
Still, I'm making some progress. Slowly. I tried listening to audiobooks but found that I couldn't concentrate on listening when doing anything other than driving or sitting on the couch with my eyes closed. Boo. I'll be halfway through a chapter and realize that I've mostly been thinking about the recipe I'm making, the floor I'm cleaning or jeans I need to buy for Jack (as I fold the laundry.)
Nope, I need words in front of my eyes for reading to work. I'm owning my limitations. With that said, here are the words that I am currently putting in front of my eyes these days : )
"The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime" by Phyllis Tickle
A Prayer Appointed for the Week
"Give us Grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the God News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
"On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts" by James Smith
This book was impulsively placed on my Amazon wish-list because I saw its cover, thought it was artistic (and I like Augustine too...I'm not THAT shallow,) and figured I might want to investigate it farther. Then one day, it arrived on my doorstep unannounced, a lovely Christmas present from a family member who takes Amazon wish-lists seriously : )
The book turned out to be a confluence of a couple things that intrigue me. First, I love history and in re-telling parts of Saint Augustine's life, I learn more about the early church and the culture where it was growing. Second, I have always enjoyed the thoughts that Augustine left with the church. He is insightful and gives voice to ideas that feel very modern and pertinent to my own life. Lastly, the author speaks to the existentialist in me. If Paul is a modernist to the hilt, then I am a little more postmodern in my epistemology. James Smith, as it turns out, sees the world through eyes similar to mine. I'm very much enjoying it.
My caveats would be that the writing is a little dense and repetitious. The author, I think, likes the sound of his own thoughts just a bit too much and I sometimes find myself saying, "wait, I'm pretty sure you've already made this point before using other, equally loquacious arguments." Also, Mr. Smith falls a little farther to the left in theological beliefs than I, so there are some assertions regarding Christianity with which I respectfully disagree.
Still, thus far, his main point is one that I fully embrace. Augustine is an everyman. A restless wanderer who seeks fulfillment and identity above all else but finds, much to his frustration and despair, only emptiness and disappointment in all the promises of the world. He is a proto-existentialist, embracing the philosophy of life before it was made popular by the likes of Nietzsche and Heidegger in the 1900s : ) It wasn't until he found the gospel that he also found rest. And once that rest was found, he championed it to anyone who would listen. He's still talking to us today! Reminding us that as humans we will not be satisfied, fully and completely satisfied, until we find our sure footing on the rock of ages.
Anyway, I'm about a third through the book. Thumbs up, thus far.
"This is not a book about Augustine. In a way, it’s a book Augustine has written about you. It’s a journey with Augustine as a journey into oneself. It’s a travelogue of the heart. It’s a road trip with a prodigal who’s already been where you think you need to go.”
“The question isn't whether you're going to believe, but who; it's not merely about what to believe, but who to entrust yourself to. Do we really think humanity is our best bet? Do we really think we are the answer to our problems, we who've generated all of them? The problem with everything from Enlightenment scientism to mushy Eat-Pray-Love-ism is us. If anything looks irrational, it's the notion that we are our own best hope.”
"The Gift of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels" by Thomas Cahill
When I don't know what to read, I read Thomas Cahill. Thus far, his books have always been a comforting pastime. Not an exhausting page-turner that I can't ignore even though life is desperately calling, but also not bland or virtuous, like a book that I know I should read but don't really want to read. His writing strikes the perfect balance for me. I can slide into his recounting of history with ease, enjoy it for as long as I have and then set it aside without frustration. The writing style is witty with understated moments of pure humor as he explains the ways that previous humans navigated life.
This particular book delves into a nonfaith-based look at the Jewish culture and its impact on human history. Though what he see as fiction I see as fact, I can nonetheless appreciate the historical perspective. Where he see happenstance I see providence. So it's all good : )
"Rather, in the prescriptions of Jewish law we cannot but note a presumption that all people, even slaves, are human and that all human lives are sacred. The constant bias is in favor not of the powerful and their possessions but of the powerless and their poverty; and there is even a frequent enjoinder to sympathy: “A sojourner you are not to oppress: you yourselves know (well) the feelings of the sojourner, for sojourners were you in the land of Egypt.” This bias toward the underdog is unique not only in ancient law but in the whole history of law. However faint our sense of justice may be, insofar as it operates at all it is still a Jewish sense of justice.”
"A History of Western Philosophy and Theology" by John M Frame
I can't say much other than that I am still reading it! Haha! It's a very long book. I'm currently knee-deep in the beliefs and teachings of the early church fathers. It's fascinating, but not exactly the most quotable of sections. I come away from this chapter very thankful that God's spirit led these men and helped them cling to the truth that they knew. So much of our foundational understanding of theology is as a result of stands that these men took against deceptive heresies. Anyway, I'll leave you with a quote from Saint Augustine, whom I am learning to enjoy more and more these days : )
“I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I have never read in either of them: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden.”
Finished Books:
"The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure" by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
"Life in a Medieval Castle" by Frances Gies and Joseph Gies
"Knowing God" by J.I. Packer
"Food Fights and Culture Wars: A Secret History of Taste" by Tom Nealon
"Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well" by Sam Sifton
"Hearing God" by Dallas Willard
"Night Shift Dragons" Rachel Aaron
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