Page Turner

That should be my new nickname, I've decided. I never thought the day would come when I would really, really enjoy reading, but the day has arrived. Since I graduated and started working, the consistent schedule frees up my nights-something I haven't had free really since middle school. Crazy. Since I was in 7th grade, I played sports year round, with practices after school which carried on through high school (there was a season when I was athletic- hard to believe, I know). Then in college, organizations and studying took over my nights...and days.


It's been nice to breathe a little and to learn to be home when I'm home. With a little more down time, I've learned to love reading and have learned so much in the past few months from it. I thought I'd share some of the books have read/I'm reading and been in encouraged so much in.

 

Crazy Love- I read this one this summer with some of my students and taught a study on it. I loved it. Francis Chan has such a sweet way of describing the joy he has in knowing Jesus and the whole time I was reading it, my desire to be like that grew and grew. I want my life to be described and known for having a crazy, passionate love for the Savior that redeemed it. If you haven't read it yet, go get it!

Corrie Ten Boom is definitely on the top of the list of my heros. This woman knew God and loved Him. In The Hiding Place, she tells the story of her journey through concentration camps during the Holocaust. She knew the depths of healing that forgiveness brings and walked it out in her own life. This book is the story of her traveling the world after she was released from the camp. I have been so challenged in the way she interacts with people. She didn't have the mentality that I have to love and serve people first before I tell them about Jesus, but I can do it all at the same time. It's as if she approaches every conversation like it could be her last chance to tell someone about the Gospel. I want to be like that, full of faith and living a life out of such thankfulness for what Jesus has done in me that I can't help but tell everyone I meet about Him. 

I know, I know- I'm 10 years behind everyone else. My friend almost had a heart attack when she found out I hadn't read this book yet. I'm not really into fiction and usually prefer to read biographies over anything else. But she let me borrow it- which automatically puts pressure on you to read it because you don't want to keep someone's book forever :) So I picked it up a few days after she gave it to me and read over 8 chapters in the first sitting (this was huge for me...I am an insanely slow reader). It was such a beautiful picture of the redemption and grace of Jesus. I think my eyes were consistently teary as I turned each page. But a beautiful story! It was really sweet reading this too as some friends have recently started a chapter of Jesus Said Love here in B/CS. This group ministers to the overlooked and forgotten and focuses on truckers and strippers. I've been blessed to be on the prayer team and pray for the girls the team ministers to- Redeeming Love paints such a detailed picture of the thought process and trap so many women fall into and has grown my tenderness towards these women so much. Go read it if you haven't yet!

There are several others I've been reading through, like Fragments that Remain and Whispers of His Power by Amy Carmichael, Brothers, We are Not Professionals by John Piper, and Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry by Lisa Bevere, that I'm looking forward to finishing because I have learned and been challenged so much already by the few chapters I've read in each one so far. I'm really thankful for the ways God uses other believers to encourage and teach us through writing- my knowing Jesus has become sweeter because of it.

And a few exciting things coming up in the next week...Friday night I'll be doing a breakout at a retreat for a Christian girls organization, Tuesday night is All Women's Breakaway (they are doing a panel this year and I'm on it!) and next weekend is Masterpiece Conference- I am the project coordinator and helping out with a breakout on mentoring with my friend, Steph and her mentor, Lucretia. I am so excited to be a part of each of these and praying for a lot of rest throughout the week, wisdom as I prepare/teach, and lots of fun! Will you pray with me?