What I'm Reading

I know, I know. I'm overdue for a blog post as I was reminded by an avid fellow blogger...thanks for that.

To be honest, I have no idea how to be consistent with this blogging thing. I make off like I'm some sort of blogging expert when the reality is is that I'm a blogging newbie.

There are no rules in blogging! With my creative writing degree, I should embrace this paradigm instead of shying away from it like a horse shies away from a dark, scary forest (or at least the cartoon horses do in movies like Beauty and the Beast). I don't even know who reads this thing besides the above mentioned blogger and Liz. Maybe one of you has some advice on how to be a consistent blogger...?

So in between lesson prep, church, classes, tutoring, and social activities, I am reading four books right now. That's right, FOUR. This is pretty typical for me post college. The only difference between now and when I was at university (what they call college in Thailand) is that I get to choose what I read and...oh yeah, no pesky deadlines (oh deadlines, how I miss you).

Here's what I'm reading:

1. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I'm only on page 14 but I feel like this book is going to teach me a lot about communing with God wherever I am. The blurb on the back says: "Brother Lawrence was a humble man who followed the direct path to communion with God. For him, there was no distinction between a time of business and a time of worship. He felt the presence of God whether he was working in his kitchen or worshipping in his church...." This is a good quiet time book.

2. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This book is MASSIVE. It's almost a thousand pages long and not a fast read. I am however highly motivated to finish for two reasons. First, my friend Jen from LifePoint is also reading LM as a part of our casual book club. She was an English major in college too and we both miss that sort of intellectual dialogue about books and things. Second, the movie comes out on December 20th (in Thailand) and it is my goal to finish by that time. My Kindle tells me I'm more than 10% of the way through so I should certainly finish well before December.

3. Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care by Tony Merida. I've been thoroughly convicted for quite some time that God is directing me towards the plight of orphans in the world. I'm reading this book to better understand how to answer "the question that faces us as present-day followers of Jesus [which] is, How do we, in our context, live out God's heart and continue the church's history for orphan care?" I'll let you know (maybe if you're good) what comes of asking this question.

4. Moonblood: Tales of Goldstone Wood Book #3 by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. In case you were wondering, this is a "fun read" but not altogether without value or purpose. I'd compare this series to C.S. Lewis' Narnia tales--a romp that goes somewhere. I found the first book in this series on one of my favorite websites, Gospel E-books fo' free!