Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.
John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
This post does not contain affiliate links. The books I’ve read, the words others have birthed – I will not make a commission on, rather pass along their worth.
Visit any person’s bookshelf and you’ll be given access to their world. The words people read tell a lot about the person, their interests, hobbies, soul searches, and dream endeavors. As the summer is coming to a close, here is a list of books that held my attention over the last few months along with a few of my highlights that enticed me to keep turning pages.
Humble Roots, by Hannah Anderson
“Jesus’ humanity restores our humanity. Jesus’ humility restores our humility. The temptation, of course, is to bypass Jesus altogether. The temptation is to read these verses as a model for our behavior and then attempt to live them out in our own strength. We believe Jesus to be the perfect humanity and even see His humility as the ideal. But then we strive for the ideal apart from Him. We insert ourselves in the narrative as if we were Jesus. We talk about being “Jesus’ hands and feet” and then proceed to act independently of Him. We ask, “What would Jesus do?” but really mean, “What would Jesus do if He were me?” We forget that without the Breath of Life in us, we are nothing but dirt.” – Chapter 4, In the Likeness of Men
“Within the church, the message can be just as mixed. Women are simultaneously celebrated for being “smoking hot wives” at the same time they are told that their bodies are a source of temptation, a ticking time bomb that, for love of their brother, they must defuse . . . Men also receive confusing messages about sexuality: On the one hand, a natural appreciation for beauty becomes equated with lust, resulting in shame for even noticing the attractiveness of a woman (or another man). But when age causes a man’s sex drive to wane, the same shame tells him to seek out small blue pills to recover his manhood. The result is widespread and profound rejection of the goodness of our physical bodies.” – Chapter 5, Unashamed
Humble Roots, how humility grounds and nourishes your soul – is just that. Its simplicity touches deep places that need correcting in a gentle way.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
This is not a “hate on your parents” book. Behaviors and words we’ve grown up with shape us greatly … until one day … we begin to see that guilt, shame, neglect, sarcasm, defensiveness, etc., didn’t make for good relationship. I didn’t highlight in this book, rather read pages with a perspective of understanding emotional responses (mine and others). If you’ve ever wondered why some relationships are emotionally hard, or … why you don’t ask for help? why you put yourself last with your needs? why you consider others before considering yourself (and if you do, you feel guilty for it)? … why you apologize for your emotions? why you don’t speak up and avoid confrontation?
Like I stated above, this isn’t a “blame your parents” for all your problems, however it is a good read to see what is healthy and what is not – and, stop defeating inner chatter that tells you you’re not good enough, doing enough, or are responsible for fixing other people’s emotional needs.
As summer is coming to a close this book is another gentle read by Hannah Anderson that will carry me into the upcoming months. Using natures rhythms to deeper insight into scripture, we’re ushed unto greater understanding and revelatory contentment.
“So too you must awaken each day. You must walk through the dew. You must gather what you have not sown. You must return to Him morning by morning for your daily provision. Because make no mistake, it will be provided. – Summer
“And suddenly we realize that we too are creatures of habit and memory. We realize how certain paths have been pressed down to us and how we lead our young down those same paths” . . . “And so we talk about them when we’re bedding down and when we’re rising up and when we’re walking along the read. So that in leading them down the same path over and over again, together we find our way. We find our way to the source and fulfillment of all that our hearts long for. We find our way to Him.” – Fall
Did you turn pages over the summer? I’d love to hear what you read or are reading! ♥
