We’re back from our May furlough, and summer is in full swing! I’ve been struggling to find time to read. Just one more book finished this month. But, boy, was it a good one!
The Boys in the Boat! After seeing it on some friends’ reading lists, I decided to go for it. It didn’t disappoint! I knew nothing about rowing before reading this. But no matter. I learned. This was bigger than some informational book on rowing. Ideas like individualism, teamwork, perseverance, loss, the power of words, determination, trust, family, pride, and love were brought out. Even though I already knew the outcome for these Olympic heroes, I held my breath down to the very last race. The epilogue had me in tears. What an earthly legacy these boys left. But what about an eternal inheritance? Oh, my heart. Did any of them know Jesus?
Some of my favorite quotes from this month are below!
To defeat an adversary who was your equal, maybe even your superior, it wasn’t necessarily enough to just give your all from start to finish. You had to master your opponent mentally. When the critical moment in a close race was upon you, you had to know something he did not–that down in your core you still had something in reserve….¹
“It takes energy to get angry. It eats you up inside. I can’t waste my energy like that and expect to get ahead.” ¹
Where is the spiritual value of rowing? … The losing of self entirely to the cooperative effort of the crew as a whole. -George Yeoman Pocock ¹
Oh, who should drag me into a great city, if I did not know there is another world! How gladly could I spend the remainder of a busy life in solitude… ²
My lodging was not such as I should have chosen; but what Providence chooses is always good. ²
¹ The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown
² The Journal of John Wesley
Finished this gem. This heartbreaking, bittersweet gem. I could hardly put Before We Were Yours down, although at times I wanted to since this fictional story was based on true events that happened in American history. It’s insane to think that children were carried away from their families even as they walked home from school, just to be “sold” to others. I knew nothing about Georgia Tann or her adoption schemes that took place between the 20’s and 50’s. I’m interested to read more, so I put The Baby Thief by Barbara Raymond on my “To Read” list. Whew!
A.D. 30 was the first piece of fiction I’ve read since Redeeming Love – and let’s be honest. Nothing holds a candle to that one. I really enjoyed the setting of A.D. 30; a few of the characters were interesting. I liked how Dekker intertwined these fictional people into the story of Jesus – or rather, how their meeting Jesus completely altered the course of their lives. I wouldn’t give the book 5 stars, but it kept my attention. I’ll probably pick up the sequel someday.
It’s hard being a mom. I know in my heart that the gospel changes everything – even how I view my role as a mother. But I so easily forget that Christ’s love for me, His work on the cross, His living Word – these gifts offer me the opportunity to respond to frustrating situations and mundane circumstances with His perspectives. What a breath of fresh air this book was for my worn-out self. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting this wonderful little read in the years to come. (Thanks to my sweet sister-in-law for gifting it to me a couple of years ago!)
A good friend of Freedom gifted each of us missionaries a copy of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. Lois Tverberg looks at important biblical truths and interprets them from a Jewish point of view. This book made me realize just how much I don’t know about the Bible. I felt like I was underlining every sentence. Lots of interesting and convicting information to take in. How deep and rich and precious is God’s Word!
The Mitcheners 