41 Books in 11 Months

This month, I would have returned stateside from the World Race. 

While some friends kept track of every place they slept, or how many planes, trains and automobiles they rode, I kept track of all the books I read. 

I never fell out of love with reading, I just never prioritized it. Rewind to Month One in China, the delicate combination of scarce wifi and a required-yet-limited-VPN had me frequently bumped off social media. As a millennial (siiigh) I yearned for something to replace the time I had intimately acquainted with consuming technology. 

These books kept me from gluing myself to the news, they kept me occupied on moving vehicles (an acquired skill), and they’re the result of never catching onto the TV craze (I’ve only ever binge watched How I Met Your Mother and MCU). 

More importantly, these books are strings of hearts, binding a myriad of emotions, thoughts and experiences together; all the strange and difficult things to describe, these authors put ink to the ineffable. These authors built universes in my brain, and these stories taught me about empathy, solidarity, connection and HUMANITY. Books have, ultimately, become some of the most fundamental tools of my spiritual journey. We are saved by stories. Reading is like collecting postcards from all these author’s lives (as you’ll notice, memoirs are my favorite).

* indicates a favorite book

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Some books were read by the squad:

1. The Art of Listening Prayer, by Seth Barnes

2. 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures, by Jayson Georges

3. Brushko: The Astonishing True Story of a 19-year-old American, His Capture by the Motilone Indians and His Adventures in Christianizing the Stone Age Tribe, by Bruce Olson

4. Practicing His Presence, by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach

5. God Guides, by Mary Geegh

 

Some books were recommended through the race or by friends on the race:

6. The God Ask, by Steve Shadrach

7. Kingdom Journeys, by Seth Barnes

8. Keep Your Love On, by Danny Silk

9. The Luke 10 Manual, by Steve and Marilyn Hill

10. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

11. The Power of the Blood Covenant, by Malcom Smith *

12. The Concept of god in Major Religions, by Dr. Zakir Naik

13. Higher, by Nicolina Hellstrom and Emma Svenson

14. Who Am I?, by Jeff Little

15. The Final Quest, by Rick Joyner

 

Some I re-read for a sense of familiarity in an ever-changing environment, for lightness in contrast to the heavy work we were doing.

16. Present Over Perfect, by Shauna Niequist

17. 7: An experimental mutiny against excess, by Jen Hatmaker *

18. Love Does, by Bob Goff

19. Wild, by Cheryl Strayed *

20. Carry On, Warrior, by Glennon Doyle Melton

21. Tiny Beautiful Things, by Cheryl Strayed

22. Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge

23. The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, by Timothy Keller

24. Come Matter Here, by Hannah Brencher

25. Love Lives Here, by Maria Goff

 

Some pertaining to social justice. 

26. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, by Austin Channing Brown *

27. Know My Name, by Chanel Miller *

28. White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo

29. Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race, by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum

 

One I picked up in a hostel in Georgia. 

30. Unexpected, by Christine Caine

 

Some, just because. 

31. Becoming, by Michelle Obama *

32. Bread and Wine, by Shauna Niequist *

33. Of Mess and Moxie, by Jen Hatmaker

34. When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi *

35. Bittersweet, by Shauna Niequist

36. The Opposite of Loneliness, by Marina Keegan

37. If You Only Knew, by Jamie Ivey

38. Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther 

39. Untamed, by Glennon Doyle

40. Interrupted, by Jen Hatmaker

41. Searching for Sunday, Rachel Held Evans *

 

Two I didn’t finish because I left them with friends in Azerbaijan when we evacuated.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Trustworthy/ Study of 1 and 2 Kings, by Lysa TerKeurst 

 

Two I opened and didn’t finish, just because.

East of Eden, by John Steineck

Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

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Join me in prayer: Lord, thank you for authors that steward their story well. Our stories tell the redemption and faithfulness of You, we can’t help but declare what You have done. You have authored these stories for a purpose, a holy, glorious purpose.