Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Taking In

I've been to Church Camp and back with the kids. We've been swimming at the state park, been spelunking in a local cave, etc. We really are having a wonderful summer. I'm even having all kinds of blog-gable thoughts. I've been wondering why I really haven't written much of anything recently. Well, the mystery is over. I'm in a 'taking in' mood. Those are phases I get in where my bedside table, the back of the toilet, the coffee table, even the passenger seat of my car begin to grow book stacks. I start feeling pensive, internalizing thoughts. Sometimes (and maybe some of you out there can relate to this) I feel like my brain is having flickers of new thoughts, of great things to come. It's a quiet time internally, a bit like the tuner of an old radio passing quickly through stations, picking up bits of white noise, static, a snatch of a song. Then suddenly a symphony of thoughts will burst forth, a phase of deep personal growth. Of changes, of (hopefully) maturation of views.

So, while I'm taking in I thought I'd simply share a sampling of what's in my bookstacks these days, and a teensy review in case you're in need of a good book:

1. High Call, High Privilege by Gail MacDonald (my number one pick of the last five years!!!! Should be next to the Bible on the shelf of any woman whose husband is in ministry. Planning to do a full review of this book soon. Reading MacDonald is just so edifying, so practical, so uplifting, so real!)
2. Too Small to Ignore by Wess Stafford (just started, picked up based on a radio interview I heard of his story some years ago- so far, so good)
3. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (a highly-acclaimed Civil War novel, really has a talent for bringing the Lees, Grants, etc. to life, warts and all)
4. The Ezekiel Option by Joel C. Rosenberg (a fictional thriller by a man with his pulse on the Middle East)
5. The Pilgrim Nazarene Church Manual (since I'm translating it ;o)

What I'm listening to (since I'm a multitasker):
1. Lawson Rollins (Spanish guitar- great for waking up in the mornings)
2. Doris Day and peers (great for quiet evenings after the kids have gone to bed; and for Sunday food prep on Saturday night); when I was a kid, we had "Encore" on the radio on Saturday nights, featuring the golden oldies.

Whether you're in a taking in mood or a giving out mood, I hope you're having a wonderful summer!!!