Reading Adventures

I haven't written lately. Some days, I think "I should write," but I don't. 

Instead, I grab a book. 

I've fallen back into reading, and it's been beautiful.

Join me in my happy place:

Here. This living room. This couch. 

This stack of books. 

Allow me to introduce you to my friends.

From Bondage to Liberty: Dance, Children, Dance by Jim Rayburn III. 

It's a biography of the founder of Young Life written by his son. It's beautifully honest. You're told of the familial struggles and the mistakes. You're told how the ministry that introduced ridiculous teenage Kayla to the beautiful character of Jesus first proclaimed "It's a sin to bore a kid with the gospel." 

I'm not done yet, but this book is all sorts of honest goodness.

You and Me Forever by Francis Chan and Lisa Chan.

Honestly, I bought this book because they said the proceeds go to help an international ministry close to their hearts. It's a book about marriage, which seems weird for me to read as a single person. But it's so refreshing to hear people talk about marriage in light of eternity. It's nice to see them proclaim, "Marriage is great, but it's not forever."

Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

This short gem is beautiful. It points to the importance of community and bearing with one another. Although it's short, it's definitely not a quick read. It's a read-a-few-pages-and-pause-to-digest-that-heavy-goodness sort of read. 

I Am a Tool (to help with your dating life) by Shelby Abbott.

For those of you who know me well, you might be thinking, "Really, Kayla? Another relationship book? What happened to you?" 

Because I don't typically delve into relationship books. They're just not my thing. But this was written by a Cru staff member, and it's highly endorsed by the ministry. So I wanted to check out what a college ministry I respect is using to tell college students about relationships.

The book is really easy to read. Shelby is an entertaining story-teller. He's honest. But I have to admit I was disappointed even though he covered a lot of difficult American dating topics well. I think he had a beautiful opportunity to address relationships in the new heavens and the new earth, but he missed it. He addresses the fact that "Singleness is Not a Curse" in its own chapter, but he didn't really expound on the fact that singleness is a blessing. There was so much potential, and I wish more of it would have been realized.

Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King, Jr.

A group in my church is reading this book to look at what social justice efforts look like. It's the story of the Montgomery bus boycott. The goal of this group is to consider how we can strive toward freedom here in Sioux Falls in areas where social justice is lacking. 

I am delightfully surprised by how good this book is. It's not just informational; it's a genuine story. It's the story of God redeeming hearts. It's the story of people of faith. It's wonderful.

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

My church asks everyone to read this book. It's a children's bible that shows how every bible story whispers the name of Jesus. It's all about him. This is the best children's bible I have ever read. It is so stinkin' good. I'm holding onto this one.

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef.

This is a book that I have taken way too long to read. It's a great biography of a Palestinian Muslim meeting Jesus in the unrest of the Palestine-Israel conflict. It's a story of redemption and counting up the cost to follow Jesus. 

It is also a helpful introduction to the Palestine-Israel conflict. It's not an overwhelming history; it's his story, and within his story, Mosab Hassan Yousef introduces the reader to the greater history of his homeland.

The City of God by Augustine. 

After our life group talked about Augustine the other week, I went out and bought this book. Honestly, I had no idea it was this big; it's big enough to almost hurt my small hand from stretching to grip it well. I haven't read much of it, but I'm excited to dive deeper into the writings of this brilliant theologian. 

The back of the book summarizes the premise well: "The City of God addresses the thorny but perennially relevant issue of how Christians are to live in this world while preparing for the next. Saint Augustine presents us with a model of two cities: the City of Man, based on human self-love, and the City of God, based on grace, humility, and religious toleration."

Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende.

My roommate and I had a Barnes and Noble date this weekend. I didn't expect to buy anything, but after five minutes in the store, I knew I wanted to leave with a fun fiction book. I wanted to lose myself in a story. 

As we perused the bargain section, I saw "Isabel Allende" out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and grabbed her book. 

When I was in high school, I would read during my Spanish class. The teacher didn't mind because I was doing well. One day as she walked around checking to make sure we had done our homework, she glanced at the book I was reading. She asked if I liked it, and I said, "Yes, Senora." She grabbed my pen, and wrote down: "Isabel Allende Daughter of Fortune." 

That was my introduction to this Chilean author. It was a wonderful book. And so when I saw a new YA novel by her on super sale, I bought it. It's entirely different from the other book of hers that I read, but it's a gripping story. I'm looking forward to seeing how it unfolds. I'm looking forward to getting lost in some fiction.

Out of that stack of books, I have four to finish. I'm not very good at reading books straight through. I just get so excited about the next book that I dive right in with it even though my bookmarks are marking pages in unfinished stories. 

Then there's another stack of books: books I own but have yet to read. And there's an amazon wish list that grows nearly every time I open my computer. So many books. So little time. 

As I read, I'm reminded that I want to continue to write. I want to have a balance. I'm hoping this post helps me ease back into that balanced place. I want those stories to inspire me to tell my stories: the real ones and the not so real ones. 

What have you been reading lately? What stories do you want to (maybe even need to) tell?