September Book Review

We are now officially into fall which is exciting! Cooler weather, leaves changing, football, pumpkins and apples. All of that invites me to cozy up under a blanket with a good book (even though it's still 90 degrees outside). This month I cozied up with five books. You can read more about them below. If you want to read previous months' book reads, click the appropriate link: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August.

1. Made Well: Finding Wholeness in the Everyday Sacred Moments by Jenny Simmons

  This book was so good and encouraging! I'm in the process of finding healing and wholeness and this was a welcome read as I continue on this journey. Jenny talks about the tension between the heartache of death and the hope of resurrection. She shares stories from her life and from her family and friends that share the journey of navigating life through the hope of Jesus despite hardships. So many of the themes are relevant to my life right now. I would highly encourage this book to everyone (despite the shortness of the review - there's so much goodness inside I don't know where to start)! You can read a more in depth review in another post.

2. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero

  I heard about this book on an episode of The Happy Hour by Jamie Ivey podcast. Her guest said that this was a book she was recommending everyone to read. I love Christian non-fiction book so I added it to my to-read list. I received it for my birthday and finally got to it on my list. The book is so good! It was open, honest and encouraging. It has practical advice on how to grow in your emotional health including prompts to help you see where you are on your journey and exercises to practice. It is a wonderful book that I highlighted extensively and will be referencing again. I appreciated Peter's vulnerability in sharing examples of his own journey toward emotionally healthy spirituality. I would highly recommend this book!

3. Inferno: A Novel by Dan Brown

  I saw that another Robert Langdon novel was becoming a movie. It looked action-packed so I knew I needed to read it before it came out (though I probably won't see it until it's available on demand because we don't go to the movies often). I was sucked into the story immediately and raced through it wanting to know what was happening next. I had hoped that it would be my fiction read for the beach but in my quest to find out what was happening, I finished it the night before our trip.

  In the book we find Langdon waking up in a hospital in Florence with an apparent head wound from being shot at and amnesia from the injury. He doesn't know why he's been shot but he's afraid that he has done something terrible. One of the doctors at the hospital helps him escape and together they try to figure out what is going on, why Langdon is in Italy and what his pursuers want. It was a thrill ride that kept me guessing and trying to figure out who was trustworthy and what Robert was trying to discover. If you liked the other Langdon novels, this one should not disappoint.

4. The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

  I first heard of Amy Schumer when my husband and I were watching Last Comic Standing. I really enjoyed her confidence and personality. I know her humor tends to be more crude than people appreciate. Because of this reputation I was hesitant to watch Trainwreck. I really like Bill Hader so we watched it when it came to HBO. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and was quite surprised at how much I did. When I saw she was publishing an autobiographical-type book I was interested to read it and learn more about her as a person. I took it with me to the beach for fall break.
  I enjoyed the book and learning about the parallels between her real life and her movie. I did not know that so much was based on her experiences (I also didn't know that she co-wrote it with her sister). I felt like I got to know Amy Schumer the person better and get a glimpse behind her stand-up comic personality. She spoke truthfully about a lot of things I could relate to - mainly being a woman. I am glad that I read it. I have more respect and compassion for Amy know that I know more about her and her life experiences. If you are able to read a book with a decent amount of foul and vulgar language then I would think you'd find it a good read. If that language offends you, then probably skip this one.

5. The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith

  This book was a recommendation from Jen Hatmaker (not personally, just something she wrote about online). I am a homeowner with limited expertise in decorating but I still want a home that makes me smile so I am interested in books that speak to the averagely skilled person. Jen had shown her room makeover with the help of the book (her office) which I happened to get to see last year and loved (it's so cozy and inviting!). This seemed like a book for me.
  I LOVED this book! Myquillyn has manageable ideas and suggestions. Her advice is full of wisdom and experience. She encourages us to not be frozen by fear of failure or imperfection and find things that make our house homey. Not everyone has the same style and that's okay. In addition to decorating/DIY tips she also gave sound advice about ridding ourselves of fear, discontentment, and comparison (among other things). It is a book for the heart and the home. I checked it out of the library but I may have to acquire my own physical copy because it contains so much goodness. It is definitely one I recommend.



My total of completed books for the year is now up to 60! Please tell me about a book you read in September. I keep telling myself that I am going to stop purchasing books or borrowing them from the library until I read all of the ones I already have, but I just can't help myself! Do you have this "problem" as well?

Made Well: Healthy and Healing are Not Synonymous

  I had the privilege of receiving an advanced copy of Made Well: Finding Wholeness in the Everyday Sacred Moments by Jenny Simmons. I tore through it in less than a week. I loved it so much. It spoke specifically to me about various experiences in my life now and in the past. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has suffered a loss or walked through a difficult path. Jenny is so honest in sharing parts of her story and does an excellent job of sharing the stories of loss others have entrusted her with. I am not sure how else to convey the pearls of wisdom and truth gleaned in these pages other than to share some quotes from the text that resonated deeply with me. If they strike a chord with you as well, I would recommend picking up a copy for yourself. It is officially available October 4! If you pre-order before it's release, there are some freebies to be had as well.

Healing happens all the time, even if a cure doesn't. I am invited to be made well even when the broken things don't get put perfectly back together.

  I think we all often struggle with wanting everything in this world to be made perfect by God. But he has not promised to restore us completely until we are in eternity. We must continue to trust in God's provision and his timing for our healing.

As if the physical body dying were not enough to contend with, there are other deaths in this life we must walk through as well. The death of marriages, friendships, dreams, careers, relationships, stages of life, sanity and health.

  It was actually encouraging to be reminded that we all experience a number of deaths in our lives. It is healthy for us to grieve the things we lose, but we should try not to allow our lives to be defined by them. Whenever we suffer a loss, God is there with us providing comfort and offering to bring healing however he deems best.

When confession and relinquishing control become daily habits, it becomes easier to live free. Each day we are learning to live under the grace of being sparkly clean.

  I am in the process of learning to relinquish control in various areas of my life. It is not easy and I will sometimes try to reestablish control multiple times, even though I know deep down that God needs to be in control. Giving things over to him and allowing him to be responsible does give me the freedom to walk in faith and trust.

 One can belong to everything and everyone, and most of us over-belong ourselves in our quest to find home. We belong to so many people and so many things that when we sit still long enough, we recognize the gnawing feeling that we aren't deeply known by anyone.

  I have felt this way recently. In my last season I was very involved in a number of things but still felt that I didn't really have a strong community. I was expending a lot of effort but the output was not as satisfying or fulfilling as I hoped it would be. I was still in want of a real community where I belonged and was known.

Belonging to all the things keeps us from truly belonging. I am endeavoring to live a life that does not come at the cost of frenzied fury. More often than not this is accomplished through intentional un-belonging. Un-belonging myself to the many things I yearn to belong to in order to consciously belong to the few. 

  This is my current season of life. Over the past few months I have removed a number of obligations from my schedule. I am trying to scale down to the essentials in order to determine what is truly needed and what I might add that would bring value and meaning to my life. It has been challenging and I am continuing to struggle through this process. I am trusting God's leading through this season and look forward to being on the other side and seeing what comes from this intentionality.

When the fear of missing out, the inability to say no, or the misguided belief that you must be everyone's savior causes you to perpetually accept opportunities and friendships you don't have space for, your road will become so crowded that you will find yourself wondering how you belong to everyone but don't belong to anyone. The gnawing loneliness and exhaustion will creep in.

  This paragraph defines how I was feeling before I began the process of "un-belonging". I have major FOMO and it still pokes at me but I am slowly learning that I cannot be part of every good thing. I am human. I have limits. My time each day/week is fixed. When I say yes, I am also saying no. I need to make sure my "yesses" are for something truly worthwhile.

The Western soul has been conditioned to fix itself. Self-reliance is regarded as a premium character trait. We do not know how to open our hands well and receive the gifts of others...We have forgotten how to graciously accept gifts. How to let love be lavished upon us. In a culture where we expect everyone to earn his or her own way, we must relearn how to receive. We must fight the voice that says we don't deserve it, we haven't earned it, it might come with strings attached, or it could be a con. It's a gift! Mutter "wow" and be in awe.

  I have struggled for years with self-reliance. I have hated asking for help with things. I dislike feeling like I owe something (even if it's construed as a gift I still sometimes feel this way). I have been learning that refusing gifts and refusing to ask for help keeps me from being in community with others. In accepting help and admitting my need, I am inviting others into my life to know me and for me to know them. I am learning just how important and valuable it is in receiving help (or gifts) from others.

Those are the big takeaways I received from the book. I hope the quotes encouraged and spoke to you as they did me. I would recommend checking out this book. It would make a great gift to people going through a difficult time as well.

The Road to Becoming

I recently read The Road to Becoming: Rediscovering Your Life in the Not-How-I-Planned-It Moments by Jenny Simmons. I was intrigued when I learned she was the lead singer for Addison Roads, a band I very much like. I did not know much about the band other than I enjoyed the messages of their songs. I had even created a Pandora station for their music. So when I heard that there was a book that talked about the end of the band I was curious to read it.

The book is so much more than the last year of Addison Road, though. It is a memoir of sorts of how Jenny dealt with a number of setbacks that led to the demise of a long-held dream and the birth of a new dream, a new way of life.

The book starts by taking us through a series of unfortunate events that led to the end of the band and Jenny's dream. She is honest about all of her efforts to continue on with her plans despite the signs that it was not in the cards. I know that I can be equally stubborn when I have an agenda I want to see accomplished. I will move forward despite evidence that shows that perhaps it is not the wisest course. We, as people, struggle so much with giving up our dreams or sense of control.

Jenny then talks about her season of burying her dream and waiting for what comes next. She likens it to a desert, a place where it seems no new life could possibly grow. I feel like Americans are especially terrible at waiting, a season that seems stagnant and unproductive. We are all about busyness and moving forward. Sometimes we need to rest and allow healing to happen so that we can receive or cultivate a new dream.

I have friends that are in very tough seasons right now. They may have been waiting for a door to open for them to move forward with plans. Others are going through crisis and sensing that their future is going to look very different from what they planned or imagined. The book talks to both the person waiting and those watching and supporting those who are waiting.

Image created by Denise Kinsey Tyriver

I had a season like this at the end of my college career. I had been dating my boyfriend for over two years and had sensed early on that he was going to be my husband. In the last semester of college, I became frustrated about our relationship situation and began to sense that God was asking me to end the relationship. I balked at the thought and fought God on it for several months. He was persistent in his request. Eventually I realized God was really asking me if I trusted him and his plans for my future over my own. When I saw my dilemma in these terms I knew that I wanted to be obedient and see what God had in mind.

It was so tough giving up my plans for the future but I clung to the hope that God's future for me was even better than what I could ever plan. It was my mantra that got me through all of the awkward conversations with family and friends about the break up.

The last section of the book is about the imagining and development of a new dream and new future. It reminds us that without death there can't be new life. It talks about saying yes to the adventure of each new day, open to whatever may be in store.

This book is full of so much wisdom and encouragement that, no matter where you are in life, there is something that can help and encourage you. I have written some of my favorite quotes from the book. I hope you will also find some wisdom in this book.

I had spent years encouraging other people to live by faith but I had no idea how to live by it.

Security has become the drug of choice for religious people who don't really want to live by faith.

Turns out, following God-sized epiphanies doesn't guarantee instant happiness.

The hardest part of suffering is that the rest of the world keeps going like nothing has happened.

Usually the hardest part is doing what you already know you need to do.

I don't believe God ordains pain and chaos; I believe He redeems pain and chaos.

If compassion, humor, and careful insistence on closure are gifts that we give our children when they are dealing with loss, why should we treat our own grief any differently as adults?

The only choice I get is what to do when the road suddenly ends.

When my life intersects with the world's brokenness, Emmanuel intersects with me. God with us.

As a person of faith, I am invited to live in the tension of believing that God is present and at work, whether I see immediate evidence of it or not.

During seasons of waiting, dreams are growing up.

Watching someone else wait is like watching a slug die. Brutal. Tie that in with the threat of failure as the end result and we almost can't bear it.

What every saint must wrestle with: If God doesn't step in and divinely change where I find myself on this piece of broken earth, do I still trust Him? Can I still live my story well?

New life looks like being faithful in the little things.