Day 7: get in that nook and read a book

What’s on your current reading list? Or what have you read that you recommend?

For me, there always seems to be a longer list of things I want to read vs. things I have read.

I’m really great at starting books. Finishing them? Not so much.

Currently Reading:

• Becoming God’s True Woman by Nancy Leigh Demoss. I spoke about this yesterday. It’s an awesome book about God’s perspective of being a woman of God.
• Spoken For: Embracing who you are and Whose you are by Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke. A good reminder of your identity in Christ.
• Truly Fed: Finding Freedom From Disordered Eating by Gary Meacham. Focusing on the concept of feeding yourself through God’s Word.
• Love Well: Living Life Unrehearsed and Unstuck by Jamie George. I got this book after hearing Jamie speak at church. It’s the first real book (as opposed to electronic) that I have bought in awhile. I love the way he tells stories. This book is a transparent look at how to get unstuck from a rut.

Recently Read:

• Undaunted by Christine Caine. How to find the courage when the mountain in front of you is overwhelming.
• Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. A missionary in Uganda who said yes to God’s calling.
• The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. Yes. I just read this. Better late than never.

Books I Will Forever Recommend:

• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
• Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
• I Thought It Was Just Me by Brene Brown
• The Shack by W.M. Paul Young
• Weird by Craig Groeschel
• Radical by David Platt
• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Next on the List:

• Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian
• The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence by Gary A. Haugen and Victor Boutros
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the way we Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

I definitely need to finish the books I am currently juggling before I move on to the next list. But I’m so excited about the book Daring Greatly. Brene Brown was a professor of mine in graduate school. Her research on shame resiliency has changed my life, y’all. I had such a girl crush on her after I took her class. She has become a big deal. She does a lot of TED talks and she partners with Oprah to teach a life class. Yup, OPRAH. You’ve made it big time when you’re sitting on Oprah’s couch, now.

Anyways, I was watching one of the keynotes that Brene had and I realized something! This blogtastic challenge has made me realize how stifled my creativity has been the past two years. But for the past two years, I have been hiding.

Hiding for many reasons, one of the big reasons is healing.  Just like physical wounds need to be covered up for protection, so did my heart. Gratefully, I have the ultimate healer salving my wounds:

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits–  who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion (Psalm 103:2-4)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3)

 

Being creative equates to being vulnerable. My heart wasn’t ready for it then, but I’m starting to see that I’m ready now. Yesterday, I had my Nikon geared up to take pictures of that delicious Malaysian food and people I love. I took one picture, and the camera stopped working.

So, when the camera is fixed, we will once again, be inseparable.

Here is the video I watched. Maybe it will inspire you!