what I'm reading: No Ordinary View

I've just finished No Ordinary View by Naomi Reed, about this Sydney missionary's recent 3 years in the Himalayas. Last year I read My Seventh Monsoon, about her earlier years in Nepal, and I enjoyed both books.

What I like best about Naomi's books is that she's an ordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances. I usually find missionary biographies daunting. The women in them sound impossibly hard-working, brave, self-sacrificing, godly and full of faith, far distant from the daily realities of my life. Naomi, on the other hand, is an Aussie Christian I can imagine being friends with, a woman who loves God and serves him faithfully, but who struggles with fear and doubt and raising three kids in a foreign land.

The two books I've read by Naomi encouraged me in different ways. The theme of My Seventh Monsoon is seasons, and that's what I took away from it: a realisation that life has many different seasons, not just classic ones like child-rearing or empty-nesting, but also seasons of suffering, change and refreshment, none lasting forever, each with its own demands and blessings.

The theme of No Ordinary View is treasures, the jewels of truth to be found in every experience, but especially the dark times of life. Instead of giving you one long quote today, I'd like to share some of the treasures I uncovered in Naomi's words.

If I could somehow learn to plant deeply in Nepal and keep my eyes on Australia, then perhaps I could also learn to plant deeply on this earth and keep my eyes on heaven...Being temporary...did make a difference to the way we lived. Although we were attaching ourselves to people, we weren't particularly attaching ourselves to things...We could appreciate them without being gripped by them. (60)

The only way to grow in patience is to walk a path where patience is required. (84)

It was more what he didn't pray. He didn't pray for...any kind of resolution to their problem...Instead, he prayed this, in the quietest voice I've ever heard. "Lord, when I'm most distressed, help me to bring glory to you." (87)

I realised that in the most part, I had put my confidence in almost everything but the Almighty God. I hadn't normally admitted to it, I had just done it very quietly. I had put my confidence in my home, my husband, my profession, my own ability to problem solve. But mostly, I had put my confidence in my home...On that morning...I realised that it was the first time that God alone was my refuge...In losing my home, I had found refuge in God. (119)

Finally, here's some words from a conversation with Philip Yancey that Naomi quotes:

You know, you can't save the world - you can only do the best you can with what's in front of you...And, as you go, point to the one who can save the world.

It's a quote which sums up Naomi's life, and also what I would like my life to be.

Thank you, Naomi.

the books I'd like to read in 2010

Ah, yes, it's that glorious time of year when I think about the many, many books I want to read and the limited time I have to read, and, like a girl on a parent-imposed budget in a clothes store, pick and choose from the delectable offerings before me.

My book list for 2010, which you can see in the right hand column of this blog, is a little less ordered than my 2009 list. I've topped it with the books I'm reading (or would like to be reading) at the moment:

A book on the cross:
CJ Mahaney's Living the Cross-Centred Life

I haven't started this one yet, despite my good intentions! It's one of the books I should be reading, or would be reading if I wasn't feeling so exhausted and end-of-yearish, as part of my ongoing goal to read a book on the cross every year. I was about to read this a couple of months ago and discovered I'd lost it; I just bought a new copy.

A book on biblical womanhood:
Mark Chanski's Womanly Dominion: More Than a Gentle and Quiet Spirit

I have to admit that the title made me wonder. But this book was warmly recommended on girltalk and by my friend Sus, so this the next book on biblical womanhood I'm planning to read. There are many others I'd like to read, like Sharon James' God's Design for Women (I've dipped into this and it's excellent!) and Carolyn McCulley's Radical Womanhood.

Some Christian biography:
Naomi Reed's My Seventh Monsoon

I wanted to read this book in 2009 but didn't quite manage it. I'd love to read it this summer! The wonderful exchange on EQUIP book club between Naomi and Rachael whet my appetite. I enjoy Christian biography, and would like to read much more than I do.

A book on writing:
Mark Tredenick's The Little Green Grammar Book

Yes, I am reading this, and enjoying it, if you can enjoy a book which uses words like appositives and complements and prepositional phrases (and no, I don't know what they mean). I love books about writing, I love the way Mark makes grammar interesting, and I'd love to learn how to use a dash, semi-colon and comma correctly!

A Christian classic:
GK Chesterton's Orthodoxy

As I said last year (and didn't!) I'd like to read a classic Christian book every year. I'm taking Chesterton away with us this summer. Later in the year, I may also attempt John Owen's The Mortification of Sin and Overcoming sin and temptation because they're so often recommended, and because they might help me prepare my seminar on change. And I'd like to read CS Lewis's The Weight of Glory.

A novel (or six):
Marilynne Robinson's Home

The summer holidays are swiftly approaching, and this is one of the novels on my holiday list! I've listed them all together so you can see what I'll be reading during the hols: more Marilynne Robinson (I read Gilead and adored it), Marcus Zusak's The Book Thief, and Margaret Atwood's Surfacing, just for starters!

Some teen fiction:
Stephenie Meyer's Twilight

I'm only reading this so I can understand teen culture more deeply. I love teen fiction, especially teen fantasy (Tamora Pierce, Emily Rodda, J.K.Rowling). I read Twilight a couple of weeks ago, and I'm about to launch into the rest of the series. A treat I'm saving for the summer holidays - long, lazy days reading on the couch (and taking the kids on outings, and decluttering our home, and ...).

A book to read with my husband:
John Piper's This Momentary Marriage

Steve and I would like to start reading a chapter from a book on marriage together each week. We're starting with John Piper. I love the way Piper shows us how marriage has cosmic significance far beyond itself! Another book on marriage I'd like to read (or rather, finish) is Christopher Ash's Married for God.

A book on discipling my daughter:
Vicki Courtney's 5 Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter

This is from my unofficial list of "Books I started reading before writing for EQUIP books interrupted my reading plan". One of my projects for 2010 is to read lots of books about how to disciple your daughter (including Becky Freeman's Mom's Everything Book for Girls). I plan to start a new bloggy series called Resources for discipling your daughter in early 2010.

A book to read with my daughter:
Donna Miller's Growing Little Women for Younger Girls

My 11 year old daughter Lizzy and I started getting together weekly earlier this year to read the Bible and learn about godly womanhood. This is the first book we've sampled; we plan to sample more, like Carol Fiddler's A Girl of Beauty, as my book list shows. We're going to give each book a mother-daughter score for my series Resources for discipling your daughter - watch this space!

A book on women's sexuality:
Linda Dillow's Intimate Issues: 21 Questions Women Ask About Sex

I foolishly volunteered to write an article about women and sexual purity (gulp!) next year. Hence the large number of books I want to read on this topic: Ed Wheat's Love Life for Every Married Couple, Tony Payne and Philip Jensen's Pure Sex, and Tim Chester's yet-to-be-published Captured by a Better Vision: Living Porn-Free.

A book on change and Christian growth:
Jerry Bridges's The Discipline of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness

I loved the way Jerry Bridges' The Discipline of Grace gave me a more grace-centred and biblical perspective on the topic of spiritual disciplines when I was reading and writing about it earlier this year. I'm hoping he'll do the same as I think about the topic of change for a women's retreat I'm leading late next year. I suspect John Piper's Future Grace will be similarly helpful.

A book on biblical counselling and depression:
Ed Welch's Depression: A Stubborn Darkness

I'm a third of the way through this book, and I'm enjoying its sympathetic, biblical, wise and readable approach to depression. Reading this is part of my ongoing quest to read everything Ed Welch or any other biblical counsellor from CCEF has ever written! Hence the large number of books by Ed Welch and David Powlison on my list.

A book about childcare:
Steve Biddulph's Raising Babies: Why Your Love is Best

I started reading this a few months ago, but life got a little busy, so I've put it down for now. I'm reading this as part of my ongoing project to write about childcare on this blog. I'm half way through, and the book is fantastic so far. If you're thinking about childcare, this is a must-read. Expect a review soon(ish).

A book about teenagers:
Josh Harris's I Kissed Dating Goodbye

Steve and I are thinking about the ground rules we want to give our children for dating in their teen years. We're leaning towards Josh Harris' approach (we think!) but I'd like to read more about it first. This is a discussion I'd like to open up on in all honesty some time. Another book about teens which I can't wait to read is Paul David Tripp's Age of Opportunity.

So there you have it. Pretty much all the books I want to read in 2010 are about these topics, except for a few random Christian books like Paul Grimmond's Right Side Up and Colin Marshall's The Trellis and the Vine. I hope you enjoy browsing my list!

What are you planning to read in 2010? Have you got any other suggestions for me?

my summer reading

I've discovered several authors this summer, thanks to my friend Jenny, who presented me with a list of her favourite reads for 2009 at the end of last year.

At the top of my list is Marilynne Robinson. In 18 years she's written 3 glorious books: Housekeeping, a desolate, beautiful book about loss and transience; Gilead, a letter to his young son by an old preacher, in which his attitude to a friend's prodigal son shifts from anger to grace; and Home, the tale of the prodigal's homecoming told from the perspective of his sister, also returned home.

My second favourite new author is Cynthia Voigt. During summer I read 2 of her novels for "young adults" - in other words, for discerning adults. Homecoming is the story of Dicey and her 3 younger siblings and their long journey to find a new home. Dicey's Song is the story of that new home, and of how brave, fierce Dicey learns how to hold on to and let go of those she loves.

I also read two autobiographical books. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is the novelist Haruki Murakami's reflections on why and how he writes and why and how he runs. Julia Andrews' Home: A Memoir of My Early Years is such fun that I can't wait for the sequel, when she finally talks about her experiences in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music!

I also read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books, which a young friend has been bugging me to read for years! Well, they were every adolescent girl's fantasy come true. Not brilliantly written, but unputdownable escapism, with strong characters and great action sequences. Like Romeo and Juliet, I got a little tired of the main characters and their obsessive love. I also read Garden of the Purple Dragon by Carole Wilkinson, which was better quality teen fantasy.

Summer is a good time for dipping into non-fiction. I'm still thoroughly enjoying my slow meanderings through Harold Rabonitz and Rob Kaplan's A Passion for Books, Norman Doidge's The Brain That Changes Itself (fascinating!), and Mark Tredenick's The Little Green Grammar Book. The highlight so far? Umberto Eco's essay "How to justify a private library" and Stuart Brent's "How to get started in the book business" in A Passion for Books.

I read (or started) some Christian books too. I loved Naomi Reed's My Seventh Monsoon: it was great to read about a missionary who seems like an ordinary person, and I was so encouraged by her wise reflections on the seasons of life.

I'm enjoying GK Chesterton's witty and thought-provoking Orthodoxy. Steve and I are reading John Piper's This Momentary Marriage, which is encouraging us to reflect Christ in our marriage. During my quiet times, CJ Mahaney's Living the Cross-Centred Life reminds me to keep the cross central.

Best of all, on my mornings off, I sit in a coffee shop and immerse myself in Paul Tripp's Lost in the Middle: Mid-Life and the Grace of God and Peter Brain's Going the Distance: How to Stay Fit For a Lifetime of Ministry. Profoundly wise and helpful, these books are teaching me what it means to be in for the long haul in the Christian life, without burning out or rusting out.

What's next? Arch Hart's A Woman's Guide to Overcoming Depression; Tim Chester's The Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness; a biography of Susannah Wesley; John Donne's Collected Poems; Josh Harris's I Kissed Dating Goodbye; Margaret Atwood's Surfacing; and too many others to mention.

If that sounds like a lot, just remember I'm a bookworm! One book with my quiet time; one cup-of-coffee book; one book for the loo; one book for bedtime; one book for mornings off: different books suit different times, and I can fit them in any time!

Well, it's time for bed. Novel reading time. Goodnight!