Books I've Read This Year, part 2 and my Reading Goal

This summer I read a ton -- in parks, at restaurants, at the water park.  It was so incredibly relaxing, and I loved learning about new things and escaping into new ideas and fictional places I was reading about. When I realized I'd finished 50 books by mid June, I wondered to myself, "Can I read 100 books this year?"  I figured I'd give it a shot, but only as long as I was enjoying it and not letting this become a stressful goal.  I figured I would have no shot at meeting the goal if I didn't read 75 books by the time school started.

School (at least reporting to school for me) starts tomorrow.  I made it through 78 books so far this year.  This means that in order to read the remaining 22 books required to reach 100, I have to read about a book a week, with a week or two where I read two books.  That's totally achievable.  Here we go!

Below is the list of books I've read since I last updated my list.  Once again, I've bolded my favorites.

1. Seriously Mum, What’s an Alpaca? by Alan Parks
2. Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World by Tsh Oxenreider
3. Let Hope In by Pete Wilson
4. Husbands and Fathers by Derek Prince
5. Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequest
6. Signs, Wonders, and a Baptist Preacher by Chad Norris
7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
8. Lincoln’s Battle with God by Stephen Mansfield
9. International Bank of Bob: Connecting our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time by Bob Harris
10. The Jesus Blueprint by Dave Buehring
11. Be Real: Because Fake is Exhausting by Rick Bezet
12. The List: Figuring Out Prince Charming, the Corner Office, and Happily Ever After by Marian Jordan
13. I Know their Hearts by Jeff Olson
14. Passion: The Bright Light of Glory by Louie Giglio
15. Captive in Iran: A Remarkable True Story of Hope and Triumph amid the Horror of Tehran's Brutal Evin Prison by Maryam Rostampour, Marziyeh Amirizadeh
16. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
17. The Power of a New Identity by Dan Sneed
18. Sojourner Truth: American Abolitionist by W. Terry Whalin
19. Voice in the Night: The True Story of a Man and the Miracles That Are Changing Africa by Pastor Surprise, Bill Johnson and David Wimbish
20. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
21. Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis
22. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
23. When God Breaks your Heart by Ed Underwood
24. Fashioned to Reign: Empowering Women to Fulfill Their Divine Destiny by Kris Valliton
25. One in a Million: Journey to Your Promised Land by Priscilla Shirer
26. Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
27. Humility by Andrew Murray
28. Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker

Summer 2014

This summer -- a midlife sabbatical.  This was the first time in more than 20 years that I have had a summer off with no job or real responsibilities, and it was good.

How can I sum it up in a simple blog post?  It was a time of rest.  It was a time of refreshing.  There were hard times.  It was a summer of relationships and reading and reflection.  And I needed it.  I didn't know how badly I needed it until I had it.

This summer I regained the ability to "sleep in" -- if we can call sleeping until 8:00 or 8:30 sleeping in.  This summer I spent time with friends, and came to realize just how blessed I am to have incredible friends who are supportive, honest, who encourage me, and who love me.  Great friends who love me enough to be there and share the good times, but who also love me enough tell me the truth even when I don't want to hear it.  This summer I spent a lot of time by myself and with the Lord, thinking, processing, praying, and asking direction for what comes next.  This summer I began developing gifts that I didn't know I had, and began putting them to use at the Joppa House.  This summer I spent a lot of time outside -- in parks, at Crystal Bridges, and on the lazy river.  This summer, the Lord gave me a new vision and outlook on how discipleship and industrial engineering and academia can go together.

And although the summer wasn't without its hard parts and low moments, this was a summer of Selah.  It gave me the space to think and reflect.  It gave me time to unwind and feel refreshed.  It gave me time to remember what is important and to think and pray about what comes next.

Although I am struggling with the idea of the summer ending and starting back up to school in a week (with the students returning the following week), I am thankful for this job -- the one that my boss said she would never create and that is clearly the hand of the Lord providing for me.  I am thankful to head into the school year with renewed vision and with a greater understanding that God is at work.  I may not understand how or what exactly He is doing, but I know enough to know that these puzzle pieces that are moving into place are moving at His direction and at the sound of His voice.  And I trust Him in that, and know that His plans are good.