What the Pastor is Reading:

1) Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation, by J. Philip Newell.  I have this book in hardback, but am enjoying letting the words sink in as I listen to the audio version with John Philip reading on four CD’s.  As in his earlier writing, Listening for the Heartbeat of God, this book is not just about Celtic spirituality of the past but of life-giving faith for today.  If you share some of the questions of Jean Johnson in her June sermon, you will find this book goes right to the heart of who Christ is.

2) Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, by Donald Miller. Christianity Today describes Donald Miller as “Anne Lamott with testosterone,” grappling with the paradoxes of faith in this collection of personal essays.

3)  The Help: a novel, by Kathryn Stockett.  I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this book, which (thanks to Martha Bauers) the Good Sam Book Oasis will be discussing at the first meeting in mid-September.

4)  After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path, by Jack Kornfield.  I find myself drawn to open my well-marked copy of this Buddhist classic and read again, with fresh eyes and heart, the truths that underlie all the wisdom traditions.

Reading this Summer:

1) One Foot in Eden: A Celtic View of the Stages of Life, by J. Philip Newell.  Newell offers scripture passages from the seven stages of Jesus’ life, followed by stories and reflections.  At the end of each chapter, he then invites the reader to meditate and listen to how the scripture speaks today, using centering prayer.

2) same kind of different as me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.  Jean Adams introduced me to this inspiring true story of a homeless man and a couple who were volunteering at a shelter – and the difference they made in each other’s lives.  Gov. Rick Perry of Texas writes, “This book captures the presence of the only spirit that can transform the problems facing our society.  When one person sets aside their own needs and misconceptions, then steps purposefully and prayerfully into the life of another, miracles happen.”

3) Here If You Need Me: A True Story, by Kate Braestrup.  Martha Bauers shared this moving memoir by a Unitarian-Universalist chaplain in the Maine (Game) Warden Service as she daily deals with life and death on the job in the state parks and in her personal life.  It reminds us of the power of simply being present with another in a time of need.

4)  Little Bee, by Chris Cleave.  This is an unforgettable, haunting tale of two women from different worlds, whose chance meeting on a Nigerian beach changes both  of their lives.  It is a dark story that deals with immigration, globalization,  violence, media, marriage, family, and  the  choices that we each make every day.  In the end, it is a call to action -- to do the things that make for peace.

5) Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: ceasing, resting, embracing, feasting by Marva J. Dawn.  This book speaks to me at this time of sabbatical, my Sabbath time, but I recommend it to anyone who is serious about establishing a healthy, soulful, sane rhythm midst our busy lives.  I like the references to Jewish traditions, Reformed spirituality, scripture, and practical personal experiences.  The book is divided into four sections of seven chapters each and can be read through or used as a month’s devotional study with a chapter a day. 

6) The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver.  The writing is exquisite.  Being a Frida Kahlo fan and having been to her Blue House in Coyoacán, Mexico, I can visualize the setting and it all seems so real.  The format is unique, and the fictional and real-life historical characters continue to surprise and draw me in.  In the story, Frida says, “The most important thing about a person is always the thing you don’t know.”  Do you agree?

Read in the first half of 2010:

1) Coming Back to Earth: From gods, to God, to Gaia by Lloyd Geering.  Shared by Bev Kelly, this is a must-read book for anyone interested in the future (and past) of Christianity.  Geering, a Presbyterian minister in New Zealand who was charged with “disturbing the peace of the church” and then exonerated, challenges us to re-imagine the Trinity, live Jesus’ teaching, and welcome the sacred and mystical into our faith.

2) Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.  This enchanting novel is a quick read, but the unforgettable characters will stay with you (like eccentric Evanelle who has “the gift of anticipation”).  If you liked Like Water for Chocolate or Secret Life of Bees, you will enjoy this poignant story of redemption.

3) Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor.  During a time of transition in the lives of both mother and daughter, these journal musings evolve from a trip to sacred sites of the Black Madonna and the Divine Feminine.  David Whyte’s poem captures the theme:  “You must learn one thing./The world was made to be free in./ Give up all the other worlds/except the one to which you belong.” 

4) Holy Roller: Growing Up in the Church of Knock Down, Drag Out; or, How I Quit Loving a Blue-eyed Jesus: A Childhood Memoir by Diane Wilson.  Though this book received great reviews and I got caught up in the beginning, there was one camp meeting too many for me – though I did like the line, “We were caught like rocks in Jesus’s sandal, so wherever he trod, we trod, too.”

5) Original Self by Thomas Moore.  This little contemplative book, with wonderful woodcuts by Moore’s wife Joan Hanley, is best eaten in small bites and chewed slowly.

6) Books on The Lord’s Prayer, in order of recommendation: Praying Like Jesus: The Lord’s Prayer in a Culture of Prosperity by James Mulholland; The Lord’s Prayer for Today by William J. Carl III; Lord, Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer and the Christian Life by William H. Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas; No Empty Phrases: The Lord’s Prayer and You by Frank H. Seilhamer; The Lord’s Prayer: A Way of Life by Donald W. Shriver, Jr.