Lent Literature
Tiny: wait, are you working on your blog?
Me: I know. Shocking, right?
Tiny: what do you actually write about on there?
Me: mostly perspective, how to see the world differently. How to see our lives differently. You know how I’m always saying that we see what we’re looking for? Well, I write about how to change what we’re looking for. Today, I’m writing about books that helped me look at my walk with Jesus with new eyes.
Tiny, completely uninterested: okay. I’m going to go finish school.
Me: you do that.
Some of you are going to be with the not-so-tiny thirteen year old: completely uninterested in this post. And that is okay. Because somewhere out there is maybe one person who will buy/borrow/hopefully-not-steal one of these books, sit down to read it, and never be the same again. That’s the person I’m writing for. So if that’s you: I’m glad you made it. I wrote this whole post for you. Feel special.
So, drum roll, please. It’s been half a year since the last book post went up, but today is Ash Wednesday, so this feels timely. Also, I just so happen to have read three back-to-back books that were so thought-provoking and encouraging that I bombarded the Man with excerpts as I read.
Not one of the three pulls its punches. All of them are heavy hitting, get-you-in-the-gut, transform-the-way-you-think kind of books. And if you’ll note, I have pictures of all three of them because they are all nonfiction (ish—more on that later). Most of you know that I have a deep seated inability to read nonfiction on my Kindle app, but then the library doesn’t have the nonfiction books I want so I have to buy the hard copy, which means better visual aids! You’re welcome!
{My camera: do we focus on the cute dog? Do we focus on the book cover? Does the dog need her nails trimmed? What is going on here?}
First up, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop. I have written some on the blog about some of the challenges our family has faced over the last two years (even as we’ve seen so much grace) and about my ongoing struggle with depression (which has thankfully dialed way back down this year). If you are in a season of grief or struggle, Vroegop does an incredible job of breaking down how to talk to God with honesty in the middle of despair. His gentle teaching of the lost art of lament makes this well worth the read.
If you are not in a season of grief, but are walking with a friend or family member through their own struggle, you will not regret taking the time to read Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy. It will inform your prayers for and your interactions with your grief-stricken friend. This book is a good read for a Church often uncomfortable with grief and quick to sweep struggle under the rug in favor of easy answers and cliched truths.
{I mostly love that Oswald looks like an Olympic diver in this photo.}
Next up, we have Stepping Heavenward by Mrs. E. Prentiss. I was gifted this book early in my marriage, read it, was grateful to have done so, and tucked it away on my bookshelf, not to be seen (or thought of?) again. I pulled it out in February and decided it was time for a re-read, and I knew from page one that it was a choice I wouldn’t regret.
Published +150 years ago, Prentiss’ fictionalized journal entries detail an earnest pursuit of Christ that seems totally foreign to the modern reader. I found myself, along with the protagonist, wanting to push back against what felt like legalism and over spiritualizing. But the more I read, and the more Prentiss gently drew her reader in, the more I found myself wondering if Christ didn’t have far more for me in the area of holiness than I was willing to settle for.
The journal entries are all short, but I found myself unwilling to put the book down quickly as I wanted to know what would happen next to Katherine and how she would change as the book progressed. If you’re brave enough to step outside of your comfort zone and read Stepping Heavenward, I’d be interested to know what you think about it.
My last book is one that my mother has been telling me to read for years. Unfortunately, because I’m blonde, when she told me to read it, I kept thinking she was referring to Stepping Heavenward, so I kept telling her I’d read it. Insert face palm. Once I finally realized that I was dead wrong, I decided to rectify matters, and it turns out that Tyndale House Publishers has only recently put out this beautiful illustrated reprint, which is currently 10% off on Amazon. Just saying. I already bought a copy for two different friends. No shame.
Written in 1955, Hinds Feet on High Places is the allegorical tale (I did say nonfiction-ish) of Much-Afraid and her journey with the Good Shepherd. I was worried it would be pedantic, but it’s not. I was worried it would over-simplify complex issues, but it doesn’t. I was worried it would be predictable and boring, but it just keeps flooring me. This is yet another case of “Mother Knows Best”…but not the creepy Tangled version.
If you look at the above picture, you can see the curl of my bookmark. I rarely post about books I’ve not yet finished, but I’m posting about this one. I’d never buy a friend a book that I haven’t completed, but I’ve already bought two different copies (it was 10% off!). Part of my risk taking behavior in regard to this book is that my mom has great taste and I trust her, but the other part is that the first eight chapters have just been that good.
If you need a different way to look at how sorrow and suffering go hand-in-hand with a loving Savior, this is a beautiful counterpart to both Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy and Stepping Heavenward. There may be a theme here. Wait, did I do that on purpose?!
And on that note, I need to get this posted so I can help get our family prepared to brave the deluge and head out to the Ash Wednesday service. I’d love to know if you end up reading any of these three books, and I’d also love to know if you’ve been reading any other books that have had a huge impact on your life recently.
May we all find a few words to change the way we see. And may we remember that sharing is caring…and pass on the ones that other people need, preferably in a timely fashion.
