Some reader thoughts today…

I am so happy that I get to read again! I’ve been completely focused on research and writing for the last 9 months or so. I’ve been reading A LOT, but its been a lot of “hafta” reading. (I’m not complaining, because the “hafta” has a huge measure of “wanna” in there.)

But now I get to read whatever I want to read. This is a great thing since I work part-time in a bookstore, and can borrow books by the armload as long as I handle them carefully and bring them back quickly and in pristine condition. I recently read Pete Grieg and Andy Freeman’s Punk Monk – a book about the 24-7 prayer movement in Europe, and living a creative, monastic, dedicated life. Fantastic – and challenging. Convicting. Wooing.

Because I’ve been really, really sick the last two weeks, I also got a chance to read 3 pulp fiction books I was handed for free when I went to that CBA dealie in Indianapolis a few months ago. I am not a fiction person, but when you’re sick, pulp fiction seems right. I read one of the other books I was given a few weeks ago while at McDonalds with grandson Gabriel, and hated it so much I actually threw it away. One running gag in the book featured Donny Osmond, OK? (I have never, ever, ever thrown a book away before.)

It took a little self-talk to ramp up for more fiction after that horrible reading experience, but I was too sick for Big Thoughts. The good news is that I didn’t throw any other books away. But with one of them, I actually contemplated it briefly.

Today I checked out Phil Yancey’s Prayer, Mark Buchanan’s Hidden In Plain Sight…and a Karen Kingsbury book. The first two are favorite authors of mine. And I’m curious about Karen Kingsbury. She cranks out books really fast, and people seem to like them, so I’ll try to suspend my “no fiction” rule a little longer.

Since I’m still on antibiotics, I guess I can.

P.S. about books: I’ll include this offer on this blog, since I’m posting it in other places as well, and included it in my newsletter. I bet you know someone going through some tough trials right now.(That “someone” might even be you.)I’d love to encourage a few of those people with the gift of a signed set of my books:Parablelife: Living the stories Jesus told in real time and Uprooted: Growing a Parable Life from the inside out. The first three of you who get back to me at michelle@theparablelife.com with the name and address of a person in need of a little encouragement will be able to gift your friend (or yourself) with signed copies of the books.