What I'm Reading

I should really write an entire post on each book I've been reading recently, but it's July 3 and I don't have that much discipline. So here's a snapshot.

Just spent 9 months in Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart, and that's making my head spin in more directions than I can count. At NCC, we want our small groups to function as disciple-making communities, so we are constantly re-thinking and re-imagining how to do that. My zone leaders and I originally decided to dig into Renovation of the Heart for the purpose of focusing on our own spiritual growth (and each of us got a significant butt-kicking in that process). Nine months later, we are also thinking through the lens of spiritual formation in the groups we are responsible for. We may have some minor methodological shifts on the horizon.

I spent a month in Leviticus. It all started, well, about a month ago, when I found myself defending the importance of the book and spouting all the reasons Christians should read it. And I gave that speech twice in one week. That made me think it was time to revisit the book. I get excited about something new every time I read Leviticus, but my overwhelming takeaway in June was gratitude. I'm so thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, for the atonement, and for our ability to approach God. I'm so thankful that my day as a minister does not consist of draining blood and twisting the heads off of birds.

One more- Math and the Mona Lisa. Alright, so I haven't quite finished this one yet but I'm close. My two favorite museums on the National Mall are the National Gallery of Art and the Air and Space Museum. Art and Science. I'm weird. Both prominently display Math and the Mona Lisa in their bookstores, and I've been tempted to buy it for a couple of years. I finally got it, and I'm loving it. It's good for the creative juices, so I'll just leave it there and maybe post more on it later.