Good Reads

It's been over two months since I last published an entry. The reason for this is not lack of material, God knows! It's more like "where to begin" most days. I have been reading some great books, each of which has fueled so many, many thoughts. I am fortunate not to have an overwhelmingly busy schedule at the moment; fortunate in that I have plenty of time to think about the things that come to me while reading. Well, maybe that's not so fortunate sometimes, too. I can get into some pretty entangled places in my head!

Awareness/The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello. This now-deceased priest was pretty plucky delivering thoughts that shook the church. His ideas about becoming aware in every aspect of life are revolutionary in their simplicity. Not unlike, I believe, Jesus' ministry.

An Interrupted Life and Letters From Westerbork by Etty Hillesum. This young woman lived to be only 29 years old, dying at Auschwitz during WWII. She journals about her awareness of the beauty of life in the midst of the turmoils going on around her. Very pithy and real.

The Sins of Scripture by John Shelby Spong. "Uncovering the God of love beneath the Bible's texts of terror", it says on the back of this book. Spong is a retired Episcopal bishop who, like de Mello, deals fearlessly with ideas and questions that have long been stuffed into safe places in the church.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Tolle writes another bestseller and a book that Oprah put on her own book list. Regardless of its notariety I would have read it anyway. Tolle clearly lays out the way to awareness and awakening, something so personally important to me right now.

In Search of Belief by Joan Chittister. Chittister is the female version of a rebel from within the church. Now retired, this Benedictine sister has been prolific with her no-nonsense approach to the spiritual life. I find her thoughts inspiring and refreshing. So often I find myself thinking, "Why didn't I think of that!"

All these books approach life in a way that says, "Come on now. Let's talk turkey and get real." They don't sugar-coat or throw in disclaimers to make me feel good. In most cases, they say things I wouldn't often get in church or Sunday school. But they resonate with where I am right now. They meet me face to face with ideas that are worth my time to explore. I am grateful to these courageous and faith-full people. Each wears his or her spirituality on their sleeve. I want to be that courageous.