Volumes & Verses: What I read in March

 

In March I...

    - finished one whole book (a beloved re-read), weathered two sinus bugs, and spent twenty cash dollars on a book about Gen-Z anxiety. (this new buzzy one, if you're so inclined. And please, do let me know if you read it. I can't wait to discuss.)

    -blissfully soaked D-deficient limbs on my front porch to the tune of toddlers on tricycles---only to be blown back indoors by snow that seemed downright disrespectful.

    -found myself in Wichita with a zillion other Mennonites, drank loads of coffee to offset my body's disdain of any bed but my own, and nabbed a few new and interesting friends. (This is a topic unto itself.)

What a life.

This much I know: when my reading sputters, my writing runs out of steam as well.  Typed sentences feel tortured and each thought seems dustier than the hills I can't seem to describe.

So I'll keep it short---spare you the tragedy of subpar sentence structure--and share briefly what I did consume on the pages of March.

None Like Him

If we're friends IRL, you may as well skip ahead, you've heard this already.

In a cultural moment that seems to coddle or condemn, Wilkin chooses neither. Hers is a compelling voice, calling us to behold the beauty and character of God.  Her words land with grace, but never spill into that dreaded category of saccharine sweetness sometimes found in books marketed to women. (I can't be the only one?!) 

In contrast, this book led me to contemplate God with renewed awe, worship, and delight.

Each of the ten chapters address one of Gods incommunicable attributes(traits that are true only of God), and call us to consider: how should the knowledge that God is _____, change the way I live?  By meditating on God's immeasurable attributes described in Scripture, what measurable growth should appear in my life?

Her thoughtful examination of God's character: infinite, self-existent, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, etc. is beautifully written and faithfully communicated.  Each chapter ends with a section titled: "Toppling the Myth of Human_____,” the blank space being filled with whatever attribute of God we have just directed our attention to in the current chapter. These paragraphs unveil the idolatrous fruit we bear when, like Eve, we attempt to "be like God."  

It is eye-opening, squirmy, and convicting reading.

Deuteronomy

We made it through the last book of the law, you guys!  I’m actually a bit teary, to be honest.  I’ve come to cherish these sections, looking for God and seeing His good design—even in the midst of an ancient culture I’m only beginning to get my bearings in. 

Deuteronomy literally means “second law” or repeated law, and the book details a series of three speeches that Moses gives to the new generation of God’s children, calling them to covenant faithfulness as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

Amid seemingly archaic commands, (need to know about mixed fibers and how not to boil a goat!?) Deuteronomy draws us to a deeper understanding of the very essence of faith: in present difficulties, remember God’s past faithfulness.  Courage isn’t found in our tents(1:27) but in going forth with the hopeful posture that a God who carries us into battle, is the one who provides the victory.(1:29-31)

On days I experience soul amnesia, the narrative of this “repeated law” stirs my remembrance. Like Israel, I suffer and I triumph, depending on the day—yet His covenant promises stand firm. Immutable, (unchanged) as only He can be. 

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What did you read in March? Have you read the books of the law? How did you see God's character on display?