. . summer reading. .
12:08 PMi know. it's been forevs since i wrote a post. sorry 'bout that. sometimes you just need a break from blogging. (haha i know i've been taking lots of breaks. that 18 month break just got me out of the habit.)
buuuuut i've been reading a lot! i love that i can read books- perks of not being in school. so here's a little about the books i've been reading.
Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson
My second mission president talked about this book all the time and told us we needed to read it when we got home. well, i finally got around to it. so when i found this book in my aunt's house i instantly claimed it as mine. i love this book and will definitely have to read it again because i know it will apply to like every moment of my life. i feel like i began to understand a little bit better what grace is and what it means to truly believe Christ, not just believe in Him.
"By his grace, we live and breathe. By grace, we are spiritually begotten children of heavenly parents and enjoy divine prospects. By grace, a plan was prepared and a savior designated for humanity when Adam and Eve fell. By grace, the good news of this gospel comes to us and informs us of our eternal options. By grace, we have the agency to accept the gospel when we hear it. By the grace that comes through faith in Christ, we start the repentance process; and by grace, we are justified and made part of God's kingdom even while that process is still incomplete. The grace of God has been involved in our spiritual progress from the beginning and will be involved in our progress until the end."
I think I understand a little better the doctrine of grace and my part in keeping the covenants I have made.
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
Have you ever heard of or seen this TED talk? Brene Brown is a vulnerability and courage researcher. her book really hit me at the perfect time. the title of the book is based of this quote by Theodore Roosevelt.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
How amazing is that? Brene talks about how when we lose our ability to be vulnerable, we lose so many vital things- creativity, courage, and compassion. she tells her own stories about become vulnerable and living Wholeheartedly. this is not a one time read for me. in fact i loved this book so much that i ordered my own off Amazon so that i can mark it up! i have a hard time being vulnerable- i tend to put up a wall and make it come off like my life is good or that all my emotions are good. but i learned from Brene that in order to live fully i also have to make myself vulnerable, as scary as that may seem. it's causing me to ponder my life and wonder: am I daring greatly?BONUS: All My Friends Are Dead by Avery Monsen and Jory Johna couple years ago when i was going through a rough time, my two good friends, Jenny and Andrew, came over and visit, and they brought this book with them. to be honest, i didn't want visitors. i wanted to be alone. but they pulled out this book and read it to me. and it helped. i smiled! because this book is so ridiculously ridiculous! if i'm ever feeling a little blue or if i need a pick me up, i'll just pull this book out. you can read it in less than ten minutes. and when you close it, you will be just a bit happier.
"Sometimes I feel alone. Some days are long and hard. But when I look out into the world, I am struck by the impossible beauty of it all. Those billions of magnificent accidents that led us to where we are today, that led us to paper places and nautilus shells and the tiny, crooked smiles of children."
What should I read next???
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