As the end of March coincided with the beginning of the Easter long weekend & us going away, I managed to read a couple of books right at the end of March. Added to the 2 I read earlier in the month, here’s what I read during March:
The Myth of Balance by Frank Bealer
Recently at a conference (Ignite Summit) I attended we had a Skype session with Frank Bealer who is the executive director of Leadership Development at Orange and serves as CEO of Phase Family Centers. Much of his talk with us was about the message that he shares in this book. Every attendee of the conference received this book for free. The message is basically that the unexpected is going to happen, particulary in ministry work, so how can you be prepared for unexpected situations that will happen but you just don’t know when. Much of the examples given are relevant for those doing ministry with children but not so helpful for the single person doing ministry. It is a very short read.
The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher L. Heuertz
The minister who I work with has often talked about the Enneagram (which is a form of personality test) & I have heard some pod-casters that I follow talk about it as well. When I saw this book I thought it might help me learn more about the Enneagram, which Heuertz would argue is much more than a personality test. At first it was hard reading the book as I wanted to know where I fell on the Enneagram or what number I was. Through my reading and doing a couple of online tests I think I’ve figured out what number I am. The book also spoke about the Enneagram in terms of spiritual growth once you now where you fall. I think I would still like to be part of group and study the Enneagram together, to gain a better understanding.
Sanctuary by Judy Nunn
Sanctuary is about some refugees who end up on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia. They are discovered by a local fisherman and the story tackles the issue of refugees and illegal immigrants (as they are classed by the Australian Government). It is a very powerful story that shows the human side of refugees and the different reactions that the general public can have to a situation that we often only know about because of what we hear on the media. It’s about how things can change when you meet real people who are refugees and that it’s not all black and white.
A Common Life by Jan Karon
This is book 6 in the Mitford Series that I wrote about in my January Reading Log. This book is all about Father Tim’s & Cynthia’s wedding. It actually takes the reader back in time as a previous book finishes with the engagement & the next book starts after they are already married. This book starts with the engagement, has a lot about the wedding preparations from different peoples points of views at different stages, talks about the wedding and then finishes on the honeymoon. Of course I now want to keep reading the series.
With 4 books read in March this brings my total for the year so far to 16 books. This time last year I had read 15 books, so I’m 1 book up on last year. Can’t believe that a quarter of the year has gone already.
What have you been reading lately?