I only finished three books this month, but they were all winners. I'm always reading multiple books at once but this time around I have a few titles I'm excited about that I didn't quite finish in time to make the cut: Jane Eyre, Circe and a couple others that I'm sure you'll be hearing about soon. If you'd like to share what you've been reading lately, head on over to Modern Mrs. Darcy and join the fun.
Earley shares his own story as a driven missionary turned lawyer and lays out the 8 disciplines he has set up to keep his focus on the things that matter most to him. I haven't adopted all 8 habits, but this book did challenge me to curate my podcast listening to 5 hours a week or less. Instead of mindlessly burning through 8-10 podcast episodes a day, I start out the week by choosing the 5 hours of content that I feel will add the most value to my life and I limit myself to just that. Knowing that I've carefully selected what I'm listening to, and not just having something on as background noise, helps me savor the content I've chosen and engage with it more deeply.
Earley also inspired me to delete my social media apps from my phone every weekend, and boy has that been a life-giving switch!
My only critique of the book is the author's attempt to address issues of addiction and mental health. He feels that he was able to resolve his struggles in these areas primarily through habit change, and I fear this may be over simplistic, not to mention disheartening for those who have more serious issues that aren't going to be "fixed" in this way.
4 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
I'd love to hear what you've been reading lately. Feel free to share your titles in the comments!
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley
I now see that my body had finally become converted to the anxiety and busyness I'd worshiped through my habits and routines. All the years of a schedule built on going nonstop to try to earn my place in the world had finally rubbed off on my heart. My head said one thing, that God loves me no matter what I do, but my habits said another, that I'd better keep striving in order to be loved. In the end, I started to believe my habits - mind, body, and soul.I've read a lot of books on habits and spiritual formation over the years, but I enjoyed this one more than most. The author makes a compelling case that our culture is set up in ways that drive us farther from peace, farther from connection, and ultimately farther from God. If we don't put in place habits that intentionally push us against this cultural wave, we will find ourselves, as Earley did, successful in the eyes of the world, but stressed out, burnt out, in poor health and never having time for the ones we say we love.
Earley shares his own story as a driven missionary turned lawyer and lays out the 8 disciplines he has set up to keep his focus on the things that matter most to him. I haven't adopted all 8 habits, but this book did challenge me to curate my podcast listening to 5 hours a week or less. Instead of mindlessly burning through 8-10 podcast episodes a day, I start out the week by choosing the 5 hours of content that I feel will add the most value to my life and I limit myself to just that. Knowing that I've carefully selected what I'm listening to, and not just having something on as background noise, helps me savor the content I've chosen and engage with it more deeply.
Earley also inspired me to delete my social media apps from my phone every weekend, and boy has that been a life-giving switch!
My only critique of the book is the author's attempt to address issues of addiction and mental health. He feels that he was able to resolve his struggles in these areas primarily through habit change, and I fear this may be over simplistic, not to mention disheartening for those who have more serious issues that aren't going to be "fixed" in this way.
4 out of 5 stars
Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
Outer order isn't simply a matter of having less or having more, it's a matter of wanting what we have.
I'm a big Gretchen Rubin fan and devotee of her 19 for 2019 project. I love the way this book is set up with lots of bite-sized ideas on how to bring order to your space and your life. This isn't a one size fits all approach. Instead, Rubin invites us to know ourselves more deeply and figure out what will work for us, with plenty of practical ideas to try. If you've followed Rubin for awhile like I have, you will have heard many of these ideas before, but I still enjoyed how she presented these insights in a fresh way. This book will leave you energized and inspired to tackle clutter and calm your spaces.
4 out of 5 stars
Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
"It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed," Abigail Adams wrote to her son John Quincy Adams in the midst of the American Revolution, suggesting that "the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues."This is my second read by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and she's quickly becoming a favorite. In this book Goodwin gives brief biographies of four presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. She frames her narrative around the crises each man faced during his presidency and how their exemplary leadership steered the country through these pivotal moments. But the book isn't just a biography. Goodwin also highlights key leadership principles in a thought-provoking way. I found it to be a fascinating blend of history and inspiration.
5 out of 5 stars
I'd love to hear what you've been reading lately. Feel free to share your titles in the comments!
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