Books

I think you can tell a lot about someone based on what they keep on their nightstand. I keep a box of tissues, a candle, and a big ol' stack of books. I like to pretend that I'm a reader. I want to be a legit reader but it's just not me in right now. Let me introduce you to the big ol' stack:

See? You can tell a lot about me my that picture. I'm a Christian therapist who has a mild interest in running. Ok fine, I'm a wanna be runner too.

These are in the order of most frequently/recently read.

1. Bible. I'm currently reading through Luke. It's really standing out to me how often Jesus spent time by himself to pray and re-charge. Good example for all of us over-achievers. I've had this Bible since I was 9. Grandmama gave it to me. If there was a fire and I could only grab three things, this would definitely be one of the three.
2. The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. We're reading this in our small group. I'm 75% a fan of it. I like Keller but the book is a little too philosophical for me. Nothing about me wants to be a philosopher.
3. Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll. I' m a big Mark Driscoll fan. My dad went to Mars Hill when he lived in Seattle and I was able to visit there with him a few times. I was really pumped about reading this book. I've also been listening his accompanying sermons for the book. Turns out the sermons are nearly identical to the book so I haven't been as wrapped up in it as I anticipated.
4. Child Development. That's the therapist in me. My case load is probably 80% kids and I'm always trying to brush up on my child development knowledge. Don't be too impressed though, I probably pick this up twice per month.
5. My journal. I used to be such a good journal-er. I miss it. I need to be more intentional about that. Dang. Guess that makes me a wanna be journal-er.
6. Improvisational Therapy by Bradford Keeney. (Enter: therapeutic lingo) After I finished grad school I went through a developmental slump as a therapist. This book was super helpful in normalizing that slump. And for those of you who only know Keeney from his Aesthetics of Change don't count him out. I hated that book but loved a lot of this one. It has an awesome list of questions in it to help shape model development. (Exit: therapeutic lingo) (Oh, I just remembered this book doesn't belong to me!) (Kelly, if you're reading this I'll give it back to you this week!)
7. John from the 15:16 series. I LOVE the idea behind this. It's kind like a journal. You write out the book of John on one side and on the other side there's space to write thoughts/feelings/questions/reactions. I fully intend on picking this one back up soon.
8. Study Guide for A Celebration of Discipline. See #10
9. Running for Mortals by John Bingham. Wanna be runner but I have stupid knees.
10. A Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. I really liked this book. It's about the different disciplines the Bible calls us to have as Christians (prayer, fellowship, fasting, etc.). I love how it emphasizes obedience as a natural response to God rather than rules to abide by just because. I started it last summer and then got super busy with graduation stuff. I've read about half of it. I really want to finish it. It's a deep read. I suggest reading this one with a buddy.

In conclusion: I'm a wanna be runner, reader, journal-er. (Is Wannabe by Spice Girls stuck in your head yet? I'll tell ya what I want what I really really want!)