Hello blog friends!
Here is my sporadic list of book, article, and movie recommendations that are worth your time.
Books:
Leveling Up: Adoptive Parents and Adult Adoptees: Taking Your Relationship to the Next Level by Dr. Christina Reese and Elaine Shenk
This book is a gift to adoptive parents. Certainly, launching children into the adult world isn’t easy on any parent, but adoption brings unique challenges to this stage of life. Leveling Up is written by two adoptive moms (whose children gave their blessing to the book) and is full of practical advice and personal stories. Strengthening your relationship with your kids is the top priority, and because of that, this book is full of hope. It was a wonderful encouragement to me.
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
This delightful book for kids is entertaining and thought-provoking for adults too! It’s an animal story, but these animals are quite philosophical, and Eggers is brilliantly talented in giving them a voice. Few books have made me literally laugh out loud…but this one did. I read it myself and am now reading it to Johnny, who is thirteen. Great for all ages – note it does have an interesting spiritual component that could provoke some good discussions with older kids.
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencioni
I read this one with my work team, since our job is to bring new missionaries into ReachGlobal. Lencioni identified three virtues–humble, hungry, and smart–that every great team member must possess. His insight is super valuable, but I especially enjoyed that he wrote this book as a novel, making it a quick and engaging read.
Re-Making the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West by Andrew Wilson
Whoa–this was fascinating. Wilson documents key events in 1776 that transformed our world forever. This is one of those books that actually changed the way I think, because it caused me to consider world events, moral standards, and worldviews through the lens of how the world metamorphosed in such a short period of time, less than 300 years ago.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
This novel has it all – brilliant writing, engaging characters, unique plot, satisfying ending. Though it takes place during a dark time in Russian history, Towles’s ability to write in a light-hearted, captivating way means that the story doesn’t feel despairing. It’s redemptive, fun, educational, and clean (although a bit of innuendo).
Movies:
Lars and the Real Girl This is one of those movies that has a weird premise, but stick with it and find yourself surprisingly moved. At its heart, it’s about a community loving a broken young man into wholeness. Kids will be bored by it, teenagers will think it’s too weird, but young adults (or actual adults) who give it a chance may love it – as I did.
In fact, I was pleased to see that this movie made it onto Brett McCracken’s 50 Most Edifying Films of the 21st Century So Far. I’ve bookmarked this list – just in time for summer!
Articles:
The Evangelical Orphan Movement Grows Up by Jedd Medefind
Christianity Today may give you a paywall for this one, so I hope you can read it. Those of you who have read my blog for many years know that I started out naively supporting this movement until I saw the dark side for myself. I loved this summary of how the orphan movement started and where it is today, because it reflects my journey as well.
Parenting the Stranger in My House by Wendy Kiyomi
I read this one a couple of years ago and recently came upon it again. It’s one of the best, most beautiful, most helpful things on adoption that I’ve encountered. If you have adopted children or love someone who has, please read this.
“Considering adoption through the lens of hospitality anticipates a real encounter with suffering and offers a means of accounting for it. The primary movement of adoption is not away from brokenness but toward it; adoptive parents give it room at the very heart of their homes. Practitioners of biblical hospitality expect to suffer because they continually lay their lives down “in little pieces and small acts of sacrificial love and service,” writes Pohl. This costly calling is compassion, literally “co-suffering,” in which parents begin to bear not only their children’s old pain but also the pain that results from a new configuration of vulnerable, fallen individuals.”
Snapchat is Harming Children at an Industrial Scale by Jonathan Haidt and Zach Rausch
A must-read for every parent.
The Prosperity Gospel We Sometimes All Believe In by Tim Challies
“There is a version of the prosperity gospel that we can all believe in and it goes something like this: “God, I gave my life to you, and in exchange I expect you to make my life easy. I may not need riches or opulence, perfect health or abundant wealth, but I would like ease. And if you take that ease from me, I may just assume that your feelings for me have altered or your love for me has waned. I may even regret following you. Please, just keep my life easy.”
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