February Reading List

I didn’t finish nearly as many books in February but I made some progress. I am continuing through the Old Testament and I am enjoying reading through some books of the Bible that I have not read in full since seminary. I am falling off the pace of some of my reading goals for the year but as Jon Acuff points out below done is better than perfect. 

Finish

This is the first book that I have read by Jon Acuff though I have heard him speak several times. In this book, Acuff tackles the many obstacles that get in the way of actually finishing the tasks that we start. Everything from the perfection voice in our head to the subtle ways that we self-sabotage in hopes of protecting ourselves. He seeks to inspire his readers with the freeing notion that “done is better than perfect.”   

Exodus

Exodus is probably the most recognizable storyline in human history. It’s in the religious heritage of the three major monotheistic religions. It holds the distinction of having both won academy awards and totally bombed at the box office (see The Ten Commandments and Exodus: Gods and Kings). In Exodus, we see the story of a God who “heard [his people’s] groaning” and responded with liberating love. We see God renew his promises.  We see a story just a relevant today as it has ever been.

Leviticus

Leviticus takes a lot of heat for being full of gore and somehow short on excitement, which is a tough combination to pull off. It is not a book the Bible that is in my regular rotation. This time however I did something different that made it come alive. I highlighted the “atonement” every time it appeared in the book. As I flip back through it, and look at all of the pink highlights over the word atonement, it serves a reminder that Leviticus is not, at its core. a book of gore or laws. Leviticus is a book about living in right relationship with God and neighbor.   

Numbers

You would think that leading your people out of slavery in a foreign land would score you some trust points. You would think that such a miraculous escape would galvanize the people behind you as a leader. You would think wrong. Numbers is the people of Israel’s quest to reach the promised land. There are spies with bad reports, donkey’s that talk (though not voiced by Eddie Murphy), and revolts against the leadership of Moses. It also serves as a great reminder that leading anything in life is a challenging task.