“Close friends are truly life’s treasures. “Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves. With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone.”

• Vincent van Gogh

I read this quote by Sarah Bessey and it resonated:

“I don't want to be swallowed by the darkness. Nor do I want to be blinded by the beautiful facade. No, I want to be part of a people who see the darkness, know it's real, and then, then, then, light a candle anyway. And hold that candle up against the wind and pass along our light wherever it's needed from our own homes, to the halls of legislation, to the church pulpit, to the kitchens of the world.”

Currently reading: Simply Good News Why the Gospel Is News and What Makes It Good by N. T. Wright 📚

When you can score an NT Wright book for $3, you don’t ask questions.

Finished reading: The Strength of the Few by James Islington 📚

I look forward to the completion of this story! A cliff hanger of epic proportions…

Currently reading: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter A Cosmere Novel by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Starting the next read. I am enjoying Sanderson so much!

Finished reading: The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Another fun read from Sanderson. It’s not a Cosmere novel. It’s lighthearted and has a bit of a Terry Pratchett feel to it. I really enjoyed it!

“The deeper our faith, the more doubt we must endure; the deeper our hope, the more prone we are to despair; the deeper our love, the more pain its loss will bring: these are a few of the paradoxes we must hold as human beings. If we refuse to hold them in the hopes of living without doubt, despair, and pain, we also find ourselves living without faith, hope, and love.”

• Parker Palmer, Quaker educator

I am currently reading: Dominion by Tom Holland 📚

Spent some with this one today. Seeing the influence of Christianity, the good and the bad is so helpful to hold a nuanced understanding of the development of Western Civilization.

I started reading: The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson 📚

I grabbed the audio book and I’m thoroughly enjoying it! It has dashes of Disc World vibes with Sanderson’s warmth.

I started reading: The Strength of the Few by James Islington 📚

Diving in to the second hierarchy series tale.

Finished reading: The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Such a fun read! It was great to see what happened with one of my favorite characters from Stormlight Archives.

Next up: The Strength of the Few, book 2 of the Hierarchy series.

Finished reading: The Lost Metal: A Mistborn Novel (Mistborn, 7) by Brandon Sanderson 📚

I can totally picture how this series will be serialized and I am so excited for it to hit Apple TV.

Do you ever bump into a quote that just resonates for you? I bumped into this one by David Foster Wallace today and it did just that today:

“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.” - David Foster Wallace

Currently reading: The Lost Metal: A Mistborn Novel (Mistborn, 7) by Brandon Sanderson 📚

”What’s the point of all this if people can’t change.” - Wax

I started reading: Fight Like Jesus by Jason Porterfield 📚

A friend is hosting a weekly discussion of this text. I can’t attend but, I am reading alongside. I think I will share some thoughts throughout Lent from this little book.