Fellowship With Wilderness

So it's July and I can't believe how fast the summer has gone. I've been learning so much this summer though. I've been reading Knowing God by J.I. Packer and have really enjoyed it. I can't even put into words everything I've been reading and learning. I think though that the Lord will take these things I'm learning and then put them into words in the fall when I'm pouring out through my women's group and discipleship.

This summer I've also been thoroughly enjoying all novels by Pat Conroy. His talent with words just makes me want to write eloquent phrases and express myself in the most verbose ways. His books are some of my favorites. I've read Prince of Tides, My Losing Season, The Lords of Discipline, and Beach Music. Still my favorite is The Lords of Discipline even though most people speak highly of Beach Music. He's coming out with a new book in August and I am looking forward to reading it- even though it's already over 700 pages apparently. But I'm still going to tackle that book and love every single wordy page he writes. Because if you've ever read Pat you know he's not the most concise writer but his writing really sets the scene. I think the next one of his I'm going to read is the Great Santini. And I was watching tv today and someone made a reference to being the great santini- implying he was an abusive father. I got real excited about that- i love understanding references. It makes me feel well read.

But back to Knowing God. I mean the things I'm learning in this book amaze me and make me think after every chapter I read. Learning about the characteristics and truths of God is exactly what I need right now. And I'm so overwhelmed with information at times but I've learned that it's okay to not understand. Something else I've been looking into is Jesus' joy. I haven't read a verse in the gospels that says "Jesus laughed" but I want to see what attracted people to him and I know that he had joy because we're called to have joy as a fruit of the spirit and we're also called to be like Jesus. So if a=b and b=c then a=c... therefore Jesus had joy. So I've loved my sleep this summer and learning this summer and really experiencing the calm of Athens. And I'm thoroughly looking forward to the rest of it.

Until next time,
Emily