BOOKS I FINISHED - APRIL 2021

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl, written by Catherine Ryan Hyde

When a two year old girl is taken in a carjacking, it's a homeless teenage girl who keeps her safe. This novel is not only the story of a traumatic event, but of the relationship between mothers and daughters (three sets of them in the story), how parents handle things when they don't approve of their kids' behavior, and the positive impact that can be made when you try to understand someone else's perspective.

p. 71, You can say whatever you want about being done, but after you say it, you're still a live person. And you still have to do whatever you figure you can.

p. 200, Some of the feelings around that whole thing tried to come up, but I was careful not to let them. You can't just let them have their way, those kinds of feelings, because they knock you down and then they're in control, and it's all over and you might never get up again. You have to be strong and keep them back behind the wall where they belong. 

p. 231, I'm not stupid. I'm young, but I have eyes, and I'm not an idiot, and I know that people like to pretend you got yourself into the trouble you're in by doing something that they would know better than to do. That way they can pretend that bad stuff like that happens for a reason and they can just stay out of the way of that reason.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, written by Alexander McCall Smith

Women weren't supposed be detectives, but one decided that's how she wanted to help people. Set in Botswana, this novel's main character is a well-loved woman whose wisdom not only helps her find answers to people's questions, but to resolve things in a way that is fair. Although laced with serious issues, the book itself is a light read.

 p. 35, The problem, of course, was that people did not seem to understand the difference between right and wrong. They needed to be reminded about this, because if you left it to them to work out for themselves, they would never bother. They would just find out what was best for them, and then they would call that the right thing. That's how most people thought. 

p. 195, She felt sorry for people who suffered from constipation, and she knew that there were many who did. There were probably enough of them to form a political party - with a chance of government perhaps - but what would such a party do if it was in power? Nothing, she imagined. It would try to pass legislation, but would fail. 

p. 221, You can go through life and make new friends every year - ever month practically - but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel.

A Place at the Table, written by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Two middle school students, girls who appear on the surface to be very different, discover through a cooking club the value of respect, teamwork, and forgiveness. Not only do they become friends, but their relationship brings their immigrant moms and their classmates together in positive ways. 

p. 310, "You are a mosaic of people from all around the world," the judge says. "You are adding color to that mosaic, sharing your traditions, your art, your food. Especially your food." Everyone in the audience laughs. "As you become U.S. citizens, don't lose who you are. Our differences are what makes America great."

Under the Tulip Tree, written by Michelle Shocklee

The lives of a young, white journalist whose family used to own slaves and an elderly, black, former slave intersect when the former is assigned to interview the latter during the Great Depression. A close friendship quickly develops between the two women, allowing one to tell her whole story for the first time and the other to glean wisdom. Beyond race, slavery, and friendship, it's also a story of family dynamics, love, and facing the hardships life brings. 

p. 37, "You need to see life from a different perspective in order to move forward."

p. 130, "I don't like remembering the bad times, but the Lord has a way of using them to get you to where he wants you to go."

p. 284, It was easier to hate. Hatred had been my constant companion for so long, I wasn't sure I could love. 

p. 303, "Why would you need to go back? That man didn't deserve the kindness you'd already showed him. He didn't need another chance to hurt you."

Frankie considered Jael's venomous words.

"Maybe not, baby girl, but it wasn't for him that I went back. It was for me."

p. 330, "Tears wash the windows of the heart."

When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference, written by Carolyn Custis James

Using the life of Mary of Bethany as an example, this book demonstrates to women (and men, for that matter) how our theology, what we know about God, impacts everything else in our lives. The author's biblical support for the importance of women theologians in the church is both an encouragement and a challenge to know God more. And I love how she also uses Martha of Bethany to wrap up her arguments at the end. 

p. 47, The whole issue comes into focus when we remember that theology is knowing God. This is not a gender issue. It is not a matter of aptitude, instinct, or intelligence. It is about what it means to be a Christian.

p. 49, Women in the Bible did not need anyone to carry them. Their theology strengthened them to get under the burden along with the men and contribute in significant ways to the task at hand. Contrary to current fears, these wise women did not demean, weaken, or overthrow the men. They empowered, strengthened, and urged them on to greater faithfulness and were better equipped to do so because of their grasp of God's character and ways.

p. 56, Adversity and adventures have a way of exposing the state of our theology. We may have heard a lot about God. In the thick of things, we will discover what we really believe about him. We ask too much of ourselves to wade into these deep waters with so little to keep our faith afloat.

p. 65, In every case, for the psalmist and for us, anger is a symptom not of how wrong God has gotten things but of our need to know him better.

p. 67, I knew basic ideas about God, but I had never concentrated my attention on him, never given his character much thought or taken time to study his attributes. My efforts to study and read the Bible tended to be self-focused. I wanted encouragement and nourishment for myself. I wanted to see God's hand at work in my life and my prayers answered. Terrible as it sounds to me now, I wasn't looking for God. I was looking for ways to make my life better for me.

p. 93, If we learn anything from Rahab, it is that our own sins, failures, and mistakes cannot destroy God's sovereign plan for us. In fact, he is at work in the midst of our self-destructive actions and the pain we bring upon ourselves to advance his good purposes for us. 

p. 124, A malnourished faith is no match for the artillery that comes against us in the trenches of ordinary life.

p. 126, Trusting God means we embrace his goodness in this part of the race and determine, by his grace, to run.

p. 127, Running by faith means believing God is good to me right now, regardless of how I feel or how things look.

p. 141, Fixing our eyes on Jesus means digging beneath the facts of Scripture to understand his character. 

p. 143, Theology isn't really theology for us until we live it. Not until we learn to make explicit connections between what we know about God and the race we are running will we taste the transforming power of our theology.

p. 146, Joy isn't grounded in our circumstances; it is grounded in the unchanging character of God.

p. 151, Fixing our eyes on Jesus means that instead of always reaching into his pockets for something we want, we will reach for him. It means investing in Jesus the same ongoing levels of time, energy, interest, and listening powers that we ache for in our human relationships.

p. 171, The fruit of the Spirit, even kindness and gentleness, are never divided up by gender. These are attributes of Christ, which all of his followers are called to emulate.

p. 179, The Bible doesn't teach a theology of women that applies only to a subset of the female population or fits only certain seasons of a woman's life. God's calling for women applies to all of us from the cradle to the grave, whether we are single or married, divorced or widowed, childless or moms, infirm or able bodies. Our conclusions (if they are true) should fit any woman's life, under any circumstance, at any point in history, and at any location on the planet. That is the nature of truth and the reason we need to stick together as we study.

p. 183, Definitions of the woman that cast her as a passive responder who does only what she is told (someone the man would have to think for, supervise, and guide) create more work for Adam instead of providing him with help. Eve was introduced as a significant, active, and welcomed contributor to the man and to the work they were both called to share.

p. 183, If I have learned anything from my seminary professors, it is this: no matter how many times we study a passage or how thoroughly we know it, we always need to be prepared to learn something new, to discover we were wrong, or perhaps not as clear in our grasp of things as we had thought. None of us has everything figured out. Everyone has more to learn.

p. 185, We aren't told what Eve's job description included, and my guess is it was as fluid as the day is long. As helper she would rise to the challenge of each new circumstance and challenge of life. And in a sense, isn't that the very essence of a helper - to see and do what is needed, rather than confining herself to certain prescribed tasks?

p. 190, The greatest asset a woman brings to her marriage is not her beauty, her charm, her feminine wiles, or even her ability to bear a child. It is her theology.

p. 197, But if there is one message in the story of creation, it is that all of us need human help. When God raised the problem of Adam's aloneness, ne never said, "I am all you need." Instead of giving Adam a lecture on contentment or a sermon on God's sufficiency, God formed a woman - a tangible, flesh and blood human being - to come alongside and, in her own imperfect way, enter into his struggles. He commissioned a person to stand in the gap and be there for the man.

p. 205, (speaking of the church) It is an organism - a body - that is only as strong and healthy as each of its respective members. This means a woman either strengthens or weakens the church, depending on whether she invests herself in or withdraws from spiritual ministry to her fellow believers.

p. 215, We do not build up women simply so they will be better off themselves, although we certainly hope that will be the case. A major part of our ministry to women is to build them up so they will have wisdom and strength to offer the rest of the church. The task of women's ministry is to equip women for ministry in the body, a calling that goes well beyond any official ministries a woman may volunteer to do. The church cannot reach full maturity if women minister only to segments of the body as if they were knotted off by a tourniquet.

p. 218, Where she utilizes her theology and participates in body building, the church gains strength and makes strides toward maturity. This is what it means to be a woman in the church. More important, this is what it means to be a Christian. When women are good theologians, the church only stands to benefit.

p. 224, Contrary to our stereotyped expectations of Martha, she actually offers verbal proof of her theological understanding, something her sister Mary never does. Mary displays her theology through her actions. But Martha's theology shows up first in her words. In contrast with Mary's verbal silence, Martha is articulate, reflective, and advanced in her theological understanding of Jesus. This icon for feminine domesticity is unquestionably a thinking woman.

p. 229, Theology doesn't disconnect women from life or diminish our willingness to tackle our next assignment. To the contrary, knowing God mobilizes us. Those who know God find deeper meaning in the ordinary and extraordinary moments of their lives. 

p. 231, Both sisters' gifts to Jesus were warmly received and highly prized. We must not forget that according to God's system of weights and measures, there are no bit parts. < snip > Theology manifests itself in everything we do, and God invests our slightest actions with enormous significance because we do it all for him. Martha was back in the kitchen because good theology finds expression in service and ministry to others, no matter what form that ministry takes. Her eyes were fixed on Jesus, and she knew what she was doing mattered to him.

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