In the summer I love getting a little more time to do some reading. My favorite thing about reading is finding new ways that people express their faith in words, in stories, or in action. It seems like even if the author didn't intend something to be spiritual - I always seem to find the spiritual in it. Its what I look for and I love when it happens. This summer I've read a couple of non-fiction books and one great novel.

First I read Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Three Cups of Tea was recommended by Faye a long time ago. I finally got a chance to read it. Now it is actually one of the One Book, One Lincoln finalists. It is the story of Greg Mortenson's quest to climb K2 that turned into a quest to educate girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He eventually founded the Central Asia Institute and has built over 60 schools. You can see more of the projects here and visit the CAI website here.
Here are a couple of my favorite lines from Three Cups of Tea:
"In times of war, you often hear leaders - Christian, Jewish, and Muslim - saying, 'God is on our side.' but that isn't true. In war, God is on the side of refugees, widows, and orphans."
And from a young woman, educated at the first school built:
"When I was a little sort of girl, I would run away and hide my face. But after I graduated from the Korphe School I felt a big change in my life, I felt I was clear and clean and could go before anybody and discuss anything."
Next I read Canoeing With The Cree, by Eric Sevareid
After my own canoe trip this summer, my brother-in-law recommended Canoing With The Cree. This is the true story of two high schoolers in 1930 who decided to canoe from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, 2250 miles. What an amazing story of adventure, perseverance, and admiration of creation.
My favorite line was this:
I cannot imagine how a lake could be more thrillingly beautiful than God’s lake. Its no wonder that name, God’s country indeed. Such sights as this are reserved for those who would suffer to behold them.
It reminded me of Martin Luther's understanding of faith - Luther said:
It is impossible to write well about [Faith] or to understand what has been written about it unless one has at one time or another experienced the courage which faith gives a man when trials oppress him.
Finally, I've just finished reading My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok.
My Name is Asher Lev is a story about a young man's struggle between the secular world of an artist, and life as a Ladover Hasidic Jew. It is really a very dark book, but I was enthralled in Asher's attempts to bring his experiences of family, pain, and faith to life in artwork.
One touching moment was a conversation between Asher and his mother about death. Asher asks her why people die and her response is this:
"So life would be precious, Asher. Something that is yours forever is never precious."
What have you been reading?
Pastor Sara
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