Last Tuesday, our summer book club discussed The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. Perhaps many of you are familiar with this author of the bestselling book The Secret Life of Bees. I know this is why I immediately recognized her name.
I suggested this book as our August book read for a few reasons:
1) I noticed a lot of people beginning to read this book,
2) It was fiction (and I’m someone who usually leans towards non-fiction), and
3) It was about a woman named Anna who was the wife of Jesus.
Wife of Jesus?! As someone who has spent years studying the historical Jesus, this was an exciting and uncomfortable idea for me.
What is your initial reaction to Jesus having a wife?
I like to believe I spend a lot of time on facts- absolutes- things that are proven. I’m detail-oriented and aim to be as honest, transparent, and truthful as possible. However, as I think more about my life and my beliefs, I believe in a lot of things both seen and unseen (to reference the Nicene Creed). Being truthful is not mutually exclusive from that which is unseen.
Thoughts?
I tend to read a lot of nonfiction- especially nonfiction written by women (Anne Lamott, Glennon Doyle, Brené Brown, Nadia Bolz-Weber); however, I’m increasingly aware of the power, beauty, and necessity of fiction.
What genres of books do you typically read? What makes those appealing to you?
In the “Author’s Note” of The Book of Longings, Sue Monk Kidd explains what led her to write this book of fiction, specifically historical fiction. She beautifully articulates her inspiration for this book and also poses the question:
How does imagining new possibilities affect realities in the present?
How would you answer this question?
This week I invite you to think through ways that you can engage with your imagination. Perhaps this is through reading, coloring, writing, dancing, and/or watching films. Perhaps it is looking up at the clouds and allowing your mind to drift into the infinite possibilities of one’s thoughts.
Prayer for this week: We thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon these your servants the forgiveness of sin, and have raised them to the new life of grace. Sustain them, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen.
* Please note there will NOT be a Spiritual Focus e-mail sent on Labor Day.
------
“Pray for that gift of joy and wonder in all God’s works. That is the root of an expanded imagination – for God is always doing new things beyond our understanding or ability to conceive, and all effective ministry depends on radical trust in that newness, like the green blade rising we sing of at Easter.”
