Please forgive me while I post way too much about my 40x40 goals. As my 40th birthday approaches, I've been reviewing my goals and celebrating the ones I've accomplished and laughing about the ones that fell by the wayside. I used to have a 75% success rate with goal setting, but in the past few years, I've fallen to more of a 50% success rate. Better than nothing, right? But I feel like when I fail at a goal, I really fail at a goal. Which makes me wonder if I'm actually worse off from goal setting than if I just never tried.
Anyway, one of my goals was to read a religious or spiritual book every month (on average - if I read two in June and none in July, that's okay. I just wanted to finish twelve throughout the year). I didn't quite make it to twelve, but I did finish ten! (I have a couple more in process that I could possibly finish before the end of the year, and if I do, I'll add them to this post, but I'm giving myself a pass to read then at whatever pace I can rather than rush through them just to finish before my birthday).
Here are the books I read (or listened to) with a little bit of commentary.
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I started off by listening to this book, but then I decided I wanted a physical copy to mark, so I bought it and started over from the beginning.
Last year my bishop asked me if I had any counsel for him on how he could help and support people with depression. I drew a blank because everyone's depression is so different. For me, there are times where I need to have responsibilities to pull me through. Sometimes when I'm experiencing depression, the best thing someone can do for me is to ask me to help with something - teach a lesson or make something. I need to feel needed. That was the case with
assisting with the ward Christmas party last year. I needed to contribute, and that helped me out of a slump. Other times (and for many other people), being asked to take on a responsibility is completely overwhelming. Sometimes being relied upon is just what I need! Other times, the pressure of being "needed" is too much. There are so many variables that go into it.
I had no answer for my bishop, so I asked him if I could take some time to think about it. I never got back to him. But when I read this book, I felt like there was so much in there that might be helpful to a bishop.
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I had mixed feelings while reading this book. Some of it paralleled many things I have experienced myself, but there were parts of it that I didn't like, and I don't know why. Overall, I was grateful to have read it, and it gave me a lot to think about.
It was also a little hard to read because I have a lot of friends and family who are experiencing "divine quietness" right now, and they are abandoning their relationship with God. I've been there myself (
see this post - but also know that I've experienced it again and again
since writing that post), and my heart aches for them.
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I enjoyed listening to this book, and I always get really excited when science and religion align. However, I'm not good at science, so there were parts where I checked out a bit because things got a little
too "science-y." I have added this to my mental list of "research methods for Mormons" curriculum (which also included
Seekers Wanted by Anthony Sweat and
Real vs Rumor by Keith A. Erekson).
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This one is a compilation of teachings from Elder Holland from the New Testament. I listened to it (read by him) at the beginning of the year, and it was a good companion for
Come Follow Me since we studied the New Testament this year. It felt a bit long, and it took me longer to get through than I wanted it to, but I got there eventually!
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This was a tough one because it's a memoir from the mother of one of the Sandy Hook victims. I really don't know what to say about it.
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I read this one right before General Conference, and
it was great timing. I feel like it helped me prepare.
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This was another book that fit really well with studying the New Testament this year. I listened to this book a few years ago, and this time I read a digital copy. I read it before we hit the parables in Come Follow Me, and I was ready for them!
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This may seem a strange option since it's not really a traditionally published book, but I read
Teaching in the Savior's Way from cover to cover recently. Any time I am serving in a teaching position in the Church, I take that responsibility very seriously, and I strive to be the kind of teacher the Lord needs me to be, so I am always brushing up on my teaching skills and trying to improve.
Some of the goals I have when I teach are, first and foremost, to teach by the Spirit. But additionally, I like to bring variety, stimulate intellect, and help those in my audience to feel loved and capable. I have successes and failures, but those are some of my highest goals, so I try to always be improving.
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This is another book that I read for the second time this year. To be honest, I don't remember it very well... even after reading it twice. But I do remember that I was struggling with something, and I felt like this book could help, and it did.
So whatever it was... I guess it worked out. Thanks, Book.
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Sometimes I listen to the podcast
Sunday on Monday through Deseret Bookshelf. The author of this book is the host of the podcast, Tammy. The book looks at Proverbs 31 in depth and interprets some of the symbolism and translates some of the original Hebrew to better understand the scriptural passage. It reads very much in Tammy's voice.
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And thus you have my ten books from my "not quite accomplished" 40x40 goal.
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