Life feels like a homework assignment

Seriously. I'm reading four different books right now, and all in separate ways.

1. The Bible- This one I jump around in. I was doing Old Testament for a while, but for the last three months, its all been New Testament. I've read the entire book all the way through twice. Each time, it took about a year, but since moving to a new translation, I keep having these "Huh." moments, where I get something different than what I got before. And I enjoy rolling into some thing that is quotable that I didn't pick up on before. And something that I had forgotten is reading it daily really does change you...in my case, for the better.

2. The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers- OK, stop snickering. It is written by a close friend of his, and is very readable. Its a bathroom book because its divided up into small subchapters, but I find myself pondering different ideas from it in quiet moments, which, as I get further into the book, I think he would appreciate as making his point for him.

3. America Falling- The only novel next to my bed at the moment. I only recently got it, but so far, it is a very well-written thriller. I hope it isn't as prescient as my senses tell me.

4. A relationship book. No, I'm not going to tell you it is. I am going to tell you that I will probably make it a point to read 3 to 5 of these books a year for the rest of my life, because they make me think about consciously changing the things I do. As it happens, I usually get the side benefit of figuring things out about myself. Knowing why you do a thing is generally the first step toward changing it. As I have said before, I would rather be remembered for the person I was than being defined by my profession. I have "lawyered" the important people in my life for far too long. If I don't continually work on improving my character, it will never happen.

More Reading

Started a new book today. "Suicide of the West". I know what I think the root causes are. Let's see if they match with those of people who have had time to research the subject. I'll let you know if it is worthwhile. My recommendations for other reads: "The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis, "Red Star Rogue" by Ken Seward, "The 5 Love Needs of Men and Women" by Dr. Gary and Barbara Rosberg.