2021 in Books & Photos

2021, you were an incredible year. The first half of the year Aaron and I worked from home together, took long walks, and wondered what it would be like to be parents. The second half of the year we slept a little less, smiled/laughed/cried a little more as we unpacked in a new city with a tiny baby, and chatted about his theology courses in the wee hours of the morning.

Other highlights from the year include watching my grandparents meet their first great-grandchild, taking several road trips as a family of 3, finishing up my spiritual director training and having a prayer published in a real flesh-and-bone magazine. I finished the Stars Hallow Quilt and another queen sized quilt top that will eventually get to the quilters.

What I read in 2021

My reading goal for the year was 40 books. I landed at 36. You can get the full list on Goodreads, but here’s a run down of the notable ones, in no particular order:

Spirituality

• The Way of Discernment: Spiritual Practices for Decision Making by Elizabeth Liebert
• The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith by by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich

Bodies

• Handle With Care: How Jesus Redeems the Power of Touch in Life and Ministry
• The Wisdom of Your Body: Finding Healing, Wholeness, and Connection Through Embodied Living by Hillary L. McBride
• Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms by Matthias Roberts

Theology

• The Divine Feminine: The Biblical Imagery of God as Female by Virginia Ramsey Mollenkott
• Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley
• Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength by Kat Armas
• Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith by Marcus Borg
• God Speaks Through Wombs: Poems on God’s Unexpected Coming by Drew Jackson
• The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Final Days in Jerusalem by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan

Empowering Women

• Rewilding Motherhood: Your Path to an Empowered Feminine Spirituality by Shannon K. Evans
• Prey Tell: Why We Silence Women Who Tell the Truth and How Everyone Can Speak Up by Tiffany Bluhm
• The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

Leadership

• Diversity Playbook: Recommendations and Guidance for Christian Organizations by Michelle Loyd-Paige, Michelle D. Williams
• Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

I also read more on Christian nationalism and the forms of masculinity that harm, rather than heal. The events of January 6th are a clear example of the swords we have yet to lay down, both as a nation and as a church. I don’t have the right words to synthesize all my thoughts on these massive issues, but its no secret they’re braided together. Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation is a good introduction if you’re interested in this. I also found The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American by Andrew Seidel and the scholarship of Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry to be helpful.

As I eased back into writing on and living in the liturgical year, I savored The Circle of Seasons by Kimberlee Conway Ireton and To Dance with God by Gertrud Mueller Nelson. I added them to my working list of favorites for the church year.

Most popular posts of 2021

Even with my prolonged absence here this year, this blog continued to grow. I’m thankful for all of my readers, whether you’re here for a moment or a faithful subscriber. I write primarily for myself, but I do enjoy seeing what topics you find interesting. Here’s what you kept coming back to this year:

• What is Religious Trauma
• Celebrating Five Years, a Baby, and a Move
• Guest Post: Purity Culture and Shame with Dr. Camden Morgante
• A Reading List on Purity Culture
• Rule of Life: An Ancient Practice for a Contemporary Faith

Thank you for being here, friends. I would love to hear what books moved you this year, or what books you look forward to reading in 2022.

Happy new year!