Recap (6/8/2013)

Books added to my TBR list:

• Equal of the Sun by Anita Amirrezvani (reviewed by Elizabeth of 5M4B)
  What looks like a fascinated fictionalized glimpse into the court intrigues of a sixteenth-century shah–through the eyes of the eunuch of a powerful (and power-hungry) princess. This sounds like a whole lot of fun.
• Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman (reviewed by Lisa of Lisa Writes)
  Actually, I didn’t just add this to my TBR list–I rushed to Amazon.com and bought myself a copy. When it arrived the next day, I skipped washing dishes over lunch to read the first chapter. I need this look at the gospel in the midst of ordinary homemaking.
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (reviewed by Jen E at Momma Blogs A Lot)
  An epistolary novel about a woman who runs away after her daughter wins a family vacation to Antarctica and a school fundraiser goes wrong. Jen E says:

  “I found myself relating to Bernadette a lot, which was a little bit scary for awhile there, but it also kept me rooting for her and her family. This is a great look at mental illnesses both perceived, ignored and real – and a story that shows the complexities of families, marriage, neighborhoods & the world.”

Recipes Tried:

• Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry (from Serious Eats)
  The dish itself is vegetarian, but I added some beef and served it with quinoa. It combines two of the most spectacular “super-foods” and turns them from sides into a fantastic meal. This recipe produced a delicious sweet and spicy curry that I’ll definitely be trying again (although I’ll probably try either decreasing the cinnamon a smidge or increasing the other ingredients just a bit–it seemed just a little sweet to Daniel and I.)

Stuff I’ve Read:

• If Dependence is the Objective, Weakness is an Advantage (Vitamin Z, quoting JD Greear)
  This is great–and great comfort for me as I endure a season of great emotional weakness:

  “God loves to use the weak because he loves to show off His power. That’s why he so often works by revealing our weakness, not showcasing our strength. He does not want to put our talents on display, because although that might impress people, it will not help them. So he chooses the weak to shame the strong, the simple to confound the wise, and sometimes he humbles the strong—so that our boast would not be in our strength, but in Christ as our righteousness, strength, provider, and security.

  The greater your weakness, the greater the chance for God to display His power.”

• Challies asks if he’ll still delight in God’s sovereignty if…
  In a nice complement to Greear’s post above, Challies asks himself a series of questions regarding the strength of his belief in and delight in God’s sovereignty–when the story isn’t about someone else, but about himself.

  “Jonah, will you love my sovereignty even when you don’t see it as good? Or will you trust my sovereignty only when it gives you what you would have chosen anyway?

  Will you still rejoice in my sovereignty if I decree that you will be like her, if I call you to be the next Joni Eareckson Tada? Or are you quite certain that you can best glorify me by serving with an unbroken body?

  Will my sovereignty still be good if your neck is bent to the sword?

  Will you still declare your joy in my sovereignty if I sovereignly decree something that painful, something that shameful, for you or for someone you love?”

  A stunning and thought-provoking post.