What I read for the 2022 G3 Reading Challenge

  In 2022, G3 began a reading challenge.  I’ve mentioned the 2023 challenge before, but I thought I would post what I read for the 2022 challenge.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t start this until fall of 2022, so I’m not quite done yet (I’m still working on the first two categories), but here’s what I am reading/have read.

1. Complete a Bible-Reading Plan: I chose to use the Chronological Bible Reading Schedule from Mostly Sensible.  I started in the New Testament and have mixed the Old Testament up more than suggested, but I am thinking I will be done with the whole thing in another month or so.  Just reading through the whole Bible is a challenge for me, so this has been hard, but I am persevering and finding it helpful to get the history and prophecy or letters, etc. put together well.
2. A Hymnal: I chose Hymns to the Living God, which you can download or purchase.  (I like my spiral bound copy because it lays nicely on my piano stand.)  I am about 95% done with this.  Reading a hymnal has been a little challenging, but, since this is a very different hymnal than I grew up with, it has been nice to learn some new hymns.  I’m going to have to go back and work on some, though, as just reading through, even while playing them on the piano some, doesn’t mean I have learned them well.
3. A Christian Biography: For this category, I pulled one of my kid’s assignments from high school off the shelf - Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose.  This was a very inspiring story about a missionary to New Guinea in the late 1930’s/early 1940’s.  Because of WWII, Darlene ends up in a Japanese concentration camp.  The story is well written and, while I’m not sure I would agree with all of her theology, she does show exemplary faith.  
4. A Book about Culture: I read Owen Strachan’s Christianity and Wokeness for this category.  It was a helpful guide to what is happening in culture and how it relates to the Christian world view, although I will admit that it is more technical than I usually read.
5. A Puritan Paperback: Thomas Watson’s The Doctrine of Repentance was my choice here.  I had heard Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker talk about this book on the Just Thinking Podcast and wanted to read it.  It is a great reference to help us understand true repentance.  I would recommend this book as an essential for all Christians.
6. A Book about Worship: I read Biblical Foundations for Corporate Worship by Scott Aniol.  This book was very helpful in breaking down the worship service in gospel centered pieces.  It would be great if every pastor and worship leader would think through the service this carefully.  This book also helped me to focus on a proper perspective for worship, which has been good for me, especially in this season.
7. A Book by an Inkling: I listened to the audiobook (from my library) of That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis.  This is one of his fiction works and was really fun and engaging.  I think it is the third book of a series, but stands alone well.  This story is about a married couple who are each seeking meaning and fulfillment.  They struggle individually to find it, but thankfully end up seeking in the correct place.  The book reminded me some of Narnia, in that it is one that points us to Christ, just, perhaps, with a more adult story.  I highly recommend this one!
8. A Book about Education: That Hideous Strength and The Abolition of Man are companion works so I read The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis for this category.  (I’m not sure which work came first.  You’ll have to look that up.)  This books brings out excellent points and proves to be somewhat prophetic as our education system becomes more and more about indoctrination and less and less about real education.
9. A Novel Written Before 1922: Here again, I chose an audiobook from my library (I find that I can listen well to fiction, but not so well to nonfiction).  I chose Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter. The story is engaging and digs deeply into the human condition.  If you haven’t ever read it, or even if you haven’t read it since high school, I suggest you pick it up.
10. A Book about Gender and Sexuality: God’s Design for Men and Women by Andreas and Margaret Kostenberger is a very technical and academic book that works through the Biblical theology of manhood and womanhood.  It is Biblically accurate and takes into account the whole of Scripture rather than just a few verses here and there.  The information is invaluable, but, I’ll be honest, I had a hard time getting through this one.  I totally agree with their premise, which probably made it hard for me to wade through all of their arguments because of the repetitive nature. 
11. A Christian Classic You’ve Been Meaning to Read: My husband had Knowing God by J. I. Packer on his bookshelf from a men’s Bible study he had attended, so I decided to read it.  There is a lot of good stuff in this book, so don’t rush through it.  The copy I had also contains study questions, which would be a great idea.  This is one you might want to read with others.
12. A Book of Prayers: This category has really helped me to understand prayer better.  I read Thomas McPherson’s collection of Prayers of the Reformers.  These are prayers written out by the great reformers (although published in updated language so we can understand them).  Men like Martin Luther, John Knox, William Tyndale, and others give us a glimpse into their struggles and triumphs through these written prayers.  This is a very helpful volume and I would recommend it as something to have on your bookshelf.

So what have I learned from participating in this reading challenge?  The biggest thing I have learned is that finishing a book isn’t the same as reading it.  I am trying to slow down with the 2023 challenge and actually read each book well.  I find that I am like my kids with their library summer reading challenges when they were young - “just read as much as you can so you get the prize, who cares if you get anything out of it!”  I know that isn’t the purpose, so I am working on emphasizing the quality of my reading (in material and in slowing down to think about what I am reading) rather than quantity. I’m sure I have had years where I have read well over 100 books, but all of it was twaddle or just plain junk, so I don’t really count that.  Instead, now I am focusing on really good quality brain food.  I just need to learn to chew it well and enjoy all the flavors rather than just wolfing it down.