Monthly Miscellany: February Edition

Recent Reads & Favorite Things

If you’re new here, welcome! This is my monthly recap of things that I love, whether it’s a book, podcast, song, or nail polish color. If I love it, you’re going to hear about it! I love hearing what you’re enjoying as well, so please feel free to leave a comment or hit reply to this email and share your faves with me!

Recent Reads

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

Even though it’s only February, I already forgot that I decided to do the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge.¹ February’s category is a book adapted to film, so I’m currently listening to Charlotte’s Web² on audio, but I’m a slow audiobook listener, so even though it’s only 4 hours long, I’m not finished with it yet. I love the 70s animated film version of Charlotte’s Web, and the book is very charming as a read-aloud.

The best book I read in February is I Have My Doubts by Phillip Ryken. It was on sale on Kindle for $1.99, and I would have gladly paid a lot more for it. It’s a short read, but it was a tremendous encouragement to me. In each chapter, Ryken focuses on a different person from the Bible and discusses his or her experience with doubt and how God works in their lives. I highly recommend this book if you have struggled with doubting your faith (or even if you haven’t).

Favorite Music

1. “He Is Making All Things Right” by Bryan Fowler, Skye Peterson, and Ben Shive. “In his goodness, in his time, he is making all things right.”

2. “Both Sides” by Leanna Crawford. The lyrics of this song challenge me. “Before I see a change/ I'll testify in faith./ Won't let my heart forget./ A thousand mountains moved,/ A million times You've proved/ Nothing else but goodness.”

3. I have been enjoying Sara Kroger’s version of “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.”

4. “Come to Jesus (Rest in Him)” by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Jordan Kauflin, and Matt Papa). I don’t have the stats for how many times I’ve played this song since it came out 2.5 years ago, but I’d bet it’s one of my top-listened-to songs.

5. City Alight has a new EP out. I’m listening to it as I write this newsletter because it literally came out today, but I’m sure all of it is good!

6. I’ve been listening to my “Comfort, Comfort” playlist a lot recently. Perhaps it might bless you too.

Favorite Podcasts

I’m in a podcast drought. Send me your recs for faith-based or documentary-style deep dive podcasts!

Favorite Finds Around the Web

• “Anything Can Be an Idol” by Glenna Marshall. Oof, the conviction!

• “What Becomes of All Our Dreams?” by Tim Challies. “What becomes of the passions we could not explore, the dreams we could not realize, the gifts we could not deploy for the good of others and the glory of God? Why would God give it only to take it away, bestow it only to have it go unused? We would despair were it not for the promise of life that continues beyond the grave and extends into the world to come.”

• “Don’t Scratch the Itch” by Brittany Allen.

  Don't Scratch the Itch

• I don’t remember how I came across BookBub, but it has been a great way to discover deals on ebooks and also new books I might want to read. You can create an account and select categories you’re interested in, and then BookBub will alert you about deals in those categories. I don’t exactly need help adding to my TBR list, but BookBub has nevertheless provided me with lots of titles to add to it!

• If you’re like me and want to stay informed about current events but get easily overwhelmed by all the news sources out there, you might like The Pour Over newsletter. I’ve been receiving it for a couple of years now, and it provides brief summaries of key news stories (and gives biblical encouragement along with them) 3 times a week. It’s not too long, has some clever headings, and if I want to find out more about something they share, I can follow the links.

• I bought this inexpensive suction cup bird feeder and stuck it on our kitchen picture window earlier this month, and it has been a delight. When we got snow recently, all of us were enchanted by the birds that kept appearing right at the window!

  

  See? How cute is this??

• “How To Turn Your Phone Screen to Grayscale.” I’m trying to make my phone more boring so I don’t pick it up constantly, and I read that turning off color and setting the display to grayscale can help. This article explains how to do this for a variety of phones, and while it makes your phone look rather sad, that’s kind of the point. I also set up a shortcut so that I can quickly toggle off grayscale and return to color when I want.

• Apparently there’s a thing called a “shower orange,” and people like it? I don’t think I can bring myself to try it, but if you have tried it or do try it, please report back!

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Postscript

It’s been a week, friends. I have seen some very low lows, but I have also been encouraged by the Lord in some mighty ways. That’s life with Christ: not escaping the valley but knowing that he is right there with you in it and that he will bind up your wounds as you trip and fall on your way up to the mountain. I pray you know Christ and the freedom of forgiveness that he offers, but if you don’t and you want to know more, please reach out. There is nothing better than him. I may not always remember that, but it is always true. There is no place better to be than in the arms of Jesus.

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That’s it for this month’s miscellany. What are you reading, listening to, or watching lately? Please tell me all the good stuff.

1. I’m reading one book a month that’s based on a theme from the challenge, and the book selected has to be one that was mentioned in Gilmore Girls.

2. Amazon links are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. (Thus far in my time as an affiliate I have earned approximately $10, so don’t worry, I’m not running a racket.)