book club

Since about May, I've been meeting with a small group of friends to read through and talk about a book that a friend wrote.  (Well, I didn't know her at first, but I now consider the author to be my friend forever.)  If you know me at all, you know I love the thought of a book club!  I attempted to do this last summer with a friend of mine, and though I thought it started well, I think the group grew to be so large that it became hard to actually get together.  We even said last night, that the key to this book club is that it's small.  There are five of us, total, but one couldn't join us last night, so there were just the four of us.

I also kinda hate to say this, but it's true, so I'll just say it: you almost need to hand pick the people you know to be in a group like this.  Not everyone loves to read, and not all personality types match up, so it's important to remember that when doing something like this.  That is something that is really, really hard for me, because (thanks to a great friend and the youth pastor at our church) I've come to the realization that includers really are greater than excluders.  I hate the thought of leaving anyone out, and I certainly never want to hurt anyone's feelings.

I'm sensitive in that way, so I try to be considerate, in light of how I feel.

If you want to do this, start with a book that you love.  I know of many who do book clubs with fictional books, and that is great!  I've learned that for this kind of event, I prefer nonfiction and Christian.  If I'm going to spend lots of time reading, and then talking about something, I'd prefer it to be fruitful in my life, but that is just my opinion.

The book that we've been reading is Tapestry of Roots: Threads Woven By The Master, by Angela Phelan.

I don't want to give away too much of the book, but it is all about God's love for His people, His desire for us to CHOOSE to obey Him, and His covenants throughout His word.  It is truly one of the most beautifully written books that I have ever read, and I am thrilled to have gotten to know a new and dear friend in the process.

We have been reading about four chapters at a time, and though we didn't meet for a while, we have gotten through the book quickly.  We meet to discuss what we've read, and Angela has been writing out a study guide of sorts for us that we go through.  After last night, we will meet two more times before we finish this book.

We've met at one friend's house, then at an office in a conference room, and then last night, we had a lovely night out in the country.  The picture above was when we first arrived.  The weather was so nice that we sat outside on the front porch and enjoyed the view.

I escaped for a minute to take things to my car when everyone went inside, and took a few pictures.  :)

We were going to each take our own dinner, sort of like a picnic style type meal, and eat together, but our sweet friend offered to make us dinner!  We had hamburgers and French fries, and the best peach cobbler I've had in a long time.  (Missy, sorry I took this on the sly!)

We talked about four more chapters of the book (after spending a solid hour and a half catching up), and then called it a night.

It was a beautiful night, more so than just the weather, of friendship and fellowship and laughter, and then I asked if we could have the last two nights out there as well.  I did offer to cook dinner for the next time we meet though, and take it with me.

I am so thankful for nights like this, for sweet friendships that the Lord has given me, for NEW friends, and for the fact that one thing we kept talking about last night was just the goodness of the Lord.

More than anything else, that is what I love to talk about: His grace, His mercy, His goodness.  I am so thankful for like-minded sisters in Christ and for dear friends that invite us into their homes that are made beautiful by their love and friendship.

That's how we've done this book club, but you can certainly do your own thing.  It is every bit as fun as I always imagined, and I cannot recommend enough doing something like this.  We're already talking about our next thing, so I'm glad that we'll be continuing on with this group.

Thanks for reading my blog!  Thank you to the dear friends who are part of this group for being such beautiful souls.  Love to all.

(Also, oddly enough, I met with two other dear friends yesterday at lunch, to discuss a book I'm reading through with them, and I enjoyed their company and fellowship equally as much!  How I went from being in nothing like this to being in two little groups, is beyond me, but I am loving it!  I love these women so much, and being in their midst makes me want to be more like Jesus and know Him even more than I already do.  These are the type friends that the writer of Hebrews speaks of in chapter ten verse twenty-four---they provoke me on to love and good works.  They are truly gifts in my life, and I am so thankful to the Lord for these type friendships.  I pray that I never take them for granted.)