2018 Word of the Year!

Hello there! It's been quite a while!

Expectation: I'll start 2018 with a grand resolution of reading more books and blogging more words.

Reality: I read very little, and I wrote even less. I watched a lot of Netflix. I discovered how to make subcategories on my Pinterest boards. I took a few naps.

It’s not that 2018 wasn’t full of things to talk about. I completed student teaching, I graduated college, I spent another summer working for a Christian music camp, I got my first real teaching job, moved, went through some pretty big family changes, and God once again exceeded my expectations in a million ways and taught me something for every step of this journey. You would think with so many things happening and changing I would be full of things to tell my little corner of the internet. You’re right. The subjects were there, but many times as I sat down to write the words failed me completely.

So without further ado here's 2018 in review:

***

2018 started with my final semester of undergrad. God placed the most perfect teacher in my life in 2017 that challenged me professionally and spiritually. She became a mentor, a friend, and an accountability partner through one of the craziest seasons ever. I was placed in a wonderful grade level that confirmed my calling to teach while in an incredible school with amazing colleagues and students. I taught full time for the first time. I eventually passed all of my assignments, evaluations, exams, and walked across the stage with a degree in education, a double minor in English and Child Development, and with honors. Life was great, and my next steps seemed obvious. Apply for teaching jobs, get a job, begin the dream career.

Expectation: I'm going to prepare how to become the best first-year teacher of all time, get a job a week after graduation, spend my summer working and lesson planning in my spare time, and buy a plethora of cardigans and pencil skirts because I'm the real deal now. #GotThis #CrushingIt

Reality: Ha.

While posting all the happy smiles and good vibes on Facebook, and through clenched teeth and fake I'm fines when someone asked me how I was doing I was really struggling towards the end of my college career. Like...truly considering what would actually happen if I changed my major to something different a month away from graduation. 

The long story in the fewest words possible: I failed a huge graduation requirement the first time I submitted it. (The state of Tennessee requires you to make a 42 as a passing score. I made a 43. But my particular University required a 45 to graduate. Out of a class of 9, I think 1 or 2 passed the first time and everyone else essentially had two weeks to redo and resubmit months worth of work.) It broke me. I didn’t view it as an opportunity for improvement. All I saw was the failure. God couldn’t possibly want me to teach full time. I can’t be responsible for other people’s children. I can’t even pass a state requirement! If I’m really supposed to be doing this, why is the road to get there so complicated? 

Goodbye confidence. Hello fear.

What’s going to happen if I don’t pass it a second time? Will I get to walk across the stage in May? What if I don’t graduate at all? What if this one test stands between me and my diploma? How am I going to get all the requirements for this done in this amount of time? Could I still get another degree and choose not to get a license to teach at all? Do I WANT to teach still? There's an entire world of possibilities out there...what if I'm not cut out to do this?

Doubts ran rampant through my mind. I passed the requirements the second time, and all worked out fine in the end. But even weeks after graduation I continued to question what God wanted me to do.

Before I left Memphis for Nashville to spend a few weeks working at the camp office in Nashville I had applied for four school districts, several teaching positions, and had exactly one interview. (Cue the confidence shattering even further. I wasn't even good enough to get an interview with someone!) I started applying for several fall internships with churches and children's ministries all over the United States. I took a crazy chance on a church in northern California and I was actually accepted. I'd leave in August and most likely wouldn't return until Christmas.

Expectation: Teaching is suddenly the most terrifying thing God could possibly call me to do, so I'm going to pull a Jonah and run away and try to do something different that I know isn't in His will right now. But it's going to work out GREAT for me!

Reality: Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. God said "ummmm nope. Good try though." (Thank goodness He did.)

Despite the lightbulb moment time after time where I've realized that I don't need to do anything to make God like me I still find myself in this trap of try more, do more, be more, strive for perfection, failure isn't an option, disappointment is unacceptable. I was no longer confident in my ability as a teacher. So let me just reach for the next good thing that God couldn't possibly be against...I don't remember the exact details, but I backed out of the internship before camp even started. The door closed as finances proved to be more difficult to manage than expected, travel became an issue, people began praying for me and told me they felt uneasy, close friends and relatives told me that it didn't seem like I had thought this out, and a dear friend told me it sounded like I was running away from God and choosing to simply run towards the church where I felt like it might be safer. She wasn't wrong. And that reality check was the kick in the butt that I needed to refocus on what God really wanted me doing.

So camp approached and I went into Nashville* worried about exactly how I was going to start teaching. It's the last week of June. School starts in 36 days. What do I do to get a job when I've applied to several places and haven't heard back from any? What would I do at the end of camp? I don't have a single interview. I won't have a job. Should I look at grad school? I can just get another degree while I figure this out.

Expectation: I will get to Nashville and be totally calm, cool, and collected.

Reality: Classic Melissa Meltdown. **

I was stressed and aloof. This may come as a shock to you but I am a planner. I have a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C in my mind for just about everything. And I've said this before but usually I have plans D-Z stored away somewhere, and a few extras hidden around too. I used to define myself as Type-A. I don't think that as much now. I'm not organized. I just like to be in control. I'm like the most Type-B Type-A person of all time. 

Anyway, at some point before the first week of camp kicked off I prayed one of the scariest prayers I've ever said. Something along the lines of 

"God. I don't know. I don't know what you want me to do tomorrow. I don't know with much confidence what you need me to do today. But I'm here. And I just want to try something different today and let you lead the way. I'm going to have a positive attitude, I will walk around confident because I know I'm yours. Unless someone's arm falls off or something crazy happens there isn't anything to panic about...and even then you'd be there through that, wouldn't you? It's not an accident that I'm here and it's not an accident that anyone else is here either. There's a purpose for each of us that you've already got figured out. So help me to simply be and glorify you with my words and my actions. I don't know what that looks like yet. But I'll worry about my next step later. For now, I know you have me where you need me and I'm choosing to be okay with that."

Day one of camp started and we were all busy with registration, drop-offs, airport transfers, answering phone calls, emails, etc. There wasn't time to focus on anything other than what tasks were directly in front of me. After a few days I checked my personal email, and would you believe it?! I had an email from a principal asking me to come in for an interview at some point during the week!

We agreed to a phone interview, and at the end of the conversation, he offered me a position teaching at a school about two hours away from my home. I declined deciding that it was further than I wanted to go. A few hours later on the same day, I received another email asking to arrange an interview with a school in a district I hadn't even applied for! The interview went really well, I was offered another position, but it was even further away from where I was living. So I declined again.

Hi. Remember me? My name is Melissa. A few paragraphs ago I was worried about not having a job at all. Now I'm declining jobs?!? Talk about feeling uneasy!

A day or two later a notification went off saying I had an email. And it was from...yup...another principal. The interview happened by phone a few days later, went extremely well, and I was told to expect a phone call back with an official job offer within a few days. Well, a few days turned into a few weeks with no news. Meanwhile, I had received two additional emails asking to set up interviews when I returned to Memphis.

I think my poor camp coworkers witnessed every level of my crazy any second we weren't working. One minute I was practically doing cartwheels down the hallway over how excited I was about an interview or a potential job offer. The next minute I was sulking and googling "How to know if you for sure completely bombed an interview..." or "What can I do with an education degree beyond teaching?" or "Help. I might be jobless and I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing with my life anymore." Just kidding about that last part...kind of.

But I came back home, attended a face to face interview for the school I'm teaching at now and was hired the same afternoon. My principal called and said something along the lines of "Hi I'd like to offer you this position..." and in my excitement, I either completely missed what position she said I was taking or I completely forgot to ask. So I actually called her back a few minutes later and said: "This might be the most unprofessional question to ask less than five minutes after you hired me, but what grade did you say I will be teaching?" And ya'll...she said first grade. The same grade I had done my student teaching in. I thought my heart would actually explode from excitement. 

Here's the thing: in first grade, kids learn how to read. Like really really read. I think it's one of the most important grades in an elementary student's life, and I'm not just saying that because I'm biased. I can not talk to kids about my faith or tell them directly about God in a public school, but I can teach and teach until a lightbulb goes off and they can read independently. If they can leave my classroom doing that then I have a feeling of great peace in knowing that one day they might come across a Bible that they can read on their own. They can use comprehension skills to figure out what the Bible is saying. They don't have to look at the Bible and say the words "I can't read this. Look how many words there are on each page. It's too hard." I may not be able to teach them about Jesus on my own, but I sure can equip them with as much knowledge as possible to take their questions and beliefs into their own hands. Truly taking ownership of their own faith someday in their future. I get goosebumps every time I think about it. First grade is my passion and I absolutely love every second of it.

Obviously, if you're still reading this, you can see that all of my expectations panned out exactly the way they were supposed to up to this point in 2018. Right? Well, not quite. But now it's August and things have to be slowing down!

Expectation: I will have a sweet calm ending to my summer, focus on getting my classroom ready, and everything will finally be perfect.

Reality: My family ran into a few unexpected turns in the road. Family members dealing with illnesses and cancer diagnoses, the death of my great aunt, and moving into a new house among other major life changes just to name a few. 

In retrospect, it's hard to explain how the days between August and December dragged on while simultaneously happening way too quickly. I felt overwhelmed, discouraged, and defeated more times than I could count. My anxiety was through the roof. I was trying to figure out how to balance a new job, getting to know 15 tiny humans, moving, and new family dynamics all at once.

I'm a pretty external processer. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I normally write to work through things going on in my life. Occasionally I share them with you on Facebook or through links, but most of the time I keep them to myself. 

Expectation: Wow. Lots of emotions and changes = lots of writing.

Reality: Nope. In fact, the opposite was true. I barely wrote at all.

I didn't know what to say. "Hello, corner of the internet! Life is hard right now, I don't know what else to say. I don't feel close to God. I don't feel close to anyone. So...what do YOU want to talk about? I got nothing." That might sell to some kind of Christian soap opera, but it didn't sound enticing as something to read or write.

Sometimes it's perfectly okay to be still, and I feel like 2018 taught me that more so than ever before. I don't have to have a plan, a backup plan, and seven other plans on standby just in case. I don't have to have every moment of life all figured out. Reality: life isn't going to work out the way I plan it to anyway.

2017 was the year that taught me about faith. You can read about that here. 

2018 was the year that taught me that it's okay not to be okay. Being a Christian doesn't mean that life is easier. Being a Christian means that I can be full of hope and joy, despite unhappy circumstances, because my joy comes from the Lord and is present in all circumstances.

Looking back I think my one word for 2018 would be contentment. 

I learned how to be content in waiting on God's timing, content in plans not going the way I thought they would, and learned how to be content when sitting outside of situations I can not control.

My hope is that 2019 is a little less hectic than 2018 was, but there's no real way to know that is there? All I can do is embrace each day and embrace the challenges that come with it. God's mercies are new every morning. There are 360 days left in the year to make an impact for His kingdom and I plan to do whatever I can to glorify God's name. Maybe that means blogging my journey more often and sharing what God is doing in my life. Maybe that means asking more people out for coffee and asking them how they're really doing in life. Maybe it means taking more social media breaks, sitting down more often with my bible, and simply choosing to be still.

If you're still reading, thank you for trudging through my rambling thoughts and glimpses of a crazy year. If you need some encouragement then I pray you have been reminded of God's timing and how you can remain content in His will while going through even the most unpleasant or craziest of circumstances. I don't know what 2019 will bring for me or for you, but I know God is going to move in big ways and carry you through whatever it is that you will be facing. 

The Voice of If Only

"I love my life: my work, my coffee, my books, my family. But every so often, I look around and suddenly feel small and insignificant. Other women seem to be conquering mountains for the kingdom, while I'm standing in front of my dishwasher in sweatpants. Some women travel the country or even the world, speaking to and influencing thousands of people, while my own circle of influence seems rather trivial. I start to wonder if I really matter.

It can become a bad habit, weighing our worth and viewing our value through the lens of accomplishment. Even worse, we measure our significance by what other people think of us. Fearing man's opinion above God's is a perpetual trap (Pr 29:25). It's a horrible way to live, always evaluating our importance by the world's standards.

Even King David considered his place in all of the creation, but in doing so, he remembered his Creator: 'When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, what is human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him?' Psalm 8:3-4

David, the conqueror of kingdoms, sometimes searched for significance, and we are certainly prone to do the same. So our hearts repeat the king's question: Who are we in light of a vast and wondrous universe?

'You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the worlds of your hands; you put everything under his feet...' Psalm 8:5-6

If God's Word is true, then we are hardly insignificant to our Father. We are His creation- created in His image 'for good works, which God prepared ahead of time' Ephesians 2:10
We bear the image of God. We matter because we matter to Him. So no matter how small or unimportant we may feel, we must remember who we are in Christ Jesus. In an impossibly vast universe, we are His treasured possession and He delights in us (Dt. 14:2; Zph. 3:17)

For every day we walk on this earth, our existence reveals God's glory. Who we are in Him can help point others to the Creator and their own significance in His eyes. He created us and came down to redeem us, we belong to Him, and He calls us by name (Is. 43:1). May His voice ring louder than all the others."

May His voice ring louder than all the others.

I read this devotional tucked in the pages of my Bible and quickly had to wipe the tears at the corners of my eyes before I ugly cried in the middle of Starbucks and got snot in my caramel macchiato. Man. I don't know about you, but I have lots of voices in my life that seem to ring louder than God's voice. 

I can relate to those opening words more than I'd care to admit. The reality is that I DO love my life. I love my family, I have incredible friends, I am blessed beyond blessed to have received an education and to have a job that I love to pieces. If I sat down and began to list all of the things I'm thankful for, you and I would be sitting here writing and reading for weeks. I have very little to complain about, yet I catch myself wandering through the land of "If-Only..." quite a bit. If only I was thinner...then I could probably get a date for that wedding in a few weeks. If only I had majored in business or administration...then I could get a job that paid more money. If only I had joined more clubs in high school or been involved with more in college...then I'd have a more interesting resumè & have a job by now. I bet if I were smarter, prettier, funnier, shorter, thinner, calmer, nicer, etc....then I would be happier.

Now, I don't camp out and live in the land of If Only. I just visit from time to time. You do too I'm sure, so I don't really mind admitting that to you. No one actually likes to play the depressed hostess of their own pity parties on a regular basis, but we can definitely put on our oh woe is me aprons and whip up poisonous comparison cookies to stuff our faces with.

If God's voice is a calm, reassuring whisper that we hear when we are still and know that He is God then I would say that I often let His voice become drowned out by the deafening shrill of my own insecurities. Constantly feeling like I'm not good enough is the all too familiar squeal that I imagine must sound like the air being let slowly and obnoxiously out of a balloon. I wish it were easier to tune out the whining and listen to the Truth that I know is being spoken over me daily as a child of God.

If insecurities are the whining of a balloon then the voice of my anxiety is the sound of a buzzing mosquito flying around the bedroom after the lights are turned off. You think you kill it, you almost go back to sleep, and then slowly you hear the hum getting closer and closer. "Is that really the sound of a mosquito, or am I just imagining it?" Am I actually nervous about this, or am I just psyching myself out? "No way. I killed that thing. I can just still hear it in my head." No no. I'm not freaking out about this. Calm down. You're overreacting. Stop being such a baby. Then all of the sudden you can hear the hum clearly as it flies past your ear and makes it impossible for you to go to sleep. Suddenly fear grips your heart and makes it feel impossible to catch your breath. Even though you're sitting down. Even though a normal person wouldn't be afraid of what you're working yourself up about.

Squealing, whining, humming, buzzing...in the imaginary land of If Only I imagine this would be the town's soundtrack. The jackhammering of lies fill the streets as we allow Satan to lay a foundation that seeks to overthrow those still, small, whispers of truth.

Truth.

May that voice of truth be louder than the lies that we get distracted into believing; reminding us that we are all loved and sought after by a God who created us.

Disney 2017

My name is Melissa Jennings, and I am a Disney addict. I am, I have been, and I will always be a fan of mouse ears, dole whips, and Cinderella's Castle. 

I mean, can we talk about this 90s style graphic turtleneck sweater??

The 101 Dalmations Pool and my Tigger bathing suit

Minnie Mouse chair

Winnie the Pooh Christmas decor. (Side Note/True Story: When Michael was a toddler he unplugged this very Winnie the Pooh from the wall, stuck the prongs of the cord in his mouth, and shot himself across our living room floor & turned his tongue black.)

Meeting Mickey Mouse.

Sheer Joy.

Our Disney collection has grown over the years. This is a current shelf in our living room.

This is a current shelf in my bedroom. Peter Pan is my absolute absolute favorite of all time, and somehow the collection has expanded over the years.

And this is a picture of my mother and I with The Seven Dwarves at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party over Christmas break. It was 38 degrees in Orlando Florida, there were screaming children hyped up on sugar everywhere, and we found ourselves stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on more than one occasion throughout the week, but this was one of my all-time favorite vacations.

My mom is my best friend. Hands down, no shame, no embarrassment, no reservation. She gets me better than I get me. She's hilarious. She's selfless. She's everything I strive to be and a million times more.

We had character meals, ate in Cinderella's castle, ate in the Beast's castle, had multiple meals with Mickey and friends. I was living the dream of my six-year-old self.

We did the nerdy matching T-shirt thing and loved every second of it. My mom even bought mouse ears for herself, which she has never done before.

Here are some pictures from Animal Kingdom:

















This is from Mt. Everest! The many faces of Melissa on rides became a game. I couldn't help it. My mom looks like a giddy little girl in every single picture, and I look like I'm about to poop my pants.



Even the dinosaur ride.

Here are some from Epcot! I'll post more about Mouse later, but just so you understand I took a Mouse puppet with us to Epcot and had him take pictures with people from the countries. I'm going to make a book for my classroom and call it "When You Take a Mouse to Disney!"



Mouse met Alice from Alice in Wonderland.



And Mouse, of course, had to meet Mickey Mouse!



This was taken outside of La Hacienda in the Mexican pavilion. I've decided this is the most under-rated Disney dining experience of all time. It was SO yummy, there was SO much food, and the views from the restaurant were stunning. My mom and I are still talking about this meal. For real.












My one normal face was the Frozen ride. Thank goodness. I can smile on the kiddie rides.

These are from the Magic Kingdom:



We got stuck on Buzz Lightyear, and they still let us shoot all of the targets. We racked up some serious points, and I still beat her for the record.



"Do something funny"



"Were you trying to be funny here too?" "No, I think I had to sneeze..."



At least I'm smiling here.

These are from Hollywood Studios:



My mom hugging Chewbacca might be one of my favorite parts of the trip.







Rockin' Roller Coaster.

There are lots of other pictures! I'll leave you with these for now. :)

Books Read in 2017

I'm trying to catch up on some blog posts that I fully intended to write before 2017 ended, but life happened and Disney happened and this girl just ran out of time. Hopefully if you're reading this you didn't spit your coffee out across the room when you saw that I posted something about 2017 six days into 2018. (If you did I need you to stop reading this anyway, clean yourself up, and find your bottle of chill pills. It's gonna be okay.)

***Warning*** This is one of those nerdy book lover posts where I ramble on and on about something you may not have much of an interest in. There's still time to close the tab and find a show on Netflix before you get sucked into my vortex of bookworm-geekiness.

Ok. So one of my goals for 2017 was to read more. Books, articles, blogs, magazines, whatever I could get my hands on. It started off as just a general thing, and I didn't do a very good job at first. I'm a very visual person, and if I can see what I'm working towards I do a way better job at achieving what I want to do. So when I found this little chart I got super excited! Some of the categories were checked off, but several weren't. If you have any recommendations that fit into the category I'm missing let me know. I also wrote about each book as I finished them, and I've been working on this post for a while. If I said "I finished this last week..." it definitely could mean that I finished it in August or September. 


A Biography: I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart

Biographies are my least favorite kind of book to read. I love watching documentaries about people, but reading about them? Not my thing. A biography was the first type of book on this list, but it was NOT the first one I read this year. I put it off for as long as I could. Here's what happened...

Melissa Picks Out a Biography....

1) Melissa goes on Audible and searches Biographies. "I can listen to a biography. But there's no reason to read one..."
2) Kevin Hart's autobiography comes up first because it's a bestseller. "Oooh. He's funny. He voiced that Zebra in that kids' movie. He was in that cop movie. AND there are puppies on the cover? I have to read a biography anyway...I might as well listen to this one." 

The puppies are what sold me. I'm not going to lie.

3) Downloads Kevin Hart autobiography, because maybe an autobiography won't be as boring as a regular biography. 

I listened to the audiobook over the course of a couple of days. It was funny because not only did Kevin Hart write the book, but he narrated the audiobook too. The way he read it, adding anecdotal conversations that he said weren't in the text, was probably 10x funnier than the actual book itself. This is not a book I would ever buy, but I got it for free when I signed up for Audible this year. The book is crude and there is more language in that one book than I possibly have ever heard in my entire life, but his life is actually a pretty interesting story. This is most definitely NOT a Christian book. And on this list, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Would I recommend? Yes because it was really really really funny, but with the disclaimer that this is definitely NOT a Christian book. And part of me is kind of ashamed that it's on this particular list(...the other part of me is still laughing.)

There is a lot of cursing, and lots of references to sex, drugs, and alcohol. So don't listen to it near your kids. Or your elderly neighbor. Or maybe near anyone. (Please send any personal complaints of this book being listed on my blog to melissajennings63.......)

A Classic Novel: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
I know it's a required book that we all read in high school. I know it's not a very glamorous story. I know most people don't like it. I know what happened to the puppy. I know. I know. I know. But I only read the first chapter or two my sophomore year of high school, and skimmed through sparknotes for the rest. I always said that since it's so short I would go back and read it again one day.

I did.

Moving on...

Would I recommend? I think everyone should read it once or twice. And actually READ it. Not just sparknote it. There's some good stuff when you get past the puppy thing...am I going to read it again? Nope. Once and a half is good. 

A Book About History: The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Akerman

I laughed. I cried. I listened to a lady with a fake accent read this to me as I went to sleep over the course of several weeks. The Zookeeper's Wife is about a woman...and (you guessed it) she's a zookeeper's wife. And their zoo gets taken over by Nazis and Nazi supporters during World War II.

Would I recommend? Nah. But I just couldn't ever really get into it. I finished it the other day, but I honestly can't tell you what happened throughout the story. I listened to it at night, and there were multiple nights where the narrator's voice lulled me to sleep. The parts I listened to were really really good, but for the most part it just wasn't something that I particularly enjoyed. If you're the kind of person who really enjoys books in this genre, you might really enjoy it. Me personally? Not a fan. They made a movie based on the book earlier this year, but to be completely honest I probably won't be going to see that either. Just not my thing.

A Book Targeted at Your Gender: A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on a Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband "Master" by Rachel Held Evans (This was technically read in 2016, but it's one I've looked back at several times this year so it's being lumped.)

I think it's a really good book that will get women thinking about our roles and responsibilities as Christian women in our church, homes, and communities.

Would I recommend?  If you're a lady & you want to read a really well-written book that will challenge your way of thinking, or make you start to think about something that you maybe haven't ever thought about before, then yes. If you're looking for a truthful analysis of what a modern-day biblical woman looks like? Probably not. I have a lot of opinions and mixed feelings about this one the more I've read it. If you're a dude I don't think you'd like it, but I'm just assuming.

A Book About Theology: The Pursuit of God by A.W Tozer

If you don't read anything else on this list please oh please find a copy of this one. I overheard that the college ministry leadership team at my church had been going through the book, and on a whim one afternoon I bought the book too. It was a total life changer. For real. It's not the easiest book I've ever read, but it's short and pretty straightforward once you get into it. I bought it on an audiobook and listened to it in my car most mornings on the way to work. I finished it by the end of a week, and then went back and listened to certain chapters again. I bought a physical copy a few weeks ago and I'd love to find time and go through and highlight certain parts that really stuck out before the semester ends. The differences between having head knowledge about attributes of God and pursuing an actual relationship with Him were brought to the surface in a new way. I was convicted beyond belief, and it's drastically changed how I approach my quiet times and just my relationship with God in general.

Would I recommend? Yes yes yes 1000x yes. I think it's something every Christian should read at some point in their life. I only read it a few months ago and have recommended it to anyone who's asked me for a book suggestion.

A Book With at Least 400 pages: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Ridley Pearson wrote Kingdom Keepers, which is a series about kids that get stuck in Disney World after dark when all of the villains come to life and battle Disney heroes. It's pretty legit if you're a big Disney addict. I was given the entire Starcatchers series for Christmas to add to my Peter Pan obsession collection. I had a house-sitting job the week after Christmas and had a lot of free time, so I read through the book in about a day and a half. I'm not sure when I'll have time to read the rest of the series, but the first book was pretty good. 

Would I recommend? If you have a fifth grader that loves to read about pirates and magic and far-off places, then absolutely. If you just want to read something for fun, and you don't particularly like Peter Pan, then probably not. It was okay, but it wasn't anything fantastic.

A Book Your Pastor Recommends: The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.

I had a few weeks where I was waiting on one of my books to come in the mail, and I literally didn't have a single thing on my bookshelf that sounded interesting that I hadn't already read before. So I asked the guy who teaches my Sunday school class if he had something I could borrow for a few days. I know technically that isn't asking my "pastor" for a book rec, but it's close enough. If the Pursuit of God made me get serious about my relationship with God then the Pursuit of Holiness is what got me super excited about it. Honestly, this is my favorite book that I've read so far this year. I mentioned it briefly a few months ago when I wrote to kind of just processing my thoughts after reading both this one and the Pursuit of God by Tozer. You can read that post here if you'd like to.

Would I recommend? Yep! For sure. Especially if you're kind of just going through a rut in your relationship with God. I think it was really helpful for a season of life that I was going through where I was feeling really distant from God, and just not excited about my relationship with him at all.

A Book About Christian Living: Simply Tuesday by Emily P Freeman

Emily Freeman wrote one of my favorite books called Grace for the Good Girl that I have read and re-read dozens of times. I've also used Grace for the Good Girl in multiple Sunday School lessons, devotionals, and then eventually led a middle school/high school girls small group on the book. Easily one of my favorites! So when I heard Simply Tuesday was coming out I knew I wanted to get it as soon as possible. I started to go through it with a friend of mine, but eventually schedules got kind of crazy and life happened. It has sat on my nightstand for months, and I'm in the process of finishing it now. (1/6/18)

Would I recommend? Yes! I just love love love Emily Freeman. I haven't finished this one yet, but I'm close. It's good. Trust me.

A Book More Than 100 Years Old: Peter Pan by J.M Barrie (the original copy was published in 1911)

I feel like this one is cheating because I've honestly read this book over and over and over again. I know I read it twice this summer, and I read it several times before that. It's my absolute favorite, and I'll probably read it again before the year is over.

Would I recommend? Um. Yeah. Read it to your kids. Read it as an adult. Read it to an adult. Read it with a stranger. Read it on a boat with a goat wearing a coat in a moat while drinking a root beer float. Seriously. Whatever. It's my absolute favorite book of all time. It's probably one of the only books I've voluntarily read more than five or six times. 

A Book Published in 2017: Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio

I had this one in my hands a month or two after it came out! David and Goliath is one of my favorite Bible stories to teach to kids in Sunday School class, and when I found out that a major portion of the book referred to battling anxiety I knew I had to read it ASAP. I took it with me on the mission trip I took to Las Vegas this summer and read most of it during layovers and on the plane ride when I didn't have my eyes closed tight and my fists clenched. (The irony of reading a book about anxiety while dealing with massive amounts of anxiety over a plane ride that I had been panicking about for weeks leading up to the trip sounds like something I would do, right?)

Would I recommend? Yes! For sure. Giglio's perspective on the story of David and Goliath was interesting by itself and worth the read for that alone. He also talks about a lot of other subjects besides anxiety that takes a foothold in a believer's life so I would recommend it to anybody.

A Book For Children or Teens: Oh Geez. Where do I start? The entirety of my college career hinges on my love for Children's books. The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak is my current favorite. I read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff twice just last week. I read a book called Plantzilla by Jerdine Nolan earlier today to fulfill an ELA standard for one of my lesson plans. I set up an entire lesson plan on the Little Red Hen on Friday. If I started to keep track of all the children's books I read I would probably have to start a completely different blog...even as I'm typing this I'm listening to one of my students read Not Norman: A Goldfish Story. Earlier today I read Junie B. Jones First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved And Eaten (And Other Thankful Stuff.)

Would I recommend? The Book with No Pictures is honestly my favorite children's book right now. It makes me laugh every time, and watching the reactions from kids the first time you read it to them is hilarious. If you've never read it, it's definitely worth glancing at the next time you're at Barnes and Noble. You can also search for someone reading it on Youtube if you want to.

Bonus Children's Book: Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham

This is a children's book that isn't very well known, and it makes me laugh so so hard. It's a basic alphabet book. A is for Apple....B is for Ball...C is for MOOSE! And a little Moose pops up and insists that it's his turn. The narrator, a zebra, has to continuously explain that certain letters of the alphabet are NOT for Moose. It's creative. It's hilarious. I get really excited about reading that book to kids.

A Book of Your Choice: Salty Kisses by Robin Jones Gunn

I started reading the Christy Miller books the summer between middle school and high school. All twelve books about Christy's high school years, all twelve books about Sierra Jensen, all four books about Katie Weldon, the three books about Christy and Todd's college years, and then the three books about Todd and Christy getting married. I grew up with the Christy books, and I've passed those books on to countless friends and students over the years. When Robin started releasing the new books about the baby years I honestly might have shed a tear or two. I couldn't help it. Salty Kisses is the second book in the baby years trilogy and I read it in about a day and a half, and that's actually longer than it would normally take me to read a Christy story. ;)

Would I recommend? I will recommend the Christy Miller books to any middle school or high school girl looking for a quick read and a series to fall in love with from now until the day I die. They're super sweet.

A Book About a Current Issue: Didn't get to this one. If you have any recommendations let me know.

A Book Written by a Puritan: Didn't get to this one either.

A Book By or About a Missionary: Love, Skip, Jump by Shelene Bryan

A few weeks ago I worked the EWomen's Conference in Southaven Mississippi and had the privilege of briefly meeting Shelene during one of our meals. I fell in love instantly because she laughed at a really stupid joke I made. 

Like really stupid. Like dad-joke material.

"Hi, I'm Melissa!" 

"Hi! I'm Shelene!"

"This is Angie, Leann, and Kristen..."

"Yeah! I've met a few people so far! Are you and Angie related?"

"Yes ma'am! Mother-daughter.....I'm taller so I'm obviously the mom."

And I chuckled for a second, before internally hyperventilating for realizing how idiotic I just sounded.

Great.

But before I could recover or think of something slightly less stupid to say she began to laugh. Like, for real laugh. Not sympathy-please-remove-this-awkward-girl-away-from-me kind of laugh.

I liked her immediately. I went to her booth in between speakers at the show and bought both of her books, having no idea what they were about. She signed both of them for me and asked me how old I was. "22..." I said sheepishly. The woman looked me dead in the eyes, took my hands, and said "You have absolutely no idea what God has in store for you Melissa. He has big things, and you just need to be brave enough to say yes. Get ready to jump, ok? You're about to launch into a whole new season of life."

I don't know if that's the generic thing she says for all of the people she meets, but I'd like to think not.

I read the book, and can I just say: Oh. My. Heart.

Love, Skip, Jump was SOO good. I wished I had read it years before now. Shelene's testimony is absolutely incredible, her servant's heart is awe-inspiring, and I was more convicted in 22 chapters than I have ever been in 22 years of life. Her fearless treks to Africa, her stories surrounding the startup of Skip1.org, and just her perspective on being a doer of the word and not a hearer...Wow. Just wow.

Would I recommend? Ummm yeah. Most definitely. I read it over a couple of days in my spare time. It's a quick read, it's entertaining, and it's one of the most moving things I have ever read. I can name on one hand books that have made me cry before, and this one was added to the list. So. Good.



A Book About Christian Living
A Commentary on a Book of the Bible
A Book About the Reformation
A Book about Theology
A Book Recommended by a Family Member
A Book with a Great Cover
A Book Currently on the Best Sellers List
A Book about Church History... didn't get to any of these.

A Book of 100 Pages or less: The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Earnest Hemingway

I'm sharing spoilers, but I'm doing it to save you some time...you're welcome.

40 Minutes of my life I'll never be able to get back. I listened to the audiobook on Youtube so I wouldn't have to go and buy it, and in the span of 40 minutes I fell asleep twice and had to restart it. "Ooooh a story about a married couple's adventure on an African safari. That sounds pretty good!" WRONG. Here's the summary: A grumpy old man with a gangrene leg is dying. He went on an exotic vacation with his wife to Africa to get inspired for his new book, but apparently,they usually go to Paris or wine tasting in Nappa Valley kind of thing. He cut his leg on a thorn and didn't disinfect it properly, so now his leg is dead. And the whole book is him sitting there talking to his really rich wife about how much he doesn't love her and how he's not afraid to die. And then he suddenly is afraid to die. And he thinks about all the things in life that he wished he had done, and he thinks about all the things he wished he had written about. And then he isn't afraid to die anymore because a plane comes to rescue him right before he feels like he's slipping into death. HOORAY! Just kidding. It's a dream. He's actually already dead and the last thing he "sees" are the snowy white caps of Mount Kilimanjaro. I don't know if he was actually dead the whole time, or just barely dead there at the end. Either way, he dies. I feel dead inside, and I now have zero desire to go anywhere near African safaris. I honestly just want to kick myself in the face.

Would I recommend? If you want to take a fourteen-hour nap or want to experience the equivalent that is to watching grass grow, then sure. If you aren't a fan of standing really really still to see if you can feel the earth moving around, then I would suggest a strong no. Not recommending to anyone. Ever.





A Book of Your Choice: How Children Succeed by Paul Tough

I've had this book for several years, but it's collected dust on the shelf for most of the time. I opened it and tried to get all the way through it but I couldn't get past the first chapter. I finally finished it this year, and I am so glad that I did! It relates to a lot of my coursework, especially courses that I'm taking this semester.

Would I recommend? I thought it was extremely interesting, but if you aren't going into education I'm not sure if you would enjoy it.





A book that won a prize... didn't read this one either.



So that's it! I didn't mention any of the articles, blogs, magazines, textbooks, or cereal boxes read in 2017, but there were a few. And I'm sure there were books I've forgotten along the way.

If you want to read more in 2018 this is a pretty good article from Desiring God published a few days ago: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-not-to-read-next-year

This is the picture of the entire reading challenge that my image at the top of this post came from if you're interested.

I already have a pile of books I'm wanting to get through in 2018. Here are a few. If you have any others let me know!

The Bible....this is my big 2018 goal, but I want to really read and enjoy it. I'm trying not to rush through it or just make it a checklist kind of thing. So far I've read through the first 16 chapters of Genesis and the first six chapters of Job. The reading plan a friend and I are following is below if you want to join us.


Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst (This one was started and stopped again a dozen times in 2017, but it's really really good, and I have to process each chapter for a little while before I jump into the next one. So it's a slow read.)

Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids (and the rest of your class too!) by Chris Biffle

I am Malala by Malala Yousafzi

Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform your Life as an Educator by Dave Burgess

Prayer by Timothy Keller

Whispers of Hope by Beth Moore

Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors

Ridiculous Faith by Shelene Bryan

Love Does by Bob Goff

I've never read the Chronicles of Narnia, and I"d really like to read that one day this year if I have the time.

The rest of the Peter and the Starcatchers books. Just because if I'm going to own them I know I have to finish them...

The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp

100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs

She Reads Truth  by Raechel Meyers and Amanda Williams

Sunset Lullaby by Robin Jones Gunn. The very last book (planned so far) for the Christy Miller series. I have it, but I can't bring myself to read it. I don't want it to be over yet, and I know I'm going to be book depressed. The author wrote about how she cried when she finished the series, and I know I'm going to ugly cry too. (https://www.robingunn.com/sunset-lullaby/)

That's it! Maybe I'll get through a few this year! ;) I have most of these if you'd like to borrow any. Happy Reading!