7 Things @ 7 #019
Discover more from The Art of Paying Attention
Hello — I’m Ryan J. Pelton, a writer, teacher, podcaster, and believe the whole thing runs on grace. Here’s a little explanation (About page) of why my newsletter/blog is called The Art of Paying Attention.
Hello, my friends!
It’s 7 PM and you know what that means? I guess these things are coming out on a Wednesday like last week.
I pray your mid-week is shaping up to be a good one. We’re sweating it out here in the Midwest (104 degrees) and longing for the kids to head back to school. We love our kids (most days). But they need brain stimulation outside the home in the form of education.
So to celebrate brain stimulation, I'm sharing seven books and quotes from each book, with the hopes you might try out one of these titles.
These will be an eclectic batch because I read broadly and love eclectic things. They’re also books I’ve read of late, and revisit often. Sound good? Great, grand, and let’s do it!
The Seven (books):
1. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
I’ve read this book a dozen times. Its truth and power is not only for creative people, but anyone who dreams of making anything, doing anything, or sending out an offering into the world for the good of others. By the way, we're all creative.
Book synopsis:
“What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the road blocks of any creative endeavor—be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece?”
A quote:
“What does Resistance feel like? First, unhappiness. We feel like hell. A low-grade misery pervades everything. We’re bored, we’re restless.”
2. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
Stephen King is one of my favorite fiction writers. Most think of him as a horror writer, but some of his best stuff is not the scary stuff. This novella is the story which the film Shawshank Redemption (one of my favorite films) is based. If you don’t read fiction, this little story will only take you an hour or two, and is worth the time. Filled with much hope. I am linking the entire book, which includes three more stories (The Body) is another favorite which later became Stand By Me (the movie).
Book synopsis:
A “hypnotic” (The New York Times Book Review) collection of four novellas—including the inspirations behind the films Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption—from Stephen King, bound together by the changing of seasons, each taking on the theme of a journey with strikingly different tones and characters.
A quote:
“I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend.”
3. Tribes by Seth Godin
Are you trying to lead a family, organization, or people in a united direction? Are you trying to bring about change and good in the world? What will it take? Tribes is essential reading for anyone ready to lead and see change happen.
Book synopsis:
“Since it was first published almost a decade ago, Seth Godin's visionary book has helped tens of thousands of leaders turn a scattering of followers into a loyal tribe. If you need to rally fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers around an idea, this book will demystify the process… With his signature wit and storytelling flair, Godin presents the three steps to building a tribe: the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.”
A quote:
“Humans can't help it : we need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people. We are drawn to leaders and to their ideas, and we can't resist the rush of belonging and the thrill of the new.
Some tribes are stuck. They embrace the status quo and drown out any tribe member who dares to question authority and the accepted order. Big charities, tiny clubs, struggling corporations - they're tribes and they're stuck. I'm not so interested in those tribes. They create little of value and they're sort of boring. Every one of those tribes, though, is a movement waiting to happen - a group of people just waiting to be energized and transformed.”
4. One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder by Brian Doyle
If you ever have this sense, more is going on here. Brian Doyle’s collection of essays is a feast of reading enjoyment. Doyle had a knack for connecting the everyday stuff of life back to faith, joy, our humanity, and wonder. He believed in the words of Wendell Berry that the world was filled with two places: sacred places and desecrated places. Brian Doyle is a Master Teacher in the Art of Paying Attention. We lost a great man and writer way too soon.
Book synopsis:
“At a moment when the world can sometimes feel darker than ever, Doyle's writing, which constantly evokes the humor and even bliss that life affords, is a balm. His essays manage to find, again and again, exquisite beauty in the quotidian, whether it's the awe of a child the first time she hears a river, or a husband's whiskers that a grieving widow misses seeing in her sink every morning. Through Doyle's eyes, nothing is dull.”
A quote:
“But you cannot control everything...All you can do is face the world with quiet grace and hope you make a sliver of difference...You must trust that you being the best possible you matters somehow...That being an attentive and generous friend and citizen will prevent a thread or two of the social fabric from unraveling.”
5. The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
I read this book by philosopher Dallas Willard on my honeymoon twenty-two years ago. I still haven’t recovered. The vision Willard paints for what it means to follow Jesus in his world and Kingdom is hard to describe. If you are interested in a faith for actual humans, this is the one. Take and eat! I’ve read portions every year for the last twenty-two.
Book synopsis:
“At the end of the twentieth Century a new expression of Christian Spirituality is forming which is focused on biblical truth but is less concerned with denominational labels. The Divine Conspiracy is a moving and penetrating exploration of human existence and human nature. It considers in a fresh way the abiding truths of judgement and grace and what he memorably calls 'theologies of sin management'. All this is set against a backdrop of modern materialism.”
A quote:
(Referring to Jesus): “He is not just nice, he is brilliant. He is the smartest man who ever lived. He is now supervising the entire course of world history (Rev. 1:5) while simultaneously preparing the rest of the universe for our future role in it (John 14:2). He always has the best information on everything and certainly also on the things that matter most in human life. Let us now hear his teachings on who has the good life, on who is among the truly blessed.”
6. Every Riven Thing by Christian Wiman
I’m coming back to poetry more and more. Christian Wiman is one of the better poets in the last couple of decades. He was editor of a poetry magazine for a few years, and has a crazy story of dodging death, coming to faith, and what it’s like to be a poet in a world that doesn’t read much of it. Check out his memoir for more of his story.
Book synopsis:
“Every Riven Thing is Christian Wiman's first collection in seven years, and rarely has a book of poetry so borne the stamp of necessity. Whether in stark, haiku-like descriptions of a cancer ward, surrealistic depictions of a social order coming apart, or fluent, defiant outpourings of praise, Wiman pushes his language and forms until they break open, revealing startling new truths within.”
A line of poetry:
“For I am come a whirlwind of wasted things
and I will ride this tantrum back to God”
7. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
If you want to write, have written, or somewhere in between… one of the best books on the craft in the last fifty years. Anne is a gift to the world in not only her ability in writing, but humility and grace in life and the arts. This work is always close by.
Book synopsis:
“For a quarter century, more than a million readers—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father—also a writer—in the iconic passage that gives the book its title:
Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”
A quote:
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”
Thanks for coming along!
If you have read any of these titles, or decide to pick one up, let me know. I’d love to hear what you think?
Grace, peace, and more grace…
Ryan