Words in Excess

After a few interactions, people find that I am not often at a loss for words. Language is one of the few things that is constant in my life. It is how I express myself, my faith, and my thoughts. It is how I process my circumstances. The words used to describe me shape how I see myself.

As a communication studies major, the word can often begin to feel like a burden when it is seen as solely something to be studied. The words feel like they can only belong to classes and concepts, and not to everyday people like me. I want to claim words again for myself to help me express myself, to find comfort in, and to shape my beliefs.

So this summer, I am diving into words. Both scriptural and otherwise. Often my largest intake of words comes over a screen through news stories and Instagram captions. However, I am in need of a fresh perspective as I prepare for some big life events coming up. Whose words will I let shape my perspective (or already have)?

I will list the authors (and their works) below that I have either already read or am hoping to read this year. Authors whose names are in gray are those that have already been read and those whose names are in black are those who I hope to read. I will continue to update this post throughout the rest of the year.

My Wordsmiths of 2019:

• Daniel Hill, White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White
• Annie F. Downs, Lets All Be Brave: Living Life With Everything You Have
• Leymah Gbowee, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War
• Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place
• Margaret Feinberg, Taste and See: Discovering God Among Butchers, Bakers, & Fresh Food Makers
• Viv Grigg, Companion to the Poor: Christ in the Urban Slums
• Leslie Newbigin, The Finality of Christ
• Sandy Tolan, The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East
• James L. Gelvin, The New Middle East: What Everyone Needs to Know
• Victor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
• Bob Goff, Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People
• The Bible, The Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John
• John Paul Lederach, The Moral Imagination