Year End - Into 2022 Reads

For me, 2021 ended with the luxurious opportunity for some cozy long days of reading. I plowed through two titles by a writer I recently discovered. Rod Dreher is a Christian writer whose words in these works provide an analysis for a deeper understanding of our current times and for encouragement I've been in need of. New directions have been brewing both spiritually and geographically for me as I've struggled with the new realities of post modern, post pandemic living. Both The Benedict Option and Live Not By Lies include thought provoking ideas for personal spirtitual consideration and what to consider going forward in communty.

Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option provides a potential guide for Christians during these times and place of what he describes as a post-christian nation. Not neccessarily a welcome description of where we are as a country but it is always a relief to read or hear the words of someone as they describe what one has been witnessing but unable to articulate for oneself.

The second title I dove into immediately after finishing The Benedict Option holds even more direct relevance to the immediate events in our times. The acknowledgement by more and more Americans of the similarities of what is currently happening in our country in the name of safety to the tyranny that our countrymen fought to eliminate in the past. As stated inside the jacket cover, Live Not By Lies is the wake-up call we need. Whether drawn to the Christian aspects of Dreher's work or not, I hope many will find their way to this title in particular with it's poignant examples of immigrant citizens who have experienced the drama, fear and horrors of living through and escaping from totalitarian governments.

My own experience includes hearing stories from survivors of authoritarian regimes, as well. Their recollections have remained with me, in some cases for decades now. Their knowledge and insights demand that we heed their warnings. Rod Dreher has put together the intellectuall reasoning as well. His writing is worth your time to read whatever your personal spiritual approach is.

Another enlightening story that reveals current lived reality from around the world is In Order to Live, A North Korean Girl's Journey To Freedom by Yeomi Park. Yeomi Park's first hand experiences of living in and risking an escape from North Korean is told in her recent book. Her real life story is a fast and dramatic read that is another important title to aid in the understanding of what tyranny still exists and where it has the potential to develop further. To raise awareness of the fact that totalitarianism could indeed happen in the USA, I highly recommend this memoir.

I anticipate 2022 to be a year of contiunued adaptation and learning for all. My reading goals for the New Year will include catagories that stretch my mind and improve my understanding of history. With courage and God's leading I pray I will be able to learn to be a greater influence in my community.