evolving in monkey town

{photo credit}

welcome to the last installment of the christmas books posts. you can read about my first book here and my second book here.

evolving in monkey town by rachel held evans

one of the beautiful things about my faith (christianity) is that it gives me room to doubt. when this realization came to me, instead of making me feel discouraged, it did quite the opposite. it gave me wings. i have a faith that is big and wide and deep. it allows me to ask questions. it gives me opportunities for growth. i ask "why?" and scratch my head. sometimes, i find an answer that satisfies my curious mind. sometimes, i have to let my question sit and remain unanswered for a time.

this used to bother me. i thought i had to have all the answers or it proved that i wasn't strong enough in my convictions. but over the last couple of years (and specifically last year), i have started to embrace these questions as a way of bolstering my faith.

i wrote about how my personal faith and doubt mix and marry here. it's one of my favorite posts perhaps because it's one of the most honest posts i've written. (just so you know, being vulnerable and honest is really hard for me. it's much easier to write about my favorite flavor of ice cream or a cute puppy i saw but also less rewarding. every now and then i actually open up and share my heart. it's scary but really necessary).

i have been reading rachel held evans' blog for a while now. she is a self-proclaimed "skeptic, a creative, and a follower of Jesus, figuring out this journey of faith one shaky step at a time." i can relate. why don't you deal me in.

her writing is thoughtful, intelligent, and insightful. she is honest and funny. she features a wide variety of posts, articles and interviews from people of different faiths, political affiliations, sexual orientations, educational backgrounds, and religious denominations. she asks questions that many believers may be afraid to ask, but she doesn't stop there. she explores the answers, deeply.

evolving in monkey town documents the story of how she went from a someone with all the answers to someone with all the questions. it is specifically about how her faith changed and evolved, and i am very interested and excited to read her story. i have a feeling i'll relate to a good portion of her experiences. if you want to watch a short trailer of her book, head here.

i could go on and on about this topic in general, but instead i'll leave you with some jack johnson lyrics because i love him and love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart. (see what i did there?)

"and there were so many fewer questions when stars were still just the holes to heaven." -holes to heaven