Here’s a list of lovely things from January…
Each week is of this online class (taught by Dr. Jonathan Rogers) is richer than the last. We’ve dissected topics like concrete language, vision, and place. I know the community and feedback are sharpening my skills.
(I’m excited about JR’s next class—Writing Through the Wardrobe—which launches in early February. Here’s a link to register or learn more, if you’re intrigued.)
Ice Skating
My friends and I made a trip to an indoor rink last week. We enjoyed good music, warm Thai food, hours in our favorite stores, and watching the Zamboni make its rounds.
Ice skating is one of the few things that get me thrilled about winter.
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
I feel a little late to this party. The Weight of Glory might be Lewis’s most quoted essay. I recognized some key phrases, but really, I’d never read wholly read it until last week.
It seriously enraptured me with longing for something that eclipses anything in this world.
“The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing… For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of the flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never visited.”
Sehnsucht & the Intensity of Yearning by Mark Meynell
This Rabbit Room article trailed on the heels of my reading The Weight of Glory and helped put words—rather, a word—to my yearning for the flower, the tune, the country itself.
Sehnsucht is a German word that captures what English cannot: A disorienting longing; a yearning. It’s something that burns inside us all, and that will burn until God’s eternal glory quenches it.
Did you read anything great in January? I’d love to know about it, if you’ll kindly leave a comment.
bethanyjmelton.com 
Lovely list!! It sounds like you had a wonderful January. 🙂
This month, I’ve started my Lord of the Rings reread, and I’ve been loving that. I’ve also been loving God’s Smuggler (so, so, SO good!), This Changes Everything, Robinson Crusoe (which I thought I would hate but I actually am enjoying), and The Dragon’s Tooth by N.D. Wilson.
LikeLike
what a solid list. i’ve yet to read God’s smuggler and know i need to. thank you for taking time to share those, amelie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely!
I just finished God’s Smuggler yesterday, and it is amazing. 😀
LikeLike
What a wonderful list, Bethany! I didn’t get to read much this month, but I did get to do a little bit. I finished reading the book of Matthew (me and a friend are reading the New Testament together). It was so convicting and there were a lot of things that I was finally able to understand! I also started working through a Bible study for teen girls on women of the Old Testament. There is also an online Bible Study that goes along with it! Having that community with girls all over the world who are interested in learning about God’s word has been amazing. 🙂
LikeLike
i love that you’re reading scripture in community. that’s such a beautiful thing. thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a good list, Bethany! I’m going to go click all those links and look into them further. This January I’ve read When God Doesn’t Fix It by Laura Story and Will Our Generation Speak by Grace Mally. Both of those books have had a profound impact on me and came at just the time I needed them. Ooh, yes, do read God’s Smuggler. 😉
LikeLike
wonderful. rereading can be so valuable. yep, i’ll add it to my goodreads!
LikeLiked by 1 person