A few good, good things from this month…
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I enjoyed this classic more than I thought I could. Austen’s characters pulled me in and kept me turning pages of this story. Especially Elizabeth Bennett.
Have you read it? Let’s talk more in the comments below.
(I listened to the 2005 film soundtrack as I read, which is piano-based and beautiful.)
Camping
It’s been too long since my family last took a camping trip, but earlier this month, we borrowed a pop-up and spent two days hiking, swimming, boating, sweating in the sun, and eating camp meals. The state park was lovely, especially with coneflowers and black-eyed Susans and Indian paintbrush blooming in every corner. I’m ready to get back.
Coaching writing
My writing mentor encouraged me to take on a summer project, and I felt led to help coach/mentor younger writers. I got started this month with a close friend, and we’ve had all kinds of fun working on her book project together.
This is something I wholeheartedly enjoy and am excited to see God use it and expand it.
Jude
I’m working through Jackie Hill Perry’s deep study of Jude, and it’s teaching me hard truths:
- God’s absolute holiness demands absolute justice.
- False teachers are subtle and wrecking.
- Indulging my flesh is blasphemy against Jesus.
- The ungodly will be eternally punished.
- Because God preserves our faith, we can persevere in our faith.
- God does not call anyone he does not keep.
God does not call anyone he does not keep.
Tell me– what made you smile in July?
bethanyjmelton.com 
oh i love p&p so much, and i’m so glad you did too! i think i’ve read it 3 times and would gladly do so again. lizzy bennett is one of those characters that i relate to strongly and aspire to be like in a way.
jane austen is such a good writer. her characters and wit are so on point and enjoyable. emma and persuasion are also excellent if you’re wanting to read more of her work.
and ahhh yes, that soundtrack is l u s c i o u s.
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“lizzy bennett is one of those characters that i relate to strongly and aspire to be like in a way.”
yes yes. she surprised me, actually, because i’d sort of assumed i knew what she was going to be like. her personality and wit were refreshing.
i would definitely check out more of her works. thanks for the rec!
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P&P is a book on my TBR list. My sister read it for school last year, and it sounded interesting! She very much enjoyed it, so I probably will, too.
Something that has made me smile this month (and in June, and will continue on into August) is the National Bible Bee Summer Study. This is my first time participating, and it has been wonderful diving deeply into the story of Joseph and keeping up with scripture memory. It has been a great journey of learning how to study the Bible for myself!
Something else that has made me smile this month is reading. I began utilizing an E-reader that my school sent me a while back when I was in third grade, but they never asked for it back. I had been in the mood for reading, but I don’t have the space to buy any more books at the moment, due to having other books. However, I recently discovered that you can put on/read PDF’s, so I went a little crazy and downloaded about 50 (and counting XD). Though I haven’t been able to read as much as I would like, due to preparing for the NBB Qualifying Test, it is a relaxing break.
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ooh, i just had a friend tell me how much she gleaned from the bible bee study. what a fantastic way to redeem your summer!
i love that. i’ve been reading lots too. besides p&p, i’ve enjoyed “love walked among us” by paul miller and “jayber crow” by wendell berry.
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“God does not call anyone He does not keep” Never seen it that way.
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Ah, Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite books of all time! It’s so wonderful, full of wit and insight and excellent characters. ❤
Jude has such deep insights. They are hard truths sometimes but so important to internalize.
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