The
art of the journal is practiced for any number of reasons – to remember what we
might forget; make observations; remember significant words, phrases, quotations,
and ideas; take notes; and so on. It was some years ago that I noticed people
at work beginning to take up “journaling” – to keep track of the multitude of
meetings required in modern organizational work life.
I
keep a journal, too, for all of the above reasons, but most of all for writing drafts
of articles, blog posts, and poems. Sometimes I combine several of those journaling functions – and take notes from a sermon in the form of poems, for
example.
Jean
Fleming is a mother, grandmother, and former member of The Navigators staff, with
assignments in California, Korea, Colorado, Arizona, Seattle, and Colorado. She
is also the author of several books: A
Mother’s Heart, Feeding
Your Soul: A Quiet Time Handbook, Finding
Focus in a Whirlwind World, and The
Homesick Heart: Longing for Spiritual Intimacy. Fleming also keeps a
journal, which has been transformed into Pursue
the Intentional Life.
This is not simply a
reprint of a writer’s notes, jottings, and observations. Instead, Fleming has
created a cohesive understanding of why life should be pursued intentionally,
that life is not simply something “that happens” but is instead filled with
purpose and meaning, and often profound meaning.
“Numbering my days,” she
writes, “forces me to confront universal and irreducible truths. Life is short.
Soon my life on earth will give way to my life in heaven. Rather than leading
to panic, the reality leads to a peaceful and settled urgency. Although thoughts
of heaven are so lovely to consider, the Lord reminds me that my short stay on
earth is my only chance to honor Him with faith and faithfulness. Isn’t this,
after all, gaining a heart of wisdom?”
And gaining a heart of
wisdom is what lies at the core of Pursue
the Intentional Life. This is a book meant to be read slowly and savored,
with wisdom and experience reflected on every page. It isn’t a “finding joy in
10 easy steps” book that can be devoured in a few hours and then tossed aside,
forgotten like most of those books should be. It is a thoughtful, carefully
constructed, work, filled with what Fleming has learned about faith, life and
God over a lifetime.
She also de-romanticizes
what a life of faith is, even including a chapter with that title. Life is
hard. Faith is hard. But both life and faith offer great reward.
Pursue the Intentional Life is what I’d call a wisdom book. It’s not a book that could have
been written by a millennial or a GenX-er. It’s not a book written for people
focused on time management and squeezing even more activities into a hectic schedule.
It is a book written, as writer Monica Sharman suggests in the foreword, for
people asking the question, “What kind of woman (or man) am I becoming?”
And Fleming answers that
question with insight and grace.
1 comment:
Lovely, interesting review.
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