What I’m Into – May Edition – Karissa Knox Sorrell

Today I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer’s monthly What I’m Into link-up.

House of Cards. This show is like the accident on the highway that you know you shouldn’t stare at but you just can’t stop yourself. Francis and Claire Underwood are ruthless and manipulative. Yet I just can’t stop watching. The thing is, both of them know exactly what they are, and sometimes they struggle with it, as we saw in the scene when Claire is crying on the stairs. Though it’s a political drama, the relationships are what fascinate me.

Movies

I went to see Heaven is For Real with my mom. It was actually nothing like I thought it would be. I thought it would turn this three-year-old kid into a celebrity. But mostly, the movie was about the father’s crisis of faith brought on by his child’s visions of heaven. Though the acting was sub-par (other than Greg Kinnear), I think the idea that we can struggle with our beliefs is important.

I watched the documentary God Loves Uganda on PBS this month. It is about how American conservative Christians influenced the anti-gay culture in Uganda, leading to the criminalization of homosexuality there. This was a difficult film for me to watch, not only because of the horrific mistreatment of gays, but also because the missionaries were portrayed as religious kooks. I have written an essay about it which I’ve submitted somewhere and should be published soon. I’ll keep you updated.

Writing

I haven’t made much progress with my book proposal, but I have been writing other things. In May Christian Feminism Today published my essay “Becoming Feminist: Conceiving and Creating,” which tells how a miscarriage led me to call myself a feminist. Missio, a blog of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture, re-blogged my last Spirit of the Poor post on resisting restlessness. I guest posted for my friend Briana Meade, writing about marriage and sexuality. I also booked a place for a writer’s weekend/spiritual retreat in July. Check this place out! I have been brave and submitted essays to three new places this month. I have heard back from all of them!! More news on that to come.

Books

May was slim on reading, but I finally finished Lit this month. I have SO. MUCH. RESPECT. for writer Mary Karr. Her writing is so powerful and unique. I loved the story, but I also kept a close eye on her craft. One of the reviews said that she “can’t write a boring sentence,” and I agree. I typically read a lot more in the summer than during the year, and I am looking forward to my books this summer! First in the lineup: My Bright Abyss by Christian Wiman, Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

Work

I have spent a lot of this month sitting in meetings for ELs and trying to empower EL parents. It’s a long, slow process, but I believe that every kind word and moment of advocacy count. Tomorrow is my last day of school for the year! Woot! We joined the Y for the summer, so we will be spending lots of days at the pool. (And maybe I will actually start working out again.) Also, I got this fun award at work: