A Travelogue of the Interior

source: NetGalley 

A Travelogue of the Interior: Finding Your Voice and God's Heart in the Psalms, by Karen Dabaghian

Publisher: David C. Cook

Publication date: April 15, 2015

Category: Christian, Religion & Spirituality 

Source: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

From the time I've started this blog, I've always said I don't believe in coincidence. I believe things happen for a reason, even the hard things. I can't always explain the why or see it at the time, but I've had enough 20/20 hindsight to tell me there are reasons for everything. All that to say, I didn't technically request this book. David C. Cook emailed me asking if I'd like to review it as an ARC, which I could find through NetGalley. Not crazy to most book bloggers, but I have very few personal connections with publishers, requesting the majority of my review copies through a third party, like NetGalley or Edelweiss. So it seemed random and, feeling special, I thought, "Sure, looks good enough." It was definitely meant to be.

The book in question, A Travelogue of the Interior, is about author Karen Dabaghian's journey through her study of the book of Psalms in the Bible. What she thought would be a simple class about the Psalms of the Bible became a personal year long discovery. At one point in the years before this specific piece fell into her journey, Dabaghian says that she knew courage would be needed. She states: "It would take every ounce of courage I could muster to allow God to unmake me and begin from what felt like scratch to form a new person from the ruins. Teeth-clenching courage. The courage that lets you run headlong into ruin, not because you are confident of the outcome but because you would rather die than live a false life."

Yes! I've hit a place where I'm done with life/myself as is. I guess that means I feel the need for change. I don't know what it entails, but I feel it and relate to Dabaghian's statement on courage. Actually, for me, most of Dabaghian's feelings, discussion, and statements were like mind reading. If I were writing in the book, "YES!" would've been the most used sentiment. (Thank God for ebooks that allow note-taking and highlighting!) 

The book of Psalms itself is a roller coaster of emotion. From high praise to deep lamenting, it is more than meets the eye and more than many of us have been taught to expect or experience. Dabaghian says that "We learn early and well that truth-telling, especially concerning our souls, comes with painful consequences, and in response we become so adept at speaking falsely that we wake one day to discover our authentic voice has atrophied." I hope to have such an experience - a change in myself as a person and follower of Christ - as Dabaghian had.  I want my authentic voice and all it takes to find it and use it as I was made to.