Restful Finds: Books, Beauty, and Big Questions for June
Explore what I’m reading, watching, and contemplating this month—10+ curated links on Juneteenth, AI, Pentecost, and the restful way of Jesus. Plus: a downloadable ebook for Sustaining Members!
Sustaining Members note: Scroll to the end of today’s letter to get your ebook-ish download of my Pentecost series, Becoming the Church.
Welcome to the mid-June edition of Restful Finds! A warm welcome to new readers who found me through the How I Monk feature at Monk Manual—I’m so glad you're here. This month’s letter reflects what’s been on my mind and heart lately: thoughtful reads on Juneteenth, Pentecost, and the role of technology in our lives, alongside restful pleasures like strawberry picking, novel reading, and preparing for an upcoming family vacation. My hope for 2025 is to send a free newsletter every other week, with a contemplative invitation at the start of each month and a curated collection of resources mid-month to help us practice rest with Jesus, others, and our own hearts.
Just a heads-up: In the spirit of restfulness, I’ll be offline for the month of July, so I’m especially glad to share these June reflections with you before the break.
Restfully,
Tamara
p.s. Just a heads-up: I’ll be offline for a few weeks, so I’m especially glad to share these June finds with you before the break.
What I’m reading
My Currently Reading shelf at Bookshop
Check out this eclectic book list to inspire you across genres. My current bookshelf features titles I am reading for seminary, church, work, and personal enjoyment. Bookshop supports indie bookstores, and when you purchase one of the titles from my collection, I get a little extra change toward buying my next read!
Here’s a bit more about a couple of the titles on my list.
Faster Than Light: New and Selected Poems, 1996-2011
by Marilyn Nelson
We’re diving into these beautiful poems with our church’s reading group. This rich collection, crafted by the former poet laureate of Connecticut, beautifully weaves together moments of beauty, sorrow, and a deep connection to history and place.
by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Philippe Lardy
This poem is included in the above anthology, but for a gorgeous illustration of the poem as a stand-alone, I highly recommend this book!
10+ links helping me practice the restful way of Jesus this month
Pause with me to savor well-written words that encourage us to worship God, love others, and enjoy beauty wherever we find ourselves.
⏸️ How I Monk #25 - Tamara's Story at Monk Manual. I submitted this waaayy back in the fall, but it’s all as relevant as ever!
⏸️ I pre-ordered this book so fast after reading the preview from
⏸️ Celebrate Father Greg Boyle Day with Homeboy Industries (thank you
for sharing this beautiful recording with me!)related: Feeling Free in Prison with Kate Stone Lombardi at
⏸️ Yes protest, but worship first with Esau McCaulley
⏸️ I never get tired of seeing how the church celebrates its birthday. For example: Four site-specific art installations in churches for Pentecost with Victoria Emily Jones at Art & Theology
⏸️ The Not At All Secret History of Nicaea with Susannah Black Roberts at Mere Orthodoxy (If you ask for a summary of my spring seminary semester, this article is an excellent summary. It’s so excellent, I wish I had read it before taking my final exams at the beginning of May.)
⏸️ Collards, Cole Slaw, Salad: a reflection on vegetable words with Jonathan Rogers at
(don’t miss this amazing p.s. How selling Jell-O helped launch poet's career)⏸️ Playing with Words (to describe the beauty of nature) at International Journaling Week (don’t miss this list showing nature-related words that cannot be directly translated in English) For real: one of the reasons I watch nature shows and read nature books is not necessarily because I am going to be an expert gardener or birder, but because I am a writer and I am so curious how to describe the variety of beauty
⏸️ I am now in my “How do my conscience and AI live together era” and here’s a diversity of thoughtful reflection that I am finding helpful:
Enter contemplative spirituality—not as an escape from tech, but as a posture inside it with
at The Human Voice (This post is worth the 7-day free trial subscription to read. Thanks to my friend for bringing it to my attention.)Didn’t pay for this post, but there’s lots of reflection available before the paywall: On Being AISober with
at Fully AliveAnd from a flipped perspective: recognizing the humility I lack when pointing out the flaws of something I do not truly understand, while failing to acknowledge my own with
at The Algorithmic Bridge(btw: I realize that none of these links emphasize the environmental ethics of AI. I am listening to lots of folks right now, and I am 100% open to your AI insights — leave a comment below!)
Do you have any recommendations for me?
Also, please share with us something restful you’ve enjoyed lately!
A moment of rest
I hope just reading the word “rest” will evoke a spacious, welcoming invitation to drop your guard, put your feet up, and stay awhile. And like genuinely restful experiences, you will find yourself refreshed and wanting to offer the gift of your loving presence to others. And you’ll be able to do this in the restful way of Jesus.
Pause, breathe, and rest for a moment with this curation of art, music, and poetry.
+ Listen to songs of Black joy, liberation, and faith with Victoria Emily Jones’ Juneteenth Playlist
If you think a friend or loved one would enjoy Restful by Tamara Hill Murphy, gift subscriptions are available here | Website | Follow me: Notes Instagram FB
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Sustaining Members, keep reading to download or use a QR code to read your exclusive ebook: Becoming the Church: Pentecost Reflections on the Rise of Christianity in the Restful Way of Jesus….