One of the best things about working so closely with Makoto Fujimura is that I have a rich resource of amazing recommended reading, and that from a man who embodies radical generosity in a way I have rarely seen. Books he has given me to help feed and nourish my spirit include "To Kill A Mockingbird," "Surprised by Hope" (NT Wright), and most recently, "The Gift," by Lewis Hyde. (Not to mention Mako's own books, "River Grace" and "Refractions."

I've just started reading "The Gift," and my yellow highlighter and black Pilot are already hard at work, notating and highlighting the incredible insights in this wonderful book. 

This is from the introduction:

It is the assumption of this book that a work of art is a gift, not a commodity. Or, to state the modern case with more precision , that works of art exist simultaneously in two "economies," a market economy and a gift economy. Only one of these is essential, however: a work of art can survive without the market, but where there is no gift there is no art.

One of the assertions of this book, made very clear within the first few pages, is that in order for something to be a gift, it must be given as well as received. On page 9, I highlighted this sentence: "Traditional belief in Wales holds that when the faeries give bread to the poor, the loaves must be eaten on the day they are given or they will turn to toadstools." In the margin, I wrote, "Sound familiar? Exodus 16."

On page 10, I highlighted this sentence: "By keeping the gift they get no more." In the margin, I wrote, "Matt. 10:8, Luke 6:38, Acts 20:35."

In the next paragraph, I highlighted, "a gift must always be used up, consumed, eaten." I noted in the margin, "quail, Spirit, money."

I am very, very excited about this book and am already sad to think it will end in 405 more pages (I'm on page 13 right now).

To order your copy and read along with me, click here.