Created to Play (Brianna Lambert)

"What if your hobbies weren't arbitrary passions at all but the purposeful design of the God who formed every part of you?" So posits Brianna Lambert in the introduction to Created to Play. If the Lord is God over every sphere of our lives, and we are created to glorify and enjoy Him forever, then our hobbies are one means through which we can grow, enjoy, and worship. 

This book explores "ten different titles we take on in our play," each of which "take their place within a larger picture of what it means to be an image-bearer of God." They are, separated into four overarching categories:

• Fill the earth:
• Makers (artists, crafters, writers, musicians, etc.)
• Heralds (musicians, photographers, storytellers, reviewers, etc.)
• Nourishers (cooks, bakers, brewers, etc.)
• Tend what's been given:
• Movers (athletes)
• Keepers (gardeners, farmers, pet lovers, etc.)
• Gather and renew:
• Curators (collectors)
• Restorers (renovators, mechanics, cleaners, organizers)
• Connectors (game players, sports fans, etc.)
• Receive:
• Historians (history buffs, reenactors, scrapbookers, etc.)
• Beholders (tourists, foodies, bookworms, film buffs, bird watchers, etc.)

For each of these ten, she presents examples, a deep joy, and a key temptation. She also discusses the benefit (need?) for each to be done in community.

I enjoyed this book; the author makes great points about the benefits hobbies can have without them needing to have some obvious utility (becoming a side hustle, yet another goal, etc.); it is okay to enjoy the good gifts God gives us (and in that enjoyment, we can worship and grow).

I'll mention two reservations:

- each chapter was replete with examples—too many of them, in my opinion. I think she did this so  people could see their own hobbies in the pages, but it made the book a third longer than it needed to be. 

- she presents each category in its noblest form, with too little discussion of the potential pitfalls in each. It was wonderful to see how a given hobby could be used for good, but more warnings may be warranted.

Overall, the book is valuable and recommended. It is okay to play and delight in a hobby.

Rating: B