This is the post where I belatedly tell you about Christmas gifts and my New years resolutions.
The older I get, the easier I am to please. Looking for that perfect gift for me? Look no further than Barnes & Noble On-line and pick out a gift card for what ever amount seems appropriate (hint: $100). Luckily, I received a couple of gift cards for Christmas and headed to the local B&N as soon as I could.
Some men hunt. Some men fish. Some men go to strip clubs or bars. I'm not one of them. I go to Barnes and Noble. In fact, when Vanessa senses that I'm stressed or in need of a break, she'll suggest I go spend the afternoon there. Yep, the entire afternoon. It takes me a while to pick just the right ones. So, as soon as I could break away, I did. Here is what I got:
The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey
Last year I had the privilege of leading a series of Bible Studies for our Sunday School class that went through the entire Gospel of Matthew. And it changed my life. I felt a leading to make sure each lesson focused on the man Jesus - His work, his Message, His Purpose - and not give into the temptation of presenting each study as a few verses with a pithy life principle that we've heard before. I really wanted to make sure that all we focused on was Jesus. And to do that, I had to focus on Him. What was he trying to teach? How does my theology gel with the words and actions from the Man himself. What I discovered is, I had some things wrong. Phillip Yancey did too. And in this book he explores the aspects of Christ's life that can easily be missed in a typical "Three points, a poem and a prayer" sermon. I'm in the middle of it now. So far, I'm impressed; and challenged. Can I see past my own preconceptions & doctrinal statements (doctrinal statement is a baptist word meaning "like a creed, only wordier") to who Jesus really was and is? I'll keep you posted.
The Privileged Planet Guillermo Gonzalez & Jay W. Richards
A year or so ago, I watched a video produced by the Discovery Institute based upon the thesis of the book. Later, Gonzalez was featured in Ben Stein's Movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. The basic thesis is this (warning: EXTREME layman's terms follow): The Earth is uniquely fit to sustain life and observe the universe. It's almost as if it was designed for both life and scientific discovery. Of course, this didn't sit well with the Whos Who of the scientific community and Gonzalez's employer, Iowa State University. ISU punished Gonzalez for his 'creationist' views by denying him tenure. God punished ISU by putting them in the Big 12 North. It might take me a while to work through this one.
Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day by Joel Osteen
Just kidding. I'd rather read Hop on Pop; it has as many Biblical references and has pictures to boot.
A Faith and Culture Devotional by Kelly Monroe Kullberg & Lael Arrington
I wouldn't neccesarily call this a devotional in the tradition of Our Daily Bread or My Utmost For His Highest. More like a daily readings that in a week take you from Bible & Theology, History, Art, Philosophy, Literature, & Contemporary Culture. Each selection ends with a section for reflection and discussion. From the Intro:
"Why a faith and Culture Devotional? To marvel at the wonders of God and his world. To learn of ancient empires. Dark Matter. String Theory. Rembrandt. Uncle Tom's Cabin. U2. Quantum physics. To Worship....We invite you to enjoy the connections between faith and culture that outstanding Christian thought leaders offer in seven key subjects..."
Sounded like fun to me. I'm a couple of weeks into it and dig it. Great gift for a college student, or soon to be college students.
Letters From a Stoic by Seneca
So, I've got a coworker named Aaron who is dating a woman who is a bibliophile of the highest order. How much so? She is moving in a couple of weeks, and Aaron stopped by after work today to pick up EVERY box we have left over from the move to pack her books. All 3000 give or take. So to her, I'm a rank amateur. Around Christmas, Aaron wanted to give everyone in our department a gift. So, she had him describe our personalities, what we like, what he thought would interest us. From that info she picked books from her collection for each of us. She thought I'd like this one. She was right. I have been wanting to diversify my reading this coming year to include books of thought or philosophy that wasn't necessarily Christian. Plus, it's nicely leather bound and looks good on the shelf. I won't go into the whole history of Stoicism, (you can do that here) but I'm looking forward to this one.
That was the gift portion, here is the Resolution portion:
This year, I'm going to read with purpose. I want to mix up what I read to help develop a more well-rounded worldview, and to make me impossible to beat in trivia games. So here is the plan. This year I will read twelve books that fall into the following categories:
Gospels - 4
I was serious when I mentioned earlier that I have a strong desire to know Jesus more. There are 2 ways to achieve that; 1). Die. 2). Read the Gospels. Me, being a soft American afraid of heavy lifting, choose #2. I will spend a month in each Gospel, the same amount of time I'm taking for any other book. A month in each Gospel and only the Gospels. No study Bibles, no commentaries, no input other than what the Holy Spirit teaches me through the Word.
Spiritual/Theology -2
I have a feeling that one can spend too much time reading about God, and not enough reading what He wrote. So after the Yancey book, I'll (try and) read just one more. I'm leaning toward Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugen Peterson. I read Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Peterson last year and loved it. However, I've been meaning to read The Scandal of The Evangelical Mind for years; now might be the time. Suggestions?
Thought and/or Contemporary Issues - 2
After the Stoic book, I want to add another book that deals with thought or some sort of contemporary issue. I'm not sure what yet. I'm open for suggestions.
Novels - 3
This doesn't count the 2 or 3 Scarpetta novels that Vanessa will bring home form the library & I'll read in a couple of days. I want to read at least one brand new novel. I also want to read a classic novel that I haven't read yet. Oddly enough, I'm thinking Russian here and contemplating Fyodor Dosteveky's The Brothers Karamazov. Any recommendations from you?
Historical/Biographical - 2
First, I'm going to read Bill Carter's autobiography Fools Rush In. Carter experienced personal tragedy when his fiance died. So he did something crazy. He moves to Bosnia in the early '90's and begins helping the citizens of the war torn Sarajevo. I first heard of Bill when he would risk his life every night to broadcast live via satellite to U2's Zooropa concerts in '92.
After that? Not certain. Perhaps a biography on William Wilberforce, or that Olsteen thing. Again, open for suggestions here.
Of course that list doesn't include any of the books I already have that I will doubtlessly re-read, or the odd book here or there that catches my eye. Please, leave your comments. Tell me what you are reading, what you wished you hadn't read, or what I absolutly must add to my list.
P.S. Shout out to Tiffany on the birth of the twins!
P.P.S. Let me know if the comments are giving you fits. ;-)
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