Books Completed in 2013

My favorite books are underlined.
Books with a single asterisk indicates ones previously read.
Books with a double asterisk indicates over 75% of book was read.

1.   Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - By J.K. Rowling*
2.   Clean - By Alejandro Junger
3.   The Story of John G. Paton - By John G. Paton
4.   Roxaboxen - By Alice McLerran
5.   Hattie and the Wild Waves - By Barbara Cooney
6.   Miss Rumphius - By Barbara Cooney
7.   God's Smuggler - By Brother Andrew*
8.   With - By Skye Jethani
9.   The Valley of Vision - Edited by Arthur Bennett*
10. 84, Charing Cross Road - By Helene Hanff
11. From Muhammed to Burj Kalifa - By Michael Rank
12. James Herriot's Treasury for Children - By James Herriot
13. All Creatures Great and Small - By James Herriot
14. All Things Bright and Beautiful - By James Herriot
15. The King James Only Controversy - By James R. White
16. The Jesus Storybook Bible - By Sally Lloyd-Jones
17. The Explicit Gospel - By Matt Chandler
18. The Outcast - By Jolina Petersheim
19. Hermeneutics - By Henry A. Virkler**
20. Playing by the Rules - by Robert Stein
21. John Donne Devotions - by John Donne
22. Mission in the Old Testament - By Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
23. Making Sense of the Old Testament - By Trempter Longman III
24. Scripture Alone - By James White
25. Questioning Evangelism - By Randy Newman
26. Wonderstruck - By Brian Selznick
27. Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart - By J.D. Greear
28. God's Greater Glory - By Bruce Ware
29. Father, Son, & Holy Spirit - By Bruce Ware
30. Christ the Lord Out of Egypt - By Anne Rice
31. Who Chose the Gospels? - By C.E. Hill
32. Reading the Gospels Wisely - By Jonathan Pennington**
33. The Gospel According to Jesus - By John MacArthur**

My Favorites - Edition 3

My first post in this series was my all time favorite books that changed my life.  

My second post in this series was my all time favorite fiction books that changed my life.

This post is:  All Time Favorite Funny Books (I wouldn't necessarily say that changed my life)

In order of when I first discovered the goodness...

1.  Safe Baby Handling Tips - By David and Kelly Sopp

I discovered this gem several years ago with my best friend.  We wandered through Books-A-Million and into the the humor section.  We somehow found this book and nearly wet ourselves (literally) laughing at the contents.  Some examples are provided below.  Naturally when I found out she was pregnant with her first child, I bought this book as a gift.  I unveiled the gift the night of our monthly book club at a local Indian restaurant and so it was passed around the table of cackling ladies.  To top off the moment of hilarity, the Indian owner’s wife saw the book and told us in India they don’t need a book like this, they have a natural maternal instinct. 

2.  All Creatures (Series) - By James Herriot

These books were introduced to me in my book club.  We had a rule (when we still read books at our book club) that if you didn’t like the book after 25 pages you were rightly entitled to quit reading.  When my friend suggested we read All Creatures Great and Small about a British veterinarian I was convinced I would only make it to the 25 page mark.  I have since read the first and second books and listened to them both on audio.  I have made it partially through the third but have abandoned it twice now because of other obligations.  The books are fascinating and quite humorous.  Herriot tells of many adventures and absurdities in his work with animals as well as his eccentric coworkers.     

3.  84, Charing Cross Road - By Helene Hanff

I read this book earlier this year.  It is based on a series of actual letters between the author and a used-book dealer in England.  Ms. Hanff, in search of some rare books begins a 20 year correspondence with Frank, the book dealer.  She is quite a piece of work and doesn’t think twice about berating poor Frank when the shipments take too long or the book does not meet her expectation.  It is all light-hearted banter of an odd New York writer.  Ms. Hanff eventually makes friends with the other staff and Frank’s family and regularly sends packages of good will to them.  It is a short, easy and humorous read.

My Favorites - Edition 2

All Time Favorite Fiction Books that Changed my life

To see my first post in this series, click here

In order of when I first discovered the goodness...

I will begin this post with a disclaimer.  My favorite books are ones with depth, ones that make me wrestle around with my soul a bit.  They are books that don't fill my mind with lighthearted entertainment (although I am usually entertained and my mind is fully engaged) but rater fuel me to become a better contributor to humanity.  I hope this list encourages you to check out these great reads.

1.  Harry Potter - By J.K. Rowling

This entire series is an excellent read about the battle of light and darkness.  From the very beginning of this series, there is a clearly defined enemy who is wreaking havoc and invoking much fear.  Lord Voldermort is so feared that the people refer to him as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”.  A very clear hero is also evident from the beginning of the book.  Harry Potter, “The Boy Who Lived, battles Lord Voldermort in each book, ending with a final culmination fight in the last book.  Intermixed in the story are elements of grace, mercy, teenage love, fun spells, wicked spells, and a fascinating magical world.  

2.  A Thousand Splendid Suns - By Khaled Hosseini

The first time I read this book, I read it in a single day.  I had stayed home from work with a sinus infection and decided to start reading it that morning.  The story entranced me and I could not stop reading.  The story takes place in Afghanistan and begins with an illegitimate girl living out in the middle of nowhere with her mother away from the scornful eyes of society.  She lives for the visits from her well-to-do father.  Eventually she chooses to believe in her own fantasies about her father rather than listening to the truth of her mother and in the process loses her mother.  Life for the girl only gets worse from there.  Her father quickly washes his hands of her by arranging a marriage for her.  Later in life, her husband takes on another young bride and the remainder of the story portrays the intertwined lives of the two women.  In the midst of the story, there are bits of history and the many wars that Afghanistan has seen.  By the end of my sick day, I was weeping at the story.  My roommate came home in the middle of the cry fest and wondered if I was ok.  I am not much of a crier especially when it comes to fiction because my logic-heavy brain tells me it’s not real.  A book that can make me so emotionally connected that I end up weeping is a good book indeed.  I add it to my list of books that changed my life because it opened my eyes to see the somewhat normal plight of women living in the Middle East and cause deep compassion to grow for them.

3.  The Alchemist - By Paulo Coelho

I like meaty books, books that send me on soul-searching journeys and make my lazy brain think about hard things.  The Alchemist is a meaty book.  It tells of the journey of a young shepherd boy who after a dream decides to leave his sheep in search of treasure.  He believes finding the treasure is his life’s destiny.  He runs into many obstacles along the way, meets new friends, and falls in love.  Interwoven throughout the book are various spiritual truths.

4.  Pinocchio - Carlo Collodi

I actually fell in love with this movie before I read the book.  The movie is excellently done.  Should you watch the movie, I suggest you do so in Italian with English subtitles.  This is one of the rare cases where the movie is equal to the book in quality.  The story of Pinocchio as many of you know is about a puppet that eventually becomes a real boy.  I love the story because it encompasses all of the parts of the gospel: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration.

Creation: 

He has a beginning/is created when the butterfly touches the piece of wood and Gepetto carves him.

Fall:

From the moment he is finished, he wreaks havoc against his builder/designer/creator

He rebels, promises to “do” better, rebels again, promises again.  The cricket represents conscience/moral reasoning/truth but Pinocchio rejects his words, trying to literally squash the cricket.  Gepetto comes to his rescue when his feet are on fire in spite of his rebellion.  Gepetto also makes sacrifices for Pinocchio.  Eventually his buddy convinces him to go to the Playland where there is no school, no work, and only fun.    

Redemption:

After he falls asleep at Playland, Pinocchio becomes imprisoned in a donkey’s body and is eventually rescued and freed by the blue fairy.  He finds out his father is ill and takes on a job, learning to put his father first.  He reunites with his old trouble-making pal, now a donkey, just before his buddy dies.  

Restoration:

After he demonstrates that he is changed, the blue fairy returns transforms the puppet into a real boy.  The old has gone, the new has come.  He is a new creation, fully alive. 

5.  The Help - By Kathryn Stockett

This book takes place in the middle of the civil rights movement.  I love historical fiction because it gives me glimpses into times past.  This book helped open my eyes to the hateful nature of racism.  It also helped me appreciate the sacrifices that were made so I can have friendships today and think nothing of skin color.  It also makes me try to be alert to the unjust things in today's culture that also need to be fought agains.  The book is well written bouncing between the perspective of two housemaids and a white girl.  It will keep you on your toes.  
  

6.  Messenger - By Lois Lowry

I wrote a synopsis of this book here.   

7.  The Time Keeper - By Mitch Albom

This book is pretty new.  I actually did not read this one but rather listened to the audio book.  Mitch Albom tells a story of the first man that began keeping time.  After tragedy strikes, he searches for a way to gain just a bit more time but in the search he finds himself a prisoner of limitless time.  He eventually ends up in present day and has to help two individuals learn what he learned in his prison teaching them healthier perspectives on appreciating time.  It is a fantastic read for us in a culture trying to hurry or slow down time.

My Favorites - Edition 1

All Time Favorite Books that Changed my life

In order of when I first discovered the goodness...

1. The Bible

Obviously.  If you haven't read it, you should give it a try.  I read it in it's entirety for the first time when I was 16 after thinking about the hypocrisy of calling myself a Christian and yet having never read the book that says what I supposedly believe.  I have read it several more times since then.  By far, this is the most influential book and it continues to teach, scold, mold, challenge, encourage and bring me lasting joy. 



2. If God Should Choose - By Kristen Stagg

I read this book for the first time during my junior year of college.  This was the first book I ever read that piqued my interest in living life overseas.  It was also one of the first times I read about mere humans who lived extraordinary lives of deep satisfaction coupled with laying their lives down.  The book is about the death of Roni Bowers but it also is intermingled with the story of her and her husband Jim from birth to the time of her death.  One of the things that stuck out most to me was the way her husband responded to her death.  He was so trusting of our Father that even though God chose to take her life, Jim still responded with a resounding, 'He is Faithful'.  In this book, I witnessed the most beautiful of worship songs, even in my emptiness and grief, God is enough.  





3. Don't Waste Your Life - By John Piper

I read this book my senior year of college.  The book begins with a story of an elderly man in a church service that finally decides to make Jesus the Lord of his life.  Piper remembers the man afterwards weeping loudly saying 'I've wasted it, I've wasted my life!'  Piper explains in the book that retirement isn't really an option for a believer.  He gives an example of a couple who moved to Florida upon retirement and spent their days playing softball and collecting seashells.  He said that one day that couple will stand before God and the beginning of their eternal life.  He will ask them what they accomplished during their life and they will pitifully say, 'Look God, we have these shells.'  The book came at a transitional time for me.  I remember the previous summer saying to myself that I wanted to use that last college summer to invest it in eternity since I would be working the rest of my life.  After reading this book during my senior year, my viewpoint shifted into the realization that I only have a short time, a mere 75 years to impact eternity and thus my life, job, summers, weeks, weekends, everything should be spent glorifying God and impacting eternity.  It showed me that when I reach the end of my earthly existence and stand before God, success, beauty, money, how many buildings I helped design, how many new cars I managed to have, none of this will matter, only what I have done for God will matter.  It is a sobering thought and it has helped hone my vision to what truly matters.  

4. The Problem of Pain - By C.S. Lewis

I have pretty much always been a C.S. Lewis fan so when I went to a discount book store and found a few, cheap books by him, I snatched them up.  One of the books I got for a steal was this book.  I didn't actually get around to reading it for another year or so.  The summer after I graduated from college I went to Brazil for a couple months expecting to have a job waiting for me from my former internship upon my return.  That job dissolved and I found myself without work and income for several months.  That season of my life has been one of the hardest seasons thus far.  I guess you could say it was a painful season and so I sought solace from my literary Lewis friend.  Lewis says that pain is God's megaphone to get our attention to the fact that something is wrong.  God uses pain in our lives to grow us in areas.  During that season, God used my pain to teach me that I wanted control of my life but I needed to instead release my grip and trust Him.  It was a pivotal moment in my life and one I look back to understanding that pain is usually for our good and when things hurt we should go directly to God to see what He is trying to tell us.



5. Epic - By John Eldredge

This book completely renovated the way I read literature and is one of the reasons I love reading stories and watching movies.  The book describes how all  great stories, the ones that last, have a common storyline:

-At one point, things were good in the world
-By the time the reader arrives on the scene something bad has infiltrated the world
-Usually an unexpected hero breaks into the picture
-There is a beauty to rescue
-A great sacrifice is usually required and often by the hero's death
-At times there is a resurrection of sorts
-The story ends with a reunion of sorts

Consider these stories/movies:  Braveheart, Titanic, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Tangled, Pinocchio, etc. 

This storyline kind of reminds me of another story I know.  

-In the beginning, things were good, there was no sin
-A snake slithers into the scene and causes the Fall of Mankind
-Thousands of years later, Jesus breaks on the scene
-Mankind is His beauty/bride to rescue
-He sacrifices Himself for His bride
-He resurrects from the dead 3 days later
-In the end, there will be a great reunion in Heaven

I can't help but find this storyline in many movies and books.  The Bible says that 'the earth is filled with the glory of God'.  This book showed me that God has even infiltrated literature and movies through people who may not even follow Him or believe in Him.

6. Searching for God Knows What - By Donald Miller

This book begins with the silliest of stories about the author's ignorance.  I found myself laughing at his stupidity and wondering why on earth I was reading the words of someone so clueless.  In spite of his cluelessness, Miller is a profound writer and I found myself quite often in awe of the depth of his writing compared with the frequent silliness throughout the book.  This book showed me first how painful the fall must have been for Adam and Eve.  Prior to the fall, they knew no sin, no shame, no pain, no doubt, no self-consiousness.  They lived in complete and pure union with God, His love and favor flowing constantly into their souls.  How much pain, shame, shock, doubt must have come from that first moment where sin, darkness, disease entered the earth?  Miller says that from that moment, people have been searching for someone or something outside of themselves for their value.  He goes on to explain how we have hierarchies in our society where some people are valued above others.  In high school, the football captain and cheerleader is in the highest valued position and all other students are striving and backstabbing to make their way up the chain to the most valued position.  He gave an example of a lifeboat from one of his previous classes:

"If there were a lifeboat adrift at sea, and in the lifeboat were a male lawyer, a female doctor, a crippled child, a stay at home mom, and a garbageman, and one person had to be thrown overboard to save the others, which person would we choose?"

He said the class didn't hesitate to decide who had the most value and who could be dispensed with.  He went on to say that if it were up to Jesus, He would jump out of the lifeboat Himself and choose to save every last one of them because He loves and values EVERYONE.  This book taught me that I am deeply valued by God and if I am looking anywhere else, I will come up empty.  It also taught me that every individual on this planet is deeply valued by God.  There was so much more goodness in the book but I will let you read the goodness for yourself.  I may actually read it yet again after reminiscing about the goodness.

7. God's Smuggler - By Brother Andrew

Oh.my.goodness.  Do you want a non-fiction book about a Christian that reads like a J.J. Abrams television show complete with cliffhangers and keeps you on the edge of your seat?  Do you want a book that will challenge you to heights of faith?  This book is for you.  I have been through the book twice now and both times, I am in awe of the faith of this man and all the miracles God accomplished through him.  It wasn't always this way.  The book begins with a boy/man who was very wayward and wanted nothing to do with God.  Eventually, he chooses to put his faith in Christ and learns that God is faithful, God is a King and as such He gives to His children extravagantly.  His faith challenges me to new heights of faith and trust in a God who gives Kingly gifts.  Over and over again, God provided for him financially.  In addition, He smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain and over and over again he was given irrational favor and protection.  By far, this is the most exciting biography I have ever read.




8. One Thousand Gifts - By Ann Voskamp

This book changed my life.  The overall premise of the book is that we lack joy because we are ungrateful.  The author breaks down the meaning of the word 'eucharisteo' which happens to be the same word used when Jesus gave thanks at The Lord's Supper.  Essentially, He was giving thanks for the bread of death.  The root word for eucharisteo is charis which means grace but it also consists of the the Greek word for joy as well.  Jesus saw His death as a gift of grace and gave thanks for it and it yielded joy.  The same is true for my life.  When I am ungrateful about anything, I have a sour attitude.  When I recognize things as grace and give thanks for those things, joy comes to my life.  Voskamp began a journal seeking to find 1,000 gifts from the Father and encourages readers to do the same.  She describes it as 'unwrapping gifts of love'.  I have since unwrapped 2,800 gifts and I'm still counting.  When I find myself in sour moods, I start giving thanks for the small things and I find life doesn't look as bleak as I originally thought.   



To check out edition 2 in this series, click here.