Lately finished:
Servolution by Dino Rizzo: Aside from my dislike of mashing the word serve with the slightly overused revolution, it's an easy read about the founding and continuing ministry at Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA. It also offers an outline of how to adapt some of their techniques and philosphies to other ministries, but if you are already familiar with dreaming up ministry philosophies, it doesn't offer anything that new (or at least it didn't really present anything new to me, but I probably read more about structuring ministries, etc. than the average person). I would reccommend this book as a 101 level of "rethinking" church resource.
Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller: After years of hearing praise for Miller's Blue Like Jazz, I ended up being drawn more to this story of Don's roadtrip from Texas to Grand Canyon to Oregon. It was an interesting read, it seemed more like a memoir though than a new ways to think about God and/or Christianity (which is what I was expecting for some reason...). MIller shares a lot about his views adn idea of God during this journey, and while I value his willingness to share and openess, it didn't feel like anything new...which reflecting that I'm saying this about two books in row, maybe I've grown a little hard-hearted...It's good, and I'm looking forward to reading his other books (especially with all the things I'm hearing about his latest), and this wasn't a bad place to start since chronilogically in Miller's life, this was the frist journey.
Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television by Nadia Bolz-Weber: In the vein of The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs, Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran minister, watches 24 straight hours of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Looking at the content, intended audience, products offered, and Biblical soundness (Bolz-Weber would also have visitors spend portions of the day viewing, many of whom have various masters or doctartes in Divinity). It's interesting, that while she expects to be horrified by what's going on TBN (televangelists preying on shut-ins for monetary gifts; iirelevant teaching; etc.), by the end, Bolz-Weber is able to draw connections and ask some interesting questions not only of the Christianity represented on TBN, but also in her own emerging Lutheran church camp. It's a very quick read, and I greatly enjoyed it and would also reccommend it.
In the midst of:
The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon: This is a four book young adult fantasy series a friend reccommended and I'm currently on the final installment. It's decent...I would only reccommend it to other YA readers, and even then only if they like fantasy.
On Deck:
Total Church by Tim Chester & Steve Timmis (yes, I've finally retrieved it from carry-on bag and have placed it on top of the pile_
Uglies by Scott Westerfield (I like to read fiction before going to bed, while I reserve non-fiction for other times of the day, so this will take over the pre-bedtime slot when Pellinor is through)
Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith by Simon Higgs (in reality I've already read the first 3 or 4 chapters, but I really want to explore more of the ideas Higgs presents and take the time to reflect and journal when reading, so this might be pushed back still...)
Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face by Tony Campolo (I'm intrigued to read this because I've been thinking and debating a lot lately of gay marriage (and marriage in general especially as what is marriage as defined by God and what is marriage as defined by government and are they same thing, should they be the same thing, etc.?) and while there are many books out there I'd like to read regarding this subject matter (I'm most interested in Love Is An Orientation by Andrew Martin, but it's not available at the Clarksville library...nor is it sitting on the shelves of either of the major chain bookstores...), they're a bit hard to come by
1 comment:
Mo and I enjoyed the Uglies series. We read them all, even the one that isn't part of the trilogy. Let me know what you think. Scott Westerfeld also has an interesting blog that I read occasionally. Mo read other books by him, but I haven't.
El brought The Lightning Thief to Italy and I read part of it one afternoon. Liked. Will finish. I think you may have asked her about it earlier.
I brought The Hunger Games as my airplane book and read the entire thing yesterday on the plane. Even cried real tears just as the flight attendant asked what I wanted to drink. Have you read it?
Judging by the above, all I read is YA. :)
Check with your library to see if they will get books through interlibrary loan. They may be able to get the Martin book for you.
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