Posted by Chris on Jan 3, 2012 in
Life Here’s my To Read list for 2012. It’s far from complete. What would you add?
Academic
This list will grow through the year, but here’s what I have for the spring semester of the MAGL:
Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch
Shaping of Things to Come, The: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost
The Meeting of the Waters: 7 Global Currents That Will Propel the Future Church by Fritz Kling
The Invisible: What the Church Can Do to Find and Serve the Least of These by Arloa Sutter
Public Faith, A: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good by Miroslav VLF
Theology & Spirituality
Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World by Richard Foster by Richard Foster
The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited by Scot McKnight
Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions by Rachel Held Evans
The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder
Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
Life, Relationships and Vocation
Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself by Daniel H. Pink
Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question by Po Bronson
Fun
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn and Tony Moore
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
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Tags: books, Church, Jesus, leadership, MAGL, sci-fi, Science Fiction
Posted by Chris on Oct 5, 2011 in
God,
Life 
If you could only read one love story, you should read A Severe Mercy. The book is the journey of Sheldon and Davy Vanauken, through romance, courtship, marriage, infidelity, agnosticism, faith, and eventually death. The book is best known for containing the author’s correspondance with C.S. Lewis on issues of faith and death.
The book begins with the couple’s meeting and romance in an ivy league college. They define themselves as “high pagans,” seeking after the higher virtues of classical culture. They believed that they could keep the “in love” feeling that couples experience early on when they share everything. They share the details of their days, passionately explore the other’s interests, and even sail around the world together. The uniqueness of their romance inspires Lewis’s words, and the title “A Severe Mercy.”
Unfortunately, Jesus messes this up. As honest agnostics and intellectuals, they decide that someday they must look into the claims of Christianity. When they move to Oxford they encounter intellectuals who also follow Christ, and they begin their investigation. This result is a correspondance and friendship with C.S. Lewis, who helps personalize much that he his books discuss. They both experience conversion, but their endless romance is never the same. Vanauken candidly explains the strains this new faith took on their marriage, and how it took death to rebuild their relationship.
Much of the book grapples the illness and death of Davy, and how their new faith was affected. Fascinatingly, the correspondence includes letters both before and after Lewis’s own experience with burying a wife.
It’s hard to capture in a blog post the beautiful, thought provoking and heart wrenching nature of this book. It presents a picture of how faith can be intellectual, how romance can be meaningful, and how death can be accepted. It is the story of a life well lived, and a love worth emulating.
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Tags: books, C.S. Lewis, Faith, Girls, if you could only read one book, love, Relationships, romance
Posted by Chris on Sep 26, 2011 in
Life 
Tim Sanders‘ newest, Today We Are Rich (available in print, and digital), has done a fine job of reminding me of how much of life is up to me. It’s not that I believe I am capable of creating anything on my own, but my choices do shape the quality and content of each day, relationship and experience.
The book is framed around the story of Sanders’ grandmother Billye, a depression era divorcee that raised him. It centers around her beliefs, based in scripture, and accentuated by the greats of positive thinking. It starts with the story of a man named Clarence wandering into Billye’s yard, asking for a day’s work and pay. Billye responds by making him work hard, and paying far and beyond what he deserved. She then comments to young Tim: “Today we have all we need, and enough to share with Clarence. And because we were able to share, we’re worth something. By being able and willing to give, we are rich.”
Since I’m super excited about how easy it is to capture quotes on my new Kindle, I’ll share a few more with you.
“Uncertainty is a spiritual enemy that will siphon out your rocket fuel.”
“You should be as careful about what you put into your mind as about what you put into your mouth. Your mind is a machine. When you ingest a piece of information, your mind goes to work, chewing on it, digesting it, and then converting it into a thought. When good stuff goes into your mind, good thoughts emerge. People who maintain purposeful mind diets of positive stimuli think healthy thoughts.”
“Many people suffer poor health not because of what they eat but from what is eating them.”
“When you look for friends, evaluate their outlook, not just their proximity or relevance to your practical needs.”
“In my own experience, very little news is truly bad (meaning the damage is permanent and there’s nothing I can do about it). It’s news that simply means, “You need to get busy and do something about this. The status quo will no longer work.” Once I realized that the “bad news” required me to put on my solutions hat instead of my freak-out cap, my internal conversation changed from panic to planning.”
“I’ve never met devil’s advocates with many good ideas.”
Today We Are Rich is a quick read, not too preachy, and a great reminder of what makes life work well.
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Tags: books
Posted by Chris on Sep 19, 2011 in
God,
Life I have always read a lot of books. I love having books around and talking about books. I think that bookshelves are the best way to decorate a house. So the idea of digital books didn’t used to be too appealing to me. However, during my trip to Fuller, I was embarrassed to see so many people carrying iPads and Kindles, while I had a second suitcase full of books. This was compounded by a 200 page , two column PDF that I had to read on my Macbook. Partially joking and partially exasperated I tweeted:
This has been a tough summer. In many ways, I feel like God has put me on hold. I’ve been waiting a long time for a lot of things, trying to be faithful with what I do have. But living in between is tough, and it’s worn me down.
The question that comes to mind is “why isn’t God working in my life?” I hear stories of God providing in emergencies, providing opportunities for vocation, or providing little things. It would be a lie to say that God has never worked in my life this way, but it feels like it’s been a long time.
Last Sunday I was handed a box that had been shipped to an old residence. I wasn’t expecting anything, much less the 1/2 lb. e-ink masterpiece I had been pining for. Shocked, I raced home and dug through my receipts just to make sure I had not accidentally bought it. Nothing. I tore apart the box for a shipping form, and saw my address and a short line that said:
#alwaysask
I’ve spent the last week attached to the little gizmo. A co-worker saw me smiling and said: “You look like you’ve got a new girlfriend.” I’ve devoured two books already.
It hasn’t fixed any of the problems that have got me down. But it is a reminder that God is out there, he listens, and other people do, too. I may have some complaints, but I have a good life. While I may still be on hold with God, I feel like he’s letting me know that he hasn’t gone anywhere. He cares. He wants to take care of me. Maybe he’s just waiting for me to let him.
#alwaysask
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Tags: books, depression, God, MAGL, prayer
Posted by Chris on Sep 7, 2011 in
Church,
Life I recently had the chance to publish some thoughts on Eugene Peterson’s Pastor. The book is a memoir of the a man who never aspired to be anything more than a faithful to loving the people around them and teaching them about Jesus. He has also probably been the most influential Christian writer since Lewis.
Enjoy.
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Tags: book review, books, Eugene Peterson, Pastor, Peterson
