10 Books

Just posted this on Facebook, and decided to post it here too since it will be easier to come back and find this way! :)

"Make a list of 10 books (in no particular order) that have affected you in some way. Good or bad, thought provoking or just straight up adorable.
Then tag a few book loving friends as a subtle hint that you would enjoy seeing a similar list from them."

So.....Mrs. S tagged me for this a few days ago, and I'm going to do it before I forget! :)  Please note that they are in no particular order (as instructed above), and that for the purpose of this list I've chosen to leave the Bible off. Obviously it belongs here - but 10 is too small of a number as it is!

1. Expecting to See Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz ~~~ Last summer I had the opportunity to hear her speak in public, and we also received copies of this book by her! Then I landed at home in Dallas for the fall, and there "just happened" to be a Bible Study group going through the video series by the same name. God definitely used that in my life, and also the book as I read through it this year.

2. Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis ~~~ I read this mostly over Christmas Break of 2011/12. It made me want to quit school and go help people....somewhere, anywhere! Little did I know then how God would work things and take me to Uganda in 2014....something which only came about because I stayed in school and persevered.

3. Love: The Greatest Thing in the World by Lewis A. Drummond ~~~ A small book that packs a powerful punch, it's an extended devotional on 1 Corinthians 13 that also manages to address spiritual gifts and a myriad of other topics. I "just happened" to find it in N. Ireland, and it helped flesh out lessons God had already begun bringing into my life recently! I've been meaning to blog about it ever since and just haven't yet!

4. The Second American Revolution by John Whitehead ~~~ Reading this book during the spring of my high school senior year is what made me decide to pursue political journalism, which is part of what took me to John Brown University. And if I hadn't gone there, I would definitely not be the same person I am today.

5. Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer ~~~ I read this one about the same time as Kisses from Katie, as I was trying to decide whether to take an internship opportunity in D.C. I did, and God used that time to shift my focus from political journalism to writing for non-profit organizations.

6. Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard ~~~ Such a beautiful story - I love it every time I read it! Filled with good reminders.

7. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss ~~~ I haven't read this one in a long time....and making this list makes me want to add it to the pile of books going to Uganda! When I read this in high school, I always wondered how she could be so foolish, so back and forth. I was in denial--since then I have learned that I do the same thing, over and over and over.

8. Surprised by Joy & The Chronicles of Narnia ~~~ I remember listening to my parents read Narnia to me, and watching those old BBC movies as a young kid...but then I took a hiatus from them until 2004, when I dove back in headlong and discovered the amazing, beautiful world Lewis created. I can't even tell you how many times I've reread them since! So far I haven't re-read Surprised by Joy....but I really should. The joy Lewis talks about there is what Narnia so often gives me!

9. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Don Miller ~~~ Another one I want to reread! One of the earliest things I remember (read this fall of junior year) that got me interested in the concept of STORY and led to me writing a 35+ page Capstone about it my last semester of college.

10. Joy for the World by Greg Forster ~~~ I must admit, I still have not finished reading this, and it has been in my reading stack all summer! I must finish it before I leave. Anyway, it is a very interesting and thought-provoking critique of modern American Christianity. The subtitle helps explain it: How Christianity Lost Its Cultural Influence and Can Begin Rebuilding It.

Honorable Mentions: Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt and A Lifetime of Wisdom by Joni Eareckson Tada ~~~ {my perfectionism constrains me to mention that I listened to both of these rather than actually reading them}. Both memoir-style, so very well written and also thought-provoking! Each one was read by the author, and hearing her voice tell her own story added to the power of the words.

Relationship books (semi-reviews)

Back at the beginning of last semester, my room mate gave me a couple books to borrow...and I finally got around to reading them this semester. The first took me a while to get through, but I read the second in two days. They are both great books and both have been tools God has used this semester to grow me spiritually.

Book Info:
Title - When God Writes Your Love Story: The Ultimate Guide to Guy/Girl Relationships
Authors - Eric & Leslie Ludy
Publisher - Multnomah Books, 2009
Paperback, 15 chapters, 304 pages

Title - Emotional Purity: An Affair of the Heart
Author - Heather Arnel Paulsen
Publisher - Crossway Books, 2007
Paperback, 17 chapters, 151 pages

Although both of these books are focused on guy/girl relationships (and were very beneficial to me on that level), they both also apply to life on a deeper and broader level. Each uses real-life examples and scripture in searching out how Christian young people should handle relationships with the other sex.

Neither book offers a solution that is truly easy or in line with what common culture has come to expect. And yet each shows a way for singles to avoid the endless cycle of short-term relationships and broken hearts. In a day and age when people like me can feel there's no one who desires to approach relationships the way we do, these books give hope and solutions.

Do Hard Things (book review)

On the back cover:

“Most people don’t expect you to understand what we are going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last. WE DO.”

Book info:

Title – Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Authors – Alex and Brett Harris

Publisher – Multnomah Books, 2008

Hardback, 12 chapters, 240 pages

My review:

This is an excellent book….one I wish I had read quite a while ago! Twins Alex and Brett, founders of www.therebelution.com, were “only” nineteen when they wrote the book. The premise of their book, however, is that their age should not keep them – or any teenager – from aiming for and achieving “hard things” (things the culture doesn’t think they can accomplish). Their book encourages teenagers to reject the “myth of adolescence” (that teenagers are too young to do anything worthwhile) and to instead use the teen years as a launching board to the rest of their lives. Alex and Brett offer many examples of young people doing “hard things” and the ways that God has blessed their efforts. They suggest five types of “hard things” that teens can aim for, and they also discuss three components needed for success. Alex and Brett believe that today’s generation of young people is specially equipped and blessed with resources that could make it a generation of movers and shakers – but first, teens must be willing to push beyond what is expected of them: they must do hard things.

Alex and Brett are great writers. The book is simple and easy to read, and it’s a fun book too! Implementing the concepts in the book, on the other hand, requires a revolution in how one lives life. One of my favorite things about the book – something that especially applied to me – was the last chapter: “World, Meet Your Rebelutionaries.” In that chapter, Alex and Brett talk about how a book like Do Hard Things can be a mountain-top experience, and they give practical suggestions for how to start a personal rebelution (rebelution is a word the brothers made up to describe a rebellion against low expectations, which would lead to a revolution in one’s life). I know I often feel like that. I read a great book like this one, and I think “WOW! This is a real life changer! I’ll never be the same!” It’s really not that simple. Reading a book, watching a movie, hearing a speaker, going to a conference, none of those things can change your life. It’s how YOU choose to respond and what YOU do to change your life that changes your life. The book, movie, speaker, conference, etc – they’re just tools. Tools don’t do any good unless YOU pick them up and use them. Even so, you should go read Do Hard Things ;-)

Grown-Up Girlfriends (book review)

Last semester at JBU during one of the Women of Walker nights, Erin Smalley from JBU's Center for Relationship Enrichment came to talk to us about how to be "grown-up" girlfriends (this is a girl-girl friendship kind, not a girl-guy kind). I really liked what she had to say, so I soon went down to the bookstore and bought the book she wrote with her friend Carrie Oliver. I finally read it this summer! And it is a very good book.

Book info:

Title - Grown-Up Girlfriends: Finding and Keeping Real Friends in the Real World

Authors - Erin Smalley and Carrie Oliver

Publisher - Tyndale House Publishers, 2007

Paperback, 13 chapters, 223 pages

My review of it:

This is a terrific book that takes a good look at how to have deeper and more lasting friendships. Writing from a Biblical Christian perspective, Erin and Carrie discuss various characteristics of friendships that are "grown-up" rather than childish and selfish. The chapters include subjects such as "The Grown-Up Girlfriend Experiences Levels of Intimacy," "The Grown-Up Girlfriend Embraces Differences," and "The Grown-Up Girlfriend Forgives." The authors use many real life examples, both from their own lives and from other's, to illustrate their points. Each chapter has several reflection questions at the end to help the reader apply the principles to her own life.

I know for me, this book pointed out some of the ways that I could be negatively impacting my friendships through my selfish actions. Some of the things I hadn't ever thought of before, or hadn't quite pin pointed what I was feeling. It took me a while to get through this book - it's not really a difficult read, it's just a little meatier than some books are.

If you feel like you're missing out on something - if you feel like you don't have any really good friends, I would highly suggest reading this book. It can help you think through how you approach and maintain friendships.