Joyful Transformation

The last day of the month has had different meanings for me at different times in my life. It has almost always meant pay-day, an event that is celebrated world wide. In my “Comptroller” days at the bank it meant making month-end entries, making sure everything was in balance, directors reports, reports, reports, reports…..{occasionally I need a reminder why I NEVER want to go back to that life}.

Today I am starting a new “month-end” tradition. It is my monthly book review. I realized at the end of the year it is too overwhelming to try to go back and recount everything I have read during the year. However, I do like to keep up and to share what I am reading. I will also have a category called books in process. This will keep me from putting a book back on the shelf and never finishing it; if it is unworthy to finish it will go in a “purge the book” category. This is a new undertaking so it may “evolve” over time. My opinions of books are very subjective and probably reflect my personal eclectic taste more than any literary guidelines. Any suggestions to make the list easier or more meaningful are welcomed!

So here we go in random order;

Fiction:
The Presidents Assassin- Brian Haig: A good fast and fun read. I love all of his books.
The Silver Chair- C.S. Lewis- At first I was disappointed in the final installment, but as I finished it I knew that it had left me with more than the others. Some of my views on death and good people with poor allegiances were challenged and revisited. A great series.
Iron Orchid- Stuart Woods- Not one of his best, but it was CIA thriller so it was pretty good.

Non-Fiction:
Getting Things Done- David Allen- A no-nonsense approach to organization that is both simple enough and user friendly enough to actually make me try it. So far so good!
There Are No Shortcuts- Rafe Esquith- Not a book I would ordinarily read, since I am not in the education field and my children are out of school, but a motivating and eye opening look at public education; what is done, what could be done and what we are failing to do. I would recommend it highly for parents and teachers. (Thanks JC)


Spiritual:
A New Kind of Christian- Brian McLaren- Just read it if you haven’t already. It is amazing to hear your frustrations and concerns being addressed in such an open and refreshingly new way.
The Story We Find Ourselves In- Brian McLaren- Probably an even greater impact than the first book. The imagery of our walk with and to God has stuck with me. The simplicity of the story and the fresh way we can tell it to reach people who have not been drenched in our current institutionalism. For the first time I could see myself actually wanting to share the story of the Gospel. I could see me getting past the hang-ups I have always had myself and make it a life that is relevant and meaningful.
Lists to Live By- Christian Collection – an inspiring group of list that motivate, teach and inspire. Again not a book I would normally buy, but a great gift from Terri. I can see a lot of teaching material in this book.

In Process:
A Love Worth Giving- Max Lucado- Easy to read. Very good thoughts on love (I was going to teach from it, but received the following book, so it is kind of on hold)
Cure for the Common Life- Max Lucado- Some great thoughts about finding and using our talents to make our lives anything but common. Reading it at the same time as McLaren makes it seem a little “easy”, but Max is always positive and a “feel-good” kind of writer.
Captivating- John Eldredge- This is a good book for exploring a woman’s heart. I started it earlier and had put it aside. Thanks to Chris I pulled it back out and I finding it to be a rich and beautiful book. I don’t know what it is about Eldredge’s books that make them hard for me to finish….. hopefully I will move this over to the finished pile next month.