Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Summer Reading


Just Finished Today:

  • The Testament by John Grisham

Currently Reading:

  • Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
  • Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney
  • Telling Yourself the Truth by William Backus and Marie Chapian
  • The Life and Diary of David Brainerd (I have actually lost count regarding the number of times I've read this since I first obtained it in 2003--I love it!)
  • Men and Women in the Church by Sarah Sumner (Disclaimer: I’m reading this to understand a view different from the one I hold regarding women in church leadership).
  • Building Literacy Through Classroom Discussion: Research-Based Strategies for Developing Critical Readers and Thoughtful Writers in Middle School by Mary Adler & Eija Rougle
  • Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation by Fred Jones (thanks for passing this along Amy)

Hope to Read Before Fall:

  • Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn
  • How To Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren
  • What Jesus Demands from the World by John Piper
  • Peace Making Women by Tara Klena Barthel & Judy Dabler

Looking over the books I am enjoying right now, I want to strongly recommend Whitney’s Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. This book is challenging, convicting and he gets right to the point (something that I greatly appreciate when I am reading multiple books). The book is framed by ten questions, they are:

1. Do you thirst for God?

2. Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word?

3. Are you more loving?

4. Are you more sensitive to God’s presence?

5. Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?

6. Do you delight in the bride of Christ?

7. Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important to you?

8. Do you still grieve over sin?

9. Are you a quick forgiver?

10. Do you yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus?

When I came across this title I initially shied away from it because it sounded, I don’t know...gimmicky. But it isn’t at all. Each chapter is so helpful and at the end of each chapter are practical steps to help further develop the characteristic outlined. Those "practical steps" alone make this book a must-read for every Christian, in my humble opinion.
Also, the book is peppered with quotes drawn from some of my favorite men of God...Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, C.S. Lewis, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, etc. Oh this book is so good...and I’m only halfway through it!

2 comments:

amy deLine said...

You're gonna read Peacemaking Women?! I didn't even know you had it! Next time I see you, I'd like to thumb through that book.

And it's good to see that you're reading Tools For Teaching - didn't know if you were reading it or not...so let me know your thoughts and reactions.

AND we need to talk M&W soon. Did you notice she's from [whisper] (willow creek)? Ha, I just had to say it.

Michelle said...

Amy-- you know you'll get a super long e-mail in the next few days from me regarding all sorts of good stuff including Tools for Teaching and M&W. And I giggled when I saw that you noticed she's from Willow. And great delivery of that line by the way, what with the "[whisper]" and all. :-) I am relieved to say that she's FINALLY getting into Scripture here in chapter 5...I'm not saying it's sound, but I am relieved that we're actually working through Scripture now instead of mere emotional anecdotes. Hehe.