Books for August 2010
My reading is picking back up, and I managed to get a couple of books finished (or "finished for now") last month...Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig. This book, a fascinating look at copyright and intellectual property law and where it needs to go, is great. Lessig is one of the authorities on the subject, and also one of the big promoters behind Creative Commons, a licensing approach that solves many
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Books for June 2010
I read these books in June:Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel in Western Culture by Lesslie Newbigin: this book was great, and very stimulating in thinking about culture and philosophical ideas. I think a couple of Newbigin's conclusions go a little too far, but given that this book was written 25 years ago, it is surprisingly prescient still today (and the age might also explain my thoughts on
Books for May 20010
I got a lot of reading done in May, because I was in bed recovering from oral surgery for a week, and on a plane for a couple of days. Here are the books I read in the month of May:The Truelove by Patrick O'Brian: this one is another that dips just slightly in the pace of the story, though there are some very important pieces of the overall arc introduced here. (9)The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian:
Books for April 2010
Here are the books I completed in April:Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian (re-read): once again, I continue to read through this excellent series, some of my favorite books. (10)The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian (re-read): this one is the volume that the movie released a few years ago was primarily based on; however, the movie drew from several of the books, not just this one. Still,
Books for March 2010
Here are the books I finished in March (plus a couple of Patrick O'Brian titles I finished in February but didn't make the list):HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian (re-read): as I mentioned in February's list, these are some of my favorite books, and I'm reading through them again. This particular title is one of my favorites in the series. (10)The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian (re-read) (10)Desolation
Books for February 2010
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian (re-read). This series of 20 novels is my favorite collection of fiction, and I decided during the recent snow days to begin reading them again. Though I've read them through twice before, I still find the stories fresh, engaging, and excellently written. (10)Post-Captain by Patrick O'Brian (re-read). (10)
Books for January 2010
These are the books I read in January:The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister. I reviewed this book already. (3)Guilt by Brent Curtis. This little booklet, designed to be a small group resource, is a very good examination of guilt (both false and true) and shame, and a look at how the Bible teaches us to face and deal with guilt. A good resource, but unfortunately out-of-print. (8+)Let's Study Ephesians
Book Review: The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister
Tue, Jan 26 2010 09:26 AM
| Reading, Books, Church Life, Liturgical Year
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I recently received a copy of The Liturgical Year: The spiraling adventure of the spiritual life by Joan Chittister, which is one of the latest titles in Thomas Nelson's series on "The Ancient Practices" of the church. (Disclaimer: I received this copy for free from Thomas Nelson, in exchange for my commitment to write this review.)I read another title in this series, Fasting by Scot McKnight, last
Worship 2: Helps for planning worship
Tue, Jan 19 2010 03:27 PM
| Worship, Reading, Church Life
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I love writing liturgies every week. It is, for me, a many-fold act of my ministry and life: it prepares my heart for worship; it itself is an engagement of worship; it drives me into Scripture and theological thoughtfulness; it is a service that I render to the souls of my congregation.As I prepare for worship every week, I find a handful of resources (in addition to my Bible, of course) are always
Reading goals for 2010
In reviewing the books I read last year for my "best of" post the other day, I saw some holes in my reading that I want to accommodate better in 2010. In the course of a year, I read a lot of books-- probably between 50 and 75-- and I cover a wide range of subjects. Last year, I read a good number of books on prayer (naturally, since it was the Ministry Focus for the year at my church), church ministry,
Best Books for 2009
Well, I did a poor job of cataloging and rating my books read for 2009. I set out to do essentially the same as I did in 2008, but I failed pretty miserably at that.So, instead of presenting a comprehensive list (like I did last year), I thought I would do my best to recap what some of the best books I read in 2009 were. Here's that list:Leading in Prayer: A Workbook for Worship by Hughes Oliphant
Books for May 2008
Sun, Jun 1 2008 06:19 PM
| Theology, Reading, Discernment, Books, Ministry, Personal, Culture
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The Work of the Pastor by William Still (re-read). This brief volume is a help, challenge, and rebuke for all of us. Still, who pastored a single flock in Scotland for 51 years, here presents the sum of the pastor's duties, distilling it down to the essence of shepherding and feeding the lambs on the Word of God. For such a short book, there is much to be found here, and it is one of those books I
More thoughts on reading
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about reading in response to a question from one of my blog-readers. A few more thoughts have occurred to me.On reading books:Keep a list for recommendations. Suggestions for good books to read come up all the time: from blogs, on the radio or TV news, in lectures, from friends. I've found it helpful to make a note of recommendations that I want to eventually follow
Book Give-Away: a winner!
Back in March (!), I offered a free copy of Andrew Peterson's On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness as a part of the "blog tour" I was participating in. Entry in the drawing was simple: answer a question about how frequently you believe a congregation should celebrate the sacrament of communion, and why.There were five entries, and I'm pleased to (finally) announce the winner is:Megan Dunham!Congratulations
When to read?
Thu, May 1 2008 08:17 AM
| Reading, Discernment, Personal, Culture
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In response to one of my book listings, a member asked me, "you're a busy guy-- when do you find time to read all that you do?"Fair question, and one that I've had to be creative in answering over the years. Here are some thoughts for folks who want to find more time to read, and/or read more effectively:Take it with you. I rarely leave my home or office without SOMETHING to read-- a book, a journal
Books for April 2008
The Living Church by John Stott. This was a good book on pastoral ministry in the church by a man who is a hero of Christendom. John Stott has served in ministry for over 60 years, most of those as the Rector of All Souls Church in London. His insights about ministry in the church are made valuable in part because of the testimony that stands behind them-- his many years of faithful service. There
Books for March 2008
The Importance of the Local Church by Daniel Wray (re-read): This is one of the Banner of Truth Trust booklets, of which I am a big fan. Wray does a good job of capturing the essential need and value of the local church, which is a vital word for today when many Christians take church membership so lightly. (9+)When Bad Christians Happen to Good People by Dave Burchett: The subtitle of this book summarizes
Book give-away: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
Yesterday I offered a review of Andrew Peterson's new novel, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. As I mentioned, Waterbrook Press generously provided me with an extra copy to give away here on the blog.So, here's the deal: I'll give the book away to one person (randomly selected) who comments here, in response to the following question...How often should a congregation celebrate the sacrament
Book review: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Andrew Peterson, who has become one of my favorite singers and songwriters, has written a novel, called On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. (No, that title isn't a typo.) By happy circumstance, I was selected to participate in a "blog tour" for the book, which means (among other things) that I was provided a pre-release copy of the book to review here.If you've heard Andrew Peterson's music, you
A book table!
Fri, Mar 14 2008 10:02 AM
| Reading, Faith Life, Discernment, Books, Ministry, Church Life, Culture
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When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind.~~Michel de MontaigneAs you may have picked up, I love to read. More than that, I love books, and what they represent: accessibility to knowledge and understanding of subjects that are unknown or less known than we want them to be.Someone once said, "There
Books for February
Fri, Feb 29 2008 08:29 AM
| Theology, Reading, Discernment, Books, Ministry, Personal, Culture
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Here's an overview of the books I finished in February, and my recommendations about them (including a ranking on a 1-to-10 scale).How Your Church Family Works by Peter L. Steinke: This is a great book, though the audience for it is something of a niche. It's really a book for Pastors and maybe church leaders; I could see a Session reading through it together, if the Pastor did a fair amount of additional
On reading, and books for January 2008
I love to read, and those who know me are aware that I read heavily: I regularly have multiple books that I'm reading concurrently, and I probably have averaged 50-75 books a year for the past decade and more. (I first realized that I had a higher-than-average tendency for reading when I set a personal goal to finish 25 books in a year my sophomore year in college and my friends and family finding