Aaron's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 09 Mar 2024 07:02:52 -0800 60 Aaron's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Nineties 58082714 The Nineties: a wise and funny reckoning with the decade that gave us slacker/grunge irony about the sin of trying too hard, during the greatest shift in human consciousness of any decade in American history.

It was long ago, but not as long as it seems: The Berlin Wall fell and the Twin Towers collapsed. In between, one presidential election was allegedly decided by Ross Perot while another was plausibly decided by Ralph Nader. In the beginning, almost every name and address was listed in a phone book, and everyone answered their landlines because you didn't know who it was. By the end, exposing someone's address was an act of emotional violence, and nobody picked up their new cell phone if they didn't know who it was. The '90s brought about a revolution in the human condition we're still groping to understand. Happily, Chuck Klosterman is more than up to the job.

Beyond epiphenomena like Cop Killer and Titanic and Zima, there were wholesale shifts in how society was perceived: the rise of the internet, pre-9/11 politics, and the paradoxical belief that nothing was more humiliating than trying too hard. Pop culture accelerated without the aid of a machine that remembered everything, generating an odd comfort in never being certain about anything. On a '90s Thursday night, more people watched any random episode of Seinfeld than the finale of Game of Thrones. But nobody thought that was important; if you missed it, you simply missed it. It was the last era that held to the idea of a true, hegemonic mainstream before it all began to fracture, whether you found a home in it or defined yourself against it.

In The Nineties, Chuck Klosterman makes a home in all of it: the film, the music, the sports, the TV, the politics, the changes regarding race and class and sexuality, the yin/yang of Oprah and Alan Greenspan. In perhaps no other book ever written would a sentence like, "The video for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was not more consequential than the reunification of Germany" make complete sense. Chuck Klosterman has written a multi-dimensional masterpiece, a work of synthesis so smart and delightful that future historians might well refer to this entire period as Klostermanian.]]> 370 Chuck Klosterman 0735217955 Aaron 0 currently-reading 3.86 2022 The Nineties
author: Chuck Klosterman
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do As He Did]]> 83817455
“One of the most important books I have read in a decade. . . If we would all follow in this way,our lives would change and the world would change.”—Jennie Allen, author of Get Out of Your Head and Find Your People

We are constantly being formed by the world around us. To be formed by Jesus will require us to become his apprentice.

To live by what the first Christian disciples called a Rule of Life—a set of practices and relational rhythms that slow us down and open up space in our daily lives for God to do what only God can do—transforms the deepest parts of us to become like him.

This introduction to spiritual formation is full of John Mark Comer’s trademark mix of theological substance and cultural insight as well as practical wisdom on developing your own Rule of Life.

These ancient practices have much to offer us. By learning to rearrange our days, we can follow the Way of Jesus. We can be with him. Become like him. And do as he did.]]> 288 John Mark Comer 0593193822 Aaron 5 spiritual-growth 4.56 2024 Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do As He Did
author: John Mark Comer
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/03/09
shelves: spiritual-growth
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You]]> 40243434 200 John Ortberg Aaron 5 spiritual-growth 4.42 2014 Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You
author: John Ortberg
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/17
date added: 2024/01/18
shelves: spiritual-growth
review:
In general I am generous with rating a book. Did I find value? Was it written well? 5 stars. However, sometimes I read a book and I wish there was an extra star I could give it. This is one of those books. There is so much to think through, to chew on, and to apply here. I will need to reread this, because as much as I gained from it, in the process I no doubt have missed nuggets of wisdom and life. This is about tending to our own souls. At times it was intrusive and uncomfortable... but in a good way. Overall it is a book of healing and life. I can't recommend this book enough. Read it slowly. Meditate on it. Reflect.
]]> <![CDATA[A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing]]> 51979066 What is the way forward for the church?
Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches--from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. Respected author and theologian Scot McKnight and former Willow Creek member Laura Barringer wrote this book to paint a pathway forward for the church.

We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth.

How do we keep these devastating events from repeating themselves? We need a map to get us from where we are today to where we ought to be as the body of Christ. That map is in a mysterious and beautiful little Hebrew word in Scripture that we translate "good," the word tov.

In this book, McKnight and Barringer explore the concept of tov--unpacking its richness and how it can help Christians and churches rise up to fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus.]]> 256 Scot McKnight 1496446003 Aaron 5 christian-leadership 4.32 A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing
author: Scot McKnight
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/17
date added: 2024/01/17
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
Tov is the Hebrew word for goodness. Should it not be that the church would be a community overflowing with goodness? Too often it is not. Abuse of power, sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, cover up, or mishandling of funds headline the list of sins within the church. In my own journey as a Christian (starting at age 23), one church I attended had some of the most egregious behaviors on that list, while most had less damaging problems such as bullying, manipulation, selfish behaviors, etc. While these latter behaviors I mention aren't as salacious as the first list of offenses, they still do not fall into the category of Tov. It was not until most recently that I experienced a church culture I could label Tov. I spent 5 years on staff at that church, and while not perfect, most everyone I encountered there within the leadership team worked at being healthy people full of Tov. Now, as a church planter in my 50's I desire to mold a culture of goodness. My team is reading this book together currently, and within its pages is more than what is wrong within the church, but how to safeguard against it, and how to chart a course of a Tov culture.
]]> <![CDATA[YouTube Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following and Making Money as a Video Influencer]]> 61083958 NEW EDITION--FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED with over 70 pages of new content and strategies! YouTube sensations and best selling authors Sean Cannell and Benji Travis take your YouTube channel from slow and dormant to accelerated and engaged, using premium and updated YouTube growth tips for creators, business owners, digital entrepreneurs, and influencers.

This is the ultimate gameplan to grow a following and make money with the power of video.

It's not enough to make a channel and upload random videos - hoping one goes viral. Sean and Benji break down the exact framework you need to take a leap of faith, convert your vision into a YouTube channel, and build a community that brings in the revenue.

Stop wasting your time trying to figure this out yourself and instead follow these proven steps. In this book you'll
The seven-ingredient recipe to building a successful YouTube channel
How to leverage and manage social media in your YouTube strategy to expedite your growth
The latest YouTube updates you need to know in order to skyrocket your videos
Foolproof video ideas to get you started on the right path to becoming a YouTuber
The tactics that Sean and Benji have used to create six-figure channels and go full-time with YouTube

The NEW expanded second edition also
Two full additional
"The Perfect Video Recipe" for making your videos go viral
"New YouTube Features" highlighting YouTube shorts
The latest data and stats revealing opportunities in the creator economy

There's not a single person who can't grow on YouTube. Sean and Benji are ready to show you how your dream can become a reality!

Copyright © 2018, 2022 Sean Cannell & Benji Travis]]> 122 Sean Cannell Aaron 4 4.37 YouTube Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following and Making Money as a Video Influencer
author: Sean Cannell
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/25
date added: 2023/01/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[revive: how the seven letters of Revelation can Awaken Your Soul]]> 60671506 138 Ed Love Aaron 5 4.67 revive: how the seven letters of Revelation can Awaken Your Soul
author: Ed Love
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/22
date added: 2022/03/22
shelves:
review:
A nice accessible book covering the seven letters to the churches in Revelation, and how they apply to us today.
]]> Station Eleven 20170404 An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.]]> 333 Emily St. John Mandel 0385353308 Aaron 5
But what happens when you really loved the movie/series? (I thought the Shining movie was at best OK) What happens when you crack open the book wondering how it will compensate for the amazing visuals, designs, soundtrack, and performances? Alas, it did not, in many ways do so. Plus, early in it was clear that the journey of the characters were going to be very different than their screen adaptations. It was a challenge trying not to compare the two as I read. Only about halfway in did I come to acceptance these were two separate works. I settled into embracing the book for what it is alone... and I can tell you it is a really good piece of fiction, and well written, and I don't often feel that way about fiction. I am now a fan of Emily St. John Mandel, and want to read more.

Now, for those who have read and love the book, let me encourage you to watch the series, but with this understanding - the series is an interpretation of the book. The characters paths take different turns, the the mood of the book is different. Anyway, I recommend both to you!]]> 4.05 2014 Station Eleven
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/12
date added: 2022/02/12
shelves:
review:
You know the rule, if you read a book and love it, you will hate the movie or series. They never get it quite right, and often the movie is just plain bad regardless. Well, I read this book after having watched and loved the HBO max series. The only other time I can remember reading the book after having seen the movie was The Shining, which a friend convinced me I needed to read. This was the moment I came to understand that the books are always better than the movies.

But what happens when you really loved the movie/series? (I thought the Shining movie was at best OK) What happens when you crack open the book wondering how it will compensate for the amazing visuals, designs, soundtrack, and performances? Alas, it did not, in many ways do so. Plus, early in it was clear that the journey of the characters were going to be very different than their screen adaptations. It was a challenge trying not to compare the two as I read. Only about halfway in did I come to acceptance these were two separate works. I settled into embracing the book for what it is alone... and I can tell you it is a really good piece of fiction, and well written, and I don't often feel that way about fiction. I am now a fan of Emily St. John Mandel, and want to read more.

Now, for those who have read and love the book, let me encourage you to watch the series, but with this understanding - the series is an interpretation of the book. The characters paths take different turns, the the mood of the book is different. Anyway, I recommend both to you!
]]> <![CDATA[The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God]]> 173454 448 Dallas Willard 0060693339 Aaron 0 currently-reading 4.21 1998 The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God
author: Dallas Willard
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture]]> 17706873
Even in Babylon, God Is in Control

In Thriving in Babylon, Larry Osborne explores the “adult� story of Daniel to help us not only survive � but actually thrive in an increasingly godless culture. Here Pastor Osborne looks at:- Why panic and despair are never from God- What true optimism looks like- How humility disarms even our greatest of enemies- Why respect causes even those who will have nothing to do with God to listen- How wisdom can snatch victory out of the jaws of defeatFor those who know Jesus and understand the full implications of the cross, the resurrection, and the promises of Jesus, everything changes � not only in us, but also in our world.
]]> 224 Larry Osborne 1434704211 Aaron 5 4.26 2014 Thriving in Babylon: Why Hope, Humility, and Wisdom Matter in a Godless Culture
author: Larry Osborne
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/04
date added: 2022/02/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God (Transforming Resources)]]> 39897006 "Come away and rest awhile."

Jesus invites us to be with him, offering our full and undivided attention to him. When we choose retreat, we make a generous investment in our friendship with Christ. We are not always generous with ourselves where God is concerned. Many of us have tried to incorporate regular times of solitude and silence into the rhythm of our ordinary lives, which may mean that we give God twenty minutes here and half an hour there. And there’s no question we are better for it! But we need more. Indeed, we long for more.

In these pages Transforming Center founder and seasoned spiritual director Ruth Haley Barton gently leads us into retreat as a key practice that opens us to God. Based on her own practice and her experience leading hundreds of retreats for others, she will guide you in a very personal exploration of seven specific invitations contained within the general invitation to retreat. You will discover how to say yes to God's winsome invitation to greater freedom and surrender.

There has never been a time when the invitation to retreat is so radical and so relevant, so needed and so welcome. It is not a luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual life.]]> 160 Ruth Haley Barton 0830846468 Aaron 5 4.43 2018 Invitation to Retreat: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God (Transforming Resources)
author: Ruth Haley Barton
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves:
review:
Barton's books never disappoint. Something in the way she writes makes me long for God's presence. This book is all about the importance of spiritual retreat. She offers advice on how to prepare, engage, and return from a spiritual retreat.
]]> <![CDATA[Deep Roots, Wild Branches: Revitalizing the Church in the Blended Ecology]]> 44286071 What is the future of the church in North America? Churches are closing faster than new ones can be planted. Existing churches engaged in effective evangelism beyond the tired tactics of attractional approaches are increasingly rare. One of the major pitfalls of the past few decades is “either/or� thinking—either attractional or missional; traditional or contemporary; old or new. In Deep Roots, Wild Branches, missiologist and church planter Dr. Michael Beck contends we must cultivate what he calls a “blended ecology� of church that has both deep roots and wild branches. Beck introduces us to present-day models and examples that don’t leave traditional forms behind, but harness the power of “both/and.� It honors vintage models while blending fresh expressions of real evangelism.

]]> 124 Michael Adam Beck 1628246235 Aaron 4 christian-leadership 4.11 Deep Roots, Wild Branches: Revitalizing the Church in the Blended Ecology
author: Michael Adam Beck
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/22
date added: 2022/01/22
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
When I chose this book I misunderstood it premise, and that does not really connect with where I am and what I am doing. There are some great ideas and thoughts here for existing churches (deep roots) to reorient themselves in creating fresh expressions outside of their existing framework (wild branches). For anyone with a desire to revitalize and existing church I recommend this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope]]> 48994895 Growing up in the American South, Esau McCaulley knew firsthand the ongoing struggle between despair and hope that marks the lives of some in the African American context. A key element in the fight for hope, he discovered, has long been the practice of Bible reading and interpretation that comes out of traditional Black churches. This ecclesial tradition is often disregarded or viewed with suspicion by much of the wider church and academy, but it has something vital to say. Reading While Black is a personal and scholarly testament to the power and hope of Black biblical interpretation. At a time in which some within the African American community are questioning the place of the Christian faith in the struggle for justice, New Testament scholar McCaulley argues that reading Scripture from the perspective of Black church tradition is invaluable for connecting with a rich faith history and addressing the urgent issues of our times. He advocates for a model of interpretation that involves an ongoing conversation between the collective Black experience and the Bible, in which the particular questions coming out of Black communities are given pride of place and the Bible is given space to respond by affirming, challenging, and, at times, reshaping Black concerns. McCaulley demonstrates this model with studies on how Scripture speaks to topics often overlooked by white interpreters, such as ethnicity, political protest, policing, and slavery. Ultimately McCaulley calls the church to a dynamic theological engagement with Scripture, in which Christians of diverse backgrounds dialogue with their own social location as well as the cultures of others. Reading While Black moves the conversation forward.]]> 200 Esau McCaulley Aaron 5 4.43 2020 Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope
author: Esau McCaulley
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/21
date added: 2022/01/21
shelves:
review:
Scriptures that speak captives being set free, and the oppressed being delivered, aren't without meaning for me as a while male. The depth of their meaning is far more powerful to black Americans. This book invites non-black readers to relook at scripture through another lens. Not only did this give me greater understanding of the scriptures, but a greater understanding of being a black Christian in America.
]]> <![CDATA[Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation]]> 53121662 A scholar of American Christianity presents a seventy-five-year history of evangelicalism that identifies the forces that have turned Donald Trump into a hero of the Religious Right.

How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016? And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate’s staunchest supporters? These are among the questions acclaimed historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez asks in Jesus and John Wayne, which delves beyond facile headlines to explain how white evangelicals have brought us to our fractured political moment. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority� backed Donald Trump for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Donald Trump in fact represents the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals� most deeply held values.

Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism, or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.� As Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the role of culture in modern American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals may not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical popular culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.� Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done.

Trump, in other words, is hardly the first flashy celebrity to capture evangelicals� hearts and minds, nor is he the first strongman to promise evangelicals protection and power. Indeed, the values and viewpoints at the heart of white evangelicalism today—patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community—are likely to persist long after Trump leaves office.

A much-needed reexamination, Jesus and John Wayne explains why evangelicals have rallied behind the least-Christian president in American history and how they have transformed their faith in the process, with enduring consequences for all of us.]]> 356 Kristin Kobes Du Mez 1631495739 Aaron 5 I did not grow up in the church or the atmosphere of the SBC and the Bible belt, where the value is on\ a patriarchal hyper masculinity and an image driven submissive femininity was preached as dogma. I did grow up in an era where the epitome of masculinity was Clint Eastwood, where men were tough, and women were trophies. When I became a Christian in the early 90's, while not steeped in the culture described in this book, the church life I knew was heavily influenced by it.

When my wife and I submitted ourselves to premarital counseling, having come from non-Christian backgrounds, we took quite seriously all that we were told. In once sense, being told it was my responsibility to lead our newly formed family, caused me to grow up and take responsibility in life. However, as a natural aggressor and assertive person, it emboldened me to overwhelm my naturally easy going new bride. It would be years before we both learned to assert ourselves equally, and value each other as equal partners in life. So, the negative impact on our relationship from the brand of theology this book describes is significant yet MINOR in regards to how it has damaged so many others.

Next, how this book outlines how we arrived at a place where so many evangelicals do not see a contradiction between following Jesus and supporting Trump. It is troubling and setting this stage spans decades. If you are a person who is puzzled by the once Moral Majority embracing such an immoral leader, this book does a good job explaining it.

Lastly, my concern...
The only concern I have in this book's critique of the unhealthy expectations placed on men and women by mainstream evangelicals, is that the pendulum swings too far the opposite direction. There is nothing inherently wrong with men who like hunting, the rough and tumble, hard edges of masculinity, nor is there anything wrong with a femininity that cares about creating beauty. It is only when these things become the only way for men and women to be that it becomes broken. The opposite could occur if we villainize such masculine and feminine expressions.

Overall, a great book that puts a finger on things that have puzzled me for sometime. ]]> 4.27 2020 Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
author: Kristin Kobes Du Mez
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/04
date added: 2022/01/04
shelves:
review:
First, let me address how this book personally connected with me...
I did not grow up in the church or the atmosphere of the SBC and the Bible belt, where the value is on\ a patriarchal hyper masculinity and an image driven submissive femininity was preached as dogma. I did grow up in an era where the epitome of masculinity was Clint Eastwood, where men were tough, and women were trophies. When I became a Christian in the early 90's, while not steeped in the culture described in this book, the church life I knew was heavily influenced by it.

When my wife and I submitted ourselves to premarital counseling, having come from non-Christian backgrounds, we took quite seriously all that we were told. In once sense, being told it was my responsibility to lead our newly formed family, caused me to grow up and take responsibility in life. However, as a natural aggressor and assertive person, it emboldened me to overwhelm my naturally easy going new bride. It would be years before we both learned to assert ourselves equally, and value each other as equal partners in life. So, the negative impact on our relationship from the brand of theology this book describes is significant yet MINOR in regards to how it has damaged so many others.

Next, how this book outlines how we arrived at a place where so many evangelicals do not see a contradiction between following Jesus and supporting Trump. It is troubling and setting this stage spans decades. If you are a person who is puzzled by the once Moral Majority embracing such an immoral leader, this book does a good job explaining it.

Lastly, my concern...
The only concern I have in this book's critique of the unhealthy expectations placed on men and women by mainstream evangelicals, is that the pendulum swings too far the opposite direction. There is nothing inherently wrong with men who like hunting, the rough and tumble, hard edges of masculinity, nor is there anything wrong with a femininity that cares about creating beauty. It is only when these things become the only way for men and women to be that it becomes broken. The opposite could occur if we villainize such masculine and feminine expressions.

Overall, a great book that puts a finger on things that have puzzled me for sometime.
]]> <![CDATA[Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace]]> 56546732
The problem isn't so much that we tell lies but that we live them. We let them into our bodies, and they sabotage our peace. All around us in the culture and deep within our own body memories are lies: deceptive ideas that wreak havoc on our emotional health and spiritual well-being, and deceptive ideas about who God is, who we are, and what the good life truly is.

The choice is not whether to fight or not fight, but whether we win or surrender.

Ancient apprentices of Jesus developed a paradigm for this war; they spoke of the three enemies of the soul: the devil, the flesh, and the world. Live No Lies taps into this ancient wisdom from saints of the Way and translates the three enemies for the modern era, with all its secularism and sophistication. As a generation, we chuckle at the devil as a premodern myth, we are confused by Scripture's teaching on the flesh in an age where sensual indulgence is a virtue not a vice, and we have little to no category for the New Testament concept of the world.

John Mark Comer combines cultural analysis with spiritual formation. He identifies the role lies play in our spiritual deformation and lays out a strategic plan to overcome them.

Do you feel the tug-of-war in your own heart, the inner conflict between truth and lies? The spirit and the flesh? The Way of Jesus and the world? It's time to start winning. It's time to live no lies...]]> 336 John Mark Comer 0525653120 Aaron 5 favorites 4.47 2021 Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace
author: John Mark Comer
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/30
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves: favorites
review:
A great book. Perhaps the best tool for anyone who disciples people in the way of Jesus.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War]]> 56668328 An exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war

ANew York Times Book Review Editors� Choice

In The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell weaves together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history.

Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. But a small band of idealistic strategists, the “Bomber Mafia,� asked: What if precision bombing could cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal?

In contrast, the bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of the war was the brainchild of General Curtis LeMay, whose brutal pragmatism and scorched-earth tactics in Japan cost thousands of civilian lives, but may have spared even more by averting a planned US invasion. In The Bomber Mafia, Gladwell asks, “Was it worth it?�

Things might have gone differently had LeMay’s predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. Hansell believed in precision bombing, but when he and Curtis LeMay squared off for a leadership handover in the jungles of Guam, LeMay emerged victorious, leading to the darkest night of World War II. The Bomber Mafia is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war.]]> 256 Malcolm Gladwell 0316296619 Aaron 5 3.98 2021 The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/25
date added: 2021/07/25
shelves:
review:
I don't think Gladwell can write a bad book. This one is a different direction, WWII history, but impossible to put down.
]]> <![CDATA[God Dreams: 12 Vision Templates for Finding and Focusing Your Church's Future]]> 28356495 288 Will Mancini Aaron 0 to-read 4.06 2016 God Dreams: 12 Vision Templates for Finding and Focusing Your Church's Future
author: Will Mancini
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What If Jesus Was Serious About Prayer?: A Visual Guide to the Spiritual Practice Most of Us Get Wrong]]> 55777862 192 Skye Jethani 0802424163 Aaron 4 4.50 What If Jesus Was Serious About Prayer?: A Visual Guide to the Spiritual Practice Most of Us Get Wrong
author: Skye Jethani
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2021/07/03
shelves:
review:
Another good offering from Skye. I prefer his previous books; they were far more developed, but this format serves a larger purpose. His other What if Jesus book and this one are both books I would and have given to non or new Christians.
]]> Marks of a Movement 38389373 Marks of a Movement calls us back to the disciple-making mandate of the church through the timeless wisdom of John Wesley and the Methodist movement. With a love for history and a passion for today's church, Winfield helps us reimagine church multiplication in a way that focuses on making and multiplying disciples for the twenty-first century.

Winfield Bevins reminds us of the vital multiplication lessons from the Wesleyan movement, one of the greatest missional movements the world has ever known. He highlights the necessity of discipleship as the starting point and the abiding strategic practice that is key to all lasting missional impact in and through movements. The Methodist movement is an example of the power of multiplying movements that utilize the strategy of discipleship. Within a generation, one in thirty people who were living in Britain had become Methodists, and the movement soon became a worldwide phenomenon.

We in the Western Church need a movement of historic proportions once again. What would such a multiplication movement look like for us today? We must look to the past to gain wisdom for the future. And as we look at the pages of church history, there is no better example of a multiplication movement in the West than the Methodist movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Marks of a Movement highlights the lessons and key insights that enable us to learn from the past and reapply this timeless, biblical wisdom for today.]]> 146 Winfield Bevins Aaron 4 christian-leadership 4.11 Marks of a Movement
author: Winfield Bevins
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/30
date added: 2021/02/26
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
This is not merely a well told history of John Wesley and the incredible Methodist movement, it is a reflection on the marks of that movement that have power transplanted into any culture and time. As Christian leaders we say we want a move of God, but this book has caused me to ask how much I truly believe that. Because if I do, I will humble myself before God and press into him until I am empowered to make a movement possible.
]]> <![CDATA[Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality]]> 44229578 Writing is not easy. But it can get better. In this primer on nonfiction writing, Andrew Le Peau offers insights he has learned as a published author and an editor for over forty years, training, guiding, and cheering on hundreds of writers. Here are skills that writers can master--from finding strong openings and closings, to focusing on an audience, to creating a clear structure, to crafting a persuasive message. With wide-ranging examples from fiction and nonfiction, Le Peau also demystifies aspects of art in writing such as creativity, tone, and metaphor. He considers strategies that can move writers toward fresher, more vital, and perhaps more beautiful expressions of the human condition. One aspect of writing that rarely receives attention is who we are as writers and how writing itself changes us. Self-doubt, fear of criticism, downsides of success, questions of authority, and finding our voice are all a part of the exploration of our spirituality as writers found in these pages. Discover how the act of writing can affect our life in God. Whether you're a veteran writer, an occasional practitioner, a publishing professional, or a student just starting to explore such skills, Le Peau's wit and wisdom can speed you on your way.]]> 272 Andrew T. Le Peau 0830845690 Aaron 4 4.33 Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality
author: Andrew T. Le Peau
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/02/24
date added: 2021/02/24
shelves:
review:
Good and practical guide to writing. I picked up a few tips, and appreciated the story illustrations that author gives.
]]> A Theology of the Ordinary 34914535
First, turning her attention to American revivalist roots, she explores how this has seeped into evangelicalism's DNA, pushing ordinary life in Christ to the margins. Then, she begins by turning to the Father's blessing of ordinary life in creation, and the way in which temple-language mimics creation-language, revealing all of the world to be God's temple and, therefore, holy. This is contrasted with the prevailing Gnostic counter-story of a "super" spirituality that transcends ordinary creation.

The Son's incarnation into ordinary life is seen as the supreme blessing upon all of creation. Following the Son's "ordinary" life and the stages through which he passed, the "Seven Days of Re-creation" are seen as pivotal for redemption. This is contrasted with the prevailing Docetist counter-story which seeks to undermine Christ's true humanity, and its setting in ordinary life.

Finally, the Spirit's work of re-creation reveals the hallowed contours of our ordinary life. Working through the Spirit's activity in creation, the new creation, and the church, it is shown that the Spirit works not despite materiality but in it. This is contrasted with the lingering Platonic counter-story that eschews materiality for a higher "spiritual" plane.

The Introduction and chaters of Father, Son, and Spirit have questions at the end of each chapter, making this ideal for theologically-minded small groups.]]> 82 Julie Canlis 0692840281 Aaron 0 to-read 4.44 A Theology of the Ordinary
author: Julie Canlis
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blacktop Wasteland 51182571
After a series of financial calamities (worsened by the racial prejudices of the small town he lives in) Bug reluctantly takes part in a daring diamond heist to solve his money troubles - and to go straight once and for all. However, when it goes horrifically wrong, he's sucked into a grimy underworld which threatens everything, and everyone, he holds dear . . .]]> 285 S.A. Cosby Aaron 4 4.06 2020 Blacktop Wasteland
author: S.A. Cosby
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/09
date added: 2021/01/09
shelves:
review:
I am really not a big fan of stories that cause me to root for the bad guy. In this crime action thriller that is exactly the case. In the beginning I was urging the protagonist to not do what I knew he was absolutely going to do, and when that blew up in his face I was hoping he'd escape the consequences intact. While I dislike the anti-hero, doing illegal things for "noble" purposes, it is very well written, and had me on the edge of my seat in the action sequences.
]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)]]> 26082916 An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after winning Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.

Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible.

With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.

And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants.

Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.]]> 370 Ernest Cline 1524761338 Aaron 3 3.39 2020 Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/31
date added: 2020/12/31
shelves:
review:
This was a good not great follow-up to the original book. As a child of the '80's the first book was a nostalgic page turner full of joy with every nerdy or pop culture reference made. Two elements kept this from being the same: one it is simply darker in tone, two is that the newness of the nostalgic universe wore off on me. However I will say that it was inventive in its second chapter and still worth reading for anyone who loved the first one.
]]> <![CDATA[Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men]]> 41104077
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women�, diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.]]> 448 Caroline Criado Pérez 1419729071 Aaron 0 to-read 4.35 2019 Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
author: Caroline Criado Pérez
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/12/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Van Gogh: The Life 10677213 Jackson Pollock: An American Saga, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for biography, a book acclaimed for its miraculous research and overwhelming narrative power. Now Naifeh and Smith have written another tour de force—an exquisitely detailed, compellingly readable, and ultimately heartbreaking portrait of creative genius Vincent van Gogh.

Working with the full cooperation of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Naifeh and Smith have accessed a wealth of previously untapped materials. While drawing liberally from the artist’s famously eloquent letters, they have also delved into hundreds of unpublished family correspondences, illuminating with poignancy the wanderings of Van Gogh’s troubled, restless soul. Naifeh and Smith bring a crucial understanding to the larger-than-life mythology of this great artist—his early struggles to find his place in the world; his intense relationship with his brother Theo; his impetus for turning to brush and canvas; and his move to Provence, where in a brief burst of incandescent productivity he painted some of the best-loved works in Western art.

The authors also shed new light on many unexplored aspects of Van Gogh’s inner world: his deep immersion in literature and art; his erratic and tumultuous romantic life; and his bouts of depression and mental illness.

Though countless books have been written about Van Gogh, and though the broad outlines of his tragedy have long inhabited popular culture, no serious, ambitious examination of his life has been attempted in more than seventy years. Naifeh and Smith have re-created Van Gogh’s life with an astounding vividness and psychological acuity that bring a completely new and sympathetic understanding to this unique artistic genius whose signature images of sunflowers and starry nights have won a permanent place in the human imagination.

868 pages of text, 953 pages with notes]]> 970 Steven Naifeh 0375507485 Aaron 0 currently-reading 4.09 2011 Van Gogh: The Life
author: Steven Naifeh
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/20
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia—and How It Died]]> 3385605 The Lost History of Christianity unveils a vast and forgotten network of the world's largest and most influential Christian churches that existed to the east of the Roman Empire. These churches and their leaders ruled the Middle East for centuries and became the chief administrators and academics in the new Muslim empire. The author recounts the shocking history of how these churches—those that had the closest link to Jesus and the early church—died.

Jenkins takes a stand against current scholars who assert that variant, alternative Christianities disappeared in the fourth and fifth centuries on the heels of a newly formed hierarchy under Constantine, intent on crushing unorthodox views. In reality, Jenkins says, the largest churches in the world were the “heretics� who lost the orthodoxy battles. These so-called heretics were in fact the most influential Christian groups throughout Asia, and their influence lasted an additional one thousand years beyond their supposed demise.

Jenkins offers a new lens through which to view our world today, including the current conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Without this lost history, we lack an important element for understanding our collective religious past. By understanding the forgotten catastrophe that befell Christianity, we can appreciate the surprising new births that are occurring in our own time, once again making Christianity a true world religion.]]> 315 Philip Jenkins 0061472808 Aaron 0 to-read 4.01 2008 The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia—and How It Died
author: Philip Jenkins
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory]]> 26267465 250 Tod Bolsinger 0830841261 Aaron 5 christian-leadership
Recommended reading for any Christian leader. ]]> 4.05 2015 Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory
author: Tod Bolsinger
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/20
date added: 2020/10/20
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
I do not believe I have ever read a leadership book with more meat on its bones than this. Bolsinger compares Christian leadership in the uncharted course for ministry in a post-Christian era to the exploration of Lewis and Clark. Believing they would find a water passage to the Pacific, the Corps of Discovery instead met the Rocky Mountains. Everything they knew was no longer viable if they were to reach the Pacific. Likewise, as Christian leaders, it is time to forget what got us here, and begin learning how to traverse this new landscape.

Recommended reading for any Christian leader.
]]> <![CDATA[Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture]]> 44092398 240 Mark Sayers 0802419135 Aaron 5
Every pastor/leader should buy copies of this book and walk through it with a small group, staff, elder board.

This is a great book and tool for renewal.

I will be rereading it with a group of people soon.]]> 4.19 Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture
author: Mark Sayers
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/14
date added: 2020/10/14
shelves:
review:
For anyone who is spiritually discontent, desires spiritual renewal, to see God move in powerful and fresh ways, but this book, invite several friends or you small group to buy this book, and go through it together.

Every pastor/leader should buy copies of this book and walk through it with a small group, staff, elder board.

This is a great book and tool for renewal.

I will be rereading it with a group of people soon.
]]> Starting a New Church 23902669 266 Ralph Moore 1441224254 Aaron 5 3.86 2002 Starting a New Church
author: Ralph Moore
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/01
date added: 2020/10/01
shelves:
review:
This is an incredibly practical guide to starting a church. Each chapter offers a checklist for a potential planter to process through, concerning vision, financial support, managing people and budgets.
]]> <![CDATA[Disappearing Church: From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience]]> 26029145 176 Mark Sayers 0802413358 Aaron 5 christian-leadership 4.38 2016 Disappearing Church: From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience
author: Mark Sayers
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/09/15
date added: 2020/09/15
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
This is an important book from an important voice. Mark Sayers is the primary thought engine from the fantastic podcast This Cultural Moment. Every Christian leader in Western civilization needs to listen to that podcast and read this book. Sayers makes clear that we live in a post-Christian society. He also makes clear that is not an entirely bad thing. We can either spin our wheels trying to regain control (as many Christian leaders are doing) or we can embrace our role as exiles; embrace the role as a creative minority, and lead people toward a deeper not wider experience with Jesus.
]]> <![CDATA[The Five Dysfunctions of a Team]]> 21343 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.

Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.

Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.]]> 228 Patrick Lencioni 0787960756 Aaron 4 christian-leadership 4.09 2002 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
author: Patrick Lencioni
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2020/09/09
date added: 2020/09/09
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
The great thing about reading a Patrick Lencioni leadership book is that they begin. with a story, or fable as he puts it. The story flows well, and is engrossing. Contained within that story are problems and solutions illustrated in a "real world" imaginary scenario. Afterward, a short summary of the principles are given. Practical and easy to read leadership principles.
]]> <![CDATA[Stronger Than You Think: The Sisters Who Survived Kid Nation]]> 55118244
At 13, Olivia Cloer was nothing special. Her best friend had moved across the country, and the girls at school tortured her at lunch every day. But when she’s suddenly given the opportunity to prove to everyone that she’s stronger than they think, everything changes. Olivia and her younger sister Mallory are whisked away to interviews and tests to prove that they have what it takes to be on a brand new summer camp TV show for kids. But when they arrive on set, they’re far from a summer camp. Stronger Than You Think follows Olivia and her 8 year old sister Mallory as they learn to survive in an old west ghost town in the high desert, surrounded by 38 other kids, and tons of producers. Olivia must navigate a lack of food, running water, and taking care of her terrified sister, all while being filmed for a global audience. Producers spin tales and manipulate the kids for their own gain, while Olivia navigates which other contestants can be trusted, and which cannot.

Through crazy challenges, injuries, and fights, Stronger than You Think looks into the unbelievable world of CBS’s Kid Nation, the show that faced allegations of child abuse and neglect. With humor and heart, Stronger than You Think explores sisterhood, and what it truly means to be strong.]]> 257 Olivia Cloer Aaron 5 favorites
Olivia Cloer was a 13 year old girl, looking out for her 8 year old sister; 2 among 40 kids, being manipulated by producers to create TV drama. Her candid and heartfelt retelling of events not only pulls back the curtain of "reality" TV, but pulls the heartstrings of anyone who has a heart.

This book is captivating from the first page, and highly recommended.]]> 4.32 Stronger Than You Think: The Sisters Who Survived Kid Nation
author: Olivia Cloer
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2020/09/04
date added: 2020/09/04
shelves: favorites
review:
2007 was the hight of reality television. Survivor was king and everyone was scrambling to ride its coat tails. Enter CBS' fall hit, Kid Nation, a survivor style reality drama with kids in place of adults. This show entered the fall line-up full of controversy: lawsuits over kids drinking bleach, kids with grease burns, and lax child labor laws. However, as for so many others, my family could not take our eyes off of it.

Olivia Cloer was a 13 year old girl, looking out for her 8 year old sister; 2 among 40 kids, being manipulated by producers to create TV drama. Her candid and heartfelt retelling of events not only pulls back the curtain of "reality" TV, but pulls the heartstrings of anyone who has a heart.

This book is captivating from the first page, and highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Perfectly Wounded: A Memoir About What Happens After a Miracle]]> 50934577 The incredible true story of former Navy SEAL Mike Day, who survived being shot twenty-seven times while deployed in Iraq.On the night of April 6, 2007, in Iraq's Anbar Province, Senior Chief Mike Day, his team of Navy SEALs, and a group of Iraqi scouts were on the hunt for a high-level al Qaeda cell. Day was the first to enter a 12x12 room where four terrorist leaders were waiting in ambush. When the gunfight was over, he took out all four terrorists in the room, but not before being shot twenty-seven times and hit with grenade shrapnel. Miraculously, Day cleared the rest of the house and rescued six women and children before walking out on his own to an awaiting helicopter, which flew him to safety.While in the hospital, the Navy SEAL lost fifty-five pounds in two weeks. It took almost two years for Day to physically recover from his injuries, although he still deals with pain. Like so many veterans, doctors diagnosed Day with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury -- the invisible wounds of war.Perfectly Wounded is the remarkable story of an American hero whose incredible survival defies explanation, and whose blessed life of service continues in the face of unimaginable odds.]]> 241 Robert W. Vera 1538701820 Aaron 4 4.44 2020 Perfectly Wounded: A Memoir About What Happens After a Miracle
author: Robert W. Vera
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/30
date added: 2020/08/30
shelves:
review:
As will all good memoirs this allowed me a glimpse into a world foreign to me. Mike Day is a survivor, not just a survivor of the 27 bullets the struck him or the grenade that went off within feet of him, but also childhood trauma, PTSD, and the deep depression that followed. A good, sobering read.
]]> <![CDATA[Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion]]> 42248511 239 Rebecca McLaughlin 1433564238 Aaron 5 4.29 2019 Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion
author: Rebecca McLaughlin
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/08/25
date added: 2020/08/25
shelves: christian-leadership, favorites
review:
Christian McLaughlin is brilliant, a great mind and a gifted writer. This book is the new answer to Christian apologetics. It answers questions people are asking today concerning the Christian faith. The apologetics of the 80's and 90's served a purpose, but this book has what those accounts largely, in hindsight, are missing: heart and soul. Jesus is present throughout the pages of this brilliant work, and McLaughlin's love for him is evident. This is not to say logic and reason are missing because they most certainly are not. This book addresses 12 questions being asked of Christianity today, and addresses those questions in a fresh way. Every Christian should read this book and give a copy to each of your skeptic friends.
]]> <![CDATA[Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life]]> 18954997 241 Lois Tverberg Aaron 5 4.57 2010 Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life
author: Lois Tverberg
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2020/08/21
date added: 2020/08/21
shelves: christian-leadership, spiritual-growth
review:
This is a beautiful, enriching book. This book came to me as one suggested by a friend in a reading group. If truth be told I was not excited about reading it. I have read other books like it I thought. Books that will no doubt enlighten my understanding of scripture, but will most likely be dry and academic. Sometimes I enjoy dry and academic, but I was just not in the mood for that... however I prejudged this book so poorly. It was indeed full on enlightening insight into the world in which Jesus walked, but so full of life as well! Tverberg's storytelling is enticing. This book includes humor, sadness, joy, and soul. From this book I have deepened my understanding of God the Father's emotional depth, and the smirking nature of Jesus as a teacher. Perhaps more than anything I have learned the practice of praying with chutzpa. I am now praying bold, audacious prayers full of chutzpa to my loving heavenly Father who wants only good for his children. I will read everything this author writes from here on out. Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga, #1)]]> 1611657
Andrew Peterson spins a quirky and riveting tale of the Igibys� extraordinary journey from Glipwood’s Dragon Day Festival and a secret hidden in the Books and Crannies Bookstore, past the terrifying Black Carriage, clutches of the horned hounds and loathsome toothy cows surrounding AnkleJelly Manor, through the Glipwood Forest and mysterious treehouse of Peet the Sock Man (known for a little softshoe and wearing tattered socks on his hands and arms), to the very edge of the Ice Prairies.

Full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness presents a world of wonder and a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers� groups are sure to discuss for its layers of meaning about life’s true treasure and tangle of the beautiful and horrible, temporal and eternal, and good and bad.]]> 290 Andrew Peterson 1400073847 Aaron 0 to-read 4.32 2008 On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga, #1)
author: Andrew Peterson
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/08/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not]]> 36575732 176 Craig Groeschel 0310342953 Aaron 4 4.35 2018 Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not
author: Craig Groeschel
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/30
date added: 2020/07/30
shelves:
review:
A great book for anyone hurting, struggling, and questioning God's goodness. If you fit any of that description then this short little book is highly recommended.
]]> Spider-Man: Life Story 44286872
COLLECTING: SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY 1-6]]> 208 Chip Zdarsky 1302917331 Aaron 4 4.18 2019 Spider-Man: Life Story
author: Chip Zdarsky
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/09
date added: 2020/07/09
shelves:
review:
This was a really nice read. Probably the best Spider-man graphic novel (although there's not a lot of steep competition in that department). This story is a "What-if" Peter Parker, from being bitten by a radioactive spider at 15, had aged, and his story had played out during real world and Marvel world events to present day 2019. Well done, and recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making]]> 44092370 Making something beautiful in a broken world can be harrowing work, and it can’t be done alone.

Over the last twenty years, Andrew Peterson has performed thousands of concerts, published four novels, released ten albums, taught college and seminary classes on writing, founded a nonprofit ministry for Christians in the arts, and executive-produced a film—all in a belief that God calls us to proclaim the gospel and the coming kingdom using whatever gifts are at our disposal. He’s stumbled along the way, made mistake after mistake, and yet has continually encountered the grace of God through an encouraging family, a Christ-centered community of artists in the church, and the power of truth, beauty, and goodness in Scripture and the arts.

While there are many books about writing, none deal first-hand with the intersection of songwriting, storytelling, and vocation, along with nuts-and-bolts exploration of the great mystery of creativity. In Adorning the Dark, Andrew describes six principles for the writing life:

serving the work
serving the audience
selectivity
discernment
discipline
and community

Through stories from his own journey, Andrew shows how these principles are not merely helpful for writers and artists, but for anyone interested in imitating way the Creator interacts with his creation.

This book is both a memoir of Andrew’s journey and a handbook for artists, written in the hope that his story will provide encouragement to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ.
]]> 224 Andrew Peterson 1535949023 Aaron 5 4.50 2019 Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making
author: Andrew Peterson
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/08
date added: 2020/07/08
shelves:
review:
Well written, and recommended to anyone who is a creative type. This especially will appeal to any Christian who does creative work. I believe it offers inspiration, good advice, and above all a sense of camaraderie with the author.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the ModernWorld]]> 43982455 "Who am I becoming?"

That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren't pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:

"Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life."

It wasn't the response he expected, but it was--and continues to be--the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.

Within the pages of this book, you'll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.]]> 286 John Mark Comer 0525653090 Aaron 5 4.51 2019 The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the ModernWorld
author: John Mark Comer
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/05
date added: 2020/07/05
shelves: christian-leadership, spiritual-growth, favorites
review:
I loved this book. It was just what I needed, and I purposefully saved it as a vacation read. It helped slow me down and appreciate life, family, and God. I hope to adopt some of the suggested changes the book recommends. This book truly made me realize how little I have in common with the WAY of Jesus, the very one I aim to reflect. Jesus was never hurried. Ever. Yet, I am hurried and driven in ways that do not reflect him. I recommend this for the Christian leader or non leader.
]]> The Pursuit of God 42311885 58 A.W. Tozer 1727853016 Aaron 5 4.54 1948 The Pursuit of God
author: A.W. Tozer
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.54
book published: 1948
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/30
date added: 2020/06/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What If Jesus Was Serious?: A Visual Guide to the Teachings of Jesus We Love to Ignore]]> 52719514 Daily Devotions for People Who Hate Daily Devotions


Let’s face it. A lot of Christian resources can feel cheesy, out-of-touch, and a little boring. But when Skye Jethani started doodling and writing up some of his thoughts about God, his Twitter and email list blew up. What If Jesus Was Serious? is a compilation of all-new reflections (and hand-drawn doodles) from Skye. He takes a look at some of Jesus� most demanding teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and pushes us to ask whether we’re really hearing what Christ is saying. The visual component of the book makes it memorable and enjoyable to read, and Skye’s incisive reflections make it worthwhile for any Christian. If you’ve traditionally been dissatisfied with Christian devotional resources but love to learn about Jesus and think deeply, this book was written for you.]]> 192 Skye Jethani 0802419755 Aaron 4 4.36 What If Jesus Was Serious?: A Visual Guide to the Teachings of Jesus We Love to Ignore
author: Skye Jethani
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/18
date added: 2020/06/18
shelves:
review:
This is a great little walk through of the Sermon on the Mount. It asks the very simple question, was Jesus serious about the things he preached? Was he just giving us something to think about or are we supposed to be changed by it? Good book, with fun illustrations that illustrate the message.
]]> <![CDATA[Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry]]> 3030221 231 Ruth Haley Barton 083083513X Aaron 5
Instead of tearing through this book in order to move on to the next, I read bit by bit during my morning prayer and study time; almost as a devotional. This book ushered me into prayer time, and helped calm my busy mind in hopes of encountering God in that solitude.

This book truly was about strengthening the most important aspect of my leadership; my soul. I cannot recommend this book enough.]]> 4.36 2008 Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry
author: Ruth Haley Barton
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2020/06/12
date added: 2020/06/12
shelves: christian-leadership, spiritual-growth
review:
As a Christian leader I am regularly fed a steady stream of leadership content promising such things as "5 Ways to Greater Influence Others" or "Learn These Tricks to Calendar Like a High Impact Leader." There can be value to some of that content, but this book is different. This book is a beautiful meditation through the story of Moses. This book has caused me to sit silently in God's presence and search for him. This book has caused me to examine my heart in his presence, lay down my agenda and seek his.

Instead of tearing through this book in order to move on to the next, I read bit by bit during my morning prayer and study time; almost as a devotional. This book ushered me into prayer time, and helped calm my busy mind in hopes of encountering God in that solitude.

This book truly was about strengthening the most important aspect of my leadership; my soul. I cannot recommend this book enough.
]]> <![CDATA[One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America]]> 22928900 The provocative and authoritative history of the origins of Christian America in the New Deal era

We’re often told that the United States is, was, and always has been a Christian nation. But in One Nation Under God, historian Kevin M. Kruse reveals that the belief that America is fundamentally and formally Christian originated in the 1930s.

To fight the “slavery� of FDR’s New Deal, businessmen enlisted religious activists in a campaign for “freedom under God� that culminated in the election of their ally Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. The new president revolutionized the role of religion in American politics. He inaugurated new traditions like the National Prayer Breakfast, as Congress added the phrase “under God� to the Pledge of Allegiance and made “In God We Trust� the country’s first official motto. Church membership soon soared to an all-time high of 69 percent. Americans across the religious and political spectrum agreed that their country was “one nation under God.�

Provocative and authoritative, One Nation Under God reveals how an unholy alliance of money, religion, and politics created a false origin story that continues to define and divide American politics to this day.]]> 384 Kevin M. Kruse 0465049494 Aaron 3 This is an incredibly well researched book within its range, but I would argue the author overwhelmingly addresses Christianity as something used for capitol and political gain without regards to the spiritual heritage that existed long ago. There is a deep spiritual heritage in our nation's history, among its people. The true spiritual revivals in our history were not married to politic. They took place in humble prayer meetings, houses of worship, and common citizen's homes devoid of powerful men of wealth and influence.
This is perhaps why the rhetoric that began to spew from those seeking to wield power gained such ground. But here we are in the aftermath. We have inherited a land in which civil discourse over faith is embattled in polarized politics. Where a Republican can't imagine that a Christian could ever vote Democrat. Where Christianity is perverted to stand for the partisan right, and just causes on the left backed by the teachings of Christ are rejected and demonized. I pray for a generation of Christians to come who will shake off these shackles and reveal a truer Christianity that can't be used for anyone's gain other than Christ's alone.
This is a good book, and I recommend it to anyone be they sacred or secular. It is not an easy weekend read, and despite being full of well researched content wasn't the most enjoyable book I've read this year. ]]> 3.93 2015 One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America
author: Kevin M. Kruse
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/08
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves:
review:
Kruse asserts that Americanas a Christian nation was largely manufactured in our recent history than our distant past. There is much truth to this in regards to the unhealthy marriage between Christian faith, capitalism, and right wing politics. The seeds for this coopting the the Christian message to advance big business was largely planted in reaction to FDR's New Deal, and reached it climax during the Eisenhower administration. Perpetuated by Nixon during a time of increasing disagreement in our nation, religion for the first time since the 30's began to deepen the wedge between left and right, and frankly delivered a gospel so tainted with partisan politics that it caused many to reject the Christian message as irrelevant to their future.
This is an incredibly well researched book within its range, but I would argue the author overwhelmingly addresses Christianity as something used for capitol and political gain without regards to the spiritual heritage that existed long ago. There is a deep spiritual heritage in our nation's history, among its people. The true spiritual revivals in our history were not married to politic. They took place in humble prayer meetings, houses of worship, and common citizen's homes devoid of powerful men of wealth and influence.
This is perhaps why the rhetoric that began to spew from those seeking to wield power gained such ground. But here we are in the aftermath. We have inherited a land in which civil discourse over faith is embattled in polarized politics. Where a Republican can't imagine that a Christian could ever vote Democrat. Where Christianity is perverted to stand for the partisan right, and just causes on the left backed by the teachings of Christ are rejected and demonized. I pray for a generation of Christians to come who will shake off these shackles and reveal a truer Christianity that can't be used for anyone's gain other than Christ's alone.
This is a good book, and I recommend it to anyone be they sacred or secular. It is not an easy weekend read, and despite being full of well researched content wasn't the most enjoyable book I've read this year.
]]> Letters to the Church 39975223 If God had it His way, what would your church look like?

The New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Love challenges readers to be the Church as God intends.

Do you want more from your church experience?
Does the pure gospel put you in a place of awe?
Are you ready to rethink church as you know it?

Sit with Pastor Francis Chan and be reminded that you are a part of something much bigger than yourself, something sacred.

In his most powerful book yet, Chan digs deep into biblical truth, reflects on his own failures and dreams, and shares stories of ordinary people God is using to change the world.

Chan says, “We’ve strayed so far from what God calls Church. We all know it. We know that what we’re experiencing is radically different from the Church in Scripture. For decades, church leaders like myself have lost sight of the inherent mystery of the Church. We have trained people sitting in the pews to become addicted to lesser things. It’s time for that to change.�

When Jesus returns, will He find us caring for His Bride—even more than for our own lives? Letters to the Church reminds us of how powerful, how glorious the Church once was � and calls us to once again be the Church God intended us to be.]]> 224 Francis Chan 0830776583 Aaron 5 4.26 2018 Letters to the Church
author: Francis Chan
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/02
date added: 2020/05/02
shelves: spiritual-growth, christian-leadership, favorites
review:
This is a dangerous book. It is not for the faint of heart. Do not read this book if you are unwilling to be challenged in your Christian faith. Francis Chan actually takes scripture seriously and expects all who call themselves Christ-followers to do the same.. I may need to read this book annually just to keep myself in check with what is most real and important.
]]> <![CDATA[Not From Around Here: What Unites Us, What Divides Us, and How We Can Move Forward]]> 44092405 Tidy categories may suit the media, but people are more complex up close.

News outlets, historians, and sociologists can (and do) tell us all about the statistics, but they don’t (and can’t) tell us about what it’s really like in a given place—how the squish of creek water between your toes or the crunch of autumn leaves on a city sidewalk shape your sense of normal and good and right. To understand that—to understand the people in the places—we need stories. We need to listen, get to know the nuance of people, and have empathy for their way of seeing things.

Brandon O’Brien is, in many ways, a man torn between places. Raised in the rural South, educated in the suburbs, and now living and doing ministry in Manhattan, he’s seen these places, and their complexity, up close. With the knack of a natural storyteller, he shares what he learned about himself, faith, and the people who make up America on his own journey through it.]]> 208 Brandon J. O'Brien 0802416969 Aaron 4 4.09 Not From Around Here: What Unites Us, What Divides Us, and How We Can Move Forward
author: Brandon J. O'Brien
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/24
date added: 2020/04/24
shelves:
review:
Dear American Christian, read this book. You will gain important perspective if you do. If you live in the country, city, or suburbia, you will better understand the strengths/weaknesses of Christ followers as well as non-Christ followers who live outside of your living existence.
]]> <![CDATA[Redhead by the Side of the Road]]> 52404180 From the beloved and best-selling Anne Tyler, a sparkling new novel about misperception, second chances, and the sometimes elusive power of human connection.

Micah Mortimer is a creature of habit. A self-employed tech expert, superintendent of his Baltimore apartment building, cautious to a fault behind the steering wheel, he seems content leading a steady, circumscribed life. But one day his routines are blown apart when his woman friend (he refuses to call anyone in her late thirties a "girlfriend") tells him she's facing eviction, and a teenager shows up at Micah's door claiming to be his son. These surprises, and the ways they throw Micah's meticulously organized life off-kilter, risk changing him forever. An intimate look into the heart and mind of a man who finds those around him just out of reach, and a funny, joyful, deeply compassionate story about seeing the world through new eyes, Redhead by the Side of the Road is a triumph, filled with Anne Tyler's signature wit and gimlet-eyed observation.]]> 192 Anne Tyler Aaron 4 3.83 2020 Redhead by the Side of the Road
author: Anne Tyler
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/10
date added: 2020/04/10
shelves:
review:
A nice short read about a distant and reclusive man. It's a book of a person and the people he keeps are arms length.
]]> <![CDATA[Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature]]> 22574099


Avoid conflict in the name of Christianity
Ignore his anger, sadness, and fear
Use God to run from God
Live without boundaries
Eventually God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotional health, a relationship with Jesus, and the classic practices of contemplative spirituality. It created nothing short of a spiritual revolution, utterly transforming him and his church.


In this best-selling book Scazzero outlines his journey and the signs of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. Then he provides seven biblical, reality-tested ways to break through to the revolutionary life Christ meant for you. “The combination of emotional health and contemplative spirituality,� he says, “unleashes the Holy Spirit inside us so that we might experientially know the power of an authentic life in Christ.”]]> 228 Peter Scazzero 0310342465 Aaron 4 christian-leadership 4.25 Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature
author: Peter Scazzero
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/25
date added: 2020/03/29
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
This is a good and helpful book. Ministry teams would do well to read this together. For me, there was not much that was groundbreaking, but it is full of great reminders. It guides the reader to self examination and surrender. It prompts the reader to reconnect with God on a deeper level.
]]> <![CDATA[Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way]]> 37638035 Star Trek legend and veteran author William Shatner discusses the meaning of life, finding value in work, and living well whatever your age.

"I have always felt," William Shatner says early in his newest memoir, that "like the great comedian George Burns, who lived to 100, I couldn't die as long as I was booked." And Shatner is always booked.

Still, a brief health scare in 2016 forced him to take stock. After mulling over the lessons he's learned, the places he's been, and all the miracles and strange occurrences he's witnessed over the course of an enduring career in Hollywood and on the stage, he arrived at one simple rule for living a long and good life: don't die.

It's the only one-size-fits-all advice, Shatner argues in Live Long and..: What I Might Have Learned Along the Way, because everyone has a unique life--but, to help us all out, he's more than willing to share stories from his unique life. With a combination of pithy humor and thoughtful vulnerability, Shatner lays out his journey from childhood to peak stardom and all the bumps in the road. (Sometimes the literal road, as in the case of his 2,400-mile motorcycle trip across the country with a bike that didn't function.)

William Shatner is one of our most beloved entertainers, and he intends never to stop entertaining. His funny, provocative, and poignant reflections offer an unforgettable read about a remarkable man.]]> 224 William Shatner 1250166691 Aaron 4 3.73 2018 Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way
author: William Shatner
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/28
date added: 2020/03/28
shelves:
review:
OK, I didn't read this, I listened to it. When William Shatner reads his own memoir you don't read it; it's that simple. Shatner is a smart, philosophical thinker. He is at the top of my list for celebrities I'd like to have dinner with. I would especially like to talk to him regarding his lifelong sense of loneliness, religion, and the afterlife.
]]> <![CDATA[The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto]]> 32735857
This is the epic story of Frankie Presto—the greatest guitar player who ever lived—and the six lives he changed with his six magical blue strings

Frankie, born in a burning church, abandoned as an infant, and raised by a music teacher in a small Spanish town, until war rips his life apart. At nine years old, he is sent to America in the bottom of a boat. His only possession is an old guitar and six precious strings. His amazing journey weaves him through the musical landscape of the 1940s, �50s and �60s, with his stunning playing and singing talent affecting numerous stars (Duke Ellington, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley) until, as if predestined, he becomes a pop star himself.

He makes records. He is adored. But Frankie Presto’s gift is also his burden, as he realizes the power of the strings his teacher gave him, and how, through his music, he can actually affect people’s lives. At the height of his popularity, tortured by his biggest mistake, he vanishes. His legend grows. Only decades later, having finally healed his heart, does Frankie reappearjust before his spectacular death—to change one last life. With the Spirit of Music as our guide, we glimpse into the lives that were changed by one man whose strings could touch the music—and the magic—in each of us.]]> 489 Mitch Albom Aaron 5 4.42 2012 The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
author: Mitch Albom
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/28
date added: 2020/03/28
shelves:
review:
I don't read a lot of fiction because I find it hard to find good fiction that isn't also deeply depressing. This is a really nice little novel. Good read.
]]> <![CDATA[Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World]]> 41795733
Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world's top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.

David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They're also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see.

Provocative, rigorous, and engrossing, Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency. Failing a test is the best way to learn. Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area. As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.]]> 339 David Epstein 0735214484 Aaron 5 This book encourages me as a parent of two young adult children. My son a college sophomore, who was told that (as a computer science major) he should minor in statistics as most do in his major. His minor is in biology, because he is interested in biology. According to the research in this book he will benefit far more from breadth of interest than narrow specialization. Statistics are still there should he need to deepen his knowledge of them in the future. In the meantime he is able to view the world in more than numbers and code. Also, he has continued to pursue music because he loves to perform.
My daughter on the other hand has always felt behind. Her brother knew from an early age he wanted to pursue computer science. She wrestled with choosing a major. She loves art, mathematics, science/biology, music, and drama. She has had no idea which direction to choose. This book has helped me to help her feel at ease. Her broad interests are not hinderances to a head start but perhaps an advantage over her peers.
This is a book that encourages a person to learn to think outside the box and experiment. Innovation that leads to specialization is born out of it.]]> 4.12 2019 Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
author: David Epstein
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/03/20
date added: 2020/03/20
shelves:
review:
What a great book. As a latecomer to my current profession I often feel behind; educationally as well as professionally. However, I have also experienced moments where I believed others in my current field were too stuck in their own process and traditions, and lacked the outsider knowledge I had that could benefit them greatly.
This book encourages me as a parent of two young adult children. My son a college sophomore, who was told that (as a computer science major) he should minor in statistics as most do in his major. His minor is in biology, because he is interested in biology. According to the research in this book he will benefit far more from breadth of interest than narrow specialization. Statistics are still there should he need to deepen his knowledge of them in the future. In the meantime he is able to view the world in more than numbers and code. Also, he has continued to pursue music because he loves to perform.
My daughter on the other hand has always felt behind. Her brother knew from an early age he wanted to pursue computer science. She wrestled with choosing a major. She loves art, mathematics, science/biology, music, and drama. She has had no idea which direction to choose. This book has helped me to help her feel at ease. Her broad interests are not hinderances to a head start but perhaps an advantage over her peers.
This is a book that encourages a person to learn to think outside the box and experiment. Innovation that leads to specialization is born out of it.
]]> Laurus 24694092
Laurus is a remarkably rich novel about the eternal themes of love, loss, self-sacrifice and faith, from one of Russia’s most exciting and critically acclaimed novelists.]]> 365 Eugene Vodolazkin 1780747551 Aaron 2
There were a lot of great reviews for this book, which is why I picked it up. In regards to authorial craftsmanship it is a good book. Concerning research to tell the story, well done. For me though, I could not relate in any way whatsoever to any character in the book. In fact, I wanted to grab them all (the protagonist especially) by the shoulders, shake them into reality, and reset their course. Not that such a thing could dissuade any of them. There is not one single bright spot in this gloomy tale. There is not one moment of narrative that interested me. It was all a series of terrible things happening to religiously superstitious people. If you are fascinated with the period, heed not my words. If not, avoid this book.]]> 4.21 2012 Laurus
author: Eugene Vodolazkin
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2020/03/05
date added: 2020/03/05
shelves:
review:
If you love books set in fifteenth century Russia, where the protagonist is a tortured soul, living a life of penance, beholden to (what is to us) a bizarre orthodox Christianity, encountering other tortured souls on his life's journey, then this book is for you. If you are like me however, you are going to hate this book.

There were a lot of great reviews for this book, which is why I picked it up. In regards to authorial craftsmanship it is a good book. Concerning research to tell the story, well done. For me though, I could not relate in any way whatsoever to any character in the book. In fact, I wanted to grab them all (the protagonist especially) by the shoulders, shake them into reality, and reset their course. Not that such a thing could dissuade any of them. There is not one single bright spot in this gloomy tale. There is not one moment of narrative that interested me. It was all a series of terrible things happening to religiously superstitious people. If you are fascinated with the period, heed not my words. If not, avoid this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter]]> 8310410 Are you a genius or a genius maker?

We've all had experience with two dramatically different types of leaders. The first type drain intelligence, energy, and capability from the ones around them and always need to be the smartest ones in the room. These are the idea killers, the energy sappers, the diminishers of talent and commitment. On the other side of the spectrum are leaders who use their intelligence to amplify the smarts and capabilities of the people around them. When these leaders walk into a room, lightbulbs go off over people's heads, ideas flow, and problems get solved. These are the leaders who inspire employees to stretch themselves to deliver results that surpass expectations. These are the Multipliers. And the world needs more of them, especially now, when leaders are expected to do more with less.

In this engaging and highly practical book, leadership expert Liz Wiseman and management consultant Greg McKeown explore these two leadership styles, persuasively showing how Multipliers can have a resoundingly positive and profitable effect on organizations—getting more done with fewer resources, developing and attracting talent, and cultivating new ideas and energy to drive organizational change and innovation.

In analyzing data from more than 150 leaders, Wiseman and McKeown have identified five disciplines that distinguish Multipliers from Diminishers. These five disciplines are not based on innate talent; indeed, they are skills and practices that everyone can learn to use, even lifelong and recalcitrant Diminishers. Lively, real-world case studies and practical tips and techniques bring to life each of these principles, showing you how to become a Multiplier too, whether you are a new or an experienced manager. Just imagine what you could accomplish if you could harness all the energy and intelligence around you. Multipliers will show you how.

]]> 288 Liz Wiseman 0061964395 Aaron 5 christian-leadership 3.96 2010 Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
author: Liz Wiseman
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/18
date added: 2020/02/18
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
A business leadership book that divides leaders into two camps: Multipliers and Diminishers. A multiplier is someone who empowers and finds the genius of those around them. Truly this is about leading with humility, and setting goals where the leader is not the center of the universe. A great read that has and will help me overcome my Diminishing tendencies, and strengthen my Multiplier habits.
]]> <![CDATA[Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible]]> 13799973
When Western readers hear Paul exhorting women to "dress modestly," we automatically think in terms of sexual modesty. But most women in that culture would never wear racy clothing. The context suggests that Paul is likely more concerned about economic modesty--that Christian women not flaunt their wealth through expensive clothes, braided hair and gold jewelry.

Some readers might assume that Moses married "below himself" because his wife was a dark-skinned Cushite. Actually, Hebrews were the slave race, not the Cushites, who were highly respected. Aaron and Miriam probably thought Moses was being presumptuous by marrying "above himself

Western individualism leads us to assume that Mary and Joseph traveled alone to Bethlehem. What went without saying was that they were likely accompanied by a large entourage of extended family.

Biblical scholars Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O'Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways. Getting beyond our own cultural assumptions is increasingly important for being Christians in our interconnected and globalized world. Learn to read Scripture as a member of the global body of Christ.]]> 240 E. Randolph Richards 0830837825 Aaron 5 4.30 2012 Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible
author: E. Randolph Richards
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/04
date added: 2020/02/04
shelves:
review:
For anyone who wants to understand the basics of biblical interpretation, or better put, for anyone who wants to understand common problems of interpretation caused by Western culture, this is a great place to start. If you are unaware that you have a cultural lends that causes you to misread scripture, this book is essential.
]]> <![CDATA[All These Worlds (Bobiverse, #3)]]> 35506021
They've created enough colonies so humanity shouldn't go extinct. But political squabbles have a bad habit of dying hard, and the Brazilian probes are still trying to take out the competition. And the Bobs have picked a fight with an older, more powerful species with a large appetite and a short temper.

Still stinging from getting their collective butts kicked in their first encounter with the Others, the Bobs now face the prospect of a decisive final battle to defend Earth and its colonies. But the Bobs are less disciplined than a herd of cats, and some of the younger copies are more concerned with their own local problems than defeating the Others.

Yet salvation may come from an unlikely source. A couple of eighth-generation Bobs have found something out in deep space. All it will take to save the Earth and perhaps all of humanity is for them to get it to Sol - unless the Others arrive first.]]> 336 Dennis E. Taylor Aaron 5 A great finish to the series

I really enjoyed these three books, and I am not normally into reading Sci-fi or book series. Well done. I recommend these as a good easy and fun read.]]> 4.41 2017 All These Worlds (Bobiverse, #3)
author: Dennis E. Taylor
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/25
date added: 2020/01/25
shelves:
review:
A great finish to the series

I really enjoyed these three books, and I am not normally into reading Sci-fi or book series. Well done. I recommend these as a good easy and fun read.
]]> <![CDATA[When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself]]> 6595233 anyone who works with the poor or in missions, When Helping Hurts provides foundational concepts, clearly articulated general principles and relevant applications.The result is an effective and holistic ministry to the poor, not a truncated gospel.

"Initial thoughts" at the beginning of chapters and "reflection questions and excercises" at the end of chapters assist greatly in learning and applying the material.A situation is assessed for whether relief, rehabilitation, or development is the best response to a situation.Efforts are characterized by an "asset based" approach rather than a "needs based" approach.Short term mission efforts are addressed and economic development strategies appropriate for North American and international contexts are presented, including microenterprise development.

Now with a new preface, a new foreword, and a new chapter to assist in the next steps of applying the book's principles to your situation, When Helping Hurts is a new classic!]]> 232 Steve Corbett 0802457053 Aaron 5 christian-leadership 4.18 2009 When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself
author: Steve Corbett
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/23
date added: 2020/01/23
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
This is an important book. If you have ever given money or goods to the material poor, you need to read this. From the perspective as a leader (in a church setting) this changes everything. Several years ago I began questioning the effectiveness of some benevolent actions and services in helping the poor. This book confirms many of my concerns, and will most likely entirely change how I and those I lead will conduct assistance to the poor going forward.
]]> <![CDATA[Greetings from Bury Park: A Memoir]]> 2190231
Sarfraz Manzoor was two years old when, in 1974, he emigrated from Pakistan to Britain with his mother, brother, and sister. Sarfraz spent his teenage years in a constant battle, trying to reconcile being both British and Muslim, trying to fit in at school and at home. But it was when his best friend introduced him to the music of Bruce Springsteen that his life changed completely. From the age of sixteen on, after the moment he heard the harmonica and opening lines to “The River,� Springsteen became his personal muse, a lens through which he was able to view the rest of his life. Both a tribute to Springsteen and a story of personal discovery, Greetings from Bury Park is a warm, irreverent, and exceptionally perceptive memoir about how music transcends religion and race.]]> 288 Sarfraz Manzoor 0307388026 Aaron 5 This memoir is far more nuanced and truly gives insight into growing up in a Pakistani Muslim household in the West. Throughout he discusses his strained relationship with family; especially his father, but also his strained relationship with truly belonging anywhere. The music of Springsteen was the one place he had to escape to.
A good read I highly recommend. ]]> 3.78 2007 Greetings from Bury Park: A Memoir
author: Sarfraz Manzoor
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/14
date added: 2020/01/14
shelves:
review:
I decided to read this after watching the movie adaptation Blinded by the Light. It is the story of a young Pakistani immigrant to Great Britten, his experiences of growing up alienated from both his Pakistani roots but also from his English surroundings. He finds solace in the music of Bruce Springsteen, and a friendship with a young sikh teenager. The move is LOOSELY based on the actual story.
This memoir is far more nuanced and truly gives insight into growing up in a Pakistani Muslim household in the West. Throughout he discusses his strained relationship with family; especially his father, but also his strained relationship with truly belonging anywhere. The music of Springsteen was the one place he had to escape to.
A good read I highly recommend.
]]> <![CDATA[Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science (A Guide for Sinners, Quitters, and Procrastinators)]]> 38141073
Why can't I seem to finish my projects? Or make progress in my spiritual life?

Why do I fall for the same stupid temptations over and over again?

When we fail, its easy to make excuses or blame our circumstances. But let’s face it: the biggest enemy is usually the one staring back at us from the mirror every morning.

We lack self-control.

Self-control isn’t very popular these days. We tend to think of it as boring, confining, the cop that shows up and shuts down the party. But the truth is that people who cultivate this vital virtue lead freer, happier, and more meaningful lives. After all, our bad habits—from the slight to the serious—bring a host of painful consequences. Ultimately, they keep us from becoming the people God created us to be.

Your Future Self Will Thank You is a compassionate and humorous guide to breaking bad habits and growing your willpower. It explores Scripture’s teachings on how to live a disciplined life while offering practical strategies for growth based on the science of self-control. Whether you want to deepen your spiritual life, conquer an addiction, or kick your nail-biting habit, this book will help you get motivated, stay on track, and achieve your goals.

Sure, self-control is hard, but it doesn’t have to be that hard. Get the help you need to be freer, happier, and more productive. Your future self will thank you!]]> 224 Drew Dyck 0802418295 Aaron 5 4.26 2019 Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science (A Guide for Sinners, Quitters, and Procrastinators)
author: Drew Dyck
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/10
date added: 2020/01/10
shelves:
review:
This is a really good book on self-control. Maybe not the most magnetic topic, but really solid advice for anyone wanting to make positive changes in their life. It does as the title suggests - discusses self-control from a biblical and scientific approach. The authors self-deprecating humor is an added bonus.
]]> <![CDATA[For We Are Many (Bobiverse, #2)]]> 34153598
Bob and his copies have been spreading out from Earth for 40 years now, looking for habitable planets. But that's the only part of the plan that's still in one piece. A system-wide war has killed off 99.9 percent of the human race; nuclear winter is slowly making the Earth uninhabitable; a radical group wants to finish the job on the remnants of humanity; the Brazilian space probes are still out there, still trying to blow up the competition; and the Bobs have discovered a spacefaring species that sees all other life as food.

Bob left Earth anticipating a life of exploration and blissful solitude. Instead he's become a sky god to a primitive native species, the only hope for getting humanity to a new home, and possibly the only thing that can prevent every living thing in the local sphere from ending up as dinner.]]> 384 Dennis E. Taylor Aaron 5 Great second book!

I am not much of a book series fan, and often don’t bother reading beyond the first installment of a series. However, book one was fun enough to warrant reading the second, and the second book in the Bobiverse series truly makes it a great series. Fun, easy to read sci-fi. ]]> 4.41 2017 For We Are Many (Bobiverse, #2)
author: Dennis E. Taylor
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/31
date added: 2019/12/31
shelves:
review:
Great second book!

I am not much of a book series fan, and often don’t bother reading beyond the first installment of a series. However, book one was fun enough to warrant reading the second, and the second book in the Bobiverse series truly makes it a great series. Fun, easy to read sci-fi.
]]> <![CDATA[I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation]]> 40538762
When artist Tally Nourigat left her life in Portland to move to Los Angeles and pursue a job in animation, she realized that despite her research, nothing truly prepared her for the wild world that awaited in the studios of Southern California. From grinding on storyboard test after storyboard test to getting a job at a major studio to searching for an apartment in...the Valley...this autobiographical how-to graphic novel explores the highest highs and lowest lows of pursuing a dream in animation. Brushed with a dose of humor and illustrated advice about salaries, studio culture, and everything in between, I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation is the unique insider experience you won’t find anywhere else.]]> 96 Natalie Nourigat Aaron 3 3.77 2017 I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation
author: Natalie Nourigat
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/01
date added: 2019/12/15
shelves:
review:
While I did enjoy this, and learned a few things about an overlooked segment of the animation industry, I expected more of a thoughtful humorous memoir than a "how to" instructional guide. This may be my own fault for not reading about what I was about to read. Either way I enjoyed it as a brief distraction from the other books I am currently making my way through.
]]> <![CDATA[We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1)]]> 32109569 Alternate Cover Edition can be found here.

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.

Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he'll be switched off, and they'll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.

The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad - very mad.]]> 383 Dennis E. Taylor Aaron 5 4.29 2016 We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1)
author: Dennis E. Taylor
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/23
date added: 2019/11/23
shelves:
review:
I say this every time, but I am not a big lover of book series. This will be an exception. I loved this book. I will read the next one. A fun sci-fi read.
]]> <![CDATA[Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know]]> 43848929 Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers -- and why they often go wrong.

How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to each other that isn't true?

While tackling these questions, Malcolm Gladwell was not solely writing a book for the page. He was also producing for the ear. In the audiobook version of Talking to Strangers, you'll hear the voices of people he interviewed--scientists, criminologists, military psychologists. Court transcripts are brought to life with re-enactments. You actually hear the contentious arrest of Sandra Bland by the side of the road in Texas. As Gladwell revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, and the suicide of Sylvia Plath, you hear directly from many of the players in these real-life tragedies. There's even a theme song - Janelle Monae's "Hell You Talmbout."

Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world.]]> 388 Malcolm Gladwell 0316478520 Aaron 5 favorites 4.00 2019 Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/11/11
date added: 2019/11/11
shelves: favorites
review:
Like all of Gladwell's books this weaves together different concepts, stories, and studies into one narrative. Out of them all however I would say this is his most important work. One of the things wrong with our increasingly mad world is our inability to talk to the stranger. Beyond this are flaws on the systemic level that create more trouble than they solve.
]]> Book Love 39296114
Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for tea-sipping, spine-sniffing, book-hoarding bibliophiles. Debbie Tung’s comics are humorous and instantly recognizable—making readers laugh while precisely conveying the thoughts and habits of book nerds. Book Love is the ideal gift to let a book lover know they’re understood and appreciated. ]]> 140 Debbie Tung 1449494285 Aaron 0 to-read 4.28 2019 Book Love
author: Debbie Tung
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/11/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity]]> 36087344
In The Pietist Option, Christopher Gehrz, a historian of Pietism, and Mark Pattie, a pastor in the Pietist tradition, show how Pietism holds great promise for the church-and the world-today. Modeled after Philipp Spener's 1675 classic, Pia Desideria, this timely book makes a case for the vitality of Pietism in our day.

Taking a hard look at American evangelicalism and why it needs renewal, Gehrz and Pattie explore the resources that Pietism can provide the church of the twenty-first century. This concise and winsome volume serves as a practical guide to the Pietist ethos for life and ministry, pointing us toward the renewal so many long for.

The Pietist Option introduces Pietism to those who don't know it-and reintroduces it to those who perceive it as an outdated and inward-focused spirituality, a nitpicking divisiveness, or an anti-intellectual withdrawal. With its emphasis on our walk with Jesus and its vibrant hope for a better future, Pietism connects decisively with the ideas and issues of our day. Here is a revitalizing option for all who desire to be faithful and fruitful in God's mission.]]> 144 Christopher Gehrz 0830851941 Aaron 4 3.73 The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity
author: Christopher Gehrz
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.73
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/08
date added: 2019/11/08
shelves: spiritual-growth, christian-leadership
review:
I think many would benefit greatly by reading this book. We live in a polarized society that is increasingly fundamentalist on both the left and the right. This book encourages us to look at the true character of Jesus; not the version proclaimed by either conservatives or progressives. This book encourages us to humbly listen to each other. For these reasons and others this book will most likely not be a national best seller... sadly.
]]> <![CDATA[The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1)]]> 37642396
What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.

This edition of The Thief includes an exclusive piece by Megan Whalen Turner about her inspiration for the setting of the story, an introduction to the characters from the world of the Queen's Thief, and a map of the world of the Queen's Thief.

A Newbery Honor Book

An ALA Notable Book

A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection]]> 236 Megan Whalen Turner Aaron 4 3.90 1996 The Thief (The Queen's Thief, #1)
author: Megan Whalen Turner
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/06
date added: 2019/11/06
shelves:
review:
This was a fun easy read. Nothing groundbreaking, but good. I am not a big fan of ongoing series, but the next time I am looking for light reading I might read the next chapter.
]]> <![CDATA[Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)]]> 37781 Things Fall Apart is written with remarkable economy and subtle irony. Uniquely and richly African, at the same time it reveals Achebe's keen awareness of the human qualities common to men of all times and places.]]> 215 Chinua Achebe Aaron 4 3.73 1958 Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)
author: Chinua Achebe
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1958
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/01
date added: 2019/11/01
shelves:
review:
This story is tragic throughout. It shows the horrific nature of the superstitious tribal religion, and the perverted blending of Christianity with white imperialism. There really are no heroes in this story, however many victims of two broken kingdoms.
]]> <![CDATA[Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It]]> 26156469 A former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating � effective in any situation.

After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders and terrorists. Never Split the Difference takes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most � when people’s lives were at stake.

Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Difference will give you the competitive edge in any discussion.]]> 274 Chris Voss 0062407805 Aaron 5 4.35 2016 Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
author: Chris Voss
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/10/23
date added: 2019/10/23
shelves:
review:
Fascinating for its retelling of tense hostage negotiations as well as the tactics of those negotiations. Practically this book will helps the reader ask better questions, and empathize with their counterparts. Also, I can't wait until I purchase my next car; this book will no doubt help me haggle a better price.
]]> <![CDATA[What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures]]> 6516450
In the past decade, Malcolm Gladwell has written three books that have radically changed how we understand our world and ourselves: The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. Now, in What the Dog Saw, he brings together, for the first time, the best of his writing from The New Yorker over the same period.

Here you'll find the bittersweet tale of the inventor of the birth control pill, and the dazzling creations of pasta sauce pioneer Howard Moscowitz. Gladwell sits with Ron Popeil, the king of the American kitchen, as he sells rotisserie ovens, and divines the secrets of Cesar Millan, the "dog whisperer" who can calm savage animals with the touch of his hand. He explores intelligence tests and ethnic profiling and why it was that employers in Silicon Valley once tripped over themselves to hire the same college graduate.]]> 444 Malcolm Gladwell 0316078573 Aaron 3 3.85 2009 What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/20
date added: 2019/10/20
shelves:
review:
I love Gladwell, and there are moments in this collection of essays I do love. Others fell short for me. Overall a good read.
]]> <![CDATA[Before You Launch: Pain Killers For Church Planters]]> 34470440 Before You Pain Killers For Church Planters, will teach you the fundamental relationships you need to build within your launch team and how they can ensure success for the new church. In fact, if you play it right, you might even launch a movement. You'll Learn 1. Just why a healthy church plant is the result of effective disciplemaking before you do anything else. 2. Some simple tools to make your relationships pay big dividends. 3. How the author stumbled into church multiplication, and how you can get setup for it intentionally--before you ever plant your first church. 4. That you can prevent the pain some church planters (including the author) suffered. 5. How the New Testament can help you devise a simple reproducible structure for making disciples effectively. 6. Why you better make disciples before even thinking about launching your new church. 7. How you can build a sure-to-succeed launch team. 8. Crucial preparations for the big day when you bring your baby to the community. 9. Why some numbers really do count (they are NOT the ones you think they are). Catch up with Ralph at .]]> 57 Ralph Moore Aaron 4 4.50 Before You Launch: Pain Killers For Church Planters
author: Ralph Moore
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/10/15
date added: 2019/10/15
shelves:
review:
This is a helpful book, with insights from church plant legend Ralph Moore. It's short but informative. If you are considering taking leadership in a church plant - read this.
]]> Educated 35133922
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.]]> 352 Tara Westover 0399590501 Aaron 5 favorites
I am happy the author managed to escape, albeit with scars. As a Christian, I do hope her lost faith is in the muck branded as true faith, rather than the existence of God. I want her to know of the God full of love, mercy, and grace, rather than the counterfeit she was raised with.

Remarkable, and beautifully written. I could not put it down. ]]> 4.46 2018 Educated
author: Tara Westover
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/10/01
date added: 2019/10/01
shelves: favorites
review:
This is perhaps my favorite memoir/biography I have ever read. I am hard pressed to think of one I have been more gripped by. It is fascinating, heartbreaking, and inspirational. It shows the damage caused by fundamentalism conjoined with mental illness; as well as how fresh perspectives can liberate a person once imprisoned by such dysfunction.

I am happy the author managed to escape, albeit with scars. As a Christian, I do hope her lost faith is in the muck branded as true faith, rather than the existence of God. I want her to know of the God full of love, mercy, and grace, rather than the counterfeit she was raised with.

Remarkable, and beautifully written. I could not put it down.
]]> <![CDATA[Likewar: The Weaponization of Social Media]]> 38737394
Through the weaponization of social media, the internet is changing war and politics, just as war and politics are changing the internet. Terrorists livestream their attacks, "Twitter wars"produce real-world casualties, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but the very fate of nations. The result is that war, tech, and politics have blurred into a new kind of battlespace that plays out on our smartphones.
P. W. Singer and Emerson Brooking tackle the mind-bending questions that arise when war goes online and the online world goes to war. They explore how ISIS copies the Instagram tactics of Taylor Swift, a former World of Warcraft addict foils war crimes thousands ofmiles away, internet trolls shape elections, and China uses a smartphone app to police the thoughts of 1.4 billion citizens. What can be kept secret in a world of networks? Does social media expose the truthor bury it? And what role do ordinary people now play in international conflicts?
Delving into the web's darkest corners, we meet the unexpected warriors of social media, such as the rapper turned jihadist PR czar and the Russian hipsters who wage unceasing infowars against the West. Finally, looking to the crucial years ahead, LikeWar outlines a radical new paradigm for understanding and defending against the unprecedented threats of our networked world.
"--]]> 604 P.W. Singer 1328695751 Aaron 5 4.33 2018 Likewar: The Weaponization of Social Media
author: P.W. Singer
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/09/24
date added: 2019/09/24
shelves:
review:
Well written. Fascinating. Terrifying. Do you think you know the extent that social media plays in our politics and in war around the world? Maybe, you do. I did not. From Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election, to (truly) fake news, to trolling, to terrorist recruiting and coordination, and more. An important book everyone should read to understand the age we live in.
]]> <![CDATA[Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community (Transforming Resources)]]> 22144313 192 Ruth Haley Barton 0830835865 Aaron 4 4.14 2010 Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community (Transforming Resources)
author: Ruth Haley Barton
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/10
date added: 2019/08/10
shelves: spiritual-growth, christian-leadership
review:
Solid read. Not my favorite book from Ruth Haley Barton, but some nice thoughts. Her books typically make me desire the presence of God, and I have read them as a type of devotional. This book is very different from that. There are some great thoughts however on what transformational community should look like.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (The Hundred-Year-Old Man, #1)]]> 13486632 The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a fun and feel-good book for all ages.]]> 396 Jonas Jonasson 1843913720 Aaron 5 3.80 2009 The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (The Hundred-Year-Old Man, #1)
author: Jonas Jonasson
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2019/07/10
date added: 2019/07/12
shelves:
review:
The author describes this as, "an intelligent, very stupid book." I agree. I will add incredibly entertaining. This is the easiest 384 pages you may ever read. Allan Karlson, the 100 year old man, who climbed out his window and disappeared, is an often disaffected medium the reader has access to travel through a complicated history from the past 100-plus years. I found Allan's past far more interesting than the unlikely present the author creates. Once you reads this, you may find my statement that Allan's present is more far fetched than his past a bit unbelievable, but trust me; the past is better written and easier to swallow than the series of events in the present tense. Don't pick this up for believability or you will be disappointed. All-in-all, a fun read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery]]> 28268515 Ignorance is bliss except in self-awareness...

What you don't know about yourself can hurt you and your relationships―and even keep you in the shallows with God. Do you want help figuring out who you are and why you're stuck in the same ruts? The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system with an uncanny accuracy in describing how human beings are wired, both positively and negatively.

In The Road Back to You Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile forge a unique approach―a practical, comprehensive way of accessing Enneagram wisdom and exploring its connections with Christian spirituality for a deeper knowledge of ourselves, compassion for others, and love for God. Witty and filled with stories, this book allows you to peek inside each of the nine Enneagram types, keeping you turning the pages long after you have read the chapter about your own number. Not only will you learn more about yourself, but you will also start to see the world through other people's eyes, understanding how and why people think, feel, and act the way they do. Beginning with changes you can start making today, the wisdom of the Enneagram can help take you further along into who you really are―leading you into places of spiritual discovery you would never have found on your own, and paving the way to the wiser, more compassionate person you want to become.]]> 238 Ian Morgan Cron 0830846190 Aaron 5
Having said that, I am of the opinion that no one should take any personality test/tool/process too seriously. I related in at least small ways to most of the 9 Enneagram portraits, and largely with several. However, in each there were things that simply did not match who I am. I believe (most) humans are more complicated than any 1, 2, or even 3 personality profiles can sum up.

Regardless, I did relate most to the Enneagram 3 (the Performer). I will admit this is a bit of a revelatory discovery for me. As I read and examined myself I realized that so much of what I do, I do to prove myself, to show myself worthy, to compete, and be noticed. As the book explains there are both good and bad sides to this reality. Overall, anyone who likes to self-examine, and better understand those around you, will love this book.]]> 4.20 2016 The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery
author: Ian Morgan Cron
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/14
date added: 2019/06/14
shelves: spiritual-growth, christian-leadership
review:
Although (as I learned from this book) the Enneagram is an ancient tool, somehow I had only heard about it recently; it would seem it has recently become en vogue. Not only was this a fascinating read, but also a very humorous and entertaining one. I do believe anyone who reads this will discover things about themselves and those around them.

Having said that, I am of the opinion that no one should take any personality test/tool/process too seriously. I related in at least small ways to most of the 9 Enneagram portraits, and largely with several. However, in each there were things that simply did not match who I am. I believe (most) humans are more complicated than any 1, 2, or even 3 personality profiles can sum up.

Regardless, I did relate most to the Enneagram 3 (the Performer). I will admit this is a bit of a revelatory discovery for me. As I read and examined myself I realized that so much of what I do, I do to prove myself, to show myself worthy, to compete, and be noticed. As the book explains there are both good and bad sides to this reality. Overall, anyone who likes to self-examine, and better understand those around you, will love this book.
]]> <![CDATA[With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God]]> 11390621 Stop Living Your Life Under, Over, From and For God and Start Living in Communion With Him.]]> 207 Skye Jethani 1595553797 Aaron 5
I highly recommend reading Skye's book The Divine Commodity first. This might even be considered a sequel.

(I just reread this book in prep for a new sermon series. I is one of my most recommended books)]]> 4.41 2011 With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God
author: Skye Jethani
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/07
date added: 2019/06/07
shelves: spiritual-growth, christian-leadership, favorites
review:
Every. Christian. Should. Read. This. Book. It speaks about the five postures we can have with God: life over God, life under God, life for God, life from God. These 4 are broken, and most of us have taken these postures. The posture we were designed for was life WITH God.

I highly recommend reading Skye's book The Divine Commodity first. This might even be considered a sequel.

(I just reread this book in prep for a new sermon series. I is one of my most recommended books)
]]> <![CDATA[What's Wrong with Religion?: 9 Things No One Told You about Faith]]> 35656516
Figuring Out Faith?
1- Everyone is Religion
2- How Religion Ruins the World
3- Getting Rid of Religion Doesn't Help
4- God Doesn't Exist to Be Used
5- ...& Neither Do You
6- THE SOLUTION: Living WITH God
7- The "Radical" Life Isn't What You Think
8- The World Is A Perfectly Safe Place (Really)
9- All You Need Is Love]]> 105 Skye Jethani 1944298266 Aaron 5 spiritual-growth
I plan on buying a box of these books to give to people trying to figure things out.

(I just reread this as we are planning a sermon series based on the book. It is still a great book, and one worth handing out to people disillusioned by religion. ]]> 4.52 What's Wrong with Religion?: 9 Things No One Told You about Faith
author: Skye Jethani
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/06
date added: 2019/06/06
shelves: spiritual-growth
review:
This is a great little book for anyone disillusioned by the Christian faith or someone drawn to Jesus, but not to some of his followers. Religion is bad; Skye talks about this. If religion is bad, what does Skye suggest the alternative is? For the answer, I suggest you read this short book.

I plan on buying a box of these books to give to people trying to figure things out.

(I just reread this as we are planning a sermon series based on the book. It is still a great book, and one worth handing out to people disillusioned by religion.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost World of the Torah: Law as Covenant and Wisdom in Ancient Context]]> 40882760 Our handling of what we call biblical law veers between controversy and neglect.

On the one hand, controversy arises when Old Testament laws seem either odd beyond comprehension (not eating pork) or positively reprehensible (executing children). On the other, neglect results when we consider the law obsolete, no long carrying any normative power (tassels on clothing, making sacrifices). Even readers who do attempt to make use of the Old Testament "law" often find it either irrelevant, hopelessly laden with "thou shalt nots," or simply so confusing that they throw up their hands in despair. Despite these extremes, people continue to propose moral principles from these laws as "the biblical view" and to garner proof texts to resolve issues that arise in society. The result is that both Christians and skeptics regularly abuse the Torah, and its true message often lies unheard.

Walton and Walton offer in The Lost World of the Torah a restorative vision of the ancient genre of instruction for wisdom that makes up a significant portion of the Old Testament. In the ancient Near East, order was achieved through the wisdom of those who governed society. The objective of torah was to teach the Israelites to be wise about the kind of order needed to receive the blessings of God’s favor and presence with the context of the covenant. Here readers will find fresh insight on this fundamental genre of the Old Testament canon.]]> 256 John H. Walton 0830852417 Aaron 5
This is probably the most challenging book in the series for me as it unpacks how the ancient Hebrew would have understood thew Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible). If you are new to the series, start with the Lost World of Genesis One. Be prepared to have your understanding of Old Testament challenged.]]> 3.92 The Lost World of the Torah: Law as Covenant and Wisdom in Ancient Context
author: John H. Walton
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/03
date added: 2019/06/03
shelves:
review:
This entire series aims to help the modern reader understand the meaning of the ancient biblical texts as the author and original readers would have understood it. Like it or not we bring our own cultural viewpoint to these ancient texts. As Walton & Walton put it, the original author and audience had their own cultural river, comprised of customs, language, and worldview, that is much different than our own. Understanding what they were saying helps us understand what the text truly means. better put, the Bible was written for us, but not to us.

This is probably the most challenging book in the series for me as it unpacks how the ancient Hebrew would have understood thew Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible). If you are new to the series, start with the Lost World of Genesis One. Be prepared to have your understanding of Old Testament challenged.
]]> <![CDATA[Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Transforming Resources)]]> 249171 192 Ruth Haley Barton 0830833331 Aaron 5 spiritual-growth
Now that I have completed the book I need to go back, with the help of the final chapter, and consider how I might further enrich my daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly time with God. If you are feeling disconnected from God, let me recommend this book.]]> 4.28 2006 Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Transforming Resources)
author: Ruth Haley Barton
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/01
date added: 2019/06/01
shelves: spiritual-growth
review:
I just finished this book, but I am not done with it. It is that type of book; a book meant to assist the reader into (as the title puts it) sacred rhythms. Barton has a way of writing that makes me want to be in the presence of God. I recommend reading this book as part of your daily devotion/prayer/study time. For me as I read it, I began with 1 Psalm, time in this book, followed by my morning prayer time. It has enriched my morning routine.

Now that I have completed the book I need to go back, with the help of the final chapter, and consider how I might further enrich my daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly time with God. If you are feeling disconnected from God, let me recommend this book.
]]> Holiness for Ordinary People 54634 Book by Drury, Keith W. 176 Keith Drury 0898272785 Aaron 4 4.00 1983 Holiness for Ordinary People
author: Keith Drury
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at: 2019/04/22
date added: 2019/04/22
shelves:
review:
A required book to meet an ordination transfer requirement. A great resource for anyone wrestling with Wesleyan holiness theology.
]]> <![CDATA[Be Holy: God's Invitation to Understand, Declare, and Experience Holiness]]> 5379532 208 Joseph Coleson 0898273722 Aaron 4 3.72 2008 Be Holy: God's Invitation to Understand, Declare, and Experience Holiness
author: Joseph Coleson
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2019/04/22
date added: 2019/04/22
shelves:
review:
This was a required book for an ordination transfer class. Definitely worth the read if you want to understand holiness from a Wesleyan perspective.
]]> <![CDATA[An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (The Carls, #1)]]> 24233708 343 Hank Green 1524743453 Aaron 5
Then there's the other side of me when I read. The one that is compelled by great storytelling. That person tends to read on unless the issues that I have with "secular" literature push the boundaries too far. In these regards I was not "too offended" to stop (I hate to use that term). In regards to the storytelling, this was quite frankly a can't put down book. It is how I spent my day off. I was captivated.]]> 4.05 2018 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (The Carls, #1)
author: Hank Green
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/25
date added: 2019/01/25
shelves:
review:
I'm sometimes unsure of how to review a book like this. There are two sides of me when I read a book: I am a pastor who likes to avoid certain elements like bad language, and skew conservative on certain issues. So when a book seems to make villains out of every person who skews right (even though many friends of mine believe I skew left), it does throw up a wall or two as I read. This book does this to an extent.

Then there's the other side of me when I read. The one that is compelled by great storytelling. That person tends to read on unless the issues that I have with "secular" literature push the boundaries too far. In these regards I was not "too offended" to stop (I hate to use that term). In regards to the storytelling, this was quite frankly a can't put down book. It is how I spent my day off. I was captivated.
]]> <![CDATA[The Story of The Wesleyan Church]]> 13815746 320 Robert Black 0898274753 Aaron 4
]]> 4.07 2012 The Story of The Wesleyan Church
author: Robert Black
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/14
date added: 2019/01/14
shelves:
review:
I am a pastor in process of transferring my ordination credentials from the Alliance (formerly Christian & Missionary Alliance) to the Wesleyan church... so this was required reading for me. However, I was pleased to see our denomination's activist roots in the anti-slavery movement, along with the women's suffrage movement. It was also interesting in that it had some early connections with the Alliance founder A. B. Simpson, and common geographical roots to me (a native Hoosier).


]]> <![CDATA[Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative]]> 16160706
When Mr. Kleon was asked to address college students in upstate New York, he shaped his speech around the ten things he wished someone had told him when he was starting out. The talk went viral, and its author dug deeper into his own ideas to create Steal Like an Artist, the book. The result is inspiring, hip, original, practical, and entertaining. And filled with new truths about creativity: Nothing is original, so embrace influence, col- lect ideas, and remix and re-imagine to discover your own path. Follow your interests wherever they take you. Stay smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring—the creative you will need to make room to be wild and daring in your imagination.]]> 160 Austin Kleon Aaron 0 to-read 4.29 2012 Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
author: Austin Kleon
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Collected Essex County 6096829
Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of his hometown, the eccentric farming community of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free. This new edition collects the complete, critically-acclaimed trilogy (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse) in one deluxe volume! Also included are over 40-pages of previously unpublished material, including two new stories.]]> 512 Jeff Lemire 160309038X Aaron 4 4.32 2009 The Collected Essex County
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/02
date added: 2019/01/02
shelves:
review:
This was a nice collection of three intertwined stories. Sad and quaint with a ray of hope for each of the main characters. I good read about the lives of several people in rural Essex county Ontario.
]]> <![CDATA[The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters]]> 26720949 As Tom Nichols shows in The Death of Expertise, there are a number of reasons why this has occurred-ranging from easy access to Internet search engines to a customer satisfaction model within higher education. The product of these interrelated trends, Nichols argues, is a pervasive distrust of expertise among the public coinciding with an unfounded belief among non-experts that their opinions should have equal standing with those of the experts. The experts are not always right, of course, and Nichols discusses expert failure. The crucial point is that bad decisions by experts can and have been effectively challenged by other well-informed experts. The issue now is that the democratization of information dissemination has created an army of ill-informed citizens who denounce expertise.

When challenged, non-experts resort to the false argument that the experts are often wrong. Though it may be true, but the solution is not to jettison expertise as an ideal; it is to improve our expertise. Nichols is certainly not opposed to information democratization, but rather the enlightenment people believe they achieve after superficial internet research. He shows in vivid detail the ways in which this impulse is coursing through our culture and body politic, but the larger goal is to explain the benefits that expertise and rigorous learning regimes bestow upon all societies.]]> 272 Thomas M. Nichols 0190469412 Aaron 0 to-read 3.76 2017 The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters
author: Thomas M. Nichols
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes]]> 23754
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey, Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.

This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.

Includes issues 1-8 of the original series.]]> 240 Neil Gaiman 1563892278 Aaron 2 4.25 1988 The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1988
rating: 2
read at: 2018/12/28
date added: 2018/12/31
shelves:
review:
So, I've read some Neil Gaiman previously, and have always found him inventive. This is inventive. It also goes into dark ugly places that I don't want to return to.
]]> <![CDATA[All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment]]> 40603259 Winner of the 2018 TGC Book Award for Christian Living

“And God saw that it was good…”Look out over the world today, it seems a far cry from God’s original declaration. Pain, conflict, and uncertainty dominate the headlines. Our daily lives are noisy and chaotic—filled with too much information and too little wisdom. No wonder we often find it easier to retreat into safe spaces, hunker down in likeminded tribes, and just do our best to survive life. But what if God wants you to do more than simply survive? What if he wants you to thrive in this world, and be part of its redemption? What if you could rediscover the beauty and goodness God established in the beginning?

By learning the lost art of discernment, you can. Discernment is more than simply avoiding bad things; discernment actually frees you to navigate the world with confidence and joy by teaching you how to recognize and choose good things. When you learn discernment and develop a taste for all that’s good, you will encounter God in remarkable new ways. Come, discover the God who not only made all things, but who will also make all things good once again.]]> 217 Hannah Anderson 0802497365 Aaron 5 4.29 2018 All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment
author: Hannah Anderson
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/12/31
date added: 2018/12/31
shelves:
review:
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this early on, but the first 1/3 of the book set up the real meat of it. By the end I was hypnotized by Anderson's descriptions of everything from coffee, to woodcutting, to thrift stores.
]]> <![CDATA[Skyward, Vol. 1: My Low-G Life]]> 38812870
SKYWARD, VOL. 1 collects issues #1-5 of the ongoing series from writer Joe Henderson (showrunner of Fox's Lucifer) and artist Lee Garbett (Lucifer, Loki: Agent of Asgard).
]]> 136 Joe Henderson 1534308334 Aaron 3 3.91 2018 Skyward, Vol. 1: My Low-G Life
author: Joe Henderson
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/31
date added: 2018/12/31
shelves:
review:
This was recommended by a friend; an interesting concept that fell flat due to pacing. This story went from zero to sixty far too fast. It is an OK read; collecting the first 6 issues of the series. I was looking for a monthly comic that I could jump into, but this is not the one for me.
]]> <![CDATA[The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith]]> 3116205 Newsweek called renowned minister Timothy Keller "a C. S. Lewis for the twenty-first century" in a feature on his first book, The Reason for God. In that book, he offered a rational explanation of why we should believe in God. Now, in The Prodigal God, he uses one of the best-known Christian parables to reveal an unexpected message of hope and salvation.

Taking his trademark intellectual approach to understanding Christianity, Keller uncovers the essential message of Jesus, locked inside his most familiar parable. Within that parable Jesus reveals God's prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic. This book will challenge both the devout and skeptics to see Christianity in a whole new way.

Look out for Timothy Keller's latest book,The Songs of Jesus, coming from Viking on November 10, 2015.]]> 139 Timothy J. Keller 0525950796 Aaron 4 4.41 2008 The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
author: Timothy J. Keller
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/21
date added: 2018/12/21
shelves:
review:
I really nice read, and reminder of God's lavish grace, two primary avenues of human lostness, and that the salvation of Yahweh involves a feast.
]]> <![CDATA[The Voting Booth: A new vision for Christian engagement in a post-Christian culture]]> 30624434 73 Skye Jethani Aaron 3 4.31 The Voting Booth: A new vision for Christian engagement in a post-Christian culture
author: Skye Jethani
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/17
date added: 2018/12/17
shelves:
review:
Not Skye's best book, but the content is great. It is written as a conversation between the characters, Christian, Exodus, Exiles, and (Spoiler). The dialog was clunky, but overall it reveals 2 dysfunctional ways Christians typically engage culture, and the best way to engage culture. A very short read, and while not a great book, worth the read.
]]> <![CDATA[How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels]]> 13362161
Since Christian worship services began, areading from the gospels has played a central role.

For over two hundred years scholars havechallenged and defended the central claims of miracles, historical accuracy, the divinity ofJesus, and more.

But Still, leading Bible scholar N. T.Wright reveals shocking We have all forgottenwhat the four gospels are about.

"Despite centuries of intense and heavy industryexpended on the study of all sorts of features of thegospels," Wright writes, "we have often managed tomiss the main thing that they, all four of them, aremost eager to tell us. What we need is not just a bitof fine-tuning, an adjustment here and there. We needa fundamental rethink about what the gospels aretrying to tell us."

What Wright offers is an opportunity to confront thesepowerful texts afresh, as if we are encountering themfor the first time. How God Became King reveals thesurprising, unexpected, and shocking news of this is the story of a new king, a new kind ofking, a king who has changed everything, and a kingwho invites us to be part of his new world.]]> 304 N.T. Wright Aaron 4 4.39 2012 How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels
author: N.T. Wright
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2018/12/12
date added: 2018/12/12
shelves:
review:
This is an important book in understanding the "gospel" and the gospels. We define the "gospel" based upon the creeds; Jesus came, died, rose again. That information is critical to the "gospel," but it's missing much of the gospels; all of that part in the middle between the incarnation and crucifixion. One reason we have reduced the "gospel" to a get into heaven/stay out of hell definition is because we do not understand that the work of Christ allows us to enter his kingdom, of which he is the king. If this is foreign to you, read this.
]]> The New Avengers: Illuminati 1785575 120 Brian Michael Bendis 0785124365 Aaron 5 3.85 2008 The New Avengers: Illuminati
author: Brian Michael Bendis
name: Aaron
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2018/11/29
date added: 2018/11/29
shelves:
review:
This was a fun, short series, that requires the reader to know some Marvel history to fully enjoy. This reveals that there were previously unknown interlopers that preceded events within Marvel history. An Illuminati consisting of: Reed Richards, Iron Man, Professor X, Dr. Strange, Namor, and Black Bolt. Their extreme intellect has led them to a level of hubris which causes them to tinker with what should not be tinkered with. A great read if you know the history.
]]> <![CDATA[Gaining By Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send]]> 23403810 256 J.D. Greear 0310515246 Aaron 4 christian-leadership 4.43 2015 Gaining By Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send
author: J.D. Greear
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/11
date added: 2018/11/11
shelves: christian-leadership
review:
This is a well written book that challenged me as a leader. This book charges the Christian leader to surrender, sacrifice, and risk. These are things too often lacking from American Christianity, not only within our church bodies, but among leadership as well. This one will challenge you Christian leader. Are you brave enough to read it?
]]> <![CDATA[My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 (My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, #1)]]> 29069374 My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster magazines iconography. Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold. When Karen’s investigation takes us back to Anka’s life in Nazi Germany, the reader discovers how the personal, the political, the past, and the present converge. Full-color illustrations throughout.]]> 416 Emil Ferris 1606999591 Aaron 3
Story: If this were just a written novel I'd give it 1 star, even though there are some compelling elements to the story. Amidst the compelling elements are too many non essential fragments cluttering up the plot, and then in the end, the story is incomplete. We get only partial revelation, to what I consider side plots. The main plot is not resolved; the mystery not solved. After 400-ish pages I want a conclusion. Sure, 400 pages in a graphic novel is not like 400 pages in a written novel, but still I was hoping for a complete story.

Art: If I were judging this only on the art it would get 5 stars. It's simply amazing that anyone could draw these 400-ish pages, all in ink pen. Many of the illustrations are just incredible. Truly astounding actually. I wanted to love this book for the art alone, but I have to be honest and judge it as a whole. ]]> 4.21 2017 My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 (My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, #1)
author: Emil Ferris
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/11/09
date added: 2018/11/09
shelves:
review:
So, writing a review of this is incredibly challenging, because it is equally amazing and disappointing.

Story: If this were just a written novel I'd give it 1 star, even though there are some compelling elements to the story. Amidst the compelling elements are too many non essential fragments cluttering up the plot, and then in the end, the story is incomplete. We get only partial revelation, to what I consider side plots. The main plot is not resolved; the mystery not solved. After 400-ish pages I want a conclusion. Sure, 400 pages in a graphic novel is not like 400 pages in a written novel, but still I was hoping for a complete story.

Art: If I were judging this only on the art it would get 5 stars. It's simply amazing that anyone could draw these 400-ish pages, all in ink pen. Many of the illustrations are just incredible. Truly astounding actually. I wanted to love this book for the art alone, but I have to be honest and judge it as a whole.
]]> <![CDATA[Hawkeye, Volume 1: My Life as a Weapon]]> 18690153 144 Matt Fraction Aaron 4 Entertaining!

There is nothing deeply moving here. Simply a good piece of comic book art. Well crafted and told. I want to read more. ]]> 4.23 2013 Hawkeye, Volume 1: My Life as a Weapon
author: Matt Fraction
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/06
date added: 2018/11/06
shelves:
review:
Entertaining!

There is nothing deeply moving here. Simply a good piece of comic book art. Well crafted and told. I want to read more.
]]> <![CDATA[Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More]]> 23472391
One of Marvel's most beloved Avengers launches into her own ongoing series! Carol Danvers has played many roles in her life; hero, pilot, Avenger, and now, deep-space adventurer! Join Captain Marvel as she attempts to return an alien girl to her home world, and defend the rights of aliens revolting against the Galactic Alliance. Guest-starring Guardians of the Galaxy!]]> 134 Kelly Sue DeConnick 1302401580 Aaron 2 4.07 2014 Captain Marvel, Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More
author: Kelly Sue DeConnick
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2018/11/05
date added: 2018/11/05
shelves:
review:
With the upcoming movie I decided to get to know the character from the comics a little. For a collection of episodic comics it was OK. If I were judging it as a graphic novel I'd only give it 1 star. There were moments, but overall this was underwhelming.
]]> <![CDATA[Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft]]> 15701190 168 Joe Hill Aaron 2
Good: The plot is original, compelling, and mysterious. This kept me reading, and may even lead me to read the next chapter. So far this plot is nothing like anything I have read or can predict.

Bad: The dialog is clunky and unrealistic; often narrating through dialog in ways that are unnatural. The pacing of the story is too fast. The characters behave in ways that are unnatural as well. On top of all that it is vulgar for vulgarity's sake; both in language and content. The violence, while extreme, fits the plot. Although, I must say it is so over the top it does not shock or provide the horror it should.

The art is not a style I particularly enjoy, but it is well done for its style. ]]> 4.24 2008 Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft
author: Joe Hill
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2018/11/05
date added: 2018/11/05
shelves:
review:
I read this because I was looking for a mindless read, and this was included in my Amazon Unlimited subscription. It's not bad, but to say that it's good is a bit off the mark as well. Here's what I liked and disliked:

Good: The plot is original, compelling, and mysterious. This kept me reading, and may even lead me to read the next chapter. So far this plot is nothing like anything I have read or can predict.

Bad: The dialog is clunky and unrealistic; often narrating through dialog in ways that are unnatural. The pacing of the story is too fast. The characters behave in ways that are unnatural as well. On top of all that it is vulgar for vulgarity's sake; both in language and content. The violence, while extreme, fits the plot. Although, I must say it is so over the top it does not shock or provide the horror it should.

The art is not a style I particularly enjoy, but it is well done for its style.
]]> <![CDATA[Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1)]]> 34507 240 Terry Pratchett 0060855908 Aaron 4 4.06 1987 Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/04
date added: 2018/11/05
shelves:
review:
While not as hysterically funny as the first 2 books in the series, this is more endearing. The story of a young girl chosen to be a wizard in a world where wizards are only men. Pratchett is always witty.
]]> The Revenant 33642077
Rocky Mountains, 1823. The trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company live a brutal frontier life. Hugh Glass is one of the most respected men in the company, an experienced frontiersman and an expert tracker.But when a scouting mission puts Glass face-to-face with a grizzly bear, he is viciously mauled and not expected to survive. Two men from the company are ordered to remain with him until his inevitable death. But, fearing an imminent attack, they abandon Glass, stripping him of his prized rifle and hatchet.

As Glass watches the men flee, he is driven to survive by one all-consuming desire: revenge. With shocking grit and determination, he sets out on a three-thousand-mile journey across the harsh American frontier, to seek revenge on the men who betrayed him.

The Revenant is a remarkable tale of obsession and the lengths that one man will go to for retribution.

The novel that inspired the epic new movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. ]]> 273 Michael Punke Aaron 5 4.21 2002 The Revenant
author: Michael Punke
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2018/11/05
date added: 2018/11/05
shelves:
review:
A work of fiction based upon real people and events. Really well told. A great read for anyone who is fascinated by the history of the men who were compelled to head west in search of freedom and wealth from the fur trade throughout the early 19th century.
]]> <![CDATA[Guards! Guards! (Discworld, #8; City Watch, #1)]]> 64216 376 Terry Pratchett 0061020648 Aaron 4
This is the first novel to introduce the Watch, led by Captain Vimes. Next to Rincewind the wizard, mt favorite Discworld character. ]]> 4.33 1989 Guards! Guards! (Discworld, #8; City Watch, #1)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2018/11/03
date added: 2018/11/03
shelves:
review:
I have yet to read a bad Discworld novel, so if you've read them and love them this one is as good as is needed. These satyrical fantasy novels are light and humorous, and do often end with a warm feeling. However, they are not deeply moving or emotional; that's not what they aim for. What they aim for they hit dead center.

This is the first novel to introduce the Watch, led by Captain Vimes. Next to Rincewind the wizard, mt favorite Discworld character.
]]> <![CDATA[Outliers: The Story of Success]]> 3228917 Learn what sets high achievers apart � from Bill Gates to the Beatles � in this #1 bestseller from "a singular talent" (New York Times Book Review).

In this stunning book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"—the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?

His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.]]> 309 Malcolm Gladwell 0316017922 Aaron 5 4.19 2008 Outliers: The Story of Success
author: Malcolm Gladwell
name: Aaron
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2018/10/26
date added: 2018/10/30
shelves:
review:
Another great book by Gladwell. No one becomes successful purely on their own natural talent or work ethic. Work ethic is important, but luck plays a big role; when we are born, who raised us, etc.
]]>