My wife calls me a “reading machine.” I do love books. And now my Kindle! I tell her this addiction is not as bad as drugs (“it could be worse!” is a noble life-philosophy I fall into now and then). Assuming that feeding our minds is a primary way we grow our lives, I want to pass on a few of the many books, as well as films, that have blessed me in recent days.
YOUVERSION Bible for mobile devices – FREE!
Let me start with the B-I-B-L-E! This is not news to many, but anyone with a smart phone needs to download the free app: “YouVersion” Bible. It gives you quick access to 20 different English translations, as well as several other languages. It’s quite easy to navigate between passages and versions, and offers various reading plans and ways to make notes. This is a wonderful gift to the body of Christ from our Covenant denomination’s largest church – LifeChurch in Oklahoma. You might consider making a donation to this project. And then get the Word into your mind and life!
BOOKS?
After priority mind/life-feeding time in God’s Word, I do appreciate being enriched and challenged through various authors. Here are a few of many worth the time.
• Philip Yancey, What Good is God? In Search of a Faith that Matters
Powerful stories from Yancey’s encounters with people around the world who are living demonstrations of God’s good in the thick of injustice and suffering – e.g. South Africa prisons, urban AA groups, Chinese house churches.
• N.T. Wright, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters
The great New Testament scholar helps us see what real life transformation from God is all about.
• John Grisham, The Confession
An engaging novel that will get you thinking about capital punishment.
• David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
Randy Stensgard got me into this powerful challenge that calls us back to basic disciple-making.
• Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer
The newest biography of the great German Pastor/Theologian hanged by the Nazis.
• John Perkins, Welcoming Justice: God’s Movement Toward Beloved Community
A “patriarch” of Christ-following racial reconciliation, and founder of the “Christian Community Development Association” should be known by all. In digital form, this little book is free!
• Michael Ward, The Narnia Code
If you love C.S. Lewis and his famous stories for children of all ages, you need to check out this remarkable breakthrough in seeing a playful and meaningful paradigm imbedded in The Chronicles of Narnia. Darlene and I enjoyed meeting Ward last summer in Oxford. His work, being hailed by virtually all Lewis experts, was introduced in his more scholarly Planet Narnia.
FILMS?
• The King’s Speech deserves Academy Awards and then some. Great acting gives us a true story of strength being drawn out of great struggle.
• Another true story with a similar thrust is Temple Grandin, the brilliant – and autistic! – CSU professor.
• Since I mentioned Michael Ward’s book, I will also commend the second Narnia movie, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I would even say that its departures from the original story even enrich and further develop Lewis’ parable of a journey through the enemy’s lures into God’s light.
