Well, I met my goal of reading eight books this month, but man, some of these were doozies. Evil is alive and well in our world, and we need a lot of Jesus- following, Jesus-living people to combat it! Here's what I read this month:
77) Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation by Jon Ward—Jon Ward grew up in the evangelical movement, specifically in the movement that CJ Mahaney started. Ward has not lost faith. In fact, he ends this book asking, “What would a more Christian witness look like?” Ward is deeply disillusioned with the evangelical movement, however. From the inside, Ward reveals the corruption, pride, idolatry, and lack of discernment that many evangelicals have practiced over the years. He calls out Christians for operating out of pride and fear instead of self-sacrifice like Christ. As the chief national correspondent at Yahoo! News, Ward writes pointedly about the relationship between faith and politics. Ward names names and shoots straight. While I may not agree with everything he writes, I think his testimony is a telling one, and his question one that rings out even for me.
78) If You Could Live Anywhere: The Surprising Importance of Place in a Work-from-Anywhere World by Melody Warnick—I am not an Anywhereist, the term Melody Warnick uses for remote workers in her book, If You Could Live Anywhere. Still, Warnick has some important things to say about values and letting them inform the place you live, if you have a choice about it. Using anecdotes and plenty of research, Warnick explores what it means to have a “locations strategy.” This book is easy to read, and contains thoughtful questions and exercises for those who are in the process of choosing a place to live. While I like where we live and do not really want to live anywhere else, this book gave me pause for thought about my place attachment and how I might further it to better both the place where I live, and my own life.
79) I Am A Christian: Discovering What it Means to Follow Jesus Together with Fellow Believers by Thom Rainer—If we choose to follow Jesus, we choose to center our lives around him, which makes us Christians. As believers and disciples, Christians must be part of a local church, serving, witnessing, and praying. Rainer writes that these things aren’t optional, and that Christian growth parallels participation in the church. This is a short, sweet book with seven “I am” statements for believers to consider and honor. This book is challenging in its own right, and a worthwhile read.
80) I'm No Angel by Kylie Bisutti—Kylie Bisutti became a model in her teens, and then went on to win the famed Victoria's Secret Angel model contest. All the while, she fought the pressures of the industry to stay small, sell sex, and basically give up her life for a dream. Kylie came to know Christ in high school, married young, and had to learn the hard way that, in her own words, “I couldn’t love the world and love God.” How far Kylie went in the industry, without anyone in her life really stepping in to say, “No,” honestly disgusts me. It is true that she probably learned the most by going as far as she did, but did she really have to do that? I guess we will never know. The best part of this book is really, “The Master’s Makeover: 30 Days to a More Beautiful You” section, where she shared scripture, insights, and questions to become more beautiful according to God's standards. Honestly, I would recommend reading her devotional and just skipping the book. It's dark, and why have dark when Kylie has shared what it looks like to now walk in the light?
81) Letters to the Church by Francis Chan—Francis Chan grew a mega church movement. Then he left it all to do mission work in Asia. When God called he and his family back to America, he came back to plant house churches and advocate for a return to the New Testament model of church. This book is both rebuke and encouragement. Chan calls out the church for its lack of love, its overemphasis on programming, and its pride. He encourages return to the “simple things” of prayer, Bible reading, and gathering. While I am not sure I agree with everything Chan writes, I think the letters of his book deserve consideration and pondering, especially if the Church truly wants to be more like Jesus and less like the world.
82) Her Valentine Hero by Gail Gaymer Martin—Neely comes home to care for her father after his heart attack, and her sister after her sister lost her husband. After neglecting to take care of herself, Neely decides to go to the local high school track and start running again. There she runs into Jonny, her best friend's little brother, now a man and the high school football coach. Jonny has loved Neely for ages, but Neely sees him as the little brother pest he once was. As time goes on, though, Jonny is there for Neely when she needs him, proving that love is about dependability. Neely has a secret, though, a secret she has to own before she can accept Jonny's love. This is a sweet tale, a bit mistitled because only one part of the book is about Valentine's Day, but a good read nonethless. I especially liked the redemptive aspects of this story, perhaps because the author, as a counselor, knows a thing or two about redemption and healing.
83) The Compelling Community: Where God's Power Makes a Church Attractive by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop—Part of the 9Marks book series, this book is written for pastors, but applicable for the community of the church. In it, Dever argues that the church is for believers, and that community is crucial to the church's witness. Dever argues less for formal church community and more for informal, created-by-members community. He asserts over and over again that selflessness is needed for this type of interaction. He suggests that preaching pays a crucial role in promoting community. He convicts readers of the need to pray for the church. Without getting too theological, Dever really gives readers a lot to think about when it comes to church. It is powerful to consider what a better witness the church might be for God if readers put into practice these principles.
84) A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings—This is not a book to read if you want to feel well. Truly. It is a tale of traumas, many, many, may stacked up over and over again upon one another. It is a story of not believing victims, of fundamentalism gone way, way, wrong, and of a lot of abuse. There is alcoholism and pornography and mental illness and so much more terrible stuff. I wanted to read this book after seeing the author in Shiny, Happy People, and I am glad I read her story. It did give me nightmares, though. I am not sure I fully agree with where she stands now on everything. This book is a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. Somehow, by God's grace, people like Tia survive. Levings says she keeps her religious practices private now, but somehow, by God's grace, may he continue to redeem and save her because man, no one should have to go through what she went through.
85) Letters to My Daughters: The Art of Being a Wife by Barbara Rainey—This is truly a beautiful book. Written as responses to e-mails from her daughter-in-law and daughters, this is a book chock-full of advice, scripture, and encouragement to do life as a wife God's ways. There is not belittling or fundamentalism, but rather beauty portrayed through story and metaphor. The book is put together beautifully as well, with art and quotes throughout. Reading this book felt like balm to my soul after reading about the awfulness of abusive marriage in A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings.
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