I'd like to recommend some books I've read in the past several months--mostly by keeping a book in my purse and staying up much later than I ought to. I usually do a recap of books read in the previous year, but I've already mentioned some other books
here and
here. I'll spare you the novels I've read. That leaves the following list, in chronological order of my reading them, with most recent first (you'll see that my memory deteriorates with length of time):
The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. I just finished this one a few days ago, and Logan and I took the quiz on the website; as I suspected, our love languages are just about opposite of each other! This is an
excellent book for married couples seeking to communicate lifelong commitment to each other. While the "in-love experience" lasts two years at most, happy marriages are made when spouses learn to speak the primary love language of their significant other, creating an atmosphere of security, self-worth and fulfillment. The love languages are
words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and
physical touch. While receiving love in your primary language fills your "love tank," receiving the opposite of your love language (i.e. insults for a "words of affirmation" person, isolation for a "quality time" person, etc.) is devastating. The vast majority of couples do not naturally speak their mate's primary love language, so a choice is made to reach beyond your comfort level and fumble around with a foreign tongue until proficiency grows. This is an investment with a high return! Dr. Chapman also includes a good chapter on learning the love languages of your children. For some children, its receiving the ball and glove that matters, for another it is tossing the ball in the backyard that matters, for another, its verbal affirmation of their sporting ability, etc.
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller (Newsweek named him= the "C.S. Lewis of today"--a tremendous honor!). Keller explains the meaning behind Jesus' parable of The Prodigal Son, what he says ought to be called
The Two Lost Sons or
The Prodigal God. In short, the parable demonstrates how "God extends prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic." Logan's cousin Vandy gave us this book when we visited him in Philly on our way North last month, and I read it aloud to Logan in the car. Beautifully explains God's heart and the true spirit of Christianity--it's not about religion, it's all about relationship with our Loving Father. I would give this book to everyone if I could!
Heroine of Haarlem - This is from the series, "Heroes of the Faith," and is a biography of Corrie Ten Boom that I found at my in-laws' house while we were in NC. I love to read biographies of missionaries and zealots for Christ. The entire Ten Boom family boldly opposed the Nazi regime by hiding Jews, and paid the ultimate price when they were imprisoned and sent to concentration camps. Several of her family members died in the horrific conditions, and by God's grace Corrie persevered and began a rehabilitation ministry to former Nazi party members after the war, and a prolific preaching and writing ministry. Her primary message was of forgiveness. Very inspiring story!
Surviving in an Angry World by Charles Stanley. I thought Dr. Stanley covered the topic of anger thoroughly and with understanding. I usually don't like to
listen to Dr. Stanley preach because he interjects, "Listen!" so frequently that it is jarring. My personal pet peeve! But this book was exceptionally good. My favorite chapter was on raising children to have Godly character. Very helpful. The subtitle of the book is "Finding Your Way to Personal Peace," and that is what the book is about.
Man of Vision by Marilee Pierce-Dunker, the daughter of Rev. Bob Pierce. This is a biography of her father, an incredible visionary who founded two ministries that have literally touched the lives of millions of impoverished children throughout the world: World Vision and Samaritan's Purse. It was an inspiring read, to see how God used an imperfect person to accomplish great things for the Kingdom. Everyone felt strongly about Rev. Pierce--either positively or negatively. Although the Pierce family became fractured with conflict, God granted healing and restoration before Rev. Pierce's death. My favorite Bob Pierce quote is, "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God."
Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. As I was reading this, I developed diarrhea-of-the-mouth to all of my mom-friends. I couldn't stop talking about what I was learning! The book counters many of our American assumptions in raising kids with the findings of recent scientific studies, primarily neurological. Each chapter focuses on a different topic, like
The Myth of Praise, Lying, Gifted Child Testing, etc. Follow the link to a very interesting website with corresponding articles and videos. I loved this book! Very interesting.
C.T. Studd by Norman Grubb. This biography begins in England, where C.T. grew up in the lap of luxury in a very wealthy family. As a young man he was the best cricketer in the country, which made him something of a rock star. Leaving this all behind for the mission field, he lived under the starkest conditions possible, fully dependent on God to provide for all his needs, first in China, then India, and finally in Africa. He married a fiery Salvation Army missionary, and they had four daughters. When they married, he received his inheritance and handed it over to his wife, who cheerfully wrote checks to ministers and missions organizations, giving it all away. Meanwhile, they were living as much like the impoverished nationals they were serving as possible, trusting solely on God's provision and care. What a
zealot!!! The excerpts from his personal writings were incredibly inspiring. I was riveted by this biography.
And finally,
here is a link to an excerpt from a book that I want to read by Tim Keller with his wife, Kathy Keller, entitled
The Meaning of Marriage. The excerpt is called, "You never marry the right person." Looks good!
Posts
