Read and Reviewed: July 2012

28. God Is The Gospel by John Piper
Love this book. It was my second time reading it, and I kept my highlighter close by. In its pages, Piper unveils how each good gift that comes from the gospel really points to the ultimate gift of the gospel, God Himself. It challenges the ‘prosperity gospel,’ and, I think, American Christian culture in general.

29. Weird by Craig Groeschel
Groeschel says that normal isn’t working in American Christian culture, and challenges the reader to be different – weird –in a way that seeks to glorify God. He addresses the areas of time,
money, relationships, sex, and values. If you’re considering reading this book, I suggest Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman instead (Book #1). I read this at the beginning of my adventure of resolve to read a book a week and it has a similar premise as Weird, but, I think, is better written and more practical.

*Note: I previously worked for a small organization called Love180 as a secretary. As part of that job, I read many books about sexual purity. I was recently given a stack of more purity books, and so the next several books on my list will be in that category.

30. Soul Virgins by Doug Rosenau and Michael Todd Wilson
Please do not read this book. This one is now in the garbage because it is not fit for my bookshelf
and I will not pass it along to someone else. It is far worse than the typical Christian sexual abstinence book. As is typical, the authors attempt to coin some of their own phrases and terms and redefine words; there are plenty of stories about Tom and Jane, and Harry and Sally. More than that, this book has no specific practical helps; it is all generalizations, and the few boundaries it does propose are perilously close to what the authors call “true sex,” or
intercourse. Completely unhelpful practically, and liberal in belief and boundary, it’s not a book I’m recommending.

A Tribute: The Martins

My time working as a nanny for the Martins has come to a close, and I am setting out to write a blog of tribute to this family and these children who have so graciously spent the past year with me. From Megan refusing her bottle the first few weeks to these last months of climbing up the junge gym and going down the sliding board, I've loved watching Megan and Daniel grow into toddlers.

Daniel: Danny loves a good back rub or "spiders crawling up your back", and he laughs and laughs when the goosebumps come at the end of the ditty. He is always pleasant and playful. He loves wearing shoes and going out for a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to the playground. Dan would do all the motions with me to "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and always wanted me to sing it over and over.

Megan: Meg would leave what she was doing throughout the day to come give me a hug and sit in my lap for a few seconds. Her favorite word is "uh-oh!" Reading is one of her favorite activities and she would bring me book after book. She loves dress-up too, and each morning when I would bring clothes downstairs her excitement over getting dressed for the day was obvious.

I have so many memories of being with Meg and Danny - of teaching them "more" in sign language at mealtime; of Meg sleeping in the Moby Wrap; of Danny's sweaty head on my shoulder as we spent the last half of naptime on the couch together; of reading Fifteen Animals a hundred times a day; of pushing the double stroller around the neighborhood; of afternoons at the playground; of rolling balls across the floor, and pretending to drink out of teacups; of smacking my lips to Megan's laughter, and playing peek-a-boo with Daniel behind the rocker; of building towers and knocking them down. I thank God for the privilege of investing in their lives and for the opportunity to learn from being with them. It is a bittersweet goodbye.

Read and Reviewed: June 2012

25. Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur
This book makes you feel like a fly on the wall, as you listen in to the time the disciples spent with Jesus. MacArthur devotes space to each of the twelve disciples, pointing out character traits and re-telling their stories. I enjoyed it, although do not care much for MacArthur’s writing style.

26. A Salty Piece Of Land by Jimmy Buffett
This novel was given to me to read otherwise I would have put it down on page three. It is the story of a Cowboy named Tully Mars who is running from the law with his horse, Mister Twain, and the people he meets along the way as well as the lighthouse he works to rebuild. It is a good story-telling for sure, but I would find it more enjoyable without the profanity, sex, drunkenness, and drugs.

27. The Pleasures Of God by John Piper
Two sentences I highlighted in this book: “In the end it will not be the seas or the mountains or the canyons or the water spiders or the clouds or the great galaxies that fill our hearts to breaking with wonder and fill our mouths with eternal praise. It will be God himself.” Now go read the rest of the book about God’s pleasure in being God because I cannot summarize well enough.