Katie’s top 11 books from 2011
One of the myriad things I love about Katie, my wife of eight weeks, is our shared passion for books. Even better, we read a lot of the same kinds of books. And then we get to talk about them, and often, what ends up on this blog begins as a conversation over dinner or while driving through the Arizona desert. I'm smarter and wiser because I have her around, that's for sure. On Monday I shared my top books from 2011. Here now are Katie's top picks. There's a bit of overlap, as you'll notice, which owes itself just as often to me copying her as to her copying me.
Although I share my husband’s desire to read widely to develop critical and discerning thinking rather than cloning myself to one or two author’s thoughts or perspectives, I have compiled a rather narrow top 11 reads of 2011. It seems somehow wrong to have two of the same authors as well as three books on the topic of justice, but these were the books I was honestly most impacted by this year.
Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart
An inspiring and informative read about how relationship and empowerment can bring change and self-respect to those who easily believe they are worthless. Boyle is a priest whose impact shows how each of us desire to be invested in, known and loved.
Emmanuel Jal, War Child
An especially timely read in light of South Sudan’s 2011 independence, Emmanuel shares his story of becoming a child soldier. Scarred by hatred, hunger, isolation and violence while just a child, he found his voice through music which he has used to raise awareness, protest and advocate for peace, child protection and human rights.
Richard Foster, Streams of Living Water
Foster’s grace and wisdom approaches six traditions of the faith offering perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Each offer enduring elements that challenge those of us who desire to live faithfully.
Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge
Who among us can say we grasp forgiveness and extending it to others? This book is best summarized by this quote from the introduction: “The true God is a God who cannot stop giving and forgiving, and that our knowledge of Him is utterly bound up with our willingness to receive from the hand of God the liberty to give and forgive.” (Dr. Rowan Williams)
David Powlison, Seeing with New Eyes
I re-read this for a class and am grateful I had the opportunity to do so. A solid collection of articles written for those who desire to help others in the process of becoming more like Christ. He encourages us to place the Redeemer at the center of the picture and find the power to change in turning to Him in all of life.
Eugene Peterson, The Pastor
Absolute soul-medicine. A masterful weaving of the formative moments of Peterson’s development into a true pastor. He redefines what we often view as the essentials of a good pastor and extends to us something richer, steeped in Scripture.
Edith Schaeffer, L’abri
The concepts of L’abri had shaped my views of hospitality and personal vocation long before I read Edith’s description of their story and vision. But this book still brought new shades of light and context to the ideas of facilitating, in relationship, the process of leaning into God and what he has to say about the realities of the world we live in.
Robert Lupton, Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life
Lupton breathes experience, wisdom and genuine love for the poor and marginalized. He navigates the tensions between reaching out with compassion and defending the dignity and humanity of every person.
John Perkins, Let Justice Roll Down
A compelling story of Perkin’s civil rights journey. Although heartbreaking to read about the depths of hate and oppression, it’s inspiring to learn from one who pursued social justice rooted in strong evangelical faith even before it became trendy.
Timothy Keller, King’s Cross
A collection of sermons based on the Gospel of Mark which bring the words of Jesus to life, offering context and references that reveal the message as truly good news.
Timothy Keller, Generous Justice
A treatise of the implications of our faith and belief in Scripture; the Biblical basis for what should drive us to pursue justice. Keller beautifully articulates what many of us know in our hearts and see as we read Scripture, but often struggle to communicate effectively.
Jeremy Taylor on humility and blogging
Each morning for the past six weeks I’ve been reading an entry from Devotional Classics, a collection of writings from great devotional writers down through history.
It’s compiled by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith for Renovaré, a nonprofit group dedicated to spiritual formation among Christians of many kinds.
Foster wrote another book that I love, called Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith. I blogged about it in the spring of 2010, while living in Costa Rica among Catholics and evangelicals. Both that book and this one emphasize six main traditions, or streams, of the Christian faith -- each with its unique emphases, each containing both strengths and weaknesses.
This is my second time reading and reflecting on Devotional Classics, and if you follow me on Twitter you’re likely to see a tweet or two each morning from whatever I’ve just read. There is just so much good stuff to ponder. I was particularly challenged by one called “The Grace of Humility” by Jeremy Taylor, a guy who lived in England during the 1600s.
So as a public record of what I’m working through, and hopefully as an encouragement to you, here are some quotes from that chapter on humility, a perpetually difficult and unpopular virtue, but one we’d all do well to cultivate -- perhaps especially here in the blogosphere.
“If you realize that you are not wise, do not be angry if someone else should agree.”
“Do not let your praise be the intended end of what you say. If it so happens that someone speaks well of you in the midst of a conversation, you are not to stop the conversation. Only remember this: do not let praise for yourself be the design of your conversations.”
“Do not let your good reputation be the object of your gaze. Use it as an instrument to help your neighbor, but do not use it for your own gain.”
“Some people spend their time dreaming of greatness, envisioning theaters full of people applauding them, imagining themselves giving engaging speeches, fantasizing about having great wealth. All of this is nothing but the fumes of pride, exposing their heart’s true wishes. Although there is nothing directly evil in this, it is the offspring of an inner evil and has nothing whatsoever to do with the obtaining of humility.”
“Take an active part in the praising of others, entertaining their good with delight. In no way should you give in to the desire to disparage them, or lessen their praise, or make any objection. You should never think that hearing the good report of another in any way lessens your worth.”
“It is beneficial to focus on the strengths of those around us in order to see our weaknesses more clearly.”
“If you have made a mistake, or an oversight, or an indiscretion, confess it plainly, for virtue scorns a lie for its cover.”
“Give God thanks for every weakness, fault, and imperfection you have. Accept it as a favor of God, an instrument to resist pride and nurse humility. Remember, if God has chosen to shrink your swelling pride, he has made it that much easier for you to enter in through the narrow way!”
“Humility begins as a gift from God, but it is increased as a habit we develop. That is, humility is increased by exercising it.”
I'd love your thoughts on these quotes from Jeremy Taylor. What do they mean for you? When blogging, do you consider whether you're cultivating humility? Are blogging and humility mutually exclusive? Would Jeremy Taylor have a blog, were he alive today?
The best books of 2010
In a post like this, it bears stating that I read a lot of books, and with very few exceptions, I don't regret reading any of them. So when it comes to picking which ones were the best -- as I am occasionally asked -- I find it exceedingly difficult. To get me thinking through the good, the bad and the ugly of what I've read over the past year, I took a look at two "best of" lists that I'm inclined to take seriously, both of which I commend to you as thoughtful and well worth checking out: Christianity Today and Heart & Minds Booknotes, the latter of which is put together by Byron Borger, who runs a one-of-a-kind bookstore just across the river from here in York, Pennsylvania. You really need to see it to believe it.
Now for my list. Keep in mind that this includes not just books published in 2010, but any I read during the course of the year. I'm terrible at ranking these sorts of things, so what follows is what you might call a "tithe" of the books I've read: the ten best ones, in no particular order, with a brief blurb about why I liked each one so much:
Richard Foster, Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith
Takes a look at the six streams of the Christian faith, including how they're rooted both in the Bible and church history, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each. For a denominational mutt like me, this book was soul medicine.
Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way: A Conversation of the Ways That Jesus is the Way
The third in a five part anthology of "spiritual theology" this book examines the most neglected part of the teaching that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Profound implications on following Christ in all areas of life.
Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis
It's a memoir in comic book form about a girl growing up in revolutionary Iran. Need I say more?
Eduardo Galeano, Soccer In Sun and Shadow
Includes short vignettes from each World Cup, set in the context of where history was headed at the time, along with short player biographies and poetic descriptions of the intricacies of the beautiful game.
Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus
Turns the ubiquitous idea of "leadership in ministry" on its head, emphasizing that what the world needs isn't more leaders, but irrelevant servants who live like Jesus. I read it in 2008, 2009 and again in 2010, and I plan to read it regularly throughout my life. It's very biblical and completely counter-cultural within church as we know it.
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
This was a daunting one to begin, but once I finally got around to reading it, it sucked me right in. The story of a family during the Depression, interspersed with snapshots from the world around them, is epic and its themes are, for better or worse, timeless.
Chaim Potok, The Chosen
This novel was highly recommended to me by multiple people, and it didn't disappoint. The story of two Jewish boys and their fathers in Brooklyn, whose lives are worlds apart yet inseparably linked.
Dee Brown, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
I hesitate to include this one because I didn't exactly enjoy it, and neither will you. It's long and tedious and depressing. But it's perhaps the most important book I read all year.
Michael Reid, Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul
I made it a point during 2010 to read more books focused on Latin America, and this was probably the one that best captured the mood and the context in the continent at the moment.
G.K. Chesterton, St. Francis of Assisi
Having read several books about St. Francis already, and even having visited Assisi five years ago, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this. But Chesterton has a masterful way with words and where other biographies of the man who spoke with birds fall short, this one soars.
So, how about you? Which books do I need to add to my list for 2011?
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