One gift has been hour upon hour of reading. I've started and finished 3 books in the past week!
I've enjoyed all three, so I wanted to share them with you. Here goes:
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL
By Todd Burpo
I will totally admit that I secretly mocked this book for months (which goes against my personal philosophy of not judging a book I haven't read, a movie I haven't seen, or a song I haven't heard, but I digress...) I had so many people recommend it that I finally gave in. And I have to admit, I was moved. I don't know how much of it I can believe, but I do believe that this family had an extraordinary experience, and it's one worth sharing. The book is well written, and I think the discussions it can evoke are worth having.
THE PATRON SAINT OF LIARS
By Ann Patchett
I read Ann's book Bel Canto as my 'airplane book' a few years ago, so I was excited when I saw this on the table at Costco. I love books that tell stories from multiple points of view. A theme in a lot of my reading and watching this year seems to be "the power of being loved." This book investigates the consequences of not accepting that love. Great storytelling and writing!
UNLEASHED
(Previously released at THE BARBARIAN WAY)
By Erwin Raphael McManus)
I heard Erwin at this year's Break Forth conference and he was my favourite speaker of the weekend. This book encourages us to rip away at civilized Christianity, and answer the primal call of Christ to "Follow me." What do we do when Christ calls us into risky places? What does a Christian 'barbarian' look like? It's obvious that Erwin is a bit of an adrenaline junky, so it would have been nice to have a few examples of risk taking that don't involve waterskis, ATVs, or visits to the ER. That said, I love this book. It's one of those books that shouldn't be simply read and closed - instead, we should use it to re-evaluate our faith walk and practices.