I have been reluctant to fulfill my promise to post on this blog because, frankly, I am not as sharp as the others who post here. They tend to read deep books and actually understand what they mean while I tend to read simple books and struggle with the big words. Normally I read what I'm in the mood for or what happens to be on the nightstand by my side of the bed. (One night it was my wife's copy of O, The Oprah Magazine. That's where I draw the line.) Having made that disclaimer here is what is currently on my nightstand:
The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
I realize that I am the last pastor on earth to read this book, but I have been concerned that it might contain too many big words. (See disclaimer above) Actually it is very readable. Willard's take on the Sermon on the Mount is one of the most life changing, down-to-earth applications I have read. He gives the best definition of prayer I have come across:
"I believe the most adequate description of prayer is simply, 'Talking to God about what we are doing together'...Prayer is a matter of explicitly sharing with God my concerns about what he too is concerned about in my life."
While I realize that 98.4% of the people who read this blog have probably memorized all of Willard's work, if you are a laggard like me you need to get busy. Be prepared, however, it will take awhile to get through. I have been working on it since January. You can only read a page or two without stopping and reflecting on God is saying to you through the book.
When Answers Aren't Enough by Matt Rogers
Rogers is the co-pastor of a church on the campus of Virginia Tech and the murders there last year set the backdrop for this poignant book. When Rogers found himself asking, "Where is God in all of this?" he went on a quest to find out what others had experience God as good in the midst of tragedy. He knew the pat answers that all pastors have been trained to give, but what do you do when answers just don't work anymore. This book is not only a reflection on what Rogers found, it will be a good resource for people in our lives who encounter unexplainable tragedy.
Bringing Down the House: The Inside Stories of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich
(Caution: This is NOT a Christian book. At all. By any means. It is also the basis of the soon to be released movie 21)
Mezrich tells the story of a group of brilliant students from M.I.T. who figured out a system to beat the game of blackjack and to win millions of dollars from Las Vegas casinos. More interesting than the actual story is the greed at the heart of the scheme and the effect on the players. A Vegas insider gives the best description of the power of greed, "We are all the same. You are here to take our money and we are here to take yours." Through the book you watch as the greed slowly eats away the souls of the students. While it is not the intention of the author, Breaking Down the House is a great morality tale on the destruction of the lust for more. More money, more pleasure, more of whatever becomes the center of my life.
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