What’s on your nightstand?—Jul ‘11

I share my reading list on the fourth Tuesday of each month.
Here is what’s on my nightstand for July.

Just started

1. God’s Love Letters to You: A 40-Day Devotional Experience
     by Lawrence J. Crabb
I love short devotional books. I knew this would be good because it’s taken from 66 Love Letters, a book that captures the central theme of God’s love in each book of the Bible.

Each of the 40 days includes a Scripture reading, a short message, questions to think about, and a prayer.

Still reading

2. Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
     by Richard A. Swenson
From the back cover: “Overload is not having time to finish the book you are reading on stress. Margin is having time to read it twice.” Since I am now reading Hinds’ Feet for the third time, maybe this book on Margin is working!

Here’a great paragraph I read this morning:

When flying from New York to San Francisco, we don’t allow only three minutes to change planes in Chicago. A much greater margin of error is needed. But if we make such allowances in our travels, why don’t we do it in our living?

Life is a journey, but it is not a race. Do yourself a favor and slow down.

3. Hinds’ Feet on High Places
     by Hannah Hurnard
I started it (yes, for the third time) on the plane to El Salvador, on the way to my own High Places. And I love it as much as I remembered. The story of Much-Afraid gets to me every time.

4. The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion
     by Tim Challies
I’m on Chapter 9 of the audio version. Now have I not only decided I want the hardcopy, I’m deciding to make it required reading for Jenna this coming school year. Very thought-provoking about our digital habits, especially in context of our Christianity.

Finished from June’s nightstand

5. The Adoration of Jenna Fox
     by Mary E. Pearson
It’s a strange and thought-provoking novel—about 17-yr-old Jenna who wakes up after a coma—but that’s part of its lure. Here’s a teaser for you:

     ...And now we’ve come full circle. As we always do.
     “Everyone has to die eventually,” I say.
     Father lifts the bottle of wine. He holds it in front of the candle to judge its remaining contents. He empties half into Mother’s glass and half into his own. He takes a leisurely sip.
     “No more,” he says.

6. The Weight of All Things
     by Sandra Benitez
I read this novel because its setting was El Salvador during the 1980s. It helped me get a better feel for the recent history of conflict in the country I was about to visit. If I read it again now after my visit, I could put beautiful Salvadorian faces on the characters. Not the best book I’ve ever read, but it served its purpose for me.

7. Can Women Re-image the Church?
     by Rosemary Chinnici
I didn’t like it. I randomly picked it up at the library because the title was intriguing. While the theme of the exclusion of women in certain aspects of the church did resonate with my experiences, I didn’t find any particular value in reading more about it. However the book did aim to provide positive inward solutions so all was not lost.

8. Christianity & Liberalism
     by J. Gresham Machen
1923 or 2011? It wasn’t written for our time, but this classic applies just as much now as on the original publication date. Machen analyzes scriptural views versus “liberal” views on God, Bible, Christ, salvation, church, etc. I recommend it.

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What are you reading this month?

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• Past Nightstands