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What’s on your nightstand—Oct ‘11

Here’s what I’m reading this month.

Just started

The-Faith-of-LeapThe Faith of Leap
By: Michael Frost, Alan Hirsch
     About living more spiritually adventurous.
Barely in chapter 1, but so far, so good. I think I need this one.

 

 

Going-DeepGoing Deep
By:
Gordon MacDonald
     About cultivating deeper people in the church.
It’s written in narrative form. The hook has pulled me in; I’m ready for its content now.

 

What-Women-Fear-by-Angie-SmithWhat Women Fear
By: Angie Smith
     About turning over our fears to God.
Jenna and I are reading this together and watching the accompanying videos at the (in)Courage book club. It’s nice to read about a few fears that I don’t actually have (but several that I do).

Still reading

Mindfulness

Mindfulness
By: Ellen Langer 
     About paying attention.
It’s not a Christian book, but I’m finding it easy to make connections with my faith. Finishing it soon with the book club at The High Calling.

 

The-Cross-of-ChristThe Cross of Christ
By: John Stott
     About why the cross matters in every part of your life.
It can be laborious in spots, but the good parts reward the hard readings. Plodding through with the group at Challies.

 

Spiritual-DepressionSpiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure
By:
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
     About our lack of joy in Christ and how to get it back.
I’m sad I’m almost finished. I’m at 95% (Kindle talk—no idea what page # that would be). It’s a collection of sermons but they connect seamlessly and are so rich in theology and in practicality.

 

Finished from September’s nightstand

enemies-of-the-heartEnemies of the Heart
By: Andy Stanley
     About how to handle guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy.
This was actually very practical. I’m already putting it into practice when I need to deal with these issues. I’ll do a full review soon....

 

The-Practice-of-the-Presence-of-GodThe Practice of the Presence of God
By:
Brother Lawrence
     About remembering that God is with you all the time.
Oh, I love this little book. I’m sure I’ll re-read it again in another few years.

 

 

Harry-Potter-and-the-Chamber-of-SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
By:
J. K. Rowling
     About Harry’s second year at Hogwarts.
I needed some reading just for fun. I liked this second book more than the first one, but was advised not to stop at this one.

 

Harry-Potter-and-the-Prisoner-of-AzkabanHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
By: J. K. Rowling
     About Harry’s third year at Hogwarts.
I heard this is the book that would either hook me or not. Okay, so I’m hooked. I’ll read book four soon.

 

The Last Sin EaterThe Last Sin Eater
By:
Francine Rivers
     About an Appalachian community’s dealing with sin.
This Christian novel was not only entertaining but redeeming. I recommend it! Should I see the movie now?

 

* * *

What book is on your nightstand?

What's on Your Nightstand at _5 minutes for Books_

Comments (21)

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I thought What Women Fear sounded interesting, but haven't gotten it -- sometimes reading about fears tends to cause me to have more trouble with them, even in a book about helping combat them. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

I liked The Last Sin Eater, too. I saw part of the movie but I can't remember much about it.
My recent post What’s On Your Nighstand: October
1 reply · active 689 weeks ago
I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished with it, Barbara. The author Angie Smith is good about adding in a dose of humor to help along the way. She's one of the ladies we heard speak at the Women of Faith conference so I think that's helping me enjoy the book even more too.
I saw the movie The Last Sin Eater before I read the book. I wish I had done it in the reverse because I think I liked the book better and it would have helped me process the movie. If you do watch it, it would be interesting to hear what you thought of it. It's been a few years since I've touched either.

Going Deep sounds great....as do most of the books on your list! I'm pretty sure I'm going to be The Last Holdout for Harry Potter although that's not my intention! I just need the TIME!
1 reply · active 689 weeks ago
Yeah, I'm typically a book-first, movie-second person too.

Going Deep was one I for review. It's keeping my attention, but I don't think I'm learning much or being inspired much, so far...

And I thought that I was the last Harry Potter holdout. Maybe I can still hold the record for being a "Titantic" movie holdout. :-) I still haven't seen it.
Lynn Severance's avatar

Lynn Severance · 689 weeks ago

I am nearly finished, "Socrates in the City" which is a compilation of talks given at this group's monthly meetings/events. This is a group founded by Eric Metaxas, author of "Bonhoeffer". It is an amazing read. The group has been meeting for 10 years. Obviously, not all talks are in the book but some key ones are: Chuck Colson, N.T. Wright are among some names you might recognize. The topics are meaty but so good. All deal with the depths of Christianity. Besides being a brilliant writer, Eric Metaxas is also a humorist and as the editor of the book, he has chosen ( rather it was insisted by many ) his introductions of each spekaer are included. These add wondderful levity to the book. IOne can read through one talk plus the Q&A section after the talk which are as meaningful as the lecture itself , put the book down and get back to it later. As each is most meaningful, there is a lot to ponder. On the other hand, I have also had times when I just go straight to the next gifted speakers words.
1 reply · active 689 weeks ago
I've seen "Socrates in the City" pop up different places, probably from Metaxas' FB page. I'm glad you're enjoying it! You'll have to tell me which chapters are your favorites when you're done.
I am reading What Women Fear too although a little behind and I forgot to mention it on my list, actually I just did not add what I started to the list this time. I do like it.
I have Spiritual Depression as an ebook too and will have to read it as you made it sound so good. I saw a few other books on your list, that look good as always.
My recent post What’s on My Nightstand? for October
1 reply · active 689 weeks ago
I almost forgot to mention "What Women Fear" too. Funny. I think because I'm reading it on a schedule I tend not to think about it as "on my nightstand." ;-)

I almost wish now that I had gotten Spiritual Depression as a real book instead of my Kindle because I "marked" so many places in it. (I still like flipping through a book and re-reading what I highlighted. I know I can scan through on my Kindle as well, but not as easily.)
I laughed at your "Kindle talk." I like knowing pages, but I really like the % as well, and I'm glad you found the right book for the right time in "The Faith of Leap."
My recent post What's on my Nightstand, October
1 reply · active 689 weeks ago
I think the new Kindles do show page numbers, right? I would like that feature but I don't want to give up the keyboard on my older Kindle. I hear the new keyboards aren't nearly as easy to use.

But yes, the % is also neat to know. Sometimes when I'm reading a real book I'll set a goal to read 10 pages a day (or whatever) , but with the Kindle, it has to be in percentages, like 2% a day. We adapt, right? :-)
I'm re-reading Harry Potter, though I finished book four a while ago and haven't had time to pick up book five. The series only gets better from here though!
1 reply · active 689 weeks ago
That's what I hear. The next time I'm at the library I'll probably pick up #4, although I really, really should wait until I get some other books off my stack first. But I probably won't. ha.
The Jesus Storybook Bible is on my Kindle, and I'm about 75% through. On recommendations of friends, I have already given it to some children and wanted to read it myself. I just began listening to Piper's _Think_ while I do my PT exercises but expect I will need to double back through the text edition too. The Lloyd-Jones is on my wish list, but I think a fun read needs to be next. Not sure what.

Glad sigh... book talk is one of my favorite topics!

Grace and peace to you in Jesus.
My recent post When Pain Comes...
1 reply · active 689 weeks ago
That’s a great idea, Christina. Let me know what you end up thinking about the Jesus Storybook; I might buy a few for gifts too. :-)

I’m glad you mentioned listening to “Think.” I forgot I how downloaded it a few weeks ago too. ha. I enjoyed reading awhile back but I’m sure I’ve already forgotten most of it by now.

I love book talk too. :-) So nice to have friends who share this passion. I pray you’re feeling better!

I feel like a lazy slug... You must read like the wind!
My recent post A SLEEPLESS NIGHT
Hi Lisa,

What fun to see what you are reading! I really enjoyed Brother Lawrence's Practicing the Presence of God, and Francine River's The Last Sin Eater. I was amazed at how well Rivers seemed to capture the accents and dialogue of the people she was writing about. I felt a twang creeping into my own voice just as I was reading silently. Impressive skill and powerful themes.

Keep reading and passing on the treasures. If you had to choose your top three favorite books of this year... what would they be?

Fellow book lover,
Jennifer Dougan www.jenniferdougan.com
Oooh, I always leave convicted & encouraged when I read your nightstand post! Convicted because I spend so much of my time reading fiction; encouraged because you always read so many great-sounding works of nonfiction! I really, really need to get back to Spiritual Depression. And I'm a HP holdout, too. :-)
My recent post October 2011 Nightstand
So many GREAT titles here. I've always enjoyed Gordon McDonald, and Martin Lloyd Jones' Spiritual Depression is a classic. And then there's Stott and Brother Lawrence. Goodness girl, terrific stuff!
My recent post 10 Books I Should Read ...
As always, you have a great list! I love seeing HP there and you know Spiritual Depression is a favorite as well. I loved the Last Sin Eater too, another favorite!
My recent post Thankfulness on Thursday
The Last Sin Eater sounds like a good one. I have read some of her books and I enjoy anything about Appalachia.
Mama Bear
Like some of your other readers, I too feel convicted that I need to read less fiction! There are so many good books out there but sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the fluffy ones. Happy November reading!
My recent post What's on My Nightstand?

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