WHAT I'VE BEEN READING...

dIn my last post I mentioned one of my love/hate relationships with school... juggling so many classes. Reading falls into this same category. I find myself reading 7 books at the same time, which for some may not be a problem. For me it is. They are  all so interesting and hold a wealth of information but I struggle to read these books well. If I have to read a book fast, I miss a lot of gems and if I read at a speed that allows me to really connect with the book, I won't finish it in the allotted time. However I enjoyed all the books I read for this semester, so I thought I'd share incase anyone is looking for a new book to read.

1. Revelation: I read four commentaries for my Revelation class.  Craig Koester's Revelation and the End of All Things, Apocalypse and Allegiance by J. Nelson Karybill,  Eugene Peterson's Reversed Thunder and The Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham. Revelation is a seemingly daunting book, but after this class and after reading these books, I find it a shame that the book of Revelation is not taught more by churches today. There are a lot of different views about Revelation, but these books go into great detail of the history and background of when the book was written and who it was written too. Koesters book is a 'big picture' book, it gives the whole of everything from background to every chapter details. Kraybill's book is much more historically focused, in which his opinion helps in understanding what John of Patmos was writing. Reversed Thunder was more like a devotional reading, that was driving more of the application of Revelation to Christians today, and Bauckum is a very detailed and wordy account of the book. All were interesting!

2. For my Evangelism and Discipleship class we read four books. Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World by Rebecca Pippert, More Ready Than You Realize by Brian Mclaren, The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman and Growing True Disciples by George Barna. Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World and The Master Plan of Evangelism were definitely my two favorites from the class. I had read Coleman's book before, but it was great to look at it again. Essentially it describes Jesus' structure to his ministry and how it useful for outreaching and discipling ministries today.

3. In Art History I read two books one by Ross King called Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, a very well rounded look into the history around the painting of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling and the people involved. The other was The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen. This was a personal reflection by Nouwen and what the story of the Prodigal Son meant to him, all inspired by Rembrandt's famous painting.



4. FREE READING! This semester because of other books and projects and school work I didn't get to read as much as I hoped. I did read Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken with letters from C.S Lewis. This is by far one of the best love stories I've ever read. It's a beautiful account of a husband and wife and the love they share as friends, lovers and eventually they come to know the Lord and find a true lasting love in Him.  Definitely shed a few tears while reading this one!