books: what are you currently reading?

[roknroll]

I actually found the book very refreshing, and agreed with a lot of his points.  A lot of feelings he felt about church and God, were the same feelings I have felt at some time or another.  I especially agreed with him, when he talked about the hippie culture.  It really does seem like a lot of churches snub there noses to people that look a little different, or that don't act a certain way.  When he hung out with the hippies, they accepted him for who he was, and wanted to get to know him on a very personal basis.   They may not have helped him become a better person spritually per-se, but they didn't judge him or look down on him.  If you think about it, soul, Jesus was actually pretty liberal minded. The leadership in my old church was so corrupt, that now half of the original members that held it together, don't even go anymore.  I stopped going because of the new pastor they elected as well.  I don't really have a church to call my own anymore because of leadership that failed, and then couldn't own up to their own failure.  A little thing called pride.  Nothing was done to make things right, so I left.  I'm a Christian myself, but at times, I can't help but feel that I'm being judged or looked down upon by other christians.  I'm also almost embarrassed to call myself a Christian anymore, after all, 80% of America claim to be Christian.  Now, I came from a VERY fundamental Christian church.  There was basically no tolerance or acceptance for anything modern.  So maybe I'm an extreme case in why I found dissatisfaction in my local church.  I mean come on, up until about 3 years ago, we wouldn't even clap after special music.  It was very awkward to say the least...until one day, some guy just started clapping, and everyone joined in.  Now you can probably tell why I liked this book so much :GRN>  hehe.  Church should make a person feel liberated in Christ, and I felt suffocated.  I'm going to B n N tonight, I'll check out velvet elvis. 

[Caleb]

I actually found the book very refreshing, and agreed with a lot of his points.  A lot of feelings he felt about church and God, were the same feelings I have felt at some time or another.  I especially agreed with him, when he talked about the hippie culture.  It really does seem like a lot of churches snub there noses to people that look a little different, or that don't act a certain way.  When he hung out with the hippies, they accepted him for who he was, and wanted to get to know him on a very personal basis.   They may not have helped him become a better person spritually per-se, but they didn't judge him or look down on him.  If you think about it, soul, Jesus was actually pretty liberal minded. The leadership in my old church was so corrupt, that now half of the original members that held it together, don't even go anymore.  I stopped going because of the new pastor they elected as well.  I don't really have a church to call my own anymore because of leadership that failed, and then couldn't own up to their own failure.  A little thing called pride.  Nothing was done to make things right, so I left.  I'm a Christian myself, but at times, I can't help but feel that I'm being judged or looked down upon by other christians.  I'm also almost embarrassed to call myself a Christian anymore, after all, 80% of America claim to be Christian.  Now, I came from a VERY fundamental Christian church.  There was basically no tolerance or acceptance for anything modern.  So maybe I'm an extreme case in why I found dissatisfaction in my local church.  I mean come on, up until about 3 years ago, we wouldn't even clap after special music.  It was very awkward to say the least...until one day, some guy just started clapping, and everyone joined in.  Now you can probably tell why I liked this book so much :GRN>  hehe.  Church should make a person feel liberated in Christ, and I felt suffocated.  I'm going to B n N tonight, I'll check out velvet elvis. 

roknroll -- very insightful post. thank you being so honest. ya know, i feel VERY MUCH the same way both miller.....and you for that matter.......feel about church. i have some very real frustrations with it as a whole, some of the same ones you have i'd imagine. from leaders who are walking in pride to church members looking down on those who are not like them. lots of times christians simply become pharisees. but they are blind to it lots of times, because the truly proud are completely blind. you and i could likely talk about this for hours on end and probalby agree most of the time.

i guess the thing that bugs me about miller, and lots of guys like him, is that they are irritated (and rightly so lots of times) with anything traditional.....and that's cool.....but they dont' come off very loving toward them. so, even though miller and others might be right, if they have no love, then they become the very thing that they are rallying against. because pride works on both sides. and when anyone starts thinking they're better than someone else.......for any reason at all........then pride has set up shop and destruction is going to be moving in as well.

again, i see the frustrations, but to so harsh on those different from yourself makes you the same as the ones you are frustrated with.

like i said, i think miller had to seriously hold back or he would have went full-throttle on the matter. and he would have a legit reason to do so, in some cases.

the bottom line is you have the fundamentalists on one side having no love at all for those more liberal-minded, then you have those who are liberal-minded showing no love at all for the fundamentalists. after a while, everyone is wearing the same clothes and the point......on both sides.....is lost.

i could go on, but you get my drift.

also, i would not call Jesus a liberal. i would also not call Him a conservative. those are modern-day terms with serious political meanings attached and neither of them would be fair. they are both flawed and based on human wisdom, which is flawed.

i just believe that Jesus was right and that we all should seek to be more like Him. once we attach labels it makes us look like He likes our side better.

not sure if i've made much sense, but this is a great topic.

ppl can discuss these things respectfully and in love.

shalom

[unclrob]

Puppies for Dummies
Black Wind,Deep Six,Lost City-Clive Cussler
Seize the nite-Dean Koontz

[MrZamboni]

Finished recently:

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Confessions of a Reformission Rev: Hard Lessons From an Emerging Missional Church by Mark Driscoll
American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis

Currently reading:
HIs Excellency George Washington by Joseph Ellis
Gotham by Burrows and Wallace

On my shelf to read:
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies by Robert Kaplan & David Norton

[NotRevGDavis]

Desert Solitaire- Edward Abbey

[ronmac]

Puppies for Dummies

LOL

It's good to know which end is the goozintas and which end is the comoutzas...

My experience is that they are both busy little places.

[jwieties]

Since I have a 2 year old I mostly read Dora and Boots, Elmo and Richard Scary Stories. :GRN>

However, I have been slowly working through "Memories of Nine Years In Akka" by Dr. Youness Afroukhteh.

-josh

[play4him]

I'm reading "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper.

[Denis]

Since I have a 2 year old I mostly read Dora and Boots, Elmo and Richard Scary Stories. :GRN>

However, I have been slowly working through "Memories of Nine Years In Akka" by Dr. Youness Afroukhteh.

-josh

Yes, most of my reading consists of pretty much the same as Josh except the last one of course.  My wife usually does the sleepy time reading with our 3 year old.  The 9 month old pretty much falls asleep in my arms while she's putting the older one to bed. 

The last book I read was DaVinci code and that was 2 1/2 years ago. 

[drmlabs]

Just finished:

"Fletch"  Gregory McDonald   - great stuff, I'll have to read the whole series now.
"Book of the Dead"  Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child   very disappointing end to the Pendergast 'Death' trilogy
"Diary of Samuel Pepys" - fascinating glimpse of day-to-day life in London in 1660's

reading now:
"Fletch Won" Gregory McDonald
"the Wabi-sabi House" Robyn Griggs Lawrence   zen and the art of japanese homes

[BW dreaming]

I'll add a voice to the "Blue Like Jazz" discussion.  The first few times I read it, I really connected with it.  As was said, it struck a chord in me with regard to a lot of the things I had been feeling about church-ianity.  But as I thought about it more, I started to disagree with more and more of it.  This was mainly in the area of Miller's semi-postmodern (or emergent, or whatever they are calling it today) theology.  While it is certainly true that our relationship with Christ is like a story, there are also beliefs that are correct and important to hold.  I feel like Miller was reacting to unloving Christians by going too far to the other side.

But...  "Searching For God Knows What" is quite an amazing book.  Although I should read that again too, to make sure I still agree with it. :)


My current reading:

The Nature of Necessity - Alvin Plantinga
Time and Eternity - William Lane Craig
A History of Philosophy - Frederick Copleston
A Companion to Aesthetics - David Cooper
Relativity: The Special and General Theories - Albert Einstein
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers (re-reading)
Evil and the Evidence for God: A Challenge to John Hick's Theodicy - R Douglas Geivett
Introductory Modal Logic - Kenneth Konyndyk

Just finished:  Methods of Logic - WV Quine

[Blue in VT]

Currently I'm stuck in something of a fantasy phase...I'm fighting my way through the Robert Jordon Wheel of Time books...I'm on # 8 of at least 11    :huh:...man that dude is prolifac.  I am also 1/2 way thru "Clapton's Guitar" which is a really quick read and I'm learning a some good guitar construction details I was unaware of before....and the book certain reinforces the MARTIN guitar supremecy that seems to rule the high end guitar market.

cheers,

Blue

[stuco]

 

Last book read was
"The way of the Peaceful Warrior" People this is called the book that changes lives for good reason. Please give it a look
I am currently reading "IN Cold blood"

[jeremy3220]

I just finished the Giver. It was a good storyline but weak writing I thought.

[GAME2003]

Recently Read: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond and Botony of Desire by Michael Pollen
Just finished : The Working Poor by David Shipler
Now Reading: The Bell Curve by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray
Next in the pipeline: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

[Cable53]

Hi all,
I 've just finished "Collapse": How Societies To Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond (Same author as Gun's germs and Steel)
A very intersting book and not as dry as the title might imply.
I'm currently reading: "Nathan Bedford Forrest" a biography by Jack Hurst ( Published by the Vintage  Civil War Library) so far excellent. DC

[jambrose]

I'll have to answer again, when I'm reading "normally". I read a wide variety of topics, from tech stuff, to books on improving music reading skills, song structure, etc.

But for now, while I'm still recovering from the back surgery, been reading a lot.

I went through all 55 of the Louis L'Amour collection I've had forever, again.

Presently reading the last one, "The Walking Drum". A very good book.

Recovery seems to be going well, can move around a little more each day, and as mentioned, can now play up to three 30min times a day...but it's while wearing the back brace,....a little uncomfortable. As I can't leave the house, and cannot do many things, I'm getting a little cabin fever, and can get down a little....But I'm very thankful God's taking us through it, and I can play. So much to be thankful for, can't focus on the negative.

First Dr visit since surgery will be on Wed 7-12-06, praying for good progress report and more freedom then.

Joe

[poki]

Hi all,
I 've just finished "Collapse": How Societies To Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond (Same author as Gun's germs and Steel)
A very intersting book and not as dry as the title might imply.
I'm currently reading: "Nathan Bedford Forrest" a biography by Jack Hurst ( Published by the Vintage  Civil War Library) so far excellent. DC

i'm very interested in these two books.  i almost got he collapse book and still may.
Nathan Bedford Forest is someone i'd like to learn a lot more about not just for his incredible civil war career but also for his life after the civil war and his founding of the KKK et all.  please let me know if the book is excellent throughout. 

just got "Clear the Bridge"  WWII submarine book and "Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet" another submarine book.

[jambrose]

Anyone ever read "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress", by Robert Heinlen, any other sci-fi buffs?

[wyodeb]

Anyone ever read "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress", by Robert Heinlen, any other sci-fi buffs?

Haven't read that one, but I've read some of his others. I'm also a bit of a sci-fi/fantasy buff. I have a hard time getting into really hard sci-fi though. One of my favorite authors is Connie Willis. I also like Bradbury. Recently read a book called "Dragonfly." I can't remember the author's name, but it was good. My husband is reading a volume of alternative history, "What if?"--a collection by several authors. I'll probably read it when he finishes. Another favorite author is Douglas Adams.

For classical music buffs, as well as those interested in Holocaust literature, "The Inextinguishable Symphony" is very good. Martin Goldsmith was the host of Performance Today on NPR. He wrote it about his parents.

Deb