Memorable Books
07Jun09I was recently participated in a Facebook meme which directed it’s participants to list 15 books that have shaped the way they think. My list is reproduced below this post.
I received several comments asking for comment on a few of my choices and since I’m always glad to have an excuse to talk about books I will oblige.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - This is the first volume of Edmund Morris’ trilogy on the life of our 26th president. It chronicles the shaping of a brilliant, strong-willed man as he prepared himself to become one of the most powerful men in the history of the world. I found the descriptions of his autodidactic habits, his work-ethic and personality to be not only interesting but in many cases inspirational.
The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Penned by English humorist, Douglas Adams, the Hitch Hiker’s Guide is a zany novel about a man traveling the galaxy after Earth has been destroyed to make way for a hyperspatial express route. I appreciate it for its humor but the more substantive effect it has had is the dozens of phrases and quotes that I commonly use that came from its pages.
Free to Choose: A Personal Statement – Milton and Rose Friedman explain why governments should interfere as little as possible in the lives of their citizens. This is one of the books that has influenced me toward a libertarian political stance.
1. The Bible – Various Authors, edited and inspired by God
2. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress – R. A. Heinlein
3. Til We Have Faces – C. S. Lewis
4. The Pursuit of God – A. W. Tozer
5. Free to Choose – Milton Friedman
6. Starship Troopers – R. A. Heinlein
7. Dune – Frank Herbert
8. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt – Edmund Morris
9. Perelandra – C. S. Lewis
10. Let the Nations be Glad – John Piper
11. The Art of the Catapult – William Gurstelle
12. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
13. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
14. The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leuroux
15. The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
Memento Mori
27May09In a recent Q&A session, John Piper addressed a question that could have come from my own mouth, “Most of the time I’d rather spend time being entertained than spend time in God’s word. How do I break this hold that entertainment has on my heart?”
Dr. Piper graciously offers a few pieces of advice. Several are the difficult but obvious solutions (prayer, Bible reading etc.) but one his last solution has lodged in my thoughts:
One last suggestion: think about your death. Think about your death a lot. Ask what you’d like to be doing in the season of life, or hours or days, leading up to meeting Christ. I do that a lot these days. I think about the impact of death, and what I would like to be found doing, and how I would prepare to meet him and give an account to him.
If you too struggle with the pull of our entertainment culture I encourage you to read or listen to Dr. Piper’s full answer.
Gizmo Wishlist
16May09A Netbook (or small laptop)
A Kindle
A Pedometer
A Mp3 Player
A Mini Video Recorder
A Hand Held GPS Unit
A Watch
A Laptop Scanner
A Mp3 Recorder
Hit and Run
12May09Today, I was sitting down to dinner with the family when our door bell rang. We answered to find a man who wanted to know if we owned a black Ford Escort. I told him that I did and was immediately accused of performing a hit and run on his boat.
We were able to quickly resolve that my car had been stolen while it was trashing his boat and exchanged information.
So now I know what the “dinosaur claw mark” is. The tear was caused by a protruding brake-light housing on my neighbors boat trailer.
Leaving a Legacy
11May09Today, one of my friends showed me something that has really set the gears in my head spinning.
For his 19th birthday, his grandfather gave him a coil bound book containing 20 years worth of study notes on every book and chapter of the Bible.
As soon as I saw this book, I realized that this is something that I want to start building for my children and grandchildren. The idea seems to be a perfect practical application of many of the principals I’ve been gleaning from my current study of 1 and 2 Timothy. In these books, Paul lays out both his and Timothy’s heritage of faith and then calls on Timothy to steward the things that he has learned and pass them on to less mature believers, shepherding them towards spiritual leadership.
I’m terrible at maintaining momentum on projects like this and I don’t even know where to start on this. I pray that if this is something that God wants me to do that he will grant me wisdom to start well and diligence to finish well.
Car Theft
09May09
This morning, I walked down to the street to get something out of my car. It wasn’t there. At some time between the hours of 1 and 9 a.m. some thug stole my car, drove it a few blocks away and from the appearance of my front left corner, got attacked by a dinosaur.
Look at the claw mark:
Probably a raptor.
