What Have you Read Recently? Five Suggestions to Answer the Question
For many of us, reading more is a resolution we make each New Year. Maybe these titles will inspire you this winter as you build your 2022 reading habit.
Divine Disruption: Holding on to Faith When Life Breaks Your Heart by Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Anthony Evans, Jonathan Evans and Priscilla Shirer (Thomas Nelson, 2021).
Written during the disruption of the pandemic lockdown, the Evans family writes of a season of loss in their family (including a grandfather/father, two uncles/brothers, and a cousin). This grieving time culminated in the death of their beloved wife/mother Lois Evans. Each of the writers offers a personal perspective to suffering, loss, death and dying, and grief. They do so both by feeling these emotions and then triumphing in their midst.
Forgiving What You Cannot Forget: Discover How to Move on, Make Peace and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again by Lysa TerKeurst (Zondervan, 2020)
I confess that this was my second reading of this book by the head of Proverbs 31 Ministries. I returned to this book, not because of some stubborn, unforgiven relationship, but instead because valid and vulnerable ministry with people always comes around to the issue of forgiveness. TerKeurst chose to forgive her husband for a longtime affair, one that was discovered about the time she underwent a cancer-induced double mastectomy. A career in Proverbs 31 feels broken when the husband “known at the gates” surfaces as incredibly flawed. TerKeurst is open, practical, and realistic. As a bonus, find out how a special set of cards might help your journey toward genuine forgiveness.
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley (Zondervan, 2021).
Expanding on The Common Rule (think Benedictine monastery), Earley describes habits for family life—some of these topics include work and play, discipline and devotions, waking, mealtimes, and bedtimes. Earley is theological and practical, humorous and honest. This book is helpful not only for parents but also for those who work with parents and children.
Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About Dreams by Phil Vischer (Nelson, 2008).
Part memoir, part business book, part Christian testimony, Vischer presents the inside story of the rise and fall of Veggie Tales and its parent company, Big Idea. Although he offers enough tech history to satisfy digital geeks, the focus is on his Christian vision and the choices which forced him to downplay that vision and overextend his brand. Tied into all this was his desire to be the Christian Walt Disney, even though he had no Roy Disney to balance creative splurges. Since the publication of Me, Myself and Bob, Vischer has allowed life’s lessons to fuel his growth as a Christian leader and speaker.
Questions Women Asked: Historical Issues, Timeless Answers by Simonetta Carr (Reformation Heritage Books, 2021)
Church history is family history, the drama of living for God in a post-fall world. In Questions Women Asked, Simonetta Carr introduces thirty-one key women, teaches about each one’s particular context within the history of Christ’s Church, and shows how these women asked and answered particular life-defining questions. Questions such as the following transcend generations: Can I marry an unbeliever? How can I understand Scripture correctly? Should I speak against injustice or remain silent? Must I forever mourn? Learn about theology, church history, and women in one book—a great trifecta.
