Getting to Me Through My Bookshelf

I love looking at the books on people’s shelves. I love trying to figure out what books they actually read vs. the books that are on display. I think you can understand and get to know a person by observing the books they read.

So…here are the last five books I’ve read.

1. The Red Circle by Brandon Webb
2. American Sniper by Chris Kyle
3. How to Get Ready For Short-Term Missions by Anne-Geri Fann
4. Death By Love by Mark Driscoll
5. How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler

What do you learn about me by looking at my recent reading choices?

Well, The first 2 books are about Navy SEALs. I admire SEALs and what it takes to be one! I have been enamored with SEALs since High School. The level of training and leadership you can find in the SEALs inspires me to work harder in every area of my life.

How to Get Ready For Short-Term Missions is a very useful book. It walks through many of the details necessary for preparation of a mission trip. The book focuses almost as much on preparing people as it does preparing details. I read this as part of my prep for our High School trip to Nicaragua. I like being prepared.

If you have ever wrestled with connecting the Gospel to your life, Death by Love would be a phenomenal resource for you. Pastor Mark Driscoll wrote large sections of the book in letterform. These letters were addressed to people he has counseled in his role as Pastor. Driscoll describes the situation that lead to the counseling and then shares how the gospel, if properly applied, can redeem, restore and rescue the people involved. He deals with very real situations, from adultery to self-injury, from insecurity to doubt. Driscoll applies the realities of Christ’s death and resurrection to the situations and leads the reader into worship! This book is not easy to read because Driscoll does not sugarcoat anything, but it is deeply worshipful and Christ’s work is lifted up throughout!

Number five on the list is a bit funny. I went to a local bookstore to pick up this book after a friend commented on how it had changed his approach to reading. After I had searched for fifteen minutes a very helpful employee approached me asking if I need assistance. Here’s a recap of our conversation for your reading enjoyment…
Employee -  “Can I help you find something?”
Me – “Yes…I’m uh…looking for a book…”
Employee – “Well, you’re in luck! We happen to have some.”
Me – “Well, yeah. Thanks. I’m looking for a book called…uh…How to Read a Book.”
Employee – “Hah, funny…Wait. You’re actually looking for a book called How to Read a Book?!”
Me – “Yeah.”
So we walked over to the computer where he looked up the title and said, “Look at that, we actually sell a book called How to Read a Book. And its not in the children’s section…hm.”

So the book is about how the art of reading has been lost. Our society is so conditioned to look for quick news flashes and tweets with 140 characters that we’ve lost the ability to read a book that challenges our thinking or understanding. It’s actually very interesting.

So, maybe you’ve gotten to know me a little better.