I recently read the very good book by Melinda Gates called “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World.” I am an admirer of Bill and Melinda Gates because they worked hard with a new idea (Microsoft). While they made a fortune from it, they have worked just as hard at giving it …
From Off the Shelf
Presence of Jesus is a Present
I’ve been reading a little book for my devotions with the title “Jesus Calling.” The book is by Sarah Young and she writes each devotional as if Jesus is speaking. The devotionals are very short and I read about six each day, so it won’t take me long to finish the year. But the notion …
One Dollar Book Swap in Dayton, Ohio
During our too-short stop in Ohio, Tom and I wanted to go to Dayton. We had two reasons for going. First, we wanted to see second “son” – Steve and his wife Amy. They just bought a house and we wanted to see where they are living now. The second reason to visit Dayton was …
Warner Boys and Far From the Tree
Six years ago I read the excellent but difficult book, “Far from the Tree,” by Andrew Solomon. Ever since I read this book, I have been interested in stories about parents facing the challenge of raising children who are disabled. Thus I added the book “The Warner Boys: Our Family’s Story of Autism and Hope” …
Resistance to the Beast
My devotional book for the week is “Inspired” by Rachel Held Evans. I reviewed her book, “Searching for Sunday” in January. “Inspired” is a different kind of book. It is a Biblical Scholar meets storyteller book. The ideas are mostly scholarship that I have been dealing with since seminary (a long time ago). But Rachel’s …
Quotes from “The Cost of Discipleship” by Bonhoeffer
I have been reading “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer for my devotional time in the morning. Reading this book slowly is a blessing because there is so much to think about in it. I think this is my third or fourth time through the book. It is more powerful because I know it …
Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
The small book, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” caught my eye recently in a bookstore. It is very short – only 134 pages in the paperback edition. The title intrigued me and I checked the book out of the library (the e-edition). Jean-Dominque Bauby was a French writer. At the age of 43 he …
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
During the government shutdown, I averaged five books a week. I had plenty of time for reading and I took full advantage of it. One of the most powerful books I read was “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. “Before We Were Yours” is a novel based on fact. In western Tennessee, in the …
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans
I recently finished reading the book “Searching for Sunday” by Rachel Held Evans. It was my first devotional book of 2019. I read her book, “A Year of Biblical Womanhood” in 2013 and enjoyed her humorous attempt to live a Biblical lifestyle. As good as that book was, “Searching for Sunday” was even better. Rachel …
Becoming and Tears We Cannot Stop
In an effort to understand the current state of affairs in our country, I have been reading a bunch of “political” books. I am constantly seeking answers to “How did we get to this?” and “What can we do about it?” Theology has plenty of answers to those questions, starting with original sin and the …