Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Paperback from Thomas Nelson Publishers. Published in 2003. 240 pages. Purchased at Family Christian Bookstores.

This one has been on my "to read" list for a while. I had put it on hold at the library, then while I was waiting for it to arrive, we talked about it at church in the Wednesday night teen class. After the glowing report the teacher gave the book, I gave up on waiting for it and went and bought it. It was not at the top of my to read pile but was getting close. Today it catapulted to the top by virtue of being the only book I had along when I was stuck at the Cleveland airport for five hours.

The book reads like a narrative conversation. Just a guy being honest about the things he's experienced in his walk toward God. He's got some good things to say. I especially liked the story about confessing sins, and the chapter on Belief really resonated with me. Chapter 12 on Church: How I Go Without Getting Angry told me some things I needed to hear, too. It is not a difficult read at all. I finished it sitting in Cleveland. But, just because it reads quickly does not mean I don't think it has some important things to say.

Publisher's summary:
"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. . . . I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened." In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Blue Like Jazz
amazon.co.uk:Blue Like Jazz
amazon.com: Blue Like Jazz
Audible.com: Not available as audio from Audible

Pilgrim Heart by Darryl Tippens

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Paperback from Leafwood Publishers. Published in 2006. 205 pages. Purchased from Amazon.com.

Well, thanks are due again to Preacher Mike for another great book recommendation. I'm passing this one on to my husband (fair warning, Steve) and would echo Preacher Mike's endorsement.

UPDATE: (19 July 06) I meant to mention that I really enjoyed the notes in the back of the book, too. Looks like there is some good fodder for my reading list there.

Publisher's summary:
Originally, the faith of Jesus was considered a distinctive way of life rather than a sophisticated theological system. Pilgrim Heart re-imagines discipleship as - first and foremost - a particular way of life guided by a set of simple, but powerful, daily practices known to the earliest disciples and the saints through the ages. These include:

* Friendship
* Sabbath Rest
* Hospitality
* Confession
* Forgiveness
* Listening
* Discernment
* Singing
* Creating
* Telling Stories

How would this approach to the religion of Jesus change the way we think and live? Pilgrim Heart is an invitation to consider afresh the way of Jesus in light of practices that have proven to transfrom lives of two thousand years.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life
amazon.co.uk: Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life
amazon.com: Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life
Audible.com: Not currently available as audio

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Fiction: Science Fiction (?) Unabridged Audio from HighBridge Audio. Published in 2003. Recorded in 2005. 17 hours and 43 minutes. Read by William Hope and Laurel Lefkow. Purchased at Audible.com

I'd seen this book floating around on Audible for a while, but couldn't get myself to want to listen to it. Then, one day I was hunting around on Audible, unable to make a decision, so I just decided to give it a try.

Some of this book makes no sense to me. I understand that one must suspend disbelief sometimes, but there were parts that were not really explained well enough for me to even do that.

Our time traveler, Henry, is able to reduce how often he time travels by exercising. He runs as much as he can. Sex also seems to help, so there are quite a few relatively descriptive sexual encounters in the book as well. Not rated G.

Parts of the book were quite touching. The bits right before he knows he is going to die got me pretty choked up.

Publisher's summary:
Clare and Henry have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was 36. They were married when Clare was 23 and Henry was 31. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

Clare and Henry's story unfolds from both points of view, depicting the effects of time travel on their marriage and their passionate love for each other. They attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals: steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: The Time Traveler's Wife
amazon.co.uk: The Time Traveler's Wife
amazon.com: The Time Traveler's Wife
Audible.com: The Time Traveler's Wife

Simply Christian by N. T. Wright

Non-Fiction: Christianity. Hardback from HarperCollins. Published in 2006. 240 pages. On loan from the Kent District Library.

Every time I have read a book by N. T. Wright, I feel like I should just flip back and start reading it again. Simply Christian : Why Christianity Makes Sense is no exception. I'll have to be honest and admit that I don't really have a good grasp on the first two sections. I really do need to read them again. (And probably make an outline so the info will stick.) The third section, however, was much easier for me to get my head around. His thoughts in Chapter 12 on pre-written prayers seemed spot on to me. The three page section on baptism in Chapter 15 did a better job of explaning the meaning of baptism than the full 12 week class I just sat through. And, as usual Wright also said some things that I am going to have to think on - things that challenge some of the things I've always been taught. But, I like that about his writing.

Publisher's summary:
Why do we expect justice? Why do we crave spirituality? Why are we attracted to beauty? Why are relationships often so painful? And how will the world be made right? These are not simply perennial questions all generations must struggle with, but, according to N. T. Wright, are the very echoes of a voice we dimly perceive but deeply long to hear. In fact, these questions take us to the heart of who God is and what He wants from us.

For two thousand years, Christianity has claimed to solve these mysteries, and this renowned biblical scholar and Anglican bishop shows that it still can today. Not since C. S. Lewis's classic summary of the faith, Mere Christianity, has such a wise and thorough scholar taken the time to explain to anyone who wants to know what Christianity really is and how it is practiced. Wright makes the case for Christian faith from the ground up, assuming that the reader has no knowledge of (and perhaps even some aversion to) religion in general and Christianity in particular.

Simply Christian walks the reader through the Christian faith step by step and question by question. With simple yet exciting and accessible prose, Wright challenges skeptics by offering explanations for even the toughest doubt-filled dilemmas, leaving believers with a reason for renewed faith. For anyone who wants to travel beyond the controversies that can obscure what the Christian faith really stands for, this simple book is the perfect vehicle for that journey.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
amazon.co.uk: Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense
amazon.com: Simply Christian : Why Christianity Makes Sense
Audible.com: Not currently available as audio