Bookish Fellowship Forum

It’s been up for a while now, but I haven’t really promoted it. I thought with Plummer’s declaration of May being “Read a Historical Theology text month,” it might be a good time. If anyone will be reading the Historical Theology text by Gregg Allison and wants to discuss, please come sign up. Even if you decide to read another text, or not to participate in the historical theology reading at all… still come sign up! The Bookish Fellowship Forum has been created primarily for Christians who love to read (though everyone is welcome), whether it be fiction or non-fiction… or even just the Bible. If you love books half as much as I do then you should come join. You can head straight over to the forum by clicking here, or you can get to it from the blog’s menu. I’m also open to suggestions, as I’d like this to become a community for all to enjoy.

Hope to see you there!

More New Books

Considering that one of my goals for 2012 was to read more of the unread books already on my shelf, I think I may be lacking in the self-control department when it comes to books. Within the last couple of weeks I’ve purchased:

              

I also won a giveaway hosted by Zondervan! Yay!

    

So much to read… so little time. I’m in the middle of “The Hobbit,” working on my Middle-earth goal. Last year, Tim Challies suggested “The Cross of Christ” as an Easter read, so I’ll be starting that one soon. On Tuesday I attended an online discussion for Michael Williams’ “Jesus Lens,” so I’m eager to read that one as well. In my spare time I’m helping to do transcriptions for a BiblicalTraining.org class, which just happens to be Christian Ethics… so I really want to start “Beyond Integrity.” I’m thinking of starting that one right away and treating it as a textbook, reading a “lesson” each day. I’ve recently become very intrigued with Francis Chan so “Crazy Love” is high up on the list, and of course “Bonhoeffer”… well… I don’t know when I’ll get to all these with everything else on my TBR list.

The Jesus Lens: A Free Online Event

The Calvin Theological Seminary and Zondervan Publishers are hosting a free online event. I’ve already registered for the event and ordered the book from CBD (just got it today!) so I can start reading it after the discussion. I’m really looking forward to this, and I wanted to share it for others who may be interested.

Here’s what Zondervan has to say:

How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens

A Conversation with Michael Williams

March 6 | 8:00 pm EST

RSVP to get a reminder!

www.LiveStream.com/Zondervan

Or visit the FB event page.

Program will include a Q&A with Michael and our online audience.

Tim Challies recommends How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens.

“Michael Williams’ How to Read the Bible Through the Jesus Lens is a helpful guide to a Christ-focused reading of the Bible… This is an ideal resource to refer to if you are involved in a Bible-reading plan or if you would just like to gain a deeper understanding of the Scriptures. As you begin reading a new book of the Bible, you will find it helpful to turn to How to Read the Bible Through the Jesus Lens to get an overview of that book and to train yourself to read it through the Jesus lens. It will sharpen your understanding of what you have read (or are about to read) and help ensure that you do not miss Jesus amidst the stories and genealogies and all the other things that sometimes threaten to cloud our view.”

My Plans for 2012

So, here we are. It’s a new year and everyone is making New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t do resolutions. They don’t stick. But I do like to set goals for myself, so here are some of the things I plan on doing this year that you may see on this blog.

1) More Bible Study: I purchased a Bible Study software that has so many great features! Including an integrated notes system. Biblesoft PC Study Bible 5.0: Discovery Reference Library on CD-ROM. I got the most inexpensive version because I wasn’t sure if I would like it or if it would really be worth using, but so far I love it.

2) More Bible reading: I have been following Professor Horner’s Bible-Reading System, and I’m really loving how it works, but I still don’t read my Bible as often as I should. So I plan to read more. You can find a great explanation of the system at Tim Challies’ website.

3) Read what’s on my shelf: I’m one of those people who buys several books at once and ends up leaving one or more unread for a long period of time because other books get purchased before I get to the ones I already have. So, one of my goals this year will be to read books that have been on my shelf for a while.

4) Complete at least one of my Reading Goals: My reading goals are posted here. I would like to work on the Middle-earth goal, which would mean starting with the hardest one. But it’s Tolkien’s imagery that made me want to start these lofty reading goals, so I think it’s fitting for that one to be my first. It may end up taking me all year. *gasp*

5) Review copies: The book reviews continue. Free books in exchange for an honest review… it doesn’t get much better than that. So, I intend to keep reviewing books for publishers whenever they come up as long as I have the opportunity.

6) Study Greek: I started studying Greek a few years ago, but I fell away from it as it got harder. I want to start over from the beginning and follow through this time. I really feel that having knowledge of this language will help dive deeper into God’s Word, drawing me closer to Him.

7) Write more: I signed up for NaNoWriMo! It’s a long way to November, but I want to do a lot more writing this year. Until November I’ll be planning, researching (if necessary), developing characters, etc. Everything but writing the actual story… as are the rules of NaNoWriMo.

This is why I’m not doing the challenges this year. I think I’ve challenged myself enough with my own plans and goals. I will definitely be keeping myself busy in 2012.

I found one challenge that I’ve decided to participate in because it’s not for the year – it’s a 5-year challenge. No added stress involved. I can take my time. I won’t be joining officially (posting my info to the challenge blog), but I thought it would be a nice challenge. It’s called The Fill in the Gaps: 100 Project. The idea is to make a list of 100 books you’ve been planning to read but never got around to, then read them over the next 5 years. This already goes hand-in-hand with one of my plans above (#3), but it’s even better because I don’t have to be finished by the end of this year. I’ll be able to leisurely cross off all those classics I’ve always wanted to read, but never took the time to. I’ll be creating a page for my list soon under the Reading Challenges area.

Celebrate Christ, Transform Lives

Christmas is only a week away, and everyone is doing last-minute shopping. Searching for that perfect gift for the loved one who already has everything. Giving is great, in any form, but sometimes we need to take a step back and think not just about our family, friends and co-workers, but about those people we will never meet who very desperately need love and support and a way to survive. How can we help those people?

Today I’m talking about the Dalit people of India. The Dalits are at the very bottom of the Hindu Caste System. There are four main castes:

Brahmins – priests and teachers
Kshatriyas – rulers and soldiers
Vaisyas – merchants and traders
Sudras – laborers and servants

The Dalits fall beneath this entire system and are considered less than human. They are forced to work the most demeaning jobs and hard labor for less than a dollar a day. The Indian constitution has outlawed the caste system, reserving almost 25% of government jobs and university spots for the Dalit population, but many of these positions have been left unfilled, or they are being held dishonestly by non-Dalits. The word “dalit” actually translates to “oppressed.”

Of course, it’s always the children that get to me more than anything. These innocent Dalit children are subjected to the same prejudice. They often have to perform hard labor alongside the adults just so the family can barely get by. Many are denied an education at all. Those who are given the opportunity are forced to sit in the back of the classroom. Many of these children will grow up working in the fields of the rich upper caste citizens, never reaping the reward of their hard work. Do you still want to know what you can do to help? I hope you’re ready, because I’m going to ask you to spend a little more money this Christmas, on people you will never meet.

Click on the Christmas Catalog cover to make a donation. Just $11 can provide a family with a pair of chickens that can reproduce and produce eggs that can be sold, giving the family an income. Other animal gifts can provide both food and income for these families. You can donate money to provide rickshaws, sewing machines, fishing nets and other items, all for the purpose of helping these families generate their own income.

When you donate through Gospel for Asia, there are two very important things to remember:

1) 100% of all donations are sent into the field! Click here to read how they make this possible.

2) You are not only giving help, you are giving life. Gospel for Asia shares the love of Jesus with all they help. They are not only meeting physical needs, but spiritual needs as well.

I invite you to check out the entire Gospel for Asia website. Read about all the wonderful things they are doing across Asia, reaching the most unreached. For more information on Dalits please read this National Geographic article or the GFA Dalit page. I also invite you to request a free copy of K. P. Yohannan’s (the founder of Gospel for Asia) books: Revolution in World Missions and No Longer a Slumdog.

*All images and information were obtained from the Gospel for Asia website.

2011 Year-End Reading Plan: Update 2

I’m changing out two books on my YERP. Why? Well, I’ll tell you.

First: I fell behind while reading Oliver Twist so I’m taking out Uncle Tom’s Cabin (which is 445 pages) and replacing it with A Gathering of Old Men (which is 214 pages). That will help me move along to get my 52 books.

Second: I just got Not a Fan in the mail today and I want to read it ASAP! So as soon as I finish my current read I’ll be starting that one. I’ll be removing The Priest’s Graveyard. I do want to read that one soon though, so I’ll be reading that one no matter what, as soon as I finish the last book on this list… whether it’s still in 2011 or it’s 2012.

So, here’s the updated YERP:

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker
When God Prayed by Don Wilton
The Church Invisible by Nick Page
Touching Godliness through Submission by K. P. Yohannan
Practicing Exile by Marc H. Ellis
No Longer a Slumdog by K. P. Yohannan

The books in green are the ones I will definitely read to make sure I meet both challenges. If I have time remaining before the year is up I will read the others on the list.

Charlie Brown gets Christmas right…

or… Linus does. A Charlie Brown Christmas is still my favorite Christmas special, and this is why. When Linus explains what the true meaning of Christmas is, I still get goosebumps. It’s not watered down, it’s not changed to be “politically correct.” It’s the Christmas story, pure and simple. If there’s a chance you’ve never seen this special, take a look at the clip below. It’s wonderful.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

     To Kill a Mockingbird is a tale about a small southern town during the 1930′s, told from the perspective of a young girl called Scout. Her world of innocent play and school are suddenly changed when her father is appointed by the court to defend a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman.

Though the trail and its effects are the main plot of the story, and the subject of racial prejudice is often the subject most discussed about this novel, there is far more to it than that. You don’t have to look too deeply to see the hypocrisy of prejudice of any kind, especially coming from a Christian. While the Mission Society women sit around and discuss how to reach out to people of a foreign land they ignore and even accept the injustices at home, largely because they share in the prejudices that cause the injustice. The deeper theme here is love. Not a romantic love, but the love that the Bible speaks of. The “love thy neighbor” love that Jesus himself commands. This love theme is repeated, not just through the story of the trial, but through several events involving different “unlovable” characters. Characters that some would consider “the least of these.” It is definitely worthy of its status as a classic, and I highly recommend it.

1) Overall Plot = 5
2) Characters = 5
3) Flow/Pace of the story = 5
4) Is the story easy to follow? = 5
5) Overall Enjoyability = 5

Average of  score 5
Overall grade = A

Where to buy the book: Amazon | B&N

This was book 45 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

This was book 7 in my Classics challenge.

2011 Year-End Reading Plan: Update

So, I’ve already strayed off my plan path. I am still 3 books behind with a total of 13 books to go on my 52 Book in 52 Weeks challenge, and 6 behind with 9 to go on my Classics challenge! Here was my original YERP list:

Attracted by Fire by Diann Mills
The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey & Alton L. Gansky
Forbidden by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black
The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Church Invisible by Nick Page
Touching Godliness through Submission by K. P. Yohannan
Practicing Exile by Marc H. Ellis
No Longer a Slumdog by K. P. Yohannan
When God Prayed by Don Wilton
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

And now here is my new YERP list:

Attracted by Fire by Diann Mills
The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey & Alton L. Gansky
Forbidden by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee
P.S., I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black
The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Church Invisible by Nick Page
Touching Godliness through Submission by K. P. Yohannan
Practicing Exile by Marc H. Ellis
No Longer a Slumdog by K. P. Yohannan
When God Prayed by Don Wilton
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The books in green are the ones I will definitely read to make sure I meet both challenges. If I have time remaining before the year is up I will read the others on the list.

A preview of 2012:
Next year I will be hosting a challenge of my own: The Library Challenge. The idea of this challenge is to form (or re-form) a relationship with your local library by checking out books that meet the monthly challenges. You can read a bit more about it on the challenge blog.

Other than this challenge, I will not be participating in reading challenges. The two challenges I participated in this year were fun and got me motivated, but sometimes I felt overwhelmed. I’ve decided to take it a bit slower in 2012 and read deeper. I want to accomplish at least one of my reading goals and do a lot more Bible study. And I will continue to review books for publishers when one is presented that seems interesting to me.

Here’s hoping my YERP doesn’t change again.

2011 Year-End Reading Plan

    After I finish the two books I am currently reading I’ll have 18 more books to go to complete the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. 9 of those books will need to be classics to complete the Classics Challenge. Since I started reviewing books for publishers this year I have not really had time to read the books I’ve purchased this year. I have two more books on my shelf that are review books and I’m expecting one more. After that I will only review books from publishers if it’s something I am really interested in reading. So, here are my plans for the rest of the year:

Attracted by Fire by Diann Mills
The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey & Alton L. Gansky
Forbidden by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black
The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The Church Invisible by Nick Page
Touching Godliness through Submission by K. P. Yohannan
Practicing Exile by Marc H. Ellis
No Longer a Slumdog by K. P. Yohannan
When God Prayed by Don Wilton
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

     This list is subject to change if I do review a book for a publisher, but I will be doing my best to stay on this list, expecially where the classics are concerned.