Good Books

I mentioned to Steph a long time ago that I was reading some really good books. She asked what they were, and since I just came to that email in my inbox, it looks as though I never answered! I would recommend these books to anyone, so I thought I would blog it. All available at Amazon.

All That You Can't Leave Behind: a rookie missionary's life in Africa by Ryan Murphy Through personal stories, cultural insights, and perspectives on the mission movement in Africa, Ryan Murphy shares what the missionary like looks like in the 21st century. The author's first book offers an entertaining bridge into the unknown lands of missions work and challenges you to make a difference in your world for God's glory.

This book is really an outflow of Ryan blogging his first year on the mission field. Here's his blog: http://www.strangersinkenya.blogspot.com/

TrueFaced: trust God and others with who you really are by Bill Thrall John Lynch and Bruce McNicol In a sincere, but misguided attempt to please God, many of us strive to "fix our sin". We soon discover that it doesn't "fix" very well or for very long. And so we try to hide it and pretend like it isn't there. But it only leads to more pretending, hiding, and despair-and nothing ever changes. We fear that God is almost never pleased. TrueFaced draws a clear distinction between two very different underlying motives: our determination to please God OR to trust him. The resulting difference from these two starting points could not be more profound. One results in a striving that never feels it has done enough to please him. The other results in a trust that experiences his full pleasure. Our motives as followers of Christ will either keep us in unresolved sin and immaturity or free us into God's astonishing dream for our lives.

What's so Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey If grace is God's love for the undeserving, then what does it look like in action? And if Christians are its sole dispensers, then how are we doing at lavishing grace on a world that knows far more of cruelty and unforgiveness than it does of mercy? Grace does not excuse sin, says Yancey, but it treasures the sinner. True grace is shocking-scandalous. It shakes our conventions with its insistence on getting close to sinners and touching them with mercy and hope. It forgives the unfaithful spouse, racist, the child abuser. It loves today's AIDS-ridden addict as much as the tax collector of Jesus' day. Yancey offers compelling, true portraits of grace's life-changing power. And he challenges us to become living answers to a world that desperately wants to know, What's so Amazing about Grace?

What's so Amazing About Grace was the best book I've read in a long time. It is historical, political (relevant in this election year), biographical, and love-filled all in one!!! I can't say enough good things about it.

Okay, posting the little pictures of the books was really hard for me as an extremely new blogger! This was exhausting to finish, but these books were worth the effort. If you've read any of these already or happen to in the future, please post your thoughts!