Baptized Into Christ

I love books.  I didn't always, but thanks to encouragement from my parents (and the need to read as a pastor) I have learned to love reading. And since I love books, I have a lot of them.  My personal library is large and always growing.  I have massive theology books, small children's books, and everything in between.  I have read good books and lousy books, helpful books and heretical books. But for the average Christian, with the large numbers of books that exist, where are they to start in trying to build a good, personal/family library?  What books would be helpful and theologically trustworthy? Here's a start...I'll add to it from time to time, but this is a good place to begin. Doctrine " The Spirituality of the Cross " by Gene Edward Veith Jr. This is a fantastic book for someone who is new to Lutheranism, but will also be greatly beneficial to the well seasoned reader.  Veith takes the reader with him through his own personal journey and...

At that moment, the overcoat lying on the chair caught the eye of the elder Jondrette girl.  "You are forgetting your coat, sir," said she.  Jondrette darted an annihilating look at his daughter, accompanied by a formidable shrug of the shoulders.  M. Leblanc turned back and said, with a smile:— "I have not forgotten it, I am leaving it." In this scene from the famous book "Les  Misérables," Jondrette is trying to exploit M. Leblanc (a.k.a. Jean Valjean).  It's clear from earlier sections that Jondrette has no interest in working for a living and that he resents those who have wealth.  Jondrette had purposely broke a chair and had his daughter break a window in order for his family to appear even more impoverished than they really were (he rejoiced when his daughter cut her hand in the process of breaking the window because it made them seem all the worse off). Leblanc (Valjean) might know that he's being exploited or he might not.  ...

Victor Hugo's masterpiece,  "Les Misérables" contains many insights on the human condition.  In these two paragraphs, a daughter in an impoverished household complains about having to wear shoes when she enters the church (and in this case she had entered the church with the sole purpose of seeking to exploit a wealthy man who was regularly there to worship). "A clever girl, possibly; but I tell you I won't put these shoes on again, and that I won't, for the sake of my health, in the first place, and for the sake of cleanliness, in the next. I don't know anything more irritating than shoes that squelch, and go ghi, ghi, ghi, the whole time. I prefer to go barefoot." "You are right," said her father, in a sweet tone which contrasted with the young girl's rudeness, "but then, you will not be allowed to enter churches, for poor people must have shoes to do that. One cannot go barefoot to the good God," he added bitterly. ...

This is a wonderful, touching book.  It is about finding hope, trusting God, and the blessings brought by those whom the world usually dismisses as unimportant and in the way. I won't give too much away, but the basic story has to do with the birth of a child (Rob) to young newlyweds.  Rob was born with a rare chromosome abnormality which limited his development. In the end, this child taught his parents about true love, grace, and faith.  Unfortunately far too many children who are diagnosed in the womb with having abnormalities are aborted.  The gifts that those children have to offer are never experienced by those who would have been their family and the world is poorer for it.  This is a very short book, but it is extremely powerful.  You can get it here or if you're in the area and would like to read it, let me know because I purchased several copies when it was on sale for $1.

I love this encounter between Aslan and Jill in The Silver Chair .  She has encountered Aslan the Lion and He is standing in front of a stream of water.  She is dying of thirst, but terrified by the presence of this Lion. The exchange begins with these words... "If you're thirsty, you may drink." The encounter continues... "Are you not thirsty?" said the Lion. "I'm dying of thirst," said Jill. "Then drink," said the Lion. May I --could I--would you mind going away while i do?" said Jill.   The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl.  And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked for the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.      The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.     "Will you promise not to--do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill.     "I make no promise," said the Lion.     ...

Growing up, I wasn't much of a reader.  The only series of books that I ever read through were a series of fictional baseball books by John R. Tunis and the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. The Narnia books are wonderful children's literature, but now, as a pastor, the Christian themes in these books simply jump out at me.  I caught a few of them when I was young, but now I can appreciate these books at another level. For instance, at the end of Prince Caspian, (spoiler alert) there is a wonderful exchange between a few of the characters, namely Eustace and Aslan the Lion (who is a Christ figure in these books). "But," said Eustace, looking at Aslan.  "Hasn't he -- er died?" "Yes," said the Lion in a very quiet voice, almost (Jill thought) as if he were laughing.  "He has died.  Most people have you know.  Even I have.  There are very few who haven't." I couldn't help but think of this passage on Sunday d...