Books

Books wait for you until you need them. Buying books is not always about what you need right at that time. It's more of an art than anything else. The past few days I have been working at the PTS annual Book Sale. For months people have been donating books, and the students have been sorting them into topics such as preaching, theology, and Christian life. Many retiring professors and clergy use this book sale to clean their libraries out. All proceeds go to international seminaries to build their libraries. All volunteers got paid in books, so now I have a storage problem for texts such as The Writings of Medieval Women, The Complete Works of Josephus, Scotland: A New History, The Book of Common Prayer, and The History and Character of Calvinism.

In other news, it's the May short term... so I'm very busy with my class about the sacraments. More about that later.

A Great Read

I just finished reading The Irresitable Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne. It's an incredible book that I think every Christian from all walks of life could benefit from reading.

But be warned... this book might turn you into a Christian. If you're worried about that don't be afraid to pick it up from your local library. If you do buy it, pass it on to someone who would never think of reading it after you're done.

Summer Reading

In June I received a summer reading list for my Masters of Divinity program. I was surprised because I haven't had a summer reading list since high school; however, I was thrilled. So here's the rundown.

I am reading:

Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology: An Introduction

Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [not on the PTS list]

I have read:

Bonhoeffer, Life Together

Sally Bruyneel and Alan G. Padgett, Introducing Christianity

A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Paul Scott Wilson, The Four Pages of a Sermon: A Guide to Biblical Preaching

Jean Comby, How to Read Church History, vol. 1, From the Beginnings to the Fifteenth Century

I have yet to read:

Roger Olson, The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform

Gordon Fee, How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour