Monday, July 09, 2007

Summer Reading 2007, No. 1

Finished:
John Piper, Future Grace

Current devotional book:
John Owen, Overcoming Sin and Temptation (finished first two sections; plugging away at about 10 pages a day)

Bedside table:
Complete English Poems of George Herbert
Letters of John Newton
Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty (reading this one, dipping in the others)

Other stuff:
John Piper and Justin Taylor, eds., Sex and the Supremacy of God
Charles Hambrick-Stowe, The Practice of Piety, and a lot of Jonathan Edwards sermons (for an essay on Jonathan Edwards, the ministry of the Word, and religious affections, which I'm giving at ETS this year)

Taking on vacation in two weeks:
Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
Sidney Lanier, A Boy's King Arthur
E. O. Guerrant, The Galax Gatherers (about 3/4 through, but seems right to finish this in western NC, where we vacation each year; someday, I want to write a book on Guerrant)

Started and set aside:
C. J. Mahaney, Living the Cross-Centered Life (songs better than book)
Charles Frazier, Thirteen Moons (my wife finished it; I got about 200 pages in and gave up. It made me want to read about the Cherokee Nation, though).

Just ordered from Amazon:
Richard Mouw, Praying at Burger King (love everything Mouw writes; I wish I could be as gentle and generous and gracious as he is)
Paul Weston, Lesslie Newbigin: Missionary Theologian, a Reader

2 comments:

Vitamin Z said...

What was your take on Future Grace? I love all the Piper writes, but honestly, I think this is my least favorite of his. This booked seemed overly complicated (with the exception of the sin chapters, which are great!) I really dig his concept and agree with it, but I'm not sure the way he spells it out is the most helpful.

Sean Michael Lucas said...

Hi, Z:

I actually enjoyed Future Grace. Like with other Piper books, I could do without the labels (I still struggle to get my mind around "Christian hedonism"), but his essential point that the way we are enabled to live holy lives is by trusting all that God is for us in Jesus as we fight and wrestle against sin--that was life-changing. I read a chapter or two each day during my morning worship; that was the best time to read it and God used it in my life.

Best, sml