Goal 94. Read 5 Christian Books

I love reading books. Peter Pan once said, as we walked out of a library, "I love libraries because it means that anyone, for very little money, can learn anything." He is completely right. I love reading books which is why in my goals I have at least 26 books to read plus half the Bible! I have finished reading 5 christian books and want to share with you the good and the bad.

1. The 7 Checkpoints for Youth Leaders - Andy Stanley
This is a fantastic read for anyone involved with youth/student ministry on any level. It is also a fantastic read for anyone who is a Christian because it walks through the 7 most important biblical and christian lessons to teach students, and as you can imagine, if you can teach that you have to first have a good understanding of it. This is a great book about the basics of christian faith, from an applicable and practical level. This is the one of the books I bought and I am really glad I did!

2. The Shack - William P. Young
This is a bit of controversial book depending on how you like your christianity. Sometimes I need a break from the more academic, and sometimes dry, non-fiction religious books. This book can be refreshing, but is much more emotional. It is a fictional account of a modern-day encounter with the Trinity and a refreshing look at the characteristics and effects of the Trinity in our lives. I especially love the section that deals with the 10 commandments and how humans judge ourselves and others. This was a re-read from my bookshelf, a quick read and bit of a change!

3. The Hiding Place - Corrie ten Boom
This is one of my favourite all-time books. I was given this book (i think from Gran?) when I was a teenager and have read and re-read it many times since. If you want to learn how to bring God's love and light into the darkest of places read about how these sisters did so through the worst of World War 2. I absolutely love Papa ten Boom (as does all of Harlem, Amsterdam) and the way that Corrie ten Boom herself is so real. She beautifully shares her own doubts and struggles as she watches the world around her change and her family change with it. A wonderful, classic book that would be a great addition to any library, particularly for teenagers.

4. Money by Design - John L. Muratori
I read this book hoping to get some sound biblical principles about how to manage my finances. What I got was a whole lot of information that wasn't applicable, wasn't useable and wasn't necessarily about money. I will say that there was one good part about maintaining a "portable tabernacle", so that you can move yourself to where there are financial opportunities. But honestly this book isn't very good, and isn't very helpful. I know that there is a Money by Design curriculum program, so perhaps that adds more applicability, but since it is built on principles that seem like they are stretched into what the author wants to write about, rather than principles that clearly make sense I won't be checking out that curriculum. This was the first book I bought on my iPad/iPod Kindle App, which was a good experience, but that's about where it stopped.

5. The Principle of the Path - Andy Stanley
This is another good book by Andy Stanley. Again, he shows his skill at teaching practical, applicable aspects of the Bible and Christianity. This book is mostly about making life choices and how your decisions affect these. It is the kind of book that might not teach you anything new, but articulates what you already know, so that you can share it with others or begin to go a little deeper with it. I got this book from the public library and am glad as it probably isn't the kind of book I would read twice, but was a solid book to read once.

Have you read any of these books and have your own impression? Any books you want to recommend? Please comment below!