Good Reads

     A few weeks ago I finished John Piper's newest book, Spectacular Sins. When I first saw the title on his blog I was taken aback. Spectacular sins? I had never quite heard of sin being referred to as spectacular. But - it was a spectacular book on how God is glorified and his will is accomplished through the BIG SINS of biblical characters like Judas, Saul (Old Testament), and Joseph's brothers. It resonated with me because on a smaller scale I believe God accomplishes his purposes in my life and the lives of those associated with me through my failings, mistakes, and sins.I had come to this understanding awhile back and was oddly comforted by it. This book brought home that point even more. There's a lot more I could say about it, but I recommend you just read it. Awesome and inspiring!

     Currently I'm reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz because I'm leading Elena's book group for her history and literature curriculum (Starting Points). It's very engaging and enjoyable. I had never read it before. It differs, so far, greatly from the movie. I'm looking forward to finishing it so that I can compare both the book and the  movie. My bet is that I'll like the book better than the movie. I want Leanne to read the book because there are many titles in that series that L. Frank Baum wrote about. Leanne loves fairy fantasy books and she'll rip through them faster than a lit match in a haystack at the end of summer. So, I prefer that she read higher quality reading material than the flimsy paperback fairy princess books.Anyway, I need to start Frankenstein soon because that's the next book on the list for Tuesday evening's discussion.

     Last week I finished Randy Alcorn's almost 500 page book called Heaven. It changed me forever. He does a very detailed, thorough examination of all the scriptures regarding Heaven and the New Earth. There was so much I didn't know. It got me quite excited and imagining things I never thought of before. I'm anticipating Heaven in a brand new way, but not morbidly so. It has brought so much hope and intrigue to my imagination and thoughts about life and the afterlife. I HIGHLY recommend it.

     I am an absolute lover of children's picture books. I've never really outgrown them. (No surprise there for those who know me well.) One really sweet one I just returned to the library (on time, too - I'm really getting better!)that the girls loved was I Love It When You Smile by Sam McBratney. Sam Mc Bratney wrote the adorable Guess How Much I Love You - another favorite of ours.

     No book list would be complete without mentioning some of my all-time favorite children's books. One of my favorites is by Sandra Boyton, Moo Ba La La La.( I treaure so many of her books!) I can't tell you how many copies we've gone through because they've literally been read to death, and stepped on, and had milk spilled and dried on them (eww!) and so on and so forth. Daisy's favorite book when she was little, and mine, too, was Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. That book is so humorous. I could give you quite a list of my favorite children's books and I'm always looking (at the library, of course) for new favorites.I love to give books as baby shower gifts, especially hard cover chunky books. They're great for toddlers, fit well in diaper bags and in their chubby hands, and are very helpful at restaurants when the tyke is done eating but needs some entertainment. Trust me, I've learned all the tricks!
     Anyway, I'm looking around for a new fascinating and stimulating book to read (feel free to offer any suggestions!). I'm really wanting to read some marvelous biographies. A friend suggested the biography of Sara Edwards - wife of Jonathan ("Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God") Edwards. Could be quite interesting....if I could only add an extra hour (or two) to my day. I just know there'll be PLENTY of time - an eternity! -  to read in Heaven.