the irresistible revolution

so i'm a little slow getting back to this blog....but i have been thinking about it. :) and now i've discovered even more of my friends who blog, so it takes me longer to catch up on reading them all!

anyway, if i had to pick one book from last year that really impacted me, i would have to refer you to the title of this blog, "the irresistible revolution: living as an ordinary radical" by shane claiborne. honestly this book convicted me and challenged me in a lot of areas - don't read it unless you want a kick in the pants to make some changes in your life.

it could a bit (or a lot) overwhelming and guilt-inducing. the author, shane, does indeed live a radical life compared to most of us. simplicity and communal living are main tenants - and just trying to figure out how to follow Christ in this crazy world and truly make a difference in other's lives. honestly though, i think it's the kind of challenge that most of us need - i know for myself, the goals and challenges i give myself really aren't all that difficult. the ideas that shane puts out there are gonna take some real sacrifice.

i really connected w/him....at first i thought maybe it was b/c he lives in philly. but then as i kept reading i realized that he had to be about my age - he talked about going to work w/ mother teresa one summer while he was in college. it turns out, he was born the same year as i was! anyway, it was really interesting reading about his experiences in india and then making the huge change to come out here to the burbs of chicago to do an internship at the mega-church willow creek.

he talks about how so many churches use most of their tithe money for their own comfort, programs, buildings, etc. instead of the real original purpose of the tithe being to help the poor. he talks about how so few of us really share our lives w/ each other...as in, our belongings, our food, anything that someone else might need. the idea of communal living intrigues me, and phil and i have even talked about getting a bigger apt. w/ the intent of having a college student live w/ us for low rent. a friend of our's from church needed a place to stay for a month over the summer while he was in between leases and he ended up crashing w/ us. it seemed like such a big deal to some people (and to him - he must have thanked us a million times) but we knew it was the least we could do and it was a lot of fun (hopefully he thought so too!). i wish the concept of communal living wasn't so "weird" - it honestly makes so much more sense to share living expenses, household needs (and chores!), etc. similarly, how often do we think to ask our friends if they have something we could borrow before we just run out and buy it b/c we "need" it? we have happily lent out some of our camping gear b/c not that many people in the city own the basic stuff. :)

well, i will have to post some quotes from the book later b/c a friend of mine has it right now. but i have barely scratched the surface and i'm sure i'll be posting about this book again. please read it and let me know your thoughts! good night and happy reading!

here we go!

so this is my first attempt at blogging.  over the past year or so i have had an increasing number of friends start blogs - i have over a dozen on my google reader now.  anyway, i decided that since i read a lot and i process and remember what i've read better if i discuss it, that books would be a good overall theme for my blog.  

i think for this first post i will just give an overview of some of my all time favorite books and authors.  i'll work my way up to what i'm currently reading.  who knows how long it will take me to get "caught up" but this wknd is bitterly cold here in chi-town  (wind chills from -10 to -20!) so if  i'm smart i'll stay inside as much as possible and just blog away....or read!  :)  

so, in the genre of historical fiction, one of favorite author teams is bodie & brock theone.  they have written several series involving israel (ancient and more recent), WWII, ireland, and more.  watch out though - each series usually has at least 6 books and you can get hooked!  i like them b/c you learn a lot of history but it's not boring - and the subject of israel is a personal passion of mine (in case you don't know, i spent an amazing semester of college there).  

for some light reading, i love jan karon.  the mitford series, to be precise.  it's a bit "fluffy" but i love her writing - endearing, funny, and yet still deep at times.  you'll laugh, you'll cry.......but once again, if you get hooked, it's a long series.  :)  basically the series follows the life of a goofy pastor (for lack of a better description) and his church in the small town where he lives.  the characters are great - i read this series a few years ago and just writing about it makes me want to go back and read it again soon!  it made me laugh out loud more than a few times - i love it when that happens.  

let's see....a recent read i have to mention is the kite runner by khaled husseini.  i mention it b/c they just made a movie of it - i don't think it's really in the theatres much anymore, but in case you saw it, you should still read the book.  it follows the life of 2 boyhood friends in afghanistan when the taliban take over.   so, be warned, there is some violence and your heart will be ripped out more than once.  but it is so good - i could not put it down.  

i guess to close i'll just mention a few other favorite authors who i'm sure i will talk about more later.  lauren winner, brian mclaren, brennan manning, c.s. lewis, donald miller, and bruce feiler, to name a few.  i'm sure i'll remember others that i should have added and they'll make it on here eventually.  

well, i guess it's time for me to head out.  unfortunately, i do have to go out in the nasty cold but thankfully it's to go visit someone and run a quick errand.  oh, on a similar note:  please keep the homeless in your prayers this wknd./winter.  although there are lots of shelters, some people will never go to them.  we actually went out last night w/ a group from church to pass out blankets and coffee (one of our awesome college students coordinated it!) - it was humbling and has renewed our passion to help those who are marginalized by our society.  take care!