Brent Curtis & John Eldredge
From the publishers: "If you long for something more, even if you don’t know what that something is, then open this profound book. Before long you will find yourself eagerly turning the pages to find out what happens next. The Sacred Romance is the story of our lives; it is God’s story. It is His invitation to experience His unfathomable love for us.."
From me: I must admit that the back-cover blurb quoted above remains an unfulfilled prophecy in my case. For whatever reason - maybe I just don’t struggle with the existential angst the authors seem to wallow in - it was a struggle for me to finish this book. For me, it was not a page-turner at all. In fact, I only skimmed the last few chapters. However, for the person who wonders about their place in this world and what-the-sam-hill-is-God-up-to...they could do worse than be reminded of God’s desire for their ultimate good as this book relates it.
Page 56/Sentence 5: Indeed, they learn they are to actually rule with Aslan from Cair Paravel itself, Aslan’s royal city.
Kevin Cook
"How did Clerow Wilson, a motherless Jersey City grade-school dropout, become a national celebrity? Drawing on interviews with family, friends, and celebrities, Kevin Cook offers an inspiring account of a complex man who broke the prime-time color barrier, blazing a trail for generations of entertainers to come."
Now THIS was a page-turner. With some kind of newsflash or entertainment history touchstone on almost every page, this biography reads like a novel, with quotes from a tape-recorded journal by Flip Wilson himself and deeply personal revelations from family members and co-workers. Fair warning: the author accurately recreates the vulgar language of backstage drug users, but if you ever enjoyed watching Flip tell a hilarious story or don a wig and miniskirt to become the sassy Geraldine Jones, you’ll learn a lot about all the pain behind the laughs.
56/5: Partly because “Snickers” was a funny word, Flip thought, and partly because it was less predictable.
Eugene H. Peterson
"Peterson not only instructs us in his considerable wisdom about authentic discipleship, he helps us see the passion and excitement of living lives fully devoted to Jesus." (Richard J. Foster)
We’ve been using this book as an aid in preparing lessons on the Psalms of Ascent for our Sunday morning adult Bible study (formerly known as Sunday School class). In 1980, it was the catalyst for Peterson’s translation/paraphrase, The Message. Some good explanations and illustrative stories really helped me see some clear and present applications for these poetic and ancient texts.
56/5: Hostile outsiders, keep your distance!
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I didn’t get much reading done May-August this year, did I? Too much Netflix and Facebook. Here’s to a better final third of the calendar!
