I thought it would be good to post about my current reads. My goal is to try and have 3-5 books going at any given time, and to be reading across a variety of needs or interests. I am currently blogging through two books at the moment, so you may already be familiar with those. If not, here are my current five reads, accompanied with some personals thoughts on them. Also, there is some bonus content at the end! (Try not to scroll there first thing!!) Hope you enjoy and let me know what you’ve been reading lately.
- Dragons of Summer Flame – 586 pages
This was a revisit from my teenage years. Those were the days when you could roll into the book fair at school and buy 4 pieces of candy, a sports car poster, and two books for about $7!! Ah, the memories…. Anyway, I would frequent the mall back then to go to one store in particular that sold all things Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons and Dragons related. I grew up loving the Medieval Ages, and everything about knights, swords, castles, and wizards. Dragon Lance books were my first taste of fantasy literature. I read through what fans will know as the “holy six” of the Dragon Lance series, and then started devouring everything I could that was connected to “swords and sorcery,” as they called it. Recently, I had let that type of reading drift away and replaced it with 10+ years of reading Great Books, and academic theology/philosophy for a plethora of college and Grad School degrees. The reading that captured my heart and imagination when I was just learning to read for fun and pleasure just, well: went to the backburner. But, after a move to a new house, and the unpacking of a copious amount of “book boxes,” (don’t ask my wife!!), I found myself once again revisiting those old reading days. So, I picked up “Dragons of Summer Flame” and have been working through it steadily.
2. The Religion of American Greatness: What’s wrong with Christian Nationalism – 266 pages
Surrounding a number of conversations, boilerplate rants, political engagement, and sociological intrigue is the idea of Christian Nationalism. I found myself on the sidelines for much of the discussion so far, trying to understand an articulation of what Christian Nationalism *is*, while also having questions about it that no one seemed to be answering. With some recent family conversations, along with comments and a sermon or so from the church I attend, it was blatantly obvious that the idea of Christian Nationalism was alive and well in the places where I live. I needed to know more. This work by Paul Miller is the most recent offering on the topic. I am blogging through this as I read it and you can continue to find those posts here at the blog until I wrap it up. It’s been a great read thus far, and I offer it as a recommendation. At a later date, I’ll post about other recommendations. If you are interested in the topic or want to follow along with my engagement, pick up a copy as soon as you can!
3. An Introduction to Ontology – 213 pages
After Grad School, I went to work immediately as a teacher. For the first couple of years, I picked up some additional work as an Adjunct Professor teaching Philosophy, and Great Books/Ideas. One of my more advanced seminar classes had me thinking quite a bit about Metaphysics – the study of what is real or what is reality. We were moving through epistemological principals and ideas in the class, but the effect was metaphysical. In other words: we were trying to understand what the metaphysical impact of given epistemic features were that came out of Baconian, Lockean, and Cartesian ideas. Suddenly: I needed to go back to an overview of Metaphysics. A mentor of mine suggested this book to me one day while I was in his office. I picked it up, and found it fit the present need. In fact, in one of my classes one night we had a pretty good time discussing whether the number 2 actually exists or is just a symbol we use to communicate the value/meaning. Not for everyone, I’m sure, but for the philosopher and philosophical nerds out there, a wonderful work. The last chapter is also decidedly intriguing – an overview of “Works of Music.” I had never given much thought to music in a metaphysical sense, but I was pleasantly surprised to engage with it here.
4. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God – 275 pages
My confession: this is my 2nd time through this work. At this point, I may make it a yearly read. In my opinion: it is THAT GOOD! I know, I know, it’s probably just relative to me. Here’s why I think it’s a must read: because Keller ties knowing God with praying to God, and there is real experience behind his words. Prayer is not couched as some experience offered to an abstract being, but it is, as it were, turning that idea inside out. Prayer is the attempt, the outworking of the soul to get at the “realness” of God. It is intimate relationship, personal connection, and all guided by what the Word of God – the Bible – says about who God is and what He is like. I am blogging through this book as well. I have a couple entries posted already, so you can go check those out for a taste of the highlights I took from each chapter. I’ll simply say that it is a book that has changed my life, and I would recommend it to anyone who finds in himself/herself a deeper desire to pray more, pray better, or pray at all. It is fantastic, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
5. Bavinck on the Christian Life: Following Jesus in Faithful Service – 251 pages
My final entry is one from a series produced by Crossway publishing. The series – “The Theologians on the Christian life” – is an excellent series, and one which I have enjoyed. This entry is focused entirely upon Herman Bavinck, a wonderful Reformed Theologian. The beginning of the work started out brilliantly, but I have to admit that it turned into a bit of a slog right after that. I think it is because it became so theologically dense that I found myself reading more about Reformed theology and less about Herman Bavinck. The author did give some fair warning that to discuss the man is to also discuss his theology. A fair point, but one I did not expect to get to so suddenly. I have not finished this work yet, but can say that there were some pieces of writing that I did find helpful and insightful. There is one particularly good section on the concept of “common grace.” I found this intriguing as I thought about it in connection to the concept of enjoying the beauty of the world and the offerings of creation while avoiding the allure of worldliness. The series from Crossway publishing is extremely good, and I would encourage anyone to go check it out, and pick up 1 or 2 volumes to add to their reading list.
BONUS CONTENT – TEACHER SHOES!
As the Summer comes to an end, one tradition rises to the surface. That tradition: getting new shoes! I got these in the mail today, and thought I would share them on the blog for everyone to see. And now that I am a teacher, it is decidedly more exciting. Why? Because shoes wear out FAST in those hallways. I need something stylish, something bold, something comfortable. What I need is what every dad, what every male teacher needs – New Balance!!!
So, without further ado, and for the bonus content you waited for (or scrolled down to look at first thing), here are my new kicks for the school year:
Evangelosophy 