Good April Reads

The Missing Gospels; Darrell L. Bock

Good timing for this book as gnostic inclined scholars such as Bart Erhman (author of Lost Scriptures and Misquoting Jesus) are getting more attention from the common man about the Gnostic gospels including the Gospel of Judas. This is a quality resource if you would like to get an overview of some of the more important Gnostic gospels, where they came from, and how they compare with the scriptures we have in our canon.

Whistling in the Dark; Frederick Buechner

Another dictionary style book but very entertaining and enlightening to read. Buechner just speaks my language. He's cynical but still optimistic. I like that. Very insightful and humorous.








Practitioners; Several Authors

I remember the first time I started reading this, i think I was in a bad mood because what I first thought was, "how pretentious can these people get?" But a few weeks later I was in a much more generous frame of mind and really enjoyed the thoughts of several pastors who are more than just making statements such as, "wouldn't it be cool if the church could be like this?" but they are actually putting into practice (hence the name of the book) what they are discussing in the book which is encouraging. Good thoughts and you could really get a sense of their passion and zeal for the church in this book.

Ender's Game; Orson Scott Card

This was recommended by a friend of mine Tristan. He said it was one of the greatest science fiction books ever so I figured I should probably read it. This is a whole series but this is a stand alone book written by a devout Mormon. Mormom theology is pretty well hidden in this book but if you look you will find it. That certainly doesn't take away from an excellent story which brings up some great questions about how we can be manipulated or conditioned into becoming someone that we might not want to be. I highly recommend this book as did Tristan.

New Seeds of Contemplation; Thomas Merton

Oh how rich this book is! There are pages, paragraphs, and sentences you need to read and reread to soak in the depth of what he is saying. Merton seems to understand man and his journey of faith more than anyone I've ever read. Like I have said before, Merton speaks straight to my soul. A former professor always said you need to find mentors in your life who are living but some who have also passed on that can mentor you from their writings. Thomas Merton is my mentor.

On Tap for May:
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
The Gospel According to America - David Dark
The Sacred Way - Tony Jones
To a God Unknown - John Steinbeck
The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene