My Top 8 Books: 2011

Well, January 2012 is almost over.  I fully intended to write and finish a list of the best books I’ve read in the year 2011, by the end of 2011.  But it didn’t happen.  I went through my shelves, compiled a list and began to write.  Then…  No excuses, I just didn’t finish it before the New Year.  So, here’s a list of 8 of the best books I’ve read in the past year.  I haven’t attempted to provide a detailed review of each book, but I have said just a wee little bit about each one in hopes you might be interested enough to pick one of them up. 

Finally, Christian Music Worth Buying…

I must confess.  I don’t like much of Christian music, especially Christian music in the vein of “worship music.”  My main critique of Christian music has been its often shallow and un-insightful lyrics.  While most of us spent our adolescent years trying to convince our parents that we paid no attention to the lyrics of the music we listened to, I scrupulously examined each cassette and CD jacket I purchased or borrowed.  I would spend hours listening to music, parsing every phrase seeking to understand the artist’s feelings, thoughts and beliefs.  I did this for secular and Christian music alike.  Most of the time, but admittedly not all of the time, the Christian music I encountered required barely more than a flimsy plastic shovel to unearth the pithy Christian clichés which are devoid of any real and sustaining meaning.  I mean no offense to you if Christian music from the 1990’s was a great means of grace for you, but for me, it almost poisoned me against the church.

Pooh and Prejudice

A very kind neighbor was cleaning out their child’s DVD collection.  Our son, Nate, was to be the beneficiary of this cleaning.  One of the titles, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, fast became one of Nate’s favorite movies.  The plot of the film is simple.  The inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood wake up one fine morning to the earth shaking and loud elephant like trumpet blasts.  Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, and the rest gather to see just what transpired in the night.  They soon come across large round footprints. The conclusion is reached that a large Heffalump has invaded the Hundred Acre Wood.  No one, however, has ever seen a Heffalump.  In true Disney fashion, the cast of characters soon erupt into song about the various nefarious traits of this mysterious animal.  The Heffalump is an evil creature to be sure.  It is soon determined that an expedition must be made to find and capture this threat to the peace and tranquility of the Hundred Acre Wood.