What I've Been Reading

I always have my radar on when it comes to books - I love to get my hands on the new stuff and then grab a pen or highlighter, and underline or make notes to my heart's delight. I have to mention a few books that have lately been too good to keep to myself.

Grace-Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel
A good friend in the trenches of parenting recommended this book. I initially thought the title sounded a bit soft, but as I've been reading, I realized I have a skewed view of grace to begin with. What I mean by that is I gladly welcome the grace given to ME, but have a hard time giving it out. Dr. Kimmel writes, "Grace does not exclude obedience, respect, boundaries, or discipline, but it does determine the climate in which these important parts of parenting are carried out." This book was a breath of fresh air and written in a relaxed, conversational tone.

Heaven by Randy Alcorn
If you've never read any of Alcorn's Christian fiction, I must encourage you to read those also! Deadline, Dominion, and Edge of Eternity are some of my favorites. His fictional (but based on scripture) accounts of Heaven were so amazing, that I was thrilled when his non-fiction book about Heaven came out. In the preface, Alcorn says, "The truth is, in our seminaries, churches, and families, we have given amazingly little attention to the place where we will live forever with Christ and his people - the New Earth, in the new universe. This eternal Heaven is the central subject of this book. It's a subject I've found to be fascinating, thrilling, and life-changing." There is no topic, question, or detail Alcorn does not thoroughly discuss when it comes to Heaven. It's like a huge textbook on Heaven, but much more fun to read because it will expand and improve your current vision of what you think Heaven will be like. It's also a great evangelical tool, explaining at the beginning how to GET to Heaven in the first place. It'd be a great shame to read this book and not get there!