VT Christian Reading Challenge discussion

What are you planning to read in April?

I'm starting the month with an old Mary Stewart novel from 1955 - Madam Will You Talk? I'm reading the Mary Stewart novels with a group here on Goodreads.

Also, reading a Christian novel by Karen Kingsbury - first time I've ever read anything by her.

Reading a Christian memoir: Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved

And a forestry memoir: Forests, Fires, and Wild Things.

It’s been years since I read Dorie: the Girl Nobody Loved. I remember it being powerful. Karen Kingsbury can be fun. I hope you like it!

I’m working on Waymaker by Ann Voskamp. I like the way she writes. I’d also like to make it through This Beautiful Truth by Sarah Clarkson.

reading/finishing two read outlouds with my kids: God's Smuggler and These Are My People - missionary biographies ❤️

I got a book on local churches, Pillars of Grace by Steven J Lawson (about the development of the bible?), and The Simulation Hypothesis by Rizwan Virk (an interesting world view). I also want to tackle The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (who is older than 70) and RIM by Alexander Besher (I have owned this for a while and have not read it).

@Ian - re: Pillars of Grace... Development of the Bible sounds like something I'd like to read about. Does it cover the Council at Nicaea and ... what else? I'll look for the book online. I really know very little about this topic and want to know more.

@Stephanie - I love missionary biographies/memoirs... I will look for the ones you mentioned. This is what Doris Van Stone's book is like (Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved) ... she grew up in Oakland, Ca only a few blocks (or miles?) from where I lived in the 1990's... and I was born in Oakland... anyhow, it is a compelling story of a tragic childhood of neglect and abuse, leading to wonderful faith and missionary work in New Guinea. Amazing lady! And later in life she worked for a while at Precepts Ministry (Kay Arthur's ministry.)

@Christabelle - agree, Dorie's memoir is powerful. I've never read anything by Ann Voskamp - I hope you will review it.

@Linda
So it turned out to be tracing the 5 Solas from Clement to Calvin and proving that the Reformation ideas were not new but flushed out. So, yes Nicaea is covered along with seems every century between fathers. The book takes a 500' view of each and is not very deep due to the date range covering but I really enjoyed it.

@Ian - I looked up Stephen J. Lawson and saw he wrote a lot of biographies of church leaders. They look very interesting to me since I know very little about them.

I just finished and am currently reading

Currently working through The Cross of Christ and Old Made New: A Guide to the New Testament Use of the Old Testament-a guide on interpreting Old Testament passages in the New Testament.

This month, I’m looking forward to Tell Me the Stories of Jesus: The Explosive Power of Jesus' Parables and Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation.

Fiction, I’m reading The Souls of Lost Lake.

J.J. wrote: "I just finished and am currently reading "

How did you enjoy Native? It was one I went through a couple years ago.

Amber wrote: "J.J. wrote: "I just finished and am currently reading [bookcover:Why Smart Kids Worry: And What Parents Can Do to Help|175864..."

I gave it 4 stars. I live in Oklahoma and thought her particular wrestling resonates with many Indigenous Peoples who have grown up in white churches.

Linda wrote: "@Ian - re: Pillars of Grace... Development of the Bible sounds like something I'd like to read about. Does it cover the Council at Nicaea and ... what else? I'll look for the book online. I really ..."

Linda wrote: "I'm starting the month with an old Mary Stewart novel from 1955 - Madam Will You Talk? I'm reading the Mary Stewart novels with a group here on Goodreads.

Also, reading a Christian novel by Karen ..."

Thanks for the summary on the book about Dorie. It sounds interesting, I’ll add it to my to-read list!

I should read Native Identity - as I live in a very small town where about half the residents are Native American.

Last night I finished reading Madam, Will You Talk, by Mary Stewart - and today I should make progress on the Karen Kingsbury novel.

Well, April is over and we are a third of the way there... good for some....

Best: It is Personal by Reggie Joiner. Family Pastor choose this for our weekly high school group and it was so good. It is geared toward interacting and respect children and youth but still good for older people too.

Worse: The Simulation Hypothesis by Rizwan Virk. This was my worldview book as I am interested in how it works. I hoped there would be more on the quantum physics parts that the author handwaved and less on how the Eastern or Gnostic views are easily included in the hypothesis.

Surprise: Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. My European Author read as I do not include UK as European. A really fun read about agents of day who make sure that the agents of night do not overstep the boundaries set up by agreements.

Best - I read the entire 3-book "Refiner's Fire" series by Lynn Austin. This was my first time reading Christian fiction by this author, and I liked all three books. They are semi-romantic, mainly about the Civil War and how people worked through it.

Worst - Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows, by Rod McKuen - this is a poetry book and these days poetry is not my preference. It was my favorite poetry book when I was a teenager (many long years ago) and I wanted a reread just to see if I still liked it. It wasn't the worst poetry ever, but I didn't read any other books in April that I'd want to call "worst." The poems were mainly about the poet's many failed relationships. My main reason to like this poetry was because it was about places in San Francisco, a city I used to live in, back in the 1970's, as a young adult. He referred to his relationships with street names, and I used to live a few blocks from Stanyan which is the street between Golden Gate Park and the Haight Ashbury District. Sentimental...

Another worst - looking up the thread I saw I read something by Karen Kingsbury, a Christian fiction author. It was apparently not her best book. I had to DNF it because it was so depressing, with everyone either having a serious life threatening illness, or dealing with a close loved one who was sick, and throw in 9/11 fatalities and grieving over that. No way did I want to read anymore. I hope to read a different Karen Kingsbury book someday but this one was not for me.

Surprise - Dorie, the Girl Nobody Loved, by Doris Van Stone. I thought this was going to be about an abused child. In fact, it was, for a few chapters. What surprised me was that her childhood home was in an area of the SF Bay Area I also used to live in during the 1990's. Also, I was surprised it turned into a very inspiring missionary memoir when she and her husband went to New Guinea to live as the first missionaries in a remote village of aborigines. Recommended!!!