Looking For a Book to Read?

Hey guys. In case you didn't know this about me. I love to read. I always have a book that I'm reading. Sometimes more than 1. I was asked twice yesterday what I was reading. That tells me two things. First, some of you care what I'm reading. That's good. Second, some of you don't know what I'm reading. Not so good. So...

Over the last 2 months I've read a lot of the emerging stuff. No real reason, other than I wanted to read for myself some of the major authors across the broad spectrum of the "Emerging Church". I read Brian Mclaren's Generous Orthodoxy. I read Mark Driscoll's Radical Reformission. I read Doug Pagitt's Reimagining The Church. And I read a fella named Jonathan Edwards' A Treatise Concerning Relgious Affections. Can you guess what my favorite was? A hint: I quoted my favorite a couple weeks ago in a sermon. It will be online in the next couple days.

A couple days ago I started reading The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It's by a marriage counselor who proposes that each person has a primary way that they express and receive love from others. There are five ways. That's nice and neat isn't it? Not 8 or 2. But a nice and clean 5. The five are:

1. Quality Time
2. Words of Affirmation
3. Gifts
4. Acts of Service
5. Physical Touch

Here's my take so far: Chapman thinks this will save your marriage. If you only learn how to express love more meaningfully then you'll have a great relationship. WRONG!!!! That can only happen as we love Christ, love like Christ, and live the gospel in our marriages.

We can have meaningful marriages whether you have a clue if your wife likes flowers or for you to give the kids a bath. Remember guys, the gospel isn't just our message it is our means. It is how we live too. The gospel is everything.

However, I want to express love more meaningfully to my red hot smoking wife Sarah, so I'm reading it.

One last disclaimer and recommendation. THE DISCLAIMER: Just because I read something or recommend that you read somethign doesn't mean that the book is a good book or what I believe. On occasion we need to read books that are full of crap. In fact there are far more bad books than good. This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised by how many folks think that because I quote something or read something that I'm affirming it or adopting it as my belief.

THE RECOMMENDATION: For you guys who love to read and can grind through Jonathan Edwards then read him. But for those of you who aren't up for that yet: Read Mark Driscoll's Radical Reformission. I really like this guy and like him more all the time. The book gives his mission strategy for three things I'm very passionate about:

1. Passion for the Gospel
2. Passion for the Church
3. Passion for the Culture

So pick a book, any book, but for the love of God--READ!!!!