Quick Update + Books everyone can Read (YAAAH!!!)

So, I'm down to a quick essay to write, and a quick exam to study for (both for tomorrow). Praise the Lord I made it!

Now, I'm going to take a break and write about books.

This is relevant to my overarching blog-theme (manhood) because in my (hopefully Biblically-based) conception of gender roles, men are almost always leaders. If you're a guy, and you plan on getting married or having a family, you will be the head of the family (Ephesians 5:22). And if you plan on living a life of celebacy, you have probably been given that gift in order to pursue some sort of Spiritual leadership position. Either way, you're a leader. And it is a fact that "Leaders are Readers" (2 David 2:2).

Alas, I know that some of you don't like reading. A lot of people ask me .... actually.. very few people ask me :( (wah!): "what books would you recommend?" - so from the books I've read this year, I've picked four that I think are really accesible. Everyone can read them. So, maybe you're asking - "Adam really likes that Piper guy. Is he going to recommend the 500 page book 'Desiring God' that he read this year?" - No, these are books for everyone. Including you - non-reader!

note: this is also for girls, despite my previous comment on leaders.
note2: for clarification, my comment about girls doesn't mean girls aren't ever leaders.

a) Cross-Centered Life by CJ Mahaney
Every Christian needs to center their life on the Cross. Mahaney is soooo practical and gives great illustrations. A very short read, so if you're intimadated by big books (like Desiring God), this is the book for you. Mahaney's pretty funny but incredibly focused on the Glory of God. He's also very very serious about making your life Cross-Centered, this is not just a stab at some intellectual discourse.

Warnings for people: i) Although his arguments are exegetical (ie. they pull meaning out of Biblical texts), his book does not dive deep into any given Biblical text, so if you're turned off by that, you should keep that in mind. ii) Mahaney is a Calvinist. Although it only comes up once, I know some of you are violently opposed to Calvinism. You should still read it though.

b) The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn
Every Christian needs to seek sexual purity. So, Randy Alcorn tries to show in a very short book that impurity is STUPID. Great book, easy to read, and contains some of the most useful illustrations I've ever heard (some you've already heard because of how transferable they are). He really captures that purity is a fight. And it doesn't have the nasty stories that Every Man's Battle has - it's PG13 (though has stories of how sexual impurity has destroyed lives) and for both genders.

c) Humility by CJ Mahaney
Every Christian needs to seek humility. Again, very very practical and very God-centered. Not very long (although, i'm still not done it) around 200 pages, but lots of insights into humility.

Warnings - again, the same thing. And he likes golf, so if you don't like golf, that might be a deterrant.

d) God-Smuggler by Brother Andrew
Every Christian... needs... to smuggle... God.... Uhh... hmm... What I meant to say is that this is a biography about a guy who smuggled Bibles into Communist countries If you're a leftist middle-class indie rocker who thinks the Soviet Union was cool, this will really show you how stupid that is. Again, this is not a hard-core read - it's a Missionary Biography, but I really think it can appeal to anyone interested in a good story about God's goodness. It's a fast-paced narrative and has really cool stories. It will really give you an idea of the kind of opposition that STILL exists against Christianity and freedom of religion. And it's usually really cheap at Christian bookstores.

That is all. Back to work.

Some Quick Things

Well, I've just gotten over my flu. Last night was crazy, I felt sooooo cold, and had this enormous headache. During the Christmas Banquet, I actually slept in the sanctuary in Sunnyside (the Church we have it in), it was nuts..

But now I'm good. Here's a quick update of mildly interesting things in my life.

a) Facebook
Well, if you have recently noticed I have facebook, and are irritated to no end that I did not add you (invite you? friend-ify you? I don't know the terminology), that is because individuals with questionable morals went into my email without permission, signed me up for facebook, and then other individuals with questionable morals spammed my "wall" with intellect-diminishing monologue from foreign movies with nudity. So, I apologize if you felt ignored, I have no plans on making any friends through this system of communication, but since it is being hyped as the next big ministry tool by Campus for Christ, maybe I will use it later in the future.

b) My New Favourite TV Show/More on Cyndi Wang
If you have me on MSN, you might have noticed my picture is a Taiwanese girl eating fruit. This is Cyndi Wang, Asia's next rising star (*crossing fingers*) and the star of Smiling Pasta (Wei Xiao Pasta). This show is great, I totally recommend you watch it on Youtube, and if you understand Mandarin, you can even watch past the point I am at. However, be warned, the first episode is a little cheesy. Episode 13 with subtitles has not yet been uploaded, and fans are going crazy! (proof:http://www.youtube.com/profile_comment_all?user=uluvshane).

In regards to my picture of her - I do not spend all my time perusing photographs of her, wishing that we could fall in love. And as I have gotten some "rebuking", I must give a rebuttal to the claim that my picture displays her in a "seductive" position:
i) She is eating fruit - That is just good for the kids to see, as nutrition, especially nowadays, should be a high concern. So, it is a positive thing.
ii) She is smiling, that seems like the most reasonable thing to do when a picture is being taken of you. It is not an act of seduction.
iii) You cannot see her girly parts in the picture.

c) (The more serious part) My Health of late
So, as was previously mentioned, I've been pretty sick lately. One brother reminded me yesterday that Satan loves to attack us through bad health, and so I was reminded that although Satan loves the throw his fiery arrows, what man (or Satan) meant for evil, God can turn for good. So, after that point, I was able to think about how I could use my flu and Satan's fiery darts to put my shield of faith in practice and continue to wield my sword of the Spirit (the Word) to cut down Satan's darts like little twigs. So, if you're reading, brother, thank you. The rest of the night and today were good as I read a little more and listened to Dr. John Piper (a pastor, for those of you who don't know who he is).

d) Stallone? A Saint in God's elect??????
http://www.citizenlink.org/clcommentary/A000003061.cfm - Read it.

Well, that's it. I hope I can update again soon.