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.