I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions.  As a matter of fact, I think that for the most part, they’re stupid.  Why can’t people who want to make changes in their life just do it?  Why do we feel that a new year means an opportunity for a new start?  Does a person have to have a new year to attempt to make changes in their life?  It doesn’t make sense to me.

 With that being said, I’ve made a New Year’s resolution for myself.  My goal for this year (and every year thereafter) is to read 3 books per month.  This action was primarily inspired by the writers strike that is plaguing Hollywood and television right now.  With nothing to watch, I figured it was a good opportunity to pick up on my reading.  Here’s two of the books that I’ve knocked out for January:

For awhile, I wasn’t sure about this book but ended up really liking it by the time I had finished.  Co-written by David Crowder (yes, the same one) and David Hogan, it has a very relaxed writing style that appealed to me.  The book approaches the subject of death from a variety of different angles that keep the book from getting into a rut.  At one moment, your reading about the history of bluegrass and the next, you’re reading an IM conversation just before delving into a three-in-one story that moves all over the place……literally (just get the book; you’ll see what I mean).

 The other one that I’ve read this month (and that I absolutely adored) was Mark Driscoll’s Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons From An Emerging Missional Church.  Warning: don’t read this book if you’re easily offended.  Mark Driscoll is the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  It is a rapidly growing church that is doing some great things in one of the least churched cities in the U.S.  Confessionstakes you through all of the stuggles and triumphs that Driscoll went through as Mars Hill grew.  Anyone who is familiar with Driscoll’s style knows that he says what he thinks and lays it out in a very raw and unapologetic fashion…….which fits my style.  Here’s an excerpt:

Scrambling for ideas, I agreed to cancel a Sunday church service to let some of our long-haired public radio types take us outside to do a joint art project they had proposed….As a truck-driving jock who watches a lot of Ultimate Fighting, I can honestly say it was the gayest thing I have ever been a part of.

A few other favorite parts of the book included an incident where a guy called him at 2:00 a.m. because he felt guilty for having just watched a porn and acted on it and another time where he gathered all of the men in the church together to give them a crash course in what it means (and what it doesn’t mean) to be a man.

I highly recommend this one, but like I said, not if you’re easily offended.

I have a Piper book on the burner ready to tackle next, but after that, I’m not sure but I’m open to suggestions (but please refrain from suggesting anything from Joel Osteen or the Left Behind series in that it could get you slapped).

JD