During our mobilization in the States, I would joke with fellow soldiers when caught in a line or a mind-numbing briefing and would often say "That's why I have my Nook."
And what a good investment that Nook was (it came free, providentially, when my computer this past Christmas). Having an easy-to-carry collection of 200 books at my fingertips is a precious gift. I'm able to read great Christian books to stir my soul, commentaries to encourage my reflection in sermon preparation, Army field guides and psychological books to help grow some of my chaplain skills and base of knowledge, economic and political books to pique those lifelong interests, and fiction, history, and biographies when I simply need an enjoyable mental escape. Here are some of the things I have read recently:
1) Earth Unaware and Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card. These books belong to a three-part prequel series to the young adult classic, Ender's Game (will be a blockbuster movie with Harrison Ford later this year). Card is an imaginable and realistic author, which enables a non-science fiction reader like myself to appreciation his works. His realism extends into the realm of life and death, as key characters and those who garner sympathy (i.e., children) are killed off. It breathes humanity into these imaginative works.
2) Risk is Right and assorted short biographies by John Piper. Risk is just what it claims to be--a vindication of taking risks for the glory of God in this world, alongside the claim that safety and security will always be a mirage in a world in which human foresight is so profoundly limited. It is a great call to advance from our secluded bunkers in life and engage the real world. The short biographies of people like Judson, Paton, and others simply illustrate this point. Piper's bottom line to us all: "It is better to lose your life than waste it."
3) An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson. This is the first in a trilogy on WWII. This book covers the war in Africa, the next covers Italy, the final covers D-Day and the war in Europe. This series, recently concluded, is considered the standard-bearer of our time and is often equated with the work of Cornelius Ryan and other authors of prior generations. It is wonderfully verbose, and carries the reader from the command desk to the foxhole, reminding us of that tenuous day when free peoples (and the Soviets) came together to push back the Nazi shadow from the face of the free world.
That's all for now. Wish you all a blessed day in gratitude for Christ and to the glory of God!
