I think one of the best arguments in the Shiavo case in keeping her alive is the fact that had this been an animal, a terrorist, a prisoner, any one of a grand scope of humans or animals, the left would be fighting tooth and nail to keep her alive. I am rarely surprised, but their actions in a case such as this shock me.

Now to the book list. I realized as I was driving home today that I may have bit off more than I can chew and let me tongue make a wager my fingers couldn’t win. As I look over my list, the following don’t make the cut but have been most influential in my life (I also must say before I begin that the Bible will not be on this list but of course is number one. That goes without saying.):

1) Peace Child – Don Richardson
2) The Emergence of the Church – Arthur Patzia
3) Church Without Walls – Eugene Peterson
4) Emergent Church – Dan Kimball
5) Younger Evangelicals – Robert Weber
6) Wayfarers – Betty Wagner
7) The Challenge of Jesus – N.T. Wright (this is the only book I’ve read by him, but I’ve heard anything by Wright is amazing)
8) Safely Home – Randy Alcorn

Without further ado, here are my top five books I believe people need to read in no particular order:

1) “Bastard on the Couch”: Of course a non-Christian book, but really deals with the issues that tear marriages apart. Also deals with how the feminist movement has sold the lie to women and they have bought it, yet are finding out that there is no pot of gold on the other side, they are finding themselves less satisfied and more stressed out. Funny thing. There is also the prequel to this book, “Bitch in the House” that I am just beginning. I find this prevalent as Lisa and I are getting to the stage where our friends are experiencing marital problems and we seek to keep our marriage strong. And with the church no better than the world in relationships, there is an audience for this.

2) “What’s So Amazing About Grace” and “Rumors from Another World” – Philip Yancey: I could really say any book by Yancey, but these are my two favorite. Grace deals exactly what it says, the grace of God. We Christians have been saved by grace, yet we can be the most legalistic people on the face of the earth, we all remind me of Pharisees, including myself. Yancey asks what’s so amazing about grace if we continue to live and judge as we do. Rumors deals with the beauty of God’s Creation and how His hand is at work in this world. I can’t remember a book in which I cried more in my life.

3) “Against All Hope” – Armando Valladares: Valladares is a Cuban who dared to make an anti-government, anti-Castro comment at work one day. It didn’t take him long to find himself being tossed around various gulags, starved, beaten, etc. His story is amazing, a must read for human rights.

4) “Grace Matters” – Chris Rice: I don’t remember how I can across this book but I’m glad I bought it. Rice moves from somewhere on the east coast to Mississippi where he chooses to live in true community, communal and inter-racial living. All goods and resources would be shared, they would seek to live the Sermon on the Mount. It worked for a while but eventually sin reared its ugly head and the community broke up. He has some great insights on grace and racial issues and what he learned from this experience has been very helpful for my life.

5) “Speak” – Laurie Halse Anderson: I may be adding this to the list because I am reading it as I write, in fact I haven’t even finished it yet. But I have already bought 30 copies for my students and plan on beginning it with them on Monday. I wrote about this yesterday, so I won’t repeat, and it’s probably more geared to youth and youth workers, but in reality a great tale for anyone who wonders about youth and fails to understand at times where they are coming from.

Of course, I reserve the rights to edit this list at anytime. It’s what I came up with at the moment and is far from perfect. Like I said, though, I have found these books to be most influential in my life and understanding of Christianity and this world and you may as well.

Any books you would request to me?