I found this book in the "give away" pile!

Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes.

Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

(This is only part of the poem by Ogden Nash.)

Top 50 Books

The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals according to Christianity Today. I believe I have read 20 of them, and have heard of about 35 of them. How about you?

50.Revivalism and Social Reform by Timothy L. Smith
49.Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer
48.The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
47. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F. F. Bruce
46. Out of the Saltshaker and into the World by Rebecca Manley Pippert
45. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark A. Noll
44. The Gospel of the Kingdom by George Eldon Ladd
43. Operation World by Patrick Johnstone
42. The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren
41. Born Again by Charles W. Colson
40. Darwin on Trial by Phillip E. Johnson
39. Desiring God by John Piper
38. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin
37. God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
36. Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
35. The Stork Is Dead by Charlie W. Shedd
34. This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
33. The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey with C. C. Carlson
32. The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
31. The Next Christendom by Philip Jenkins
30. Roaring Lambs by Robert Briner
29. Dare to Discipline by James Dobson
28. The Act of Marriage by Tim and Beverly LaHaye
27. Christy by Catherine Marshall
26. Know Why You Believe by Paul E. Little
25. Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
24. The Meaning of Persons by Paul Tournier
23. All We're Meant to Be by Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Nancy A. Hardesty
22. The Genesis Flood by Henry M. Morris and John C. Whitcomb
21. The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Emerson Coleman
20. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
19. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
18. The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
17. What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey
16. Basic Christianity by John Stott
15. The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism by F. H. Henry
14. Let Justice Roll Down by John M. Perkins
13. Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
12. Power Evangelism by John Wimber with Kevin Springer
11. Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster
10. Evangelism Explosion by D. James Kennedy
9. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
8. Managing Your Time by Ted W. Engstrom
7. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Sider
6. The Living Bible by Kenneth N. Taylor
5. Knowing God by J. I. Packer
4. The God Who Is There by Francis A. Schaeffer
3. Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
2. Understanding Church Growth by Ronald Anderson McGavran
1. Prayer: Conversing With God by Rosalind Rinker

I was surprised to not see Pilgrim's Progress, How Should We Then Live, and The Robe. But maybe their influence was less on evangelicalism and more on Christianity as a whole.

Not to Worry!

I just finished reading this book overcoming fear, worry, and anxiety. It was called Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety. Now of course, I just read it so I could understand people who have a problem with worry, clearly as a theoretical thing, in case I ran into someone who had that sort of problem, you know.

Nevertheless, I did learn some things that I hope I won't forget. I loved the quote from Corrie Ten Boom's book The Hiding Place(which I read many years ago) when she was fearful that her father might die. The author also quotes Spurgeon from time to time, who was undoubtedly very wise. And of course, there are the very words of Christ Himself in Matthew 6: When we worry that bad things will happen, we are reminded that God is in control, and that nothing can happen to me that has not gone through Him first. I have no doubt believing that, but sometimes it is small comfort when I know that God has decided that it is ok for some pretty terrible things to happen to some people (i.e. 9/11, cancer, car wrecks, aneurysms, wars, hurricanes, etc. You get the idea!) At this point, I'm reminded of the words to Nichole Nordemann's song, "Gratitude." There are times I have listened to it 5 or 6 times in a row, to let the words sink in deep, so I can develop this kind of trust, kind of a "Our God is able. . . but even if He does not. . ." like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Spurgeon said ". . . with the fear of God, there is no room for other fears." The author points to the example of Christian in the classic Pilrim's Progress when he met Timrous and Mistrust. The author goes on and talks about other kinds of worry - like worrying too much about what people think, and how we should live our lives for an Audience of One. She discusses the practical side of thigns, a la Philippians 4:6-8. Winning over worry seems largely a matter of what do I allow my mind to dwell on? Reminds me of the Casting Crowns song, when "the waves are calling out my name, and they laugh at me, reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. . . But the voice of truth tells me a different story." Here's hoping I'll be listening to the voice of truth! (I mean, anyone who happens to read this and actually has a problem with worry!)

Getting started on the library

So many books, so little time! Carolyn must get started early. EB moves right into Magnificent Obsession while Brad shares the story of Yellow and Stripe. What do you think she likes better? It looks like she is sleeping with EB, but I think she was quietly contemplating something like "You can't pay me back --- I've already used it up!!!"