'Twas the night before two-thousand and twelve

The Christmas season is a time filled with great joy and celebration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: the greatest gift of all. Over the last few weeks, amid time with family and loved ones, I have spent time dwelling on the scriptures found in Isaiah 9:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."

Our God is truly an awesome God! 

And now, as the New Year approaches, and the last of the Christmas decorations are shed, I find myself praising God for His many blessings, and in doing so, am reminded of my grandmother. As many of you may know, I am a bit of a "book junky". To put it simply: I love to read! My grandmother was a librarian and much of my love for books was passed down to me from her. I can still remember the day, when on my fifth birthday, she took me to get my very own library card which I used to check out five books. It was love at first page and I was hooked. My grandmother also encouraged me to keep a note card on every book I read, a practice I still maintain today. So, in honor of my grandmother, and in preparation for 2012, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you my top reads from the past year (in no particular order). I hope that you enjoy them as much as I did! 

Bob's Top Reads of 2011:

TITLE: The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science 

AUTHOR: Norman Doidge, M.D.

INFO: The implications on education from the studies covered in this book are monumental. The short answer is that educational practice lags cognitive understanding by at least 20 years. 

TITLE: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer: A Man Who Would Cure the World

AUTHOR: Tracy Kidder

INFO: Dr. Farmer, a Harvard trained physician, has dedicated his life to providing medical care for the poor, particularly in Haiti. This book is well written and deeply convicting. 

TITLE: Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Redemption, and Resilience

AUTHOR: Laura Hillenbrand

INFO: The title sums it up best.

TITLE: The Omnivore's Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals

AUTHOR: Michael Pollan

INFO: One of the highlights of our administrative team here at Shannon Forest is that we all love to read. I would never have selected this to read but it was a recommendation from a colleague. I would probably consider it my favorite read of the year. This is a book that will certainly change the way you view the food you eat. 

TITLE: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

AUTHOR: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

INFO: It is by far the most challenging exposition of scripture that I have ever read. 

TITLE: Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community

AUTHOR: David Putman and Ed Stetzer

INFO: A thoughtful analysis of why the Gospel is not transforming American Culture and how to change this trend. 

Bob's 2011 Honorable Mentions:

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

61 Hours, Bad Luck and Trouble, and Killing Floor by Lee Child

Angels Flight by Michael Connelly 

Daniels Running Formula by Jack Daniels, Ph. D.

Generation iY by Tim Elmore

Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn 
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Dan and Chip Heath
Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church by Michael Horton
War by Sebastian Junger
Hidden Harmonies: The Lives and Times of the Pythagorean Theorem by Robert Kaplan

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter 

Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear

Return Flight: Community Development Through Reneighboring Our Cities by Robert Lupton

Running to the Top by Arthur Lydiard

Six Silent Men by Reyenel Martinez

Lore of Running by Tim Noakes

Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals and Meaning by Nancy Pearcy

With Justice For All: A Strategy for Community Development by John Perkins

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What it Says About Us by Tom Vanderbilt

Desiring the Kingrom: Worship, Worldview and Cultural Formation by James Smith

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman

I offer continued wishes of a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year to you and your family and look forward to seeing all of you next year! God bless.