A great way to spend a fall night

As I mentioned in the last post, I love fall. This is my favorite time of year, and it is a good time to relax and enjoy the sun going down so early. If you are someone who enjoys this time of year and looks forward to a free evening, then this is the post for you. I want to give you some suggestions on how to spend a nice fall evening and what you might want to consider watching, listening to or reading. So, let's get to it.

When Love Calls, a novel by Will Inman
At the top of my list is this book written by our very own Will Inman. I know the fact that Will is a published romance novelist is hard for many of you to believe when you think about a guy who always has at least two knives on him at all times. But, it's true; Will writes Christian romance novels and you can see the cover of his first novel above. This has always been a dream of his and he is quite good at it. When Love Calls is the story of two people, Caton and Lilly, who are dealing with a lot of pain and disappoint in their lives, and the Savior who wants to help them through all of that. How God works through their lives is a fascinating read, and it is fun to go along for the ride. Will presents real and believable characters, and their emotions are captured in a profound way. Whether it is a character conversing with God, or one who is grieving or laughing, Will is good at helping you experience it with them. One of my favorite things in this book is the theme of being a gentleman. I really wish all of our teenage guys would read this so that they know how to treat their girlfriends, and I really really really wish all of the teenager girls around would read it so they know how they should be treated. Will is a talented writer, and I love his action scenes and look forward to future books from him. You can buy the book from Hastings locally, or from a number of online bookstores. The easiest way though would be to catch Will after church and get an autographed copy from him. Incidentally, Will published the book with his full name, so the author is listed as Travis W. Inman.

Thr3e, a novel by Ted Dekker
Okay, let’s say you're a man who skipped past the last recommendation as soon as you saw the phrase, "emotions are captured.” Now, I'm not much of a Christian romance reader, but I love a good thriller. So if you're like me, then here's a novel you might be interested in. Ted Dekker is my favorite fiction writer out there today, and this is one of my favorite books from him. In this book, Kevin Parsons, a seminary student, gets a call giving him three minutes to confess his sins to the world or the caller will blow up his car, which proves not to be an idle threat. In Thr3e, you see Kevin on the run from a serial killer while trying to find out what the sin he’s supposed to confess is. This book is an action packed thrill ride of a read. While it is not for everyone, I think if you like action books or movies, you’ll probably enjoy this book. Dekker writes this book to illustrate a deep spiritual truth, so do not read the scripture he puts at the end of the book until you’ve read it. Also, they just made a decent movie out of this book, so if you enjoy action/creepy movies, you may enjoy it.

Scoop, a novel by Rene Gutteridge
Okay, I’ve shared a romance and an action book, so I might as well go ahead and share a comedy with you. Scoop is a pretty funny book that begins with the death of Hayden Hazard’s parents and the disbanding of the family business, The Hazard Clowns. Yes, this book begins at the funeral of circus clowns. Hayden and her six homeschooled and sheltered siblings are then forced to deal with the world on their own. Scoop follows Hayden into the high stress life of television news where Hayden begins working as an assistant who drives everyone crazy with her Jesus talk. After a botox “incident,” things get even funnier as Hayden is forced into a very public role which she is not sure how to handle. This book is an entertaining read, and a nice change of pace from the ones listed above.

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, by Lee Strobel

This book is easily the most important read on this blog post. Strobel is a one time atheist who worked for years at the Chicago Tribune. Strobel, acting like an investigative reporter, interviews various experts from the fields of science, philosophy, and history. He deals with questions like, How reliable is the New Testament? Is there any evidence for Jesus outside of the Bible? Was Jesus really convinced that He was the Son of God? Strobel is easy to read and the proof he provides for Jesus as He is seen in the New Testament is overwhelming. This book is a must read for everybody. They also have a child edition and a teenage edition, so you can read it (and discuss it) as a family, no matter how old you are.

Let Love Win, cd by Daniel Kirkley
I first learned about this guy when Alison bought this cd. She played it for me, and this quickly became one of my favorites. Daniel Kirkley has a great sound to him, and he reminds me a lot of Josh Groban. Since I know many of you are Groban fans, I want you to know about Kirkley. With a cd filled with beautiful piano work and incredible strings, Kirkley’s voice is what sticks out to me. His voice is the second strongest thing in this album. The strongest aspect is the incredible lyrics. From songs like Make it Beautiful in which people cry out to God in the midst of bad circumstances, Come and make it beautiful/Let it all be usable/I still believe in miracles/And that You can use everything/So Father use even this/Make it beautiful, to a song about wanting God to be honored in his dating realtionships (A Sacred Moment), She keeps me praying/Lead me Lord/Don't wanna say and do things I'll be sorry for/God show the way to live out Your love, Kirkley keeps his lyrics soundly rested on God, and that is refreshing to me. I think my favorite song on the cd is All Things.

There’s no position bowed enough
No posture truly worthy of
Honoring the One above all things
On my knees is not that low
I still have a ways to go
To revere Who holds and knows all things

My Heart Lies down on Holy Ground
Don’t want to breathe
I’m hushed, beholding
Holy, Awesome, Glorious One
Whose face is brighter than the sun
Creator, Who has greatly done
All Things

I long for worship that is true
A spirit yielded, humble, too
Unbridled love for You Who’s made all things

My Heart Lies down on Holy Ground
Don’t want to breathe
I’m hushed, beholding
Holy, Awesome, Glorious One
Whose face is brighter than the sun
Creator, Who has greatly done

Above the earth, above the sky
Above what’s seen with human eyes
Above what’s now and what has been
You’ll be above when time ends

Don’t want to breathe
I’m hushed, beholding
Holy, Awesome, Glorious One
Whose face is brighter than the sun
Who was and is and is to come
Creator, Who has greatly done
All Things

If you’re a fan of Josh Groban, this cd is a must buy. I love hearing this style of music while hearing songs which challenge my walk with Jesus. Great stuff.

Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers, book by Chap Clark
Warning: This book will change your life. In this book, author Chap Clark looks at the teenage culture and what defines them. Clark took a year off from being a seminary professor and he spent that time substitute teaching in high schools. Do you know what the universal truth he found among todays teenagers? They all have intense hurt in their lives. If you want to understand what today’s teenagers are going through, then this book is a good one to pick up. I’m warning you though: your heart will break and you will spend every free moment you have praying for teenagers. And that’s a great thing. This book is a MUST READ for every parent of a teenager. If you are a parent of a teenager (or one who’s about to be a teenager), then please read this book.