Monthly Archives: April 2006

The Book Standard booklist for 2005 has some interesting books in their top twenty books.

Two books by Dan Brown – the DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons.  A million little pieces — originally considered to be non-fiction but shown to contain a lot of fiction – a personal biography embellished by James Frey who seems to rival Dan Brown’s own approach to fact and fiction.

You’ll also find Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life and Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now – both Christian approaches to life.

And just for the healthy types – You:  The Owner’s Manual by Mehmet Oz, and French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Builiano.

History also seems to get a nod with 1776 by David McCullough and The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.

Do you see a pattern here??

I’m working on a sermon for this Sunday.  Jumping into the Sermon on the Mount. 

So, I’m rereading Dallas Willard’s “Divine Conspiracy”, a great book on the whole sermon.  Here is his approach to the beatitudes:

The Beatitudes simply cannot be “good news” if they are understood as a set of “how-tos” for achieving blessedness.  They would then amount to a new legalism.  They would not serve to throw open the kingdom — anything but.  They would impose a new brand of Phariseeism, a new way of closing the door.  (p. 106).

If at first you don’t succeed, consider other alternatives – like asking someone to help!

The cow jumped over the moon – a photoshop special!

Measure twice – cut only when you have to, a crowbar can make a lot of things fit!

Close only counts in girls, grenades and horseshoes – except for relatives, nothing closer than a brother or sister!

Can you add a few???

There is a reading called “one solitary life”.

Someone was going to use it in a mail out.  Author unknown.

In my Good Friday service message I mentioned that here was an author!  James Allan Francis.  Born in Nova Scotia.

Now she can attribute the quote.

As a good librarian, I’m happy.  Small things . . .