For a year, Rachel Held Evans took all of the Bible’s instructions for women as literally as possible. But the book isn’t simply about biblical womanhood or complementarianism vs. egalitarianism or submission or other church-y words. It’s an insightful, wise, and disarming book about how we read and interpret the Bible, how we wrestle with our theology, how we try to live out what we think and believe we know about God.

The book is a game-changer, a turning point, and it’s a damn good read. Fascinating, funny, erudite, wise, complex, I couldn’t put it down.

One of my favourite sections of the book is the chapter about the Proverbs 31 Woman. Rachel writes about the need to “take back” Proverbs 31 to its original intent – a celebration of women of valour!

“Eshet chayil is at its core a blessing – one that was never meant to be earned, but to be given, unconditionally….We abandoned the meaning of the poem by focusing on the specifics, and it became just another impossible standard by which to measure our failures. We turned an anthem into an assignment, a poem into a job description.”

Eshet chayil, Rachel! We are so proud of you!

It's a beautifully told story with deep insights, honest questions, poetry, literature and a few U2 lyrics. Most conversion memoirs I read have an inspiring story but this one rises above the others because it's always well-written, intellectual and interesting; I couldn't put it down until it was done. I tend to dog-ear pages when I like something on the page and underline mercilessly (my books are well-loved, to say the least) and I found myself marking up many of her words, many of the poems that she chose to mark her conversion.

When I closed the book, I found I was impressed by one thing in particular: what a deep role Christians played in her conversion. All too often, we act like Christians are the thing we have to "get over" to get to Jesus. We act like we found Jesus in spite of the Christians.

"Rethink in spite."

Instead, the Christians in her tale are wise, loving, deliberate, compassionate, challenging in the best ways, well-read, intentional and intellectual. In a way, it's as much a love song to the universal church and friends that loved her well, making the path clear for her to the great Love of her life. Her chapters after her initial conversion, following a rhythm of tide in and tide out is honest in the wrestle of her new identity and priorities, particularly as an introvert, an intellectual, a literature-lover. I closed it with an appreciation for the world she'd opened me to, the Christians I'd met and her words to believe wisely.

I have closed this book with a lot of mixed feelings. The book is compelling, inspiring and flat out challenging. It left me with more questions, more wondering, than almost any book I've read lately. I underlined so many passages, wrote notes on many margins.

The book revolves around two basic questions:

1. Do I believe Jesus?
2. If yes, am I going to obey him?

If the answer is "yes" to both of those questions, then, friend, your life is about to radically change. Very little of what we value in American culture (he uses chooses to focus primarily on American believers but I feel comfortable substituting Western culture for that narrow definition - many of us in Canada or the United Kingdom or Australia or beyond, while distinct, can still identify with the inversion of values imposed by our western cultures) is valued in the Kingdom of God.

You'll want to read it. You need to read it. We need to be having these conversations - wherever they lead us - in our churches and homes. Because, truly, we all need to WAKE UP. And this book is a good shove out of a comfortable bed into the reality of life following the man from Nazareth.

It's an upside down life, completely counter-cultural to what our society tells us is important or valued- or it should be.

Donald Miller is one of my favourite authors. I say that as full disclosure. I was reading Donald Miller before he was cool, before he was thin, before he had a movie deal. And even with my aversion to most things popular, my loathing of being a lemming, I have to tell you: it's worth the hype. The man can write and writes incredibly well. Like another one of my favourites, Anne Lamott, he's funny, poignant, creative, eccentric, risky and honest particularly about faith. He's refreshingly honest. And somehow, he can take me from laughing out loud to deep spiritual reflection and prayer within a few pages.

Chapter 4 "Free Verse" actually made me get out of bed one night while I was reading and pad outside in my bare feet to where my husband was sitting. I promptly sat down and read him the entire chapter out loud. We both had tears in our eyes when we were finished.

This is a book for people that know that there is more to Christ than systematic theology. More than modern religion, more than formulas and to-do lists.

This book captures the meaning of it all, the intrigue, the passion, the romance of God.

It's written for those of us that find ourselves outside of the box, those of us that don't quite fit in most religious requirements or structures, those of us that have a deep longing for spirituality, for God, for something more than what we see represented by most of what we see around us. Touching on everything from the Bible to the lifeboat theory and values clarification (a chapter that will make you want to find some good friends to hash that out), Jesus, the Gospel, morality among others. Donald Miller writes as a fellow traveller, someone giving voice to our deepest longings and searching alongside of us.

Verdict: Beautiful and insightful. Highly recommend.

Jon Acuff's blog-now-book "Stuff Christians Like" is a direct rip-off from the highly popular blog/book "Stuff White People Like." On purpose. Because one of the things that Christians like is ripping stuff off.

This book certainly wins my (completely arbitrary and made up) award for Best Introduction Ever:

If you buy this book, God will make you rich.

I was going to say, "If you read this book," but I'm pretty sure people who get it at the library won't receive the same amount of awesomeness as the people who buy it.

Acuff is the right mix of laugh out loud funny and poignant insight. As someone that appreciates and enjoys satire but finds most Christian satire as savouring strongly of bitterness (my love), I appreciate that Jon is funny without being hurtful, poking fun at the stuff while holding love for the people that do it. It's gentle, dorky humour about the things we all know we do.

Small essays on topics ranging from church to love to the Bible and even, the youth camp "Saturday Night Cryfest" (as the wife of a former youth pastor, um, YES), Acuff gives me the sense that he is laughing with us, not at us.

My personal favourites:

* Using "Faith Like a Child" as an escape pod from difficult theological discussions.
* Watching R-rated movies but only if they are violent.
* Judging fundamentalists for being judgmental
* Hating on mega churches
* Using "Let me pray about it" as a euphemism for "no"
* Falling in love on a mission trip
* The metro sexual worship leader
* Fearing your church will do something wacky the time you invite a friend
* Wishing you had an easy job, like one at church
* Side hugs

To be honest, on Jon Acuff's blog, my favourite posts are almost always what he refers to as his "Serious Wednesday" posts. They are worth subscribing to his blog for, my friends.

Verdict: If you have spent any amount of time around evangelical Christians, you'll laugh, you'll groan, you'll cry, you'll feel like someone read your mail. However, it is definitely a sub-culture book for us evangelicals.

Review: I found this book inspiring and interesting, real and authentic.
After all, "do you remember the day you discovered that life wasn't going to turn out quite the way you thought? It happens to everyone sooner or later. All of us have had dreams, wishes, goals and expectations that, for a variety of reasons, have not come to fruition."

Avoiding the temptation to only tell the stories that end the way we want them to, Pete is honest, encouraging and downright pastoral in his writing. It feels like there a genuine and gentle heart behind the words from a tender spirit, seeking to help people find balm in their Gilead.

Telling stories from Scripture and from his friends, Pete covers everything from doubt to expectations, the need for community and the importance of asking those painful questions. As someone that struggles with formulas and quick answers, this book itself is a bit of balm.

Nothing formulaic or trite, many of the chapters tell a story is a hard won battle for peace that passes all understanding. It's a beautiful book that will speak to many hurts, especially those that find themselves outside of mainstream religion or wondering if they are missing something.

"I'm asking you to trust that one day faith will win over doubt, that light will win over darkness, that love will win over hate, and that all things will one day be redeemed. I'm asking you, right in the middle of your Plan B pain, to trust the process that is going on in your life.

It won't be finished for a while, but it has begun.

God will finish what he started.

Wait for it."

Verdict: Fantastic. You won't be disappointed.

It's not a parenting book
or great literature
or the usual fare pedaled to us that love Jesus
or anything remotely resembling "how-to" book.

I sort of hate books with steps to success.

Nope, this book crawled into my brain
into my heart
a bit into my marrow
and it's coming out of my mouth
with every conversation I have these days.

If my life was a movie,
if my life was a book,
would anyone want to watch it?
Or read it?

Am I living a good story?
Is it boring?
Is it lame?
Is it selfish?
Is it a waste?

Am I the hero of my story?
Am I a good character?

I don't really want my life story
to be about how
I paid off my mortgage
or got another nice car.
I don't really want my kids to say
they could eat off my floor.
That doesn't really
inspire anyone.

**This is a backwards type of review about an amazing book called "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller. After reading it for the third - yes, third - time in just a month, I can't not talk about it anymore.

"What Difference Do it Make?" is a follow-up to "Same Kind of Different As Me" and seems meant to fill in the gaps, answer questions that were generated and share how their story has travelled further than they ever expected. I can be rather skeptical about sequels but this was just as fascinating.

I found the passages by Ron about his relationship with his father in particular riveting, conflicted and full of love.

But what I most appreciated about these books is that they didn't stop there. They challenged me about my own prejudices, my own thoughts, my own pursuit of community, friendship and even social justice.

Is it really helping when you show up to dish up a Christmas meal once a year? Or are we willing to have friendship? They mentioned one idea: What if every community of believers/church would embrace one homeless person - for life?

This page turner is a true story of the unlikely friendship between Ron and Denver. Ron is a (very) wealthy Texas art dealer. Denver is a former modern day slave/homeless man. Their friendship forms the foundation of the story but it's much more than just "rich guy changes the life of a homeless guy". It's honest and raw. There is tragedy and misunderstandings. There is an authenticity to their story about race and faith, death and love, community and social justice.

One of my issues with most books marketed as "Christian" is that they tend to deal with perfect people. They are written by perfect people and the biggest problems they have are how to deal with mean people. But with Denver and Ron, they are honest about even their own failings and prejudices. They don't seem interested in coming off as having it all together.

But what I most appreciated about the book is that it didn't stop there. They challenged me about my own prejudices, my own thoughts, my own pursuit of community, friendship and even social justice.

Is it really helping when you show up to dish up a Christmas meal once a year? Or are we willing to have friendship? They mentioned one idea: What if every community of believers/church would embrace one homeless person - for life?

I don't read a lot of "Mommy Books." I grow tired of the unrealistic ideal, of the predictive steps to better mommy-ing and of - can we be honest? - the guilt. But the fact that she referenced Blue Like Jazz, which is in my top ten favourite books, was definitely a point in the favour of giving this book a go.

Tricia Goyer has a great voice: she's vulnerable without wallowing, she's funny without irony, she's honest but humble. I appreciated her candid stories and her admissions. Most of all, I found myself underlining, circling, nodding, occasionally teary and basically, it felt like she crawled up into my soul and took a look around.

Yes. This is what I, as a mother, feel.

I resonate so much with her story because it feels familiar. She struggles with writing, with balancing her family with her own dreams and desires, with her creeping and compulsive need to be perfect, with people pleasing. In a way, I felt a bit spied upon - much of this book rang a bit too true, if you know what I mean.

Her chapter on Brightening the Blue, about the importance of our walk with the Lord - you know, apart from the family - kind of crawled out of the page and gave me a flick on the forehead. Yes, you, it said. "When my heart is turned toward God, when I abide in Him and give him space to work...peace reigns."

A big theme in the book is LIVING LOVED. As a mother, that's a toughie because we think so much of our value comes from our these tiny creatures and how we parent them. At one point, she writes about finally allowing her children to truly know her, to be open about her mistakes: "Instead of using my mistakes as an excuse for their own sin, the opposite happened. They witnessed my pain, regret and struggle, and because of that, they developed high standards for themselves. They made positive decisions for their lives, in part because I was truthful about negative ones I made. And the things I wanted to hide forever are the things that showed them I am human, that God is big, and that there is nothing that we can do to separate us from His love." (p. 38)

It's alternately funny and poigniant, thoughtful and insightful. I was pleasantly surprised and then, when I got over myself, I realised I had been convicted and I turned to prayer. Imagine that - convicted and inspired without the guilt-trip.