Reading

My professor for Aural theory isn't here this week (I'm not sure why, I'm sure the sub told us but I showed up a little late so I didn't hear... maybe she's sick) so we got out of class early this week, all sight singing lessons are cancelled, and we may not have class thursday. This gives me a little surprise free time that I will happily use to read a little and to write a short post. I realized that after my new year's resolutions I had not given you guys an update on some reading that I had promised. So here it is, some stuff I've been reading this year.
1) God Is The Gospel (John Piper)- I didn't start it this year, but I did finish it this year. I took a little break in between my start and stop point so I should really go back and read it again but it was still a great book. It deals with the fact that God himself is the greatest gift of the gospel. "None of Christ's gospel deeds and non of our gospel blessings are good news except as means of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ."
2) The Cross Centered Life (C.J. Mahaney)- This short book (83 pages) can be read in a day if you have a little bit of time to devote to it. I reccomend that everyone check this one out- it talks about centering your life around the cross and "how to escape the pitfalls of legalism, condemnation, and feelings-driven faith." I plan on reading this a few times a year to help keep things in perspective.
3) Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi (David Crowder)- Yes, David Crowder of the David Crowder Band has written a few books. He is really a great author and his odd personality and quirkiness ring loud and clear throughout this books about praise. The goes through 21 of the psalms and dedicates a few pages to each one. I loved reading this book because his narrative style was captivating, but I didn't particularly enjoy his translation choice- The Message. Although it is extremely easy to read, The Message puts an interesting spin on scripture and, sadly, changes the meaning of many passages.
4) Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight (J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom)- I'm in the middle of this book right now, and yes, you guessed it, it's about praying. I have had a terrible prayer life and God has really convicted me of that so I'm striving to learn more about prayer.
5) The Pilgrims Progress (John Bunyan)- I haven't gotten very far in this classic allegory of the Christian life, but I will definitely finish it. The old english just takes a little longer.
6) Times of Refreshing: A Worship Ministry Devional (Tom Kreuter)- This is actually a devotional with many leading worship leaders in the country as contributors. I haven't finished it but I'm trying to read a few chapters a day- this is another one that I will probably read over and over.