Five Books on my Shelf

Isn't it fun to walk into someone's home and scope out the books they have on their shelves? It's a fun way to have a quick study on that person's interior world. So this morning, I'm going to scope out the books on my shelf that would tell you something about me.

Turning Point by Jimmy Carter - It's a signed copy that I've never read, but I thought it would be cool to have a book signed by a United States President. He came to my university in 1992 to promote his book, and I got to meet him and get my photo taken with him.

The Official Preppy Handbook Edited by Lisa Birnbach - For some reason, I was obsessed with all things preppy in 8th grade. I even applied to a couple of prep schoools. My friend, Carol, and I picked out preppy nicknames for each other. She was Buffy, and I was Mitsy.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss - This was a college graduation gift from my fairy godmother. It contains encouraging words such as these at the beginning of the book:

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes,
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.

And these wise words at the end:

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - I find the plays of William Shakespeare to be captivating. Much better to see one than to read one, though each play is a brilliantly crafted work of poetry. I'm particularly fond of his comedies (Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream), and acting in Shakespeare is an actor's (at least this actor's) dream and pleasure.

The Message trasnslated by Eugene Peterson - The Bible in contemporary language. Peterson's translation is so beautiful, and has breathed new life into my Bible reading experiences. Compare the same passage of Scripture below (Ephesians 3:14-19)--the first is from the King James Version and the second is from The Message translation.

King James Version:
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The Message:
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

See what I mean? Both translations are beautiful, but The Message speaks to my heart.