- Joanina Library, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Pressing on with the second part in this year’s reading list…
Robert E. Lee on Leadership (H. W. Crocker) – The subtitle sums it up well: “Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision.” Winston Churchill once described Lee as “one of the noblest Americans who ever lived.” Each chapter covers a major period of Lee’s life and ends with some applications for leaders today.
Why We Love the Church (Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck) – I’m reminded of a line from one of Derek Webb’s songs, “I haven’t come for only you but for my people to pursue. You cannot care for me with no regard for her. If you love me, you will love the church.” It’s not hip to insult a man’s bride. Especially when that man is Jesus. This book bucks the trends in evangelicalism by calling out those with presumptous “It’s just Jesus and me” tendencies.
The Good News We Almost Forgot (Kevin DeYoung) – What can a 16th century document like the Heidelberg Catechism possibly say to people today? Plenty, if we’ll let it speak. Great commentary for both the head and the heart on the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer. Three themes echo throughout, along the lines of the outline of Romans - man’s guilt, God’s grace, and our gratitude.
Crazy-U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid into College (Andrew Ferguson) – We have a high school senior in the house and much energy over the last few months has been expended in the college search. Ferguson is a man who has recently been there and chronicles such events in his own family in a candid and often comical manner. I found it to be both informative and enjoyable at the same time.
Douglas Southall Freeman on Leadership (Douglas Southall Freeman, ed. Stuart Smith) – Freeman (1886-1953) was an historian, biographer, and newspaper editor. He is best known for his multi-volume biographies of George Washington and Robert E. Lee for which he was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes. Over the course of his career, he gave several addresses at both the Army and Navy War Colleges. This book is a collection of the transcripts.
How to Be Your Own Self Pig (Susan Schaeffer MacCauley) – The author is one of the daughters of the late Francis Schaeffer. This book is a great introduction to his approach to apologetics and worldviews. I’ve had our older two children read it early in their high school years and it has proved quite helpful in preparing them for things down the road. And each time they read it I make sure to pick up my copy as well.
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