List 1 - These Are a Few of Our Favorite BOOKS

Mama's List, in random order:

1. The Bible, especially Job and Lamentations...  Job and Lamentations are my all-time favorite books of the bible.  I just love STORY, a plot, developed characters like Job...  Some may think I am screwed up for liking such "depressing" books of the bible, but I disagree.  A lot.  They are the most honest and raw about the REALITY of life - I LOVE their down-to-earth-ness.  And, I think they are SO hope-filled and encouraging because of this.  They say to me, "Your grief and problems are real, you are not alone, and the joyous news in all of this is that the steadfast love of the Lord never fails and His mercies are new every morning in SPITE of the toughness of life.  He is present and active and working and comforting in the midst of it all."  That is fantastic.
2. Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot...  Dear Elisabeth, Please come over for tea and mentor me.  You are great.  This book is the best...it is really exciting and adventurous and, even better, it gave me a super great picture of being a loving, hard-working, brave and passionate wife/mom in the middle of hard core ministry. 
3. The Han Solo Trilogy...  I love Star Wars.  I know it is shallow, but I just can't help it.  This trilogy is the story of Han Solo before the movies...how he and Chewie became best buddies and why Han is the way he is...  So much fun.  I really hope I get to read these to Will someday.
4. Black, Red & White by Ted Dekker...  Wowza.  I just love Ted Dekker.  These books are really hard to explain, but they are a great combination of lot of things I love...  Sci-fi/fantasy genre, adventure, suspense, creativity...with really deep symbolism - a parable, of sorts.  Love.
5. Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti...  These books are fiction, but they gave me the best "grid" for spiritual warfare and the reality of the spiritual battle we live in every day.  Good stuff, folks.
6. Attachment Parenting and The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears...  These are non-fiction (weird for me to be reading), and have been super helpful parenting-wise.  The Attachment book gave me permission and enouragement to be the kind of parent I felt called/created to be.  The Vaccine book addressed a lot of questions I had about immunizations and kids' health.
7. Day of War by Cliff Graham - THE most exciting and gripping books I've ever read...  Fiction books about David and his mighty men.  Fiction, yes, but crazy powerful and meaningful...and SO exciting...   Major edge of your seat, people.
8. Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper...  I didn't understand half of this book because John Piper is way smarter than me...  But the half of the book I DID understand was just fantastic.  It changed my theology of worship and suffering and missions big time.  Blow your mind, friends.
9. The Prayer Ministry of the Church by Watchman Nee...  I have read a few books by Mr. Nee and there are some things I DISagree with - probably mostly on terminology than anything - but this his books have given me a lot to think about in regard to my theology on prayer and The Church's ministry in the world.  Most of his stuff I just love...
10. Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor...  Hmm.  I am only halfway through this book, but I think I love it.  It is very, very interesting...  Talks a lot about the difference between solar and lunar Christianity, which is hard to explain, so you'll just have to look the book up.  For the record, I am very, very lunar, which I am finding isn't such a bad thing after all.  Score.
11. Oops.  I almost forgot about the Chronicles of Narnia, so I will just add an eleventh entry, even though that is kind of cheating.  I hope I get to read these books to Will and Charlie someday, too!

Will's List:

1. The Jesus Storybook Bible...  You guys, this is the best kids bible ever.  We LOVE it.
2. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb...  (Will likes to pretend he is playing the drums when we read, "Dum ditty, dum ditty, dum, dum, dum!")
3. Baby Einstein's Neighborhood Animals...  Will has great sound effects to go with this book.
4. There's a Wocket in My Pocket...  Will brings this to my lap and points to it until I read it to him - several times a day.
5. Will's Family Picture Album...  This is not a real book...this is just a little photo album that I put together with pictures of our family.  He loves it - especially the Daddy and Papa pages.
6. Busy Baby's First 100 Words...  This is a really big, oversized book, which Will seems to think is the coolest.  It also has real pictures of lots of different animals and objects, so he spends hours pointing to things and naming them.  Smarty pants.
7. Jasper the Cat...  Another oversized book he likes.  Except it is written in COMIC SANS.  Very, very unfortunate.
8. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!...  This is another book he brings to me several times a day.  We read it at least 27 times a week.
9. Dilly Duckling...  Mark reads this book to Will and has really great horrible voices to go with every character.  It is really hilarious.  Free entertainment at about 7:20 every night...
10. God Made You Special...  This is a Veggie Tales one that makes music.  Will has pushed that darn music button about 4,349 times.  And, no matter how many fresh batteries we put in it, it's just wiped out.  Done.