Some book recommendations for Jeanne

In the comments section of the last post, AuntieJeanne had asked for some book recommendations on the subject - loosly - of "is there a God, and who the heck is he?"

Well, I thought about it, and I came up with kind of a reading list. Let's call it the Who Is God Reading List.

Here goes:

First, there's a book called The Bible that is pretty good. =]
Seriously, though, I would be neglectful if I didn't mention the obvious cornerstone of knowledge about God.
However, I would specifically recommend a translation called The Message by Eugene Peterson. It is an excellent translation of the Bible into an enjoyably readable narrative. It is not as word-for-word accurate as most other true translations, but very good for reading, as opposed to studying.
I would also suggest starting with the book of Luke. I like this because you can then immediately move on to the book of Acts, and get the wide sweep of early Christianity all from the same original author. It's a great introduction to Jesus, and interesting history as well.

Next, in keeping with the theme of an introduction to Jesus, I would recommend Joshua by Joseph Girzone. It is fiction, but a refreshing re-introduction into the humanity of Jesus. Girzone paints a picture of a man I would want to hang out with, to follow, to be friends with. I came away with an image of Jesus as no longer carved from marble, but flesh and blood.

Along the lines of dealing with questions and struggles about faith, I would highly recommend anything by Philip Yancey. He is so real and honest in his writings, it's amazing that his books sell so well! His most recent book is Rumors of Another World : What on Earth Are We Missing? A great place to start reading his work.

And last, on the issue of simply does God exist, I would recommend two books. First, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is a great setting-forth of the sensibleness of the basic underpinnings of Christianity. Second, The Fingerprint of God by Hugh Ross is a refreshing look at the scientific reasonableness of our faith. He is an astrophysicist that has dedicated his life to showing the scientific reasonableness of the events laid down in the Bible - especially the creation story in Genesis.

Well, I think that's all for now. This list should keep you busy for a week or two!

Let me know what you all think, and if you have some other suggestions for Jeanne.