PM's Book Club...

Yes, I know. It doesn't have the same ring to it as Oprah's Book Club, but hopefully my endorsement is good too. This year, my new year's resolution was to read one book a week in 2009. I do understand that this is not a typical resolution, but then again, I am not a typical "resoluter".

*Spoiler alert* For those of you who are planning on attending college, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When you go to college, they make you read lots of stuff you don't want to read. It's a fact of the college existence and one that, depending on the college and your major, can sometimes be somewhat avoided. Being that I was a history major, I learned how to skim texts without fulling reading them, saving me at least 10 years of my life that would have been spent in the library. However, the consequences were that I no longer possessed a love for reading. This year, I decided I needed to give reading another chance.

The past two weeks I have read the books "Praise Habit" by David Crowder and "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris. *Confesssion* I was a little behind on my reading, so I finished reading both of these books on a bus ride to Juniata. Some of you might think that makes me some crazy speed reader. You obviously have never taken the bus to Juniata. Take my advice. Don't.

I won't use this blog to give you the Clifnotes so you don't have to read these books for yourself. Both were 100% worth the read. "Praise Habit" has changed the way I do my devotions and brought new life into the old Psalms I have read over and over. David Crowder's sense of humor makes the book flow fantastically. If your praise life needs a boost, go get this book. Right now. Seriously. Stop reading this blog and go get it.

For those of you who are still with me, the second book by the Harris twins is a call for our generation to stop living up to status quo and "Do Hard Things" It's a pretty simple concept, but one that deserves consideration and thought from a generation raised in a society that condones and even promotes the putting off of adult responsibilities until the ripe age of 32, or whenever you feel like it. It is a call to shatter the standard expectations of today's young adults by taking on responsibility, proving that we are capable and willing to step up and make a difference now, not just when we're 50. The book is written to students by students, but is worth reading for anyone who wants to be challenged to get out of their comfort zone and pursue Christ passionately.

Both of these books are well worth the time it takes to read them, but the value comes not in the reading, but in the real-life application. Be ready to let God speak to your heart through the reading of these books, and be prepared to have your world rocked.