A thread of impossibility was woven through my favorite books of 2011, not an intentional effort on my part, but a theme deeply embedded and very clear. It is through stories of impossibility that we find hope for our own “impossible” situations. In every story, there was not an avoidance or running from reality, but a running toward it, “what am I going to do about it?” It is not a matter of strength, but viewing life from a different perspective.
Impossible survival. Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand. This is one of the best books that I have read in many years, well-written, extremely well-researched, and an amazing story about one man’s survival in World War 2. I recommend it highly.
Impossible grace. Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman This mom faced the pain of suddenly losing her youngest daughter in a horrific accident and grappling with the conflict her 17 year old son faced by his role in it, praying him back from the edge of despair. The grace that was shown to their son from the very first moment is something that every parent needs to have firmly in place. The faith that they claimed became a profound reality for every member of their family.
Impossible situation. Dancing With Max by Emily Colson and Charles Colson. This book narrates the struggle of a single mom dealing with the extremes of raising a severely autistic son. It clinched me. As she faces utter exhaustion, emotional distress, and a world that has given up on her son, she realizes that Max is not a burden, but a gift, a means of building character and purpose in their lives. My favorite Emily Colson quote for when anxiety and stress drove her to overeat: “Cleaning is as mindless as eating, but you can still button your jeans in the morning.”
Impossible vision. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German pastor, grasped the meaning of living out his faith during Hitler’s rise to power, even when it meant certain death. He was a radical voice literally crying out in the wilderness, when military and world leaders, as well as churches fell under the deceit of Hitler, realizing too late the horror resulting from the Nazi worldview. Bonhoeffer was not an extraordinary man, just one who was willing to stand up for the truth.
Impossible ideas. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. With innumerable interviews and years of research, Isaacson crafted a narrative about a man who connected art and technology, a man of great ideas and stubbornness. When faced with what others saw as impossible, Steve Jobs would state, “So what should we do about it?” In one presentation, Jobs quotes Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. After Alice laments that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t believe impossible things, the White Queen retorts, “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” That is the story of Jobs’ life. But while many have idolized Jobs by what he accomplished, the author does not spare the reader the dark side of Jobs who was a difficult man to live and work with.
Of making many books
there is no end.
Ecclesiastes 12.12
Other good reads from 2011:
Work Matters by Tom Nelson (a game-changing perspective on what you do)
You Lost Me by David Kinnaman (the reality of what is happening in churches)
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert (are you making the problem worse?)
The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons (the hope that is being unwrapped by the next generation)
Has Christianity Failed You? By Ravi Zacharias (for those who use the failures of the church to justify unbelief)
Grey is the Color of Hope by Irina Ratushinskaya (a Soviet poet in a prison gulag)
If I Live to be 100 by Neenah Ellis (“Stay away from doctors and eat a lot of junk food.”)
And above all the books that I have read this year and over the years, the one book that continues to have a profound and personal impact on me every day is the Bible. Hands down. It has changed me.
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