As a child, I used to get in trouble for staying up way too late reading. I'd devour pretty much anything I could get my hands on. My family used to tease me unmercifully for the fact that I read an entire set of childrens encyclopedias.
You notice that you hardly ever even SEE childrens encyclopedias - or any encyclopedias - any more? I suppose they are one of the clearest casualties of the computer/internet revolution. How can one justify the expense of printing an enormous set of books that are meant to hold information when that information is obsolete before the books roll off the presses? I still love to pick up a good book and while away the hours losing myself in it, but anytime I'm looking for "reference" type information, I go straight to the internet.
Anyway, by far the best book that I've read in the past year is called Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey. Yancey is a former editor of the Christianity Today magazine, but while definitely a Christian, he comes with some unique perspectives. He describes himself as a "survivor of church abuse", having grown up in a staunchly fundamentalist and quite racist church in the South.
This book, however, is a journey that I found fascinating and cause for some personal soul searching. Soul Survivor is an exploration of 13 "mentors" that Yancey credits with helping him in his walk through faith and through life. These mentors range from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Mahatma Ghandi, from John Donne to Dr. Paul Brand and GK Chesterton. Some of his "takeaways" would surprise you.
Personally, the primary impact that this book has had on me was to encourage me to look over my own life at those who've had a significant impact on my walk. Rather than making this one long post, I'll devote individual posts to specific individuals.
