A day in the life of...Mark Williams

The 21 Books I read in 2014

At the beginning of this year, I challenged myself to read at least 12 books in 2014.   It wasn't exactly a high goal, but it was one a month.  I wound up reading 21 books this year.  Here they are in the order I read them.  

1.  The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
2.  Allegiant by Veronica Roth
3.  gods at war by Kyle Idelman
4.  The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews
5.  The Racketeer by John Grisham
6.  I like Giving by Brad Formsma
7.  Wholly Kids: Guiding Kids to life in Christ
8.  The Eric Trap by  Jim Wideman and Kenny Conley
9.  Lead Small by Reggie Joiner
10.  Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
11.  Sycamore Row by John Grisham
12.  Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children by Mark Batterson
13.  Moment Maker by Carlos Whitaker
14.  How Did You Do It, Truett?  by Truett Cathy
15.  Calico Joe by John Grisham
16.  Unveiling Islam by Ergun Caner
17.  The Three Most Powerful Presentation Techniques of Seth Godin
18.  Fried Chicken and Wine by Marshall Ramsey
19.  The Grave Robber by Mark Batterson
20.  Gray Mountain by John Grisham
21.  The Fall Of The House Of Zeus by Curtis Wilkie

Book I enjoyed the Most:  #21  The Fall of the House Of Zeus
Book I least enjoyed:  #10  Heaven Is For Real.  

I caught up on my Grisham books that I had not read.  I love books like Moment Maker and I Like Giving.  My favorite author is Mark Batterson.  

Now I'm getting ready for my 2015 list to begin.  I'm open to suggestions...

Reading from November 2011-2012

I actually enjoy reading.  I think my Mom instilled that in me.  Along with many of my teachers along the way.  I'm not a "classics" reader though.  Last year, I read through the Bible "in a year".  I actually finished a little early.  I really didn't know how it would go.  But the richness of God's Word is incredible.  There is SOOO much there.  It is a gift.  It is what we need to feed ourselves with everyday.  So I read through the Bible.  But I also did a lot of other reading.  At some point, I'll go back and look at some of the books I read earlier in the year.  But starting at Thanksgiving, this is what I read through December:

The Hunger Games
Catching Fire (Second in the Hunger Games Trilogy)
Mockingjay  (Third in the Hunger Games Trilogy)

Quitter by Jon Acuff.  Excellent book!!

Shouting At God by Steve Rose.  (Friend from Arizona that I met after Hurricane Katrina)

Miracle in the Mountains by Lonnie and Belinda Riley.  Great book on the power of faith.

Currently reading:  Voice of the MSU Bulldogs: Jack Cristil by Sid Salter (a fellow Philadelphian)

Edit....Also reading Drew Brees' book:  Coming Back Stronger

Shouting At God....a book by Steve Rose

I just finished reading a book by a friend, Steve Rose.  The book is Steve's journey through his Dad's battle with cancer.  I have to tell you that the book was moving in that it dealt personally with the struggles that one goes through when a family member is dying.  Steve deals with some tough issues that give the reader a glimpse of what things look like from the inside.  

Because the book is so personal, that is its' strength.  The honesty of the emotions that someone experiences is raw.  It is real.  And it is something worth reading.  Steve paints a picture of the process of dealing with grief, anger, joy, and happiness that we go through when we realize that a loved one passes from this earth to an eternal destination.  The Hope we have in Christ is seen as the source for a family in difficult times.

If you know someone who is dealing with a friend or family member that is experiencing their last moments on this earth, this book is a great guide for helping someone see that there is hope.  And that hope is found in Christ.  Shouting At God is a well-written account by Steve Rose, who shares with the reader a transparent view of what it's really like dealing with "life and death" matters.   

Shouting At God on Amazon

The Confession by John Grisham

I just finished The Confession by John Grisham.  Outstanding book.  And I must say it was pretty intriguing.  My thoughts on the Death Penalty over the past few years seem to be changing.  Or at a minimum, they are being challenged.  There are so many aspects to this that conjure up many feelings and emotions.  I'm not necessarily prepared to say what is right or wrong.  And I'm not sure I'd ever put it here anyway. 

So...back to the book.  Typical Grisham.  I'm still not sure how he manages to write four hundred plus pages on a story that lasts about a week.  Amazing.  I still love a good Grisham book any day.  Highly recommend this one!!

Monday again...in March

Man.....it's already March.  It's already March 7th. 

Mardi Gras Break:  It's always nice for the kids to get out for a few days.  One of the benefits of living in S. Mississippi. 

M4 Camps Update:  We are super excited about this coming summer!!  We are still taking applications for M4 Camp staff.  We will be finalizing our staff toward the end of March.  It's gonna be an awesome summer!!

Geocaching Update:  We've slowed down a little.  We did find one last night with the family.  Always fun times!!

Agricola Baptist update:  My position at the church continues to be a blessing.  I've been teaching a study over the past 5 weeks for a S.S. class.  It's been great.  I love teaching the Word.  I'm in my element when I do that. 

Soccer:  We have had so many rainouts and cancellations it's not even funny. We have won both of our games up to this point. 

Video:  I've been doing a few video projects with church.  One was for our family experience on what people were afraid of.  The other was a baptism testimony video.  Both seemed to be very effective. 

Reading:  I finished two books this past weekend.  One was Poke The Box by Seth Godin.  It was on initiative.  The other book I finished was Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick.   It was a good read too.  I've got a few books right now on my iPad that I really need to finish before purchasing any more. 

Family:  Not really an update.  Just recognizing that I'm extremely blessed with an amazing wife and two wonderful children.  God continues to show His love for me through them. 

The War of Art

The first book I've completed in 2011. A quick read. It's about creating art through your work. And...the Resistance keeps us from creating art. Anything to keep us from being who we were created to be. The book has some great insights. However, there were some parts that got a little slow. Overall, it was a worthy read.

What I'm reading...

I've been reading a good bit lately.  It's still not as much as I'd like, but here's a run-down of some recent reads or "currently" read books:

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.  A great book on the way we "think" subconsciously.  Talks about some great stuff about the human mind.  

Linchpin by Seth Godin.  I like all of Seth's works.  Great books in small packages. 

Radical by David Platt.  David was at New Orleans seminary at the same time I was there.  He's the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham.  He's extended a challenge to believers and non-believers to truly follow the Jesus of the Bible....and not the one of the American Dream.  I'm currently reading this and being challenged beyond measure.  

Collaborate: Family + Church by multiple authors.  This is a great family ministry book with chapters written by individuals who are in family/children/student ministry.  

Harry Potter:  Chamber of Secrets.  I read the first Harry Potter book.  It was a decent read.  I'll start this one in the fall sometime.  

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham.  This will be another fiction book that I'll read soon.  It's a kids' book, but I like John Grisham's stuff a lot.  

Some other books soon to be read:

The House Church by Wolfgang Simson.

3 Big Questions For a Frantic Family

I just got through reading 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family.  

This book is outstanding.  It really deals with a practical process to give some direction and purpose to what is going on in your home.  The 3 Questions:

What makes your family unique?

What is your family's top priority--rallying cry--right now?

How do you talk about and use the answers to these questions?

Obviously, there is more to it than that.  But Lencioni's writing style is amazing, beginning his book with a "fable" that gives you a real life look at the situation and principles he is writing about. 

Just a few thoughts from Crazy Love

• On the average day, we forget that our lives truly are a vapor. 
• I am still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not about me at all.
• Frankly, we need to get over ourselves. 
• Isn't life always fragile?  It's never under control. 
• In about 50 years (give or take a couple of decades) no one will remember you.  Everyone you know will be dead. 

Just a few thoughts to think about from Ch. 2 of Crazy Love. 

What I'm reading, listening to...

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading more and more it seems.  Here are a few things that I have read or am currently reading:

If God Were Real by John Avant.  A no-holds barred look at what Christianity has become....and it's NOT good. 

Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  An absolute must-read.  We'll be going through this book for DT during Jan.-March.  

My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  I've never done a year straight in this.  Not sure I will this time.  I pick it up and it challenges the heck outta me!!  Love this.  Read it online HERE.

Stuff I've been listening to lately.

Hope Rising album by Fee.  He's probably my favorite worship leader.  

Church Music by David Crowder Band.