In the meantime

Click on image for link The sub-title says it all: The Greater Journey focuses on Americans in Paris from 1830 to 1900 and how Paris influenced them and how they, in turn, left their mark on Paris. McCullough uses a chronological timeline to organize his book, however, he does not give equal weight to all individuals. For example, individuals like Samuel Morse, George Healy, Elihu Washbourne, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens have large sections dedicated to unpacking the time they spent in Paris, as well as their overall character as a person. For others, McCullough gives much less space: some are given a few pages, others only a paragraph or two, and still others are given barely more than a brief mention. Despite the primary focus being on Americans, McCullough skillfully weaves significant events in Parisian history into the story-line: there was the cholera outbreak in the early 1830s, the rise of the Second Republic in 1852 with Napoleon III as Emperor, and then the Franco-Prussian...

Click on image for link W hat is a Healthy Church Member  by Thabiti Anyabwile is the second book about church membership that I've read recently. The first book is  I am a Church Member  by Thom Rainer, and I wrote about it here .   Similar to  I am a Church Member , Anyabwile also outlines some specific attitudes and habits a healthy church member should strive to cultivate. Several of these attitudes overlap with and expand on the ones mentioned in I am a Church Member .   This entire book is solidly Biblical in how it argues from Scripture why church membership is important. After I finished reading it, I couldn't help but feel like I had just had a spiritual battery recharge concerning my understanding of my role within the local church and why I should want to serve and be involved with the other believers who attend the same local church. Combine this book with  I am a Church Member  and you have two outstanding books...