reading around the world

It is my final day in Thailand and I am half way through the last book I packed! Thought I might share what I read...

Thirteen Cents
By K. Sello Duiker
- A book about a 13-year old boy on the streets of Cape Town. Really shows the sad, desperate, and ugly realities of the "other Cape Town." A tough and graphic book to read, but gave me new eyes for Cape Town and the kids on the streets I saw. (See me before reading it.)

Under the Unpredictable Plant
By Eugene Peterson
- A book that seeks to reclaim the spiritual demensions of pastoral call and vocational holiness, using the example of Jonah. Solid stuff that give me a lot to consider and chew on!

Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives you Life
By Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, & Matthew Linn
- European refugee children during WWII were given a piece of bread to hold at bedtime, so they could sleep in peace and not fear homelessness and starvation again. This book takes this example and applies it to the Ignition prayer of Examen, where we ask ourselves what we are grateful for and what gives us life, as well as what we are not grateful for and what sucks life out of us. More on this later!

More then Equals
By Spencer Perkins & Chris Rice
- The story of friendship and racial reconciliation between a white man and black man in the South. Spencer Perkins is the son of John Perkins. An important book for me to read in South Africa, as I examine my own heart and racism at home. (The film Crash also brought these important issues to the surface for me.)

History of South Africa
By Leonard Thompson
- A great book on the history of South Africa and the racism that has existed from the beginning. Now I just need a book that picks up recent history and issues, post-2000.

Sacred Rhythms
By Christine Sine, MD
- I'll finish this one on the plane ride home. An excellent book that focuses on taking our spiritual pulse and finding a spiritual rhythm to our lives. Good stuff for me to consider, especially as I spend time in new cultures that can be overwhelming and exhausting.