The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns

This is an eye-opening, challenging, and convicting book. Richard Stearns presents the facts well, with both compassion and humility, as he exorts Christians, individually and corporately, to do something about global poverty. If you want to remain blissfully unaware of the urgent needs of people around the world (as I did for a long time, which is why this book sat on my shelf for a year before I actually opened it), don't read this book. If you want your eyes open to the reality of the world outside of the West, read this book prayerfully and ask yourself what God might have you do to make a difference.

As I read this book, I was continually struck by Richard Stearn's humility and genuine love for the Lord and the people of this world. This book is not meant to guilt people into action, but to make us aware of the problems and needs of our time, so that we may consider what God would ask us to do with the gifts and resources He has given us.

One of the most convicting quotes of this book for me:
"Poverty is not our fault in the sense that most of us have not actively and intentionally endeavored to perpetuate poverty or oppress the poor. We are, though, complicit in sustaining poverty through our apathy and our unwitting support of systems that do oppress the poor. When we purchase clothing manufactured in a sweatshop by child laborers or buy coffee from a system that fails to appropriately reward the hardworking farmers who grow and harvest the coffee, we become part of the systems that perpetuate exploitation and poverty. In that sense our sins, with regard to the poor, are more the sins of omission than commission." (p. 295)

On Becoming Baby Wise, Gary Ezzo

Another sleep book, a few more good principles to follow. This one advocates a schedule pretty much from birth, which I'm not sure I agree with... and we missed the ball with William. But, I did implement the general "sleep, eat, play, repeat" recommendation, which so far seems to be working and does give more order and structure to the day. William and I are both benefiting. :)

Real Food: What to Eat and Why, Nina Planck

Not very well written, but made me think more critically about what I eat - in particular, I've started looking more at the ingredient list (instead of just the Nutrition Facts) for natural ingredients. We already eat a lot of whole/fresh foods, so she didn't have to convince me on that... However, she is definitely a "purist" when it comes to food, and my main question is, how much of this is really doable for my family on our current budget? Sure, grass-fed beef sounds nice, but do I really want to spend the time and money to get it? And we definitely can't afford raw whole milk at $14 a gallon... Anyway, it's given me a lot to think about. Along the same theme, I'm really enjoying watching "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution." ABC.com - check it out! :)

Stones into Schools, Greg Mortenson

Awesome. Read this book.

Same Kind of Different as Me, Ron Hall

Very touching (and true!) story. Themes include racism, homelessness, reconciliation, grief, and radical transformation. Gave me lots to think about, and I appreciate that the author doesn't just give trite answers to questions about grief and suffering.

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg

This book had some practical breathing and relaxation techniques. Still a bit dated, but good information nevertheless.

Husband-Coached Childbirth, Robert A. Bradley

A good introduction (my first) to the Bradley Method of natural childbirth. However, this book must be taken with a grain of salt, as even though it has supposedly been revised and updated, much of the information and assumptions about hospital (and medicated) births are outdated and/or no longer relevant. If this was my first pregnancy, I would be scared of the big bad hospital as depicted in this book, but luckily I've been through this once before and did not find many of his complaints to be an issue at all while giving birth the first time.

That said, this book got me interested in the Bradley Method. It does not really teach the actual method, although it gives a general idea of breathing/relaxation techniques as well as some prenatal exercises, but I am now seeking out additional resources to fill in the gaps.