Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Five Stack: 5 Categories

For my first Five Stack, I've chosen the following five different fields of study:
  1. Spirituality. I almost called this category "Soul-Feeding," but right away that made me think of Chicken Soup for the Soul and self-help books. That's not what I'm going for here. Mostly, this category is for books that will stretch and challenge me in my personal life and in my walk with Christ.
  2. Africa. I brought a handful of books back with me from Africa. Some of these are about African history, while others are novels written by African authors about Africa. This section might eventually morph into something like "Multicultural Literature," but for the time being I'm content to focus in specifically on Africa.
  3. Philosophy. I fell in love with philosophy in college, thanks to a couple really great professors. This is a bit heavier reading than what comes naturally to me, which is good for my mind. Philosophy forces me to really think, to engage my mind on a deeper level than I normally would. If the Spirituality section is my "soul-food," then this is my "brain-food."
  4. Finances. Ever since I was a little kid, I have been interested in personal finances. I suppose I owe a lot of that to my dad, who has worked in the field of personal finances for over 30 years. He taught me a lot growing up about budgeting and saving, and he even helped me buy my first savings bond when I was 12 years old! But, I recognize that I still have lots more to learn, so for now I'm devoting a category to finances. Sooner or later this section might change into something simple like "Personal Interests."
  5. Missionary Biographies. This category is all about inspiration. As I seek to become more and more selfless, more and more like Christ, I want to learn from and be inspired by others who have faithfully poured out their lives for Him. As I pursue God's missional calling for my life, I'm asking God to teach me through the lives and the stories of those saints who have gone before me.

2 comments:

Britney said...

What missionary biography are you reading right now, Adam? A couple years ago I blazed through a series geared toward kids that was really good. I think it's called Heroes of the Faith.

Adam Cramer said...

Hey Britney! I think I may have read a few of those Heroes of the Faith books, too. The one I'm currently reading is about an Indian preacher/evangelist in the 20th century called Brother Bakht Singh. It's VERY good!