Fine Books, Great Authors

Good Reading Comes from Good Authors

During my earlier years I remember doing lots of reading:
---I recall reading all of Danish writer Soren Kierkegaard's existential philosophy books
---I remember reading the Swiss author, Paul Tournier, & his Christian psychology tomes.
---It was fun reading Shakespeare's works too (as did my wife Vicky).
---I was an odd fan of all of Major Donald Keyhoe's books on Air Force encounters with UFOs.
---Of course, I read & heard all of Francis Schaeffer's works (& his L'Abri staff in Switzerland).
---Upon arriving in Spain, I read all of Ernest Hemmingway's books.
---It was a pleasure to read all of Alexander Solzhenitzen's books while we served in Spain.

When one spends time with pastors & professors, one gets to know a lot of people who write books. Have you read any of these author friends of mine?

1) Francis Schaeffer of course, was the Christian philosopher & apologist, with whom we studied when we went off to Switzerland in 1969. His first books were "Escape from Reason", and then "The God Who is There". His film/book series in the mid- 1970s was called "How Should We then Live?" He and his wife Edith wrote over 25 books of significance for challenging our culture's truth claims.

2) Leith Anderson is the current President of the National Association of Evangelicals. After we graduated from Denver Seminary, we worked together for 3 years at the Conservative Baptist Church here in Longmont, CO. He has authored several books in the last 15 years or so, as 25 yr. pastor of Woodale Church in Eden Prarie, MN. He had opening church services in Mall of America when it first opened.

3) Vernon Grounds is the prolific author/writer and past President of Denver Seminary. His first book was "The Reason for Our Hope." He always has had a positive outlook on life in his writings and shares thoughts he has read with all his former students & friends, even though he is in his 90s.

4) Lynn Jost was a young intern missionary with us in Spain back in the 1978-90 period. He finished his education and seminary training with the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, where he now is a professor of New Testament (Fresno, CA). As a pastor in Hesston, KS, Rev. Jost always delivered every sermon totally memorized (no notes). Dr. Jost's first book was on a panorama of the worldwide Mennonite Brethren Church. Before joining the mission team, Lynn had been accepted into med school....but chose to serve the Lord instead.

5) Os Guiness was an adjunct instructor at L'Abri Fellowship in Huemoz, Switzerland with Francis Schaeffer, when we went there in 1969. Os wrote his first and most significant book in the early 1970s, "The Dust of Death," where he analyzed all of popular western culture & its poverty of values. "The Gravedigger's File"was another tome, followed by perhaps a new book every few years.

6) Bruce Shelley was our Old Testament professor at Denver Seminary back in 1968-71. He has written "By What Authority?" & many such books on church history down thru the years, and his son has been editor of "Christianity Today" and "Leadership" magazines.

7) Larry Hatteberg wrote a few volumes of his TV interview stories, shown on KAKE-TV in Wichita, KS from the 1970s to the present, called "Hatteberg's People." He was the photographer & director of the film we produced jointly back in the mid-1970s, called "The Back Seat."

8) Steve Kennedy is the author of the definitive coffee table book on all Jaguar automobiles ever produced. It took him 19 years, lots of research, and many rolls of film to compile, edit and have printed this fine book, "Jaguar, The Classic Marque" (in Hong Kong). I helped him with piles of my Jaguar historical brochures down thru the years. Copies sold for $85, $150 and $300, depending on cover type.

9) Jeremy Balzer is an illustrator of children's books, and is married to Kim Penner, the daughter of our missionary associates from Spain. "Orso, the Troll Who Wouldn't Scare" was his first book done with writer Brad Thiessen.

10) Ingrid Law is the daughter of a current work associate, and who has just had her first book published for pre-teens called "Savvy." It has already received some awards and will be made into a movie. Her second book is in the works, while "Savvy" is being translated into several different foreign language editions.

11) Ralph Harris is a local pastor, conference speaker and now author of a book called "You're Better Off Than You Think." Ralph tries to help people re-think their pre-conceived ideas of who God is and how we deal with our guilt trips.

12) Darrow Miller was a former grad school classmate, who also studied with Francis Schaeffer back in the 1969-75 period. He has more recently served with Food For the Hungry, Intl. and has given conferences in many underdeveloped nations. His book just out this past year deals with God's view of women and giving them dignity (something not done in many cultures today). Darrow's new mission is called Disciple Nations Alliance, where one can order his book.

13) Tom Hovestol is a local Colorado pastor who had taught school in Africa before beginning his pastoral ministries in Texas and Colorado(church where we previously served). His first book is called "Extreme Righteousness".

--Torrey Brinkley