Book List as of Feb 2016

Books that I've finished with a short thought on each book:

Crazy Love - Francis Chan
Francis Chan is one of the most sincere, passionate pastors I've ever seen. His book is consistent with how he lives his life. His perspective of God expands and renews your mind in so many ways. Definite recommendation for any believer out there.

Jesus Is - Judah Smith
Judah Smith is one of my favorite pastors out there right now. He speaks very charismatically, but he also can explain the bible in a way that is clear and modern. In my opinion, he doesn't compromise the truth of the gospel to communicate with today's society. Instead, he makes it relatable to where we can comprehend and grasp the love of Christ.

Life Is - Judah Smith
Same note as above.

Jesus > Religion - Jefferson Bethke
If you've never heard of Jefferson Bethke, he's on youtube. He gave a spoken word that stirred up so much controversy on youtube - and he wrote a book about it. I enjoyed reading his book because it provided a modern context of how Christ would have lived in our society today. It's something that was enlightening to me at my point in life, which was around my freshman year of college.

Radical - David Platt
This is something that will convict any believer. It made me rethink about the church in the modern world and how it behaves and interacts with society.

The Blind Side - Michael Lewis
Interesting way to tell a true, inspiring story while integrating the history of American football into it. If you're not really into reading about sports, then I'd stick to watching the movie.

The Artisan Soul - Erwin Raphael McManus
Really cool perspective on how God designed us all to be an extension of Him as artists. Some points were pretty unique. I wouldn't necessarily say that every point is biblical. It's a unique testimony to how God has worked in this man's life. Shoutout to Joseph Hur for the recommendation.

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
I loved this book. It spoke to me in a lot of ways - especially at this point in my life. Although it's not a book centered on Christ, I could point out references of how true Christ could be in the story. Highly recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it yet. Shoutout to Jason Lee for the recommendation.

The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
I'll put all three of these in one group. Although this is more of a "children's book", reading it at an older age is still refreshing. You begin to see all the references of Christ and parts of bible that C.S. Lewis makes in his fantasy stories. Thanks to my cousin Donald Choi for buying the entire series for me. Sorry, that I'm just now reading them 5 years later.

Liar's Poker - Michael Lewis
This was a bit harder to read. If you're not a business person, or aren't interested in reading about investment banking, then I'd skip this one. But Lewis talks about his personal experience in Wall Street. Two points: (1) Greed is a real issue in this world. (2) You will be influenced by the people you hang around with whether you like it or not.

Books on my to-do reading list (in no particular order):

The rest of the Chronicles of Narnia series
Overrated - Eugene Cho
Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Save the Cat - Blake Snyder

If you have any recommendations or questions about the books I've read, I'd be happy to listen or talk!