Time for some Reading

I learned a valuable lesson recently, book your vacation time early!  What we thought might be a slightly less busy summer as we spend time transitioning into our new city has become the exact opposite.  Who could have guessed the number of opportunities to serve, to share, to host and to speak that would come up so soon in our new work.  We just took a look at our schedules and realized that we didn't really have a vacation time scheduled.  We found two days this week leading into this weekend and so quickly inked in a four day getaway to the cottage.  The timing has worked out perfectly as just yesterday and order of books (that was made possible by a generous gift certificate to Amazon.com) arrived on the front porch.  I am looking forward to spending some time reading over the next few days.
I have already started the first book which is the autobiography of George Mueller.  This is one of those stories that I have heard about so often and yet not had the opportunity to read first hand.  I am looking forward to learning of his experiences with the Lord, his faith and his dependence upon the Lord.
The second book is similar in subject, as it is the biography of a missionary.  I picked up the biography of William Carey, "the father of modern missions," written by his great grandson S Pearce Carey.  This particular biography came recommended by a number of different sources so I look forward to diving in.       
Lastly, I picked up "God is Not One -  The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World."   This is a book written by Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University and a New York Times bestselling author.   I first heard about this author, and this book, on a CBC radio program called "Tapestry," which explores spiritual topics each week.  Sometimes the stuff on the show is pretty out there, but every once in a while I will be in the car and catch the program and hear something that is intriguing, which is the case with this book.  In a day and age of religious pluralism, it was surprising to hear someone on the radio arguing that all the world religions are NOT the same but, in fact, believe very different things at the core.  As far as I understood the interview, the author goes on to argue that to pretend they are the same is actually ethically irresponsible, and that a lack of understanding of the differences can cause more violence and trouble rather than less.  I am most interested in this book because it is written by someone who, as far as I know, is not Christian.  At the least he is not a part of the evangelical world.  It will be interesting to read argument from a different perspective.  I am not expecting, of course, to hear that one religion is better than the rest, or rather that one is "truth" while the others are not.  I am not expecting to be directly encouraged in my faith.  It might prove, however, to be useful in addressing that one particular misconception, that all religions are essentially the same.   To have a well reasoned explanation from someone who is not within the Christian world, but who is a neutral voice, might be helpful.  At the very least I hope it is interesting. 
Off to pack!
Don't forget to check back on Friday for "Free Art Friday" as there will be a really interesting piece that I am excited to share.