Michael, Wild at Heart as well as Steve Farrar's, Finishing Strong, were both purchased by me for my husband neither made it to his side of the night stand. These men both tapped into the unrelenting desire so many of us have (male AND female) to be living in and out a passionate pursuit of Christ. For me, John and Steve's words were life as I felt at the time there was a dearth of material for women like me; those who ached to live dangerously (adventurously!) in the hands of God and were frustrated by the choice of books geared toward us as a purchasing market. Both authors profoundly shaped my thinking those 8-10 years back and a I'm pouring the fruit of said pursuit into a broad ministry which I pray will spur another generation of women and men to follow hard after Jesus.

My 21-year old daughter and 19-year old Marine son, have both spoken insightful truth, life, and challenge, into their mother's soul time and time again. Who among us knew, while busily raising our daughters (and sons) and pouring ourselves into them, just how rich and rewarding the culminating effort would be!

Tribe building: I'm on that like paint on a house. I read Tribes after completing a recent proposal and I laughed and jotted down "!!'s" in margin after margin, page after page. For those of us as writers who were tribal driven with a strong bent toward social media activism before either became popular culture catchphrases your insights only underscore the rightness of our peculiar bent. Thanks!

Julie Barnhill

Last night I was discussing this very thing with a mentor. Your question posed, in essence, allows the work of grace to take place. Grace is everything you need in every situation. Be it busted ankles, busted dreams, busted financial statements, or busted faith. Everything.

1. Imagine a couple of Kindle's replacing the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of literary works lining your favorite bookcase. Uh, I don't think so.

2. Imagine your grandchild trolling through dust-covered boxes and unearthing dog-eared, annotated, note-laden copies of The Ragamuffin Gospel, The Pursuit of God, 102 Minutes, He Is There and He Is Not Silent; all in your familiar and "love-you-like-crazy-whenever-they-see-it" handwriting. Can Kindle do that? I don't think so.

3. Think back to tear-splattered pages of a particular read which healed your soul with every turning of the page (i.e. 'Making the Corps, by Thomas Ricks). Does Kindle perserve tear drops? I don't think so.

I'll incorporate Kindle ease when it comes to travel etc., but give up REAL books? Nevah! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Julie "Go Ahead & Call Me a Literary Dinosaur" Barnhill. Check out: http://www.amazon.com/How-Reading-Changed-My-Life...

Dr. Francis Schaeffer was a Watchman on the Tower during 60s-70s-earliest 80s....Christ in the Totality of Life! If we live as a Noun (Christian), rather than Adjective (christian author, christian mom, christian cookie baker, etc.) than we will embrace all of our Creator gifting and revel in making the most of it for man's pleasure (uh, the good kind of pleasure, mind you) and God's glory. Stepping off soap box.