Lists to Live By: The Christian Collection: For Everything That Really Matters

If you're a serious writer or speaker, you're always on the lookout for anecdotes and quotes to broaden the appeal of your books, articles, and speeches. Here's one collection that keeps what you need handy. The compilers say, "We've tried to catch the beauty of simplicity by taking powerful ideas and expressing them in only a few words. If it is true that the best gifts come in small packages, then reading this book will be like unwrapping more than two hundred small gifts that are filled with extraordinary inspiration." The book is divided into thirteen topics, making it quick and easy to look up what you need. These subjects include: faith, growing deeper and stronger, God and His Word, worship and praise, prayer, marriage, family, community, success, wisdom, virtue, comfort for tough times, and eternal hope. Here, you'll find the words of many well-loved Christian personalities in one concise reference manual. The acknowledgement section in the back attributes the lists to their original sources, which may lead to your further research on topics of interest. But when you've got only a few days or hours to stand up and give a devotion or sermon, you may not have time to research in-depth -- that's where a book like this can be put to good use. You can drive home your point attributing it to an expert to further capture the attention of your audience. Some of the authors included in this book include Max Lucado, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Stanley, Charles Swindoll, Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz, Dennis & Barbara Rainey, Steve & Mary Farrar, Charles Spurgeon, Bill Gothard, St. Augustine, Barbara Johnson, Rick Warren, James Dobson, and Stormie Omartian. Plus, there are plenty of lists compiled directly from the Bible. While I really like this book, I'm hoping the publisher will see this review and hear my one criticism: PLEASE DON'T SACRIFICE READABILITY FOR LOOKS! Who decided to print this book using hunter-green type in a light font? This is the most disappointing aspect of this book. It would be so much easier on the eyes if it were printed in black font. And since it's a reference manual that is most likely going to be skimmed until the perfect nugget is found, it should be highly readable. I know the color of the font matches the covers, and it does indeed look beautiful, but I hope my small plea may make someone aware of this problem. I look at this book far less than I would if it were printed in much more readable type.