Have you had a chance to read Forgiving Ararat? (We ordered 100 copies for the church and still have a few left in the church office.) It was the 'National One Book + One Parish' read for 2010 and will be the focus for our first Tuesdays Together, January 18. Have to admit I was pleasantly surprised - with all the hype, I thought it might be another lowest-common-denominator book that oversimplifies authentic faith. It is not. I found it an easy, but provocative read. Hope you enjoy it.

Have you read anything else interesting lately? I finally got around to reading The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. Not an easy read, but well worth the effort. He is brilliant in his insights on the relationship between sin and suffering, the ubiquity of money in human conflict, and what real faith looks like. And--if you are looking for that 'one book' to give you insight into the Israeli-Arab-Palestinian conflict, I just finished and strongly recommend The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan. Lots of history, lots of information, but leaves you with a realization of the complexity of this conflict.

Happy reading!