A very Sola Panel survey (Paul Grimmond)

One of the things we’re doing as we wrap up the year here at Sola Panel is to ask our contributors to share some of their highlights for the year from the world of reading and the web. Over the next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas, each of the Sola Panelists will share some of their reading, listening and viewing from the last 12 months. Here’s Paul Grimmond’s contribution:

  1. Three best Christian books of 2009:

    • Tim Chester, You can change
    • Andreas Köstenberger and Tom Schreiner, Women in the Church
    • Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart
  2. Top stretching theological read of the year:

    • Doug Wilson, Reformed is not enough
  3. Best fiction of 2009:

    I have hardly read any fiction this year (and what I have read has been rubbish). But I will mention some kids’ books:

    • I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Emily Rodda’s Deltora Quest series with my eight-year-old son
    • My five-year-old and I have read and re-read Bob Graham’s Greetings from Sandy Beach. (We laugh about the Disciples of Death every time. If you haven’t me them before, I would encourage you to do so, posthaste).
  4. Best non-theological non-fiction of 2009:

    • Maggie Hamilton, What’s happening to our girls? (sobering and important).
  5. Favourite Matthias Media release of the year:

  6. Best website(s) discovered this past year:

  7. Three best sermons or other audio downloads heard this year (individual talks or series; could be from preachers you hear locally, and not just the overseas heroes):

    This is tricky for me as I don’t listen to many sermons online. But here are a couple of things I found interesting or helpful:

    • The two talks from Don Carson at the Different by Design Conference in 2009 were excellent.
    • I also found Doug Wilson’s reflections on Calvinism from the Desiring God Conference stimulating.
  8. Most memorable article(s) you’ve read this year:

  9. Book of the year and why:

    • If you’re talking the book that had the biggest impact on the way that I live my life, it was probably Tripp’s, Shepherding a Child’s Heart. The principles in this book helped me to reshape the way I discipline my children, and has led to many fruitful conversations with my kids about how much I love them, and how much God loves them.

10 thoughts on “A very Sola Panel survey (Paul Grimmond)

  1. Ted Tripp ‘Shepherding a Child’s Heart’ first published 1995 – book of the year 2009! Why do you think it has taken so long to make inroads here in Australia?

  2. Hi Howie,

    I think the main reason is that this is my personal list. I only just read it this year and I have no idea whether it has made any inroads at all. It is most probably that I’m hopelessly behind the times smile

    Grimmo

  3. Thanks for the mention, Liz!  Knowing Grimmo, I’m quite sure that he’s taken the best points from <i>Shepherding</i> and used them in a wise way. 
    Since I wrote that article, I’ve come to the conclusion that the problem with most American Christian parenting books is fundamental: they’re Arminian… and the temptation to “think Arminianly” about our children is huge!  But as my husband says, “Choose life—choose Calvinism”.

  4. Paul

    Like you, I only read it a few years ago and wondered why I’d taken so long as well! And I thought we Australian’s were ‘early adopters’… I’d recommend listening to Ted’s talks on Shepherding a Child’s Heart (available at marshillchurch.org) – I found them more helpful and concise then the book…

  5. Paul,

    Thanks for the pointer to the article on English usage by Wallace. I am enjoying it immensely, even if I need a dictionary by my side to help explain ergative verbs and the like. Is there a equally useful guide to Garner’s for Australian English?

  6. @Peter,

    Sorry to take a little while to get back to you. I don’t know of anything similar for Australian usage. I will ask around some of the writerly types I know and get back to you if I find out anything.

    Grimmo

  7. Paul,

    Thanks for that. I am aware of the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Publishers, but it’s not quite the same thing. Great for punctuation etc.
    I have a 5th ed’n from AGPS and the 6th is from John Wiley I think.

  8. @Peter,

    One more possibility. Someone has suggested to me that Pam Peters, The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage might be a reasonable option for Australian usage.

    I haven’t used it, but I thought I’d pass it on.

    Grimmo

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