My friend Heather is doing something awesomely cool, and I want you all to know about it. She's passionate about books and her husband, Chris, is a techie/business guy. Together, they've started Soloman Summaries. Basically, they're reading and summarizing Christian books and then passing those summaries on to busy people who don't have time to read the books for themselves, or who only have a certain amount of time and aren't sure which books to focus on.
I've read the first summary they did, of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, and it's right on. I taught Mere Christianity to high school students for three years, so I know it inside and out, and the summary I read not only captured Lewis's argument but also the flavor of his writing (which is a real treat, if any of you out there haven't read Lewis).
Beyond the summaries, I find myself wanting to cheer on the vision that Heather and Chris have for this venture. They not only want to help others gain knowledge and wisdom, but they have a vision to touch hearts and lives. At one point, in a statement about their business, they say, "...we have opportunities to help people see the Bible and God as relevant issues from practical everyday decisions about weekly financial and church life to bigger questions like purpose, calling and gifting." Later on, they add, "We hope these books will spark discussions that will cause us to peer further into our own lives and will give us opportunities for Christian impact in a hurting, lonely world."
If you know me at all, you know that these are things I care deeply about: discussing the big questions, seeing God in everyday life, discerning vocation, and impacting lonely, hurting people. So I applaud Heather and Chris for taking these things on, and for doing so in such a winsome way.
You know, I finally remembered where I'd seen something similar to this (albeit for business books) advertised before--SkyMall magazine. Maybe someday we'll see Soloman Summaries there!
*Heather and Chris are offering free subscriptions to Soloman Summaries until December 1. So click the link and see what its all about. Really, you don't have any excuse not to ;)
**A couple weeks back, Heather and Chris had a blog tour for Soloman Summaries that I didn't get to participate in because I had The Killer Flu. If you want to check out what some other people had to say, you can find a master list of participants here, or click one below.
AKA Lewis Theodore
A Peek at My Bookshelf
A Prisoner of Hope
Aspire 2 Blog
Bible Dude
Blame it on the Loud Mouth Gene
Fictionary
Gatorskunkz and Mudcats
Geaux 2 Girl
High Calling Blogs
In.A.Mirror.Dimly
In the Dailies
Leap of Faith
Michelle Pendergrass
Morning Cup of Coffee
One Glory
Portrait of a Writer . . . Interrupted
Relevant Blog
So You Wanna Be Published
The View From Here
6 comments:
Thanks for the shout-out! You know, so many people have been asking about this, so I'll go ahead and let the cat out of the bag (have you ever actually tried to put a cat in a bag?): we're currently working on getting the summaries into audio files (mp3) for download to make them even more convenient for subscribers.
Putting a cat in a bag sounds so sad to me...I'm always so happy when people let them out ;)
And the audio summaries sound even more awesome (particularly for the "my-iPod-is-my-bestest-friend" generation). Niiiiiiiice.
saweet!
I am on this... big time. It is one of those things that I do dooh... I coulda done that. I read a few hundred pages a week.
You have a heart for the hurting, lonely and lost ehh...I could not tell based on what you write (lol)
I too have that, and I am considering enrolling in a spiritual directors program soon. I have a BA in theology so I think it is a good compliment to the more counseling side of that degree.
Blessings,
This is an interesting post Sarah, i will have to check this out when i get some time to breathe between tests and all that yuk.
However, i want to take a rabbit trail here. You are truly passionate about this. It never fails to amaze me how much our "passion" for something influences people.
When the words we speak come from our spirit, (the essence of who we are) it has the power to bring forth life. It is like we breathe life into the inanimate. For example, your passion for writing. Let's say i have absolutely no interest in writing.
However, if i spend any amount of time listening to your passion for writing it is going to raise the question in my mind "why is this so fascinating to Sarah?"
I know my mind drifts so much off the beaten path. I lose people sometimes because I hear a whole different thing out of what they are saying.
This entire post reminded me of our influence on those around us to sway them toward God. Our belief in God carries weight. When there is a deep passionate connection to Him, if nothing else it will plant a curiosity in those around us.
I said all of that to point out the power and influence that your belief in this project carries.
Another good example (for me anyway) would be Christianne's unrelenting devotion to see Obama win the election. She has a firm belief in her conviction and that conviction will sway those around her.
If i had to guess i would say that there would be an extremely high percentage of people who base their decisions on the people around them whom they trust. That means, a lot of our decisions are based on the influence of other people, not necessarily on research and digging to reach our own conclusions. Of course there is always the exception to any rule. No doubt there are those who make decisions with caution.
I am not evaluating the good or bad, right or wrong of that decision making process. I am stating a fact, whether we consciously know it or not our social circle will always persuade us.
I guess what i am trying to say is our lives will always be a compass pointing others in the direction that our hearts have set sail. I completely changed the purpose of your blog, sorry about that.
sadly, i haven't even had time to look at the summaries yet. but i will one day soon, when all the dust settles. thanks for sharing!! ;o)
Carl-So glad it appeals to you. I'm excited about your plans for the spiritual direction program...which program are you going to enroll in? Enjoy the summaries!
Tammy-no problem, I like your thoughts. And I think you're absolutely right...when we really care about something, there's no way others can avoid that, and it points them toward what we're passionate about.
You know, I was thinking along similar lines with the election last night. Did I vote the way I did because of people I know? Because I believed it was best? Because I evaluated everything for myself? Honestly, I think it was a combination of the three, which means that people I know had something to do with it.
Kirsten-definitely look at them when you get the chance...they're pretty cool ;)
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