This is my daughter’s book that she will probably never
get back. A very creative and poetic look at the Biblical account of
life. I really liked his writing style.
“Some
people picture God as a doddering grandpappy in heaven. But in
truth, he’s more like an impassioned young lover swinging his bride across
the dance floor. Jesus didn’t arrive on earth to debate theology but to
propose marriage. In a very real spiritual sense, God is courting
us.”
The
Relationship Principles of Jesus, by Tom Holladay.
The point of this book
is healthy relationships. The book is based on 6 relationship
principles. It is a 40 day look at the foundation of relationships.
Would be a good book for a small group to travel through together.
“You
can’t command an emotion, but you can command and action. When Jesus says,
‘I command you to love one another,’ he’s not saying ‘Feel this way’; he’s saying,
‘Act this way.’ Act with love toward another person.”
Follow,
by Floyd McClung.
I read three books that really cut pretty deep. I
don’t recommend you read them together, it’s a little overwhelming.
Follow, and Richards Stearns, the Hole in our Gospel, and David Platt, Radical.
All great books with a lot of challenge as to how we view and live life in America. All of them have a lot of
great quotes I could share, but consider this from Follow:
“Those
who are considering becoming, or are already committed to being fully devoted
followers of Jesus must count the cost of putting Him first in their
lives. That doesn’t mean renouncing who He created you to be, but
renouncing the false beliefs and behaviors that have kept you from being all He
created you to be.”
Called
to be Holy, by John N. Oswalt.
This is a reading meal that requires
putting your thinking cap on. Oswalt is a theologian that comes from the
perspective that I closely align with. This is a great understanding of a
Biblical view of holiness.
“When
God calls his people to be holy as he is holy, he is not merely asking them to
live lives exclusively dedicated to him. Neither is he asking them to be especially
religious. Rather, he is calling them to share his unique character, one
that will alter how they approach every aspect of their lives.”
The
Necessity of Prayer, by EM Bounds.
I got hold of a classic collection by
EM Bounds on prayer that has 8 of his books in one volume. I’m reading
one at a time over a the period of the next couple years. Some of my
favorite reads are classics. They were written before the publisher and
audience dictated how something was said. It wasn’t about selling a book,
it was about saying the truth.
“Prayer
is an essential phase of spiritual habit, but it ceases to be prayer when
carried on by habit alone. It is depth and intensity of spiritual desire
that give intensity and depth to prayer.”
“The
early Methodists had no heating apparatus in their churches. They said
that the flame in the pew and the fire in the pulpit must be sufficient to keep
them warm.”
The
Dekker trilogy, Black, Red, White, is my fiction reading that was a total
blast!
Every
married couple should read Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. This is a
must read!
Ravi Zacharias, Has Christianity
Failed You? I liked a lot.
Bonhoeffer:
Pastor, Martyr, Spy, by Eric Metaxas was very interesting if you’re into
history during the Hitler regime.
If you
like to look at church issues I liked, Rethinking Church by James Emery. Ignite, by
Nelson Searcy has some good ideas in it.
The
Three Hardest Words, by Leonard Sweet was good also. I’m sure I’m going
to read a lot more of his stuff. He is leading the Doctoral program I
will start later in 2012.
One
Conversation at a Time, by Michael Henderson is great on telling your God
story.
They all
must be closed and put on a shelf with the others that I read. Each book
is of value only to the degree that is leads me to the truth of the Bible and
brings me to a place of growth.
Looking
forward to a new year of learning!
Pastor
Dave
