Books I Love

Why Jesus ... In the World?

That question dogged my steps for years.  My sophomore semester in college, I studied Meso-American Art History (Mayans and Aztecs torturing one another; millions of people living and dying over centuries – without even hearing about Jesus).  Simultaneously, I studied history of the American West (dreams of manifest destiny, cruelly displaced indigenous tribes, unmarked graves from both peoples all over the prairies).  I decided that “Jesus” could only be seen as one option among thousands … an emotional narcotic to help people limp through life … etc.  These are some of the books that changed my mind.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 
 1 Peter 2:9  

Kisses from Katie​

Katie Davis – Ordinary American Teenager with affluenza – goes to Uganda and becomes an adoptive mom to a multitude / a saint.  This is not a “why” book – this is a “what” book: what it looks like when the love of Jesus gets lived out in total abandon.

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Mere Christianity

C.S. Lewis explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books , Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.

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The Hiding Place

Corrie Ten Boom’s family is arrested by the Nazis for harboring Jews in their home; in the concentration camps, they lose everything – except what matters most.  This classic has it all: spine-tingling suspense, deep pathos, heart-warming triumph, and redemption.

Locate

Through the Gates of Splendor

Widowed when her young husband is martyred in South America, Elizabeth Elliot chronicles not just the tragedy of sacrificed lives but the triumph of grace over violence.  Unimaginable personal loss is re-cast as in-breaking kingdom grace; an unforgettable testimony

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Why Jesus ... In / As the Church?

That question still dogs my steps!  My trajectory as a church-goer has been pretty weird: non-believer / non-attender to zealot / preacher’s wife via a circuitous route that wound along the edge of various cliffs.  Ahem.

But what I am learning (slowly – painfully!) about the Church is that Jesus really meant what He said about her: the Church is the Body of Christ; the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church (even if it sometimes seems as if Hell has invaded from the inside!); and the Church will be the Bride of Christ in the age to come.  I often need reminding of those truths, simply because the Church is full of  – people. And people are so often unlike Jesus.

These books are great reminders of the way Jesus works through people when people aspire to being the Church!

“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
 Hebrews 10:24-25

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire

Jim Cymbala’s desire for Jesus’s glory in the church makes him take audacious risks and puts him in position to witness modern-day miracles.  Prayer as the lifeblood of Christian experience is the center of this autobiographical portrait of a pastor building the church while on his knees.

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The Hole in Our Gospel

From corporate fat-cat to advocate for the poorest of the poor, Richard Stearns’ unlikely story is both a parable of true wealth and a call to action for the body of Christ.

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The Cost of Discipleship

Martyred by the Nazis as WW II was ending, Bonhoeffer’s writings and witness about the power of Christian community continue to influence our understand of “church” today.  Quiet, frequently-dismissed attributes like temperance, forbearance, and perseverance hold together Bonhoeffer’s group even in the face of monstrous evil.

Locate

Hidden in Plain Sight

Not really a book about the church, but a book about Peter – the disciple whom Jesus called “the Rock on which I build my church” and therefore a vision of what the church should aspire to be.

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Why Jesus ... In the Home?

I confess that, for me, the question is more and more “how Jesus in the home?”  Once I answered the “why Jesus” question in my own heart and in my own attitude toward the world and the church, then the answer to “why Jesus in the home?” was reducible to “duh…”

But I realize that not everyone’s questions are in the same order as mine!  So, here are some great books that make the case for ordering the places where we live and the relationships we define as family according to the design Jesus provides.  (Interestingly, these books teach on how to do that, too!)

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” 
Proverbs 24:3-4

Beholding and Becoming

Simons uses both her extraordinary skill as a painter and her earnest lyrical prose to persuade readers that making a home in Christ is the best possible life choice.  This absolutely exquisite book is both sacred art and beautiful invitation to abundant living – a treasure to treasure!

Locate

Liturgy of the Ordinary

Beginning with the elements of church liturgy, Warren unpacks the way that God’s patters and rhythms are hidden in plain sight in our everyday lives.  Applying worship practices to routines as mundane as our bed-making and teeth-brushing, Warren makes “mindfulness” more that just self-absorption and infuses even “ordinary days” with meaning.

Locate

One Thousand Gifts

Despair, depression, and a lifetime of feeling “not enough” get swallowed up in gratitude as Voskamp starts chronicling the little blessings daily.  Anyone who has ever struggled with a family history of loss and /or mental illness will be comforted and inspired by Voskamp’s story.

Locate

The Tech-Wise Family

A primer for every early 21st century household that determines to break free of the tyranny of screens, consumer culture, and apathy – Crouch makes for a persuasive, pragmatic vision-caster!

 

Locate

Kisses from Katie​

Katie Davis – Ordinary American Teenager with affluenza – goes to Uganda and becomes an adoptive mom to a multitude / a saint.  This is not a “why” book – this is a “what” book: what it looks like when the love of Jesus gets lived out in total abandon.

Locate

Mere Christianity

C.S. Lewis explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books , Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.

Locate

The Hiding Place

Corrie Ten Boom’s family is arrested by the Nazis for harboring Jews in their home; in the concentration camps, they lose everything – except what matters most.  This classic has it all: spine-tingling suspense, deep pathos, heart-warming triumph, and redemption.

Locate

Through the Gates of Splendor

Widowed when her young husband is martyred in South America, Elizabeth Elliot chronicles not just the tragedy of sacrificed lives but the triumph of grace over violence.  Unimaginable personal loss is re-cast as in-breaking kingdom grace; an unforgettable testimony

Locate

Why Jesus ... In / As the Church?

That question still dogs my steps!  My trajectory as a church-goer has been pretty weird: non-believer / non-attender to zealot / preacher’s wife via a circuitous route that wound along the edge of various cliffs.  Ahem.

But what I am learning (slowly – painfully!) about the Church is that Jesus really meant what He said about her: the Church is the Body of Christ; the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church (even if it sometimes seems as if Hell has invaded from the inside!); and the Church will be the Bride of Christ in the age to come.  I often need reminding of those truths, simply because the Church is full of  – people. And people are so often unlike Jesus.

These books are great reminders of the way Jesus works through people when people aspire to being the Church!

“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
 Hebrews 10:24-25

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire

Jim Cymbala’s desire for Jesus’s glory in the church makes him take audacious risks and puts him in position to witness modern-day miracles.  Prayer as the lifeblood of Christian experience is the center of this autobiographical portrait of a pastor building the church while on his knees.

Locate

The Hole in Our Gospel

From corporate fat-cat to advocate for the poorest of the poor, Richard Stearns’ unlikely story is both a parable of true wealth and a call to action for the body of Christ.

Locate

The Cost of Discipleship

Martyred by the Nazis as WW II was ending, Bonhoeffer’s writings and witness about the power of Christian community continue to influence our understand of “church” today.  Quiet, frequently-dismissed attributes like temperance, forbearance, and perseverance hold together Bonhoeffer’s group even in the face of monstrous evil.

Locate

Hidden in Plain Sight

Not really a book about the church, but a book about Peter – the disciple whom Jesus called “the Rock on which I build my church” and therefore a vision of what the church should aspire to be.

Locate

Why Jesus ... In the Home?

I confess that, for me, the question is more and more “how Jesus in the home?”  Once I answered the “why Jesus” question in my own heart and in my own attitude toward the world and the church, then the answer to “why Jesus in the home?” was reducible to “duh…”

But I realize that not everyone’s questions are in the same order as mine!  So, here are some great books that make the case for ordering the places where we live and the relationships we define as family according to the design Jesus provides.  (Interestingly, these books teach on how to do that, too!)

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” 
Proverbs 24:3-4

Beholding and Becoming

Simons uses both her extraordinary skill as a painter and her earnest lyrical prose to persuade readers that making a home in Christ is the best possible life choice.  This absolutely exquisite book is both sacred art and beautiful invitation to abundant living – a treasure to treasure!

Locate

Liturgy of the Ordinary

Beginning with the elements of church liturgy, Warren unpacks the way that God’s patters and rhythms are hidden in plain sight in our everyday lives.  Applying worship practices to routines as mundane as our bed-making and teeth-brushing, Warren makes “mindfulness” more that just self-absorption and infuses even “ordinary days” with meaning.

Locate

One Thousand Gifts

Despair, depression, and a lifetime of feeling “not enough” get swallowed up in gratitude as Voskamp starts chronicling the little blessings daily.  Anyone who has ever struggled with a family history of loss and /or mental illness will be comforted and inspired by Voskamp’s story.

Locate

The Tech-Wise Family

A primer for every early 21st century household that determines to break free of the tyranny of screens, consumer culture, and apathy – Crouch makes for a persuasive, pragmatic vision-caster!

 

Locate