A reading pile, that is. I've been slowly, but slowly working through a few books - since the spring. It's been a bit pathetic, quite honestly. Why am I putting this out there in "permanent, instant, global" world? Confession's good, right? Truth is, it's been a season. A good season, but an intense season. The pace has been unusual, even for me. My focus has been challenged, which is somewhat of a constant reality for me, but more so the past few months. Hence, my reading has been sporadic. Some would advise me to slow it down and read one at a time, but that's just not my wiring. I like the pile. And I'm ready.
In addition to my Bible here are the books I'm diving into and a quote or take-away that hooked me early:
- Walter Brueggemann's The Word That Redescribes the Word
- "...like the people of God from the beginning, the church has to live between peculiarity and pluralism, between shaping ourselves as a different people - different not in our humanness but in our obedience - and living in relation to the other who is our immediate neighbor and also to the nation far off."
- Chris Castaldo's Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic
- A former Roman Catholic, Castaldo is now an Evangelical pastor. His book is not a Catholic-bash-fest. Rather he writes from his experiences and seeks to help Christians with Catholic roots embrace a grace-filled relationship with God. I think I'll learn better how to help many of our people and my new friends.
- Tony Dungy's Uncommon Ground: Finding Your Path to Significance
- I've been a Colts fan since living in Indianapolis 15 years ago. Following them, I've also gained great respect for their Super-Bowl winning Coach, Tony Dungy. This book comes after decades of success to say that's not all there is to success. Committed to see young men live up to the aspirations of their Creator, Dungy speaks to the reality of living life in an "uncommon" way.
- Ann Spangler's & Lois Tverberg's Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith
- The authors draw from a rich well of research to help us Westerners read the Bible as the document it is - Jewish. Their well-written, story-filled book brings the nuances and customs of an ancient culture to bear on our often surface-skimming read of the Scriptures. And it's written for simple folk like me.
- Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life
- Challenged with the task of remembering all the details of his life, Miller writes: "I know I've had more experiences than this, but there's no way I can remember everything. Life isn't memorable enough to remember everything. It's not like there are explosions happening all the time or dogs smoking cigarettes. Life is slower. It's like we're all watching a movie, waiting for something to happen, and every couple months the audience points at the screen and says, "Look, that guy's getting a parking ticket." It's strange the things we remember."
- John Burke's Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended
- On of our Groups experiences at Granger is centered around this book, intended to help people be transformed as they engage personal relationship with God. My wife and I are reading it together. I invited a team to read it with me, along with another friend. Burke awakens a challenge that Frank Laubach wrote about and practiced nearly 80 years ago. It's really all about practicing the presence of Jesus.
I'll finish out the Guest Services Best Practices list soon, then be occasionally posting and/or tweeting from my reading. Maybe you'd like to join me and read one of these books over the next few weeks.
Welcome to my reading journey.
