Take This Bread: A Spiritual Memoir of a 21st Century Christian by Sara Miles

    A great book. Read it.

Adventurous Religion by Harry Emerson Fosdick

    “Religion at its source is a personal adventure on a way of living.” Fosdick was a well-known, powerful preacher and public figure of mainline Protestantism in the early 20th century. Nicole picked this book up years ago at a used book sale, and I rediscovered it while unpacking boxes from our latest move. Feels like a timely piece of vintage religious writing.

A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick-Fix by Edwin Friedman.

    Essential reading for leaders. The book gives a conceptual framework and practical, concrete direction for effective leadership. I really like his emphasis on the spirit of adventure. Also, the book was not completed at the time of Friedman’s death. The editors who put the book together don’t try to cover over the unfinished quality of the book. I find that the “loose ends” in the book actually enhance the books message rather than detract from it. If you read one book on this list, read this one.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.

    After reading Pollan, I now know why fast food, frozen dinners, and Applebees/T.G.I.Fridays/Perkins/Ruby Tuesdays food all tastes so much the same: much of it is synthesized from corn and petroleum. I also know why the meals are so wonderful when we visit family in Vermont and buy food from local farmers: the food is NOT primarily synthesized. It’s just plain old-fashioned food. Praise God for simple food straight from the soil.

Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age by Richard L. Hamm.

    Great book. Dick Hamm really gets what’s wrong with mainline denominations and has some concrete suggestions about how to turn things around. If you are a church person, read it!

Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk About It by Krista Tippett

Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin H. Friedman.

    A pastor once said, “Jesus saved my soul, but Friedman saved my ______ !” An indespensible tool for understanding your congregation, your family, yourself, and how you can promote health in all of your relationships.

Jim and Casper Go to Church: A Frank Conversation about Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper.

    A great, creative book about “defending the space” necessary for authentic, compassionate relationships among followers of Jesus and others. A must-read for evangelists and church leaders, especially.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller.

    A good book. I love how Rev. Keller encourages us to “doubts our doubts.” He misses the mark, however, when he compares Christianity to other religions in a way that is intended to show how Christianity is superior to every other religion. His generalizations about Buddhism, for instance, are just plain wrong. So, if you can ignore that part, it’s a great Christian response to postmodern questions, needs, and concerns.

Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren.

    Another great Christian response to postmodern culture. McLaren is trying to outline an emerging Christian path that moves us beyond tired arguments among Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, conservatives, liberals, etc. I find his metaphor of “running the rapids” a helpful description of how we got to where we are in contemporary American Christianity.

A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren.

    A helpful introduction to the “emergent” conversation. We used this book with our Prairie Sky Church small groups.

Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren.

    McLaren takes ideas that he has been developing in his books and applies them to our 21st century world. He argues that our current global system is a “suicide machine” and offers a Christian response. I like his use of Chris Hedges’ idea that war is an “addiction.”

The Church Re-Imagined: The Spiritual Formation of People in Communities of Faith by Doug Pagitt,

    The story of an emerging church in the Twin Cities area.

Church Planting Landmines by Tom Nebel and Gary Rohrmeyer

    Highly recommended for church planters.

unChristian: What a New Generation Really Things about Christianity and Why it Matters by David Kinnamon

    A must-read for Christians of all flavors. Kinnamon reports on his research among 18-24-year-old “outsiders,” i.e. people who do not identify with a church. Among his findings: when asked to characterize Christianity, the top response was “judgmental” (87%), the next highest response was “anti-gay” (81%). Obviously, Christians in general are doing a poor job of representing Christ to outsiders. This is a wake-up call to anyone who is genuinely interested in following the Jesus Way.

Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect by Joseph Meyers.

    A good book that offers a conceptual framework for creating authentic, healthy community. Gives language to leaders who are trying to communicate new, creative ways of working together.

The Bible: 1 Chronicles

    Since our preaching duties are pretty light right now, I thought I’d make a visit to a part of the Bible that I haven’t looked at in a while. The first 10 chapters or so are taken up by lists of names–geneologies, lists of herditary estates, lists of who and how many fought with which armies. It’s a part of the Bible Bruce Wilkinson made famous with his Prayer of Jabez. So far, I’ve found 1 Chronicles very interesting. I am making some discoveries of my own. Who was Sheerah of 7:24, daughter of Beriah, and what is the story of the towns she built–Lower and Upper Beth-Horon and Uzzen-Sheerah? Is there a bestselling devotional book in there somewhere?

More Ready that You Realize: The Power of Everyday Conversations by Brian McLaren.

    This book is based on an extended email exchange between Brian McLaren and a young, unchurched person searching for faith in Jesus. McLaren uses this exchange to reflect on what transformational conversations and authentic spiritual friendship might be like for 21st century people.

Launch: Starting a New Church from Scratch by Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas.

    A practical “how-to” book for church planters. We borrowed their “ministry plan” form for Prairie Sky Church.

Moby-Dick, or The Whale by Herman Melville.

    After working as a sternman on my father-in-law’s lobster boat, I wanted to read a story about ocean fishing. Why not the greatest fish story of all time? This is one that I somehow avoided reading despite being an English major. I’m glad I picked it up. A great book.