Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and a few to be chewed and digested.  ~Francis Bacon

We read a wide range of books, including a lot that are Christ centered.  Those listed here are in the "chewed and digested" category. Recommendations of friends have led us to discover authors and books we might not have discovered on our own, books that have enriched our lives. Their modeling is what prompts me to add this page of books my wife, Raelene, and I have found to be of special value.  

Scripture study  

The Bible -- No, I'm not being facetious.  Reading scripture is always
the best starting point when we want to know about faith matters.  For
casual reading (as opposed to study in preparation to teach), I like
Eugene Peterson's The Message Remix, which includes Old and
New Testaments in modern language.  For those new to Bible reading,
may I suggest that you consider beginning with one of the Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke or John).  They describe the life of Jesus and
tell us what he said about himself.  Moving next to the Book of Acts will
give you a good idea of what the early church was like.  The Book of
Romans will get you into a good study of theology.

Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History, by Francis Schaeffer -- a
wonderful study of the book of Joshua.  I learned much about how
God works with individuals and groups from reading this book. 

Exposition of Ecclesiastes, by H.C. Leupold  -- Ecclesiastes is an
excellent choice to introduce a seeker to the Living God, especially
with the help of this commentary.  King Solomon had everything a
man could want, yet found it all just  chasing after wind.  Is there
a better way to live? How does God fit in?  That's what this study is
all about.  Offers many opportunities to work current issues into
discussions of Solomon's discoveries about life.

Reversed Thunder, The Revelation of John & the Praying Imagination, by Eugene H. Peterson --  This is an unconventional look at the Book of Revelation.  Here's what Peterson himself writes about it: "This last book of the Bible takes the entire biblical revelation and re-images it in a compelling, persuading, evangelistic vision which has brought perseverance, stamina, joy, and discipline to Christians for centuries, and continues to do so."

The Servant Who Rules, by Ray C. Stedman -- An excellent study of Mark 1-8.
The Ruler Who Serves, by Ray C. Stedman -- Part 2 of this very fine study of the Book of Mark.


** There are many places to buy new and used books.  My favorite is www.abe.com.  I've purchased dozens of books from that site and always been pleased.  Amazon also has a good selection of new and used books.  Some of my favorites, like those by Elton Trueblood, can only be purchased used.  I've found the individual booksellers who advertise through abe.com to be reliable in assessing the condition of what they offer.


Living as a follower of Jesus

The Lord's Prayers (also published as The Prayers of Christ), by Eldon Trueblood -- I'll admit it, I'm a fan of Trueblood.  Discovered him recently and have made up for it by purchasing every one of his books I can find.  The Lord's Prayers is one of the best helps for improving your prayer life you'll find.  It is not a book about one prayer; here Trueblood offers accounts from the Bible of how and when Jesus prayed, and how he taught his disciples to pray.  Trueblood then applies those accounts to our lives today.  I'm a big believer in reading the Bible first for answers about the Bible, but books by insightful teachers like Trueblood add richness to our own studies.  It's only 126 pages long.  If I tried to outline line it by eliminating anything that was unimportant, my outline would be maybe 124 pages. 

The Company of the Committed and The Incendiary Fellowship, by Elton Trueblood -- Two more books that have much to offer about how we can develop within our churches committed believers who demonstrate a living faith.  The Church is not located in a church building or out in the world, it is in people, wrote Trueblood.  These books were written to help us, the people, stand up and make a difference in the world.

Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller -- A very fine book!!  Miller is an excellent writer who looks at the world from the perspective of someone who is two or three generations younger than me.  His book is about his growing faith, including discoveries about himself and how he gets along with others.  I related to what he had to say about not feeling that he fit into any church, though he (and I) grew up in the church and held leadership positions. And I was encouraged to read that he did finally become part of a faith family that welcomed him, warts and all.  We heard about Miller from the college-age daughter of friends who found his book well worth sharing, even with oldtimers like us.

A Reasonable Faith, by Anthony Campolo -- I've had A Reasonable Faith on my bookshelf for decades and don't recall having read it until I pulled it down and dusted it off not long ago. Wow, what an idiot I've been. If I'd dug into this book years ago I could have used Dr. Campolo's helpful insights dozens of times to talk with skeptics and seekers. Believers, also, will find this book helpful to clarify personal thoughts about Christianity. Long out of print, the book is easily found on the web (My favorite site is www.abe.com). Dr. Campolo addresses four major areas of secular thought, and shows how Christians can respond to them with kindness and reason:
(1) Contingency, which claims that everything that exists has a cause that can be scientifically explained.
(2) Autonomy, which claims that man shapes his own destiny. There is no God and man is a law unto himself.
(3)Temporality, which claims that all things pass away; in the end there is nothing at all.
(4) Relativity, which claims that if there is no God anything is permissible. Man establishes his own laws
     and principles for living.
In the process of learning how to explain our faith in relation to the ideas listed above, we personally gain insights into how we can become more loving and sensitive to where others are coming from.

Searching for God Knows What, by Donald Miller.  Seriously folks, this guy is one of the best writers working.  He combines a great sense of humor with insight and wisdom.  You can't go wrong with any of his books.

Ruthless Trust, The Ragamuffin's Path to God, by Brennan Manning -- A sequel to The Ragamuffin Gospel.  Manning discusses how to overcome our primary obstacle to living fully within God's love -- the lack of "ruthless trust."

The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Henri Nouwen -- The themes are homecoming, affirmation, and reconciliation.  Nouwen's book has much to say to anyone struggling with how to love and/or forgive those who need it most -- those who do unloving things to others.

The Safest Place on Earth, by Larry Crabb -- You may be catching a theme here in my reading.  This is another book that explores how the church can become what God intended it to be, a place where imperfect people receive support and compassion in dealing with our weaknesses.  A safe place where lives are forever changed as we deepen our relationship with God and others.

Encouragement, The Key to Caring, by Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr. and Dan B. Allender -- Yes, Lawrence J. and Larry are one and the same Crabb.  The authors write about how to go beyond "surface community" in our churches, so we can become encouragers of one another.  It's easy to be critical or withdrawn.  It's not so easy to offer encouragement in healthy ways.  I found this book, well, encouraging.

Connecting, by Larry Crabb -- Another excellent book on how to connect with others.  Many of us are "disconnected souls" writes Crabb.  "What we need is connection!  What we need is a healing community!"

Under the Unpredictable Plant, An Exploration in Vocational Holiness, by Eugene Peterson.  While this book was written mainly to those in paid ministry, and I'm not, I found it spiritually uplifting.  Peterson uses the story of Jonah to discuss what it means to hear God's call.  Now that has to be relevant to all of us who claim to be His. 

A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken -- Includes letters by C.S. Lewis.  A love story, a search for faith, and a growing friendship with C.S. Lewis are the basis of this book that is best read with a box of Kleenex nearby, even if, like me, you're too tough to cry.

The Case for Christ, A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus, by Lee Strobel -- The title pretty well tells the story.  What it leaves out is that Strobel was not a believer when he began his investigation.  Now he is. I liked it so well I bought several copies to give away.

Hot Picks, Well Worth Your Time

Finding the Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church, by Reggie McNeal -- Found this one by accident (or divine intervention, take your pick).  The author looks at the universal church, as practiced American style, and then delivers what is promised by the book's title, six tough questions for the church.  But he doesn't stop there; he also delivers excellent insights into how church leaders can move from Churchianity to practical Christian living in the 21st century.  I love his concept of "life counselors" to greet and work with new people at a church (McNeal compares them to personal trainers who set up individual exercise programs with people who join a gym for the first time and who need someone to work with them to accomplish their goals.   If you are serious about your faith, you have to ask why so many good people, followers of Jesus, have such a difficult time in and with the institutional church?  This book is a call to action, not a criticism.  Don't bother buying it unless you want to be part of the solution.   

The New Thought Police, Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds, by Tammy Bruce --  One evening, when my wife and I were staying In an Oregon hotel, I turned on the TV. I then indulged in some typically male channel flipping. That stopped when I came to a woman speaking to a college class -- the kind of thing you only see on obscure cable channels.  She was obviously very smart, so much so that I dropped the channel clicker and began to listen.  Turned out it was Tammy Bruce, discussing her new book to a hostile group of students.  This self-described lesbian feminist former president of NOW was berating her old companions and being slammed in return.  She was accusing them of a left-wing version of McCarthyism aimed at the right ... mainly at Christians.  They were calling her a turncoat.  She was actually defending a Christian's right to reject the left's politically correct agenda.   When we returned home, I bought the book.  This is an eye-opener, written by a left-wing insider who met the enemy (us) and found that some of us are pretty cool.  Isn't it time that some of us meet this (former) enemy and find out what makes her cool?  At the same time, you'll get an excellent explanation of the left's agenda for the U.S. and what they're doing to beat us into submission.  We can bury our heads in the sand, or we can become an army of informed, committed, caring, connected followers of Jesus.  The choice is ours.

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck -- How, you ask, can a guy like Steinbeck be on a reading list for people who seek to grow in their Christian faith?  For starters, he's one of the great writers of the 20th century. What makes a great writer great is the ability to create realistic characters in realistic settings.  This sort of book helps us know what people are thinking about and struggling with.  In this case, however, the book has even more to offer.  This is Steinbeck's modern version of Cain and Able.  It's about good and evil and our ability to choose between the two.  Any pastor who has used too many sermon illustrations from Tales of Narnia or some other favorite would do well to build a sermon around the biblical message of choice, as illustrated in East of Eden. As a bonus, while preparing your sermon you get to read an American classic.

Kurt Vonnegut has a lot to say about the human condition, too, but that might be stretching it for this list.  I will confess, though, to having all of his novels and collected short stories. As Vonnegut would say, so it goes.

Coming Soon -- Favorites from several other authors, including N.T. Wright and Philip Yancey (or is it Tom Clancy?  I get them confused).