Three of My Favorite Books – Have You Read Any of These?

Several years ago, I was preparing to head into the mission field. Life was fast, white-knuckle, and often a unique mix of exhilaration, sleepless nights, and a lot of prayer! One thing that God used to anchor me through that season of transition was a good book. Actually, there were several! If you’re in a season of transition, looking to deepen your walk, or just want a good read, consider checking these out. There are tons of great titles out there, but these were really meaningful to me. Book 1: Everyone’s A Theologian by R. C. Sproul Dr. Sproul, demonstrating his trademark ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, surveys the basic truths of the Christian faith, reminding us once more of what God is like and of what He has done for His people in this world and the next. One of my favorite quotes from this book was “God has plainly revealed His existence to every creature on earth; all people know that He exists, whether or not they acknowledge it. However, we need to move beyond the knowledge that God exists and come to a deeper understanding of who He is— His character and nature— because no aspect of theology defines everything else as comprehensively as our understanding of God (p.47).” If you’d like to get it on Amazon, Everyone’s A Theologian. Book 2: When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert Focusing on both North American and Majority World contexts, When Helping Hurts provides proven strategies for effective poverty alleviation, catalyzing the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out. One of my favorite quotes from this book was “Recall that “development” is a process of ongoing change in which people move closer to being in right relationship with God, self, others, and the rest of creation. This begs the question: How do people actually change? Ultimately, lasting, positive change is impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit, so praying for change is the central tool in the development process. In addition, scholars and practitioners have observed some fairly regular patterns in the way that human beings experience change, patterns that can be used to encourage the kind of changes that are at the core of the development process (p.207)”. If you’d like to get it on Amazon, When Helping Hurts. Book 3: Kingdom Disciples – Heaven’s Representatives on Earth by Tony Evans Kingdom Disciples calls believers and churches back to our primary, divinely ordained responsibility to be disciples and make disciples. Only when we take seriously this assignment will the world see heaven at work on earth. One of my favorite quotes from this book was” Just like a baby cannot be expected to explain his or her decisions, a disciple must grow into the adoption of a kingdom mindset—a Christ-centered point of view (p.135). If you’d like to get it on Amazon, Kingdom Disciples. What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear them — especially if you’re in a season of transition. Leave a comment below!