2011 Summer Reading List: Yours

Oprah has left the building.

Oh, I know. She’s coming back. The Great One will soon reincarnate on her own OWN station and be more incredibly enlightening than ever before. But for now, she hasn’t seen her shadow, so there’s still six more weeks of Winfrey Winter.

And that’s where I come in, dear readers. I shall fill in the temporary gap left by her Daytime Highness. I shall crank out my book club reading list for the summer. If you’re looking for a good read, start with one of these (listed in alphabetical order, because they’re all so darn good)…

Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches, Russell Moore. Peeps in our church believe in adoption, and this book will have you believing in it, too. I personally believe that every Christian is called to adopt…some are called to do it, others are called to finance it. And besides, Russ Moore is preaching at the Summit later this summer. The more books you buy, the less we have to pay him. (Just kidding. Maybe.)

Authentic Faith: The Power of a Fire-Tested Life, Gary Thomas. I can only recommend about 10 or 11 of Gary’s books, because I think that’s all he’s written. This is Sacred Marriage guy. If you want to learn how to persevere through waiting, suffering, persecution, or contentment, this is the book for you.

Choosing To Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide? Andy Stanley. I’m leading a reading group for some of our Brier Creek Campus guys this year, and this is a book that I made sure was on our list. If you’re a career-driven person, this book will rattle your cage.

Dig Deeper: Tools for Understanding God’s Word, Nigel Beynon & Andrew Sach. The above reading group just finished this one. Beynon & Sach take three years’ worth of seminary learnin’ and boil it down to 154 pages. If you struggle with making Bible study make sense, order this one.

Jim and Casper Go To Church: frank conversations about faith, churches, and well-meaning Christians, Jim Henderson & Matt Casper. A delightful, disturbing, insightful book written by a believer and an atheist who traveled the country and visited some of the nation’s best known churches. Casper’s haunting question* “Jim, is this what Jesus told you guys to do?” will make you think about how we’ve hijacked the bride of Christ.

Leading On Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion, Wayne Cordeiro. This is a great read for those in the ministry and those who aren’t. Cordeiro recounts his battle with burnout and how he gradually rebuilt his life and family.

Rescuing Ambition, Dave Harvey. A great accompaniment to Choosing to Cheat (above) as well as Pastor J.D.’s “Homewrecker” series that starts this weekend. Harvey helps us view ambition through a gospel grid.

Whiter Than Snow: Meditations On Sin and Mercy, Paul David Tripp. Read this during your quiet times this summer. Tripp masterfully walks us through David’s confession in Psalm 51 and provides hope and healing for those who have strayed (which, by the way, is all of us).

*Pun intended. You’re welcome.