The Believers':
Most people know I am
not a typical Christian and most of these books are about other non-typical
Christians. Take a look it might blow your perceptions up.
Messy Spirituality:
The Why:
Yaconelli is a broken man that brings grace, community and theology together
into what church is. Filled with true stores, biblical examples and parable
mixed together into a wonderful elixir of how to walk out faith. This book
shows how beautiful walking out our messy faith is.
Summary: Yaconelli has an annoying habit of speaking the
truth. As an author, he changed the face of youth ministry over the past three
decades with his honest approach to the challenges of today's youth. As former
editor of The Wittenberg Door (now simply The Door), he and his staff humorously
challenged what they saw as the church's many hypocrisies and inconsistencies.
Here, Yaconelli explores the perfectionism that plagues so many in the church,
an examination that is both challenging and deeply personal. He does an
excellent job of naming some of the unspoken assumptions in today's church
context, arguing, for example, that the church "has communicated that
competence is one of the fruits of the Spirit." But even more effective
are his vivid stories, where he gives blood and flesh to the idea of grace lost
and found again in the church. The power of these stories makes the book
reminiscent of Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace?, but Yaconelli's
stories are more personal, many coming from his own congregation. His honest
reflections on his own frustrations and deep feelings of inadequacy are unusual
for a book about Christian spirituality. While he seeks to connect with and
help Christians who feel secretly ashamed about their lack of discipleship, he
may lose some readers who feel uncomfortable with such levels of honesty. Those
who persevere will discover a wonderful treasure. (Copyright 2002 Cahners
Business Information, Inc.)
So You Don’t Want To
Go To Church Anymore:
The Why: This
book has been an aid to me. As seminary graduate, long time theologian and an
avid church-goer when I was young I felt that I never quiet fit in the place
that we refer to as the church. I have thought that we have been doing it all
wrong for some time now and felt accountable to try and fix it. Little did I
know that is not something that I am no called or responsible to do. Looking
for a fresh take about following God all you have to do is read.
Summary: What would you do if you met someone you
thought just might be one of Jesus original disciples still living in the 21st
Century? That's Jake's dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he
had known him, and whose way of living challenges everything Jake had
previously known. So You Don t Want to Go To Church Anymore is Jake s
compelling journal that chronicles thirteen conversations with his newfound
friend over a four-year period and how those exchanges turn Jake's world
upside-down. With his help, Jake faces his darkest fears, struggles through
brutal circumstances and comes out on the other side in the joy and freedom he
always dreamed was possible. If you're tired of just going through the motions
of Christianity and want to mine the depths of what it really means to live
deeply in Christ, you ll find Jake s story will give you hope for your own.
This book probes the difficult questions and offers some far-reaching answers.
It just might turn your world upside-down as well!
(by:
Amazon.com)
Red Moon Rising:
The Why: The
prayer movement has shaped who I am as a believe on a dramatic scale. I have
met both Peter Grieg and Mike Bickle. I have been to both IHOP-KC and the prayer
house in KC. Yet the it was Peter Grieg’s humility that will ever burn from my
experiences with working with the movement. This book gives keen insight to the
man and what God is doing through prayer and community.
Summary: An extraordinary story about the adventure of
faith and the power of persevering prayer… On a summer’s day in 1727 a
community of Moravians started praying and didn’t stop for more than 100 years.
Throughout history God has mobilised such movements and moments of 24/7 prayer
– from the Upper Room of Pentecost to Azusa Street in Los Angeles, through
ancient Celtic saints and extraordinary characters like Alexander the
Sleepless.
This is the story of
a movement of the Spirit in our time, a move as ancient as it is modern.
As young people desert
the church and AIDS orphans Africa, a new generation is learning to pray and
obey like never before. From Communist China to Washington DC and from the
ranks of the Salvation Army to anarchic German punks, the 24-7 Prayer movement
has been interceding continually, night and day, since 1999 in more than fifty
countries. This is their extraordinary story; an honest account of pain and
perseverance alongside pioneering mission and miraculous answers to prayer.
Punk Monk:
The Why: This is a companion to Red Moon Rising giving ideas on how to live as a
prayer community. This book has inspired many countless ideas and wishes to add
to my dream of the future. Within these pages is a treasure trove of experience
on how growing a life together can always look different and thrive. This is
not a how to book as much as it is a how we did it and we are just sharing our
ideas and experiences with you book.
Summary: Fleeing the compromises of the 4th century church, the Desert Fathers
founded monasticism. In reaction to a Christianity they scarcely recognized,
these radicals fled to the Egyptian desert to model a different, radical style
of discipleship, filled with sacrifice and continual prayer. Who are the new
monks, the new punks, the new revolutionaries? The answer lies in an upsurge of
24-7 monastic communities around the world. Punk Monk combines a narrative
journey through the beginnings of 24-7 Prayer Boiler Rooms with a discussion on
the roots of monasticism, particularly its ethos and values, and how it can be
applied in the third millennium. Drawing influences from the Franciscans, the
Celts and the Moravians, the book highlights the counter-cultural and
revolutionary force of monasticism and asks whether it is time for a new
monastic movement. It also takes punk as a contemporary expression of monastic
spirit and asks whether a “silent revolution” is coming.
The Irresistible Revolution:
The Why: This is one way of living out your walk. Though I cannot fully agree with
everything decision made in this book, still I know this book has its moments.
Full of great stories and experience; dealing with the poor, reclaiming lost
urban places and bring new life to forgotten fields this book deserves its
place on my shelf.
Summary: Living as an Ordinary Radical Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere
between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to
feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we've made a
difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this
book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action,
and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of
us and extends into a broken world. Shane's faith led him to dress the wounds
of lepers with Mother Teresa, visit families in Iraq amidst bombings, and dump
$10,000 in coins and bills on Wall Street to redistribute wealth. Shane lives
out this revolution each day in his local neighborhood, an impoverished
community in North Philadelphia, by living among the homeless, helping local
kids with homework, and 'practicing resurrection' in the forgotten places of our
world. Shane's message will comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable
. . . but will also invite us into an irresistible revolution. His is a vision
for ordinary radicals ready to change the world with little acts of love.
No Compromise:
The Why: After a man’s death what can be said about him
can be found in the lives and words of others. In some rare cases such as this
we find that the person has left a legacy of his own words to join in the story
of their life. Keith Green was a man of insight, conviction and a love of God
this is his story to us all.
Summary: He was only twenty-eight when he died in a
plane crash with two of his small children, but singer/songwriter Keith Green
had already created a legacy of music and inspiration that would outlive him. A
spiritual revolutionary, he found freedom through Jesus, not religion, and spent
his last years convincing others to refuse to accept the status quo and instead
to bring compassion and honesty back to the church. He touched people through
vibrant lyrics in songs like "Your Love Broke Through," "You Put
This Love In My Heart," and "Asleep In The Light." Last Days
Ministries, which he and his wife Melody founded, went on to challenge
thousands of people to take to the mission fields of the world. Now, on the
25th anniversary of his death, Melody has updated her husband's biography with new
photos, essays from current musicians who were influenced by Keith, selections
from Keith's private journal, and stories about what it was like raising their
two remaining children on her own.
Great book list ! Can I recommend one that I am reading right now...its amazing. The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller
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