Summer is here! The Spiritual Life Development Department has some suggestions for some good books to check out. Check out this selection below.
Mondays with My Old Pastor
by José Luis Navajo
This book tells us about some of the challenging experiences that pastors face. The book helps us to see this ministry from the perspective of a more experienced pastor. Ministerial frustrations can affect many areas of our daily functioning, and they can be very discouraging. Through honest, simple, and deep conversations, the Old Pastor shares strategies for pastorship and for living a life of faith with his pastor disciple and with us, the readers.
This book can be beneficial for young pastors. It can also be used as study material in the spiritual formation of ministry leaders. The words of wisdom shared by the Old Pastor reflect, through his experiences, his faith and trust in God and his longtime dedication to ministry together with his wife. The book ends with 15 practical pastoral principles and personal disciplines.
Click here to get your copy of Mondays with My Old Pastor
Forgiving What You Can’t Forget
by Lysa Terkeurst
Someone once said, “Life isn’t fair, but God is good.” No truer words have ever been spoken, but what about the damage done in the aftermath of life’s unfairness? Is it possible that God’s goodness just isn’t enough to get you out from under a cloud of woundedness that lingers and lives above your circumstances?
Lysa Terkeurst writes from first-hand knowledge of hurt from betrayal. She gives a fresh perspective on how to apply biblical truths in a way that helps the reader live a life of ongoing, applied forgiveness.
Terkeurst helps you discover how to move on when the offender refuses to change and never says they’re sorry. There is a step-by-step process that can help free you from hurt and offense. Learn how to be aware of the triggers that sabotage your wellbeing and a prisoner to hurt. The author also helps you discover what the Bible really says about forgiveness and living the day-to-day choices that help you live in peace.
A “must-read” for living a victorious life when life isn’t fair.
Click here to get your copy of Forgiving What You Can’t Forget
The Next Right Thing
by Emily P. Freeman
It is estimated that the average person makes about 3,500 decisions a day. It is easy to suffer from decision fatigue and therefore develop patterns of avoidance, delegation, or make hurried decisions just to get them settled. Perhaps you are addicted to absolute certainty before deciding, so you spend inordinate amounts of time seeking clarity from others, leading to a chronic case of hesitation.
Freeman masterfully helps you clear the chaos of decision making, identify and overcome the paralyzing fear of choosing wrong, and decide without regret or second-guessing.
Life is too short to live in constant low-grade anxiety. The Next Right Thing shares “a simple, soulful practice for making life decisions.”
Click here to get your copy of The Next Right Thing
Everybody, Always for Kids
by Bob Goff and Lindsey Goff Viducich
A delightful, family-friendly book that celebrates pouring love out to everyone. The stories are sincere, relatable, and captures the essence of loving like Jesus. Inspirational and Biblical truths are woven into every story and told in a way that only Bob Goff can.
Click here to get your copy of Everybody, Always for Kids
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
by Fr. Richard Rohr
Fr. Richard Rohr helps readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life. The first half is establishing your identity, finding a career, making friends, etc. Typically, somewhere along the way, there is some form of crisis or “falling” that thrusts you into the second half. This crisis doesn’t have to be failing, but the catalyst for growth and spiritual richness. Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life. The whole idea that drives this book is that this part of life can be experienced as “falling upward.”
