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Books

These books have really ministered to me and have literally changed my life. Here are some of  the ones that have really impacted me. I hope they will be a help to you too. You can go directly to the books that are related by topic or you can choose a book from the complete listing. 

 

Complete List

Topics: Grace, Postmodern & Emerging Church and Miscellaneous.

 

 

 

Complete List

 

 

 

Blue Like Jazz (Postmod)

Dangerous Wonder (Grace)

In Search of Authentic Faith: How Emerging Generations Are Transforming the Church (Postmod)

Jesus in the Margins (Misc)

The Life Model: Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You (Misc)

Living the Questions: Making Sense of the Mess and Mystery of Life (Grace)

Messy Spirituality (Grace)

A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey (Postmod)

More Ready Than You Realize (Postmod)

The Pressure's Off (Misc)

The Ragamuffin Gospel (Grace)

The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God (Misc)

A Scandalous Freedom (Grace)

Son of a Preacher Man (Grace)

Stories of Emergence: Moving from Absolute to Authentic (Postmod)

Traveling Mercies (Grace)

Waking the Dead (Misc)

What's So Amazing About Grace? (Grace)

Wild at Heart (Misc)

Wisdom Hunter (Grace)

With New Eyes: Fresh Vision for the Soul (Grace)

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Grace

 

Dangerous Wonder
by Mike Yaconelli
Paperback: 151 pages (February  1998)

Dangerous Wonder

Remember how it felt to chase butterflies in the sun . . . play hard without worrying about what "might" happen . . . daydream about imaginary places? Inviting you to rediscover the joy and freedom of youth, Yaconelli challenges you to take risks, color outside the lines, and abandon yourself to the kingdom of God---just like a child. 
This new edition now includes a discussion guide to help you experience an even deeper relationship with God, filled with wonder and awe.

Reviews

"If your Christianity is marked by  a long face that is absent of joy, this book will reunite you with the render, terrifying, playful , wonderful God you've replaced with religious duties and religious rules. This book is truly dangerous to anyone who enjoys being stuck in a rut with a boring faith. If you are ready to think, change and grow... grab this book and journal and watch out - its not safe for the soul."  - Doug Fields, pastor to students, Saddleback Church

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Living the Questions: Making Sense of the Mess and Mystery of Life  by Carolyn Arends

Paperback - 240 pages (July 2000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living the Questions: Making Sense of the Mess and Mystery of Life

Carolyn Arends, whose music has been acclaimed for its artistry and lyrical power, offers us a very special glimpse into "the cruel, short, beautiful, long adventure that is this life." In her humorous, tender, and passionate collection of personal stories, Carolyn examines many of the struggles we face in the light of her heartfelt belief that God guides each of us safely through the mess and mystery of life. Living the Questions, while resisting easy solutions, suggests that our questions themselves tell us much about a final Answer almost too wonderful to be imagined.

Reviews

"I dare to hope that you will recognize a bit of your own journey in these stories. And with a preposterous optimism I've come to recognize as faith, I pray that something here will draw you deeper in to the Mystery of a God who far surpasses our understanding and yet -- I believe -- stoops to dwell among us in love."   - Carolyn Arends                    

 
"Exquisite writing combines with humble self-disclosure and profound insight to make this book an unforgettable experience." -  Brennan Manning The Ragamuffin Gospel and Abba’s Child 

"As Carolyn gives voice to our unspoken questions, we feel as if we finally have a chance to lay it all out on the table, an opportunity for a hearing of our deepest concerns, and a safe vent to air our troublesome thoughts. But she doesn't leave us pondering, scratching our heads and puzzling over divine mysteries. By assuming the Almighty is big enough for our questions, Carolyn enlarges our view of the God who may not always choose to answer in a manner we consider timely, but who still send us dazzling red rocks red rocks in our dullest wilderness days. Provocative, stirring, emotional, and true, Living the Questions leads us to the place where hard truths and holy secrets intersect." Lorilee Craker, journalist/author 

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Messy Spirituality
by Mike Yaconelli
Paperback: 151 pages (February  1998)

Messy Spirituality

Book Description
"I Guess I’m Not a Very Good Christian . . ."

Do you feel like:
I don’t pray enough
I don’t read my Bible enough
I don’t share my faith enough
I don’t love God enough
I’m not committed enough
I’m not spiritual enough

Then this book is for you. Messy Spiritualtiy was written for the silent majority of us who have been convinced that we just don’t do Christianity right. We spend most of our lives worried about what we don’t do instead of what we have done, focused on our imperfections instead of God’s fondness for the imperfect. Why? Because we’ve been bombarded with books, tapes, talks, seminars, and movies convincing us that real Christianity is all about perfection.

Michael Yaconelli dares to suggest that imperfection, unfinishedness, and messiness are, in fact, the earmarks of true Christianity; that real Christianity is messy, erratic, lopsided . . . and gloriously liberating.

What if genuine faith begins with admitting we will never have our act completely together? Maybe messy disciples are exactly the kind of imperfect people Jesus came to earth for and whose company he actually enjoyed--and still enjoys. If you want to find Jesus today, look for him in the midst of burned-out believers, moral misfits, religious incompetents . . . men and women whose lives are, well, messy.

Messy Spirituality is a strong antidote for the spiritual perfectionism in us all. Here are truths that can cut you loose from the tyranny of ought-to’s and open your eyes to the deep spirituality of being loved, shortcomings and all, by the God who meets you and transforms you in the midst of a messy and unpredictable life.

Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
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.

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The Ragamuffin Gospel
by

Brennan Manning,

Ben Pearson
Paperback

235 pages 

(June 2000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ragamuffin Gospel


Many believers feel stunted in their Christian growth. We beat ourselves up over our failures and, in the process, pull away from God because we subconsciously believe He tallies our defects and hangs His head in disappointment. In this repackaged edition-now with full appendix, study questions, and the author's own epilogue on "Ragamuffin Ten Years Later"- Brennan Manning reminds us that nothing could be further from the truth. The Father beckons us to Himself with a "furious love" that burns brightly and constantly. Only when we truly embrace God's grace can we bask in the joy of a gospel that enfolds the most needy of His flock-the "ragamuffins."

 

Reviews

 

Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel "for the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out," the marginalized folks to whom Jesus ministered: the children, the ill, the tax collectors, the women. In other words, the ragamuffins. Manning understands better than most that behind our facades of order and self-assurance are inadequacies that can find healing only in Jesus. While the powerful and religious elite challenged him, Jesus embraced and healed and fed the needs of the ragamuffins. Jesus delivered love, healing, and, most of all, grace.

Grace is defined as "the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God." But, as Manning points out, we have "twisted the gospel of grace into religious bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded bookkeeper." In reality, God offers us grace immeasurable. Brennan Manning gently encourages us to embrace that grace in the face of our greatest needs. And Manning certainly knows whereof he speaks, having taken a journey from priesthood and academic achievement through a collapse into alcoholism. Manning came face to face with his need, finally abandoning himself to grace. And he invites us now to join him in a life of grace.

Manning is without doubt one of the most eloquent writers on the subject of grace because he openly shares his own pain and struggle to help readers deal with failure and inadequacy. And he sweetly challenges them to do the same. --Patricia Klein --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Amazon.com

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A Scandalous Freedom       by Steve Brown Paperback - 224 pages (October 2004)

A Scandalous Freedom

 

Christians do not trust freedom. As author Steve Brown explains in this brave new book, they prefer the security of rules and self-imposed boundaries, which they tend to inflict on other Christians. Brown asserts that real freedom means the freedom to be wrong as well as right. Christianity often calls us to live beyond the boundaries, bolstered by the assurance that we cannot fall beyond God's love. Freedom is dangerous, but the alternative is worse—boxing ourselves up where we cannot celebrate our unique gifts and express our joy in Christ. Each of the book's eleven chapters explores a common pharisaic, freedom-stifling tendency, then opens the door to the fresh air of a remedial liberty. A reader's delight, A Scandalous Freedom sometimes shocks with challenges to prevailing wisdom, but it follows up with compelling validations of our need to celebrate real, unstinted freedom in Christ.   Howard Publishing

From Publishers Weekly : The best radio-show hosts speak not to a group of people but to individuals—listeners feel the show is just for them. Brown (Born Free), a Presbyterian seminary professor, former pastor and host of the Key Life radio program, uses that approach to fine effect as he encourages Christians to celebrate their absolute freedom. Conversational, lighthearted and full of funny lines (and a few urban legends presented as fact), Brown's writing nevertheless conveys deep truth: believers too often stagger beneath a burden of behavior forced on them by other Christians, a standard that God does not require. "I fear too often the church has become an organization of guilty people with a guilty preacher standing in the pulpit, telling guilty people that they should feel guiltier," he writes. The oppressed and their oppressors miss the power of authenticity, especially the freedom to fail, the joy of God's complete forgiveness and the boldness it brings. God's liberty also lets Christians embrace those with whom they disagree. Brown illustrates the point in one of his best anecdotes, recalling his relationship with Tony Campolo. Brown's honesty about his own failings drives his points home. This book has the power to help Christian believers who have been struggling to march in a straight line to leap up and dance. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Son of a Preacher Man by Jay Bakker

Paperback

256 pages (January 9, 2001)

Son of a Preacher Man

My Search For Grace in the Shadows

When Jim Bakker was convicted in 1989 of defrauding followers of his PTL (Praise The Lord) ministry of $158 million, Jay Bakker lost everything. With his father in prison, his family shattered by divorce, and his name forever linked to a national scandal, Jay's already bizarre life came completely unglued. Here is the story—a parable of striking import—of a young boy whose life was almost destroyed by televangelist excess and greed.

In his new street ministry, Revolution, Jay has found a unique way of preaching the gospel that is tailored to those most like him, the tattooed and pierced youth of downtown Atlanta. By advocating God's love for everyone, regardless of past sins, Jay found his path back to the faith—and picked up a large and growing following along the way. This is a hard-hitting account of finding grace in the shadows of the Right, where men like Jerry Falwell and Oral Roberts turned their backs on the Bakkers even while advocating forgiveness and redemption.

 Reviews

Haunted by a traumatic childhood during which his parents rose to become the darlings of Christian television, then crashed, defrocked and hounded by the media, his father jailed, Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye, spent his adolescence searching both for answers to why this had happened to his family and for a reason to keep believing in God. In this autobiographical account of those turbulent years, Jay lays bare the fears and addictions that led to his loss of self. He turned to alcohol as a means of escape from the reality of his family's experience and his father's situation. Jay believed that his father had never done anything criminal, and he could not believe the treatment that Bakker was receiving from the Christian right, most of whom had been his staunchest supporters. Alcohol provided Jay with a temporary reprieve. When partying with his friends, he was able to push away all the anger and fear for a time, and he lost years drowning his uncertainty. What distressed Jay most was his belief that God had abandoned him and that he was unworthy of God's love. Through caring friends and mentors both in and out of the church, Jay's struggles with his faith finally subsided, and he came to understand the healing power of grace.  VOYA  Reviewer: Leslie Carte

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Traveling Mercies

by Anne Lamott  Paperback - 288 pages (February  2000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveling Mercies

 Anne Lamott claims the two best prayers she knows are: "Help me, help me, help me" and "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She has a friend whose morning prayer each day is "Whatever," and whose evening prayer is "Oh, well." Anne thinks of Jesus as "Casper the friendly savior" and describes God as "one crafty mother."

Despite--or because of--her irreverence, faith is a natural subject for Anne Lamott. Since Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, her fans have been waiting for her to write the book that explained how she came to the big-hearted, grateful, generous faith that she so often alluded to in her two earlier nonfiction books. The people in Anne Lamott's real life are like beloved characters in a favorite series for her readers--her friend Pammy, her son, Sam, and the many funny and wise folks who attend her church are all familiar. And Traveling Mercies is a welcome return to those lives, as well as an introduction to new companions Lamott treats with the same candor, insight, and tenderness.

Lamott's faith isn't about easy answers, which is part of what endears her to believers as well as nonbelievers. Against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. As she puts it, "My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers." At once tough, personal, affectionate, wise, and very funny, Traveling Mercies tells in exuberant detail how Anne Lamott learned to shine the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life, exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope.

Reviews

"Even at her most serious, she never takes herself or her spirituality too seriously. Lamott is a narrator who has relished and soaked up the details of her existence, equally of mirth and devastation, spirit and grief, and spilled them onto her pages." --The New York Times Book Review

"Life-affirming...Lamott fills her text with remarkable detail and a refreshing sense of humanity that has you guffawing on one page and bawling on the next." --People

"You'll love Traveling Mercies for Lamott's unblinking confrontation with God's love, and you'll buy copies for all your friends struggling with faith." --USA Today

"Exuberant and captivating.... shifts from laugh-out-loud wisecracks to heart-wrenching poignancy. At one point she seems a reincarnation of Erma Bombeck; at others, she could be Annie Dillard or Kathleen Norris." --Chicago Tribune

"Applies passion, wisdom, and intensity to a scorchingly personal look at the road from spiritual apathy to ardent belief.... Traveling Mercies, like Ms. Lamott herself, is a consistent delight." --Dallas Morning News

"Lamott has developed an entirely new genre of religious writing. Gritty, stark, and humorous, she catches the reader by surprise when she points her pen heavenward.... Anne Lamott [is] the patron saint of struggling sinners, a woman who loves God enough to be divinely human."--Religion News Service

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What's So Amazing About Grace?
by Philip Yancey
Paperback - 

304 pages (January 2002)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's So Amazing About Grace?

 

 

On the heels of Philip Yancey's best-selling "The Jesus I Never Knew" comes his equally important and tautological treatment of grace, the engine that powers Christian love and pushes evil away with forgiveness

.

Reviews

 

Mention the word "grace" and what immediately comes to mind for most of us is a bagpipe wailing the solemn notes of "Amazing Grace."
The grace of which Philip Yancey writes is the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God. This grace seems a remote, almost sentimental concept, without a place in our lives or our society. It is a vague, slippery thing to us, probably because we seem to experience grace so rarely and have managed to leech the word of meaning. But Philip Yancey has set about to rescue grace in his book What's So Amazing About Grace?

This grace is the true message of Jesus. All faiths have virtues and creeds and justice and truth, but Jesus speaks merely of receiving the love that God has for us. Accepting it, not earning it or making ourselves worthy of it. And frankly, accepting something we have not earned or are not worthy of is not an easy thing for most of us.

In truth, grace is both utterly simple and utterly confounding. Little by little, Yancey guides us into a clearer understanding of grace by using stories, in much the same way Jesus did. We read stories of both grace and ungrace at work in people's lives. Sadly, it is stories of ungrace that are more prevalent today, the current culture wars painful acknowledgments of ungrace in our lives as Christians in this country. Yancey helps us understand that ungrace is that state of being in which self-righteousness and pride are a result of thinking that we have somehow earned God's approval and may now stand in judgment in his behalf. 

Philip Yancey was awarded the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year award for this book in 1998 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Readers concurred with this decision, making this book an immediate bestseller. Believers and nonbelievers alike should accept Yancey's challenge to become agents of grace rather than agents of vengeance or judgment or anger. In truth, we are each starving for grace, ready to grasp it tightly. And it is through grace that all other hungers--for justice, for righteousness, for love--are satisfied. Yancey opens his book by telling us that "grace" is the last best word, and in What's So Amazing About Grace?, he proves that he's right. --Patricia Klein, Amazon.com

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Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur Paperback - 323 pages (November 1999)

Wisdom Hunter

Reviews

 This re-release of the best-selling novel Wisdom Hunter-with more than 100,000 copies already sold-is a novel about the hypocrisy of Christian legalism and a man's search for the only surviving member of his family. It's based on author Randall Arthur's own difficult experiences. The story's hero, Pastor Jason Faircloth, embarks on a journey that lasts eighteen years and takes him through four countries during his quest to find the granddaughter who is being hidden from him. In a process that mirrors our own spiritual journey, he discovers a rich relationship with God and the peace that finally comes with true faith. Amazon.com

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With New Eyes

by Margaret Becker Paperback

208 pages (July 1998)

With New Eyes: Fresh Vision for the Soul

OUT OF PRINT

Reviews

 

Reviewer: trkdb from Waterloo, Belgium: Margaret Becker is about as real as it gets. She writes in a personal, relaxed way (often disarmingly so) about her own life, struggles and joys and how her Christianity informs and undergirds relations to the famous and the obscure. One word to men folk: despite its artistic graphics and appearances, "With New Eyes" is not simply a touchy-feely "women's book" - do not dismiss it as such. Maggie writes for "real people" of all genders and ages -- and all faith traditions. Hers is a full-blooded faith, yet one unafraid to honestly confront doubts and admit mistakes. Even though I first read this book in 1998, five years later I recall her vivid word pictures, and reread certain chapters in order to share them with friends and family. As a priest and pastor, I return to "With New Eyes" frequently as both a stimulus for new ideas and interpretations in preaching and teaching, but as refreshment in the midst of "parched deserts" one encounters in the ministry. Maybe what I like best about this book - and why it's the fall 2003 selection for our Christian Education book group - is "With New Eyes" lack of "agenda". Maggie doesn't want to "save" her readers - nor shame them, impress them or convince them of the rightness of one position or another. This is a simple "Pilgrim" (Four Grammy nominations notwithstanding) generously and bravely revealing herself and her experiences to fellow Pilgrims - with no pretense, puffery or posturing whatsoever. Strange as it sounds, as I finish one chapter, I can almost hear Maggie saying, "...but enough about me! Won't you tell me your story?" And, what's more, somehow I know she'd listen. MY SUGGESTION- Purchase three copies of this book: one for yourself, one for your pastor/priest, and a third as a "loaner". This is as much a "keeper" as any Christian book I have ever owned - and like a fine wine, only improves as it ages (and so do I). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title  Amazon.com 

 

 

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