Sunday, June 1, 2008

Memphis Bound

On Monday morning, my family will take the day to drive from Decatur to Memphis. We anxiously anticipate our new home, our new neighbors, our new church and our new friends. Please pray for our transition.
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On another note, I thought I'd take a moment to inform you of a few books I've read over the past 2 weeks while relaxing with the fam.

--Countdown to Sunday: a daily guide for those who dare to preach. By Chris Erdman. One of the best preaching books I've read in the past few years.
Grade--(A) (I'd recommend it to all preachers)

--The Preaching Life. By Barbara Brown Taylor.
In this book, BBT does it again. She is a master with words. She openly depicts the journey and struggles that preachers face on a week-to-week basis.
Grade--(A)

--The Wounded Healer. By Henri M. Nouwen. I appreciate Nouwen's willingness to write out of his own experiences. He always uses his pen to call people to that next step in deeper maturity. He does it again here.
Grade--(B)

--Sex God. By Rob Bell. I don't know how to describe Bell. He is a master story-teller, a Ray Vanderlaan disciple (which can be good and bad), and a great thinker for our days. I actually liked this book better than Velvet Elvis. He takes a very high view of human nature, explaining on every page that the call to be fully human is a call to live as people made in the image of God. Worth the read.
Grade--(A-)

--The God of Intimacy and Action. By Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling. I'm intrigued by the premise of this book--How to bridge the gap between spiritual disciplines and social justice. I am still only a few chapters into this book, and I can tell you that Campolo's "personal relationship with Jesus" language is a little too much for me. Hey, I'm all about relationship with Jesus, and I'm a huge fan of Campolo, but I'd come at this much needed topic differently.
Grade (so far)--B

--A Knock at Midnight. Collection of Martin Luther King's sermons. He was a great preacher and one of the greatest prophets of our time. These sermons are inspiring.
Grade (A+)

Feel free to share with me books you'd recommend.

2 comments:

Callie said...

I've been reading your blog for a while (so has my mom, but she doesn't even comment on my blog, so don't expect to see her on yours, haha). I've attended Sycamore View with my family for about 7 years. I just wanted to pop in and say welcome to Memphis! See y'all Sunday!

Mark said...

Josh,
Welcome to Memphis! I pray that you do awesome in your ministry. If we can ever be of assistance at Grace Crossing, please let us know!