good reads

Empowered Evangelicals
by Ken Wilson and Rich Nathan
A book I wrote with Rich Nathan, pastor of the Columbus Vineyard. Describes the core beliefs and practices of Vineyard Churches—an attempt to blend the best of the evangelical and charismatic worlds. Evangelical theology, informed by the charismatic emphases of healing, empowering of the Spirit, etc., but without adopting Charismatic or Pentecostal theology, is the basic idea. How Vineyard fits in the history of spiritual awakenings, understanding of the Holy Spirit, healing, the kingdom of God, worship, and a recovered emphasis on the gospels are key themes.

 

 
Taking Note: A Year at Home with Strangers
by Bill Elkington
Taking Note is a rare breed of a book--a truly candid look at coming to faith after long decades of doubt, through the impact of strangers who become known, appreciated, and loved in that oddest of new social arrangements, a "small group." Refreshing, like Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies. One feels that one is seeing through eyes newly and wonderfully opened. Entirely missing are the sterile, correct thinking, neatly packaged conclusions of one bred in a religious ghetto; instead truth is stumbled into, questioned, experienced as we actually do, in fits and starts. Elkington has a wide ranging mind, a poet's delight in words, and a recovering cynic's new-found sense of wonder.

 

 
The Spiritual Life of Children by Robert Coles
Robert Coles is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard who interviewed children involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the ‘60’s. He wanted to know what made them tick and discovered something he didn’t expect: the power and importance of a spiritual perspective in the lives of children. An invigorating, inspiring and informative read for parents, teachers or anyone else with a heart for children. And a cogent reminder that children need a spiritual framework for living meaningful lives.

 

 
Hearing God: Delveloping a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard
Dallas Willard is a professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California whom some have called the C. S. Lewis of our time. A devout student of Jesus who has a gift for fresh--sometimes bordering on startling--insights on the Christian experience. A master of the obvious. A little bit dense in parts, but well worth the effort. If you like this, there’s a lot more where it came from.