Book Recommendations

In this book, the author gives us directions for our continuing journey toward intimacy with Christ. While the word “discipline” may make us want to run and hide, the author shows how desires and discipline work together to lead us to the transformation we’re longing for – the transformation only Christ can bring. Instead of just giving information about spiritual disciplines, this handbook is full of practical accessible guidance that helps you to actually do them.

People typically have two ways of thinking about spirituality. Either they have accepted the false reality that they can only know about God, without knowing him personally, or they have romanticized spirituality to such an extent that it becomes far too otherworldly. In either case, expectations are lowered, and they live in spiritual bankruptcy, feeling like spiritual failures. Pastor and musician Matthew Jacoby sets the Psalms to music as they were intended, performing them with his band, Sons of Korah, for over fifteen years. In the Psalms, he has discovered a portrait of authentic spirituality that helps us journey from deep sadness to profound joy. Jacoby gives readers an in-depth look at the Psalms as a pathway to intimate and satisfying relationship with God.

This unique book guides you to pray in deeper and more authentic ways. The short prayers and thoughtprovoking imagery, interspersed with contemplative reflections and suggested practices, will stir, inform, and encourage you. The simplicity of the prayers and the aesthetic appeal of the images will inspire people in every facet of life, including those with no real religious background at all.

Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post–World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and Sixties-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear. “I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write,” says Yancey. “So many of the strands from my childhood—racial hostility, political division, culture wars—have resurfaced in modern form. Looking back points me forward.”

In this book, author James K. A. Smith shows that who and what we worship fundamentally shape our hearts. And while we desire to shape culture, we are not often aware of how culture shapes us. We might not realize the ways our hearts are being taught to love rival gods instead of the One for whom we were made. Smith helps readers recognize the formative power of culture and the transformative possibilities of Christian practices. He explains that worship is the "imagination station" that incubates our loves and longings so that our cultural endeavors are indexed toward God and his kingdom. This is why the church and worshiping in a local community of believers should be the hub and heart of Christian formation and discipleship. 18