This book came to me at just the right time. I was going through my own season of breaking and Lon Solomon put into words a simple but profound explanation of God’s sanctifying work. It filled my heart with hope that the suffering we face is not random and purposeless, but actually a great instrument of God’s love. He loves us enough to break us, for then we are positioned to receive from Him. For the content and the timing, this book makes the cut of 20 “Must Pack” books.
All truth is God’s truth. At times God communicates His truth through people (or even donkeys) who have worldviews different than our own. By God’s common grace he has given many people expertise in certain areas. As Christians we can benefit greatly from their expertise, provided that we filter everything through the lens of Scripture. This has been my experience with Stephen R. Covey’s work The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The seven habits include: 1. Be proactive; 2. Begin with the end in mind; 3. Put first things first; 4. Think win-win; 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood; 6. Synergize (Teamwork); 7. Sharpen the saw. This foundational book on leading self and others makes my list of 20 “Must Pack” books.
I have a confession to make. I am much better at reading books about prayer than I am at actually doing what they teach. The fact that so many books in this list of 20 have to do with prayer is more of the cry of my heart to grow in this area than in my actual practice. Old Paths New Power could be considered a companion to Renovation of the Church because it too emphasizes the move away from doing attractional, program-driven ministry. Old Paths New Power emphasizes the absolute necessity of the power of the Holy Spirit to create a true church, and how prayer is the key to that power. Too often we depend on programs rather than Holy Spirit power resulting in the fleshly results of apparent success, but an absence of eternal fruitfulness. For this much needed challenge and corrective, Old Paths New Power makes the cut of 20 “Must Pack” books.
The subtitle of the book is “What Happens When a Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation.” It is the honest account of the beautiful but painful fallout that occurred when Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken redirected their church from attracting consumers to making disciples. It is my belief that this is the great need of the American church. We have succeeded at drawing crowds, but not at making disciples. So, we cater our programs to keeping consumers happy, rather than fulfilling the Great Commission. There is the constant pressure to “Feed the Beast.” Because of the much needed corrective offered in this book, Renovation of the Church makes the list of 20 “Must Pack” books.
When my prayer well seems dry, this book primes the pump. It makes the cut of 20 “Must Pack” books.
Yes. I still collect baseball cards. My most recent acquisition is this 1957 Jerry Coleman. The focus of my collecting has changed to players who have distinguished themselves by some kind of heroism. Jerry had his baseball career interrupted twice to serve in the military in World War II and in Korea. He is a war hero first and a baseball player second. I lament that our culture has become one that honors celebrities more than heroes. We really need some heroes.
With My Own Eyes 