Must Reads

The Shack by William P. Young

If you have not read The Shack, you're missing what I think is one of the best books that's been written in the last 40 years. It is fiction, but it is one of the most creative explorations of God's love and intimate care in the midst of unspeakable tragedies. Religious publishers turned this book down initially, so Windblown Media was birthed to bring this wonderful book into print. It is now available at Amazon.com and discriminating bookstores. You can also add them to a Lifestream order. It is also available now in a special hardback edition.

Dangerous Wonder by Mike Yaconelli

This is that rare book that will capture your heart as well as your mind, and the one book I've read in the last twenty years that I truly wish I had written. Mike Yaconelli will encourage you out of the stale confines of religion and help you rediscover with childlike simplicity and awe what a relationship with Father is really all about. He writes: "This is an adventure book, written by a man who cam precariously close to losing his childlike faith, and who is still in the midst of discovering how to be a child again. It is not a book of answers from someone who has arrived; it is merely glimpses from someone who is still stumbling around yet hot on God's trail." And he does it so well. I dare you to read this and not come away with a renewed passion to live in the danger of loving the Living God. Chapter titles include: Risky Curiosity, Wild Abandon, Wide-eyed Listening, Irresponsible Passion, and Happy Terror. If you read one book this year, make it this one. You will not be disappointed!

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California

This is the best book on the Christian life I have ever read. It was recommended to me by one of my friends in New England and I was not disappointed. Here is how our relationship with Jesus leads to grace-based transformation of how we think and live in the world in God. Walk with him through the Sermon on the Mount and you will find more treasures than you've ever seen before. Wiping away all the religious gobbledygook that twists the passage into meanings Jesus never intended, Willard lets us see how God had always planned to put his life into us and make us his lights in the world. I took notes on almost every page of this book. I'll warn you that it is a bit 'scholarly', so you have to enjoy the fancy words, but in it he offers a curriculum of Christlikeness that can help be a guide to the kind of learning experiences that can help you be more like Jesus.

Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards

Possibly the best book ever written for those who are dealing with betrayal and conflict with other believers, but I do get letters of concern about recommending Gene's books. I greatly appreciate what Gene has written to encourage believers to think outside the box and experience God's life. At the same time, I have deep concerns with how Gene himself actually lives out the things he teaches and the communities he has planted. Like anything else, you need to enjoy the meat in what he writes and toss out the bones. Since I have been unable to talk with him personally about my concerns, I'll not give more details here. You will enjoy his books....

• Overlooked Christianity Order it Here!
• How to Meet Under the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Available from SeedSowers • P.O. Box 285 • Sargent, GA 30275 • 1-770-254-9442)

Soul Talk by Larry Crabb

The man who helped me write the Jake Colsen story said this is the best book he's ever read, and if you want to learn how to converse with others on this journey, getting past surface issues to the underlying realities, this book will help a ton. But like all Crabb books, I think the first 2/3rds of his books is where the meat is. The last third are usually how-to steps that are almost worthless.

• The Pressure's Off Order it Here!
• Finding God Order it Here!
• Connecting Order it Here!

Abba's Child by Brennan Manning

You've got to love Brennan Mannings honesty as a former priest and alcohol struggling to learn to live in the love of the Father. He has many excellent books, but this is one of my favorites. In here he helps us see that God's invitation is not for us to wake up every morning trying to be loved by God, but waking up each morning as the beloved of God!

• Ragamuffin Gospel Order it Here!
• Ruthless Trust Order it Here!

The Jesus Style by Gayle Erwin

One of the best books I've ever read about Jesus' style of ministry and leadership, which is polar opposite to the way the world does it and to the style used in all of our religious institutions. Gayle is a wonderful friend of mine and has been a real help to me over the years. You can order from Amazon.com or at Gayle's own website, Servant Quarters.

• The Father Style Order it Here!
• Handbook for Servants, Order it Here!
• The Body Style Order it Here!
• That Reminds me of a Story Order it Here!

That They May All Be One Even as We Are One by T. Austin-Sparks

Few men have written so eloquently about the centrality of Christ and the importance of relationship like T. Austin-Sparks. Seedsowers.com offers a lot of his books and they are excellent. Perhaps the best summary of his teaching comes in this two-volume set of observations on the journey by T. Austin-Sparks taken from recordings made in Philippines toward the end of his life. You can read it on-line at: www.Austin-Sparks.net. Just go toward the bottom of this page and click on "That They May All Be One..." You can also order this two-volume set from some dear saints in Tulsa who do not charge for books, but any contributions you make will be used to reprint and distribute even more books: You can send in an order or contact them directly at Emmanuel Church • 12000 E. 14th St. • Tulsa, OK 74128-5016 • Phone: (918) 838-1385. If no answer call: (918) 437-7064

Divine Nobodies by Jim Palmer

What does a Hip-Hop artist, Waffle House waitress, tire salesman, and disabled girl have to do with discovering spiritual truth? What if embracing authentic Christianity is a journey of unlearning? Welcome to Jim Palmer's world! Here's what I wrote when I reviewed this book. "You hold in your hands an amazing story of a broken man finding freedom in all the right places-in God's work in the lives of some extraordinarily ordinary people around him. You will thrill to this delightful blend of gut-wrenching honesty and laugh-out-loud hilarity, and in the end you'll find God much closer, the body of Christ far bigger and your own journey far clearer than you ever dreamed."

• Wide Open Spaces Order it Here!

What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey

A classic as you learn the difference between living in grace or ungrace toward yourself and others.

The Remarkable Replacement Army by Stan Firth

In his newest book Stan uses an extended metaphor about a "replacement army" in Norway during World War II to resist the Nazi occupation and help overthrow their German invaders to share some powerful observations about people who no longer fit into the religious systems they once did. He describes a transition going on in the world from the traditional congregation as we've known it and a more relational networking of passionate believers that he says will define church life in this century. It will challenge many of you. It will encourage others of you. And it will help many of you who are asking how you can live more effectively beyond the congregational model. Though this book can bog down a bit, persevere through it. You will find it inspiring and insightful. I posted a longer review on my blog. A free PDF download can be found on the book's website: www.remarkablereplacementarmy.com