Good reading
Feature Book:
Kingdom Culture: Growing the Missional Church, by our lead pastor, Phil Wagler. Click here.
What our leaders are reading these days ... with comments on what they are gaining ...
Phil Wagler: Gospel of Matthew - amazed again at Jesus' kingdom vision and his absolute uniqueness! Blink by Malcolm Gladwell - an "eye opener" at the wonderful beings we are and how simple things can be if we're awake. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers - Oswald is taking Jen and I deeper into the depths of God's heart and reshaping again our hearts for His purposes.
Tim Doherty: Mark's Gospel. Jeremiah. Psalms. Resting in God's grace toward me and His people. Amazed at how the Holy Spirit applies the Word to my life. The Provocative Church by Graham Tomlin. Re-reading the Revolutionary Communicator by Lokkesmoe and Medefind. It's such a worthwhile and readable help in communication.
Dianne Loerchner: I and II Samuel. I'm learning again about trusting in God. And again.
Stu Blyde: 1 Corinthians and Jeremiah. Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds by Tom Davis. It speaks to the heart of God's people, and urges us to step out of our shells and cloistered homes and BE Jesus' hands and feet among the fatherless, the prisoners, the hungry and the sick; to serve with reckless abandon and to love as only God's people can. Tom Davis is the President of Children's Hopechest Charities. He is very passionate about spurring Christ's followers into action and transforming the world, by plunging himself headlong into the AIDS crisis in Africa and the child slavery trade in Russia among others. As a person who is developing more and more of a sense of holy discontent toward the sex trade and the apathy that infects so many churches, this book has touched me at a very deep and raw level.
Jeff Squire: Gospel of Matthew. 3/4 of the way thru Kingdom Culture by Phil Wagler. I'm enjoying it and am feeling very missionally oriented lately.
Monica Doherty: Jeremiah/Psalms/Proverbs. Helping Our Children Grow in Faith - Robert J. Keeley. I am appreciating how this book gleans from theory and theology to offer ideas for helping the Church be a place where children develop faith that affects every aspect of their lives. The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey. Are You My Mother? - P.D. Eastman (Eliana's new obsession)
Good reads: in our opinion these are classics and emerging classics.
(we recommend searching for these titles at http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/ or http://www.amazon.ca/ to read more about these books. Or contact the Kingsfield office if you'd like to arrange to borrow a copy of a book.
Maturing
the Bible
Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church - DA Carson (understanding modernism and postmodernism's influences on culture and the church's theology)
The Call - Os Guiness (a landmark work on understanding who we are and what God has personally called us to)
Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster
The Cost of Discipleship - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Discover Who You Are (LifeKeys) - Kise, Stark and Hirsch (discovering who we are in Christ [gifting, calling])
How to Read the Bible for all Its Worth - Gordon Fee, Douglas Stuart
the Leadership Challenge - Kouzes & Posner (a solid and comprehensive look at leadership from a 'what works in the real world' view)
Life Together - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a classic look into the shared life of brothers and sisters in Christ)
Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis (a landmark explanation of the faith)
My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers (an excellent daily devotional)
The Practice of the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence
The Pursuit of God - A.W. Tozer
Renovation of the Heart - Dallas Willard
The Revolutionary Communicator - Medefind & Lokkesmoe (learning from the greatest communicator who ever lived, Jesus Christ, and how communicating like Him will transform relationships and leadership. An enjoyable read.
Simply Christian - NT Wright
The Spirit of the Disciplines - Dallas Willard
Spiritual Leadership - Oswald Sanders
Your God is Too Safe - Mark Buchanan
Visioneering - Andy Stanley
Mission
the Bible
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller (understanding today's thinking, and spiritual conversation in our day)
The Body - Charles Colson
ChurchNext - Eddie Gibbs
The Emotionally Healthy Church - Peter Scazzero
Experiencing God - Henry Blackaby
Everything Must Change - Brian McLaren
Kingdom Culture - Phil Wagler
Martyrs Mirror
The Reason for God - Belief in an Age of Skepticism - Tim Keller
Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller
The Wounded Healer - Henri Nouwen (a deeply insightful look into the nature of people, and the nature of Christian leadership in our day)
Multiplication
the Bible
Houses That Change the World - Wolfgang Simson
Organic Church - Neil Cole
Exiles - Michael Frost
The Forgotten Ways - Alan Hirsch
The History of Christianity - Tim Dowley