Last minute gift ideas
I've spent that last few weeks blogging about Christmas, because that has been the tint of our Wednesday night lessons. We've been asking and answering this question: what is the point of Christmas?
But since we're not meeting with out student again until after Christmas, I find myself at a crossroads on what to write. What I decided to do is simply tell you about some books I've read recently (or are currently reading) and give you brief review. If nothing else, they can make some great last minute gifts or you can get them after you return the stuff you really don't want. (You can always use your gift cards too.)
Radical by David Platt. I began reading this because our pastor at Gracey has been going through the book each week for his sermon series. I had heard a lot of good reviews, so I decided to pick it up and follow along. I finished the book before the sermon series was done. Good, quality stuff in there. Perhaps I wasn't "wowwed" by it like some others because I had heard Platt speak before, heard some of his examples and it was already going along my train of thinking anyway. It's a good book. One I recommend. Huge emphasis on missions and reaching out to the least of these. That's a passion of mine.
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. I can't give a full review of this one, as I'm still reading it. However, it already ranks way up there on my list of my highlighted lines in a book. (My highlighter may run out of ink, or whatever is in there.) REALLY GREAT STUFF. It will challenge you. It will make you rethink your relationship with Christ. So far, it's pretty good.
Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark Devries. Make no mistake, this is a nuts and bolts book about ministry. Yeah, I know it's geared towards youth ministry, but it's priniples apply to any type of ministry. From having foundational documents to managing volunteers and a schedule, it has a lot of good ideas. One warning, though - it's a book about doing ministry. It's great for ministers or would-be ministers. If you're a lay person and not really interested in all that, you probably want to pass on it.
Thriving Youth Ministry in Smaller Churches by Rick Chromey and Stephanie Caro. Loved this book. Lots of great and practical ideas. I particularly liked the last chapter on church finances and money. (I wish a couple of churches had read it before making hires they couldn't afford to maintain long-term.) Like Sustainable Youth Ministry, this is a book geared towards doing ministry. However, with a small church emphasis, it's not just for ministers. If you work with youth in a small church, I recommend it.
Hero by Derwin Gray. It's written in small, bit sized-portions - 3-4 pages per chapter/section. I used it more as a devoitional than as a book to read. Great, powerful stuff in there. It's targetted towards men, but has stuff applicable no matter the gender. It will challenge you.
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. I actually read this in 2010, but I wanted to include it. It's one of the best books I've read on apologetics. The first half of the book deals with reasons people have for questioning God. Things like - Would a loving God send people to Hell? The second half of the book deals with reasons people should believe in God. Great, great stuff. One of the top five books I've ever read.
Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. I actually read this several years ago, but it's usually the first book I give to a student to read. It's written by teenagers for teenagers and tells them that you're never TOO young to serve God. It challenges teenagers (and young adults and older adults too) to live up to your God-given potential. Don't wait until you're older, wiser, more finacially secure, etc, to serve God. Serve God right now and in extraordinary ways.
I could list even more, but those are the highlights.
Have a merry Christmas.
But since we're not meeting with out student again until after Christmas, I find myself at a crossroads on what to write. What I decided to do is simply tell you about some books I've read recently (or are currently reading) and give you brief review. If nothing else, they can make some great last minute gifts or you can get them after you return the stuff you really don't want. (You can always use your gift cards too.)
Radical by David Platt. I began reading this because our pastor at Gracey has been going through the book each week for his sermon series. I had heard a lot of good reviews, so I decided to pick it up and follow along. I finished the book before the sermon series was done. Good, quality stuff in there. Perhaps I wasn't "wowwed" by it like some others because I had heard Platt speak before, heard some of his examples and it was already going along my train of thinking anyway. It's a good book. One I recommend. Huge emphasis on missions and reaching out to the least of these. That's a passion of mine.
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. I can't give a full review of this one, as I'm still reading it. However, it already ranks way up there on my list of my highlighted lines in a book. (My highlighter may run out of ink, or whatever is in there.) REALLY GREAT STUFF. It will challenge you. It will make you rethink your relationship with Christ. So far, it's pretty good.
Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark Devries. Make no mistake, this is a nuts and bolts book about ministry. Yeah, I know it's geared towards youth ministry, but it's priniples apply to any type of ministry. From having foundational documents to managing volunteers and a schedule, it has a lot of good ideas. One warning, though - it's a book about doing ministry. It's great for ministers or would-be ministers. If you're a lay person and not really interested in all that, you probably want to pass on it.
Thriving Youth Ministry in Smaller Churches by Rick Chromey and Stephanie Caro. Loved this book. Lots of great and practical ideas. I particularly liked the last chapter on church finances and money. (I wish a couple of churches had read it before making hires they couldn't afford to maintain long-term.) Like Sustainable Youth Ministry, this is a book geared towards doing ministry. However, with a small church emphasis, it's not just for ministers. If you work with youth in a small church, I recommend it.
Hero by Derwin Gray. It's written in small, bit sized-portions - 3-4 pages per chapter/section. I used it more as a devoitional than as a book to read. Great, powerful stuff in there. It's targetted towards men, but has stuff applicable no matter the gender. It will challenge you.
The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. I actually read this in 2010, but I wanted to include it. It's one of the best books I've read on apologetics. The first half of the book deals with reasons people have for questioning God. Things like - Would a loving God send people to Hell? The second half of the book deals with reasons people should believe in God. Great, great stuff. One of the top five books I've ever read.
Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. I actually read this several years ago, but it's usually the first book I give to a student to read. It's written by teenagers for teenagers and tells them that you're never TOO young to serve God. It challenges teenagers (and young adults and older adults too) to live up to your God-given potential. Don't wait until you're older, wiser, more finacially secure, etc, to serve God. Serve God right now and in extraordinary ways.
I could list even more, but those are the highlights.
Have a merry Christmas.
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