Well, it’s the end of 2020 and this year was definitely not as planned for anyone. But one thing I did get to enjoy more of this year was reading! I had the opportunity amidst lockdowns and stay-at-home mandates, to take a few extra seminary classes, as well as catch up on some leisure reading! Here are the books I read this year:
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (Comer)
Christian Women of the Patristic World (Cohick & Hughes)
Who God Says You Are (Snodgrass)
Hinds Feet on High Places (Hurnard)
Adorning the Dark (Andrew Peterson)
Baptist Foundations (Dever & Leeman)
The Paris Architect (Belfoure)
Don’t Fire Your Church Members (Leeman)
Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing (Dr. Pennington)
Apologetics of the Cross (Chatraw & Allen)
Emotionally Healthy Leader (Scazzero)
Soul Keeping (Ortberg)
The Chronicles of Narnia – The Magician’s Nephew; The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe; The Horse & His Boy; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis)
The Hidden Life of Trees (Wohlleben)
Gentle and Lowly (Ortlund)
Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches (Hammett)
Understanding Church Discipline (Leeman)
Removing the Stain of Racism (Jones & Williams)
Greek for Life (Merkle & Plummer)
Learning to Read New Testament Greek (Dr. Black)
Deep Survival (Gonzales)
Deep Discipleship (Dr. JT English)
The Art of Group Talk: Teenage Girls (Bohinc & Chiang)
Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Collins)
Lead Small (Joiner & Shefchunas)
Deeper Greek (Kostenberger, Merkle, and Plummer)
Managing Leadership Anxiety (Cuss)
Kisses from Katie (Davis)
As you can see, it is a wide variety of books! Everything from books for the Residency Program at The Village Church, to seminary class books, to fun and random books! Comment and let me know what books you read this year and suggest for my 2021 list! Happy New Year!
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Habakkuk 2:14
I could not recommend the book Deep Discipleship by JT English more highly, especially for those involved in church ministry. This book gives practical ministry advice that is based in scripture and applicable in all contexts of ministry. Plus, it is incredibly organized and clear, making this an easy, yet impactful read for anyone evaluating their own ministry or church.
This book recommendation is a little different than my others simply because I know JT personally and have heard his passion behind every word written in this book. JT cares deeply about the local church because he knows that this is the means by which God has given to us, as believers, to proclaim the coming Kingdom. I have seen JT not only teach on these things, but live them out. And by watching his life and ministry, I have grown in my own love for the Bride of Christ.
I feel blessed to have seen JT, Jen, and others at The Village Church work through these concepts on the ground and then put them into practice. My own story in ministry is a result of the majority of this book truly coming to life during my time at TVC. I was privileged to be in the first class of The Village Church Institute Training Program in 2015. (And yes, I still love my cohort 11 group so so much!) The Training Program was incredibly influential as we studied theology in depth as a community, were challenged to memorized entire chapters of the Bible, and tasked to write our own doctrinal statements on key Christian beliefs like trinitarianism, soteriology, and the resurrection. I had just finished college at a Baptist university and received a minor in Bible and yet, we were talking about concepts I had never truly gotten my hands on or studied for myself. Plus, we were reading some heavy things by authors like Herman Bavinck. This was the first time I remember seeing the Bible as one big narrative, with key promises (covenants) to guide the way. These conversations and this teaching truly changed how I saw the church, my love for God’s Word, and my desire to be in ministry teaching these very things to others.
From there, I was able to take these concepts and begin applying them into the middle school ministry. We took 8th grade girls through the Women’s Bible Class that Jen Wilkin was teaching on Tuesday nights. Each year we had 10-15 8th grade girls who were eager to study the Bible every Tuesday night for 2 hours… with women, not their peers or the cute boys in the youth group. And each year I was incredibly proud of them for showing up, doing their homework, sitting through the teaching time, and asking hard questions. (To be honest, most of the time they were the ones teaching me I think!)
We also wrote a curriculum series that outlined the story of the Bible following the important covenants of the Bible, and one that outlined basic Christian beliefs about God, people, and the church. Both of these series were birthed through The Training Program teachings, which my colleagues and I had received, in order to bring common language across all discipleship environments. Once we began to see the bigger picture of scripture, the ways beliefs are shaped from this, and how to practice these things in community, we desired to teach the students we ministered to these same concepts.
I say all these things not to point to the things I have accomplished in ministry, but rather to demonstrate that the things written about in this book can really happen… and they are happening in local churches! This book simply provides helpful questions to consider as you evaluate your own ministry or church, and a framework to begin teaching and training your people in a way that builds holistic disciples.
The framework that JT outlines of Bible, beliefs, and practices is a key framework that should be (and can be!!) implemented into any area of ministry. These things are not just for “big church” or the overall church structure. These things are also for our kids in preschool ministry, our teens in youth group, and our adults in home groups. Each area of discipleship, focusing on these key things, demonstrates a healthy local church, and provides a scope and sequence of continued growth for the disciple at every stage of life.
I could go on and tell you my favorite parts of every chapter and how I hope to continue to implement the ideas from this book into my ministry at Storyline Fellowship now, but I would rather let you dive into this book for yourself and be encouraged by these words.
Pastor, minister, deacon, teacher, volunteer… you are not alone. No ministry is perfect. And no church will get it right all the time. I love the encouragement JT gives multiple times, reminding the reader that these concepts will look different in different context. But friend, I pray that above all else, you love God more deeply and are eager to keep fighting the good fight as you keep the main thing the main thing.
Gentle and Lowly:The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund may have become one of my favorite books over the last few weeks.
This is a book that, as the title suggests, tells about the heart of Jesus. Dane is pastoral in his writing and there is a tenderness about this book. He relies heavily on two key theologians: Thomas Goodwin and John Owen (with some John Bunyan and C.S. Lewis sprinkled throughout). The works of these two men in particular are works that I was not completely familiar with prior to this book. After reading this book, I feel like I understand the writings of both Goodwin and Owen with much more clarity, though I still have not directly read their works.
When I describe this book to others, I typically say that it’s a book about the attributes of Christ. Yes, the attributes of Christ are the same as those of God because Jesus is God, yet this book reveals a lot about Jesus’ humanity and God’s true heart towards us. As I read this book, I felt my soul become lighter, unraveled, and more at peace. I didn’t feel like I was being condemned or shamed by God, but rather, like I was being invited to simply sit and rest, as He healed the brokenness of my soul and my misunderstanding of who He truly is.
This book reminded me over and over again that God does not look on us with disappointment and frustration. He does not shame us or push us aside. He does not remove His love from us despite our sin. I was reminded that our very sin is what God draws near to. He sees us and cares for us in the very lowest of lows.
One of my favorite lines in this book is a quote from Goodwin. He says, “O therefore come in unto him. If you knew his heart, you would.” How beautiful and secure is that promise. If we truly knew the heart of the one who gave up everything for us, we would not hesitate to run to Him, even in (and especially in) our sins and failures.
Overall, this is a book I would HIGHLY recommend. But please, do not rush through this book, flipping page after page just to get through it and on to the next one. Sit in this book for a while. Let the words of Christ marinate in your heart and wash over your soul like a refreshing drink of water. Let Christ invite you into truly see His heart for you. For He is gentle and lowly, and His arms are open wide for you.
“Adorning the Dark” by Andrew Peterson is a captivating book that I unexpectedly came across. I’m a new fan of Andrew Peterson and his work in both writing and music. Peterson has years of experience, including lots of failed attempts and rough seasons, but you will have read this book to get all those details.
The thing I liked about this book is that it’s for everyone, not just “creatives” or “musicians” …but truly for anyone who would call themselves one who longs to live in this world with purpose. (Yet I would particularly recommend this book for my “creative”-type friends out there, because I’m sure you would appreciate his story in a deeper way than I can.)
Throughout the book he tells of his journey in the music and writing world, as a Christian who is just trying to live out true calling and identity. And Peterson is honest. I appreciate that a lot… and I learned a whole lot about a subject (the music industry) that I had no clue about previously. Sometimes it’s good to put down your typical book, genre, or area of expertise to learn something new!
Peterson tells about how the calling of the Christian is to proclaim the goodness and grace of God throughout all the world. We see this idea throughout all scripture. And the thing that Peterson is getting at in the whole book is that God chooses to invite us into this! He has given us gifts and talents and resources, and placed us in locations and communities and families, just so that His glory would be spread out to each corner of the earth.
“I’m pleasantly expendable, delightfully unnecessary. We’re not invited into this because God needs us, but because he wants us.”
Andrew Peterson, Adorning the Dark (33)
Some of his key themes include: community, identity, and calling. He talks about these three things all throughout the book and it’s evident that Andrew Peterson not only writes about these things well, but also lives them out.
Overall, I would recommend this book to those looking for something different, even if it’s just a different type of subject than you may normally read. Peterson is inviting you in to consider how you can join the God of the Universe in proclaiming His glory and fame in your corner of the earth. So pick up the book and join all of creation in waiting for our return to our true Home.
Morgan Marshall 