Pastor Dan’s Summer Reading
Dear Friends and Family of Hilton Baptist Church,
For the last several years I have offered some suggestions of books you may find beneficial to read throughout the summer. Here are a few of the books that I’ve found meaningful in the past year, and I think you may enjoy them on a summer’s day as well.
Happy Reading! Dan
Grace Notes ~ Philip Yancey
This book is actually a daily devotional of various selections from the writings of Philip Yancey. I enjoyed it so much I simply read several at a time, rather than one each day. One of the best aspects of this book is that each page is a message by itself, rather than being drawn out throughout a lengthy chapter. Throughout this book I found several morsels I could chew on, while also discovering some weightier thoughts that required more focus and attention. As with other books I’ve read, there were days something “spoke” to me at just the time I needed to hear it.
The Sacred Year ~ Michael Yankowski
In this book, the author invites the reader to walk beside him as he spends a year living with the spiritual practices. I enjoyed how he found God and faith in the simplest things, and the more I read the more I found myself beginning to do the same as well. I found that I began the book as an observer and by the end I was a traveling companion. I think you too will enjoy the journey if you join him
American Gospel ~ Jon Meacham
I’ve heard it said that the two topics that should avoided at dinner parties are faith and politics. This book combines the two and I think the author does so in a fair and impartial way. This is an interesting book examining how faith has played a part in the founding of our nation and in our national politics. This is not a book that will “fill your soul”, but I think it will allow you to see faith’s involvement in national politics in a new light.
50 People Every Christian Should Know ~ Warren W. Wiersbe
This book was an encouraging reminder that God uses all kinds of people, from all walks of life to do His work. God can take misfits and turn them into missionaries. God can use failures and fallouts to proclaim faith. This book contains inspiring stories and little nuggets that one can ponder and reflect on.
My only complaints about this book are (1) After a while it felt a bit lengthy (2) I would have preferred a larger representation of the sisters of our faith (3) It focused primarily on pastors and preachers. Nevertheless, it was still a good book and I found myself both challenged and encouraged throughout.
The Road to Daybreak ~Henri Nouwen
Sometimes just the right book comes along at just the right time. For me, this was one of those books. This book is actually a journal. Henri Nouwen shares his journey of transitioning from a prestigious position at Harvard to working among the mentally and physically challenged people of a community called L’Arche. He shares his own challenges and how he is noticing a deeper call to follow Jesus. This book had several “nuggets” that touched my own soul and I mulled them over for several hours. I’ve read several books by Henri Nouwen and I think this is among the most meaningful among them.
Categories: Pastors Message