5 short books to read this summer
Have you read any great books recently? I know it’s always easier to turn on Netflix or surf your phone, but reading great books is such an important part of growth, both as a person and a Christian. I love reading, so I thought I’d share five short books that God has used to challenge me and point me to Christ over the last several months.
These books aren’t flashy, but each one is packed with so much wisdom and insight about life and faith. I hope you’ll pick one up and see what God wants to tell you through it!
1. Dealing with the Praise and Rejection of Man, by Bob Sorge
Summary: This short book (only 86 pages!) is the best I’ve ever read on working through both praise and rejection. If we’re honest, we are all too susceptible to both of the praise and rejection of others, especially in our social media environment, and this book does such a good job working through a biblical and Jesus-centered approach towards receiving both rejection and praise.
Key quotes:
As long as you’re seeking the acceptance of man, you are making yourself vulnerable to the rejection of man. If man’s acceptance will build you up, man’s rejection will devastate you.
Rejection will always sting, but there is a healing balm. It is the unparalleled affection that the Father lavishes upon His children! No matter what the source of rejection, nor the nature of the rejection, I have an internal wellspring of acceptance that flows from the heart of my heavenly Father.
2. How Much Is Enough?, by Arthur Simon
Summary: This is a challenging yet balanced book exploring how Christians participate in the affluence of our current culture. But this is much more than a “money = bad, God = good” kind of book, he sifts through the Bible to speak towards our societal love of pleasure, consumption, power, success, and money, and how these good things can cause us to become disinterested in God. There are so many thought-provoking lines, and it caused me to reflect on whether my attitudes and actions are more influenced by God or our culture.
Key quotes:
The Bible shows us not only the way to heaven, but our purposes on earth as well. We are driven to ask if faith, for us, is merely a security blank for a self seeking life or radical trust in the God who cares about us so passionately that, in Christ, has suffered humiliation and death to reclaim access to his children.
None of us has to be wealthy to covet wealth. It is the love of wealth, not the amount of wealth that starves the soul, and our culture fosters that love.
Jesus wants to transform our purpose in life from one of getting to one of giving.
3. Reappearing Church, by Mark Sayers
Summary: As our culture continues to become more and more secular, I found this book about the renewal of the church particularly helpful. Not only does Mark help explain the secular systems of our culture, he gives some great insight and encouragement about how we can participate with God in the renewal of the church. This book left me with full of hope and a greater trust in God’s plan for our society.
Key quotes:
Personal renewals begin in the hidden places, often driven by solitary prayer, self-examination, communion with God, fasting and the habits of secrecy, the uprooting of sinful patterns, and confessions with trusted leaders and pastors. Eventually this inner change of the heart will overflow out into our external lives, creating a potential for renewal in the social world around us.
Continuing the same things that are not bringing renewal is not going to bring renewal. Lack of commitment is not going to bring renewal. Business as usual will not bring renewal. Accumulating knowledge without putting it into practice will not bring renewal. We need our autopilot patterns interrupted.”
4. The Fruit of the Spirit, by John Sanderson
Summary: This is the most helpful book on the fruit of the Spirit that I’ve ever read. The author does a great job working through spiritual growth in general, as well as tackling each characteristic that Paul lists out in Galatians. I’m realizing as I get older how important personal character and holiness is, and this book will help you think through your life and see opportunities to grow in ways that you wouldn’t expect.
Key quotes:
Fruit is not something which can be superimposed by any external means. …Fruit is the result of a work performed in man’s being by an immediate operation of God, and there is no other way to get fruit.
The Spirit’s action is to ‘root out the weeds’ and to water and fertilize the plants. This was done once for all in regeneration, and now it is accomplished progressively in sanctification.
5. The Great Omission, by Dallas Willard
Summary: This is the best book on discipleship that I’ve ever read. Dallas Willard’s main point is that while there’s so much talk about discipleship in Christianity today, very little discipleship actually occurs. He doesn’t just give you discipleship cliches, though, he digs into Jesus’ teachings to examine what discipleship actually is, and even more importantly, why Christians aren’t growing. I had so many a-ha moments as I read this book.
Key quotes:
“The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”
The disciple is one who, intent upon becoming Christ-like and so dwelling in his ‘faith and practice,’ systematically and progressively rearranges his affairs to that end. …In contrast, the non-disciple, whether inside or outside the church, has something ‘more important’ to do or undertake than to become like Jesus Christ.