by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper

Have you ever wondered what visitors to your church really think?

Jim Henderson, a retired pastor and his atheist friend Matt Casper tour the country and visit various churches. A small urban church, a suburban megachurch and many in between. Easy to read and eye-opening.

The thought from this book that stuck with me the most was a question from Casper after he observed several of the worship services: Is this what Jesus told you all to do?

by David Kinnaman, Gabe Lyons

This book gave me new insight about faith and church. I’ve long felt that Christians must stop complaining about the general public’s supposed anti-Christian bias. as it is, in many cases, well-deserved. We believe we are compassionate and loving, yet those we seek to reach perceive us as judgmental, legalistic and intolerant. Rather than listen to those we have hurt, we often become shrill and disrespectful of those who disagree with us.

The authors demonstrate the distinct disconnect between our self perception and the perceptions of others, particularly young adults. The testimonials from young people who have left the church and/or the faith and been wounded by Christians are particularly moving.

If you are an active church member, or particularly a leader, this is a must-read.

by Natalie Goldberg

Just finished this book. I will say that it helped me get excited about writing again. It freed my mind to think about writing not as something that always has to be immediately productive, but can be creative for its own sake. The chapters are brief and easy to read, but there is a lot I just couldn’t relate to and some of it is just BS. I’m no book reviewer (obviously!) but I’ve bookmarked a couple of pages and will probably refer back to it again.

by Barbara Sher

This book explores personality differences between people who are continually interested in new things and find frustration in trying to concentrate on one interest exclusively (referred to as Scanners), and those who are able to easily complete a task from start to finish with laser-like focus.I have been frustrated by my seeming lack of ability to focus for many years; I’ve just started reading, but already I’m beginning to understand that I’m not alone; I’m a Scanner and I’m in good company. Aristotle was a Scanner, as was Ben Franklin, and I think both of those guys did reasonably well for themselves.It is like a breath of fresh air to hear that I am not lazy or undisciplined because I can’t pick one thing and stick to it; it is simply that I have a creative mind. And, in a spiritual context, I’m realizing that I need to stop second-guessing the Creator and use the creative mind that He has given me for His glory.