Beach Reads
Beach Reads is back! Not sure what to read this summer? In lieu of a formal Bible Reading Plan, our team has picked a handful of books (including the Bible, of course!) that have deepened our relationships with God. We hope our picks will do the same for you, whether you're reading on the couch or by the beach.
We're also mirroring this theme in our summer sermon series! Join us for "Beach Reads" as we dive into the strange and scandalous stories of scripture.
Summer Book Recommendations
Answering God by Eugene H. Peterson
Eugene H. Peterson speaks to Christians who realize the necessity for prayer and yearn for it but who find their prayer unconvincing and unsatisfying. Addressing the causes of this dissatisfaction, Answering God offers guidelines for using the Psalms as dynamic tools for prayer. This book is recommended for Christians of any level, probably most useful for more mature Christians.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century. In World War II she and her family risked their lives to help Jews and underground workers escape from the Nazis, and for their work they were tested in the infamous Nazi death camps. Only Corrie among her family survived to tell the story of how faith ultimately triumphs over evil.
Here is the riveting account of how Corrie and her family were able to save many of God's chosen people. For 35 years millions have seen that there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. Now The Hiding Place, repackaged for a new generation of readers, continues to declare that God's love will overcome, heal, and restore.
Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity by Ronald Rolheiser
Beloved author Ronald Rolheiser continues his search for an accessible and penetrating Christian spirituality in this highly anticipated follow-up to the contemporary classic, The Holy Longing. With his trademark acuity, wit, and thoughtfulness, Rolheiser shows how identifying and embracing discipleship will lead to new heights of spiritual awareness and maturity. In this new book, Rolheiser takes us on a journey through the dark night of the senses and of the spirit. Here, we experience the full gamut of human life, pleasure and fervor, disillusionment and boredom. But, as Rolheiser explains, when we embrace the struggle and yearning to know God we can experience too a profound re-understanding to our daily lives.
Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton
Prayer is the source of Jesus's most astonishing miracles and the subject of Jesus's most audacious promises, and yet, people find prayer to be boring, obligatory, or confusing. Join Tyler Staton, author, pastor, and national director of the 24/7 Prayer movement, as he invites you to discover the incredible gift of prayer.
Within the pages of Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, Staton addresses common roadblocks to prayer and gives you the confidence to come to God just as you are. Through timely biblical teaching, powerful storytelling, and insights on historic Christian practices, Staton gives you the tools you need to:
- Express your doubts and disappointments about prayer
- Discover and practice multiple postures of prayer, including silence, persistence, confession, and more
- Understand and embrace the wonder and mystery of prayer in everyday life
- Open or reopen the line of communication with your Creator and experience afresh his divine power on earth
Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Discover simple habits and easy-to-implement daily rhythms that will help you find meaning beyond the chaos of family life as you create a home where kids and parents alike practice how to love God and each other.
You long for tender moments with your children--but do you ever find yourself too busy to stop, make eye contact, and say something you really mean? Daily habits are powerful ways to shape the heart--but do you find yourself giving in to screen time just to get through the day? You want to parent with purpose--but do you know how to start?
Each chapter in Habits of the Household ends with practical patterns, prayers, or liturgies that your family can put into practice right away. As you create liberating rhythms around your everyday routines, you will find your family has a greater sense of peace and purpose as your home becomes a place where, above all, you learn how to love.
Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latasha Morrison
In an era where we seem to be increasingly divided along racial lines, many are hesitant to step into the gap, fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing. At times the silence, particularly within the church, seems deafening.
But change begins with an honest conversation among a group of Christians willing to give a voice to unspoken hurts, hidden fears, and mounting tensions. These ongoing dialogues have formed the foundation of a global movement called Be the Bridge—a nonprofit organization whose goal is to equip the church to have a distinctive and transformative response to racism and racial division.
In this perspective-shifting book, founder Latasha Morrison shows how you can participate in this incredible work and replicate it in your own community. With conviction and grace, she examines the historical complexities of racism. She expertly applies biblical principles, such as lamentation, confession, and forgiveness, to lay the framework for restoration.
Along with prayers, discussion questions, and other resources to enhance group engagement, Be the Bridge presents a compelling vision of what it means for every follower of Jesus to become a bridge builder—committed to pursuing justice and racial unity in light of the gospel.
Tales That Tell the Truth Series
This best-selling series of hardback Bible storybooks combines faithful storytelling with stunning illustrations resulting in books that children (and adults!) will love reading again and again. Each book focuses on a true story from the Bible and teaches children wonderful truths about the Lord Jesus. Catalina Echeverri's illustrations are full of life, detail and lots of fun while always remaining faithful to the biblical text.